Water deal may be near for Michigan's Adventure
"The on-again, off-again effort to bring municipal water service to Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park may be on again, and the deal could be finalized next month. That means that major improvements, like a campground or hotel, could be back on the agenda for the park, which is the area's biggest tourist attraction. Officials from Muskegon County and the amusement park, with assistance from the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce and Muskegon Area First, have been negotiating for months to try to get a waterline extended about 31/2 miles north along Whitehall Road, from River Road to the amusement park." From The Muskegon Chronicle.

Popular Six Flags ride shut down
"A popular ride at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo [CA] remains closed today as park officials and state regulators try to determine why it left a 7-old-girl feeling nauseated and numb. Investigators with Cal OSHA spent Monday testing and inspecting the park's Hammerhead Shark ride, which swings like a pendulum before sending riders on a 360-degree whirl, after shutting it down first thing Sunday morning." From The San Francisco Chronicle.

It Pays to Be an RV-Friendly Business; World's Largest RV Club Names Its Favorites
"Fort Wilderness Campground and Walt Disney World in Florida have been named winners since the Welcome Mat Awards began in 2002. The popular campground and tourist attraction have consistently scored high marks with Good Sam Club members." Press Release on Yahoo!

9-1-1 Tape Released In Death Of Boy At Disney
"The investigation into the little boy's health hasn't led to any real answers, but the 9-1-1 tape is telling more about what led up to the little boy's death. The medical examiner says there were no obvious cause of death and no signs of trauma from the ride. She's still waiting on test results to pinpoint what happened, and that may take weeks." Audio of the 9-1-1 tape available at the above link. From WFTV.com.

Man Rides Roller Coaster For 11 Days To Win Car
"After 11 days on a roller coaster, a 23-year-old Maplewood, Minn. man was named the winner of KDWB's "Survive It and Drive It" contest. Doug LeClair rode the Valleyfair roller coaster "Wild Thing" 1,581 times to win the car. LeClair then stayed on the ride long enough to break last year's record of 1,603 rides." From WCCO.

Fox-led consortium buys Melbourne Luna Park
"A consortium led by businessman Lindsay Fox has bought St Kilda's [Australia] Luna Park for more than $7 million. Mr Fox says he purchased the property primarily for reasons of nostalgia." From ABC News.

Theme park spending seen growing 4.5% a year
"Stronger economic growth, a weak dollar and new parks and attractions like Hong Kong Disneyland and 'Fear Factor Live' at Universal Studios, will keep global theme park revenue rising for the next five years, according to a new report. Worldwide spending on theme parks and amusement parks is expected to increase 4.5% a year to $26.8 billion by 2009, driven by stronger economic growth and weakness in the U.S. dollar, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers." From Amusement Business.

Clementon Park closes ride
"A ride at Clementon Amusement Park [NJ] has been shut down pending a state investigation into an incident in which a Pine Hill teenager said she was injured. Investigators are trying to determine whether the ride malfunctioned and, if so, why. The ride, called Chaos, will remain closed until the conclusion of the investigation, said E.J. Miranda, spokesman for the state Department of Community Affairs. The incident happened around 9 p.m. Saturday.
Tyra Bantum, 16, was on the ride with her cousin. Bantum said she realized her shoulder harness was not fastened after the ride flipped a first time. The harness came undone during a second flip and the metal restraint bar in front of Bantum broke, she said." From The Courier Post.

South Dakota man injured in Omaha amusement park accident
"A South Dakota man was listed in fair condition one day after falling about 15 feet when a locking device restraining him came loose on an amusement park ride, police said. Tyler Shippy, 20, of Winner, S.D., fell Friday and was listed in fair condition Saturday at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Police Officer Chris LeGrow said Shippy was on the 'Chaos' ride at the Fun Plex amusement park when the accident happened. The ride, which features a rocking and rotating motion on a spinning and tilting platform, was shut down for inspection." AP Story on The Aberdeen News.

Father Thrown From Water Ride At Amusement Park
"An Atlantic City Boardwalk water ride is expected to remain closed pending state officials' investigation into a mishap that left a Philadelphia family injured. City fire officials said the five family members were hurt on the Big Splash log flume ride Saturday. The car the five were riding in went down an incline and into a basin that was supposed to be filled with water but was apparently empty." From NBC 10.

Holy roller Batman! Coaster takes honor
"Most people are thrilled traveling at 50 mph while hanging below a twisting steel track. Members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts share that feeling about Batman the Ride at Six Flags Great America, and go a step further. They think it's such an engineering marvel, it deserves a special place in history. Monday, more than 500 members of the 8,000-person group travel to the Gurnee [IL] amusement park to bestow the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark award -- their highest honor -- on the black and yellow roller coaster that experts say opened doors to bigger and better thrills." From The Daily Herald.

