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2014 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS | September 5-7, 2014 5-7, September | AWARDS TICKET GOLDEN 2014

— Tim Baldwin Tim — - al that event industry full-fledged a into designation

after day. after Ticket Awards have evolved from a simple publication publication simple a from evolved have Awards Ticket

day in applauding what this magical industry does day day does industry magical this what applauding in awards since 1998. Now in its 16th year, the Golden Golden the year, 16th its in Now 1998. since awards

- To Amusement Amusement Take a moment, everyone. Join Join everyone. moment, a Take has bestowed the prestigious prestigious the bestowed has

with each week. each with industry accomplishments is not taken lightly. taken not is accomplishments industry

ings that had our favorite songs moving up and down down and up moving songs favorite our had that ings the illustrious designation of ranking at the top of the the of top the at ranking of designation illustrious the

- list 40 Top American the watching of reminded be but and guests. Used in marketing and employee training, training, employee and marketing in Used guests. and

product. To watch the coaster charts, one can’t help help can’t one charts, coaster the watch To product. given it a particular significance among their park staff staff park their among significance particular a it given

is gained by continued hard work and an outstanding outstanding an and work hard continued by gained is Boardwalk has taken their Golden Ticket to heart and and heart to Ticket Golden their taken has Boardwalk

nial winners that can be expected, but their success success their but expected, be can that winners nial , Santa Cruz Beach Beach Cruz Santa , Park Seaside Best of winner As

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ence the work that we do and to tell us one thing: Who Who thing: one us tell to and do we that work the ence ence.” Canfield smiles, “It’s going to be a great beach beach great a be to going “It’s smiles, Canfield ence.”

- experi and out go to instructed are voters of panel - experi Cruz Santa unique a with attendees providing

go up against monumental giants? Most likely, but our our but likely, Most giants? monumental against up go to sharing all of the great things about our park and and park our about things great the of all sharing to

Does this create a certain challenge for some parks to to parks some for challenge certain a create this Does to host an awesome weekend. We are looking forward forward looking are We weekend. awesome an host to

Golden Ticket Awards celebrate the entire industry. industry. entire the celebrate Awards Ticket Golden and everyone at the Boardwalk is busy getting ready ready getting busy is Boardwalk the at everyone and

try where only certain musicians are on the ballot, the the ballot, the on are musicians certain only where try the Golden Ticket Awards. This is a tremendous honor honor tremendous a is This Awards. Ticket Golden the

- indus music the or “snubs”), particular of outcry table welcome the amusement industry to Santa Cruz for for Cruz Santa to industry amusement the welcome

- inevi the (to nominated are movies specific only where Cruz Beach Boardwalk, says, “We’re really excited to to excited really “We’re says, Boardwalk, Beach Cruz

there — everyone is eligible. Contrary to the Oscars Oscars the to Contrary eligible. is everyone — there , vice president operations, Santa Santa operations, president vice , Canfield Tom

Awards in comparison to any other type of awards out out awards of type other any to comparison in Awards fornia flair. fornia

There is a special difference to the Golden Ticket Ticket Golden the to difference special a is There - Cali Northern own their with industry amusement the

day. the throughout lections COURTESY SCBB SCBB COURTESY

surable. surable. have eagerly been anticipating welcoming welcoming anticipating been eagerly have Boardwalk

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Awards event for the first time. Below, the 100-plus-year-old 100-plus-year-old the Below, time. first the for event Awards

the globe year after year. Victories are championed, championed, are Victories year. after year globe the - char own its brings host the year, Each Awards. Ticket

Above, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosts the Golden Ticket Ticket Golden the hosts Boardwalk Beach Cruz Santa Above, Amusement Today’s Amusement the amazing work done to entertain families around around families entertain to done work amazing the Golden Golden hosted State Golden

lows professionals to come together and celebrate celebrate and together come to professionals lows SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Not since 2009 has The The has 2009 since Not — Calif. CRUZ, SANTA

Host Park • 2013 Golden Ticket Awards • September 6 & 7, 2013 7, & 6 September • Awards Ticket Golden 2013 • Park Host

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Beach Cruz Santa

owned seaside park for the first time first the for park seaside owned

Annual awards event goes to family- family- to goes event awards Annual

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosts 2013 Golden Tickets Golden 2013 hosts Boardwalk Beach Cruz Santa

