Army resort reopens at Walt Disney World
"The U.S. Army reopened its military-only Walt Disney World resort Wednesday with twice as many hotel rooms. The Army shut down the Shades of Green resort in 2002 and laid off virtually all of its staff, the Orlando Sentinel reported." From United Press International via The Washington Times.

MGM and Six Flags Theme Parks to Launch Stargate SG 3000 Interactive Simulation Adventure at Selected U.S. Parks
"LOS ANGELES, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Studios announced today that it has signed a two-year deal with Six Flags Inc. to open attractions based on MGM's popular syndicated television series 'Stargate SG-1' at Six Flags theme parks in three U.S. cities. This marks the North American premiere of Stargate SG 3000, an interactive simulation adventure that made its debut at Space Center Bremen in Germany in December 2003 and has already become one of the most popular attractions there. The Stargate attractions will open over the next few months at Six Flags Marine World (Vallejo, Calif.), Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, Ky.) and Six Flags Great America (Chicago)." From Yahoo!

Tussauds Fined for Theme Park Accident
"The owners of one of Britain's largest theme parks were fined £65,000 today after an accident on a ride which almost turned into 'an absolute tragedy'. Tussauds Theme Park was fined at Guildford Crown Court following an incident at Thorpe Park in Surrey in which two teenagers were injured after an attachment connecting their gondola to the Zodiac Enterprise ride came adrift. It was left dangling from one support and, as the operator tried to bring the ride to a stop, the gondola repeatedly hit decking at the bottom before coming to a stop." From Scotsman.com News.

Disneyland raising prices
"Prices at Disneyland and California Adventure will increase to $49.75 for visitors more than 10 years old. That's an increase of $2.75, or nearly 6 percent." AP Story from BayNews9.

Disney World raises ticket prices
"Walt Disney World announced its biggest ticket-price increase in at least 15 years on Friday, another signal that the region's flagging tourism-based economy is on the mend. On Sunday, the price of a one-day, one-park adult admission will increase $2.75 to $54.75, before tax, restoring Disney's title as owner of Central Florida's most expensive collection of theme parks." From OrlandoSentinel.com.

Senate approves background checks on carnival workers
"Convicted sex workers would be banned from being carnival workers in Illinois under a plan that's cleared half the state Legislature. The Illinois Senate voted 40-15 to require state-issued identification cards for carnival ride operators to work here and background checks for all carnival workers." From WQAD.

Walt Disney World Employees Ratify Part-Time Contract
"Parttime workers at Walt Disney World on Wednesday for the first time approved a contract that offers guaranteed pay increases, a grievance process and seniority in work schedules. The four-year contract, which covers 6,500 workers of Disney's more than 50,000-employee work force, was approved overwhelmingly, said Ed Chambers, president of the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union Local 1625." AP Story from The Lakeland Ledger.

L.A. Times story irks county tourism leader
"A 39-inch story by St. Louis-based reporter Stephanie Simon that appeared on the Times' front page Monday [see link below] has generated some mixed reactions. Simon's topic was the 30-story Abraham Lincoln statue and theme park that a group of local promoters have been pitching to prospective underwriters for several years." From The Lincoln Courier.

Theme park could be coming to Albuquerque
"Albuquerque [NM] Mayor Martin Chavez hopes to see a large-scale theme park open up just west of the river near downtown as part of a massive redevelopment plan for the west part of Central Avenue. The area near Central and Atrisco, would see the biggest changes if the plan succeeds. That's where Chavez wants to see a cultural and entertainment village, which would include the theme park. The West Central Metropolitan Redevelopment Plan is still in the very early stages and Chavez says it could take as long as twenty years for some of the ideas to become reality." From KRQE.

A Town Divided on Plan for Lincoln Theme Park: for 'edu-tainment' and tourism, boosters in Illinois want rides and a 30-story statue
LINCOLN, Ill. -- This friendly outpost in the cornfields has just one claim to fame. And lately, some folks have been thinking they're not making all they could of it. Looking to honor the gangly president who gave Lincoln its good name - and, not incidentally, to draw tourists by the tens of thousands - civic boosters have proposed building an Honest Abe theme park, capped off with a towering 30-story statue of the man himself. They envision animatronic displays of Civil War history; a working model of a 19th century frontier farm; a water park; a toboggan run; miniature golf; bumper cars; and stovepipe hats aplenty." From The Los Angeles Times.

