Six Flags Great Adventure Opens Most Significant Addition in Park's History
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Q&A WITH SEAWORLD’S JIM ATCHISON — PAGES 40-41 AIMS NEWS & NOTES — PAGE 42 © TM Your Amusement Industry NEWS Leader! Vol. 17 • Issue 4 JULY 2013 INSIDE Six Flags Over Texas debuts Six Flags Great Adventure record setting Texas SkyScreamer...Page 9 opens most significant addition in park’s history STORY: Pam Sherborne [email protected] JACKSON, N.J. — Sa- fari Off Road Adventure, Six Flags Great Adventure’s tra- ditional Wild Safari attraction revamped, remade and revi- talized, became totally less traditional for the 2013 season and response, according to Six Flag officials, has been tre- mendous since opening May AT/GARY SLADE 24. SeaWorld Orlando unveils long awaited Six Flags doesn’t release monetary figures but Kris- Antarctica Empire of the Penguin...Page 14 tin Siebeneicher, Six Flags Giraffes are just one of the 1,200 animals guests taking the spokesperson, said this is the new Safari attraction may see. The Safari Off Road Adven- most significant improvement ture is included in admission into the park, but to feed the to this New Jersey park in its giraffes in Camp Aventura costs a little extra. 40-year history. COURTESY SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE The new 350-acre attrac- tion left its Wild Safari old for- mat — more of a ride-through Safari-themed section — to a totally new format where pa- trons are driven in a giant Sa- fari truck with a truck guide. The ability to take guests off-road and right up to the animals, along with personal guides, has offered an expe- rience totally unique to Six Flags Great Adventure. “Wild Safari remained un- Six Flags Great Adventures new Safari Off Road Adventure, COURTESY SEAWORLD ORLANDO changed for 38 years, and we which opened May 24, allows guests to get up close and Fun Spot America opens in Orlando are thrilled to begin an excit- personal with the animals, even these large rhinos, one of ing and unprecedented new See Bonus Section B the 80 different species on the Safari 350 acres of land. 4See OFF ROAD, page 4 COURTESY SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE SUBSCRIBE TO Dated material. material. Dated AMUSEMENT TODAY RUSH! NEWSPAPER POSTMASTER: PLEASE 24, 2013 May Mailed Friday, (817) 460-7220 PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. com PAID amusementtoday CONTINUING COVERAGE: SUPERSTORM SANDY US POSTAGE US PRSRT STD PRSRT SEE PAGES 32–33 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY July 2013 NEWSTALK OPINIONS CARTOON LETTERS AT CONTACTS EDITORIAL: Gary Slade, [email protected] CARTOON: Bubba Flint USA Today founder remembered As the summer season swings into full gear, there are plenty of pats on the back to go around the industry. A few worth men- tioning for a job well done are: •John Arie, Sr., for having the faith that a traditional amusement park can indeed survive in the back yard of the big Orlando Slade themers. An all-time record revenue opening day of Fun Spot America is just the way to prove the crit- ics wrong. And to Chance Rides/Vekoma Rides Intl. and Great Coasters Intl. for the job each did in bringing family coaster thrills to Fun Spot America. •John Fitzgerald, Six Flags Great Adventure, for over- seeing the park’s largest capital investment ever, to rein- vent the always popular animal safari park. Now, included with admission to the theme park, guests on Safari Off Road Adventure get to view the animals closer than ever before in open-air Safari vehicles out in the middle of the animal’s habitat. •Raffi Kapreyalan, Knott’s Berry Farm, for his vision to not only bring the Timber Mountain Log Ride back to it’s original glory, but actually makes it better, thus enshrining EDITORIAL: Scott Rutherford, [email protected] this “heirloom” attraction the way ride creator Bud Hurlbut would have wanted. Title to come... •John Reilly, for the beautiful job that transformed Story to come... Soak City into the new Aquatica San Diego. As John was quick to point out, there are advantages to being the third, as in the third Aquatica to open in the company’s water- park profile. •David Riddles, White Water Bay for having to open the largest new ride capital in the park’s history — just one week after the devistation left from the Moore, Oklahoma Rutherford Tornado — only to have to endure a second tornado a week after opening the ride. Kudos also for all the work the park did in fund-raising efforts that benefitted the Ameri- can Red Cross, which continues to be on the scene helping families who have lost everything. •And to all the piers, parks, arcades, and other amuse- ment attractions along the Jersey Shore who did manage to get their facilities open following the much publicized Superstorm Sandy that ripped the state’s amusement at- tractions into shreds. —Gary Slade Gary Slade is