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The Ultimate Thrill Ride with Team Oracle

I’ve been on my fair share of thrill rides. From the carnival circuits, to permanent roller coasters – even the Salt Lake City Olympic Park Bobsled Run (in winter, no less!)

But no thrill ride on the ground can compare with the flight experience I had earlier this week with famed stunt pilot, Sean D. Tucker of Team Oracle. He’s currently practicing for the California International Airshow, which is going on this weekend in Salinas, CA.

I was fortunate enough to be “assigned” this story for my real job, which is at 1590-AM KLIV in San Jose.

Sean has over 25,000 hours of flight time under his belt – and normally flies a Challenger III biplane for all his airshows. But for our flight, we went up in an Extra 300, with tandem seating (the biplane only has one seat).

If I look nervous in these photos – it’s for a good reason – that’s a parachute they’re attaching to me. To say the least, this isn’t your ordinary ride in a 737…

Here’s the complete flight experience, from the cockpit:

During our flight, we maxed out the accelerometer to negative 3G, all the way to positive 6G. (Let’s see a coaster EVER do that!) What’s even more crazy is that Sean actually went easy on me – he routinely DOUBLES those forces during his regular show. You truly have to be an athlete in order to stay conscious during these maneuvers!

Some of the maneuvers included: Vertical (klothoid) loop, barrel roll, hammerhead (modified Immelman), 400 degree snap rolls, inverted flying, flat spins and many more! I’m also happy to report, that the two barf bags given to me were never used.

So, if I can make two suggestions to you – never pass up the opportunity to fly in a stunt plane or acrobatic jet – it will stay with you the rest of your life. Second: go out to the California International Airshow to check out Team Oracle as well as many other aerial acrobats as they turn the skies of Salinas into a canvas of smoke and AVGAS. You won’t be disappointed!

Special thanks to Sean D. Tucker, the Team Oracle Ground Crew and the staff at the California International Airshow for the opportunity to fly with them – I’ll never forget it!

Posted by Great American Thrills | September 26, 2014 | Categories: Aviation, General Travel | Tags: 1590 KLIV, air show, airshow, bucket list, California International Airshow, great american thrills, KLIV, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, media flight, news radio, newsradio, Oracle, reporter, Salinas Airshow, Sean D. Tucker, stunt pilot, stunt plane, Team Oracle | Comments Off on The Ultimate Thrill Ride with Team Oracle

Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain Catches Fire, Partially Collapses

Screenshot from KTLA-TV's helicopter footage.

Screenshot from KTLA-TV’s live helicopter footage.

Colossus – the wooden racing coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain that has been closed for several weeks to undergo a massive renovation, caught fire today in an area where workers were removing track pieces. A portion of the lift has completely collapsed, but the rest of the circuit appears to be in good condition, based off of video taken from the scene. The park was closed at the time – no injuries have been reported.

First reports of the fire came in around 2:30pm and immediately photos began to “light up” social media. The park and ride became a trending topic almost immediately:

The official statement from the park confirms that:

“(The fire) happened while work was being done to disassemble the ride. The park was closed and there were no injuries. Colossus has been closed since August 17 for renovation. Plans for the spring debut of Twisted Colossus are still on track.”

The Coaster Guy reported just a few days ago that he saw what appeared to be burn marks where track had been removed on the lift. The ride is being renovated by Rocky Mountain Construction, who have done several other ride modifications, but never on this large a scale.

So how will they accomplish such a quick turnaround? The answer is simple – they’ve got everything they need already on site to repair and replace: Because the re-design of the ride does not incorporate all of the original layout, there will be literally thousands of board feet of lumber on the site that can easily be recycled into repairing any damaged sections of the ride.

TO RECAP – an apparent construction accident caused Colossus’ lift to catch fire today – while it was under renovation and NOT open ot the public. Thanks to the efforts of both the park and Los Angeles County Fire Department, the blaze and subsequent damage to the structure was quickly contained -no one was injured.

