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There's another aspect of excitement in the world of thrill rides. There's the excitement of the latest announcements of upcoming rides from an industry as secretive as the military at times, and the excitement of all the latest happenings at parks around the world. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes the news is bad, but our aim is to bring you the fairest, timeliest, most accurate details on everything that concerns you. COASTER-net's team of journalists is hard at work around the clock to bring you the in-depth scoop!
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Hersheypark expansion plans accepted
Plans for 2007 season approved. Waterpark confirmed?
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Hersheypark, Hershey, PA, USA 11/23/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Hersheypark
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Derry Township, the jurisdiction containing Hersheypark, has accepted plans for Hersheypark's 2007 additions today. The plans? Several water rides throughout an area near the park's Lightning Racer coaster.
Not too much info was given away about the expansion, but the rides were mainly types found at water parks. Confirmed rides include a water play device, three pools, a water slide, water playground, and fountain. The new waterpark area would involve the removal of two small rides in Midway America. Those rides are Frog Hopper and another flat ride.
The plans given out mainly confirm Hersheypark receiving the long-rumored water park to some degree. For years, rumors have been floating around about a water park. One rumor included the park being named "Cocoa Bay" and have the water dyed brown to resemble chocolate.
Hersheypark is adding a new addition in 2006, a Sally dark ride called Reese's X-treme Cup Challenge. 2007 Will mark the 100th anniversary of the park.
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Six Flags over Snyder?
Daniel Snyder declares himself new owner
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Six Flags, Oklahoma City, OK, USA / Red Zone 11/22/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Six Flags
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It seems that Six Flags is now under new ownership. Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins football team and Red Zone, now owns the world's largest theme park chain. After 57 percent of common shareholders voted for the proposal to change management, Premier Parks is no more and Red Zone is in.
Once consent solicitations are certified, Six Flags' current management would be getting the boot. Snyder would then hand pick officers for replacement. Daniel Snyder will become chairman of the company.
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Ghost Town may reopen
Group hopes to buy the closed North Carolina park
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Ghost Town in the Sky, Maggie Valley, NC, USA 11/21/05 - By: Carl F -
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A group of potential buyers has their eye on the defunct North Carolinan theme park. Ghost Town in the Sky closed in 2002 due to low cash reserves and since then, the park has been slowly falling apart. But, some light may shed on the slowly deteriorating park.
A group of potential buyers may buy the park, and if things go smoothly, have the park open in time for the 2006 season. The group of people includes an owner of a few water parks, a scenic railway operator, and a local tourism expert.
Ghost Town in the Sky is a western themed family theme park in North Carolina with one coaster, a Hopkins looping coaster known as Red Devil. Closed in 2002, rides now sit dismantled. Ghost Town in the Sky is known for having a unique niche, an inclined skyway is located at the entrance to take guests up to the theme park, located on top of a mountain. Red Devil, the park's roller coaster, takes advantage of the terrain.
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Tatsu to fly into Magic Mountain
Park announces highly-anticipated flying coaster
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Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA, USA 11/17/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Six Flags Magic Mountain
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Get ready to fly at the speed of fear next year...
Today, Six Flags Magic Mountain has announced their long anticipated flying coaster, Tatsu. In true Magic Mountain tradition, this coaster is the worlds tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster. The ride comes from renounced designers Bolliger and Malibillard as the "X-treme" park's seventeenth thrill ride, making the park once again, coaster capital.
Tatsu will take riders on an epic layout as the coaster takes riders soaring over 170 feet in the air as the tallest flying coaster on Earth. Then, riders are dropped down 111 feet and reach speeds of sixty-two miles per hour for the fastest speed on a flying coaster. As soon as riders emerge from the station on to the lift hill, they journey across 3,602 feet of track. On that journey, riders will encounter four mind-blowing inversions. Including a 124 foot Pretzel Knot/Loop, 103 foot Flat Spin, ninety-six foot tall Zero-G roll, and a 360 degree inline twist over the park's famous Revolution coaster. These
Copyright Six Flags Magic Mountain
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ingredients would make this ride three minutes no rider would ever forget.
Tatsu, which is the Japanese word for Dragon, will open in the park's Samurai Summit area for the 2006 season. Tatsu will mark the park's 35th anniversary.
Stay tuned for a ride gallery page on this record breaking roller coaster next week!
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Rides taking your breath away, literally
Study based on death of 4-year-old Florida boy
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Studies have shown that if you take a wild ride on a roller coaster an irregular heartbeat can be triggered in thrill-seekers with cardiac condition, which could lead to death.
