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Ride Guide


Ride Guide returns with a round-up of new books and DVDs about the park industry. Why not stock up for the winter? Normal service resumes next month!


DISNEY PARKS BY LIGHTSHIP ENTERTAINMENT


This new 6-disc DVD box set, also available in Blu-Ray, has been produced by Lightship Entertainment in co-operation with Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and claims to showcase the “secrets, stories and magic behind the scenes” of the group’s US operations.


“Disney granted us unprecedented access which allowed us to document the technology, engineering and Imagineering in their top attractions more comprehensively than anyone before,” highlights Lightship Entertainment’s Andy Perrott. Featured DVDs include Disneyland


Resort: Behind the Scenes; Walt Disney World: Behind the Scenes; Ultimate Walt Disney World; Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Undiscovered Disney Parks; and Disney Cruise Line. Each disc runs for 48 minutes (one hour of broadcast TV without the commercials).


Contributions come from Disney imagineers past and president, including Marty Sklar and Tony Baxter, Disney-PIxar’s John Lasseter, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts president Al Weiss, composer of It’s a Small World Richard Sherman and industry commentators such as Tim O’Brien. Disney fans looking for fresh insight into its parks and attractions may find themselves


FREEDOMLAND BY ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN AND FRANK R ADAMO


One of the many Images of America books dedicated to amusement parks, this 128- page volume on Freedomland examines what was sometimes billed as “New York City's answer to Disneyland.” Opened in 1960 and designed by Marco Engineering of Los Angeles, Freedomland transformed a


former landfill, lowlands and farms into an exciting theme park in the shape of the United States. Here guests could take boat rides on the Great Lakes, putting out a fire in Chicago, dance under the stars at the Moon Bowl, or taking a train ride all the way to San Francisco.


Surviving for just five seasons, Freedomland nevertheless gave its guests and employees memories that have lasted a lifetime.


www.arcadiapublishing.com 36


disappointed with this release, even in the “behind the scenes” discs. Look carefully, however, and you will see snapshots of the hardware on such attractions as Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones Adventure. The co-operation with Disney results in quality footage, but a production that comes across a little like the “infomercial” content pumped into Orlando hotel rooms. Perhaps the most interesting stuff is that contained on the Disney Cruise Line disc, simply because it’s the least repeated. Here it is clear the company pays the same attention to detail at it is parks and resorts. A missed opportunity, surely, was the chance to focus on Disney’s parks outside the United States, particularly the unique Tokyo DisneySea. For now, those wanting simply to relive their Disney experience from either Orlando or California should find some enjoyment from this slick production, clocking in at over 5 hours. Distributed by Questar Entertainment, Disney


Parks in available in US national retailers such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and Costco, and internationally via Amazon. Region 0 encoding ensures the discs can be played in all countries.


www.questarentertianment.com


CASCADE PARK BY ANITA DEVIVO AND THE LAURENCE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY


This new addition to the Images of America series focuses on Cascade Park in Pennsylvania and features 128 pages filled with more than 200 vintage photographs.


Since its opening in 1897, this “trolley park” welcomed thousands of visitors to its picnic grove, mineral springs, pool, dance pavilion, zoo,


boat rides and numerous other amusements. Set in beautiful surroundings, eventually automobiles took over from streetcars in bringing guests to the park, and the rollercoaster was dismantled to make space for a parking lot. Once a year more than 1,000 vintage cars arrive on site for the 50's Weekend, now in its 25th year. This and other family-oriented events continue the tradition of good times in Cascade Park.


www.arcadiapublishing.com


CIRCLES IN THE SKY BY RICHARD WEINGARDT


Published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Circles in the Sky is the first full-length biography of George Ferris, civil engineer, bridge builder and inventor of a certain amusement ride. In the summer of 1893, at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, an engineering marvel was unveiled and


immediately captured the world’s attention: a towering, web-like giant wheel, standing several stories higher than any existing American building. Yet the very ride that came to define George Ferris in the end consumed him, leaving him ruined. The unique research of author Richard Weingardt has uncovered for the first time the story of the original Ferris Wheel, revealing previously unknown details about Ferris, his life and times, and how the Wheel brought about his downfall. The book further explores the story of the Ferris clan, a classic American family of pioneers, ranchers and entrepreneurs. To co-incide with the launch of the book, the publishers have set up a website celebrating Ferris Wheels and their enduring appeal. Here visitors can share their own Ferris Wheel stories, play a quiz and read excerpts from the book.


www.ferris-wheel.org


STORY LAND BY JIM MILLER


Another title in the Images of America series, this new book focuses on the park opened in 1954 by the Morrell family in the quiet village of Glen, New Hampshire.


When sedans and station wagons replaced trains for vacationers heading to New Hampshire's rugged and picturesque White Mountains,


new motels and attractions catering to middle-class families sprang up amidst the established grand hotels and diversions for socialites, artists, skiers and hikers. Inspired by a collection of storybook dolls, Story Land has continually grown for more than 50 years through economic and cultural changes that undermined many other amusement parks. This photograph collection illustrates the unlikely beginnings and creative entrepreneurship behind one of New England's most memorable and enduring childhood institutions.


www.arcadiapublishing.com SEPTEMBER 2010


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