originally posted on 2/26/2024
Rendering: Courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort. View full-sized image.
Epic Universe Details Revealed, With More to Come
Universal Orlando Resort (Florida) released some details about Epic Universe, its third theme park (or fourth, if you agree with the resort that its Volcano Bay waterpark counts as one). With a targeted summer 2025 opening, the park is expected to include four roller coasters, including the Celestial Park section’s Starfall Racers — a twin-tracked linear synchronous motor launch coaster believed to be provided by Mack. Additional details about the park will be released in the future, including its Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic areas and their attractions.
Photo: Dave Hahner. View full-sized image.
Lakemont Park Rides Will Not Open in 2024
Claiming financial unsustainability, Lakemont Partnership, the company operating the amusements at Lakemont Park (Altoona, Pennsylvania) under a long-term lease agreement with Blair County, announced that the park's rides will not operate during the 2024 season. This includes the 122-year-old Leap The Dips — a National Historic Landmark and an ACE Landmark Roller Coaster that was preserved through the assistance of ACE — and the 1960 John Allen-designed Skyliner that was relocated from Roseland Park in Canandaigua, New York, and has operated at Lakemont since 1987. Other attractions such as miniature golf courses, batting cages, volleyball courts and basketball courts will continue to be available.
Under the terms of the lease, the current operator of the amusements is obligated to maintain Leap The Dips, although there is no word on how this will be done since it cited maintenance costs of the rides as a primary reason for the change. The lease does not require the coaster to be operational. Both coasters are currently in need of some investment in order to operate before they open to riders. ACE News understands that a new operator is being sought for the park – one that will operate the rides. ACE officials have been in contact with Lakemont Partnership as well as others in the amusement industry to closely monitor the situation. Jimmy Titko, ACE's history and preservation director, said, "ACE is committed to doing everything we can to support the continued operation of Leap The Dips and Skyliner. This includes potential future donations from ACE Preservation Fund if a new operator shares the same vision and passion we have for the continued operation of these two historic rides."
Photo: Brandon York. View full-sized image.
Speaking of Wood Coasters Not Operating in 2024…
Announced at the ACE South Central Winterfest event, Rampage at Alabama Adventure (Bessemer) will not operate in 2024. However, the future for the 1998 Custom Coasters, Inc. creation may be bright, as the park is working to find a partner to refurbish the ride. It is unclear what issues are preventing it from operating this upcoming season.
On to Wood Coasters That WILL Operate in 2024…
Photo: Courtesy of Lake Compounce. View full-sized image.
It is being reported that Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce (Bristol, Connecticut) will be on the receiving end of some work by Great Coasters International, Inc. In addition to some wood track, the coaster will also see the installation of 400 feet of Titan Track, which will complement the Titan Track installed prior to the 2023 season. The park also announced the removal of its Bumper Cars, Jolly Jester and antique 1911 trolley, which was on loan from the Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut.
Rendering: Courtesy of SeaWorld San Antonio. View full-sized image.
…And Things That May or May Not Be Coasters
SeaWorld San Antonio (Texas) has marked March 2 as the opening date for its much-anticipated Catapult Falls, which was delayed from summer 2023. Catapult Falls will feature 11 eight-person vehicles that send riders through a water-filled course before taking them 55 feet in the air via an elevator — the only North American flume with a vertical lift. The vehicles will then be sent down a 53-degree drop at more than 37 mph.
Spinning Racer.
Photo: Bobby Nagy. View full-sized image.
A U.K. Park Replaces a Spinning Coaster With… a Spinning Coaster
Fantasy Island (Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom) — home to a handful of roller coasters, including a pair of large Vekomas (Millennium and Odyssey) — is reportedly installing a spinning coaster for the 2024 season. No firm details have yet been provided, but it’s possible it will be a Reverchon model with a track extension, effectively replacing a Maurer Rides installation (Spinning Racer) that was removed following the 2021 season.
Photo: Steve Gzesh. View full-sized image.
While in Europe…
A tragic fire broke out at Liseberg on Monday, February 12. The century-old amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, had made an incredible investment building an indoor waterpark adjacent to the resort’s new Grand Curiosa Hotel. With just weeks from being commissioned, the Oceana waterpark, which had been years in construction, was a total loss. It was a horrific blow to the park, and a worker sadly lost his life either in the fire or the explosion. While the cause is unknown, the park did release a statement days later that it was committed to rebuild. Liseberg and its seven roller coasters were not affected, nor were any guests injured.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News, with contributions from Rob Ascough, ACE News Editor and Bill Linkenheimer III
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