sign in sign up
<<
Home , Adventureland (Iowa), Adventureland (New York), Celebration City, Dragon (Adventureland), Dutch Wonderland, Funtown Splashtown USA

GOLDEN TICKET BONUS ISSUE

TM www.AmusementToday.com

Vol. 13, Issue 6.2 SEPTEMBER 2009 $5.00 Parks seeking gold head west Southern California hosts AT’s 2009 Golden Ticket Awards Tim Baldwin For 12 years, Amusement Today has presented industry awards to “The Best of the Best.” In 2001 Holiday World approached AT with the pros- pect of announcing the results live. And so, a ceremony was born. For the first time, the Golden Ticket Awards are hosted by the land of gold, the West coast and sunny CALIFORNIA Southern California. Host Park The 2009 host park, , has 2009 Golden Ticket Awards dominated the Best Children’s September 10, 2009 PHOTO COURTESY LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA Park category since its intro- Legoland California (above) takes the category for Best their own spin in 2006 by duction. The eclectic mix of many pleasures of the Golden Children’s Park and serves as host for the 2009 Golden kid-friendly rides, imagina- transforming the ceremony State. This year it just happens Ticket Awards ceremony. Knott’s Berry Farm (below) co- tive activities, and inspira- into an Oscar-style production to be the Golden Ticket State. tional family experiences have with presenters taken from As this celebration hosts with an industry reception the night before the helped this park grow into a the industry – from parks to acknowledges The Best of the ceremony. unique destination. Attendees manufacturers. As the Golden Best, Amusement Today thanks at this year’s Golden Ticket Tickets have evolved, it has its host venues both past and Awards ceremony will get to become one of the year’s most present, as well as the event experience firsthand this cre- pleasurable networking events sponsors, and congratulates ative property catering to chil- within this amazing industry. all winners on their hard- dren and all of its charms. Last year’s host park, earned accolades. However, even the cer- Give Kids The World Village, Amusement Today would emony has continued to grow near Orlando, Florida, treated like to thank our two event over the years. In 2003 Six Golden Ticket attendees to a parks, Knott’s Berry Farm and Flags Fiesta Texas offered an very memorable event, com- Legoland California, as well add-on day of enjoyment by plete with their own version as our many sponsors who co-hosting award winners of the “Red Carpet.” help make our event possible: who had traveled to the cer- So, “Go West!” honored , Leisure emony at . Over winners. Enjoy the character Labs LLC, , the past years, this has devel- and ambience of Southern Montgomery Inn, William H. oped into a pre-event party California. Santa Cruz Beach Robinson Inc. and . the night before. This year, Boardwalk, our repeat win- We would also like to thank that festive occasion is hosted ner of Best Seaside Park, has Kay Park Recreation for their by Knott’s Berry Farm. a shorter journey to the south, support and the Nocturnes Holiday World added but they already know the for the musical talents. PHOTO COURTESY RIC TURNER

Join us next year for the 2010 Golden Ticket Awards at: Dated material. material. Dated

2010 .

P GOLDEN TICKET

. I .

V AWARDS NEWSPAPER

PLEASE RUSH! Sept. Mailed 10, Thursday, 2009 POSTMASTER:

BEST OF THE BEST!

PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT

FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. PAID

US POSTAGE US COMING IN OCTOBER’S ISSUE: POST GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS COVERAGE PRSRT STD PRSRT 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

TM

Gary Slade Founder and Publisher [email protected]

A new beginning

When IAAPA elected to cancel their long standing Summer Meeting event for the 2009 year, many in the industry turned to Amusement Today asking if we would keep the tradition alive. While we are no strangers to hosting events like our Golden Ticket Awards each year, hosting a summer celebration event is a little different as more activities are needed which in turn takes more advance planning. AT, with the help of William H. Robinson, Inc. and our Golden Ticket event coordinator Janice Witherow, was able to take our annual awards event and expand it into a Summer Celebration, open to all professionals in the amusement industry. Thanks to our great host parks, Knott’s Berry Farm Tim Baldwin and Legoland California, we were able to put a nice two-day agenda together that we hope all attendees were A challenge able to enjoy. We have already learned much from this Being in competition with all the avid sports fans, afi- event that will be planned into our future events, and we other parks in the amusement indus- cionados deeply feel the pride of their welcome your input on what you would like to see or do try is a sizable challenge. Each park favorite parks, be they local or from in the future. shares similar goals and customer ser- the twelve countries from around the The last several years have been good to the Golden vice cornerstones which makes the task world represented in the Golden Ticket Tickets as we were able to conduct our event in year- put before our voters an even tougher charts. The unquenchable desire to get one. So often park fans come up to me to all the parks out there continues to round facilities that allowed for a meeting date after the Baldwin and say “It’s so hard to choose just drive the enthusiasts to spend their Labor Day holiday. That date is always important as it one!” hard earned dollars on travel, admission, and allows more travel time for the small park owners who Indeed. This difficulty in choosing is a souvenirs. Their support is felt and voiced to never leave their facility when they are open. result of the countless parks out there striving the industry. It is their expertise collected into The next two event years are all set with our host to do not just a good job, but an outstanding one enormous round of applause that creates park sites and both sites returning to seasonal parks, one. By exceeding goals and building upon the Golden Ticket Awards for Amusement beginning with Williamsburg in 2010. them, parks continue to offer a fantastic value Today each year. We here at AT never forget Our question to the industry is when would you for guests and offer a diverse range of enter- how important this fan base is, and how grate- most like to visit Busch Gardens next year for our tainment not available from any other indus- ful we are that they accept our challenge. Summer Celebration event? Before or after the Labor try. It’s no wonder that family vacations are So, for every enthusiast that tells us how Day holiday, and is it necessary that the park be in full planned around visiting parks, and so many tough the job is we have given them, I take operation when you visit? TV specials focus on the amusement industry. pride in the fact that so many favorites have We thank all of you who attended, or participated, Even in today’s tough economic climate, our been created. To all the parks that make it onto in the event, but most of all we thank our 2009 event industry still offers what people crave. the charts — congratulations. It is a huge com- It is also exhilarating to see the huge pliment. And for those still garnering votes, sponsors, who with their financial contributions, help fan base all the parks have created. Loyalty you also are to be commended. Thanks for make our fun event possible for all to enjoy. is deeply felt through the many enthusiast continuing to make it a tough challenge year —Gary Slade groups that form around this industry. Like after year.

AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF ADDRESS, SUBSCRIPTION, POSTMASTER INFORMATION Mailing Address Deliveries Gary Slade Sammy Piccola P.O. Box 5427 2012 E. Randol Mill Rd, Suite 203 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Accounting / Circulation Arlington, Texas 76011 (817) 460-7220 AWARD WINNER [email protected] Arlington, Texas 76005-5427 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004 • • [email protected] Member of: EDITORIAL (817) 460-7220 Fax (817) 265-NEWS (6397) IAAPA, AIMS International, PAPA, ADVERTISING NEWSPAPER PRODUCTION NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA and IALEI Tim Baldwin Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $50 in the USA; $70 elsewhere; 2 years Sue Nichols Stacey Childress / Affinity Communications [email protected] (28 issues) $90/$130; 3 years (42 issues) $130/$190. Send check or money order (615) 662-0252 Graphic Design (U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank) to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, P.O. Box 238 Scott Rutherford [email protected] Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Please allow up to six weeks Pegram, Tenn. 37143 [email protected] for your subscription request to be processed and the first issue mailed. [email protected] Terry Lind / TLCreative Design Pam Sherborne Website Design & Maintenance Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amusement (615) 221-5149 Beth Jenkins [email protected] Today Inc., P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Presort Standard Postage (Permit [email protected] (615) 794-7288 No. 2069) pre-paid at Fort Worth, Texas. The entire contents of this newspaper and its 2040 Belmont Circle John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc. related Web sites are copyrighted and trademarked by Amusement Today 2009, with Bubba Flint Franklin, Tenn. 37069 Daily E-mail Newsletter all rights reserved. [email protected] [email protected] Cartoonist [email protected] POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Contributors: Dan Feicht, S. Madonna Horcher, Rich Koppelman, Adrian Lloyd, Ric Turner, Janice Witherow Arlington, Texas 76005-5427. September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 3 4 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 2009 park winners showcase the Best of the Best , Schlitterbahn both make an even dozen years with an award Tim Baldwin in a row by Golden Ticket host Legoland California. Amusement Today The diverse rides, activities, and unique family inter- actions have continued to impress our voters. Cedar Point and Schlitterbahn have made it an Second place once again is nabbed by Idlewild, even dozen. Since the inception of the Golden Ticket the backwoods treasure trove tucked away in Awards in 1998, these two parks have stayed at the Ligonier, Penn. Here young ones continue to delight tops of their mountainous peaks showing no mercy to the notably unique Mr. Rogers Neighorhood trol- to the up-and-coming parks below. Their grasp on ley ride. Best Park and Best Waterpark seems inescapably Completing the category of Best Children’s Park tight. is Dutch Wonderland, also in ; Farup Rising in the category of Best Park is Knoebels Sommerland in Saltum, Denmark; and the beloved Amusement Resort to the No. 2 spot. This off-the- Taking the second place position in Best Kiddieland outside Chicago, sadly closing after the beaten-path gem has charmed all who visit during Waterpark again is Holiday World’s Splashin’ Safari. 2009 season. Its absence will be a major loss for the the summer season, as well as our experienced vot- Already poised with a huge investment for 2010, this city. ers. park continues to grow in huge proportions. A waterfront setting often makes for a fan- and all its magic places third, and Rounding out the top five includes the delight- tastic atmosphere. Earning the Golden Ticket for Germany’s magnificently themed Europa Park ties fully themed Blizzard Beach at the Walt Disney Best Seaside Park once again this year is Santa with Universal’s Islands of Adventure in fourth World complex; Wisconsin Dells’ Noah’s Ark, one of Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Its , the old- place to create a top five. Along with the other note- the largest waterparks in the world; and the recently est coaster on our charts, has delighted riders for worthy parks in our list of top 10, millions of guests opened Aquatica in Orlando, a newcomer to our 85 years and the park has been a staple of Northern each year have been delighted by their experiences charts. California entertainment for more than a century. at these great parks. Best Children’s Park is taken for the sixth year 4See PARKS, page 12 Park and Ride Winners

Ranked by percentage of votes cast

Best New Ride for 2009 (Amusement Park) Best New Ride for 2009 (Waterpark)

Prowler 35% Congo River Expedition Schlitterbahn 67% Diamondback 30% Wahoo St. Louis 11% Manta SeaWorld Orlando 12% UpSurge! Alabama Adventure 10% Terminator Salvation 7% Maximum Velocity Wet ‘n’ Wild 5% Mansion Six Flags Over 4% (tie) Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror 4% Pilgrims Plunge Holiday World 4% (tie) Best SEASIDE PARk Best Park Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 41% Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 27% Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England 28% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 13% Morey’s Piers Wildwood, N.J. 21% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 8% Kemah Boardwalk Kemah, Texas 4% Europa Park Rust, Germany 7% (tie) Best INDOOR WATERPARk Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 7% (tie) Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England 6.5% Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Galveston, Texas 28% Tokyo DisneySea Tokyo, Japan 6% Kalahari Resort Sandusky, Ohio 17% Orlando, Fla. 5.5% Kalahari Resort Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 14% Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 5% (tie) , , Canada 13% Holiday World Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 5% (tie) Splash Landings Staffordshire, England 7% BEST WATERPARK FRIENDLIEST PARK Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, Texas 60% Branson, Mo. 30% Splashin’ Safari Santa Claus, Ind. 14% Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 28% Blizzard Beach Orlando, Fla. 9% Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 13% Noah’s Ark Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 5% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 6% Aquatica Orlando, Fla. 4.5% Beech Bend Bowling Green, Ky. 4% Best CHILDREN’s Park CLEANEST PARK Legoland California Carlsbad, Calif. 37% Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 36% Idlewild Ligonier, Pa. 26% Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 14% Dutch Wonderland Lancaster, Pa. 11% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 13% Fårup Sommerland Saltum, Denmark 7% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 11% Kiddieland Melrose Park, Ill. 6% Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 7% Best MARINE LIFE Park BEST SHOWS SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 61% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 25% SeaWorld San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 11% San Antonio, Texas 23% Discovery Cove Orlando, Fla. 9% (tie) Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 15% SeaWorld San Diego San Diego, Calif. 9% (tie) Disney’s Hollywood Studios Orlando, Fla. 10% (tie) Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, Calif. 5% SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 10% (tie) September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 5

PHOTO COURTESY LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA PHOTO COURTESY SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK PARK Legoland entertains children and families of all ages with its wide array Capitalizing on the wonderful California beach atmosphere, Santa Cruz of activities. Many amazing sculptures built out of LEGOs were created Beach Boardwalk wins again for Best Seaside Park. Its classic Giant with thousands of manhours. Dipper is the oldest wooden coaster on our charts and is designated an ACE Landmark. Park and Ride Winners Ranked by percentage of votes cast

Best New Ride for 2009 (Waterpark) BEST FOOD BEST LANDSCAPING Congo River Expedition Schlitterbahn 67% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 30% Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 35% Wahoo Racer Six Flags St. Louis 11% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 25% Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands 16% UpSurge! Alabama Adventure 10% Orlando, Fla. 13% Gilroy, Calif. 14% Maximum Velocity Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix 5% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 11% Epcot Orlando, Fla. 6% Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror Splish Splash 4% Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 7% Disney’s Animal Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 5% (tie) Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 5% (tie) BEST (PARK) Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls Universal’s Islands of Adventure 27% BEST EVENT Valhalla Pleasure Beach Blackpool 16% Universal Orlando Resort Orlando, Fla. 34% Magic Kingdom 12% Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 25% Mountain Slidewinder Dollywood 8% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 17% Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges Universal’s Islands of Adventure 7% West Mifflin, Pa. 12% BEST WATERPARK RIDE BEST CHRISTMAS EVENT Master Blaster Schlitterbahn 35% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 35% Zoombabwe Holiday World 15% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 19% Deluge Six Flags 9% (tie) Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 13% ’s Revenge Schlitterbahn 9% (tie) Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 12% Summit Plummet Blizzard Beach 8% Hershey, Pa. 6% BEST KIDs’ AREA BEST Kings Island Kings Mills, Ohio 41% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 46% Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 17% Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 19% Bloomington, Minn. 10% , Ga 10% Efteling Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands 6% (tie) Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 8% Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 6% (tie) Gurnee, Ill. 6% BEST BEST INDOOR COASTER Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Universal’s Islands of Adventure 32% Revenge of the Mummy Universal Studios Orlando 28% Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Disney’s Hollywood Studios 16% Rock ‘N Roller Coaster Disney’s Hollywood Studios 14% Haunted Mansion Knoebels Amusement Resort 12% Space Mountain Disneyland 13% Indiana Jones...Temple of Forbidden Eye Disneyland 8% 12.5% Journey to the Center of the Earth Tokyo DisneySea 5% Space Mountain Magic Kingdom 12% BEST OUTDOOR SHOW PRODUCTION BEST FUNHOUSE/WALK-THROUGH ATTRACTION Epcot Orlando, Fla. 41% Frankenstein’s Castle 38% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 19% Noah’s Ark Kennywood 36% Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 16% Hotel Gasten 10% Disney’s Hollywood Studios Orlando, Fla. 11% (tie) Lustiga Huset Gröna Lund 8% Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 11% (tie) Spok Huset Gröna Lund 6% 6 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 7 8 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 9 10 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 11 12 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