Posted by Great American Thrills | September 8, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks, Theme Parks | Tags: amusement park, Colossus, Colossus Fire, great american thrills, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, magic mountain, Ninja, roller coaster, roller coaster accident, six flags, six flags magic mountain, theme park, Twisted Colossus | Comments Off on Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain Catches Fire, Partially Collapses

How to Avoid Ticking Off Actors in Haunted Houses

Found this awhile back (thanks, Clayton!) but it’s quite relevant now – here’s the TOP 25 ways to avoid ticking off actors in haunted houses (and in the process, make your experience more enjoyable:

http://m.wikihow.com/Avoid-Ticking-Off-the-Actors-in-a-Haunted-House

Which one is your favorite? Tell me in the comments section, below:

Posted by Great American Thrills | September 1, 2014 | Categories: General Travel, Theme Parks | Tags: death, fright fest, great america, great american thrills, halloween, halloween events, halloween haunt, Hanuted house, haunt monsters, haunted, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, monster, scare actors, scared, six flags, tips, top tips | Comments Off on How to Avoid Ticking Off Actors in Haunted Houses

Dare Devil Chaos to Debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2015

They say “What goes around, comes around,” and in the case of the new Dare Devil Chaos opening at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom next year, that’s quite appropriate.

According to the park, “Dare Devil Chaos is a single looping thrill ride that builds anticipation as riders seated back to back travel backwards and forwards until momentum takes them at top speed revolutions, only to stop upside down at 70 feet high and reverse direction.”

They add, “The new ride brings the number of ‘coasters’ at the park to nine along with Medusa, Roar, V2, Kong, Boomerang, Cobra, Road Runner Express and SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight. Dare Devil is expected to open in spring 2015.”

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Media Relations

Now, I put the word “coaster” in quotations because there is some controversy with the way these rides are being marketed. Many in the industry are saying that while Six Flags is marketing these attractions as roller coasters – they are in fact, not. While the manufacturer’s website claims their “Super Loop 22m” is a “compact coaster,” experts in the industry are vehement in their opposition to the marketing:

“In perhaps the most disappointing announcement for the 2015 season, four Six Flags parks are to install pendulum style thrill rides typically associated with traveling carnivals and county fairs. Adding insult to injury, Six Flags is intentionally misrepresenting these rides as roller coasters.”

– Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times

“For the record, I applaud Six Flags for trying to finally add more flat rides, but don’t lie to people and promote them as coasters.”

– Lance Hart, Screamscape.com

For comparison, Elitch Gardens – the first park to install this new model of thrill ride in the United States – does not market their model (identical to the four going into Six Flags parks next year) as a roller coaster:

“Lose your mind on Brain Drain, the All-New 7-story steel looping thrill ride that sends riders forwards, backwards and head-over-heels in an adrenaline drenched 360° revolution.”

– ElitchGardens.com

While these rides are definitely fun and have the ability to be intertwined with others (imagine a ride passing through the loop) they’re constantly powered by drive tires and don’t actually travel on a track, the “train” is attached to one giant conveyor belt loop that’s ingeniously nestled inside the larger, outside loop.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Dare Devil Chaos Coaster

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

If the ride looks familiar to you, it should. It’s a larger, permanent installation of the “Ring of Fire” attractions seen at carnivals around the world, from Larson International. Although, these permanent models lack the guy wires – they’re still quite thrilling.Just expect to wait for those thrills – hourly capacity is expected to be around 500 – 600 people per hour.

Photo courtesy of Larson International.

“This is a great new addition to our line-up of world class rides and attractions, and is sure to be fun for all,” said Don McCoy, park president. “What appears to be a simple track is really complex and riders will have a great time anticipating the inversion they know is coming.”

The announcement, part of a coordinated, chain-wide event for all the other Six Flags parks, coincides with the biggest season pass sale of the year.

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments section below, or reach out to us on social media!

