The cutting room floor was littered with great stories we just couldn’t fit into “The Legacy of Arrow Development” documentary. Just littered…
Thankfully, through the magic of the internet, we can still bring you those great stories as part of BONUS CONTENT!
Enjoy today’s release: the behind-the-scenes story of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s “Logger’s Revenge” log flume:
How long have we heard that California’s Great America doesn’t have anywhere to expand? “The park is landlocked – there’s nowhere for them to go.” And what about, “Cedar Fair doesn’t care about this park – they want to sell it.”
Well, this aught to shut up the naysayers…
In an unprecedented announcement on Wednesday, the park announced that it has applied for a rezoning from the City of Santa Clara, which will allow it to add significantly more attractions with less red tape, intends on purchasing the land on which the park sits on and will build a massive retail and entertainment complex near the front gate of the park.
CGA fans, get ready to drool:
Photo credit: 1590 KLIV-AM (Used with permission)
To think this was a park that looked like it was about to close just a few years ago – now look at all the new stuff that’s planned and proposed…
The official notice from the City of Santa Clara, announcing the proposed change in zoning
There’s a lot of verbiage to get through, but here’s the most important part (in my opinion). Long time fans of this park may recall the proposed “Front Gate” project during the Paramount era, before the land was converted into two office towers. Well, long time fans, your patience has finally paid off:
This gives the park a major, strategic advantage over it’s competitors – no other park in Northern California offers this sort of experience. If it reminds you of Knott’s Marketplace, Universal CityWalk or Downtown Disney – that’s no mistake.
And for fans of the park itself, they didn’t forget about you, either. The rezoning will allow the park far more flexibility in building new attractions – and it’s all spelled out, here:
You read that right – 6 MORE attractions proposed OVER 200 feet tall. Is your jaw on the floor, yet?
Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet also told those in attendance that any change in the use of land would have to first be approved by the City of Santa Clara AND Cedar Fair – which all but ensures the park will be around through 2074.
So, CGA fans – who’s ready to watch their park transform into an entertainment destination? Tell us in the comments section below or on our social media links!
As the sun rose on it’s historic 40th anniversary this morning, the fate of California’s Great America still seemed very much up in the air.
With a pending sale of the land it sits on and confirmation from our own investigation that several members of the Santa Clara City Council have entertained redevelopment proposals – all of which called for demolition of the park – it seemed that we would soon be watching our 39th Lost Park in the Bay Area.
However, there is some potential, good news to report. Speaking to the San Jose Mercury News, park General Manager, Raul Rehnborg said that Cedar Fair, “…intends to keep and grow the park exactly where it is through the year 2074.” That’s when the current lease on the park expires.
He added that there is no more debating the park’s future – they are here to stay. You can find the full article, here.
I’ve written at length here before about why Cedar Fair should’t and wouldn’t let this park go – so it’s great to hear directly from senior management that this is indeed, appears to be the case. We’ll now look forward to the actual sale proceedings from the City of Santa Clara come this June and official statements from the park as well.
What do you think of this news – are you excited or still not convinced the park is staying? Let me know in the comments section or on our social media links!
So China just opened a theme park, dedicated to the ruling, Communist Party.
Yep. Sounds terrifying.
Is the overall theme of the place, “no dissenters allowed.” Or maybe, “Internet only we want you to see.” Is there a “Tienanmen Square” tank-themed ride? I’m going to guess not…
It’s difficult to see and understand the layout of the park – as there are no photos of any rides or real attractions, outside of posing with statues and other fun sculptures.
I wonder how line jumping is handled here…check it out for yourself:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/08/travel/china-wuhan-communist-party-theme-park/index.html
The saying goes, “There’s only two things in life that are guaranteed – death and taxes.” It’s probably a good idea to add delays to new coasters to that as well.
Less than 48 hours before the scheduled media day, Dollywood announced last week that their launched Lightning Rod wooden roller coaster would not be opening to the public as originally planned.
Hundreds of people (and several coaster groups) had apparently made reservations at local hotels, planning on being the first to ride.
And they should have known better.