PARKS Continued from page 4

Rounding out this cat- egory are seaside settings on all other edges of the coun- try, and the world! Pleasure Beach Blackpool on the U.K.’s west coast, has the largest assortment of rides AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE in the United Kingdom. It also boasts more than one hundred years of entertain- ing guests, dating all the way back to 1896. Morey’s Piers on the East Coast is a well- known family favorite for those near the Jersey shore. Kemah Boardwalk, located south of Houston, closes out the category and triumphant- ly overcame numerous obsta- cles in rebuilding following the devestation of Ike last year. Best Marine Life Park was overwhelmingly voted to be SeaWorld Orlando. Its sis- AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN ter park in Texas, SeaWorld San Antonio places second. Clockwise from top left, Cedar Point has taken the Best Park category since the Golden Tickets were introduced in Rare in guest experience is 1998. Schlitterbahn celebrates its 30 year anniversary in 2009, plus another win as Best Waterpark. SeaWorld Orlando, the ingenious Discovery winner of Best Sea Life Park, has become a worldwide destination with its lively shows, world class aquarium exhibits Cove in Orlando, tying for and thrilling roller coasters. Schlitterbahn Galveston Island came back even stronger following Hurricane Ike and was third with SeaWorld San voted Best Indoor Waterpark. Diego. Finishing out the cat- egory is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Schlitterbahn Galveston Island, also making an amazing recovery following Hurricane Ike, was voted as Best Indoor Waterpark. Year round, visitors can enjoy more than 12 attractions in the park’s convertible envi- ronment. “Schlitterbahn Galveston Island was not just renovat- ed after Hurricane Ike, but re-energized,” says General Manager Ron Sutuala. “The AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE hurricane afforded our park the opportunity to improve our property and motivated us to come back better than ever.” The enormous Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio and Wisconsin Dells take the second and third place spots on our chart this year. PHOTO COURTESY IDLEWILD PARK World Waterpark in the mas- Above, kids and parents enjoy a whimsical sive in ride at Idlewild, our #2 Best Children’s Park. Sea Life Alberta Canada and Splash and park guests both enjoy the water at SeaWorld San Landings at in Antonio (above right), our #2 Best Sea Life Park. At right, England finish out the top Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio offers visitors many five. indoor waterpark activities. AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 13

2009

TICKET ARDS

P. GOLDENAW I.

BEST OF THE BEST! V. 14 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 Focus on friendliest, food, landscaping and cleanest accent guest experience Silver Dollar City wins coveted Golden Ticket Award for first time

Tim Baldwin Amusement Today

“It’s all about our people — our Citizens of Silver Dollar City,” says Brad Thomas, general manager of Silver Dollar City Attractions. “Since we opened in 1960 with 17 employees, the heart and soul of Silver Dollar City has for- ever been defined by those who give their own hearts, as family, to our culture, to one another, and to our guests.” The 1880s theme park sees its first win of a Golden Ticket, as Silver Dollar City snags Friendliest Park Staff. Boosted by a convention of amuse- ment park enthusiasts, Silver Dollar City was finally given the exposure to showcase their outstanding guest service and friendly atmosphere, in addi- tion to their world class them- ing and attractions. “We love what we do, and we believe in one another,” shares Thomas. PHOTO COURTESY SILVER DOLLAR CITY PARK PHOTO COURTESY DAN FEICHT PHOTOGRAPHY Very close behind was Holiday World with their Silver Dollar City boasts “Citizens” of the City instead of Year after year, visitors come back to Knoebels to enjoy renowned commitment to simply employees. The park’s extraordinary 1880s hos- its many tasty foods from pizza to teaberry ice cream to friendly service. Dollywood pitality has awarded them Friendliest Park Staff, the first many dining options. Knoebels has taken the award for also made a strong showing, Golden Ticket for Silver Dollar City. Best Food for 10 years in a row. making for a true competition within the top three. Rounding out the top five is Knoebels in fourth and Beech Bend in fifth. The quest for the award of Best Food also involved some of the same principal play- ers from the former category. Knoebels Amusement Resort held onto the prize, as it has for many years. Silver Dollar City rushed into a strong sec- ond place with their down home cookin’, and Epcot placed third. Dollywood and Busch Gardens Williamsburg complete the five finalists. As so many parks have PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY WORLD such a diverse range of guests, The lush gardens spread throughout Busch Gardens Cleanliness is taken very seriously at Holiday World and many visitors are occupied Williamsburg have let this park remain the sole winner the park prides itself on its spotless reputation. Park admiring the beautiful land- of Best Landscaping in the entire history of the Golden guests have come to expect such conditions with Holiday scaping at many parks. Our Ticket Awards. World’s long run as Cleanest Park. perennial winner, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Gilroy Gardens taking third. Keeping the top spot in to the park management. Dollywood. Wrapping up continues to hold on to Best Keeping things in bloom are Cleanest Park is Holiday Taking second place is the finalists are sister parks Landscaping. Epcot in fourth place and a tie World for a tenth year in a Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Disneyland in fourth and Efteling in The for fifth being shared between row. The park’s commit- which compliments their Magic Kingdom in fifth, Netherlands garners a sec- Disney’s Animal Kingdom ment to cleanliness is so well landscaping with a clean envi- showcasing cleanliness on ond place position with and Silver Dollar City. known, guests comment on it ronment. Third place goes to both coasts.

September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 15 16 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 Worlds of Fun, Schlitterbahn win Best New Rides Tim Baldwin Amusement Today

Great Coasters International, Inc. is beaming over their new woodie com- ing in on top for Best New by B&M just might overtake Ride. GCII’s Jeff Pike says, the popularity of the park’s “The guys at Cedar were legendary Beast. Coming in at excited about keeping a wood- 230 feet, Diamondback is the en coaster under the treeline tallest coaster ever built at the — very close to the ground, park. shrouded in mystery, relent- Other finalists in this cat- less in and dynamics.” egory are B&M’s Manta at Pike adds, “Their input really SeaWorld Orlando that com- helped create a very unique bines a sleek flying roller coaster for GCII.” coaster brilliantly with gor- Frank Wilburn, general geous below-ground aquari- manager of Worlds of Fun ums. The ride’s noted specta- agrees. “Immediately follow- tor moment is the “wing dip” ing my first ride on , where the coaster cars appear I knew — wow — we have to slice through the surface of something very special.” The the water. success of this new wooden Six Flags Magic coaster is also reflected from the Mountain’s new Terminator AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE guests, says Wilburn. “Guests Salvation : The Ride, also Prowler, Worlds of Fun’s amazing new wooden coaster provided by Great Coasters continually approach me with built by GCII, places fourth International, Inc., has taken Best New Attraction (Amusement Park) for 2009. It is the a handshake to express their and a tie for fifth between first win for Worlds of Fun. Prowler is the 8th roller coaster at the park. pleasure with the ride and to Six Flags Over Georgia’s re-do pass on what they feel it adds of Monster Plantation into something off the shelf, dark mine shaft. It is the most to Schlitterbahn and ride the to the park.” He adds they by Gary Schlitterbahn spectacularly creative thing to hit the water- Congo River Expedition!” are most impressed with it at Goddard Entertainment and transformed two underuti- park industry in ages. Six Flags St. Louis scores night when it pounces through Holiday World’s new record- lized attractions into the New Jersey enthusi- second place with its new the woods with only moon- setting Pilgrims Plunge from fiendishly clever Congo River ast Robert Derman visited Wahoo Racer, a multi-lane light to illuminate the journey. complete our final- Expedition. Now guests are Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels racing slide, and Alabama Coming in a close second ists. lining up in droves to jour- calling the ride innovative. Adventure unleashed place for Best New Attraction On the wet side, Best New ney down a river of mystery “You could go all over a park UpSurge!, a slide that twists in an Amusement Park is Kings Waterpark Ride overwhelm- enshrouded in fog, animated to ride a lazy river, dark ride, and turns and drops riders Island’s Diamondback. The ingly went to Schlitterbahn. figures and jungle creatures flume, and rapids ride,” says into a halfpipe. This new monstrous new steel coaster Never content to just do and a terrifying drop into a Derman, “or you could go attraction comes in third. Rounding out the five finalists are Maximum Velocity, an uphill dueling waterslide at Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix and Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror at Splish Splash in Long Island. Already several new attractions for 2010 have been announced which should have our panel of experts scram- bling to experience the latest and greatest in both water- parks and amusement parks next year. AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE Clockwise from top left, Diamondback at Kings Island gave a strong charge toward the gold, plac- ing at a solid No. 2 posi- tion. Manta at SeaWorld Orlando (No. 3) combined the thrill of a flying coaster with amazing below ground aquariums. The Monster Mansion re-do at Six Flags Over Georgia tied for fifth place with Holiday World’s record-setting PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY WORLD PHOTO COURTESY SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA Pilgrims Plunge. September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 17

PHOTO COURTESY S. MADONNA HORCHER Wahoo Racer, above, placed second in the Best New Attraction category and helped Six Flags St. Louis guests beat the summer heat. Below, Maximum Velocity (No. 4) propelled riders along the dual watercoaster at the new Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix.

AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE Schlitterbahn’s creative brilliance scored in a runaway victory with our voters hailing Congo River Expedition as Best New Attraction (Waterpark). AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE 18 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 Ride On! Ride category winners hold onto awards until the Golden Tickets come to a complete stop Tim Baldwin California, Mindbender in Amusement Today Canada at Galaxyland within the West Edmonton Mall, and At least for one more Space Mountain at Walt Disney year, perennial favorites reign World’s Magic Kingdom. supreme in our ride catego- The Best Funhouse/Walk- ries. Through Attraction category Best Water Ride (amuse- Keeping inside, Best introduced in 2008 main- ment park) stays with Indoor Coaster once again goes tains its same winner, but Universal’s Islands of to Revenge of the Mummy at once again in a very close Adventure. The drenching Universal Studios Orlando. race. Frankenstein’s Castle Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw This indoor coaster took this at Indiana Beach narrow- Falls combines the excitement award for the first time last ly beats out Noah’s Ark at of a along with year and continues scaring Kennywood. thrilling theming and whimsi- riders day after day. The remainder of the cat- cal storytelling. The other finalists are Rock egory is dominated by Europe PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL ORLANDO Other finalists in this cat- ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s where they know how to do Voters “want their mummy” when rating Best Indoor egory are Valhalla at Pleasure Hollywood Studios, Space such things quite well (and Coaster. Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Beach Blackpool, which main- Mountain at Disneyland in 4See RIDES, page 19 Orlando takes a win for the second year. tains its second place foothold, and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom in Florida hangs onto third. New on the charts for this category is Mountain Slidewinder at Dollywood, a hugely popular (and wet!) homemade water toboggan down the hillside. Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, also at IOA, completes the top five. For Best Waterpark Ride, Master Blaster at Schlitterbahn has remained dominant for close to a decade, winning the award for eleven out of the 12 years Amusement Today has bestowed Golden Tickets. Zoombabwe at Splashin’ AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN Safari places second, and Deluge at Six Flags Kentucky There is no escape from getting wet on Dudley Do-Right’s In a close race once again, Indiana Beach creeps into a Kingdom closes out the top Ripsaw Falls at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, a peren- second year win in one of AT’s newest categories — Best three. nial winner in the Best Water Ride category. Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction. Other finalists are Dragon’s Revenge, also at Schlitterbahn, and Summit Plummet, the ski- themed plunge at ’s Blizzard Beach. On the dryer side, but going indoors, Best Dark Ride continues to go to Islands of Adventure’s Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. IOA has seemed to have a lock on this category for some time, but next year, the stron- gest competition might come from themselves. Other finalists are Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Haunted Mansion at Knoebels, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland, and new AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE on the chart this year, Journey The innovative Master Blaster at Schlitterbahn has been Kings Island’s delightful mix of kids’ coasters, water attrac- to the Center of the Earth at one of the most popular rides at the park, and in the tions and children’s rides have scored the park with Best Tokyo DisneySea. world, since it was built in 1996. Kids’ Area since the category was introduced. September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 19

RIDES Continued from page 18 haven’t let the lawyers scare PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL ORLANDO these attractions away from The multi-sensory overload of Universal’s Islands of the parks, which has sadly Adventure’s Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man has rid- happened in the U.S.). Hotel ers (and voters!) coming back for more. It retains its Best Gasten, a frightening and elaborate mansion haunted by Dark Ride win. PHOTO COURTESY DAN FEICHT PHOTOGRAPHY live (or are they?) characters at lead is Universal’s Islands of such an experience is high- Above, reaching for the brass ring is fun for nostal- Liseberg is the highest rated Adventure in second place and lighted by an authentic band gia buffs and young children alike. Knoebels takes Best European contender. Lustiga its delightful Seuss Landing. organ. Carousel for another year. Below, Six Flags Over Georgia’s Huset (a hilarious funhouse) Rising up two notches this Reaching for the ring is Riverside Carousel (No. 3) has amused patrons for more and Spok Huset (a haunted year is Nickelodeon Universe also available at Santa Cruz than 100 years. walk-through) both reside at in Bloomington, Minnesota, Beach Boardwalk, one of very Gröna Lund and wrap up the now placing third. few places that remain in the category. This category is complet- where this is Attracting children to ed with a tie. Efteling, with its possible. This carousel comes begin enjoying a park at a huge fairy tale area offering in second. young age is certainly a logical much more than just rides, Closing out the category philosophy. Many parents find ties with Knott’s Berry Farm is Six Flags Over Georgia a respite during the day by and its very popular Camp and its century old Riverside landing in a children’s section Snoopy. Carousel in third place, of the park. As the sole winner Finally, Best Carousel is Islands of Adventure with for this category ever since it once again recognized as the its custom-designed Caro- has been introduced, Kings Grand Carousel at Knoebels Seuss-el in fourth place, and Island once again takes the Amusement Resort. Park fans the double decker Columbia Golden Ticket for Best Kids’ know the nostalgic thrill of Carousel at Six Flags Great Area. being able to catch the brass America in fifth. Following KI’s strong ring while riding. At Knoebels, PHOTO COURTESY SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

Thank you for voTing us BesT funhouse/Walk-Through aTTracTion in 2009!

5224 E INDIANA BEACH RD. • MONTICELLO, IN 47960 800-583-4306 VISIT US ONLINE: www.indianabeach.com ONE OF 38 MORGAN RV RESORTS ACROSS AMERICA & GROWING! www.morganrvresorts.com 20 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 21 22 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

