SOURCE: KAKE NEWS (www.kake.com)

What started as a fun day at the zoo nearly landed four people in immediate care after a sno-cone mixup. One was a bottle of sno-cone syrup. The other was a bottle of commercial degreaser.

A Sedgwick County Zoo employee could not tell the difference between the two and it nearly made four people sick.

One of the victims, who does not want to be identified, is speaking out.

“This could have turned out tragic,” she said.

The Maize woman was with her grandchildren at the zoo Thursday when they bought the blue sno-cones.

“And they took bites and we noticed they didn’t taste the same so I tasted it. I thought maybe the utensils were dirty and then someone ran up to us and told us it was degreaser on top,” she said.

According to the zoo, the two bottles of the same exact shape, size and color, were dropped off at the same time. Because they look similar, they accidentally got stocked side by side. When one of the employees went to get more syrup, they did not take a close enough look at the labels and grabbed the degreaser.

“We’d just like to say that we are sincerely sorry that this unfortunate incident happened,” said Zoo Spokesperson Christan Baumer. “We are terribly sorry for the families that were involved.”

Luckily, the bottle mix-up did not end up with any major injuries. Those involved did not ingest enough of the mixture to cause any harm. Still, they are not happy.

“They need to be more careful, especially serving food. Pay attention to what you’re grabbing because this could have turned out tragic,” the victim said.

The zoo says it will now stop serving blue sno-cones completely to make sure this kind of mix up never happens again.

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Joe Eck has named the new general manager for Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. In this position he will be responsible for overseeing all resort operations.
Eck had been serving as the Sales and Marketing Director for the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort for nine years.
Eck serves on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau, and is a member of the Marketing Committee for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau. He is a member of Meeting Planners International (MPI) and Wisconsin State Association of Executives (WSAE).
Prior to joining the Wilderness, Eck served as an Associate Buyer for Sax Fifth Avenue regional headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis.
Eck has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a minor in Public Relations from UW-Whitewater. He and his wife, Sue, reside in Wisconsin Dells with their two children.
The Wilderness Territory, which consists of over 600 wooded acres in Wisconsin Dells, is the perfect destination for a fun-filled family vacation, meeting or special event. The Territory is home to Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, which features 444 guest rooms, 40 vacation villas, 76 Frontier Condominiums and 35 cabins. It is also home to Wilderness on the Lake which features 108 luxurious two and three bedroom condominium units overlooking Lake Delton; and Glacier Canyon Lodge, which features 448 upscale condominium units.
Combined, these three properties offer four indoor and four outdoor waterparks that total nearly 500,000 square feet – that’s over 12 football fields of water fun! The Territory is also home to Wild Rock Golf Club, The Woods 9-Hole Family Course; Dodge ‘Em City; Timberland Play Park, a 30,000 square-foot, four story adventure with ball blasters, slides and crawl spaces; the OK Corral Lazer Tag Arena; and The Wild Abyss and Wild Buccaneer 3-D black light mini golf courses.

CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on lifestyle properties, announced today that it has acquired the Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park in Kapolei, on the island of Oahu, from a subsidiary of Village Roadshow
Limited (VRL:AU), a publicly traded global entertainment and media company based in Melbourne, Australia, and leased the park back to that entity to operate under a long-term lease. Park operations will not be impacted by the transaction.

Nestled amid the sunny slopes, cliffs and natural beauty of West Oahu, Hawaiian Waters is
Hawaii’s only water park. The park opened in 1999 and was acquired by Village Roadshow in
2008. Covering 29 acres in West Oahu, it can accommodate 6,000 guests, making it a significant
water park by world standards. Attractions include Shaka, “the world’s wildest half-pipe;”
Volcano Express, a 5 ½ story slide where four riders race to the finish line; and the Tornado, a
130-foot tunnel with a 50-foot drop, installed by Village Roadshow last summer as part of a
multi-million dollar expansion.

Effective this summer, Village Roadshow will rebrand the park as Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii, and will
also open a second Wet ‘n’ Wild water park in Phoenix, Ariz.

