The summer is getting close to done, and I haven’t been blogging! I hope you’ll forgive me, but you can blame my summer classes for keeping me occupied. In the two months that have passed without a blog, there has been a lot going on in the industry, and unfortunately the bad news has been sticking around. I do, however, have some humorous stories to mention as well, one of which was posted in the forums already but I think is funny enough to revisit. There is also a very interesting article that popped up at the end of last month that hasn’t appeared to have gathered any interest, but like I said, I find it very interesting. So with all of that said, let’s jump into it.
When it comes to problematic roller coasters, people often jump straight to the larger Intamin Accelerators like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka. There is, however, one ride that has the rather ominous distinction of being the most investigated ride in Ohio history for injury complaints, Kings Island’s Son of Beast. It has been closed since May 31, when the sixth investigation was started due to an injury complaint. Even though the ride has been cleared by the State, the park has not decided what to do with the ride, and because so much time has passed the State will need to do another inspection before the ride may be reopened...assuming the park actually makes a decision to keep and continue running the ride. Despite the intense dislike of the ride by most in the enthusiast community I have always found it to be an enjoyable ride; certainly more so than Mean Streak. I am very disappointed that I will not be riding it on Thursday when I make my trip for some more Diamondback rides, although my back may not be quite as disappointed as my mind.
Heading up to Sandusky, Ohio brings along a rather sad story of a three-year old boy drowning at Kalahari on Sunday afternoon. The child was playing in the shallow end of a crowded outdoor pool when his mother lost sight of him. When a lifeguard found him lying face-down in the deeper end of the pool (only four feet deep at the deepest end) CPR was begun immediately, although the boy had evidently been in the water two to five minutes; the time his mother was frantically searching for him. Lifeguards and medics attempted to revive him all the way to Firelands Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Kalahari’s track record with the State is unfortunately not in the best of standings, as the resort water park has been subject to disciplinary action five times since opening in 2005. The park was told last May that it had an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty, and that its attractions were being operated carelessly. The lack of staffing appears to be a constant theme from people who have previously worked there. In addition I do not believe that they train using the Ellis program, which is very surprising. Nonetheless this was a very tragic accident, and my thoughts go out to the family.
Enough of the bad news, I do actually enjoy laughing, which is what I hope you will be doing after reading about these next two pieces of news. The first story comes from a website called Hairloss.com and is directed at
Hard Rock Park Freestyle Music Park concerning a television ad the park was running for its Led Zepp…I mean Time Machine roller coaster, even calling for a boycott of the park. The add portrayed a middle-aged man riding with his family and getting off of the ride with some very ridiculous looking hair. Some with male-pattern baldness seemed to get the idea that the park was making fun of people with a (lack of) hair problem, with the spokesman for Hairloss.com saying "We should be past so-called 'funny ads' that are humorous at the expense of people who suffer from a physical disability." I for one, welcome our new balding overlords, but think a sense of humor and a trip to Free Style Music Park is in order.
Our next questionable yet laughable bit of news comes to us from a very popular publication, Time. If you are wondering what kind of article in Time concerning the amusement industry with Six Flags going through bankruptcy and some unfortunate accidents having taken place this year, you may not be surprised to find the reason behind the article is none other than Mr. Six. Time is wondering why Six Flags would put up such a creepy old guy as their mascot during a time of economic trouble. In fact, the new ads are getting a lot of scathing reviews from advertising people, and some of the commentary is just downright hilarious. It almost feels like a tabloid article at times, and you really have to wonder how serious the article actually is. In the end, I find it very amusing simply because Mr. Six is one of those corporate mascots you like, but also find somewhat disturbing in a humorous sort of way.
Our final story comes to us from Japan, where there are talks and some progress on a new Paramount park. Yes, you read that right; Paramount is looking to get back into the amusement park business, this time in Japan on the site of the recently closed Expoland. There have been rumors and talks about a Paramount park in Asia since about 2004, though I believe the rumors previously pointed to South Korea or China, not Japan. I find it very interesting since they seemed to be eager to get rid of their US parks in 2005 and 2006, appearing to be leaving the industry for good. This sounds like a very large and ambitious project; with a planned 40 hectares and an investment of about 125 billion yen (approx. $1.3 billion USD). I am interested in how this venture turns out, as they are planning for 8 million visitors a year, and we all know how the last new park to be built has turned out. I really do hope they succeed with the new park, though, and will definitely be following this story as it goes forward.
That’s all I have for this long overdue edition of the blog, but more will be coming very soon. Until next time, log in, sit down, and hold on to that hairpiece! As always thanks for reading and feel free to discuss this post in the forums!
post, and as always thanks for reading!