Vol. 17 • Issue 6.2 Issue • 17 Vol. SEPTEMBER 2013 SEPTEMBER

CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF GOLDEN TICKETS GOLDEN OF YEARS 16 CELEBRATING TM 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 NEWSTALK OPINIONS CARTOON LETTERS AT CONTACTS EDITORIAL: Gary Slade, [email protected] CARTOON: Bubba Flint Your Golden Tickets It’s hard to believe that we are gath- ered together again for this year’s win- ners of the Golden Ticket Awards, pre- sented annually by Amusement Today. Although I’ve written it many times, I still cannot believe how our annual Slade survey became such a must-attend and fun industry event. But, as good our event has been, thanks to our woulderful host parks and sponsors, we need partici- pation! We don’t see nearly enough parks attending from the New England region or from the East coast and Jersey shore. That’s where we need you to help us spread the word, and encourage these parks to attend for fun, food, tours, and of course, the awards! It has been mentioned in the past by numerous attendees, that one way Amusement Today could get more parks to participate in the event is to hand EDITORIAL: Tim Baldwin, [email protected] out Silver and Bronze Golden Tickets to the second Global spotlight and third place finishers. This is a really good idea There are always things that and new eyes always make sure our panel is on their and one we can easily do. Our fear is how to do excite me about the Golden Tick- toes. Likewise, some enthusiasts for whatever reason this without lengthening the current two-hour long ets. While some winners hang onto reduce their travels and rotate off the panel, making their accolades, what I particularly way for new opinions. ceremony. notice is the change in finalists. So how does AT find these qualified individuals? I’ve also had suggestions to change up the vot- This year, we see first time ap- Frankly, sometimes they find us! Each year, both be- ing process and to put detailed criteria on the cat- pearances for California’s Great fore the ballots go out as well as following the an- egories. America in Santa Clara; Ocean nual announcement of winners in late summer, I am Baldwin Park in Hong Kong, China; Story contacted by eager parties who feel they have the We’ve also had the suggestions to get the parks Land in Glen, New Hampshire; experience to be one of our newest contributors. more engaged in the process is to have each park in Brüehl, Germany; Wet ‘n’ Wild Las With a little discussion about experience, we often Vegas in Nevada and in Long Island, can indeed find new people because they take the enter their facility into the voting process with an New York. I can imagine the exhilaration of being put time to contact us. official ballot and limit the number of categories they on a list of such esteemed icons. Congratulations to Other than that, I’m observant. There are nu- can enter. you all on your successes. merous events, tours, clubs and special activities that As witnessed right there, our panel of experts showcase people who are willing to travel and em- These are all good suggestions, but I don’t want get around. As the industry’s best customers, our brace all the great aspects of the many parks around to make any changes until I’ve heard from you, our voters are among the most experienced park-goers the world. Some aficionados can only dream as to winners, presenters and attendees that make up the on the globe. This year’s charts reflect 13 different having the resources to travel Planet Earth and enjoy countries, which speaks volumes to the passion of the industry — even more than those that work in the Golden Ticket weekend. our voters. industry itself. But if those opportunities ever arise, I look forward to hearing from you. You can email Some often ask “Is it the same panel each year?” the Golden Ticket Awards can certainly direct them me at: [email protected]. The simple answer is “no.” Amusement Today has to where to focus their travels. never had the exact same panel twice. While there We continue to seek out more interested fans Thanks for your continued support! are many avid and well-travelled voters who strongly from other countries outside the U.S. to add even —Gary Slade support our awards and are dedicated to completing further “umph” to our international scope. a ballot year after year, we also add new qualified If you feel you have the passion and wish to share candidates each and every year. Fresh perspectives the best you’ve seen, we are ready to hear from you. Gary Slade is founder and publisher of Amusement Today AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF Gary Slade, Founder Dean Lamanna Sammy Piccola Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Editorial Accounting / Circulation [email protected] [email protected] (817) 460-7220 [email protected] Deliveries Member of: Stacey Childress / Childress Media Pam Sherborne 2012 E. Randol Mill Rd., Suite 203 IAAPA, AIMS International, PAPA, Web & Graphic Design Editorial Sue Nichols Arlington, 76011 NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA, TTIA, [email protected] [email protected] Advertising NAARSO and IISF (615) 662-0252 Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $75 in the USA; $100 elsewhere; 2 years (28 issues) $140/$180; John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc. 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 Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Daily E-mail Newsletter Editorial Please allow up to six weeks for your subscription request to be processed and the first issue mailed. [email protected] [email protected] Bubba Flint Cartoonist Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amusement Today Inc., P.O. Tim Baldwin 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 Editorial / Special Projects by Amusement Today 2013, with all rights reserved. [email protected] [email protected] POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas Contributors: S. Madonna Horcher, Mark Rosenzweig, Jill Ryan, Janice Witherow, WHR Inc. 76005-5427. September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 3 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s roots trace back to 1865 SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Beach Board- walk’s roots go back to 1865, when a public bathhouse opened near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. Other bathhouses followed and scores of tourists began visit- ing Santa Cruz to enjoy this Miss America. During the highly touted “natural medi- 1930s and 1940s, the Board- cine” of bathing in salt water. walk’s Cocoanut Grove held Soon more concessions regular concerts with some of sprang up including restau- the biggest names of the big rants, curio shops, and photo band era: Artie Shaw, Benny stands. Toward the end of Goodman, Lawrence Welk, the 1800s, Fred W. Swanton, and many other top name From its beginning in 1865 as a public bathhouse on the beach to the seaside amusement considered one of the great- performers. park we know today, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers more than 35 rides and attractions, est promoters and entrepre- Over many decades the a large arcade as well as unique food and shopping options for its guests. neurs of his time, laid plans Boardwalk has experienced ALL PHOTOS COURTESY SCBB for a casino and boardwalk a booms and slowdowns, tied survived, it is stronger than food vendors, electronic holidays during the year. Ad- “ of the West.” to changing economic times ever. shooting gallery, indoor min- mission to the park is free. The first Casino opened and public interests. Fortu- Today the Boardwalk of- iature golf, and gift shops Season tickets, all day pass- in 1904 but survived only 22 nately, the Boardwalk has al- fers 35 rides and attractions. with everything from beach- es, single ride tickets, group months; on June 22, 1906, ways been beloved by gener- In addition, the park houses wear to sunglasses and jew- rates, exclusive ride rentals, the uninsured building was ations of Northern California three arcades with both vin- elry. and corporate events are completely destroyed by fire. families, and thanks to strong tage machines and hundreds Boardwalk rides are open available. Legend has it that Swan- leadership from the Canfield of modern video games, a daily Memorial Day to Labor •www.beachboardwalk.com ton was on the phone before Family, the park has not only game deck, games of skill, Day and most weekends and the last wisps of smoke dis- appeared, lining up financ- ing and ordering materials to rebuild. By summer’s end, famed architect William H. Weeks was drawing up plans, and in October a foundation was laid for the new Casino complete with ballroom, the Plunge indoor swimming pool, a pleasure pier, and boardwalk. Some 500 people worked on the project, and on June 22, 1907, exactly one year after the devastating fire, the new attractions opened. The Boardwalk’s first thrill ride, the L.A. Thompson Sce- nic Railway, a four-minute coaster on a mile of wooden track opened in 1908 and cost $35,000 to build. A few of the attractions offered to Santa Cruz beach Board- In 1911 European wood- walk’s guests include, clockwise from top left, shopping and carver Charles I.D. Looff de- dining; the 1924 ; new in 2013 is the Undertow; livered a new hand-carved, a classic Eli Bridge and the . merry-go-round along with a 342-pipe, 1894 Ruth and Sohn band organ which is still operating in the carousel building. It was Looff’s son, Arthur, who convinced the Boardwalk to replace the Sce- nic Railway to make way for a modern wooden roller coast- er. The Giant Dipper coaster opened in 1924 and soon be- came the park’s most popular ride; the Dipper’s ridership is now over 60 million. Also in 1924, the first of many Miss California Pag- eants was held at the Board- walk. The first winner, Faye Lanphier, went on to become 4 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 Park winners see a close race for Best Park category STORY: Tim Baldwin [email protected] A handful of AT’s Golden Ticket Awards categories have gone unchallenged since they were created. But over time, we have seen some long-run- No. 3. Last year, Europa-Park ning victors unseated by parks nudged up into second place. of equal caliber. The continual Some experienced voters flux of category finalists bear were speculating this could be witness to that. the year of an upset, but Ce- The latest close race dar Point held firm and took came this year. , the Golden Ticket for a 16th the long running champ for year. John Hildebrandt, vice- BEST PARK, took the gold president and general man- once again, but by a margin ager for Cedar Point, has an- of less than one percent. Like nounced his retirement at the an Olympic event, one should end of the year. With a long watch all the participants. career with Cedar , he en- In 2010 Europa-Park en- joys going out on top with an tered the arena of top five award in hand. finalists. The following year, “Looking back on 40 they moved up from No. 5 to 4See PARKS, page 6 BEST SEASIDE PARK No. 1: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk COURTESY SCBB

PARK AND RIDE WINNERS Ranked by percentage of votes cast

Best New Attraction for 2013 () Best New Ride for 2013 (Waterpark) Run 45% River Rush ’s Splash Country 53% Fiesta Texas 19% Bonzai Pipelines 23% GateKeeper Cedar Point 15% Constrictor Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas 7% California’s Great America 6% Bonzai Pipelines 6% Tranformers the Ride Universal Studios Orlando 5% Bootlegger’s Run Splish Splash 5%

Best Park Best Seaside Park Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 23% Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 36% Europa-Park Rust, Germany 22% Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England 20% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 9% Morey’s Piers Wildwood, N.J. 15% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 8% Gröna Lund Stockholm, Sweden 14% Anaheim, Calif. 7% Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier Galveston, Texas 5% Tokyo DisneySea Tokyo, Japan 6%

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. (tie) 5% Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. (tie) 5% Best Kids’ Area Orlando, Fla. 4.50% Mason, Ohio 32% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 4% Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 15% Bloomington, Minn. 12% Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands 8% Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio (tie) 7% Best Waterpark Doswell, Va. (tie) 7% New Braunfels, Texas 45% Splashin’ Safari Santa Claus, Ind. 17% Cleanest Park Orlando, Fla. 6% Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 26% Dollywood’s Splash Country Pigeon Forge, Tenn. (tie) 5% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 14% Noah’s Ark Wisconsin Dells, Wis. (tie) 5% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 10% Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 9% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 8.50% Best Children’s Park Idlewild & SoakZone Ligonier, Pa. 39% Friendliest Park Carlsbad, Calif. 16% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 35% Legoland Winter Haven, Fla. 11% Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 21% Lancaster, Pa. (tie) 7% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 13% Glen, N.H. (tie) 7% Knoebel’s Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 10% Six Flags New England Agawam, Mass. 7%

Best Marine Life Park Best Shows SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 58% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 41% SeaWorld San Diego, Calif. 13% , Texas 23% SeaWorld San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 9% Disney’s Hollywood Studios Orlando, Fla. 6% Orlando, Fla. 7% Europa-Park Rust, Germany (tie) 5% , China (tie) 6% SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. (tie) 5% Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, Calif. (tie) 6% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. (tie) 5% September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 5

BEST PARK No. 1: Cedar Point AT/TIM BALDWIN BEST PARK No. 2: Europa-Park AT/TIM BALDWIN

PARK AND RIDE WINNERS Ranked by percentage of votes cast

Best Outdoor Show Production Best Orlando, Fla. 29% Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Universal’s Islands of Adventure 19% Disney California Adventure Anaheim, Calif. 18% The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Universal’s Islands of Adventure 16% Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 12% Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Disney’s Hollywood Studios 13% Disney’s Hollywood Studios Orlando, Fla. 11.50% Haunted Mansion Knoebels Amusement Resort 8% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 8% Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye Disneyland (tie) 7% Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland (tie) 7%

Best Landscaping Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg Va. 33% Best Indoor Waterpark Gilroy, Calif. 12% Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Galveston, Texas 31% Efteling Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands 11% Kalahari Sandusky, Ohio 21% Gardens Copenhagen, Denmark 8% Kalahari Wisconsin Dells, Ohio 15% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 7% World Waterpark , Alberta, Canada 12% Splash Landings Staffordshire, England 8%

Best Food Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. (tie) 24% Best Indoor Knoebel’s Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. (tie) 24% Universal Studios Orlando 23% Epcot Orlando, Fla. 18% Disneyland 14% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 14% Winjas Phantasialand 11% Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen, Denmark 5% (tie) 10% Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Disney’s Hollywood Studios (tie) 10%

Best Carousel Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 48% Noah’s Ark 34% Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 17% Frankenstein’s Castle 23% Gurnee, Ill. 8% Gasten Ghost Hotel 14% Austell, Ga. 7% Lustiga Huset Gröna Lund 13% Universal’s Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 4% Ghost Ship Morey’s Piers 12%

