Themes, Dreams, and Other Schemes Come to Life This Spring By Jessica Downey Party Time at Six Flags Gurnee, Ill.’s answer to the Big Easy will be the subject of Six Flags Great America’s latest family entertainment expansion—the third major upheaval in the past 10 years. “This is not so much an expansion as a refurbishment,” says Susie Storey, public relations manager. “This was an area of the park that didn’t have much going on so we’re taking that section and making it brand new. The Mardi Gras theme is coming out of the previous name, which was Orleans Place.” The $6 million, two-acre Mardi Gras refurbishment will feature four new stationary rides and the arrival of the park’s thirteenth coaster, Ragin’ Cajun, a Reverchon Wild Mouse ride, which zigzags guests through the park with 1,378 feet of track. Ragin’ Cajun is a family coaster, with four-seat cars that spin 360 degrees throughout the ride. Accompanied by live entertainment and a renovated restaurant with a jazzy Mardi Gras theme, the area of the park is designed to be loud and lively, Storey says. The new area will debut other Mardi party-themed family rides: the vibrant Big Easy Balloon Ride; the 42-foot-high whirling King Chaos Ride; the Jester’s Wild Ride, a makeshift Mardi Gras float that rocks riders back and forth; and the 65-foot-high Revolution. And if the lineup of new Mardi Gras rides isn’t exciting enough for visitors, the park is debuting six new party-themed shows and events throughout the new area. Gurnee’s Tourism Overhaul Gurnee Mills and Six Flags attract tourists to the area, but the town mayor, Donald Rudny, is planning to add a new hotel and convention center to the area, which will be a draw for tourists and business travelers. Using plans by Great Northern Resorts of Minnesota, Rudny plans to build a $130 million hotel and conference center. The hotel plan also calls for a waterpark, which has become a more popular trend, as Alton Towers and Wisconsin Dells have proved with their successes. Luna Park Saving Face What was once a tradition of entertaining families became one of sudden closures and frustration at Sydney’s Luna Park. Now, however, the park has been restored and is once again inviting patrons to enter through its massive grin. Luna Park will finally and officially reopen this month, running at full speed in Sydney, after nearly eight years of virtual dormancy, but the park is still without a major coaster. More than $100 million and years of renovations later, the park will return to its roots, says Warwick Doughty, park manager. In January 2003, the state government, which still owns the park, agreed to the $100 million renovation, paid for by private investors after a long deliberation with the public. A 40-year lease was granted to Metro Edgley, the current park operator, which resurrected many of the park’s original attractions. After the public announcement of the approval, partner Michael Edgley said, “For decades Luna Park has been a much-loved asset of Sydney’s iconic landscape. We believe that our plan establishes the necessary balance of good business sense and community heart to welcome back Luna Park as the people’s park, taking its rightful place alongside the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.” The park was cause for great disharmony among local residents, who were angry about the sound level and prompted the transfer of Luna Park’s coaster, The Big Dipper, to the Gold Coast. The coaster has been replaced by a 359-spot car park and a theater. Beyond its location by the Opera House, the historic park is known for its smile, the park entryway that presents a giant (sometimes maniacal) smiling face to the entering patrons. The face has gone through a Michael Jackson-esque series of facelifts, from grotesque to clownish, finally arriving at the current cartoonish expression. When the park reopens this month, the traditional rides will also start up, sharing the spotlight with conventions and weddings. The historic Crystal Palace has been transformed into a function center for up to 1,300 people. The park will include a permanent 2,000-seat big-top venue, new entertainment, conference, and exhibition facilities, a 389-space underground car park, and a café and brasserie with views of Sydney. The Crystal Palace was upgraded to a 1,000-seat banquet hall and is already taking reservations at www.lunaparksydney.com. Introducing Poland’s Park Fantasia Yes, you read it right. Poland, a country with 40 million people and not a single notable theme park, is about to enter the amusement park picture. In 1999, a group of Polish investors decided to create Poland’s first theme park, and with help from a British design firm and a dozen ride manufacturers and financiers, ground has been broken for the park, which is now set to open in 2005. Located about 70 miles from Berlin in a town called Szczecin, the park is expected to serve a region of more than 25 million people. The master plan calls for the park to be divided into eight areas with major roller coasters and rides in the lineup. The themed villages are: Fantasia, Wild West, Mexico, The Lost World, The Pirates, The Jungle, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and The Caribbean Island. The development of the project was executed by an international group of amusement industry experts from England, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, the United States, and Poland. Coaster manufacturer heavyweights include Vekoma, HUSS, Zamperla, and Sally Corp., among others. Park Fantasia planners are going to initially charge $16.50 for entry in an attempt to draw visitors. The project will be supported by local municipalities and is part of a larger regional development plan. Island Paradise in Pigeon Forge Development is moving into Dolly’s neighborhood, with a $60 million, 21-acre complex called Belle Island Village starting to make headway. Located on a small island in Little Pigeon River, Tenn., the complex will be a blend of shopping opportunities with 12 restaurants, hotels, and other attractions. Belle Island Village is 116,000 square feet of retail space, with specialty shops showcasing local crafts and art. There are also stages for live entertainment, along with a Ferris wheel, carousel, and other rides. Bullock Smith & Partners, Inc., was selected as the architect for the project, which is being developed by Southern Venue Development and designed by Bob Minick. Delgrossos Gets Crazy As part of an expansion package for the 2004 season, Delgrossos Amusement Park in Tipton, Pa., is going to debut a new Reverchon