“This transaction is a homerun for both sides,” said Byron Carlock, president and CEO of CNL
Lifestyle Properties. “Village Roadshow is a major force in the entertainment industry. We were
looking for a vibrant operating partner with which to grow our portfolio of properties. Hawaiian
Waters is exactly the kind of quality attraction we look for, where families can make lasting
memories, and we look forward to working with Village Roadshow in the future.”

Graham Burke, managing director of Village Roadshow Limited said, “CNL Lifestyle Properties is the perfect partner for us as we grow our highly successful water park business in the United
States. This transaction provides us with financial flexibility, and a partner that shares our core
values and aspirations.”

Village Roadshow, founded in 1954, is a leading international entertainment and media company with its core businesses of Theme Parks, Film Distribution, Cinema, Radio, Film Production and Music. It is best known in the United States for its Los Angeles-based movie production business, which produced films such as the Matrix trilogy, the Oceans trilogy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Happy Feet, I Am Legend and Get Smart. The company is Australia’s largest theme park owner, with extensive holdings including: Sea World, in Queensland; Warner Bros. Movie World; Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World; the Australian Outback Spectacular; and the Sydney Aquarium, among others.

Including Hawaiian Waters, CNL Lifestyle Properties owns 25 attractions properties, making it
one of the largest regional theme park owners in the United States.

Torrance, Calif. USA, 23 March 2009 – Wildfire, Inc., the industry leader in UV (aka ultraviolet or “black light”) effects, fixtures and products, announced an exclusive sales and product development agreement with Modern Masters, a leader in the decorative paint market and subsidiary of Rust-Oleum.

Effective immediately, Modern Masters will take charge of all wholesale sales and distribution of Wildfire brand paint products. The arrangement enables Wildfire and Modern Masters to combine their resources to roll out new Wildfire products, improve existing products and increase their availability to customers. Wildfire will announce two new product lines within the next few months.

“We are very pleased to announce this agreement with Modern Masters,” said Wildfire president John Berardi. “We have partnered with Modern Masters in a variety of ways over the past 18 years. We take this next step knowing that Modern Masters understands our markets as well as our paint products. Modern Masters has the foundation and global resources of its well-known parent company, yet is still run by the family that originally founded it, which allows them to provide the same high-quality, attentive and efficient customer service that Wildfire customers know and expect from us.”

“Modern Masters is totally committed to the amusement park and themed entertainment communities,” exclaimed Jim Rogers, vice president of Modern Masters. “Wildfire paints are a perfect compliment to our existing product lines, including Modern Masters Theme Paint. We look forward to working with Wildfire on developing more innovative and exciting products for these industries.”

The Wildfire team at Modern Masters includes Russell Brasher, Global Sales Manager; Neil Cody, North Eastern Regional Manager; Diana Sartor, Western Regional Manager; Mark Mattei, Mid South Regional Manager; Scott Hutchinson, Southern Regional Sales Manager; Blanca Lopez, Customer Service Supervisor; Sulie Soto, Customer Service Representative; Joe Saenz, Technical Support/Studio Manager; and Joe Saenz, Technical Support/Studio Manager.

This quite easily has been the best and most amusing story to come out of the aquarium world for quite some time.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-octopus27-2009feb27,0,3764268.story

This quite easily has been the best and most amusing story to come out of the aquarium world for quite some time.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-octopus27-2009feb27,0,3764268.story

“Connecting with client decision-makers should be a top priority for every firm hoping to succeed in the coming months,”says Steven J. Thorburn, president of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). “In the case of the visitor attractions industry, the TEA Summit and TEA’s Thea Awards Gala are two of the top networking events of the year – one educational and the other celebratory – March 6-7 at the Disneyland Hotel. If you want to know your industry and the people in it, if you want to receive project information and referrals, we say, ‘Get out there and network!’”

TEA website: www.teaconnect.org.
Tickets for both events: http://www.teaconnect.org/boxoffice_2008-12.php
or call 818-843-8497.