Best Best Event Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls Universal’s Islands of Adventure 20% Universal Studios Orlando Orlando, Fla. 30% Magic Kingdom 13% Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 22% Knott’s Berry Farm 10% Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 11% Valhalla 9% Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 10% Mountain Slidewinder Dollywood 8.50% Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 7%

Best Waterpark Ride Best Christmas Event Splashin’ Safari 24% Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 47% Master Blaster Schlitterbahn 22% Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 12% Splashin’ Safari 15% Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. 10% The Falls Schlitterbahn 10% Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 8% Congo River Expedition Schlitterbahn 9% Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 5% 6 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

PARKS Continued from page 4 seasons with the company— and eight as general man- ager of Cedar Point—one of the things I’m most proud of is Cedar Point winning the Golden Ticket as the World’s Best Amusement Park. It re- ally means a lot to all of us who work at the park.” Hil- debrandt acknowledges, “It’s BEST WATERPARK No. 1: Schlitterbahn AT/TIM BALDWIN BEST MARINE LIFE PARK No. 1: SeaWorld Orlando a great honor, especially be- COURTESY SEAWORLD cause we’re being recognized by people who really know amusement parks. The com- petition is tough, and always getting tougher as our indus- try gets better and better at delivering fun on a big stage.” Michael Mack, member of the executive board at Euro- pa-Park, is also pleased. “How exciting to see our park climb so high on the charts! It shows once again, that attention to detail, continuous innovation and high quality-standards pay off.” Mack adds, “With our new attraction for 2014: Arthur – In the Minimoys King- dom, in which we are currently BEST CHILDREN’S PARK No. 1: Idlewild & SoakZone BEST INDOOR WATERPARK working on with the famous AT/TIM BALDWIN No. 1, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island French director Luc Besson, COURTESY SCHLITTERBAHN we are sure to bring even Wildebeest) and the first ever (No. 4) and Noah’s Ark (No. hire hundreds of local youth, elated. With a win for a fourth more attention to our park. six-passenger water coaster 5) complete the list of finalists. and for many this is their very year in a row, the park just It is exciting to see this very (Mammoth) beating the re- BEST MARINE LIFE first job. They’ve grown up in might plan on keeping it. creative attraction becoming cords set by its sibling. This PARK has the stiffest compe- Santa Cruz, with the Board- Previous Golden Ticket reality.” year the park added Hyena tition of all, particularly shared walk as ‘just’ their local park. holder Legoland Califor- Completing the top five Falls, a slide complex that in- within the same company. Receiving an international nia (No. 2) might have some is Knoebels Amusement Re- cludes four in-the-dark slides, SeaWorld Orlando had the award for Best Seaside Park competition from within in its sort bumping up to No. 3, one of which includes a wave highest percentage win of any gives all of our employees a efforts to reclaim the prize. and Dollywood and Disney- maneuver finale. winner in all of the Golden sense of pride, and helps them moves up land taking Nos. 4 and 5, re- “I remember writing that Ticket categories. Three sister understand the importance of a notch in 2013 to the No. 3 spectively. press release for Splashin’ properties — SeaWorld San their role in providing guests spot. Other Legoland prop- For BEST WATERPARK, Safari in 1993,” reflects Paula Diego (No. 2), SeaWorld San from all over the world with an erties around the world are Schlitterbahn continues its Werne, public relations, Holi- Antonio (No. 3) and Discov- excellent experience.” wanting in on the action as domination of the category. day World and Splashin’ Sa- ery Cove (No. 4) — may be Blackpool Pleasure Beach well. As one of the largest water- fari. “It was to be a five-year envious, but all deliver an out- is a favorite of amusement Fourth place welcomes a parks on the planet, it boasts project with an investment of standing product. park historians and coaster brand new finalist to the list more signature innovative $3 million total and then we A new finalist enters this fans alike. The traditional park with a tie between newcom- one-of-a-kind attractions than were going to be done.” Wer- category, Ocean Park in Hong perched at the edge of the er Story Land in Glen, New anywhere else. ne laughs as the waterpark has Kong ties Six Flags Discovery Irish Sea has a history dating Hampshire with long-time fi- Splashin’ Safari keeps its now grown to 40 acres with Kingdom for the No. 5 spot. back more than 100 years with nalist Dutch Wonderland. spot at No. 2. What started annual additions doubling or BEST SEASIDE PARK rides upon rides stacked upon BEST INDOOR WATER- as a small little addition to tripling that original “entire sees host Santa Cruz Beach each other. It keeps it stand- PARK sees an exact rematch Holiday World in 1993 has park” investment. Boardwalk accepting top ing as the No. 2 park. as last year: Schlitterbahn now mushroomed into a mas- Over the years, Holiday honors. However, being a Morey’s Piers (No. 3), Galveston Island takes the sive playground of giant-sized World has really found that multi-year winner isn’t lost Gröna Lund (No. 4) and the gold, the two Kalahari Re- attractions. Celebrating its Splashin’ Safari really drives on the Californian traditional Galveston Island Historic sorts (Sandusky and Wiscon- 20th anniversary this season, the gate. “When we have a park. Pleasure Pier (No. 5) also get sin Dells) take the silver and Splashin’ Safari has grown to hot summer, it really turns us “Our Golden Ticket high marks for their seaside bronze respectively, and the boast several firsts and record- from a one-day park to a two- Awards are a very important fun. five finalists are rounded out holders, including the first day park,” says Werne. part of our employee training When Idlewild & Soak- by No. 4 World Waterpark ProSlide (Zinga), the Aquatica in Orlando leaps program,” says Marq Lipton, Zone snatched the Golden in West Edmonton Mall and longest hydromagnetic uphill into the No. 3 spot, and Dol- vice president, marketing and Ticket for BEST CHILDREN’S No. 5 Splash Landings at Al- water coaster (at its debut; lywood’s Splash Country sales for SCBB. “Every year we PARK in 2010, they were ton Towers in England. September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 7 8 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 9 10 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

THANK YOU FR VOTING US BE T CHILDREN’S PARK!

2013

BEST

PRESENTED TO CHILDREN’S GOLDEN PARK IDLEWILD & TICKET

SOAKZONE AWARD V.I.P.

FOR THE LIT KID N AL OF US…

IDLWD.cm September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 11

PRESENTED TO 2013 SANTA CRUZ GOLDEN BEACH BEST BOARDWALK SEASIDE TICKET PARK V.I.P. AWARD 12 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 13

Our panel of experts Since Amusement Today introduced the Golden Ticket Awards in 1998, we continue to seek out the most experienced park enthusiasts to participate in our survey. AT follows a fair and balanced protocol of divid- ing our ballots between four geographical regions (see col- or map at right) of the United 3 States. In addition to the hun- 2 dreds of surveys sent to Ameri- can enthusiasts, international fans are also sought out and we 1 invite such fans to contact us for participation in future years. Amusement Today thanks the hundreds of voters who helped form this year’s panel of experts and make the 2013 Golden Ticket Awards a reality. Are you a qualified candi- 4 date? Contact Golden Tick- et Awards Communications Coordinator Tim Baldwin at [email protected] and we’ll see if you would make a good representative for your region on next year’s new panel. Of note, park employees, manufacturers, and Amusement 5 ­– International Surveys Today staff are not eligible to be on the panel.

Thanks for your support in the Golden Ticket Awards! See you all soon at Europa-Park!

EP13_AI_116_Magazin_Golden_Ticket_Award_MBF.indd 1 22.08.13 14:29 14 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

Dollywood and Knoebels create first-ever Golden Ticket tie for Best Food

STORY: Tim Baldwin [email protected]