2 Rescuers Injured at Amusement Park
"Two of 119 firefighters sustained serious injuries when they fell from a gondola helping the rescue people suspended in the air on a ride at an amusement park in Sochon, South Chungchong Province [Korea], on Sunday afternoon. According to police and people at the Riverside Parkland, 15 people were stuck 27 meters above the ground on a ride called, 'gyroscope' for more than two hours. A team of firefighters was called in to get them down. The accident took place, as they tried to use a gondola connected to an electric ladder attached to a rescue vehicle. The ride suddenly moved down on the gondola and overturned it, spilling the two rescuers from it. " From The Korea Times.

Spiderman to the rescue of Universal Studios Japan
"OSAKA: Spiderman, who rescued Sony Corp's earnings a year ago with his smash hit movie, now has the fate of Universal Studios' money-losing Japanese theme park firmly in his weblike clutches. Universal Studios Japan (USJ), which opened in March 2001 as the movie giant's first theme park outside the United States, is hoping a new 3D adventure ride featuring the comic book superhero will help it stage a long-awaited earnings turnaround. " from Star Publications (Malaysia).

Six Flags Launches First National Ad Campaign in Seven Years
"For the first time in seven years, Six Flags is launching a national advertising campaign and introducing a mysterious new icon representing family fun. National spots that begin airing this week feature an exuberant, irresistible character who beckons families to escape their overscheduled, stressed-out, hectic lives for a day of playtime at Six Flags." From Six Flags via PR Newswire.

A roller coaster for Delaware: Thrill ride a late addition to complex near New Castle
"Delaware was a state without a roller coaster. Now it has one. Workers assembled a 60-foot-tall coaster [the Zyklon from DelGrosso's Amusement Park] in four days and had it standing Sunday. It will be part of a planned amusement park at the Blue Diamond Park Action Sports and Entertainment Complex near New Castle. The amusement park could be open by Memorial Day. The complex already features motocross and BMX tracks and an all-terrain vehicle riding area, all of which opened in August. Other attractions, including a paintball field and two 18-hole miniature golf courses, also are planned at the 400-acre site owned by the Greggo & Ferrara construction company." From The News Journal.

SpongeBob SquarePants to star at Six Flags
"SpongeBob is coming to Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags said Wednesday that SpongeBob SquarePants - the popular Nickelodeon television network cartoon character - will be the face of an all-new theater attraction at the Arlington amusement park. The '4-D' attraction 'will transport guests out into the deep blue sea to experience the wild and zany adventures of SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals,' Six Flags said in a release. Six Flags said the attraction open this Spring." From The Star-Telegram.

Theme Park's Ads Accidentally Give Sex Hotline Number
"TAMPA, Fla. -- Busch Gardens may be a lot of fun -- but it's not the 'Pleasure Zone.' The Tampa theme park sent out marketing fliers with the wrong phone number. Park spokesman Gerard Hoeppner said instead of reaching Busch Gardens, callers got the Pleasure Zone -- a recorded sex line... the typo was off by a single digit." From TheIowaChannel.com.

Tennessee State Rep. considers regulations for amusement rides
"After a woman's deadly fall from a Pigeon Forge amusement ride, there may be a legislative move to regulate ride safety... There are no state agencies that regulate or inspect amusement rides in Tennessee. But state Rep. Richard Montgomery, of Sevier County, told 6 News that needs to change. "I know I'm going to be talking to some people to see what does regulate these rides and amusement parks. And see if there's anything we need to do, from the state level, to enact some laws," Montgomery said. From WATE.

Trip on Amusement Ride Turns Tragic
"A Nashville woman was killed Sunday after falling from an amusement ride in Pigeon Forge. Barbara Ward of the Pigeon Forge Police Department said officers responded to a call at 12:15pm from the Rockin Raceway on Highway 66, where 51-year old June Carol Alexander had fallen 60-feet from a ride known as 'The Hawk'. She was pronounced dead at the scene. " From WVLT Volunteer TV.