Our panel of experts

Since Amusement Today intro- duced the Golden Ticket Awards in 1998, we continue to strive to find the most experienced enthu- siasts to participate in our survey and AT follows a fair and bal- anced protocol of dividing our ballots between four geographi- cal regions of the United States. In addition to the hundreds of surveys sent to American enthu- 3 siasts, international amusement 2 park fans are also sought out and we invite such fans to contact us for participation in future years. 1 AT thanks the hundreds of vot- ers who helped make the 2009 Golden Tickets a reality. 2010 - A look ahead With what has been announced for next year already, 2010 could be a big year with a lot of our categories seeing signifi- 4 cant new contenders. Major new steel coasters, innovative dark rides, outdoor night productions, waterpark attractions and water rides are all seeing major installa- tions being introduced. Our panel of experts should have a tremen- dous amount of fun discovering the “Best of the Best” for 2010. It should prove to be one of our 5 ­– International Surveys most exciting years ever. September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 23 Shows and seasonal events diversify year-round entertainment Dollywood strikes gold with a ticket win for shows Tim Baldwin audience is the ultimate goal. ter park Silver Dollar City egory for several years and Amusement Today This Golden Ticket is a won- placing second. Both of these remains perched in the No. 1 derful indication we are doing parks have been noted in the spot. Dollywood and Six Flags just that.” media for the tremendous Disneyland’s Fantasmic Fiesta Texas have continued Six Flags Fiesta Texas, light displays that truly define still enthralls visitors and to wrestle for top honors in the having claimed the Golden breathtaking. places in second. Six Flags category of Best Shows over Ticket for the past decade onto the prize for a second Walt Disney World’s Fiesta Texas has dazzled park the past years. 2009 proved to comes in at a close second year in a row with a deathly Magic Kingdom jingles into visitors with The Lone Star be a real nail-biter once again this year. Silver Dollar City grip this year. Spooky. third place on the charts with Spectacular since the park as the outcome came down to rises into third place, and a tie Following these top its sister park Disneyland opened in 1992. The laser/ the final day of ballot tabula- for fourth is shared between two leaders are Knoebels also placing right behind. pyrotechnic/multi-media tion. Both parks offer a superb Disney’s Hollywood Studios scaring up third place and Completing the top five is the extravaganza lands in third. show product, and Dollywood and SeaWorld Orlando. Kennywood in fourth. long running Christmas event Finishing the top five are couldn’t be more thrilled to Since introducing the cat- Christmas seems to be at Hersheypark. Disney’s Hollywood Studios take the prize this year. egory in 2005, both Universal a growing festival season Ending the day at a park and Magic Kingdom. “Dollywood and espe- Orlando and Knott’s Berry as more and more parks with one final “Wow!” is a With Disney’s California cially Dolly herself continu- Farm have been engaged in a around the globe tap into popular trend. Outdoor Night Adventure putting the finish- ally encourage us to make our tug-of-war, taking the award the goodwill and merriment Show Productions can help ing touches on the next big shows the best they can be,” for best Halloween Event from of the December yuletide. keep the guests in the park thing, all this Disney represen- says Paul Couch, director of each other back and forth. Dollywood once again stays into the late hours. Epcot has tation might find a new chal- entertainment. “Pleasing our However, Universal hangs on top this year with its sis- taken top honors in this cat- lenger next year from within.

PHOTO COURTESY DOLLYWOOD PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL ORLANDO Dollywood, winner of Best Shows, prides itself on top show talent and Universal Orlando Resort keeps a death-grip on Best Halloween Event for great venues throughout the season. a two-year win. Be afraid.

PHOTO COURTESY WALT DISNEY WORLD - EPCOT PHOTO COURTESY DOLLYWOOD Epcot’s sound/laser/pyrotechnic spectacular dazzles guests night after Voted Best Christmas Event, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas night and wins Best Outdoor Night Show Production. brings holiday joy to visitors during the November/December season. 24 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

Dollywood.com No matter the season, thank you for making Dollywood the most entertaining park in the world. September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 25 Park, individuals, supplier each recipients of 2009 Publisher’s Pick

AT PHOTO/GARY SLADE AT PHOTO/SUE NICHOLS PHOTO COURTESY SFOG Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo, Texas The matching book ends that keep Knoebels Rating among the finalists, even when stacked expanded this season with a new section, the Amusement Resort going are Dick and Barbara against big new coasters, was the wonderful refur- West End, featuring three relocated rides, all Knoebel. Recently, the two have had to keep bishment and theming job done by Gary Goddard refurbished in-house. each other strong. on Six Flags Over Georgia’s Monster Mansion. Texas’ Wonderland Park Dick and Barbara Knoebel Gary Goddard’s creativity traces roots back to work through health for show production, 1951, expands in 2009 issues, keep park strong theming good for guests

Founded in Some things Starting out as a show de- 1951 as Kiddieland were just made to signer at Walt Disney Imagi- by Paul and Alethea go together and neering in 1970, Gary Goddard Roads, this West sometimes those has moved on outside of Dis- Texas amusement matching bookends ney to form several entertain- park would grow can be found in the ment companies, including from three kiddie people behind the Gary Goddard Entertainment rides and a ticket scenes, running an amusement park. Design in 2002. booth, made out of the crates used to ship the rides Such is the case for Dick and Barbara Knoebel. Since his job as an enter- Gary Goddard in, to a full blown amusement park that Amarillo Two people made for one another. Two people, who tainment design consultant residents are proud to have. not only work 100-hour weeks to keep the Knoebels on the Georgia Aquarium that Overseeing the duties of the park now are daugh- Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa. running in tip same year, Gary has gone on to produce concerts, ter Paula, husband Paul Borchardt and their daugh- top shape, but recently battled the odds to keep each the Broadway musical Hair, Crossroads of the World ter Rebecca Parker. other running in tip top shape. mega mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, and a mega slide Wonderland Park has always been a family park. In the spring of 2008 Barbara was diagnosed called Atmosphere at the FX Lifestyle Center, also in It’s run by a caring family and it caters to families. with cancer and many tests later was found to have Jakarta. With an annual attendance of more than 200,000 cancerous spots in four other parts of her body. Che- Closer to home, Gary oversaw the Grammy Mu- guests, there are no long lines here, just simple thrills, motherapy led to many complications that left her seum in Los Angeles and the Hershey Story museum food and fun, all at an affordable price. ill, mentally exhausted and completely drained. near the entrance to Hersheypark. While the park has grown to include everything With Dick by her side every step of the way, But it is two of his newest creations for Six Flags from a miniature train ride, a classic dark ride and Barbara underwent radiation therapy and later a that are capturing the buzz in the parks and on the even the high tech thrills of a double looping roller completely different kind of chemo. Through all this internet. coaster, it wasn’t until this year that the park saw its she managed to read the staffing sheets for catering, The Glow in the Park parades debuted last year first multi-ride expansion in a new area. the schedules for ticket sellers and correspondence at Six Flags parks in Mexico, New Jersey and New Three rides, a Chance Yo-Yo, a family with suppliers. Although she is not cancer free, her England. This year the parades wowed the guests at coaster and a Moser , were all purchased most recent CAT scan did not show cancer in two of and Six Flags St. Louis. used. The Wonderland team then totally refurbished the previous areas. Great news! But Gary Goddard Entertainment’s biggest hit the rides in house over a three year period. The re- During the winter months, Dick fell down an of the year has been the complete makeover of the sult is the new West End, a big hit for guests and for ice-covered stairway and broke his ankle. Refusing popular dark ride at Six Flags Over Georgia. the park, proving good things do come to those with a cast, he opted for a bandage and crutches so he Now transformed into the Monster Mansion, dedication, drive and patience. could continue his duties at the park and his duties Goddard went back to the ride he created in 1980, The park’s marketing campaign plays on the at home with Barbara. Dick and Barbara Knoebel and brought it back to life better than ever with new WOW factor, also known locally as the World of are a match made for one another and Amusement animation, lighting, fog, special effects and a whimsi- Wonderland. Now Wonderland Park has something Today’s selection as our 2009 Persons of the Year. cal audio track that leaves guests wishing for more. else to be wowed over, as AT’s selection for 2009 Park AT salutes Gary Goddard Entertainment as our of the Year. 2009 Supplier of the Year for its thematic excellence. 2009 2009 2009 . . . PRESENTED AS PRESENTED AS PRESENTED AS GOLDEN PARK GOLDEN PERSONS GOLDEN SUPPLIER TICKET OF THE TICKET OF THE TICKET OF THE .I.P .I.P .I.P AWARD YEAR AWARD YEAR AWARD YEAR V V V PRESENTED TO PRESENTED TO PRESENTED TO WONDERLAND PARK DICK & BARBARA KNOEBEL GARY GODDARD ENTERTAINMENT 26 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

Weeki Wachee Springs Amusement Today honors Jack Krantz in Legends Series new home for Legends