Now in its 16th year, Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards are still able to deliver surprises. In a first- ever occurrence, an exact tie vote between Dollywood and Knoebels Amusement Resort has been cast for the category of BEST FOOD. Publisher and Editor-in- chief Gary Slade comments, “Both parks deserve such high praise. We felt it inap- propriate for the AT staff to break such an important tie and declare one park the sole winner when the voters had clearly noted their favorites. Such an event is sure to be so rare we don’t actually expect it to happen again for taking a Golden Ticket win. We felt No 1: Dollywood, Food (tie) and No. 1: Friendliest No. 1: Knoebels Amusement Resort, Food (tie) sharing the victory was the AT/TIM BALDWIN COURTESY KNOEBELS only true way to acknowledge so we dedicated ourselves to dens (No. 5). Tivoli Gardens phasis on cleanliness and their years ahead. both park’s notable efforts.” stepping it up in a big way. in Copenhagen, Denmark is a reputation is evident even in For FRIENDLIEST PARK, Some people might re- We decided the world needs new finalist for this category. their marketing. That keeps the chart begins all too famil- call that Dollywood had bro- more food on a stick, so to go CLEANEST PARK is one their streak going with anoth- iar with last year. Dollywood ken a long-reigning streak by along with our fried cheese on of the toughest competitions. er Golden Ticket win. nabbed the Golden Ticket in Knoebels in this category last a stick, corn dogs and pickle Every park has dedicated Dollywood comes in at 2012 for the first time. The Pi- year with an abrupt capture of on a stick, we opened the Alo- policies to keeping their re- No. 2 for a second year in a geon Forge theme park was the Golden Ticket win. Often ha stand with kabobs, shrimp spective parks clean and cer- row. Disneyland (No. 3) and followed by Holiday World this sets the stage for a wres- on a stick and pork chop on a tainly should be praised for Busch Gardens Williamsburg (long a Golden Ticket recipi- tling match in the subsequent stick. We don’t believe any- their efforts. Some, however, (No. 4) switch places in con- ent in the category; No. 2), years. Who would have ever one can top that lineup of just make an effort only on trast to the 2012 chart. Knoebels Amusement Re- expected a tie? foods on sticks!” the midways, but cleanliness A new finalist in this cate- sort (No. 3) and the ever-be- Joe Mascato of Knoebels We’ll stay tuned in 2014. should spread throughout, gory is Silver Dollar City (No. loved Disneyland at No. 4. laughs, “We were disappoint- Rounding out the top five including queue lines, bath- 5). With roots shared with Dol- A new player enters the ed to drop to second in the are Epcot (No. 3), Silver Dol- rooms and public areas. Holi- lywood, expect even more ri- arena and it is a significant Best Food category last year lar City (No. 4) and Tivoli Gar- day World has placed an em- valry between the two in the accomplishment in doing so, considering other long- established players that were dislodged. Six Flags New England makes a first time appearance in the category rounding out the top five. BEST LANDSCAPING is one of the most rewarding categories as it brings sheer beauty to the park. Some consider Busch Gardens Wil- liamsburg to be a lock on this category, and the Virginia themer still remains undefeat- ed taking the gold for a 16th straight year. Gilroy Gardens (No. 2) and Efteling (No. 3) retain their places from 2012, but Tivoli Gardens moves up a notch to No. 4, while Dolly- wood (No. 5) slips a notch, No. 1: Holiday World, Cleanest No. 1: Busch Gardens Williamsburg but still holds a place as one AT/TIM BALDWIN COURTESY BUSCH GARDENS of the five finalists. September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 15 Shows and holiday festivals entertain the crowds

STORY: Tim Baldwin [email protected] For a fifth year Dolly- wood wins the ticket for BEST SHOWS. This was following a 10 year run by Six Flags Fies- ta Texas (No. 2). A close race in 2011 placed the two front runners in a stiff competition. BEST SHOWS Dollywood raced in front last No. 1: Dollywood (top left); year, but the San Antonio No. 2: Six Flags themer gains back some of its Fiesta Texas (left). lost ground in 2013. Disney’s COURTESY JILL RYAN and SIX Hollywood Studios hangs FLAGS FIESTA TEXAS on to its position in the third • place. BEST OUTDOOR SHOW A newcomer to the cat- PRODUCTION egory is Europa-Park, joining No 1: Epcot (top right); No. SeaWorld Orlando and Silver 2: Disney California Adven- Dollar City in a three-way tie ture (right). at No. 4. Europa-Park offers COURTESY EPCOT; an extensive line-up of shows AT/GARY SLADE with more than 15 offerings daily that include song and dance, magic, comedy, horse- back jousting and ice shows, in addition to a park parade. BEST OUTDOOR SHOW PRODUCTION once again sees a Disney stronghold. Six Flags Fiesta Texas (No. 3) is the only non-Disney park to break into the arena of all things Mickey with its “Lone Star Nights.” While its hold loosens a bit each year, Ep- cot fans still hand the Golden Ticket to the Orlando mega- park for its long-running “Il- luminations: Reflections of BEST HALLOWEEN Earth.” Predictions were that No. 1: Universal Studios Disney fans would have put Orlando (top left); “” at Disney No. 2: Knott’s Berry Farm California Adventure on top (left). this year. While results are COURTESY USO and KNOTT’S inching that way, Epcot hasn’t • given it up yet. BEST CHRISTMAS EVENT “Fantasmic!” at both Dis- No. 1: Dollywood (top right); ney Hollywood Studios (No. No. 2: Silver Dollar City 4) and Disneyland (No. 5) (right). complete our list of finalists. COURTESY DOLLYWOOD; Of note, Disneyland scoots AT/JEFFREY SEIFERT near-twin Magic Kingdom off LOWEEN EVENT frighten- Knoebels and Kenny- in 2008. However, Ms. Parton rung, but Kennywood sleds the chart to take its place. ingly is still under lock and wood keep their haunts in and crew might need to watch onto this list of finalists at No. Holiday festivals are big key at Universal Studios place with the Nos. 3 and 4 cousin Silver Dollar City as 5. business for theme parks Orlando. While most Hallow- spots they landed in last year, it jumps up two places into Of note, the new finalists nowadays. Halloween has een events are local, Univer- but Cedar Point now enters the No. 2 spot. The Branson in both of the holiday catego- long been a cash cow at some sal has built a reputation to the list of finalists this year, theme park just might find ries made for a fine how-do- parks, but little by little parks make it an annual pilgrimage charting at No. 5. some enthusiasts looking for a you-do for Busch Gardens are finding an extended sea- for some. Knott’s Berry Farm For Christmas, Herschend winter ride on the park’s new Williamsburg, which made son with Christmas events. has a strong showing at No. 2 Entertainment has the spirit. this Christmas. its first appearances on both Although a closer race in and the park’s holiday festival Dollywood has taken BEST Silver Dollar City causes charts last year, only to be 2013 between the two stron- is known throughout the West CHRISTMAS EVENT since Disneyland (No. 3) and Mag- bumped out this year. gest competitors, BEST HAL- Coast. AT originated the category ic Kingdom (No. 4) to slip a 16 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 Ride on! — 2013 top rides and attractions STORY: Tim Baldwin Schlitterbahn, and its [email protected] wide array of signature at- tractions overtake the rest of In the category of BEST this category. Master Blaster CAROUSEL, it is only fitting comes in at No. 2, The Falls at that Knoebels’ Grand Car- No. 4 and the highly-themed ousel tops our list. This be- Congo River Expedition at loved treasure celebrates its themed flume attraction has No. 5. 100th anniversary this year. never scored this high. Universal’s Islands of Ad- Knoebels gives much credit to For the first time ever, venture has dominated the its long time caretaker David Knott’s Berry Farm is a final- BEST DARK RIDE category Wynn, who has looked after ist in this category (No. 3) for since it was added to the the carousel for decades and its totally revamped Timber Golden Tickets in 2001. First whose son Matthew is now Mountain Log Ride. The im- it was The Amazing Adven- involved in the restoration pressive transformation of tures of Spider-Man that process. Each year the park the beloved — and the park’s controlled the top spot, but removes a dozen horses and most popular — attraction was then unseated by Harry loving restores them by going was covered in the July 2013 Potter and the Forbidden all the way down to the wood, issue of AT. [Be sure to note Journey in 2011. Recently, No.1: Knoebels, AT/TIM BALDWIN making the Grand Carousel an Publisher’s Pick on page 29 IOA has given the webslinger ongoing effort. On a daily ba- also.] a dramatic makeover to up- sis, the carousel operates with Valhalla at Blackpool roarious rave reviews. Both at least three of the park’s Pleasure Beach, a former have passionate fans, but Har- many working band organs. Golden Ticket winner in 2003 ry Potter claims the gold for a When asked about the and 2005 slips to No. 4 this third year, with Spider-Man at incorporation of the brass year, with Mountain Slide- No. 2. The gap, however, has ring dispenser, Knoebels’ Joe winder at Dollywood hang- shrunk and makes for a close Muscato says, “I think other ing onto No. 5. race. It would appear, this parks are glad we continue to BEST WATERPARK RIDE competition also isn’t finished operate our carousel with the put some speculation to rest. yet. ring dispenser. I really believe Wildebeest at Splashin’ Sa- Disney also is in the game they wish they could do the fari took the Golden Ticket with three entries: Twilight same thing.” in 2010 when it opened, but Zone Tower of Terror at Dis- Along a similar theme, some insiders questioned if its ney’s Hollywood Studios host Santa Cruz Beach younger, but bigger, sibling (No. 3) and two Disneyland Boardwalk makes the list at Mammoth, which took Best attractions tying for fifth: In- No. 2 and recently celebrated New Waterpark Ride in 2012, diana Jones and the Temple a 100th anniversary of their might overtake this category. of the Forbidden Eye and for 1911 Looff Carousel in 2011. However, Wildebeest keeps the first time on our charts, Pi- It too features a brass ring dis- the Golden Ticket for a fourth rates of the Caribbean. penser, much to the delight year, and Mammoth jumps on Standing its ground of guests and Golden Ticket the chart at No. 3. Park offi- against the high tech big boys Awards ceremony attendees. cials may credit the wonderful is Knoebels’ Haunted Man- Two Six Flags parks flip “airtime” on Wildebeest as a sion (No. 4), considered by positions this year. Six Flags key factor, but rest assured, many as one the best main- Great America and its Co- this sibling rivalry is probably tained traditional dark rides in lumbia Carousel, one of the far from settled at this point. the country. world’s largest, and Six Flags Both innovative attractions In the category of BEST No. 1: Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Dudley Do-Right’s Over Georgia and its pre- were supplied by ProSlide. 4See RIDES, page 18 Ripsaw Falls COURTESY DAVID LIPNICKY served 1908 Riverview Car- ousel hold the Nos. 3 and 4 spots respectively. Universal’s Islands of Ad- venture and its comical Caro- Seuss-El round out the top five. IOA is a finalist again, but this time in the top spot for the Golden Ticket. A hot summer invites people to get wet. BEST WATER RIDE goes to Dudley Do-Right’s Rip- Falls. The outrageously themed Mack flume has taken this award every year but two since the category was intro- duced. Moving up into the No. 2 spot in 2013 is Splash Moun- tain at Magic Kingdom. No. 1: Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Harry Potter and Often a finalist, this mega- No. 1; Splashin’ Safari, Wildebeest AT/TIM BALDWIN the Forbidden Journey COURTESY UNIVERSAL September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 17 more Four #1 Golden Ticket Award Winners

