originally posted on 3/25/2024
Photo: Courtesy of Six Flags New England. View full-sized image.
Forty degrees, overcast and followed by rain doesn't sound like pleasant weather for a roller coaster event, but this was The Great Nor’Easter, ACE New England’s off-season event, held this year on March 2 at Six Flags New England (SFNE) in Agawam, Massachusetts. The human resource building at SFNE was the perfect location for 87 enthusiasts and guests to gather to meet with friends they hadn’t seen all winter, hear presentations from area parks, enjoy lunch and win some door prizes.
The event kicked off with the introduction of Karen April, ACE New England's new regional representative. Although not completely onboard yet, she was helped by the recently retired and now Assistant Regional Representative Rus Ozana. Together, the two made great cohosts to lead attendees through the event, with additional help from ACE Vice President David Dragun.
(left to right) Janice Good, Bugs Bunny, Paul Coulombe, Tweety Bird, Ann Feeley, Sylvester, Rus Ozana.
Photo: Courtesy of Six Flags New England. View full-sized image.
The Great Nor’Easter began with the annual warm-up game of amusement park and roller coaster trivia/history, presented by ACEer Mike Thompson. Attendees were provided with cards that had printed letters A, B, C and D and were asked to stand. The questions were multiple choice, and attendees held up cards, showing their answers of choice. Those with the incorrect answers were asked to sit down. It took all of six questions to narrow down the participants to just two, with Drtad Hazarvartian the ultimate victor.
Six Flags Great Escape was represented by Matthew Buck, Jennifer Mance and Taylor Myers.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
The first presentation was by Six Flags Great Escape (Queensbury, New York), which was extremely excited to share details and photos of the much-anticipated Bobcat roller coaster set to premiere this summer. Park representatives Jennifer Mance, Matthew Buck and Taylor Myers were quite enthusiastic about the new addition (as were all the ACEers in the audience) and were happy to share photos, videos and insight on how the new Gravitykraft Corporation creation will be maintained.
Six Flags Great Escape’s presentation highlighted the park’s 70th anniversary season and its new Bobcat roller coaster.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Other notable news included refurbished swan boats that will finally be returning after a long hiatus since before the pandemic. These refurbished swan boats will come with a completely rebuilt dock and loading platforms. It was obvious from the way the park reps spoke about the project that they are proud to bring this original ride back to the park. They also announced some slide refurbishments at both the water park and the indoor lodge. Also noted was that the former Johnny Rockets, located at the lodge, was being replaced by a newer, well-known restaurant that will be announced prior to the park’s upcoming 70th anniversary season.
Christian Gainer of Santa’s Village talks about the new Midnight Flyer that will replace the beloved Rudy’s Rapid Transit for the 2024 season.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
The next park presentation was made by Christian Gainer, a last-second (and very welcome) addition to the lineup. Attendees were glad to have him share details about the brand new Midnight Flyer roller coaster being installed at Santa's Village — a small family-owned theme park in Jefferson. New Hampshire, run by the Gainer family. He talked about struggles with the former Rudy's Rapid Transit, noting that the repairs and upgrades needed on the aging coaster would have taken it out of commission for up to two years (it will reportedly live on at another amusement park).
Once the tough decision was made to remove the coaster, Gainer shopped around several manufacturers for a replacement. Vekoma was chosen primarily because it could meet one huge requirement the park had for a new coaster: it needed to be able to operate in below-freezing temperatures. Because Santa's Village is a theme park built for families with children up to the age of 12, part of its operations include an extremely popular holiday event during the month of December, so Midnight Flyer had to be able to operate during the event. Santa's Village is going beyond the norm for a new coaster, with upgrades that include heaters under the station track that will keep the bearings in the wheels warm between circuits. It’s easy to tell Gainer and his family know their customers well and will do whatever it takes to provide them the best possible experience.
The event’s host park, Six Flags New England, provided a comprehensive lunch spread.
Photo: Drtad Hazarvartain. View full-sized image.
Following the presentation, it was time for a lunch break. Normally, this could be skipped in an event report but considering this is ACE, food is half the reason attendees show up. All were thankful to the SFNE food service team for the delicious menu of soups, salads, assorted beverages and sandwiches, plus cookies, brownies and cake for dessert.
