originally posted on 9/25/2020
POSTED SEPTEMBER 25
Toshimaen’s Closing is Confirmed
Cylcone. Photos: Derek Perry and Paul Brewer. View full-sized image.
As reported in the February 2020 issue of ACE News, word that Toshimaen (Mukouyama, Japan) could soon be closing saddened enthusiasts who had recently visited during the East Meets ACE international tour in 2018. At the end of August, the park officially closed for good.
One of the earlier stops on the ACE trip, Toshimaen had a character all its own. The Togo Cyclone with its velvet seats and the indescribably wonderful El Dorado carousel were real standouts. The park and coaster were featured on the cover of RollerCoaster! No. 149.
Photo: John Swarens. View full-sized image.
The park opened in 1926 and was just five years from its 100th season. A Harry Potter-themed park on the land has been proposed. While that might be fun, it is still hard to lose a park with decades upon decades of history.
Among other coasters lost in the closure are a 1979 Arrow Corkscrew and Mini-Cyclone, a children’s coaster manufactured by Hoei Sangyo Co. A powered Mack Rides Blauer Enzian attraction was also on property.
Vortex Lives! (In Our Minds and in Charlotte)
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Fans of Kings Island’s demolished Vortex can embrace a piece of the iconic coaster that stood at the Mason, Ohio, theme park during their next visit to Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina). Vortex opened in 1987 as the first six-inversion complete circuit coaster. Although it held the inversion record for only a single season, the ride stood as one of the park’s most photogenic — and capacity giants — until the close of the 2019 season.
Carolina Cyclone
Photo: Richard Koppelman. View full-sized image.
Parts of the ride, however, live on! The train bodies were sent to Carowinds to be used on Carolina Cyclone, a four-inversion Arrow looper that opened in 1980. Sanded and repainted, the trains will offer enough tell-tale traits that guests closely familiar with Carolina Cyclone will notice the difference. The Vortex train bodies will be used on the existing chassis currently in use on the multilooping coaster.
Schwarzkopf Katapult Discovered in Germany
A rediscovered Katapult model in Germany is currently being refurbished.
Photo: Bruno Baumeister. View full-sized image.
One of a handful of Katapult coasters has been rediscovered in Germany and is currently being refurbished. According to the Facebook page Big Small Roller Coaster World, the ride is completely erected with reconditioning under way.
The design of the Katapult coaster resembled a figure eight folded in half that consisted of a vertical loop and a horizontal loop. A tire-driven launch system propelled the train forward and backward until the train made it completely around the circuit.
These pictures from the 1980s show one of two Katapult models when in operation on the New Jersey shore.
Photos: Ric Turner. View full-sized image.
If one of these creations could actually be resurrected, it would be of major interest to both coaster enthusiasts and Schwarzkopf fans.
Coaster Manufacturer Featured on New Podcast
Jim Seay. Photo: Courtesy Premier Rides. View full-sized image.
Dennis Speigel, Theme Park Service’s founder and CEO, presented his first podcast on September 9. Called “I’m 4 Fun,” the podcast’s inaugural guest was Jim Seay, president of Premier Rides.
The initial podcast was live, which encouraged audience participation. Speigel and Seay had previously sponsored IAAPA Virtual Expo: Asia. The two men felt this was a progression carried through from that experience.
In the podcast Seay speaks about how manufacturers are dealing with the COVID pandemic.
Click here to view the podcast.
Indiana Beach’s Gene Staples honored with Amusement Today’s Person of the Year Golden Ticket
Photos: Don Hurd. View full-sized image.
Even though industry publication Amusement Today sidestepped its core categories this year in the era of COVID-19, people, parks and accomplishments were still honored in a special issue for 2020.
Among the scaled back awards were four Publisher’s Picks. They recognized a Person of the Year, Supplier of the Year, a Turnstiles Award and a Renaissance Award.
After hearing the shocking news that Indiana Beach (Monticello) was closing for good, enthusiasts can whole-heartedly join in with AT for praising Gene Staples, the savior of reviving Indiana Beach and getting it up and running in the midst of a challenging year. Staples was honored as Person of the Year in recognition of his rescue of the property.
Indiana Beach boasts five coasters, three of which are wood.
The other recipients of Publisher’s Picks Golden Ticket Awards were Arnolds Park, honored with the Turnstile Award, recognizing preservation and reinvestment; Great Coasters International, Inc., recognized as Supplier of the Year; and Europa-Park, celebrated with the Renaissance Award for bringing back the beloved Pirates in Batavia in much grander fashion. The original dark ride was destroyed in a horrific fire in 2018.
Read and download the entire 2020 Golden Ticket Awards issue for free at: goldenticketawards.com.
— Written and Compiled by Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
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