spinning coaster, which “combines the wild mouse and a tilt-a-whirl,” says Delgrosso President Peter Gardella. There are seven Crazy Mouse coasters in the U.S., and two more were recently purchased by Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Delgrosso’s Crazy Mouse, with a track length of 1,260 feet, will be up and running for the 2004 season. Two other new rides—a 50-foot Moser Freefall and a Fajume Wacky Worm family coaster—will also be ready in time for the summer opening, Gardella says. The other improvement is a behind-the-scenes infrastructure upgrade to the food service facilities. Riders Beware: Two New Coasters Bring Excitement to Small Parks What: The Gauntlet Where: Magic Springs & Crystal Falls When: 2004 season The Middle South will have a new 10-story-tall giant suspended looping roller coaster to add to its list of thrills this summer, with the latest addition to Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, Ark. The highest point of the $7 million Vekoma-built suspended coaster was erected in January, and the ride will be open to the public for the 2004 season. The Gauntlet will have a 2,260-foot track and reach 109 feet in height. According to Viki Berni, Magic Springs’s public relations manager, the plan is to place the coaster where the park meets the highway, so it will be visible to drivers. “This attraction gives us the chance for a new market segment—the thrills seeker, so we’re excited and really anticipating additional attendance,” says Berni. With a 1,000-rider hourly capacity and a footprint of approximately 361 by 155 feet, the coaster should be ready to ride in the beginning of April. The ride had to be approved by the Greater Hot Springs Board of Directors, and it passed in July of last year, because the coaster was partially financed with revenue bonds. What: Yet-to-Be-Named Spinning Coaster Where: Waldameer Park and Water World When: 2004 season Last year, for the first time in Waldameer Park and Water World’s long history, profits were down nine percent. So park owner Paul Nelson and the three generations of his family who work at the park decided to make some changes. The Erie, Pa., family park will debut a yet-to-be-named German-made Maurer Sohne spinning coaster in 2004, the first part of a major expansion for the park. “The drop was caused by industrial plants closing—over half our business is plant business—and we had terrible weather,” says Nelson. “We need to expand, and to expand we need better rides.” There are similar models (Xtended SC 2000) of the coaster at Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah and Sea Breeze Park in New York. Waldameer will also be opening new midway and arcade games, as well as placing bronze statues throughout the park. This is all part of a $5 million improvement package, a record at Waldameer Park, the eleventh-oldest amusement park in the United States. Beyond the drop in visitors last season, Waldameer was also prompted by the government-funded Tom Ridge education center, which is being built across the street from the park, Nelson says. To keep pace with the project and to take advantage of the increased exposure, the Nelson family decided “not to sit back and wait, but to make something happen.” Plans to redo the entryway and bring in live entertainment for upcoming seasons are already under way. The cars on the coaster will spin up to 20 times per minute throughout 1,400 feet of track, traveling at 38 mph. Nelson says he also wants to open his most ambitious ride, the Ravine Flyer II, which would cost $5 million, in 2006. That long-planned coaster would update the Ravine Flyer, which Waldameer dismantled more than 60 years ago. A review of state environmental regulations has held up construction of the Ravine Flyer II, part of which would be constructed on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie. Miami Museum Down to a Science Using multilingual exhibits and cutting-edge technology, the Miami Museum of Science is gearing up to break ground on its new facility at Bicentennial Park. The world-class cultural destination plans to explore the relationship of the sciences to the natural world, culture, and commerce in the past, present, and future—topics the existing museum covers on a lesser scale. The current museum and its programs have pushed attendance to more than 300,000, a number that factors in on- and off-site programs. In 2001, Miami voters passed a bond establishing a vision for the new Museum Park Miami. This included funding for Bicentennial Park’s revitalization and $3.5 million in seed money for a new Miami Museum of Science and the new Miami Art Museum to frame 29 acres of open park space on Biscayne Bay, says Margaret Pulles Machado, vice president for strategic development and communications for the Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium. “The project is moving along very well, receiving widespread support from the community and elected officials,” she says. “We will be on the ballot next November for a substantial amount of funding from a general obligations bond that will help launch the museum project, which we estimate to be completed within three years once funding is in place.” The original museum was founded in 1949 by the Junior League of Miami and has grown exponentially since then. The new Miami Museum of Science at Museum Park is planned as a 250,000-square-foot facility that includes a wildlife center, planetarium, learning center, and high-tech interactive exhibits. The price tag is hefty, with the building and essential construction estimated at $95 million, with exhibitions and other costs adding another $62 million. Architecture, design, and management fees escalation and contingency bring the design and construction cost total to $223 million. With project team, start-up costs, and operational support over a 10-year period, the total is $267 million. However, the museum plans to follow similar national models that use funding from public sources and private campaigns involving individuals, major corporations, and other foundations. The museum will break ground as soon as it has 70 percent of its funding in place, says Pulles Machado. “The Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium is an icon of South Florida, having served the community for more than 50 years,” Pulles Machado says. “We are committed to expanding and fulfilling the needs of a growing, culturally diverse and sophisticated community and enhancing the quality of life of its residents and addressing the educational needs in science and technology education.”