“Nothing great was ever Amusement Today is 2009 achieved without enthusiasm.” . PRESENTED AS proud to announce its That is a quote that is GOLDEN PARK TICKET OF THE newly created Legends inscribed on a plaque behind .I.P AWARD YEAR V PRESENTED TO Series, a tribute we hope the desk of Jack Krantz, the WONDERLAND PARK will have a lasting impact late founder of long after this issue has Park in Des Moines, . been discarded. For our amusement indus- opening was delayed only by With the gracious sup- try those words ring home. a small which passed port of Marilee Gray of Kay The people of this industry, through the park that July. Park Recreation, two park like Jack was until his death Adventureland’s first full benches will be presented in Jan. 2006, are full of enthu- season arrived in 1975 and siasm equal only to the rides thanks to the addition of a each year to the newest and thrills found in the parks. skyride from the World’s Fair member of the Legends J a c k in Spokane, Washington and Series family. K r a n t z , numerous other rides, the One bench, compli- seeing the park was off and running. ments of Kay Park, will be need for Running so well, sent to the Legends home a qual- Adventureland was able to AT FILE PHOTO park, so a quiet zone can be created for its guests to ity family add its first big ride in 1978, Adventureland’s famed Main Street is shown here with enjoy. amuse- a . One replicas of buildings throughout Iowa. m e n t year later it moved rides The second bench, p a r k from the aging Riverview knew his love for the amuse- Jack may be gone, but the courtesy of AT, will be Jack Krantz in Des Amusement Park, also in Des ment industry. He listened, he business sense he instilled sent to Florida’s Weeki Moines, Moines. learned and then he passed on into his family members run- Wachee Springs where a started construction in 1973 on Under Jack’s guidance, the his success and knowledge to ning the park today, keeps his Legends “Bench” of Fame a piece of former airport prop- park continued to grow into others. vision, his enthusiasm alive will be created and added erty that once saw a 1924 land- Iowa’s largest tourist attrac- In AT’s debut year of 1997, for all to enjoy. each year. This walkway ing by Charles Lindbergh. tion complete with a hotel and Jack’s wisdom on the indus- Amusement Today is hon- of benches will, in time, By August 1974 a portion campground and more than try and his financial views ored to present its first Legends serve as a historical record of Adventureland opened to $60 million in reinvestment were just part of the reason Series award in the memory of for all the amusement the public with its main street into the 180-acre resort. Amusement Today survived Jack Krantz. Legends that have touched and a handful of rides. Its Those who knew Jack, through its start up phase. —Gary Slade our industry in their own unique way.

GOLDEN TICKET BONUS ISSUE Thank You! TM Amusement Today says thank you

$5.00 www.AmusementToday.com to our sponsors and suppliers who make SEPTEMBER 2009 Vol. 13, Issue 6.2 the Golden Ticket Awards possible Parks seeking gold head west AT’ s 2009 Golden Ticket Awards Southern California hosts Knott’s Berry Farm Tim Baldwin Amusement Today Amusement For 12 years, LEGOLAND California Today has presented industry

awards to “TheHoliday Best of theWorld Best.” In 2001 AT with the pros- approached • pect of announcing the results live. And so, a ceremony was born. For the first time, the Golden Ticket Awards are LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA Accent Awards of Arlington hosted by the land of gold, Host Park PHOTO COURTESY LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA the West coast and sunny Southern California. 2009 Golden Ticket Awards Legoland California (above) takes the category for Best The 2009 host park,, has September 10, 2009 Children’s Park and serves as host for the 2009 Golden Affinity Communications / Stacey Childress Legoland California many pleasures of the Golden dominated the Best Children’s- Ticket Awards ceremony. Knott’s Berry Farm (below) co- State. This year it just happens Park category since its intro their own spin in 2006 by hosts with an industry reception the night before the to be the Golden Ticket State. duction. The eclectic mix of - transforming the ceremony ceremony. into an Oscar-style production As this celebration Laser Copy kid-friendly rides, imagina - acknowledges The Best thanksof the tive activities, and inspira with presenters taken from Best, Amusement Today tional family experiences have the industry – from parks to its host venues both past and helped this park grow into a manufacturers. As the Golden Tickets have evolved, it has present, as well as the event Mailings Unlimited unique destination. Attendees sponsors, and congratulates at this year’s Golden Ticket become one of the year’s most all winners on their hard- Awards ceremony will get to pleasurable networking events - within this amazing industry. earned accolades. would experience firsthand this cre- Amusement Today Last year’s host park, , Texoma Web Offset ative property catering to chil like to thank our two event dren and all of its charms. - Give Kids The World Village parks, Knott’s Berry Farm and However, even the cer near Orlando, Florida, treated - Legoland California, as well emony has continued to growSix Golden Ticket attendees to a very memorable event, com as our many sponsors who TLCreative Design / Terrance Lind over the years. In 2003 help make our event possible: Flags Fiesta Texas offered an plete with their own version Larson International, Leisure add-on day of enjoyment by of the “Red Carpet.” So, “Go West!” honored Labs LLC, Mack Rides, co-hosting award winners - Montgomery Inn, William H. who had traveled to the cer winners. Enjoy the character and Zamperla. William H. Robinson, Inc. Robinson Inc. emony at Schlitterbahn. Over- and ambience of Southern Santa Cruz Beach - We would also like to thank the past years, this has devel California. Kay Park Recreation for their PHOTO COURTESY RIC TURNER oped into a pre-event party Boardwalk, our repeat win the Nocturnes support and the night before. This year, ner of Best Seaside Park, has • a shorter journey to the south, for the musical talents. that festive occasion is hosted. but they already know the by Knott’s Berry Farm added Holiday World Join us next year for the 2010 Golden Ticket Awards at:

2010 All of our event sponsors .

P GOLDEN TICKET

. I

. AWARDS V

BEST OF THE BEST!

Dated material. material. Dated

All of our ceremony presenters

RUSH!

Mailed Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 10, Sept. Thursday, Mailed

NEWSPAPER

PLEASE POSTMASTER:

PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT 2010 Golden Ticket Awards • Busch Gardens Williamsburg • Williamsburg, Virginia

FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT.

PAID

US POSTAGE US PRSRT STD PRSRT

WWW.AMUSEMENTTODAY.COM September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 27

2009

AS

PRESENTED PARK OF THE

YEAR .

GOLDEN ARK TICKET PRESENTED TO P

ARD .I.P AW WONDERLAND We’re honored to be V Park of the Year!

Thank You

Amarillo, Texas 28 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 29 30 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 Steel coasters battle for top spot! changes No. 1 coaster, keeps Golden Ticket Tim Baldwin Amusement Today

In a move that had enthusiasts gasping in sur- prise, Six Flags announced last year that they would be overdrive!” Noting the new changing Ride of effects, Piper adds, “ at Steel at their New England night brings it on full force.” park. Having won Best Steel Melissa Pinkerton, public Coaster for four years in a row, relations manager for Six Flags fans were shocked and bewil- New England, adds “The new dered why the park would trains are more comfortable fiddle with coaster perfec- and allow for a smoother, qui- tion. Changing the name of eter ride which lets you enjoy the ride to Bizarro, Six Flags the on-board audio that is New England re-introduced tracked precisely to each drop the ride this past spring. New and turn.” trains, a new paint job, and Cedar Point’s 310-foot special effects throughout the scores once ride such as fog, lighting, and again in the second place spot. sound have accented the ride Since both it and Superman experience. debuted in 2000 in the top ten, Donna Piper, an assistant the two rides have battled for regional representative for the the top spot since 2001. This American Coaster Enthusiasts makes the fifth year in a row PHOTO COURTESY SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND still raves over her local coast- that New England’s coaster Sound and new effects keep the former No. 1 Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags New er. “Superman was always has been declared champ. England still on top as Best Steel Coaster, now called Bizarro. great, but Bizarro blasts it into However, the gap between was much slimmer this year. Both coasters were built by Intamin. The top five is rounded out by a trio by B&M. Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure holds on to third place. Sister park Six Flags Over Georgia enters the top five with Goliath con- tinuing to gain momentum making for three Six Flags parks in the top five. Apollo’s Chariot completes the B&M trio of hyper coasters. This one debuted at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 1999. B&M has seen a strong fan PHOTO COURTESY DAN FEICHT PHOTOGRAPHY AT PHOTO / GARY SLADE base this year in addition to its Millennium Force enjoys its tenth year of operation at the Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure gives the park a No. 3 steel coasters in the top five. Kings No. 2 spot once again. coaster in addition to the same rating on the wooden charts. Island’s new Diamondback made an impressive debut in the top ten at No. 7. Last year’s Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland leapt up the charts from No. 29 in 2008 to the No. 12 spot this year by more than doubling its points. B&M boasts 20 of the 50 coasters listed on our charts, including SeaWorld Orlando’s dazzling new Manta at No. 38. Of note, one coaster will be saying goodbye after this year. By the time this issue goes to print, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will have dis- PHOTO COURTESY RICH KOPPELMAN PHOTO COURTESY ADRIAN LLOYD patched the last train on Big Georgia’s Goliath has climbed up the charts every year Busch Garden’s Apollo’s Chariot (No. 5) races through a very Bad Wolf, celebrating its since debuting in 2006, this year making it to No. 4. secluded setting out of view from the rest of the park. 4See STEEL, page 34 SFNE-09_Golden-Ticket-.pdf 1 8/26/09 4:09 PM