BEST DARK RIDE BEST HALLOWEEN EVENT Harry Potter and Universal Studios Florida® - the Forbidden Journey™ ®

BEST WATER RIDE BEST INDOOR COASTER Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls® Revenge of the Mummy®

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™ Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls® Revenge of the Mummy® Halloween Horror Nights®

See it all at UniversalOrlando.com

HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s13) Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends TM & © Ward Prods. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2013 Universal Studios. © 2013 . All rights reserved. 257686/0813/RA 18 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

RIDES Continued from page 16 INDOOR COASTER, the top two finalists from 2012 repeat their positions. Universal Studios Orlando takes the Golden Ticket Award with its Revenge of the Mummy, and Space Mountain at Disney- No. 1: Universal Studios Orlando, revenge of the Mummy No. 1: Kennywood, Noah’s Ark COURTESY MARK ROSENZWEIG land placing in second. COURTESY UNIVERSAL Two new entries into the wood claims the Golden Huset at Gröna Lund (No. 4). finalist list now join the chal- Ticket for BEST FUNHOUSE/ Morey’s Piers’ Ghost lenge. Winjas, a masterpiece WALK-THROUGH for a Ship, which debuted in 2010, themed intertwined pair of fourth year. The rocking, tip- completes this distinct genre spinning coasters (No. 3) by ping multi-scene family fa- at No. 5. Maurer Söhne at Phantasial- vorite has entertained guests It’s no surprise to see and in Brühl, Germany is see- since the 1930s. Kings Island maintain its lock ing the spotlight, as well as Former winner Fran- on BEST KIDS AREA. In fact, Mindbender at Galaxyland kenstein’s Castle at Indiana 2012’s top four finalist com- in Canada’s West Edmonton Beach remains in second petitors maintain their posi- Mall (No.4). place. tions with Universal’s Islands Closing out the finalists is After slipping off the of Adventure at No. 2, Nick- a former Golden Ticket hold- charts two years ago and re- elodeon Universe at No. 3. er. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at surfacing last year, Gasten and Efteling at No. 4. New- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Ghost Hotel at Liseberg comers from the rocks in at No. 5. jumps up a spot to No. 3. Also chain tie for No. 5 — Cedar Noah’s Ark at Kenny- in Sweden is the zany Lustiga Point and Kings Dominion. No. 1: Kings Island, AT/TIM BALDWIN September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 19 20 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction Noah’s Ark, Kennywood

Kennywood says “Thank You!!” to Amusement Today and its readers for this prestigious award.

kennywood.com September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 21 muenchrath.de

rz_MR-13-0232_Amusement_Today_Golden_Ticket_Award_10x13inch.indd 1 22.08.13 16:55 22 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 23 24 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 Silver Dollar City, Dollywood win Best New Rides

STORY: Tim Baldwin [email protected]

Innovation took the top spot this year. Competition can often be very formidable, but 2013 was quite fierce. Speculation was all over the place surrounding BEST NEW No. 1: Outlaw Run, Silver Dollar City AT/GARY SLADE No 2: Iron Rattler, Six Flags Fiesta Texas AT/GARY SLADE RIDE with worthy contenders unprecedented worldwide received. People are loving it Santa Clara theme park. As four people. Ride length is from across the country, as media attention.” and we are on track to having reported in AT’s August is- 1,176 feet that includes four well as around the globe. One Among the ride’s unique one of our best seasons ever.” sue, this long-in-the-planning drops, and the ProSlide ride ride, however, raced its way qualities is a newly-devel- In the northern U.S., Ce- woodie from Great Coasters is designed to entertain 720 to the Golden Ticket — Out- oped from RMC, as well dar Point debuted Gate- International, Inc. has opened riders an hour. “River Rush law Run at Silver Dollar City. an entire layout designed Keeper to visually impressive to rave reviews and is sure to has quickly become a guest At its opening, Duane with a wood bed completed results. The No. 3 Best New vault up the wood chart in the favorite at Dollywood’s Splash Marden, owner of Roller with modern Topper Track Ride created an entirely new years ahead. Country,” says Pete Owens, Coaster DataBase (RCDB. throughout. The smooth-run- front entrance experience as The hot climate of Or- public relations, the Dolly- com), commented on how ning coaster has a rollicking arriving guests watched thrill- lando’s theme park utopia has wood Company. “It is such a many new installations for ride experience that includes seekers soar overhead as they produced monumental indoor unique ride in a unique set- 2013 were continuations of an incredibly steep drop at 81 entered the turnstiles, giving attractions, which of course, ting that many of our guests successes from recent years. degrees, outrageous banked the park reason to give the also allows for elaborate did not know what to expect “Outlaw Run is the most in- maneuvers and a double bar- front gate an entirely new dra- theming. Transformers the when they rode it the first novative ride this year,” said rel roll finale. matic makeover. Ride (No. 5) opened at Uni- time. They love the accelera- Marden. “This is the ride that Rocky Mountain’s success GateKeeper pushed the versal Studios giving Florida tion a water coaster provides has truly ‘never been done;’ continued with the second envelope of B&M’s newest one more new totally immer- in the uphill sections.” it’s different from the ground place win of Iron Rattler at genre — the — sive experience while enter- Six Flags New England up.” Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The to new dimensions. Tallest, ing the world of the movies. comes in at No. 2 with their Brad Thomas, general 1992 world record holder at fastest and with the most in- The new high-tech dark ride Bonzai Pipelines. As the new- manager for Silver Dollar City, the San Antonio themer un- versions on a wing coaster utilized space previously oc- est addition to their agrees. “Three years ago, we derwent a miraculous trans- to date, GateKeeper keeps cupied by the Murder She Harbor — a waterpark includ- set out to build a wood coast- formation thanks to RMC in line with the Point’s repu- Wrote and Xena attractions. ed with park admission, this er that would be unique with (along with engineering by tation for producing record- In the category of new pulse-pounding attrac- a global footprint. We wanted Ride Centerline’s Alan Schil- breaking coasters. With BEST NEW WATERPARK tion designed by SplashTacu- something that would give ke). With the addition of an GateKeeper landing on AT’s RIDE, Dollywood continues lar takes the trap-door water- guests a reason to travel hun- exciting new I-Box steel track, Golden Ticket chart, Cedar their flood of applause with slide concept to a new level dreds of miles to visit Silver Iron Rattler is the newest (and Point now has six coasters on River Rush, a new hydro- with six riders at a time. Po- Dollar City.” Thomas adds, tallest) hybrid coaster in op- the Steel list for the first time magnetic uphill water coaster sitioned to where each rider “Because of Rocky Mountain eration. ever. at Dollywood’s Splash Coun- can see other friends or fam- Construction’s innovative de- Park President Martin Gold Striker at Califor- try. Marketed as Tennessee’s ily at the same moment of sign, Outlaw Run has exceed- Bozer comments, “Iron Rat- nia’s Great America (No. 4) only water coaster, passen- suspense, thrill-seekers are ed expectations, drawing tler has been enthusiastically has brought new life to the gers ride in tandem up to released and from a height of 75 feet before swirl- ing in an intense, high- race to the bottom. A similar attraction was also installed at Six Flags America (No. 4). Coming in third is Con- strictor, a new multi-person raft at the recently opened Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas. Complete with some of the tightest turns on a raft ride, the enclosed flume was sup- plied by WhiteWater West Industries. Rounding out the top five finalists is Bootlegger’s Run at New York’s Splish Splash. Like River Rush, this ProSlide LIM launched water coaster has uphill sections propelling No. 1: River Rush, Dollywood’s Splash Country No. 2: Bonzai Pipelines, Six Flags New England riders through a 983-foot long COURTESY DOLLYWOOD AT/TIM BALDWIN course. September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 25 Thank You Amusement Today And Golden Ticket Voters!