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 29, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks, Theme Parks | Tags: Brady MacDonald, carnival, carnival ride, county fair, flat ride, great american thrills, Is It a Roller Coaster? Roller Coaster, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, L.A. Times Funland, Lance Hart, Larson International, Los Angeles Times, marketing, roller coaster controversey, screamscape, six flags, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, six flags marine world, Super Loop | 2 Comments

Getting Even With Dad Filmed at California’s Great America

Theme and amusement parks tend to be great backdrops for films – unfortunately, so many of them are well, lackluster.

This is one of them.

Shortly after the production wrapped up on “Beverly Hills Cop III,” then Paramount’s Great America took a second swing at being in the movies, with the Macaulay Culkin comedy, “Getting Even With Dad.”

At the time, Culkin was the hottest thing in Hollywood. His “Home Alone” series made him an instant sensation. Literally every studio was willing to pay big bucks to have him appear for them.

They probably should have thought about that a little bit harder…

Fun fact: “Fiddler’s Fling” at the park was renamed and rethemed to “Centrifuge” for the film – and the theme has stuck to this day.

Unfortunately, just like it’s counterpart filmed at the same park, “Beverly Hills Cop III,” this film was also a commercial bomb at the box office, losing nearly $12 million for MGM back in 1994 (That’s nearly $20 million today). On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s overall rating reflects that.

So the next time you ride Centrifuge, know you’re riding a piece of Hollywood – at least a small piece of it. Just don’t expect Macaulay Culkin to be riding next to you…

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 24, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks | Tags: amusement park, backrop, great america, great american thrills, hollywood, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, maculay culkin, movie set, paramount's great america, roller coaster, rotten tomatoes, schwarzkopf, ted danson, theme park | Comments Off on Getting Even With Dad Filmed at California’s Great America

Berlin’s Abandoned Spreepark Amusement Park Burns Down

One of three things will happen to an amusement or theme park that’s been abandoned and left standing:

1.) It will eventually be resurrected (See: Kentucky Kingdom, Santa’s Village)

2.) It will be continued to be abandoned (See: Six Flags New Orleans)

3.) Someone (or something) will eventually burn it to the ground.

Such is the case in Berlin, at the infamous Spreepark – a place that saw so much history – and became a mecca for “rust porn” aficionados. The park burned this past weekend, in a suspected case of arson.

Photo by http://www.AbandonedBerlin.com

http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/08/the-bizarre-history-and-fiery-end-of-berlins-iconic-abandoned-amusement-park/375930/

And you wonder why we do our “Lost Parks of Northern California” series? It’s because our history is far more fleeting than you think. As we saw with the recent demolition of the Popl Barn from the Scott’s Valley “Santa’s Village” – once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 21, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks | Tags: #lostparks, abandoned amusement park, abandoned amusement parks, abandoned theme parks, Arson, Berlin, Berliner, defunct amusement park, defunct park, great american thrills, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, lost parks, lost parks of northern california, rust, rust porn, rusty gold, Spreepark | Comments Off on Berlin’s Abandoned Spreepark Amusement Park Burns Down

What’s the Difference Between an “Amusement Park” and a “Theme Park?”

You hear the phrases “amusement park” and “theme park” thrown around all the time. But what exactly makes a park one or the other? It seems like the two terms are interchangeable at times – but in reality, they’re two completely different experiences.

This week, Six Flags Magic Mountain was named by USA Today as “America’s #1 Theme Park” – but is it really themed like a Disney park is? (And it should be noted, that the “contest” was a user poll) Heck, there’s even parks that called themselves “Themed Amusement Parks” – we’re looking at you, California’s Great America.

Theme parks generally have specific areas that work together with the rides and attractions to form a cohesive theme.

So then, let’s define exactly what makes an amusement park and theme park – and start using the phrases correctly, shall we?

FAIR / CARNIVAL – Any non-permanent installation of a group of rides and attractions that typically travels in a geographic area.

Examples: County Fair, State Fair, Circus

AMUSEMENT PARK – Any permanent installation of a group of rides, with or without a gated entry. Single rides may be themed to specific topics, areas or storylines, but a cohesive theme(s) is/are not seen in the park as a whole. Rides tend to be judged based on statistics and “thrill factor” over immersiveness of the experience.

