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Dinosaur Canyon New attraction for New York


A new dinosaur attraction is set to open in upstate New York. Dinosaur Canyon at Howe Caverns in Cobleskill will be a walk-through experience with the opportunity to interact with prehistoric giants of the past. Howe Development is handling the Caverns’ expansion following a preliminary concept design by the Stufish and McClaren Engineering Group. Garner Holt Productions will complete the concept design and take the project through to installation.


“My vision is to create a destination resort,” explains Emil Galasso, vice- president and co-owner of Howe Caverns. “Right now, even during these tough economic times, we’re getting nearly 200,000 visitors a year. We want to give them more to do while they’re here. Dinosaur Canyon will help us to become a true destination attraction. I feel like we’re bringing a bit of Disney to upstate New York.”


Phase one is already underway, with plans for some components to be open in the 2011 season. Dinosaur Canyon will be located on 20 acres of land adjacent to Howe Caverns, the largest cave open to the public in the northeastern United States and a popular attraction for almost two centuries. The new addition will feature over two dozen highly realistic dinosaur figures, situated in rock chasms, caverns and valleys. “We’re pulling out all the stops to


LEFT: Emila Galaso announces the project at IAAPA as Garner Holt (left) looks on TOP RIGHT: A sample scene from the attraction


The return of Stan Checketts


"People love it," says Stan Checketts, "even non-thrill seekers love it." The founder of Utah ride manufacturer S&S Worldwide has resurfaced with a zipline attraction he is marketing under the banner of Soaring Eagle.


Checketts describes his product as being "like a zip coaster" that offers fun and excitement for riders of all ages. A comfortable aluminium cart rides two people side by side with no harness; just two locked and monitored seat belts. It features quick cycle times with the ability to load and unload riders from a single location controlled by one operator and a single push button.


Soaring Eagle zip lines are extremely scalable and can be installed in many places ordinary zip lines cannot. The attraction can


be installed on a single pole provided with heights ranging from 60 to 200ft or from buildings, bridges, cliffs or mountain sides. The ride length can range from 300 to 900ft. A serial inventor, Stan Checketts is also marketing a new automated car parking system called Boomerang. Take a look at the website listed below, it’s intriguing.


www.soaringeaglezipline.com www.boomerangsystems.com


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create the most amazing, lifelike dinosaurs since their living forebears walked the planet 66 million years ago,” says Garner Holt, CEO of Garner Holt Productions. “With our new silicone skin formulations and cutting- edge motion control system which creates exceptionally fluid movements, these creatures will stand up to intense scrutiny of leading scientists and even harsher critics -– seven-year-old boys with a passion for dinosaurs.” A consortium of scientists and educators has been invited to put together a curriculum for school children. “The educational component is as important to me as entertainment,” adds Galasso. “We have already established a close relationship with area schools by visits to our Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology as well as Howe Caverns.”


Duelling coaster from Preston & Barbieri


This model shows a themed concept for Preston & Barbieri’s new Double Race Coaster. The first version (unthemed) opened last summer at Dennyls Parc near Calais, France and a second is due to open in 2011 at a major European park, thought to be Mirabilandia in Italy. “It’s a good product for the family,” says P&B’s Lino Feretti, “fun but not so scary.”


The ride at Dennyls


Parc, named Nitro, fea- tures 460-metres of track and three pairs of racing vehicles, proving an hourly capacity of around 500. The new version will ride around 900 an hour using twice as many cars.


Go with Gravity


The Gravity Group has four wooden coasters now under construction. The rides include Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Connecticut and Twister at Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden. In association with Martin and Vleminckx, GG is also working on Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and High Five at Happy Valley Wuhan in China. Two coasters will run with PTC trains, and two with GG's Timberliner Trains.


Wooden Warrior take shape in the snow at Quassy Amusement Park


DECEMBER 2010/JANUARY 2011


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