Funworld May 2008
Industry Notes
by Keith Miller
An Aquarium Experience a Step Closer to Nature
USUALLY A TRIP TO AN AQUARIUM INVOLVES WATCHING oceanic and freshwater creatures in glass tanks, coming into contact with a few selected animals in a touch tank, and enjoying a sensory experience in a 4-D theater. But it usually doesn’t involve a journey into the real-life habitats of the creatures themselves. However, that’s all about to change at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, the largest freshwater aquarium in the world.
Starting this summer, visitors to the aquarium will have the opportunity to jump on a catamaran-style craft for a 90-minute cruise down the Tennessee River into the Tennessee River Gorge. Up to 70 passengers will relax in a climate-controlled cabin, complete with a concession kiosk for refreshments, and view the gorge’s scenery and wildlife through oversized windows and sky panes. They’ll also have the chance to go out onto the topside viewing deck and observe nature in the protected habitat while an aquarium naturalist identifies native plants and animals and explains the history of the gorge. The gorge has been designated a United Nations’ Biosphere Reserve and consists of more than 17,000 acres of protected land, containing more than 1,000 varieties of plants and hundreds of animal species.
The aquarium’s high-tech watercraft, called the “River Gorge Explorer,” was designed in New Zealand and manufactured in Bellingham, Washington. It is scheduled for delivery to the aquarium in late spring. The high-speed catamaran is able to glide through the water smoothly at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour using added lift from a hydrofoil assist. The aquarium purchased the boat through a financial arrangement with its community foundation.
The idea for the river cruises has been around for some time, according to Thom Benson, the aquarium’s communications director. “It’s something we’ve considered for years,” he said, “and the opportunity to do this has been there since we opened in 1992.” The aquarium is located on the banks of the Tennessee River adjacent to the Chattanooga Pier, where the boat will dock.
Benson stressed that though the cruises will hopefully be relaxing adventures for the passengers, there will be overriding themes of education and conservation.
Benson said the exact starting date of the cruises is dependent upon the delivery date of the boat and its subsequent sea trials, but he hoped it would be ready by early summer. The cost of the cruises will be $20 for adults and $14 for kids who are aquarium members, and $25 for adults and $17.50 for children who are nonmembers. The craft will also be available for private company outings and other special events.
Math Was Never So Much Fun!
FOR SOME STUDENTS MATH can be a pretty dry subject, with endless problems and equations that often don’t seem to have any real-world applications. So, a math teacher in Meadville, Pennsylvania, decided to draw on his childhood experiences at an amusement park to write a book designed to make real-life connections between mathematics and the everyday challenges of operating a park.
Michael Cain is a high school teacher at the Meadville Area Senior High School and has recently published a book called “Amusement Park Math.” The book follows the trials and triumphs of several characters as they work to save an amusement park called Modest Lake, which is in financial trouble. Students hone their math skills by working with the park’s income and expenses, including challenges park workers.
The inspiration for the book’s park is Conneaut Lake Park in Pennsylvania. Cain visited the park on many occasions as a child and currently lives in 
neighboring Meadville. The park is facing some financial problems and needs renovations, and Cain has worked those situations into the story.
“Two things that are disappearing from America are small carnivals and amusement parks,” he told FUNWORLD. “I have a pretty good relationship with some of the people at Conneaut Lake—its something that I’m emotionally attached to. There are a lot of problems at the park that kids could relate to through the book.”
The idea behind the book is that incorporating math into a subject kids find fascinating nd fun—amuseent parks—will emove many of heir anxieties about ath. Cain said stuent reaction to the ok has been great: They love it. I use it in gh school, but with kids hat don’t really like math. a different way of pproaching mathematics.” “Amusement Park Math,” Cain’s seventh book, also ontains about 130 illustraions, all done by the author.
Many of the visuals are inspired by the memories Cain has from childhood of the rides and structures of Conneaut Lake. The book, published by Prufrock Press, is available at www.prufrock.com.
Busch Entertainment and Six Flags Announce Dubai Plans
BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION (BEC) ANNOUNCED an agreement with Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest real estate developers, to create the “Worlds of Discovery” on The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai, currently the world’s largest man-made island.
The agreement calls for the phased construction of four theme parks—SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica—on one of Nakheel’s Palm islands off the coast of Dubai. Worlds of Discovery will occupy a part of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “The Crown,” and will take the shape of a killer whale when completed. Nakheel will provide the capital for the parks, and BEC will design the parks and license its brands to Nakheel. Once completed, BEC will operate the parks under a management contract. Preliminary design work and site planning has begun, with the first phase expected to open in 2012. Fred Jacobs, vice president of communications for BEC, told FUNWORLD the SeaWorld and Aquatica parks would be built first, followed by Busch Gardens and finally Discovery Cove.
At a Feb. 28 ceremony announcing the agreement in SeaWorld Orlando’s Shamu Stadium, BEC President Jim Atchison said, “Dubai has emerged as one of the world’s great travel destinations. Thanks to the vision of companies like Nakheel, the future for this city and this region is 
bright. We’re thrilled to be joining the tourism community in the emirate and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Nakheel.”