Six Flags New England was represented by Park President Pete Carmichael and Marketing & Public Relations Manager Ray Sciarretta.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Once everyone was fed, attendees heard from representatives of the event’s host, SFNE. Although the first park not to have a new coaster coming this year, Marketing & Public Relations Manager Ray Sciarretta was excited to share everything that may normally go unnoticed during visits but will add to the quality of them. Improvements include a rehab of most retail experiences with new merchandise, as well as the addition of a Fright Fest retail store to sell scary swag all season long. Unfortunately for Fright Fest fans, the springtime “Scream Break” will not be returning but will be replaced with a season passholder after-party. There will also be extended hours for passholders on two weekends in April.
Owing to Superman the Ride receiving new seat padding for the upcoming season, some door prize winners went home with old units generously supplied by Six Flags New England.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Superman the Ride got some love this off-season with new padding on the seats of the trains. For some lucky attendees, four of the old seats were part of the door prize giveaways, so keep an eye out for Superman seat barstools at friends’ houses. SFNE repainted a few buildings as well as the backdrop to The Great Chase, and the sign department was hard at work refreshing signs to better fit theming and overall experience. During the Q&A, it was revealed that Kontiki has been removed. The Bonzai Pipelines tower in Hurricane Harbor will not open this year, but there are also no plans to remove it. Onride and park photos will be getting a new vendor that will focus on a more direct digital delivery to phones. On a sad note, single rider lines are being eliminated chain-wide from all Six Flags parks. Something to look for is the possibility of a new buffet-style restaurant, although details weren't set in stone (so it may not happen this year). Finally, the grass plot formerly known as Goliath will remain grass but could be a place to keep an eye on in the future.
While representatives from Lake Compounce (Bristol, Connecticut) were unable to attend, they did send photos to Dragun to share with attendees. These included detailed shots of the ongoing work to bring Wildcat back to life. The Lake clearly has its hands full with an almost total rebuild of the classic woodie to get it ready for its fast-approaching 100th season in 2027. Dragun also shared that an additional 600 feet of track on Boulder Dash is being retracked with Great Coasters International, Inc.'s Titan Track.
Dragun gave a presentation about one of the national topics he oversees. ACE Cares is the charitable arm of ACE that raises money to give back to great causes like Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, Florida. Dragun advised ACEers to be on the lookout for announcements of this year’s events being planned at parks across the country. Attendees were also joined by ACE Communications Director Derek Perry, who provided some national news, most of which can be found on the March 3 episode of the ACE – Ride With Us podcast.
Last but certainly not least was Deno (DJ) Vourderis of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park at Coney Island.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
The final presenter was Deno (DJ) Vourderis from Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park (Brooklyn, New York). Vourderis — an ACEer himself — has quickly become a favorite among his fellow enthusiasts. His comedic skills were demonstrated during a temporary lull in the action, when he read from his cell phone and commented on rumors from coaster fan websites. Although Deno’s is not opening anything new in 2024, Vourderis took everyone through all he and his family do in the off-season to keep the family-run park going. He played some great videos showing how his new 3-D printer has reduced downtime on their rides by making many needed parts on location. He was also happy to show how everyone from his mother to his two young boys make every effort they can to help the family business. Vourderis gave attendees some free ride coupons for the park and definitely left everyone with a smile on their faces.
Door prizes and auction items were plentiful, ensuring no attendees went home empty handed.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Between presentations, there were not only door prizes (which were so numerous, no one went home empty handed), but also an auction of donated items. The auction included items from deer antlers (yes, you read that right) to retired signs from Alpine Bobsled to a four-pack of season passes to Lake Compounce. The auction raised $595 for the ACE Archives Fund.
Photo contest winners (from left to right) Bob Cornellier (2nd), Brian McCormack (1st & 3rd) and Emery Picotte, assistant regional rep and photo contest coordinator.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
The event wrapped up with the results of the annual ACE New England photo contest. This year's winners were Bob Cornellier (second) and Brian McCormack (first and third). Both winners gladly chose to have their photos entered into the national contest during Coaster Con 46, so their photos will be on display in Northern California in June.
ACE New England extended thanks to Emery Picotte for all his hard work overseeing the contest, to SFNE as the region’s host this year and to representatives from SFNE, The Great Escape, Santa’s Village and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park for whetting everyone’s appetites for the coming coaster season.
— Matt Shostak, ACE New England Assistant Regional Representative
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