Park News
parkworld-online.com
Wet, Wild and restin'
in Texas After 39 years, the distinctive red and blue entrance sign for Wet ‘n Wild may no longer be gracing International Drive in Orlando, but a truckful of artefacts from the pioneering waterpark have re-emerged at the USA’s National Roller Coaster Museum (NRCM) in Plainview, Texas. The Universal/Wet ‘n Wild crew worked shoulder to shoulder with the team from museum after the park closed iuts gates for the final time this winter. Twelve signs and banners will be displayed in the NRCM's Mark Moore memorial expansion. The haul includes the 3D circular sign for the legendary Black Hole slide complex , as eeen below. and a control panel to the park’s Bomb Bay Free Fall that was designed by park founder George Millay.
“The team at Universal/Wet ‘n
Wild have been so welcoming to our efforts to preserve the history of the park,” notes NRCM Association chairman Gary Slade. “In order to continue to acquire artefacts and create exhibits like the one we displayed recently at Dollywood, we need the industry to support us. If we don’t act soon, much of the history of the industry will be lost forever.”
rollercoastermuseum.org
Going underground
Glenwood Caverns plans unique drop ride
B
illled as featuring a bigger drop than Disney's Tower of Terror, Colorado's Glenwood Caverns
Adventure Park will introduce the Haunted Mine Drop this summer. The USA's first drop ride to go underground, it will plunge passengers 110-120ft (34-37m) down inside Iron Mountain. Constructing this interesting new attraction will be Stan Checketts' Soaring Eagle of Logan, Utah. Checketts’ companies previously built Glenwood Caverns' Giant Canyon Swing and Soaring Eagle Zip Ride. In constructing the Haunted Mine, the firm will use a version of its Daring Drop tower. Mark McDonough and his team at St Louis-based Creative Visions are theming the attraction, which will include Pepper’s Ghost illusions. The building housing the ride will be located at an elevation of 7,000 ft (2,134m) on
An exclusive photo
showing the ride system by Soaring Eagle
top of Iron Mountain, which is reached via a scenic cable car ride. As guests enter the enclosed queue, they’ll feel like they’re entering a mine. Stepping onto the ride, they’ll be seated, strapped in and entertained as ghostly miners appear and tell tales of a mining tragedy from long ago. They won’t realise that the floor has slid out from underneath them until they drop deep inside the mine shaft. More ghosts will appear at the bottom to continue the tale, and then the ride returns to the main level for exit.
The attraction is part of a larger
investment of $2.5 million for the coming year. Other improvements will include a new pathway loop connecting the tower ride to the lower cave tour area and back up to the top of the park. The entry plaza will have a new paved, ornate surface and a water feature where children can play.
Doug Stagner joins
IAAPA as COO IAAPA has hired attractions industry veteran Doug Stagner as chief operating officer (COO) and executive vice-president (EVP) of worldwide operations, a newly created position. As the trade association adopts an ever more corporate style, Stagner will
be responsible for overseeing its growth and global infrastructure. He'll also be heavily involved with managing IAAPA's move to Orlando, where its new headquarters are expected to open later this year. He began his career in 1984 as a ride operator at SeaWorld San Diego and had held a variety of positions from entry level through senior leadership and has extensive experience in operations, business development and strategic planning/execution. Most recently Stagner served as vice-president of international operations for the wider SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment group, overseeing expansion efforts in Asia. He has been an active IAAPA volunteer for many years.
The association, which recently confirmed ex-Monteray Bay Aquarium boss
David Rosenberg as its new second vice-chairman after the death last year of Al Weber Jnr, is expected soon to confirm a new chief financial officer.
18 FEBRUARY 2017
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