Examples: Six Flags Magic Mountain, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Six Flags Great America, Cedar Point

THEME PARK – Any permanent installation of a group of rides and attractions themed after specific topics, areas or storylines. At no time is the illusion of theme dropped while inside the park gates (I.E. everything must have a cohesive theme, not just one ride). Rides are about immersing guests in an experience, not necessarily as thrilling from a statistics standpoint.

Examples: Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Busch Gardens, Universal Islands of Adventure

What are your thoughts on my definitions? I’d love to hear from you!

Leave a comment below or write to me on social media – let’s keep the conversation going!

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 18, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks, Theme Parks | Tags: ACE, american coaster enthusiasts, amusement park, amusement park vs. theme park, cedar fair, Cedar Point, disney, fun, great american thrills, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, magic mountain, phrasing, six flags, summer fun, theme park, universal, USA Today | Comments Off on What’s the Difference Between an “Amusement Park” and a “Theme Park?”

Great America Pavilion Now Open VIP Preview

If you’re a corporate planner in the greater Silicon Valley or the head of your company’s “Party Planning Committee” – there’s a new venue that demands your attention…immediately.

Great American Thrills was given a VIP preview of the Great America Pavilion, which will play host to the official pregame party for the 49ers this upcoming week. We’re still overwhelmed from the experience of this VIP preview, however.

Let’s start at the beginning. Some will argue this is simply a refresh of the old “Paramount Pavilion” space that has been at the park for years. But that’s where the comparisons end.

The room can be set up in several different configurations. The park showed off three of them that day: The Holiday Party, The Product Launch and The Company Gathering.

As you’ll see in these photos, the whole place just oozed class – you didn’t feel like you were at an amusement park – it felt much more like a corporate retreat:

And then there was the food options – try to remind yourself that this is food at an amusement park – cooked at the park…FRESH. Each park in the chain now also has Executive and Sous Chefs. That should tell you everything you need to know as you view these mouth watering pics below:

Glass Coke bottle – it always tastes better this way!

Just a few more of the space of this building:

The Peanuts Gang was also on hand for the unveiling event. However, don’t let the photo fool you – it was about 93 degrees outside that day!

And out of nowhere, Charlie Brown wanted to take a selfie (good training, Clayton) so of course I obliged.

It didn’t work out too well with the 24mm lens on the T5i, however. Something about that giant head… 🙂

So, no – while it’s not a new ride or coaster this year as so many fans always clamor for – the addition of the Great America Pavilion will add an additional, significant revenue stream to the park and help keep it on it’s upward swing for many years to come. In fact, it just might be a better addition than a ride ever could be in the long run.

You can see why Cedar Fair wanted this revamp done here first – many companies in Silicon Valley are looking for new meeting spaces and CGA’s attached amusement park is a big selling point. I can easily see it going to other parks in the chain over the next few years.

Extra special thanks to California’s Great America for the hospitality and invite – can’t wait to see this facility filled up soon.

What do you say? Would you try to bring your group to this event space? Are you going to the Red Zone Pregame? Write us a comment below or on our social media pages – and let’s keep the conversation going!

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 15, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks, General Travel, Theme Parks | Tags: amusement park, Bay Area, cedar fair, corporate launch, Corporate space, food porn, Great America Pavilion, great american thrills, holiday party venue, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, Levi's Stadium, new ride, Red Zone Tailgate, tailgate, theme park | Comments Off on Great America Pavilion Now Open VIP Preview

Carousel Columbia at California’s Great America is a part of Hollywood

Carousel Columbia is a stunning park icon. It’s taller than Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle by 33 feet!

But, has it been living a lie for nearly four decades? No, it really is the tallest carousel in the world (by one foot).

You see, since Marriott’s Great America opened up back in 1976, its been considered fact that the base of the ornate spire on the roof is actually a potbellied stove from the 1938 film, “Marie Antoinette” while the column caps are from “The Swan” in 1956.

So, having no social life on a Saturday night, I decided to see if I could spot the future carousel bits in some photos or video online. That’s when my jaw hit the floor – which if you know me well, is ACTUALLY a possibility.