The study was conducted after Daudi Bamuwamye, a 4-year-old Florida resident, died on Mission Space at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center this past June. The cause was thought to be his heart.
Thirty-seven people, 37 men and 18 women, were gathered to see how there heart rate would be effected before, during and after their rollercoaster experience. The ride which the test was taken on was Expedition Ge-Force in Holiday Park Hassloch, Germany.
Average at-rest heart rates were 91 beats per minute, or normal. After riding the ride for one minute the average heart rate jumped to 153 beats per minute. Women showed the largest increase in beats per minute.
Such jumps in heart rates could cause irregular heart rates or arrhythmias.
While riding roller coasters may be a problem for the elders with heart conditions. The twist, turns and ultimate feeling of airtime is not something the young, healthy crowd has to be worried about.
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Geauga Lake announces 2006 plans
Wave pool, senior admission and early season closing
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Geauga Lake, Aurora, OH, USA 11/14/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Geauga Lake
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Geauga Lake has announced one portion of Phase Two of the park's Wildwater Kingdom waterpark expansion over what was once Sea World Ohio/SFWoA's Wild Life side. Phase two of Wildwater Kingdom will include a brand new Caribbean themed wave pool called Tidal Wave Bay.
Tidal Wave Bay will be over 30,000 square feet large, five feet deep, 325 feet wide, and 220 feet long. Alongside the wave pool will be rentable cabanas and lush landscapes. Several food stands and shops will surround the new area as well. Although Wildwater Kingdom's concept art shows more family slides coming to the area as well, they have remained unannounced. Tidal Wave Bay will be the new wave pool replacing the five-year old Hurricane Bay pool inside the now defunct Hurricane Hannah's water park.
Geauga Lake will open for the 2006 season on May 13. Wildwater Kingdom will not open until May 27th for its second season. Another contreversey in this news article includes an earlier than usual September closing on September 17th. Usually the park is open an extra month for Halloween Haunt, the park's annual halloween event full of haunted houses and scare zones.
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Great Escape Lodge attractions announced
Names of attractions in the indoor waterpark announced
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Great Escape, Lake George, NY, USA 11/11/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Great Escape
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Yesterday, Six Flags announced the names of the various attractions inside the park's soon-to-open Great Escape Lodge. The Great Escape Lodge is a brand new resort being built near the park and owned and operated by Six Flags. The major selling point of this resort? A year round waterpark.
The names of the attractions are;
Tall Timbers Treehouse- an interactive water play house for guests young and old.
Boogie Bear Surf- the Northeast's first Flowrider surfing simulation, Boogie Bear Surf is about as close to the Pacific you can get at the lodge.
Lott-a-watta-Bay- A small lagoon attached to the Tak-it-eesi-Creek lazy river.
Tip-A-Kanu-Beach- A small area for parents with young children.
Soakum Springs- A relaxing indoor spa for teens and adults.
Avalanche- Family water slide that simulates white water rapids.
Glacier Run and Snow Shoe Falls- Glacier Run and the two Snow Shoe Falls slides are fun, family-sized slides that twist around the edge of the water park.
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Ten family thrills heading to Six Flags over Texas
2006 Rides will include some salvaged from AstroWorld
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Six Flags over Texas, Arlington, TX, USA 11/10/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Six Flags
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It seems Texas' largest park is getting even bigger next year with ten brand new family rides offically announced. Confirmed by a document found a few weeks ago on internet forums, Six Flags over Texas was slated to get several family flat rides. Some of these flat rides may be from the recently-closed Six Flags Astroworld park.
The new flat rides are: the Blackbird plane ride, La Fiesta de las Tazas teacup ride, Rock-N-Rocket Looping Starship ride (possibly from Astroworld), Rodeo spinning ride, Crazy Legs flat ride, Caddo Lake Barge (Zamperla Rockin' Tug?), Sidewinder Scrambler ride, Up, Up & Away Balloon Race ride, Boot Scootin' bouncing ride, and an interactive spray ground.
The park has yet to announce the 2006 season schedule.
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Silver Dollar City adding new area
The Grand Exposition, new section with ten family rides
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Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO, USA 11/08/05 - By: Carl F -
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Copyright Silver Dollar City
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Silver Dollar City announced a brand new themed area with ten rides for the 2006 season. The new Grand Exposition themed section will be added with ten flat rides that would challenge any thrill seeker of any age.
Themed after travelling carnivals that would stop in several towns in America, showing off the innovative and new mechanical marvels of the late 1800's. As well as this expansion being educational and fun, it would also be beautifully themed and landscaped in the Silver Dollar City tradition.