September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 31 32 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 The List 2009 Top 50 STEEL roller coasters

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

1 Bizarro Six Flags New England Agawam, Mass. 2000 Intamin 1245

2 Millennium Force Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2000 Intamin 1192

3 Nitro Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2001 B & M 785

4 Goliath Six Flags Over Georgia Atlanta, Ga. 2006 B & M 662

5 Apollo’s Chariot Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 1999 B & M 584

6 Expedition GeForce Holiday Park Hassloch, Germany 2001 Intamin 541

7 Diamondback Kings Island Kings Mills, Ohio 2009 B & M 432

8 Phantom’s Revenge Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 2001 Morgan/Arrow 431

9 Magnum XL - 200 Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1989 Arrow 423

10 Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2003 Intamin 348

11 Tampa Bay, Fla. 1996 B & M 282

12 Behemoth Canada’s Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario, Canada 2008 B & M 280

13 X2 Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2002 Arrow 263

14 Raging Bull Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1999 B & M 251

15 Maverick Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2007 Intamin 230

16 Mind Bender Six Flags Over Georgia Atlanta, Ga. 1978 Schwarzkopf 227

17 Dueling Dragons Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 1999 B & M 219

18 SheiKra Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Tampa Bay, Fla. 2005 B & M 182

19 Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 1997 B & M 181

20 Nemesis Alton Towers Staffordshire, England 1994 B & M 180

21 Powder Keg Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 2005 S & S 171

22 Raptor Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1994 B & M 169

23 Dorney Park Allentown, Pa. 1997 Morgan 161

24 Big Bad Wolf Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 1984 Arrow 160

25 Goliath La Ronde Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2006 B & M 148 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 33 The List 2009 Top 50 STEEL roller coasters

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

26 Griffon Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 2007 B & M 144

27 Kumba Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Tampa Bay, Fla. 1993 B & M 139

28 Ride of Steel Darien Lake Darien Center, N.Y. 1999 Intamin 119

29 Incredible Hulk Coaster Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 1999 B & M 118

30 Worlds of Fun Kansas City, Mo. 1998 Morgan 115

31 Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2005 Intamin 111

32 Tatsu Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2006 B & M 109

33 Goliath Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2000 107

34 Shock Wave Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 1978 Schwarzkopf 105

35 Superman Ride of Steel Largo, Md. 2000 Intamin 103

36 Expedition Everest Disney’s Animal Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 2006 Vekoma/WED Imag. 99

37 Titan Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 2001 Giovanola 97

38 (tie) Manta SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 2009 B & M 85

38 (tie) Hersheypark Hershey, Pa. 2004 Intamin 85

40 Goliath Walabi World Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands 2002 Intamin 81

41 Volcano Doswell, Va. 1998 Intamin 80

42 Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 2002 Intamin 75

43 Euro Mir Europa Park Rust, Germany 1998 Mack 58

44 Superman Krypton Coaster Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 2000 B & M 53

45 The Pepsi Max Big One Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England 1994 Arrow 52

46 Steel Eel SeaWorld San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 1999 Morgan 51

47 Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1976 Schwarzkopf 50

48 Mindbender Galaxyland Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 1985 Schwarzkopf 47

49 Space Mountain Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 1977 WED Imagineering 45

50 Katun Savio, Italy 2000 B & M 44

Publication & Ad Design

2009 Point-of-Purchase Materials Design congratulations Logos, posters, fliers TICKET Web & Flash Design

P. GOLDEN

I. AWARDS To all the winners! TV & Radio

V. BEST OF THE BEST!

www.affinitymm.com From the designers of AT & the 2009 Golden Ticket Awards. [email protected] (817) 564-3843 Communications 34 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 STEEL Continued from page 30

25th anniversary this year. With this huge loss, not just to coaster fans, but also loyal Busch Gardens guests, the six countries comprise the United States will only claim chart in 2009. Katun from three remaining Arrow sus- Mirabilandia (Italy) debuts pended coasters. If ever there on our list (No. 50); Holiday was a product just waiting Park’s Expedition GeForce, to see a re-emergence, this is our highest rated international it. Hopefully some coaster coaster (No. 6) joins Europa manufacturer will update this Park’s Euro-Mir (No. 43) in truly exciting ride experience. representing Germany; Great Big Bad Wolf ended its life- Britain is showcased with long career at No. 24. Nemesis at Alton Towers Another interesting twist (No. 20) and The Big One AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY PARK to the chart this year is that at Pleasure Beach Blackpool Powder Keg, above, for the first time in Golden (No. 45); Walibi World in The makes the highest Ticket history, the steel top ten Netherlands boasts Goliath at jump on the steel list does not contain a single No. 40; and Canada has three charts. Above right, coaster that goes upside down. top-rated rides: Behemoth, Expedition GeForce Montu at Busch Gardens Goliath at La Ronde (No. Tampa Bay is the highest 25), and Mindbender at is the highest rated ranked looper, this year plac- Galaxyland at West Edmonton international ing at No. 11. Mall (No. 48). coaster. At right, Another big climber this Kings Dominion has Big Bad Wolf, a year is Silver Dollar City’s already announced a new hugely popular ride Powder Keg, enjoying some 300-foot contender for 2010, with guests and quality exposure from ACE’s in addition to and coaster fans alike, Coaster Con XXXII this Kennywood unleashing new ended its career past June. Powder Keg was steel coasters as well. Next this Labor Day. unleashed by S&S Power in year looks to be a forceful 2005 and climbs from No. 49 battle to shake up the steel PHOTO COURTESY last year to No. 21 this year. charts, and potentially the top BUSCH GARDENS Steel coasters from 10 once again. Today! Thank you amusemenT Top 10 STeel Top 10 Wooden CoaSTerS CoaSTerS el toro Nitro Voted Voted #3 #3

SIX FLAGS and all related indicia are trademarks of Six Flags Theme Parks Inc.®, TM and © 2009.