Bad to the Bone: "Savage Ancient World" exhibit brings taste of archaeology to Camden
"Last year, visitors came from 39 states to have a day of family fun at Camden Park, West Virginia.s only amusement park. This year, the owners know for certain a super-sized Colorado family is coming in late May... The dinosaurs are coming. 'Savage Ancient World -- the Last American Dinosaurs' is the park's new attraction for the summer of 2004. Filling the 50-foot by 80-foot Adena Center, the attraction features life-sized skeletal dinosaur models and bones that will open to the public May 22 and continue through Aug. 14." From The Herald-Dispatch.

Spin City: Camp Snoopy's new roller coaster has enough twists and turns to satisfy the most demanding thrill-seeker
"It may not make you scream, but it should make you laugh. That's the verdict from roller coaster fanatics who got a chance to preview the Timberland Twister, the new ride opening to the public Monday in Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America in Bloomington [MN]... The $5 million, quarter-mile ride climbs about five stories, hits speeds up to 31 mph and takes about a minute and a half." From the Pioneer Press.

Around St. Paul [MN]: Como Park getting new rides, operators
"The old carnival rides at Como Zoo, which some consider quaint but others consider outdated, will be replaced by more modern (and more lucrative) rides in the summer of 2005. And that means that the O'Neill family, which has run the small amusement park since 1949, is out. The family was one of three groups to bid on the park improvements, but city officials chose Lancer Management Services, which already runs the zoo's food concessions. " From the Star Tribune.

Six Flags to dump eight parks at a loss
Six Flags Inc. has changed course, agreeing to sell eight of its 39 theme parks at a loss of $290 million just months after saying it had no plans to sell anything. It announced Wednesday that it will sell seven of its eight European parks to an unnamed investment firm for about $200 million. It will also sell Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Cleveland to Cedar Fair, the owner of Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm, for $145 million. Six Flags' loss on the sales includes capital it had invested in the parks. Six Flags said it will use the cash from the sales to pay off debt and invest in its remaining parks. Six Flags has lost money for five straight years." From the Mercury News.

Security Gates Going Up at Disneyland
"Reality is coming to Disneyland's fantasy world, in the form of permanent security gates. Bowing to terrorism fears, the Walt Disney Co. plans to build the gates at the Disneyland Resort next fall. The company had resisted security gates around Disneyland and the California Adventure theme park next door, believing the sense of fantasy would be spoiled. Disney already screens purses, backpacks and coolers, but the bag-check tables have been moved away from the main gates to areas near tram drop-off points. Permanent gates will be built where temporary canopies and barricades are now in place. " AP story from Newsday.com.

CEDAR FAIR, L.P. TO ACQUIRE SIX FLAGS WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
"Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE: FUN), a publicly traded partnership which owns and operates six amusement parks and five water parks, today announced that it has reached agreement in principle for the acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, located near Cleveland, Ohio, from Six Flags, Inc. The transaction, which is valued at $145 million, involves the purchase of substantially all of the assets of the park, including the adjacent hotel and campground. Six Flags will retain ownership of all animals currently located at the park. The cash purchase is subject to a number of conditions, including the negotiation of a definitive purchase agreement, and is expected to close before the beginning of the 2004 season. Further details were not disclosed." From Cedar Fair, L.P.

'Gravitron' Ride Malfunctions At Pasadena [TX] Carnival
"A scary ride grew even scarier for some Pasadena carnival-goers Sunday afternoon. Investigators said a 'Gravitron' ride, which uses a spinning force to keep people stuck to the walls, at a carnival near the intersection of Spencer and Shaver malfunctioned around 4:45 p.m. and would not stop." From click2houston.com.

Three burnt in theme park blast
"Three people suffered minor burns in a fire in a fast-food van at Gold Coast theme park Wet'n Wild today. Police said there was a minor explosion from a gas bottle in the van about 11am (AEST)." From the Herald Sun.

New amusement park will be for children who Wannado adult roles
"Now only a few months from opening, Wannado City will soon be Broward County's only amusement park, carved into one side of the massive Sawgrass Mills Mall. Children from 4 to 11 years old will get to take on roles as police officers, singers, actors, newspaper and television reporters, airplane pilots and other careers." From the Sun-Sentinel.