The Citizens Of Silver Dollar City

Golden Ticket Ad.indd 1 8/21/13 8:54:45 AM 26 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 27

Thank you for awarding us BEST NEW WATERPARK RIDE • BEST SHOWS FRIENDLIEST PARK • BEST FOOD • BEST CHRISTMAS EVENT in 2013! 2013

2013

PRESENTED TO

GOLDEN 2013 2013 FRIENDLIESTPRESENTED TO DOLLYWOOD GOLDEN RIVER GOLDEN BEST PARKDOLLYWOOD PRESENTED TO TICKET BEST RUSH SHOWS PRESENTED TO

DOLLYWOOD TICKET TICKET FOOD GOLDEN 2013 V.I.P. AWARD DOLLYWOOD PRESENTED TO GOLDEN BEST NEW V.I.P. AWARD BEST DOLLYWOOD’S WATERPARK AWARD TICKET CHRISTMAS

TICKET V.I.P. V.I.P. SPLASH RIDE AWARD EVENT

COUNTRY AWARD V.I.P.

BEST NEW WATERPARK RIDE

dollywood.com 28 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

River Rush at Dollywood, TN Wildebeest at Holiday World, IN UNPARALLELED INNOVATION. UNRIVALLED THRILLS. The accolades for ProSlide LIM water coasters keep coming!

Congratulations to Best New Ride winner Dollywood’s Splash Country for River Rush, a new ProSlide HydroMAGNETIC ROCKETTM.

And to Holiday World’s Wildebeest for its Best Water Park Ride award. It’s a four-time champion, winning every year since the HM ROCKET was installed.

For more info on ProSlide’s award-winning LIM water coasters: www.proslide.com/hm.

60 AWARDS IN 20+ YEARS September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 29 2013 Publisher’s Picks: Supplier, Turnstile Bussink Design reinvents the giant wheel Knott’s preserves its ‘heirloom’ log ride

The great designers and suppliers A dependable turnstile-spinner

2013 2013 have a knack for focusing on details. It’s PRESENTED AS for Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, the small things added together that GOLDEN SUPPLIER Calif., for 44 years, the Timber Mountain GOLDEN TURNSTILE TICKET OF THE TICKET AWARD ensure an end product that’s as near to AWARD YEAR Log Ride cemented its place as the most AWARD

PRESENTED TO PRESENTED TO V.I.P. perfection as anything man-made can BUSSINK DESIGN G mbH popular attraction at the park this season V.I.P. KNOTT’S BERRY FARM be. When each of an amusement ride’s with the completion of a $5 million-plus phases — from design/engineering to refurbishment. fabrication to onsite operation — is fulfilled to exact- The ride’s structural and extensive animatronic ing standards, it’s more likely that amusement history figure makeover, performed under the direction and will be made. watchful eye of Raffi Kaprelyan, vice president and One such industry innovator is Ronald Bussink. general manager of Knott’s, has spurred guests to His approach toward building giant observation “log” as many as three trips per visit on the themed wheels is breaking records as well as making history. flume/dark ride hybrid’s 2,100-foot course. Bussink Design GmbH recently opened its Telling the story of a late-19th century logging 260-foot-tall R80XL Observation Wheel at a city community and sawmill in the Sierra Nevada, the three-level Timber Moun- park in Puebla, Mexico. On July 14, the ride was tain was the brainchild of late theme park pioneer Wendell “Bud” Hurlbut, certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s who also created the classic Calico Mine Ride for Knott’s. San Bernardino, largest transportable observation wheel. Calif.-based Garner Holt Productions, a major supplier of park and museum Bussink’s wheel designs have rolled forth from a Bussink animatronics, provided hundreds of state-of-the art animated figures and career spanning more than 30 years. He started out props— most modeled directly from the preexisting scenes.” working with the showmen at the Dutch Fun Fair; subsequently, he moved to Bill Butler, Garner Holt’s creative design director, took what he called The Netherlands, where he worked on Spider rides and giant Ferris wheels. a “preservationist’s approach to the project that he hoped would carry it In 1983, Bussink partnered with an engineer and started Carrousel Hol- through the next 45 years. land BV to design and manufacture portable amusement rides and, most “Bud Hurlbut said in an interview that he really wished he could’ve got- important, giant wheels. His first three wheel orders originated in the U.S.: he ten back to [his Knott’s] attractions to add new technologies… we wanted to delivered the rides to Ray Cammack Shows, Magic Landing and Arrow Huss enhance and continue to tell the story of the logging camp and add to that for the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. new animatronics technologies that would really change the way we’re able to Today, Bussink Design GmbH partners with Maurer Wheels for interna- create characters and scenes.” Butler told AT. tional clients and Chance American Wheels for North America. Park general manager Kaprelyan felt a strong sense of duty to Hurlbut’s Bussink’s wheels are so loaded with state-of-the-art safety and passenger legacy and the decades-long loyalty Knott’s customers have shown to Timber features that it takes a two-hour-plus tour just to catch the highlights. These Mountain when he undertook the complex decision-making that went into the include cabins equipped with an in-house phone system for staff and operator renovations. communications, a cash control room, employee break room and a self-level- “This ride not only embodies the spirit of Knott’s Berry Farm, but it also ing support system that allows the wheel to adapt to all weather conditions. set the bar for all themed attractions that came after,” Kaprelyan told AT at For the ride experience, guests can choose from general seating, cocktail or Timber Mountain’s grand reopening in May. “Bud made numerous contribu- dinner setups, or a VIP luxury cabin package. tions to the park, but I think that this one remains his crowning achievement.” Ronald Bussink and his team have put a practical, cutting-edge contem- AT couldn’t agree more, and therefore it honors the Timber Mountain porary spin on the observation wheel. Recognizing the company’s success, AT Log Ride with the 2013 Turnstile Award. names Bussink Design GmbH the 2013 Supplier of the Year.

Standing 260 feet tall, The Star of Puebla (above) currently is the world’s largest transportable wheel according to Guiness World Records. Bussink Design’s Ronald Bussink (far Working with Garner Holt Productions, Knott’s Berry Farm spent more than left) shows off the new attractions to $5 million refurbishing the classic 44-year-old Timber Mountain Log Ride. Puebla’s Secretary of The project included new animatronic figures, LED lighting, an improved Transportation Bernardo Huerta sound system, and new paint and trees on the mountain’s exterior. The at- Couttolenc. traction has been drawing record ridership since its May 30 reopening. AT/GARY SLADE TOP ROW COURTESY KNOTT’S; BOTTOM ROW AT/GARY SLADE 30 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 2013 Publisher’s Picks: Person John Arie, Sr., drives affordability home Kim Samarelli stands tall in storm aftermath

The amusement industry is made Many inspirational stories of survival

2013 2013 up of successful dreamers who, through PRESENTED AS and recovery in our industry emerged PRESENTED AS GOLDEN PERSON after Superstorm Sandy delivered its GOLDEN PERSON dedication and hard work, turn their vi- TICKET OF THE TICKET OF THE sions of fun into vivid reality. AWARD YEAR punishing blow to the Northeast last fall. AWARD YEAR