the founder and publisher of Amusement Today. During his vast newspaper career, he spent three-years in the quality control department at the North Texas-area printer for USA Today. AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF Gary Slade, Founder Tim Baldwin Sammy Piccola Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Editorial Accounting / Circulation (817) 460-7220 [email protected] (817) 460-7220 [email protected] [email protected] Deliveries Member of: Pam Sherborne 2012 E. Randol Mill Rd., Suite 203 IAAPA, AIMS International, PAPA, Stacey Childress / Childress Media Editorial Sue Nichols Arlington, Texas 76011 NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA, TTIA, Web & Graphic Design [email protected] Advertising NAARSO and IISF [email protected] (615) 662-0252 Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $75 in the USA; $100 elsewhere; 2 years (28 issues) $140/$180; Scott Rutherford [email protected] 3 years (42 issues) $200/$250. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank) to John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc. Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Editorial Please allow up to six weeks for your subscription request to be processed and the first issue mailed. Daily E-mail Newsletter [email protected] Bubba Flint [email protected] Cartoonist Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amusement Today Inc., P.O. Jeffrey L. Seifert [email protected] Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Presort Standard Postage (Permit No. 2069) pre-paid at Fort Worth, Texas. The entire contents of this newspaper and its related websites are copyrighted and trademarked Editorial / Special Projects by Amusement Today 2013, with all rights reserved. [email protected] POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas Contributors: Dean Lamanna, Eva M. Neterowicz, Andrew Mellor, Richard Munch, Janice Witherow, WHR Inc. 76005-5427. July 2013 AMUSEMENT TODAY 3 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY MINUTE •1884: The first communication Presented by cable between Great Britain and the United States was installed in 1884. The final section of the then 2 DRILL famous Bennett-Mackey cable COMPILED: Janice Witherow landed about 600 feet from the Jeffrey Siebert, Six Flags Fiesta Texas Oriental Hotel on the afternoon of October 18, in Brighton Beach If you know Jeffrey Siebert, (Coney Island), Brooklyn, N.Y. you know a guy who is full of energy and has a genuine •1899: Several cars on the roller passion for the amusement coaster at River View Park, out- industry. Since November, www.RollerCoasterMuseum.org side Baltimore, Maryland, collid- Jeffrey has taken on the role of director of marketing for ed with another train on July 21. Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San The train returned on the wrong track and met a waiting train at high Antonio, where his creative speed. Nine passengers were seriously injured and were aided by talent is being put to good physicians then rushed to the hospital. One of the injured, a 22-year- use. His career path has old woman, had a depressed fracture of the frontal bone of the skull spanned from (now-defunct) and a broken nose, besides other painful cuts and bruises about the Americana Amusement Park face and body. Except for this one injury, none of the injuries were in Ohio to (then-Paramount’s) considered life threatening. Kings Island and Schlitter- bahn Waterpark Resort. A •1904: Formerly Sharpshooter Park, the famous Riverview Park true family man, Jeffrey loves would open for the first time under its new name, on July 2, with a adventures with his wife Lisa Jeffrey Siebert shows off his prized name tag collection, in- Figure 8 Toboggan. The park would flourish just northwest of Chi- and their two children. cluding two tags from the now defunct Americana Amuse- cago, and become world famous for its eclectic collection of wooden ment Park. His passion for parks and their history is evident Title roller coasters, at one time operating seven different coasters. The Director of Marketing. in the photo above. COURTESY THE SIEBERT FAMILY FILES park, still revered in Chicago, would close forever after the 1967 sea- son. Number of years in the industry If I could read anyone’s mind, it would be … •1924: In late July, Frederick Church & Frank Prior announced 20 years (first year was 1994). I’ve been a fan since Walt Disney. I would have loved to have had a that Harry G. Traver would get exclusive rights to all Bobs coaster day one! glimpse at the true inner genius. built east of the Mississippi River and Canada. The rides would be designed by Church, and installed by Traver Engineering Company. The coolest place I have ever vacationed would Best thing about the industry Traver had already closed contracts to install Bobs coasters in Revere have to be … New ride and service innovation.