originally posted on 4/16/2020
POSTED APRIL 16
OCT Plans Ninth Happy Valley Theme Park
Happy Valley Shanghai Photo: Steve Gzesh. View full-sized image.
On March 2, China’s OCT Group announced its selection of Legacy Entertainment to design the company’s ninth Happy Valley Theme Park. Set to be located in the city of Zhengzhou, the park will boast an original design crafted by the entertainment design studio.
OCT’s Happy Valley brand boasts an impressive portfolio of seven theme parks, with its eighth park, Happy Valley Nanjing, slated to debut later this year. Originally established with its flagship Shenzhen park in 1998, the Happy Valley brand has seen rapid growth with the opening of parks in other major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, Tianjin and Chongqin.
Happy Valley’s parent company, OCT Group, is China’s largest theme park developer and operator, entertaining nearly 50,000,000 visitors per year at its various parks and attractions, which, in addition to Happy Valley, include Windows on the World, OCT East and Splendid China.
Legacy has already created seven projects within China. Its latest, the Chimelong Marine Science Center, is slated to open later this year. It will be touted as the world’s largest indoor theme park.
The announcement of Happy Valley Zhengzhou comes during a turbulent time for China’s theme park industry, with the majority of the country’s tourist attractions temporarily closed. However, Legacy sees the advancement of this project as a major vote of confidence in what will soon become the world’s largest market for theme parks.
Happy Valley Shanghai Photo: Alex Rigsby. View full-sized image.
Photo: Alex Rigsby. View full-sized image.
Quechee Gorge Village Sells Off Rides
Jett Star Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
Quechee Gorge Village (Quechee, Vermont) posted on its Facebook page earlier this year that the rides were being sold. The statement read: “It is with great sadness to announce today that our iconic train, carousel, and jet coaster have been sold to a wonderful amusement company in New York that will completely restore them for other families to enjoy. The new owner of Quechee Gorge Village did not want them to remain on the property.”
Jett Star was an oval-track children’s coaster from Wisdom. Although it only operated at Quechee Gorge for the 2019 season, it had earlier homes. Fun Land of Fredericksburg (Virginia) owned it from 2009 to early 2018. It was replaced at that park with a newer SBF-Visa spinning coaster. Its first owner was Magic Valley Food N’ Fun (Winchester, Virginia). The ride was called Jett Star at all its locations.
The name of the newest buyer was not disclosed.
Two New Trains From Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. Headed to Georgia
Photo: Courtesy Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. View full-sized image.
Once the COVID-19 crisis passes and amusement parks are able to reopen, Six Flags Over Georgia will welcome two new trains from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. (PTCI). Following the conversion of Georgia Cyclone to Twisted Cyclone, Six Flags placed Georgia Cyclone’s two-bench trains on Great American Scream Machine. While successful, it was determined the lifespan of those trains, which began operation in 1990, had reached its end.
PTCI President Tom Rebbie told ACE, “They are new from top to bottom.” He was ready to ship them to the park when the pandemic outbreak caused operations — both in Pennsylvania and Georgia — to shut down.
When the new trains do arrive, Great American Scream Machine will have fresh rolling stock to welcome new riders. Fans who have not visited recently will most likely be surprised by the two-bench versions, as Great American Scream Machine operated with three-bench trains for 45 years.
Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park Reopens
Photo: Courtesy Ocean Park. View full-sized image.
On Friday, March 20, Ocean Park opened its gates following weeks of closure owing to the coronavirus outbreak.
This good news did come with some stipulations.
- Indoor areas were kept under 30 percent capacity.
- To replace cash, ticket purchases must be paid for online.
- Tourists are required to have their temperatures checked, wear masks and present their health QR code for entry.
- Anyone exhibiting symptoms will be denied entry.
- Visitors are reminded to keep a distance of 1.5 meters (approximately five feet) from each other.
Maurer Rides Celebrates 100 Million Views on YouTube
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
In its recent newsletter, Maurer Rides of Germany noted that celebrities Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart’s ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. Standing 167 feet tall, the ride opened in 2009. The video clip, which was very “produced” judging by the equipment strapped to the train and the lack of any queue at all, was recorded for “The Tonight Show” in 2014.
The clip can be seen here:
Video: Courtesy The Tonight Show.
Inspiration for Parc Astérix Passes Away at 92
Photo: Alex Rigsby. View full-sized image.
Enthusiasts who have had the pleasure to visit Parc Astérix in Plailly, France, are mildly familiar with the colorful characters that populate the theme park. Based on the creations of comic book artist Albert Uderzo, these humorous figures have populated the comic series “Asterix” since 1959. In the decades since, hundreds of millions of comic books have been sold surrounding these comical characters. Parc Astérix, the theme park based on these comics, opened its gates in 1989. Today, it features seven coasters.