Some of the ten rides include a family roller coaster, Galleon swinging ship ride, five story high Wave Swinger, a Zamperla Disk-o, Tea Cups, and more.
The Grand Exposition section will open in Spring 2006.
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Six Flags reports quarterly results
Increases continue through third quarter
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Six Flags, Inc., Frontier City, OK, USA 11/07/05 - By: Brian -
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Copyright Six Flags
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Six Flags released their results today for the third quarter of the year, and the increase seen throughout the year continues. For the first nine months of the year they have seen a 9.5% increase in revenue, and a 5.6% increase in attendance. Results for the third quarter of the year only were a 9.8% in revenue and a 4% increase in attendance.
The actual numbers are as follows. The company has gathered $977.9 million in revenue so far this year, compared to $893.2 million for the same time period last year. Revenues for the three month period were $559 million compared to $509 million during the same three months last year. Six Flags stated that they expect increases in both of these statistics for all the parks they currently operate in North America.
Next year the company has a $125 million investment planned for multiple parks. This includes new roller coasters for Six Flags Magic Mountain, Over Georgia, La Ronde, and Great Adventure. Other parks will be seeing general park improvments and the addition of smaller family oriented attractions.
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More gold at the end of the rainbow?
Theme park ponders largest ride for New Zealand
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Rainbow's End, Manukau City, Auckland, NZ 11/04/05 - By: Devin Olson -
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Copyright Rainbow's End
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New Zealand's only permanent amusement park, Rainbow's End, could be receiving its largest ride yet for the 2007 season, although the exact ride type has yet to be determined.
At an annual stockholders meeting for parent company New Zealand Experience, officials stated that, despite a slump during July due to weather, Rainbow's End has been on target for gate receipts.
The park operates on a plan to add major attractions every three years. This season, new rides were Power Surge and Jumpin' Star. In 2001, the Intamin "Giant Drop" freefall tower known as Fearfall opened as the park's largest addition ever at 180 feet tall and 50 miles per hour.
Now, the plan of the Canada-based New Zealand Experience is to focus investment on Rainbow's End through introducing a new ride on a similar scale to Fearfall in order to continue the park's growth in both size and attendance.
Aside from Fearfall, the 23-year-old park is also home to noteworthy rides including the triple-inverting Corkscrew Coaster and the Gold Rush mine train.
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Libertyland calls it quits; fate unknown
2006 Season cancelled for historic Tennessee park
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Libertyland, Memphis, TN, USA 11/03/05 - By: Devin Olson -
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Copyright Libertyland
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A piece of history may be lost as the fate of a decades-old Tennessee amusement park is uncertain.
Due to financial losses, the commission of the Mid-South Fair, which operates on the same property as Libertyland amusement park, voted to close the park for 2006 and move the fair elsewhere.
Although it operated as a non-profit business, recent years meant the loss of profit by Libertyland. However, the park remained opened as earnings from the fair offset the loss. Losses for 2006 were projected at half a million dollars.
Libertyland is famous for its 1923 Zippin' Pippin, currently the world's fourth-oldest-operating roller coaster. Known as Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster, he was known for renting out the park after hours to ride the John Miller creation through the night.
Since the installation of Zippin' Pippin, Liberty amassed a collection of other rides including the 1979 Arrow Dynamics triple-looping steel coaster Revolution.
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Skyhawk flies into Cedar Point
Discounted admission also announced
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Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH, USA 11/01/05 - By: Devin Olson -
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Copyright Cedar Point
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Thrill-seekers will have the opportunity to visit Cedar Point at a discount from 2005 prices before hopping on the park's newest thrill-ride, the $6 million Skyhawk.
Cedar Point has confirmed that the Sandusky, Ohio park will receive the fourth "Screamin' Swing" ride from S&S Power for 2006, and that it will be placed in Frontiertown beside the Snake River Falls splashdown ride.
Along with the new ride - which will not be an upcharge attraction like its older counterparts - Cedar Point will be reducing general admission rates by $5 to 
Copyright Cedar Point
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$39.95 while senior and junior tickets will remain at the end-of-year special offered in 2005 of $9.95. This comes after recent concerns of overpriced tickets.
The park is touting its 40-passenger version of the increasingly-popular ride as the largest of its kind in the world, and according to official announcements, it will stand exactly three feet higher than sister park Valleyfair's Xtreme Swing next year, but swing to the same height - 125 feet - at up to 60 miles per hour.
The announcement confirms that the five acres of land left unoccupied after the removal of White Water Landing will be used for another future expansion, likely a major ride if Cedar Point's history speaks for the future.
Look for a full Ride Gallery page for Skyhawk here on COASTER-net!
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