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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!

Astroland gets one-year extension on life
Coney Island park to remain open for 2008

Astroland, New York, NY, USA 10/26/07 - By: Mike Strobel -

© Astroland

Returning Another Year: Astroland, a classic park in all aspects, will return next season. However, it appears that 2008 will be its last year of operation.

In a sudden turn of events, the ever vulnerable Astroland amusement park, a national landmark and once one of New York's most popular destinations, has a bit longer before biting the dust completely.

In a last ditch effort to try and save the park, negotiations between Thor Equities, the company revamping the neighborhood as part of a $2 billion makeover, and the Albert family, owners of Astroland, have made it possible for the park to remain open for one more season.

Astroland first opened as an amusement park more popularly known as Coney Island in 1876, has seen it's share of ups and downs. Events such as World War I and II, the Great Depression, and other similar occurrences threatened to be the end of the New York park, but loyal fans and owners sought otherwise, keeping the park open all that time.

The signature ride of the park, the infamous Cyclone, has been around since 1927 and continues to be a favorite among guests and roller coaster enthusiasts alike.

However, it seems that next season, starting March 18, 2008, will indeed be its last as part of an agreement between the Albert family and Thor Equities.

Geauga Lake conversion advantages Kings Dominion
World's longest floorless coaster, 'Dominator,' moves to VA

Kings Dominion, Doswell Virginia, USA 10/23/07 - By: Ryan Blevins -

© Becky Latiolais
Kings Domination: Kings Dominion amusement park will make Dominator the park's 14th coaster, giving Kings Dominion bragging rights for having the largest coaster collection on the East Coast.

The rumor wheels have been cranking ever since Geauga Lake announced its permanent change to a water park for the 2008 season. Cedar Fair has finally confirmed that Dominator, that park's star attraction among enthusiasts, will indeed find a new home: Virginia's Kings Dominion.

Dominator, formerly known as Batman: Knight Flight under Six Flags' ownership of the Ohio park, will remain the longest floorless roller coaster after its move.

This steel beast designed by Bolliger and Mabillard carries its passengers to 161 feet before dropping them 157 feet back down at a curved angle. The drop leads to the world’s largest inversion: a 135 foot tall vertical loop.

Out of the 13 roller coasters currently standing at Kings Dominion, Dominator, the 14th, is one of the largest, standing four feet shy of the HyperSonic XLC's 165-foot tower. The ride also marks the first time Kings Dominion has opened a coaster with more than four inversions. Dominator features five: the loop, a cobra roll (two inversions), and interlocking corkscrew loops.

The Dominator will be constructed during an off-season that lasts until weekends in March through April. It is expected that Kings Dominion will open Dominator in late spring to early summer 2008.

Track and support sections have already begun showing up in Kings Dominion's parking lot, and COASTER-net will have coverage as this ride begins its transformation from an Ohio to Virginia ride.

Devin Olson contributed to this article.

Walt Disney's California Adventure pulls out all the stops
A full park makeover is planned to bring in more attendance for the park

Disney's California Adventure, Anaheim California, USA 10/18/07 - By: Ryan Blevins -

©Walt Disney Company
Disney Upgrades: California Adventure will try to get more recognition with a park make-over.

In an effort to compete with its sister park, Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure is going to makeover the entire park. A project $1.1 billion in the making. This will become the biggest remake the company has ever constructed.

The project is planned to take approximately five years. The park which originally cost 1 billion dollars, will be taking a beating with this new investment but the Walt Disney Corporation is hoping it will bring in it’s value in due time.

This California theme park has always been mocked due to its lack of creativity that all of the other Disney parks thrive off of. Everyone within the western area of the country has gotten tired of the California theme California Adventure posses. It has even lost admission falling behind Disneyland by $9 million.
Current California Adventure Attractions:
- (2001)-California Screamin'
- (2001)-Mulholland madness
- (2008-2012)-It is unsure what the future rides will be but makeover plans call for new attractions.

New additions to the park will include a replica Hollywood’s Carthay Circle theater. Not to mention a fair amount of new attractions centered around Disney and Pixar’s “Cars” and “Toy Story.”

Plans were originally planned to build a west coast version of Florida’s Epcot, the park was to be called Westcot. Disney dropped the idea however and pulled through on plans to built resort hotels and California adventure.

Disney’s California Adventure was first built as a money maker after the success of the popular Disneyland theme park.

