December 2011 AMUSEMENT TODAY 1 DECEMBER 2011 VOL. 15, • ISSUE 9 SUBSCRIBE TO Extra! Extra! Daily Edition Dated material. material. Dated AMUSEMENT TODAY RUSH! Get FREE news delivered to NEWSPAPER POSTMASTER: PLEASE 18, 2011 November Mailed Friday, (817) 460-7220 your inbox EVERY DAY! PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. com PAID amusementtoday Sign up now at: US POSTAGE US PRSRT STD PRSRT www.amusementtoday.com 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY December 2011 NEWSTALK OPINIONS CARTOON LETTERS AT CONTACTS EDITORIAL: Gary Slade,
[email protected] CARTOON: Bubba Flint Save the stories! This publisher made a comment to Larry Cochran during the Six Flags Over Texas 50th anniversary gathering in August about how we were losing too many industry greats (Cleveland Smith was our reference point) and losing them all too fast. Slade Little did we realize that we were seeing only the beginning of what would be a rash of obituaries to run in future editions of AT. Cochran’s response was short but true: “Our industry is old, and we are going to lose a whole lot more in the coming years.” One of the problems our industry has is that we, as a whole, have not done enough to record the stories that these older park legends have to tell. I know I’m as guilty as anyone for not recording conservations with the late William L. Cobb, Luther Clark, Cleveland Smith and Ron Toomer who were all in my local area. Now, their stories, knowledge and ability to verify our industry history are gone forever. visited briefly at the Golden Ticket Awards with AT EDITORIAL: Scott Rutherford,
[email protected] Rick Root, World Waterpark Association, and he too agreed it was time to record the waterpark’s history Season’s end before more legends from that industry are gone.