For a Diplomat, Task Is Quelling Disney's Unrest
"George J. Mitchell, who has just assumed one of the most challenging jobs in corporate America as chairman of the embattled Walt Disney Company, will need all of his skills as a negotiator to win over disgruntled shareholders. Mr. Mitchell, 70, a former United States senator who has little business experience, said in a telephone interview yesterday that he had no desire to play the corporate strategist, as many chairmen do. Instead, he sees his main job as negotiating among factions of unhappy investors, other board members and Michael D. Eisner, the chief executive who lost the chairman's title in the wake of a resounding no-confidence vote at the company's shareholder meeting on Wednesday... For now, Mr. Mitchell, who was the presiding director of Disney's board until Wednesday night's appointment, said he was not planning on finding a successor for Mr. Eisner, as dissident investors have demanded. And Mr. Eisner said in an interview that he did not plan to leave anytime soon." From The New York Times.

Amusement parks on white-knuckle ride: Facilities move toward live shows, baths as visitor numbers decline
"Eight amusement and theme parks in the Kanto region closed between 1998 and 2003, according to Shiro Komatsu, deputy general manager of Mitsubishi Research Institute's Research Center for Regional Policy and Planning." From The Japan Times Online.

Referendum seeks almost $10 million for water park
"Elk Grove [IL] Park District officials hope that what lies beyond the Rainbow is a brand-new water park. The fate of the $9.95 million Rainbow Falls Water Theme Park improvement project they've crafted over the last year will be decided in a villagewide vote in less than two weeks, during the March 16 primary election. The referendum, proposed by the park district, asks taxpayers to pay about $9 more a year over the next 15 years to renovate the 44-year-old Rainbow Falls Water Theme Park at 100 Lions Drive, just east of Arlington Heights Road." From the Elk Grove Times.

Brunei Sultan to Invest 900 MLN For A Theme Park in Rome
"According to the weekly 'l'Espresso', the Sultan of Brunei wants to invest 900 million for a theme park to be built in Rome. The weekly reports that the Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni and the Lazio Region's president Storace were incredulous when they saw the project that could boost employment in the capital. The theme park should be called Agata (like a town where Sumers lived happily in old times) and should be five times bigger that Paris's Euro Disney. It will be built in a five-hectare space between Casilina road and Prenestina road." From AGI.

Klein Ruling Means Schools Can Have Fun Again
"Students can again look forward to class trips to fun places like Six Flags Great Adventure under a new policy approved by [New York] Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Klein has drafted new rules allowing principals to offer students trips to 'resorts, amusement parks [and] recreation areas' for graduations and other celebrations. " From the New York Post Online Edition.

Disney considers impact of Eisner revolt
"Michael Eisner on Wednesday faced the biggest challenge of his 18-year tenure as chairman and chief executive of Walt Disney when up to 43 per cent of investors voted against his re-appointment to lead the entertainment group... If the opposition to Mr Eisner's tenure exceeds early predictions, it would represent the biggest vote against a US company chairman in years." From FT.com.

Despite fight, Joyland on track for opening
"Although on a legal roller coaster at the moment, Joyland will open this spring, its past and current owners pledge. Stanley and Margaret Nelson, the previous owners of Wichita's only amusement park, recently filed a lawsuit against David Rohr, to whom they sold Joyland last year. They allege Rohr has failed to make payments to them and is not properly maintaining the attraction. No matter what the outcome of the lawsuit, Joyland will open as usual sometime in late March or early April, the Nelsons and Rohr say." From The Wichita Eagle.

Debbie Reynolds to Open Museum in Tenn.
"PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. March 3 - Debbie Reynolds will open the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum in this Great Smoky Mountains resort community to display her extensive collection of movie memorabilia, the film star announced Tuesday... Valued at more than $50 million, the collection contains about 3,500 costumes and tens of thousands of props, movie posters, still photos, lobby cards and other items, the 71-year-old actress said." From ABCNEWS.com.

Jury finds in favor of Disney California theme park in roller-coaster injury case
"The Walt Disney Co. was not liable for injuries suffered by a Milwaukee surgeon who said he developed whiplash and a neurological problem after riding an amusement park roller coaster, a jury ruled Monday. Dr. David Heber said he suffered painful injuries on the California Screamin' roller coaster at Disney's California Adventure theme park in August 2001." AP Story from The Mercury News.