PRESENTED TO PRESENTED TO V.I.P. John Arie, Sr., is one such dreamer. V.I.P. JOHN ARIE, SR. In our reporting on them, Kimberle R. KIMBERLE R. SAMARELLI This year, he spent $25 million expand- Samarelli, executive director of the New ing his 1996-introduced Fun Spot Action Jersey Amusement Association (NJAA) Park, just off International Drive in Orlando, Fla., into and a resident of particularly hard-hit Seaside the 15-acre Fun Spot America. Heights, N.J., was the person most often thanked. Arie grew up in the park business — cutting With infrastructure a mess and thousands left his teeth in 1969 at the Lil’ 500 Mini Bike Track in homeless, tending to the extreme needs of her Maitland, Fla. where his love for go-karts continued 200-member organization and her community was on the fast track. In 1979, he opened Fun ‘n Wheels a monumental task for Samarelli. Yet it remained a Amusement Park locations in Orlando and Kissim- priority even as she and her husband, James Sa- mee, Fla. He would go on to trademark and patent marelli, then the town’s fire chief and director of its many of his innovative go-kart track designs. Office of Emergency Management, and their two When this publisher first met him, Arie had just children coped with the loss of their own home. The installed a cutting-edge wet-dry waterslide from Bill Samarellis were so engulfed by their respective com- Crandall’s New Wave Rides at the Orlando location. Arie, Sr. mitments, in fact, that they barely saw each other in Samarelli It was instant hit. the first days of the crisis. With this and the eventual purchase of a 300-foot-tall in Kis- Despite the odds and obstacles, Samarelli held NJAA together and simmee, Arie’s goal to have a park with landmark rides was drawing closer. cheered-on the gradual reopening of the Jersey Shore’s beloved amusements It arrived this past June when Fun Spot America, with two new family roller through the summer. coasters and a slew of other improvements, made its debut. The grand re- AT teamed with Samarelli and NJAA to devote one of our pages to post- opening day’s record-setting revenues put a smile on Arie’s face that could be storm news and the ongoing recovery effort every month. It has become this seen from the NASA launch pads at Cape Canaveral. publication’s longest coverage commitment to a single industry-impacting Never intimidated or influenced by the burgeoning theme parks down event. the street, Arie long has believed in providing affordable fun that families When she spoke at the Pennsylvania Amusement Parks Association could enjoy on a whim, without advance budgetary planning or fear of being Spring Meeting in Hershey, Pa., last March, Samarelli and her family had just gouged. found a furnished home to rent so that they could spend some time on their As the Fun Spot properties have proven, affordable thrills work in today’s own recovery. For her unwavering dedication to the amusement industry in its amusement market. For that, John Arie, Sr., is AT’s co-choice for 2013 darkest hour, Kim Samarelli is AT’s co-choice for 2013 Person of the Year. Person of the Year.

Above, NJAA’s Kim Samarelli, organized a tour of the damaged park prop- erties along the Jersey shore for members of IAAPA. Below, Samarelli visits with New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno about the recovery efforts following Superstorm Sandy. COURTESY IAAPA and NJAA

John Aire, Sr. is living the dream. His ride park Fun Spot America is open for business and proving that affordabile pricing plans can lead to a success family audience. Most of all, he now enjoys his two thrilling, but still family-driven roller coasters. AT/GARY SLADE September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 31 32 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 Steel giants jockey for position on the coaster chart STORY: Tim Baldwin its skillful airtime, has always [email protected] rated as Europe’s highest ranking coaster, but the No. 3 It looks to be Cedar spot is clearly a new level of Point’s second big battle (see popularity. page 4). , The remaining Top 10 the world’s first coaster to coasters shuffle a bit. Ge- break the 300-foot mark ing in 2006 and continuing Force’s Olympian surge claims the top spot once through 2009, (for- causes Nitro at Six Flags again for a fourth consecutive merly Ride of Steel) Great Adventure (No. 4), year as BEST STEEL COAST- took the honors for a four-year Apollo’s Chariot at Busch ER. But take notice, Bizarro run. In 2010, Millennium Force Gardens Williamsburg (No. at Six Flags New England fought back and claimed the 5), and at has made such a resurgent gold. Now with the 2013 (No. charge at the Golden Ticket grab, both coasters have fin- 6) to all slip a notch over the holder, that a lead in 2012 by ished a four-year sprint, with a 2012 rankings. Six Flags Over more than 300 points was re- gap that is closing once again. Georgia’s (No. 7) and duced to less than a hundred Stay tuned. This battle is one Intimidator at in 2013. Clearly, this war of gi- to watch. (No. 8) are two more B&M ants is not over yet. Long time Climbing to its highest coasters, giving that firm four followers of the Golden Tick- rung on the steel ladder ever, finalists in the Top 10. Mag- ets will remember that both Expedition GeForce speeds num XL-200 (No. 9), Cedar of these coasters opened in into the top three. Making Point’s original Golden Ticket 2000 and debuted in the Top for a Win-Place-Show for In- winner, is the only coaster in 10. Over the course of the tamin, Expedition GeForce the Top 10 that was in exis- subsequent years, the two In- at Holiday Park in Germany tence when Amusement To- No 1: Millennium Force, Cedar Point tamin coasters wrestled back continues to claim new fans. day inaugurated the Golden COURTESY S. MADONNA HORCHER and forth for top prize. Start- The mega-coaster, known for Tickets in 1998. at Kings Dominion bursts into the Top 10 for the first time at No. 10. Nine coasters appear on the Steel charts that did not last year. Among them are two new-for-2013 installations. Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fies- ta Texas makes an impressive debut just shy of the Top 10 in the No. 11 spot. GateKeeper at Cedar Point (No. 28) now gives the Sandusky park six steel coasters on the chart for the first time in history. A returning favorite finds itself among Schwarzkopf brethren. (No. 40) from Six Flags Great Amer- ica is the oldest coaster on No 2: Bizarro, Six Flags New England No 3: Expedition GeForce, Holiday Park the chart dating to 1976. AT/TIM BALDWIN COURTESY HOLIDAY PARK Its siblings, Georgia’s Mind Bender (No. 19) and Texas’ Shock Wave (No. 29) shared that honor in 2012 with a 1978 birth year. Also in the Schwar- zkopf family is the only coast- er on the chart to not have a permanent home. Olympia Looping is a sought-after masterpiece for any true en- thusiast. Dominating the Ger- man fair circuit, this portable legend surfaces back on our charts at No. 45. Other coasters seeing their day in the sun for the first time on the charts are two de- serving B&Ms. Black at Phantasialand (No. 34) and X Flight at Six Flags Great America (No. 45) are now see- No 4: Nitro, Six Flags Great Adventure No. 5: Apollo’s Chariot, Busch Gardens Williamsburg ing some voter love. AT/GARY SLADE AT/GARY SLADE September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 33

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THE LIST I GOLDEN TICKET . V AWARDS 2013 Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters BEST OF THE BEST!

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

1 Millennium Force Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2000 1204

2 Bizarro Six Flags New England Agawam, Mass. 2000 Intamin 1011

3 Expedition GeForce Holiday Park Hassloch, Germany 2001 Intamin 598

4 Nitro Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2001 B & M 596

5 Apollo’s Chariot Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 1999 B & M 542

6 New Texas Giant Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 2011 Rocky Mountain 512

7 Goliath Six Flags Over Georgia Austell, Ga. 2006 B & M 494

8 Intimidator Carowinds Charlotte, N.C. 2010 B & M 478

9 Magnum XL-200 Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1989 Arrow 416

10 Intimidator-305 Kings Dominion Doswell, Va. 2010 Intamin 412

11 Iron Rattler Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 2013 Rocky Mountain 393

12 Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2003 Intamin 356

13 Phantom’s Revenge Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 2001 Morgan/Arrow 334

14 Diamondback Kings Island Mason, Ohio 2009 B & M 301

15 Leviathan Canada’s Wonderland , Ontario, Canada 2012 B & M 298

16 Valencia, Calif. 2002 Arrow 290

17 Behemoth Canada’s Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario, Canada 2008 B & M 276

18 Tampa, Fla. 1996 B & M 257

19 Mind Bender Six Flags Over Georgia Austell, Ga. 1978 Schwarzkopf 247

20 Staffordshire, England 1994 B & M 210

21 Europa-Park Rust, Germany 2009 Mack 192

22 Maverick Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2007 Intamin 183

23 Goliath La Ronde Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2006 B & M 156

24 Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 2012 B & M 148

25 Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 1997 B & M 147

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THE LIST I GOLDEN TICKET . V AWARDS 2013 Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters BEST OF THE BEST!