2009 TEA Summit, March 6 & 7, Disneyland Hotel
The 2009 TEA Summit is a TEA members’ 2-day international think-tank for the attractions industry, held March 6 & 7 at the Disneyland Hotel. Sessions are geared to identify markers of success in business and project creation, this year stressing simple survival. The keynote is “Business Survival in a Challenging Economy,” presented by Barbara Lewis, president of Centurion Consulting Group. Advance tickets are necessary for the Summit; seating is limited.

Tickets: http://www.teaconnect.org/boxoffice_2008-12.php
or call 818-843-8497.

The Summit schedule also includes “Emerging Opportunities in a Post-Recession Entertainment Landscape,” with Michael S. Rubin, Ph.D., MRA International, “Built to Last, How Three Companies Have Withstood the Test of Time,” a discussion with Monty Lunde (Technifex), Jack Rouse (Jack Rouse Associates) and Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs (Lifescapes International). In the session “So What Now?” economic analysts John Robinett (Economics Research Associates) and Dave Schmitt (Management Resources) look at the future business landscape in the UAE, India, China, Europe and North America. “Celebrating the Magic of Placemaking” will feature Robert L. Ward, recipient of this year’s Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement, and Norm Newberry, who both played major roles shaping Universal Studios parks, resorts and entertainment properties.

“Project Case Studies” will focus on several current Thea Award recipients, including the 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremonies, Jungala at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida, The Newseum, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Operation Spy, an Interactive Adventure at the International Spy Museum, and the Audubon Insectarium.

15th Annual Thea Awards Gala, March 7, Disneyland Hotel
The 15th Annual Thea Awards Gala, open to the public, celebrates excellence in the creation of compelling experiences and places with a gala black-tie dinner and awards ceremony, sponsored by Economics Research Associates (ERA). Truly international in their recognition of outstanding productions, the Awards will be formally presented the evening of March 7, 2009 in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel.

Tickets: http://www.teaconnect.org/boxoffice_2008-12.php
or call 818-843-8497.

“Because the Thea Awards Gala is open to the public, it is an ideal ice-breaker for newcomers to our industry and our association,” says TEA executive director Gene Jeffers. “In this most challenging year, the Thea Awards are are a vital, international opportunity to network – to renew old acquaintances, meet new contacts, and to be seen by our industry’s top people and decision-makers.”

The Awards stand as an important acknowledgement of the outstanding achievements of the international attractions industry. The Thea Awards Nominating Committee evaluated more than 120 nominations in order to recommend the current slate of 17 Thea recipients for the prestigious award, with final approval by the TEA International Board of Directors.

Like the TEA, the Thea Awards, sponsored by Economics Research Associates, were created to bring recognition to achievement, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry. From a modest beginning in 1994, the Thea Awards have become internationally recognized as a symbol of excellence. The name of the award is a play on three words: the first is “Thea,” the Greek goddess from whom all light emanates. Thea was the mother of Helios (the sun), Eos (the dawn), and Selene (the moon). The second key word is “Theater,” a word derived from the goddess Thea. The third word, of course, is TEA, the name of our association.

Recipients – 15th Annual Thea Awards
Thea Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert L. Ward
Thea Classic Award: EPCOT, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL

Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement (AOA)
Attraction: The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood
Attraction Limited Budget: BeWILDerwood (Norwich, UK)
Attraction Limited Budget: Molenheide The Forgotten Mine (Molenheide, Belgium)
Museum: The Newseum (Washington DC, USA)
Museum: National Museum of the Marine Corps (Quantico, VA, USA)
Museum Exhibit: Operation Spy, an Interactive Adventure at the International Spy Museum, (Washington DC, USA)
Museum Exhibit, Limited Budget: Forces of Nature at Arizona Science Center (Phoenix AZ, USA)
Learning Experience: Air Force One Discovery Center at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (Simi Valley CA, USA)
Technical: Muppet Mobile Lab (Hong Kong Disneyland, China)
Science Center: Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans LA, USA)
New Theme Park Land: Jungala at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida
Event Spectacular: 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremonies (Beijing, China)
Live Show: Finding Nemo The Musical (Walt Disney World, FL, USA)
Live Show: The Legend of Mythica, Tokyo DisneySeas, Japan
Casino Attraction: Wynn Macau’s Tree of Prosperity, Macau, SAR, China

A layout unique to Jeffersonian courtrooms posed interesting design challenges to audiovisual and acoustic engineers Thorburn Associates, Inc. in the restoration/expansion of the Madison County Courthouse in Madison, Virginia, which houses the Madison Circuit Court of the state’s 16th Judicial Circuit. The project is slated for completion around the end of the year.