Great America potentially for sale
New stadium threatens park's existence

Great America, Santa Clara, California 10/10/07 - By: Mike Strobel -

A popular park in the Santa Clara, California area may be meeting its demise soon. The San Francisco 49ers have proposed a new stadium in the area, more notably, around the Great America amusement park which may become a hassle for the park. Negotiations between Santa Clara, the 49er's, and Cedar Fair are in the works.

As some may recall, another park met it's end due to a stadium and the hassles of traffic and parking it created. Six Flags Astroworld closed due to it's close proximity to the infamous Astrodome in Houston, Texas, thus closing the park. The same story seems to be occurring to Great America and thus, Cedar Fair has opposed the proposition of the new stadium and hopes to alter the location of the sports facility. However, in the end, it will be up to the people of Santa Clara to decide the fate of the former Paramount Park.

Great America has been a favorite park in the area mainly due to it's affordable pricing, cleanliness, and value for the price. Major attractions have included Top Gun: The Jet Coaster (a B&M inverted coaster), Vortex (a B&M stand up), Invertigo (Vekoma Inverted Boomerang), and the former flying coaster, Stealth. The park was once in the same chain as it's Six Flags equivalent in Chicago until both were sold to their respective chains, the California property to Paramount and Cedar Fair, and the Chicago park to Six Flags.

Two Face coaster stalls at Six Flags America
Incident is third of its kind on specific ride

Six Flags America, Upper Malboro, Maryland 10/08/07 - By: Mike Strobel -

ï¿½ Six Flags America

Trouble at Six Flags America:Two Face has experienced stalling problems in the past.

It seems that Six Flags America's Two Face roller coaster has another problem to add among a growing list of problems with the ride. The ride has been prone to stalling and this recent incident has brought a negative spotlight onto the shuttle coaster once again. Perhaps, it will be for the better.

On October 7th, at approximately 6:40 pm, the ride was seemingly going through its usual cycles when a safety sensor automatically shut down. The ride's safety system had the train stuck at the top of the second lift hill, about 130 ft. in the air. In the process, one of the hydraulic breaks used on the ride broke, spraying hydraulic fluid on many of the 28 passengers aboard the ride.

Injuries occurred from the train suddenly lurching as it broke free of the hill's lift mechanism, but then returned to the station. Paramedics attended to the injured, twelve at the scene and two were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. The ride is closed as an investigation of the accident is filed and the problems worked out.

Two Face: The Flip Side, at Six Flags America, is Vekoma's inverted shuttle ride dubbed the Invertigo, or Inverted Boomerang. Rider's are hauled up 138 ft., dropping them to speeds of 55 miles per hour while experiencing 5 g's through 3 inversions, a cobra roll and a vertical loop. The process is repeated backwards, all while riders face each other. The ride has experienced problems of stalling in the past, once in 2003 and one recently, occurring earlier this summer.

Free Six Flags season tickets anyone?
Great America offers free passes to brave guest

Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois 10/05/07 - By: Mike Landers -

Could you take 130,000 meal-worms slithering around on your skin? If so, Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois is giving you a once in a lifetime chance to win four season passes to Six Flags.

To win the free passes contestants will have to climb in a plastic coffin and then have all of the worms dumped on them. Once all of the worms are in place a clock will be started counting down from one minute. If you can make it through one minute of torture you will receive the free passes, a value of around 300 dollars.

The victims of this game will be equipped with goggles and ear plugs so the worms can't get in unwanted places. However, there is no mouth guard, so you are advised by park workers to not scream in the process.

New level of thrills come to Michigan
Michigan's Adventure set to construct Michigan's first suspended looping coaster

Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon, Michigan 10/5/2007 10/05/07 - By: Mike Landers -

Coaster fans of Michigan will have a reason to stay home this year as Michigan’s Adventure begins construction on Michigan’s first suspended looping roller coaster. ThunderHawk will be Michigan’s Adventure’s seventh roller coaster and the parks biggest investment since it was opened.

Thunderhawk, the new coaster, will climb 105’ in the air with an 86-foot drop reaching top speeds of 50 mph. Riders will soar through the air with their feet dangling along a track that will feature five inversions.

ThunderHawk was originally located at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. Cedar Fair, the owner of both Geauga Lake and Michigan’s Adventure, decided to close the gates at Geauga Lake and export the coasters to nearby parks.