Check out these screengrabs from the Swan’s theatrical trailer, via YouTube:

While we see what looks like the column caps in the sketch here:

Look what also shows up in the actual film:

Need a better angle? Here you go:

Now, for a comparison – here’s two shots from this week (2014) thanks to the magic of a 400mm lens with a 1.4x crop sensor:

The pot bellied stove that sits atop Carousel Columbia

The two Hollywood props that make up the ornate detail of Carousel Columbia.

Then, I was able to find a clip of “Marie Antoinette” and saw this, what appeared to be the capstone of the columns, but not quite:

That being said, has the park been getting it wrong for nearly 40 years?

Well, that’s where it gets tough. Hollywood is notorious for re-using props and sets. It’s very possible that the props could have been used and recycled in both films. Considering the artistry that went into building them, wouldn’t YOU want to recycle them to lower costs?

So, did the park get it wrong 40 years ago – what do YOU think? Watch the trailers and check out the photos for yourself – see if you can spot a piece of Carousel Columbia!

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 6, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks | Tags: Alec Guinness, amusement park, california's great america, carousel, carousel columbia, Grace Kelly, great american thrills, John Barrymore, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, local history, Marie Antoinette, marriott's great america, MGM, Movie Props, props, R.H. Duell, R.H. Duell and Associates, Randall Duell, The Swam, theme park | Comments Off on Carousel Columbia at California’s Great America is a part of Hollywood

The Emotional Connection to an Amusement Park

I debated long and hard about putting out this post – I tend to be an intensely private person at times, but I feel that if I can share, maybe you’ll make the same emotional connection to a park on your next trip to your local amusement or theme park.

Ten years seems like forever when you say it. Broken down, it’s 3,652 days…520 weeks.

And yet, the biggest, sentinel moment in my life still feels like it was yesterday.

On August 1st, 2004, around 8:00am – I lost my mother to an aggressive, rare form of cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia (Learn more about it, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_myeloid_leukemia)

I would be lying if I told you it didn’t mess me up for the rest of my life. Under the stoic, proud face I put on was a terrified young adult – lost in the world without the woman who had given birth to me and frightened. To this day, I am still scarred and probably always will be.

So why do I share this story with you on my amusement and theme park blog?

Every summer, my sister and I would look forward to visiting our local parks with our family – when we were younger, we couldn’t afford season passes; we made it out to our local parks at least once a year, so each trip was extra special for us.

The last trip we made together as a family was in March of 2004, two months before her initial diagnosis and four before she passed. I was working at the time at (then) Paramount’s Great America, and the park was holding it’s annual “Employee Day” a week before it opened to the general public. It was basically a dress rehearsal to iron out any issues before the public saw the park for the first time that year.

That’s when we took this photo…(Dad was behind the camera):

No caption could contain the emotion that this photo brings back to me and my family.

No caption could contain the emotion that this photo brings back to my family and I. It still brings me to tears.

For me, this is the moment that I can argue how a park can become much more than just a place to have fun. It’s a repository of our collective memories; they’re time capsules into what makes us human. And despite being 3,652 days removed, the memories for me are still as strong as ever.

And so, ten years after the sentinel moment in my life, I was once again out at California’s Great America – having fun and enjoying myself with friends. Why? Because I know she wouldn’t want me to mope around – so I didn’t.

While this past week was a very difficult one emotionally, as it is every year on or around August 1st – I can take solace in photos and memories like these…remembering the good times, the smiles and most importantly the love. And that’s the true, authentic park experience for me – how about you?

I love you Mom – then, now and forever.

Posted by Great American Thrills | August 4, 2014 | Categories: Amusement Parks, Television Production | Tags: acute myelogenous leukemia, AML, amusement park, cancer, family, family trips, good times, great america, great american thrills, kris rowberry, kristopher rowberry, leukemia, losing a family member, memories, patrick star, spongebob, theme park, travel | Comments Off on The Emotional Connection to an Amusement Park

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