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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!

Chang to be Removed
SFKK loses its premier attraction.

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom 09/22/09 - By: Ryan Shrout -

© Homer

The End of the Line: SFKK's best coaster is moving on to a better place; its current home park however is not.

Sad but true, rumors of Chang's demise have been proven true as the deconstruction process began this past weekend. The ride had a good run at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. When the ride opened at the park back in 1997 it stole all of the records previously help by Cedar Point's Mantis in the stand-up coaster category. Indeed Chang was the tallest, fastest, longest, and loopiest stand-up coaster ever built and still places #2 in all of those categories behind only Riddler's Revenge.

But alas, the ride is over, at least for SFKK. Unfortunately this is just the most recent in a long line of problems that have befallen the Louisville theme park. Back in 2007 the park's Intamin freefall tower, Superman Tower of Power malfunctioned when a cable snapped and subsequently severed a 16 year old girl's feet. The incident set the park in a negative light that it has still not managed to over come. But the problems would not end there.

One of the most unique ride's at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Twisted Twins, did not open with the park for the 2008 season. It was said that the twin tracked duelling woody which opened in 1998 needed some extra time to completely repair and refurbish the ride. As things would turn out however, the ride remained standing but not operating all summer. This year Twisted Twins and the Northwest Territory that encompasses failed to open yet again.

And now this. Chang, the most popular ride at the park, is being dismantled as I type. There is some marginally good news to this story. It is rumored that Chang will not die but simply be shipped off to another park in the Six Flags chain, the leading candidate of which at the moment appears to be Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL. The other good news is that the removal of Chang is making way for the largest waterpark expansion in the history of Splashwater Kingdom. To be honest though the big picture does not look good for Kentucky Kingdom and many enthusiasts are already drawing comparisons to the now defunct Guega Lake.

Cedar Point to "Shoot the Rapids" in 2010
A new water ride the whole family can enjoy!

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, 09/03/09 - By: Patrick Leaske -

Cedar Point recently announced it's newest addition to it's ride lineup with a water ride called Shoot the Rapids. The water ride will have two drops, one 85 feet tall and the second standing 49 feet. This Intamin water ride will also be 2,100 feet long to make a 3-minute ride. Shoot the Rapids will be a 10.5 million dollar investment, becoming the largest investment in a water ride ever at Cedar Point. The ride will also include a tunnel and rapids. Guests will be able to watch the riders get soaked via walkways next to the ride.

“Shoot the Rapids will instantly become a family favorite,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Our guests wanted another option to cool off on warm summer days. We listened, and Shoot the Rapids will deliver the perfect combination of refreshment, thrills and new memories at Cedar Point.”

The ride will be built on Millennium Island, where much of Millennium Force's layout lies. It will take advantage of the naturally wooded area and water that surrounds the island. The ride will have ten boats, with ten seats per boat. The ride will use 728,000 gallons of chlorinated, filtered water throughout the ride. It will be themed to moonshine, and will become Cedar Point's third currently operating water ride. The ride will be located near Frontier Town.

Shoot the Rapids is scheduled to open on Opening Day in 2010.