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

26 Hershey, Pa. 2012 Intamin 136

27 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Tampa, Fla. 1993 B & M 134

28 GateKeeper Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 2013 B & M 113

29 Shock Wave Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 1978 Schwarzkopf 103

30 Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1994 B & M 102

31 Raging Bull Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1999 B & M 100

32 SheiKra Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Tampa, Fla. 2005 B & M 98

33 Busch Gardens Williamsburg Williamsburg, Va. 2007 B & M 97

34 Black Mamba Phantasialand Brühl, Germany 2006 B & M 94

35 (tie) Afterburn Carowinds Charlotte, N.C. 1999 B & M 92

35 (tie) Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2005 Intamin 92

37 Dorney Park Allentown, Pa. 1998 Morgan 87

38 Superman Ride of Steel Six Flags America Largo, Md. 2000 Intamin 86

39 Volcano: The Blast Coaster Kings Dominion Doswell, Va. 1998 Intamin 85

40 Whizzer Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1976 Schwarzkopf 80

41 Goliath Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2000 78

42 (tie) Disney’s Animal Kingdom Orlando, Fla. 2006 /WED Imagineering 76

42 (tie) PowderKeg Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 2005 S & S 76

42 (tie) Titan Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 2001 Giovanola 76

45 (tie) Olympia Looping owner: R. Barth and Sohn KG [traveling] 1989 Schwarzkopf 73

45 (tie) X Flight Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 2012 B & M 73

47 Dominator Kings Dominion Doswell, Va. 2008 B & M 63

48 (tie) SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 2000 B & M 60

48 (tie) Lisebergbanen Liseberg Gothenburg, Sweden 1987 Schwarzkopf 60

50 Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2006 B & M 58 36 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 Boulder Dash reclaims number-one wooden coaster STORY: Tim Baldwin wood’s (No. 18) [email protected] — opened in 1920, soon to reach a ripe old age of 100. When El Toro at Six Flags Other coasters from the 20s Great Adventure seized the include: Giant Dipper from Golden Ticket following a Santa Cruz Beach Board- five-year streak by Holiday walk (No. 22; 1924), the clas- World’s The Voyage, a battle number one and regain the sic of the titans between these top spot years later is quite (No. 19; 1927), and Kenny- two was expected for our an honor. Fantastic!” cheers wood’s (No. 35; 1927). 2013 wooden coaster chart. Jerry Brick, general manager Yankee Cannonball (No. However, they placed at No. at . “This 50; 1936) at Canobie Lake 2 and No. 4 respectively. In means a lot to the park; we Park received an ACE Roller an amazing upset, Boulder are very grateful for every- Coaster Landmark designa- Dash at Lake Compounce one who voted Boulder Dash tion this summer by American staged a coup reclaiming the their favorite.” Coaster Enthusiasts. gold. Boulder Dash, always a Like the steel chart, the But certainly, some fresh top-five contender, once took listings somewhat celebrate wood makes an appearance. the Golden Ticket in 2004 the young — a strong indica- Silver Dollar City, with its as- and now has once again as tion that some of the great- tounding new Outlaw Run, BEST WOODEN COASTER. est roller coasters in history makes an impressive debut “I was excited for the are being built today; 37 of in the Top 10 at No. 7. Gold park and especially the team the woodies are under the Striker from California’s that has done a lot of work age of 20. Still, eight roller Great America lands at No. on the coaster and helped coasters aged 50 or older 26. Both of these coasters are No. 1: Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce maintain it over the years. To stand proudly among them. new-for-2013. Absent from COURTESY LAKE COMPOUNCE have a coaster that was once The oldest of them — Kenny- our charts last year, but mak- ing a later debut is the 2012 Wodan Timbur Coaster at Europa-Park (No. 31). Only two of our Top 10 were rolling when AT’s first wood chart premiered in 1998 — at Knoeb- els (No. 3) and Kings Island’s The Beast (No. 8). Both have remained in the Top 10 every year a Golden Ticket Awards list has been published. The remaining coasters in the Top 10 are Thunderhead at Dollywood (No. 5), Ravine Flyer II at (No. 6), at Hersheypark (No. 9) and at Michi- gan’s Adventure (No. 10). Ten coasters on the list No. 2: El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure No. 3: Phoenix, Knoebels Amusement Resort operate outside the U.S. AT/TIM BALDWIN AT/TIM BALDWIN at Liseberg (No. 13; Sweden) still ranks the high- est. Others include: Colossos at (No. 17, Ger- many), El Toro at Freizetpark Plohn (No. 23, Germany), Troy at (No. 28, the Netherlands), Wooden Coaster at Playland at the PNE (No. 30; Canada); Thunderbird at PowerLand (No. 38, Finland), Grand National at Blackpool Plea- sure Beach (England) and at (South Korea; both tied at No. 41), Tonnerre de from Parc Astérix (No. 44, France), Twister at Gröna Lund (No. 46, Sweden), as well as the afore-mentioned Wodan Tim- No. 4: The Voyage, Holiday World No. 5: Thunderhead, Dollywood bur Coaster. AT/FAN FEICHT AT/TIM BALDWIN September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 37

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THE LIST I GOLDEN TICKET . V AWARDS 2013 Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters BEST OF THE BEST!

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

1 Bouder Dash Lake Compounce Bristol, Conn. 2000 CCI 1333

2 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, N.J. 2006 Intamin 1302

3 Phoenix Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 1985 Dinn/PTC-Schmeck 1088

4 The Voyage Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 2006 Gravity Group 1086

5 Thunderhead Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 2004 GCII 923

6 Ravine Flyer II Waldameer Erie, Pa. 2008 Gravity Group 712

7 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 2013 Rocky Mountain 599

8 The Beast Kings Island Mason, Ohio 1979 KECO 555

9 Lightning Racer Hersheypark Hershey, Pa. 2000 GCII 364

10 Shivering Timbers Michigan’s Adventure Muskegon, Mich. 1998 CCI 304

11 The Raven Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 1995 CCI 296

12 Kansas City, Mo. 2009 GCII 290

13 Balder Liseberg Gothenburg, Sweden 2003 Intamin 278

14 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Theme Park Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 2005 Gravity Group 225

15 Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 1968 Vettel/Miller 222

16 The Great Escape Lake George, N.Y. 1994 PTC - Schmeck 215

17 Colossos Heide Park Soltau, Germany 2001 Intamin 207

18 Jack Rabbit Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 1920 PTC - Miller 192

19 (tie) Cyclone Luna Park (Coney Island) , N.Y. 1927 Keenan/Baker 166

19 (tie) The Legend Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 2000 CCI 166

21 Kentucky Rumbler Beech Bend Bowling Green, Ky. 2006 GCII 160

22 Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 1924 Prior & Church/Looff 146

23 El Toro Freizeitpark Plohn Lengenfeld, Germany 2009 GCII 138

24 Silverwood Athol, Idaho 1999 CCI 132

25 American Thunder Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, Mo. 2008 GCII 127 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 41

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THE LIST I GOLDEN TICKET . V AWARDS 2013 Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters BEST OF THE BEST!

RANK NAME PARK LOCATION YEAR SUPPLIER POINTS

26 Gold Striker California’s Great America Santa Clara, Calif. 2013 GCII 118

27 Blue Streak Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1964 PTC - Hoover 116

28 Troy Toverland Sevenum, Netherlands 2007 GCII 115

29 GhostRider Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. 1998 CCI 113

30 Playland Wooden Coaster Playland at the PNE Vancouver, B.C., Canada 1958 Phare 111

31 Wodan Timbur Coaster Europa-Park Rust, Germany 2012 GCII 108

32 Indiana Beach Monticello, Ind. 2001 CCI 100

33 Blue Streak Conneaut Lake, Pa. 1938 Vettel 99

34 Kemah, Texas 2007 M&V/Gravity Group 94

35 Racer Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 1927 PTC - Miller 90

36 Wooden Warrior Middlebury, Conn. 2011 Gravity Group 88

37 Zippin Pippin Bay Beach Amusement Park Green Bay, Wis. 2011 M&V 84

38 Thunderbird PowerLand Alahärmä, Finland 2006 GCII 83

39 Twister Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 1999 Fetterman-Knoebels 80

40 Oakwood Pembrokeshire, Wales 1996 CCI 76

41 (tie) Grand National Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Blackpool, England 1935 Paige 70

41 (tie) T Express Everland Yongin-si, South Korea 2008 Intamin 70

43 Great American Machine Six Flags Over Georgia Austell, Ga. 1973 PTC - Allen 66

44 (tie) Parc Astérix Plailly, France 1997 CCI 64

44 (tie) Viper Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 1995 Starkey - Six Flags 64

46 (tie) HellCat Timber Falls Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 2004 S & S 62

46 (tie) Twister Gröna Lund Stockholm, Sweden 2011 Gravity Group 62

48 Cyclone Lakeside Park Denver, Colo. 1940 Vettel 60

49 Apocalypse Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, Calif. 2009 GCII 59

50 Yankee Cannonball Salem, N.H. 1936 PTC - Schmeck 55 GreatCoasters-GreatThen ad.pdf 8/19/13 3:53:16 PM 42 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013 September 2013 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY 43 44 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2013

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