Additionally, U.S.-based Six Flags, Inc., and Tatweer, a part of Dubai Holding in the UAE, recently announced a strategic alliance to develop theme park properties across the Middle East.
The centerpiece of this alliance will be the development of Six Flags Dubailand, a 115-acre theme park in Dubai. Six Flags Dubailand will feature popular entertainment franchises such as the children’s musical group Wiggles and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. Ground-breaking on the new park will be in 2009.
The companies said they will also work together to create new concepts across the region, such as Six Flags theme parks, branded restaurants, hotels, and retail outlets to offer unique travel and vacation opportunities.
Kokomo Opening a Sizable Coaster
KOKOMO’S FAMILY FUN CENTER in Saginaw, Michigan, is opening a new coaster that’s an unusually long one for a family entertainment center.
The “Serpent,” as the coaster will be called, is almost 2,000 feet in length and stands 45 feet high. Hal Shilling, Kokomo’s owner, purchased it last fall after it sat idle for five years at the shuttered LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park in Middletown, Ohio. The ride, almost two minutes in length, originally opened in 1987 at an amusement park in Padukah, Kentucky, before being bought by the Ohio park. The coaster is a Galaxi manufactured by the now-defunct SDC.
Shilling said after sandblasting, painting, and other restoration work, the ride will cost Kokomo about $250,000, far shy of the $1 million price tag he estimated a similar coaster would cost brand new. That’s what made such a relatively big coaster a possibility for his FEC.
“I got it at such a good price, the total cost won’t be any more than implementing a go-kart track,” he told FUNWORLD. “Also, we’re doing a lot of the work on it ourselves.” Shilling said he discovered the coaster while searching for a new ride on the Roller Coaster Database web site at www.rcdb.com. He hopes to open the coaster sometime in May and charge customers $6 to ride, but he plans to include it as a part of the center’s attraction wristband in 2009.
SeaWorld Orlando Rolls Out Hydrogen-Powered Shuttles
SEAWORLD ORLANDO HAS BEGUN USING TWO NEW hydrogen-powered buses to shuttle Busch Entertainment Corporation employees between the company’s three area parks—SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and the new Aquatica waterpark—and its off-site offices.
The 12-passenger buses are E-450s, made by Ford, and are powered by V-10 engines altered to operate on hydrogen instead of gasoline. The buses, emissions are almost entirely in the form of water vapor, producing a 99.7 percent reduction in carbondioxide discharges.
“This pilot program will help expand the knowledge of hydrogen-fueled vehicles and their impact on the environment,” said Diane Centeno, senior communications manager for SeaWorld Orlando. “SeaWorld is recording the number of miles and the amount of hydrogen fuel used each day to compare those figures to gasoline-fueled buses. The data is then being submitted to Ford and Chevron Technology Ventures for their review and measurement.”
SeaWorld is researching the possibility of using hydrogen fuel vehicles throughout its fleet. The two current buses might be used at some point to shuttle park guests between the three parks.
The hydrogen-powered bus program is a partnership between Ford Motor Company, Chevron Technology Ventures, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Progress Energy Corporation. The shuttles refuel at a hydrogen station located near the Orlando International Airport.
Cartoon Network Theme Park Coming to KuwaitCARTOON NETWORK ENTERPRISES and Future Kid & Real Estate Company have announced an agree ment to create a fully branded Cartoon Network indoor theme park in Kuwait City that will open later this year. It will be the network’s first branded theme park in the Middle East/North Africa region. The 37,000 square foot park will feature Cartoon Network branded games, rides, character events, merchandise areas, and promotions, and will have Cartoon Network themed food and beverage outlets. “This a timely and exciting deal that puts Turner (manager of Cartoon Network) at the heart of a thriv ing entertainment industry in the Middle East,” said Jeff Kupsky, president of Turner Broadcasting Sys tem Europe, in a statement. “The Kuwait City indoor theme park will enable visitors to sample the Cartoon Network experience on a grand scale, and truly interact with our characters and brands.’ |
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Guests Will Be ‘Idol’-ized at Walt Disney World
According to Disney, the attraction will allow guests to experience “the challenge of audition ing, the rush of performing on stage in competi tion, or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive entertainment setting with all the glitz and glamour of the distinctive ‘American Idol’ set.” “Millions of people have imagined them selves standing on the ‘American Idol’ stage,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts. “We’re excited that we will be bringing this dream to life every day at Walt Disney World.” The experience will include an audition open to all guests eligible to register, involving a live performance in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studios producer. If a guest proves to have star quality during the screening process and back stage preparation, which involves working with a voice coach, a hairdresser, and a makeup artist, the guest will then proceed in front of a live audi ence and a panel of judges. Guests with the most votes will compete in an end of day grand finale show, and the winner will get a guaranteed reser vation for a regional stadium audition for the “American Idol” TV show. |
FOR PARK GUESTSWHOWANTTO EXPERIENCE the excitement and challenge of auditioning for “