They should have seen the hints – the lack of consistent testing, the lack of updates to the park’s social media page. But no, they fell into the all-too-often-seen trap of the modern era – the race to be “first” to everything. Instead, they all left disappointed and unable to cancel their hotel reservations.
Understandably, some people were a bit miffed (just look at the comments section of their Facebook feed). As late as four days before the planned opening, park staff were promoting the ride opening to local media.
But this not a first for a launched coaster debut. Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain was delayed 10 months back in 1996 as Intamin worked out the kinks on it’s prototype LSM launch system.
It doesn’t help that there are several “coaster experts” and “insiders” who are spreading false information or rumors online about the ride and the length of the delay. If it doesn’t come from the park in an official statement, consider it pure bunk.
The bottom line is: If you’re planning a coaster trip to see the latest, greatest creation from B&M or Rocky Mountain Construction – or any prototype ride for that matter – don’t plan around an opening day, unless you live within a reasonable driving distance to the park.
A destination ride will be just as good on an opening day that you miss, as a regular operating day in the middle of the summer. In fact, it’ll probably be better, as all the computer bugs and operational challenges will have been overcome.
There’s a great dichotomy in the coaster enthusiast world…
We love rides, that much is certain. But sometimes, that love can go a little too far. We say that we respect the companies that create these incredible attractions, yet we can’t wait to spill the beans on new attractions. In years past, this has meant going as far as perusing company servers to find out the latest rumor or detail.
The latest case to develop on this comes from the Great Smokey Mountains, and Dollywood. Certainly one of the most anticipated new coasters to open this year is Lightning Rod – the world’s first launched wooden coaster.
But when I see posts like this – from Instagram – it makes me wonder if these people truly LOVE this industry – or are so obsessed with it, they can no longer think straight:
Now, I’ve blurred the image out of respect for Rocky Mountain Construction. But it’s the principal that matters, here.
Just because an image is online, does NOT mean it’s okay to re-share it. Would you share leaked photos of a naked selfie of a person you knew? Of course not – because you’re not a douchebag. So how can you say you love this industry, when you do everything against what the industry JUST asked you do to?
In this case, it was an easy task – JUST WAIT.
The fact of the matter is, if you’re reminded that the park or company EXPRESSLY ASKED that nothing be shared – and then you share it anyway – you’re not a true enthusiast – you’re a selfish jerk.
You’d rather share a photo than simply listen to the request of a park and / or manufacturing company you supposedly love and respect.
Doing things like this is counter-intuitive to the enthusiast mentality. Why are you hurting the very thing you purport to love? When cool perks like backstage tours or construction walk-backs start to dry up…it will be you who will ultimately be blamed.
Food for thought, everyone.
There are several names synonymous in the roller coaster and theme park community: Karl Bacon, Ed & Dana Morgan, Anton Schwarzkopf, Walter Bolliger & Claude Mabillard and Walt Disney, among many others.
But one in particular seems to have fallen by the wayside – Eric Laithwaite. And yet every enthusiast who’s ever enjoyed a modern, launched roller coaster owes those very thrills to him, because he is “the father of linear induction.”
Laithwaite’s most famous work centered around using magnetism to provide frictionless travel, on maglev trains. He had figured out that if you uncoiled a standard, electrical motor, an object could simply glide over it on an electromagnetic wave – and it would stay on course with the attraction and resistance already natural to those magnets.
Perhaps his most famous work of the time was the magnetic river from “The Spy Who Loved Me”
But for parks, chain lifts were just fine modes of gaining potential energy – and the technology wasn’t seen for amusement purposes until 1975, with the debut of Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland Transit Authority. While it kept a consistent pace to the ride – it’s hardly a thrill ride, too.
People at the time did not see the true potential of the futuristic, potential acceleration system. Computer control systems were still rudimentary by today’s standards – plus the weight drop and flywheel launches of Schwarzkopf and Arrow were doing the job just fine.
It would take over two decades before amusement ride manufacturers would take the technology to it’s full potential, with the debut of Premier Rides’ “Flight of Fear” indoor coasters at (then) Paramount’s Kings Island and Kings Dominion in 1996.