Uderzo, who partnered with writer and co-creator René Goscinny on the series, passed away on March 24.
Photo: Brian Peters. View full-sized image.
Parc Astérix is full of whimsical touches.
Photo: Brian Peters. View full-sized image.
OzIris Photo: Justin Garvanovic. View full-sized image.
POSTED MARCH 15
Wonderland Eurasia Switches Off and On … Maybe
Photo: Courtesy Wonderland Eurasia. View full-sized image.
Originally called Ankapark, Wonderland Eurasia (Ankara, Turkey) has had a mix of reports surrounding its operation. It was first stated that the park was closing. This would have been shocking as the park just opened in 2019. The architecture of the park is extensive and the installation of 17 roller coasters for its first year is impressive. However, not all rides opened during the first season. After the reports of some employees not being paid, many were not surprised about the news that the park was closing.
Then, somehow, it wasn’t. ACE isn’t clear on the reasons for the actual turnaround and new sources of financing. It sounds vague and locals remain skeptical that Wonderland Eurasia will actually open with different management. An inquiry sent to the park by ACE has not been acknowledged.
Photo: Lisa Scheinin. View full-sized image.
A lot of work went into the park and the goal was certainly ambitious. Hopefully, a second chance will prove successful.
Among the 17 coasters, most are of the family and children’s variety, but a 10-inversion Intamin coaster was among the larger offerings.
Playland Eyeing Big Plans for the Future
Photo: Courtesy Playland. View full-sized image.
Four years after a proposed plan for a revitalization of Playland (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) was presented to the city council, Pacific Nation Exhibition (PNE) staff will return to city hall in the spring to present their business case for the project.
A model for the business plan shows multiple coasters, including the preservation of the park’s main attraction, the wooden Coaster. Other installations noted on the diagram are a spinning coaster, a mine coaster, a Zac Spin, a suspended family coaster, a launch coaster and something referred to as a gliding coaster. If all these come to fruition in the years ahead, that would be quite an expansion of the park’s coaster lineup. Playland currently offers three coasters. Corkscrew has not operated since 2018.
The ambitious plan to transform the amusement park into a theme park will come in phases, including upgrades to the grounds of the PNE, making it greener and enhancing the infrastructure. If approved, the expansion could begin as early as 2022.
Yomiuriland Finds Space for Next Coaster
Photo: Courtesy Yomiuriland. View full-sized image.
Photo: Courtesy Yomiuriland. View full-sized image.
Yomiuriland (Tokyo, Japan) has produced an artist rendering of Space Factory, a new coaster planned for 2021. Few details are known at this time — not even a manufacturer — but the artwork indicates it will be an inverted coaster. According to Roller Coaster DataBase, the ride will operate with single cars that seat four. The majority of the ride will take place indoors. The park’s most recent coaster, Spin Runway (2016), was also placed indoors. Currently the park operates four coasters, including the noteworthy Bandit.
Waldameer Goes for Another Spin
Waldameer’s new spinning coaster was erected in February.
Photo: Richard Koppelman. View full-sized image.
Waldameer (Erie, Pennsylvania) won’t open until May, but the park already has a new coaster in place. Whirlwind is an SBF-Visa spinning coaster with the widely seen figure-eight design. Although the park’s marquee attraction for 2020 is the sizable Rally Racer waterslide attraction in the waterpark, the dry park also receives something new. Whirlwind will be the park’s fifth coaster. It will also be the second spinning coaster for the park, following Steel Dragon, a Maurer spinner added in 2004.
Waldameer opens May 2.
Oh, Those Neighbors
Diamondback. Photo: Jill Ryan. View full-sized image.
Since amusement parks began more than a century ago, a common annoyance has been a recurring theme — neighbors. Not to belittle neighbors’ concerns when they choose to live near a park, but complaints are never anything new.
Kings Island has gone through its ordeal in recent months. Neighbors have complained about late park operations in the fall, particularly the Diamondback coaster. According to reports, neighbors have claimed the Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) megacoaster “rattles the windows” and “every 60 seconds a train roars through … and it feels like it is coming across your bed.”
Color ACE skeptical.
Still, the park is addressing the concerns, and with Orion opening soon, the preemptive action is to fill both coasters’ box beam tracks with B&M’s proprietary sound-dampening material. Neighbors seem cautiously appreciative but still plan to bring in their own acoustic engineer once the season begins.
Kings Island explains it will take more than one off-season to fully implement the solution.
— Written and Compiled by Tim Baldwin
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