PREMiERdrum

Sadly, TDO will thinks of New Fantasyland, NEXTGen (RFID program), and Test Track as their "Potter swatter". The DHS Carsland proposal is currently undergoing "Value Engineering" to cut and gut as much as possible from it; to the point that it may not happen at all.

We will be there next Weds-Fri for the big New Fantasyland media event. All of new Fantasyland will be closed Wednesday afternoon and evening for the event, and the ceremonial "Grand Opening" will be on Thursday, as will Test Track's. Splitsville, the new "high end" bowling alley at Downtown Disney will have some sort of preview event on Friday.

Villain was a blast, unfortunately the park's atmosphere had already been destroyed by the time it was built. The park's heyday was in the '80s and early to mid '90s. The flagging was the beginning of the end.

The structure isn't salvageable at this point, and I doubt the trains are, either. They've had no protection or maintenance since the park closed.

Such a tragedy, and one caused by negligence. A young, innocent life lost is among the most difficult to fathom, especially for this father of 2. Unfortunately, we live in a society where common sense is in dangerously low supply. The net effect will be completely isolationist styles of zoo enclosures, which is an absolute shame. The most successful enclosure designs of late have used combinations of glazed glass windows, allowing incredibly close encounters, and wide open vistas, allowing more sweeping views of the animals in their habitat.

The good ol' days, when the park had a clear vision of what it should be. No mega expansion, no mega licenses, no mega prices. A local picnic park with beautiful grounds, a solid ride collection, and a price that the locals could afford.

I believe these are the indicator LEDs to confirm the lapbar has locked, not simply part of the light package. Quite troubling.

Oddly enough, most of the animals in this new biome either already live on exhibit at the zoo (lions), off exhibit at the zoo (cheetahs), or were moved from the zoo to The Wilds in the '90s as the zoo executed its master plan (zebras, giraffe). This is really the last "chunk" of the zoo's master plan, approved in the early '90s, finally realizing Jack Hanna and Jerry Borin's concept of a geographic zoo. With this addition, the zoo is now completely organized into geographic "biome" regions (AsiaQuest, African Forest, Safari Africa, North America / Polar Frontier, The Shores, Journey to Australia and the Islands of Southeast Asia. This expansion increases the zoo's guest areas by 50% from 80 acres to 123 acres. Next on the design departments agenda? A South American region (South American animals were moved when the old Predator/Prey complex was renovated into AsiaQuest) and a Madagascar exhibit.

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/09/20/columbus-zoo-adding-43-acre-safari.html Zoo Design blog: http://designingzoos.com/2012/09/20/safari-africa-revealed/

Fantastic news from the already great Cincy Zoo. The tiger exhibit in Columbus features the glazed glass windows and it is really quite a remarkable experience..

Legoland Louisville?

An excellent piece of work from a good guy. The Geauga situation was unfortunate, but like many I consider its fate to have been sealed the second Six Flags committed to the ill-advised mega expansion. When the NE Ohio economy picks back up, I'd love to see a mixed use lifestyle concept on the property; Specialty retail, office space, condo/apartments, special events facility, and a reconstructed Big Dipper, Ferris Wheel, and Carousel as centerpieces. If only the area weren't glut with retail and housing as it is...

From the article: Weren't Twisted Twins SBNO the last few years of operation?

They would have to be able to prove their inability to pay a judgement, which given the value of their assets and property I see as a difficult task. Outside of extreme hardship, people are granted judgments every day from people or companies who have no means to pay; essentially forcing them into bankruptcy protection. Again, I'd be shocked to see a judge dismiss this, but I'd also be shocked to see customers get a dime out of these swindlers.

Will that be the judge's goal though - to simply find out where the money was spent? That's not really the issue here. AG DeWine's primary role is as a consumer watchdog. He's doing what he's elected to do. The patrons didn't give The Beach their money to pay utility bills, they gave them their money for services which The Beach ultimately didn't deliver. I'd be shocked if a judge didn't rule in favor of the suit. However, unless ownership resolves this issue before a BK filing (highly unlikely), the customers won't see a dime.

A ruling could be attached to the physical assets or the property - preventing ownership from profiting from the sale of attractions or land. Of course, they're probably going to be forced into bankruptcy and affected customers would be towards the back of the line anyways.

Just into the newsroom...

That Facebook guy is now celebrating his nuptials, and thus might only be the "five hundred million-aire guy!" Who doesn't like a little "FUN" on their honeymoon?

Interesting notes... the first batch of 2012 maps have already been printed (with WildCat), a crew had been hired to run it (verified), and the ride had been certified by the state.

I'd wager that an undiscovered issue presented itself in preseason testing, or an incident/accident occurred (which will likely never be commented on by the park, and only live on through internet message board rumors...)

I think the former CF chief is far more concerned with such titles than the current...

Sad day, this was my sleeper favorite at CPD. It's bright colors, retro lighting package, and small perimeter created great kinetics on that midway. All in the name of progress, I guess, and the new Celebration Plaza looks to be stunning. http://www.cedarpoint.com/celebration-plaza-expansion

Considering it's a short walk from Mr. Ouimet's office, I'd venture to guess it will.

Looks great. Classic and classy without feeling retro, very little of the cheesy CF-style "clip art" icons (2 parks of fun for the price of 1!). Well done. I have high hopes for this season, the future of the park, and the future of Cedar Fair.

And just for reference, here's Fluffy, all stretched out in the Pachyderm house (across the path from the AsiaQuest show building where she lived). They moved her here for exercise quite regularly after hours. And seen here in her enclosure (not fully shown):