originally posted on 5/29/2020 12:52:36 PM
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Adventureland (Altoona, Iowa) is more than halfway through the process of removing Dragon. The double loop roller coaster was added to the park in 1990 and closed for good in the fall of last season.
Adventureland opened its gates in 1974 and put itself on the map with a Bill Cobb woodie, Tornado, in 1978. Although two other portable coasters were on property, Dragon opened in 1990 as the state’s only looping roller coaster, raising the park’s marketing clout.
Dragon was built by O.D. Hopkins. The company, now out of business, is remembered for offering smaller parks more affordable options for bigger coasters rather than smooth, sleek designs. Coaster fans who rode Dragon can recall a bit of clunk to it. The restraints were designed to keep riders in but not necessarily to offer comfort.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Judged by today’s standards, Dragon’s layout was fairly simple. Following the first drop, the coaster soared through two back-to-back vertical loops and then traversed a figure-8 maneuver. Its most endearing quirk was a series of small bunny hops over water on approach to the lift hill.
Photo: Jeffrey Seifert. View full-sized image.
While the final parts of the structure are being removed, the park has recently teased info regarding 2021. A graphic and the name Dragon Slayer have been provided. It is unknown, however, if that is the name of a new coaster or if the new ride is even a coaster at all. What lends itself to this speculation is that a coaster erection company, SkyHigh Erectors LLC, has shared the tease on its own site. The company has installed multiple rides over the past years. Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois) is the most recent.
Dragon is currently on the list of rides on Adventureland’s website, but with visible evidence of its removal, that will undoubtedly be updated soon.
Adventureland serves the greater Des Moines area. While the city is not nearly as populated as some larger markets, the park has still delivered new coasters as quickly as bigger metropolitan areas. Monster, a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster, opened in 2016, and Phoenix, a spinning coaster from Maurer Rides opened last season. A big addition for 2021 would be quite impressive considering the park’s size.
Some observers have noted that the park may be feeling pressure from the upcoming Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo, Iowa. That park broke ground last summer and is planned to open in 2022. Adventureland does boast a large waterpark as well as a neighboring resort hotel. A new roller coaster in 2021 could bolster its place in travel tourism prior to the new park opening.
It is unknown if the COVID-19 pandemic will modify plans, but as this recent tease has happened in mid-May, well into the global crisis, the assumption that plans are still on track would be logical.
Many ACEers visited Adventureland in an unofficial add-on to the 2017 ACE Summer Conference. On that date, Dragon was nonoperational and had not been in service for a while. In an inquiry to park management regarding the coaster’s status, members were told that the closure was temporary. It is unknown if issues at that time led to the call to remove the ride following last season.
Many ACEers visited Adventureland during an informal event in 2017.
Photo: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
As the flashier Monster has now taken on the role of being the park’s signature ride among its steel offerings, Dragon still had a purpose in 1990 of offering a visual, high-profile coaster to lure in crowds.
Every coaster is a favorite of someone, so after 30 seasons, despite its uninspired design, Dragon’s loss can still be sentimental. From a business standpoint, replacing an aging, less-popular attraction with a newer, more dynamic one can be a good move for Adventureland’s future.
—Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
Photo: Michael Horwood. View full-sized image.
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