“Like most of the judicial facilities our company has designed for, the Madison County Courthouse called for a combination of sound recording, sound reinforcement, and video display,” says Thorburn Associates’ Senior Consultant Lance Sturdevant, CTS-D. “But the layout of the main courtroom here is quite different from what people generally expect. The jury box is located directly in front of the judge’s bench facing into the room, and the witness stands at a podium facing the judge and jury (instead of sitting to the judge’s left). Hiding the audio system components in this space was relatively simple, but video systems presented a special challenge.”

“The sightlines for projectors or other visual aids presented some unique circumstances to design around,” concurs Eric W. Amtmann, AIA, partner with Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton, PLLC Architects, which brought Thorburn Associates onto the project. “The boilerplate solution for a courtroom didn’t fit. This is Thomas Jefferson’s courtroom layout and you only find it in Virginia.”

Thorburn Associates’ design locates microphones for recording and speech reinforcement at the normal positions (judge, witness and counsel tables). As in all courtrooms, attorneys occasionally get up and address the jury directly. Small, surface-mounted microphones will be mounted in the railing in front of the jury box to pick up the voices of these wandering attorneys. The ability to record court sessions is also provided, via an automatic microphone mixer/DSP (digital signal processor) plus a wall-mounted audio connector.

For the video display, small, individual monitors were considered but would have cluttered the “old world” look of the Jeffersonian design. Two large, wall-mounted, flat panel displays were also proposed, but one would have blocked a new window that the architect had carefully placed near the front of the room. Thorburn Associates’ ultimate design solution was a large, fixed wall-mounted projection screen at one side of the room, and a wall-mounted video projector on the opposite wall, providing very good sightlines for judge, jury and counsel tables, and for most observers in the gallery. A 23-foot high ceiling prevented a more typical, ceiling-mounted, recessed motorized projection screen.

Now under construction, the finished project will add a total 15,020 square feet to the facility’s core 3,260 square feet. Thorburn Associates provided audiovisual and acoustical design for the new construction spaces as well.

“The court needs to be able to conduct proceedings that are undisturbed by noise outside of the room, and have good audio intelligibility within the room,” notes Amtmann. Thorburn Associates’ design includes ADA hearing assist systems and sound-dampening material that simulates the look of a plaster ceiling, plus suggestions for mounting equipment and insulating ductwork. Thorburn Associates will oversee and approve the installation of these systems when they take place near the end of the construction phase.

“Thorburn Associates was very adept at meeting our particular design needs on this unique and challenging project,” testifies Amtmann. “There are all kinds of things you encounter in an historic courtroom project and you need to do things in a sensitive way. They were successful in that, proposing various options for how to make things work. They were good at staying within the budget, too: We had a contract and they followed it.”

“This has been a remarkable project and we look forward to seeing the finished result,” says Thorburn Associates Principal Steven J. Thorburn, PE, CTS-D, CTS-I. “As audiovisual technology system consultants, we often have to wait two or three years for our designs to come to fruition. We believe that this particular courtroom project will be worth the wait.”

For the past several years, I have gathered a group of friends and, in the dead of winter, trekked up to Warrens, Wisconsin for a weekend at the Three Bears Resort and Waterpark. Their comfy cabins and fun indoor waterpark (designed by Ramaker & Associates) always made for a relaxing weekend. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the outdoor hot tub while icicles formed on our hair and eyebrows. It certainly made for great memories.

But in September of this year, the resort closed, and its future remains uncertain. Admittedly, the destination is quite literally in the middle of just about nowhere, but it was attached to a very successful campground that had flourished for years. Although new owners are being sought at this very moment, one has to wonder if the indoor waterpark bubble has burst, or at least started to deflate a bit.

Full story here: http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/01/08/news/z00jellystone0108.txt