Construction continues on Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens
WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced “Curse of DarKastle” will be the latest addition to its stellar lineup of thrill rides. Curse of DarKastle is the Williamsburg park’s foray into the next generation of theme park thrills. Busch Gardens assembled a crew of expert ride engineers, computer-generated graphic media artists, audio and visual projection system designers, and theming architects. The park began construction on Curse of DarKastle in February 2004 with ride completion scheduled for Spring 2005. Curse of DarKastle will transport guests through a grand Bavarian castle frozen in time. Following a one-minute-40-second pre-show that hints at a mysterious legend, guests will board eight-passenger golden sleighs for a mesmerizing three-minute-20-second journey through the castle’s ghostly chambers. Elements of the dynamic ride include 3-D imagery, special effects, and a bone-chilling chase. State-of-the- art ride technology sends passengers on their journey through Curse of DarKastle. In addition to the pulse-pounding ride experience, digitally projected 3-D media will immerse guests in the ride’s story. The new attraction is located in the park’s Oktoberfest section of Germany.
Did you know? The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) named Busch Gardens Williamsburg the world’s “Most Beautiful Theme Park” for the 14th consecutive year and world’s “Favorite Theme Park” for the fourth year.
Dorney Park unveils HYDRA: The Revenge
ALLENTOWN, PA – In May 2005, Dorney Park will ratchet up the thrill expectations for roller coaster enthusiasts everywhere with the addition of HYDRA The Revenge to the park’s already-impressive collection of coasters. Announcing the new ride, Dorney Park officials described the $13 million floorless coaster as a one-of-a-kind ride experience with several unique design features.
As a floorless coaster, riders will experience the sensation of floating in air throughout the ride. The ride begins with a unique feature park officials call the jojo roll, the first- ever pre-lift hill inversion where riders twist upside-down after exiting the launch station. With adrenaline pumping, riders climb out of the jojo roll up a 95-foot-tall lift hill, followed by a 53 m.p.h. plunge down a menacing 68-degree, 105-foot sideways drop into a rock-hewn canyon. This “near-miss” race through the canyon is followed by an inclined dive loop 65 feet above the ground, dropping the train back into the ravine to be shot through a zero-gravity roll, carrying the train out over the midway. The coaster races through the first of two flat-spin inversions, plunges 50 feet into another ravine and rises into Hydra’s signature design element of a tight cobra roll, before dropping back into the same ravine.
HYDRA The Revenge is named after the nine-headed monster of Greek mythology. The ride is made up of 3,198 feet of tubular steel track and weighs in at approximately 1,368,000 pounds. Open-air trains seat riders four abreast in eight rows to accommodate 32 passengers per ride, for an estimated 1,245 riders per hour. Hydra The Revenge will be Dorney Park’s seventh roller coaster, joining the inverted Talon and 205-foot-tall Steel Force as one of the park’s signature thrill rides.
Did you know? In the myth, Hydra battles the hero Hercules, who succeeds in cutting off all of Hydra’s heads. However, one head is immortal and Hercules buries it under a huge boulder by a lake. In Dorney Park mythology, Hydra has risen from Dorney Park Lake and has taken its “revenge” on Hercules, the wooden roller coaster the park retired after the 2003 season. Hydra The Revenge is located in the same spot bordering Dorney Park Lake where Hercules once stood.
Great Coasters International to design and build two new wooden coasters for Spring of 2006
ORLANDO, FL – Great Coasters International, Inc. has announced that they will debut two new wooden coasters in 2006. The first ever GCII wooden coaster in Europe will be headed to PowerPark in Härmä, Finland. This large, custom-designed thriller will feature a unique and twisted layout and a one-of-a-kind station arrangement that allows for plenty of “up-close” viewing of the coaster in action! The ride will also be the first in Europe to utilize GCII’s popular “Millennium Flyer” vehicles. Also in the Spring of 2006, Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky will unveil Kentucky’s most twisted wooden roller coaster. The new wooden coaster will offer an incredible collection of high-speed curves, banks, swoops, twists, hops, drops and all-around thrills that will satisfy even the most experienced coaster fans. An Aeroplane-style first drop and a completely integrated station design are just two of the exciting and unique elements that will make this ride a destination for families and enthusiasts alike.
Did you know? PowerPark is one of Finland’s most popular resort destinations and Beech Bend Park has been providing family entertainment since 1898.
KoalaPlay Group splashes into Singapore
DENVER, CO – Adventure abounds as families can conduct their own laboratory experiments at KoalaPlay Group’s first International WaterColors play area in Singapore.
KoalaPlay Group, the commercial design and development division of Koala Corp., custom created “Yakult Professor’s Playground” for Singapore’s newest and biggest water theme park, Wild Wild Wet. NTUC Club, owners of the park, opened the attraction to guests in summer 2004.
Yakult Professor’s Playground is a fantasyland sure to satisfy the mad scientist in children and adults alike. The innovative structure links three WaterColors units to KoalaPlay Group’s one-of-a-kind tipping bucket tower that drenches guests every few minutes with approximately 750-gallons of water. The company’s world-class theming experts originated the laboratory atmosphere by adding temperature gauges, satellites, and large buckets that look like giant beakers, throughout the play area.
The playground features a variety of platform levels, more than 30 in-teractive play elements, including water canons, fountains and blasters, and several slides designed and built by Amusement Leisure.
In addition to Yakult Professor’s Playground, Wild Wild Wet also has raft slides, flume rides, a lazy river, and wave pool.
Did You Know? For the Western traveler longing for home, Wild Wild Wet offers both a KFC and Pizza Hut inside the park.
Chance Morgan delivers NEW rides to NEW Cypress Gardens
WICHITA, KS – Chance Morgan, Inc. recently delivered six rides to Cypress Gardens. The new deliveries include a Yo-Yo, Giant Wheel, Double Decker Carrousel, Pharaoh’s Fury and two C.P. Huntington trains.
The Yo-Yo spins riders through the sky, providing a wonderful view of the facility.
A whimsical, two-level carrousel attracts children and adults. Riders can choose from a variety of figures.
The Pharaoh’s Fury welcomes passengers aboard the ship and then swings them from horizontal to vertical for a different view of the park.
The C.P. Huntington trains allow visitors to relax and enjoy views of the whole park.
The Giant Wheel towers above all the rest at 27 meters. The gondolas are large enough to take the whole family for a ride.
Did You Know? The rides are part of the overall rejuvenation of Cypress Gardens. The new owner is investing in new rides and will be retaining old attractions such as the water-ski show and the historic botanical gardens with Southern Belles.
Black-light mini-golf courses receive atmosphere upgrade
TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Adventure Golf Services recently announced new options to enhance the atmosphere for their black-light miniature golf courses. “We have added a new dimension to the activity by installing an optional illuminated golf edge system, in multiple colors. The effect is a multi-color glow around the perimeter of each golf course,” says Arne Lundmark, President.
According to Lundmark, he designed a pilot project to determine all costs and work out the many black light issues. The pilot project features five themed miniature golf adventure zones.
The first is an underwater shipwreck scene with an underwater cave entrance leading to the second adventure, an underwater cave with sea life, treasure scenes and other surprises. After leaving the cave, players arrive at a coral reef zone, followed by the fourth adven- ture zone, which is emerging out of the water with a pirates beach scene. Finally golfers play into a jungle adventure with lots of jungle animal’s sounds and pirate’s living quarters.
Did You Know? Adventure Golf Services recommends changing themed scenery every three to four years to keep guests coming back for more.