And, after a year of technical issues, the technology would reach it’s top speed, with the debut of Intamin’s spectacular Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It still holds the record for fastest linear launched coaster on Earth at 100 mph (on a good day).
With the explosion in launched coasters over the past two decades, just remember to add the name Eric Laithwaite to your coaster lexicon. Because without him – you would literally be going nowhere, fast.
You’ve no doubt seen all the promotion and publicity for this coaster documentary. So, where exactly can you see “The Legacy of Arrow Development?”
Well, you can subscribe to American Coaster Enthusiasts on YouTube, and see it here.
– OR –
You can go to www.LegacyOfArrow.com and watch it there.
Either way, enjoy the ride and be sure to share it with all your friends, family, and favorite TV stations and streaming services!
Yesterday, California’s Great America made their official announcement on Winterfest – a holiday-themed event that will extend the season nearly to the end of the calendar year.
And yet, the park appears to have missed out on a major marketing and event opportunity…New Year’s Eve.
For decades, the South Bay has tried to find its identity, beyond the shadow of San Francisco. For those of you not from the area, it’s actually a big deal to South Bay people, especially considering we’re the larger population area. One only has to look at the coverage for the recent Super Bowl for evidence of that. San Francisco also has a tradition of a massive fireworks show at midnight to commemorate the New Year.
In sharp contrast, the South Bay does not have a marquee New Year’s Eve show. Instead, we have to remind our residents not to shoot their firearms into the sky.
So, it was a bit shocking to me to see in the park press release yesterday that Winterfest festivities will end the day before New Year’s Eve, which this year falls on Saturday night.
Are you catching my drift yet?
Simply put – how can you put on a first-time holiday event and not throw a New Year’s Eve celebration – especially if you’re already open the day before and more importantly, in an area DESPERATE to find such a tradition? Just imagine for a moment: an evening of fun capped off with one of the coolest new traditions in the South Bay – falling into 2017.
Wait, what?
You heard me right. New York says they “drop the ball” in Times Square, when in reality a computer controlled winch slowly lowers that ball down a flagpole. Why can’t California’s Great America use the park’s tallest “flagpole” – Drop Tower – and give 24 lucky people the opportunity to leave the ground in 2016, and “drop in” to 2017, all at the stroke of midnight?
But Kris – how are you going to ensure they drop precisely at midnight?
Easy! The ride has a manual mode – which allows the operator to release the cabins manually from the ground. When the clock strikes 12, all they have to do is push the button on the control panel and wheeeee here comes 2017, complete with fireworks going off in the distance (or even better – off the top of the tower itself).
And here’s the best part – the 24 seats could be auctioned off, with the benefactor being local charities.
Okay Kris, but what if the weather isn’t conducive to riding Drop Tower and what about families who may want to come? (I.E. rain and wind)
No problem – you simply move to the other “ball drop” – or in this case – “ball raise” – the Star Tower. It’s enclosed, also able to do manual modes and breaks down maybe once every other season.
That same auction could take place, albeit with more participants – and anyone can ride (with chaperone, of course).
To me, this seems like a no-brainer, probably because I proposed this very event all the way back in 2003. I was much younger then; a wide-eyed, new employee of the park who didn’t understand how corporations worked. The idea never made it past the suggestion box and I didn’t make it past my second season.
Nonetheless, if you’re going to make a new event stick in this industry, you have to go big that first year to make it beyond memorable. Otherwise, it won’t warrant additional capital for the next year and worse – people won’t come back.
Discovery Kingdom did it their first year by bringing in the world’s largest Christmas tree – what will CGA’s big selling point be?
To sum up – without a New Year’s Eve celebration to cap it off, Winterfest at California’s Great America isn’t really as good of an event as it could or more importantly SHOULD be.
Oh and since I’ve been giving away so much free advice in this article, CGA folks – you may want to A.) just hire me to do this full time for you or B.) check out several other ways how you can score big points for your 40th anniversary.
Great American Thrills® 