September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 35 Wooden it be fun! Holiday World stays on top while the top five shuffles Tim Baldwin Amusement Today

Out of all the categories featured in the Golden Ticket Awards, Best Wooden Coaster has had more winners than any other category. Holiday to be missing off next year’s World’s Raven held the title charts is Texas Giant (No. 31). the longest for four years After 20 seasons, the record- (2000 - 2003). Holiday World’s breaking woodie will become amazing woodie, The Voyage, silent this fall. Six Flags Over takes the prize for the third Texas will not operate this year in a row. Its strong fan- coaster during their 50th sea- base could help the coaster son next year, but instead will easily tie its sibling’s record in invest millions in some TLC 2010. The nonstop drops, high that will prepare the new, banked curves, airtime, and smoother version for the park’s tunnels have left riders (and and chain’s 50th anniversa- voters) breathless since The ry in 2011. Coaster fans from Gravity Group designed this across the country are expect- thriller in 2006. ed to take some final rides The rest of the top five at an event this September. has seen a bit of a juggling Texas Giant took Best Wooden act in comparison to last Coaster for the first two years year’s chart. Boulder Dash of Amusement Today’s Golden at has seen AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN Ticket Awards. a surge in popularity since Among the longest on the planet, The Voyage at Holiday World sails in as Best Wooden Ten of the 50 coasters on a significant refurbish job by our chart come from inter- Great Coasters International, Coaster for a third year in a row. national destinations. Leading Inc. took place last season. tallest and delivers a smooth life, Phoenix was reborn in last year’s Evel Knievel at the way is Colossos at Heide Roller coaster historian Matt and wild ride, with some deli- 1985 and has enthralled rid- Six Flags St. Louis more than Park, Germany (No. 18), Crowther commented in 2008, ciously insane airtime. ers and enthusiasts ever since quadrupled its points from its at Liseberg, Sweden (No. “Can the re-do of BoulderDash Completing the top five is as perhaps the quintessential debut year to vault from No. 21); Megafobia at Oakwood count as Best New Attraction?” Knoebels’ Phoenix at No. 4 and wooden roller coaster. 44 to No. 13 this season. It Leisure Park, Wales (No. 25); This woodie leaps solidly into Dollywood’s Thunderhead at Great Coasters was the biggest leap over last Coaster at at the second place. BoulderDash No. 5. International has some brag- year’s tallies. PNE, Canada (No. 26); Grand claimed the No. 1 spot in Phoenix is regarded as one ging rights this year. In addi- Waldameer’s Ravine National at Pleasure Beach 2004. of the greatest preservation tion to their handiwork help- Flyer II also jumps into the Blackpool, England (No. 27); Completing the Win-Place- stories in roller coaster his- ing BoulderDash rocket high- top ten after barely missing it Thunderbird at PowerPark, Show positions is El Toro, ris- tory. The ride dates back to the er and Thunderhead placing last year. This coaster by The (No. 34); Troy at ing a notch up to third place. 1940s when it was designed in the top five, their brand Gravity Group lands at No. 6 , The Netherlands Standing at 181 feet tall, Six and built by PTC at Playland new Prowler at Worlds of Fun this year after taking Best New (No. 35), Tonnerre de Zeus at Flags Great Adventure’s star in San Antonio. Rescued by debuts in the top ten and won Attaction in 2008. Parc Asterix, France (No. 38), woodie is among the world’s Dick Knoebel and given new Best New Attraction. Also, One coaster most likely T Express at , South Korea (No. 46); and Aska at Nara Dreamland, Japan (No. 47). Incidentally, Coaster at Playland was just desig- nated an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark this past summer, a designation currently shared with four other coasters on the chart. From left, Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce leaps into second place. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure is known for its incredibly smooth ride and extreme airtime. Knoebels Phoenix is con- sidered one of the major triumphs in coaster pres- ervation. Thunderhead at Dollywood has been in the top ten since its debut in PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY LAKE COMPOUNCE AT PHOTO / TIM BALDWIN DAN FEICHT PHOTOGRAPHY RICH KOPPELMAN 2004. 36 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 37

Boulder Dash is proud to be voted one of the best wooden coasters in the world! Thanks Bristol, Connecticut Amusement Today! www.lakecompounce.com 38 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 The List 2009 Top 50 wooden roller coasters

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

1 The Voyage Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 2006 Gravity Group 1250

2 Boulder Dash Lake Compounce Bristol, Conn. 2000 CCI 1049

3 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2006 Intamin 948

4 Phoenix Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 1985 Dinn/PTC-Schmeck 929

5 Thunderhead Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 2004 GCII 899

6 Ravine Flyer II Waldameer Erie, Pa. 2008 Gravity Group 617

7 The Beast Kings Island Kings Mills, Ohio 1979 KECO 604

8 Prowler Worlds of Fun Kansas City, Mo. 2009 GCII 502

9 Hades Mt. Olympus Theme Park Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 2005 Gravity Group 487

10 Shivering Timbers Michigan’s Adventure Muskegon, Mich. 1998 CCI 475

11 The Raven Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 1995 CCI 418

12 Lightning Racer Hersheypark Hershey, Pa. 2000 GCII 415

13 Evel Knievel Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, Mo. 2008 GCII 239

14 Cyclone Astroland Brooklyn, N.Y. 1927 Keenan/Baker 227

15 The Legend Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 2000 CCI 223

16 Hellcat Timber Falls Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 2004 S & S 194

17 Kentucky Rumbler Beech Bend Bowling Green, Ky. 2006 GCII 191

18 Colossos Soltau, Germany 2001 Intamin 187

19 GhostRider Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 1998 CCI 176

20 Tremors Silverwood Athol, Idaho 1999 CCI 173

21 Balder Liseberg Stockholm, Sweden 2003 Intamin 167

22 Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 1924 Prior & Church/Looff 153

23 Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 1968 Vettel/Miller 141

24 Indiana Beach Monticello, Ind. 2001 CCI 133

25 Megafobia Oakwood Pembrookshire, Wales 1996 CCI 124 September 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 39 The List 2009 Top 50 wooden roller coasters

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

26 Coaster Playland at the PNE Vancouver, B.C. Canada 1958 Phare 121

27 Grand National Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England 1935 Paige 113

28 Rampage Alabama Adventure Bessemer, Ala. 1998 CCI 112

29 The Great Escape Lake George, N.Y. 1994 PTC-Schmeck 108

30 Viper Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1995 Starkey/Six Flags 104

31 Twister Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 1999 Fetterman/Knoebels 102

32 Texas Giant Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 1990 Dinn/Summers 101

33 The Boss Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, Mo. 2000 CCI 100

34 Thunderbird PowerPark Alaharma, Finland 2006 GCII 91

35 Troy Toverland Sevenum, The Netherlands 2007 GCII 76

36 Ozark Branson, Mo. 2003 GCII 72

37 Boardwalk Bullet Kemah Boardwalk Kemah, Texas 2007 M&V/Gravity Group 64

38 Tonnerre de Zeus Parc, Asterix Plailly, France 1997 CCI 63

39 Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 1921 PTC-Miller 59

40 Screamin’ Eagle Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, Mo. 1976 PTC-Allen 58

41 Hurricane Boomers Dania Beach, Fla. 2000 Coaster Works 57

42 Timber Terror Silverwood Athol, Idaho 1996 CCI 52

43 Terminator Salavation: The Ride Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2009 GCII 49

44 Georgia Cyclone Six Flags Over Georgia Atlanta, Ga. 1990 Dinn/Summers 48

45 Renegade ! Shakopee, Minn. 2007 GCII 46

46 T Express Everland Yongin-si, South Korea 2008 Intamin 44

47 (tie) Aska Nara Dreamland Nara, Japan 1998 Intamin 42

47 (tie) Blue Streak Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1964 PTC-Hoover 42

49 Giant Dipper Belmont Park San Diego, Calif. 1925 Prior & Church 39

50 Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. Saco, Maine 1998 CCI 38 40 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009

P. I. GOLDEN V.

A W TICKET Salutes the Winners BEST OF ARDSTHE BEST! 2009 of the 2009 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS for being The Best of the Best 2009 WINNERS in our industry!

BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG Thank You! DICK & BARBARA KNOEBEL CEDAR POINT & DOLLYWOOD GARY GODDARDE PENTECOTR for your hospitality in hosting the HOLIDAY WORLD & SPLASHIN’ SAFARI Summer Celebration and the TAINMENT 2009 Golden Ticket Awards ceremony INDIANA BEACH JACK KRANTZ We thank our sponsors: KINGS KNOEBELS AMUSEMENTISLAND LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA RESOR SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK T

SCHLITTERBASCHNLI TTEGALRBAHN

SEAWORLD ORVLANDOESTON ISLAND SILVER DOLLAR CITY SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSAL’S KAY PARK RECREATION for their Legends Series park ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE bench contribution. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO

Rick Bastrup and Richard Ferrin, WONDERLAND

R&R Creative Designs, for their P musical talents, the Nocturnes. WORLDS OF FUNARK V.I.P.

www.amusementtoday.com