Autopsy Results Out in Theme Park Death
"Initial autopsy results are out on a four-year-old boy who died after going on a ride at Disney World. An autopsy found no sign of trauma on the boy who passed out on the 'Mission Space' ride, then died. Authorities say it will be several weeks before they know how he died." From KABC.

Idaho theme-park operator buys nearby animal park
"The Pine Mountain Wild Animal Park in Pine Mountain, Ga., has a new owner. Great American Family Parks Inc., a regional theme park operator in Idaho, has completed its $4.75 million purchase of the assets of Ron Snider & Associates, which includes the animal park, Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari." From The Birmingham Business Journal.

State High Court Rules on Roller Coaster Liability
"The California Supreme Court ruled today that operators of roller coaster rides are legally liable for the same heightened standards of care for passenger safety that apply to buses and trains. The high court issued its ruling in San Francisco in a lawsuit filed against Walt Disney Co. by the heirs of a 23-year-old Spanish woman who died after riding on the Indiana Jones amusement ride at Disneyland in 2000... The state Supreme Court's ruling, made by a 4-3 vote, allows the heirs to pursue claims of common carrier liability in their pending Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Disney." From CBS 5.

Wayans Bros. want to build studio, themer in Oakland
"The Wayans brothers have received preliminary approval from a city council committee to develop a movie studio on an old army base and to build and adjacent theme park in Oakland, Calif., according to a published report. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland City Council's Economic Development Committee gave the okay to a plan to enter into negotiations with the Wayans brothers, including Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon." From Amusement Business.

Huge amusement park in works for Mirabel
"Plans are officially underway to build a year-round amusement park north of Montreal. It will be called Lac Mirabel, and will be a mall, amusement park, and vacation spot all rolled into one. Developers unveiled the recreational and entertainment park plans Monday, announcing that construction will begin at the end of this summer." From CBC Montreal.

Teen Night Trouble
"Green Bay police report numerous fights broke out during the first Teen Night of the season. Police say the fights happened just as Teen Night was wrapping up around 11 p.m. at Bay Beach Amusement Park. Police arrested ten people from age 12 to 20 for charges including disorderly conduct, resisting an officer, underage drinking, and possession of a dangerous weapon for a knife. There was a larger security presence at the first Teen Night, as police wanted to head off problems that marred a teen event one year ago." From WBAY.

Child Dies On Epcot Ride
" A 4-year-old boy on a family vacation died Monday afternoon after he passed out on an Epcot Center [FL] ride. The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on the Mission: SPACE ride, according to Disney officials. The ride spins passengers on a multi-armed centrifuge to simulate a launch into space. It exerts twice the normal force of gravity on occupants." From Local10.com.

Business: Cypress Gardens exceeds annual goal in five months
"The reborn Cypress Gardens Adventure Park continues to confound the skeptics. Rebuilt by Georgia entrepreneur Kent Buescher with the addition of a full plate of carnival rides, the Winter Haven tourist attraction zoomed past its first-year attendance goals by April, its fifth month. The folksy Buescher, who also owns Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Ga., projects the park will draw 1.5-million people through its first full year. That's twice the 750,000 he cautiously forecast to bankers last fall. The park got off to such a fast start that Buescher last week named George Vitello, a theme park veteran who had been his director of revenue in Valdosta, as his Florida park's first full-time general manager." From The St. Petersburg Times.

Got a Pentax camera? Get into Six Flags Free
Pentax camera owners can get into a Six Flags theme park free on Thursday, June 23rd -- but you have to visit Pentax's website to print out a voucher and bring it and your camera with you. Follow the above link for details and rules for the promotion. From Pentax Imaging.

Malfunction takes Kingda Ka off line
"As of midday Friday, technicians continued to investigate a malfunction on the new record-breaking, Intamin-made Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J. The ride has been shut down since Wednesday, when routine testing revealed an undisclosed malfunction, forcing the park to take the blockbuster attraction off line while tests were run." From Amusement Business.

Joyland Amusement Park Wichita, Kansas
Now for sale on eBay: "Built 1949- $1,650,000.00. A nostalgic viable park with an exclusive collection of vintage rides! We are presenting as an offering for sale the Property known as 'Joyland Amusement Park' in Wichita, Kansas. Joyland was founded in 1949 and has enjoyed propserous operation for over 50 years. Billed as 50 (now 40+)acres of fun, this midsize amusement park has various rides and a spacious Pavillion complex to service large community (has served up to 10,000 people)groups of patrons." From eBay.

Disneyland Goes to Washington
"In a ceremony today at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, donated several objects to the museum in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland in California. Michael was joined by several children from the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center daycare and the one-and-only, Mickey Mouse. Among the donated items are vehicles from two of the park's opening year (1955) attractions: 'Dumbo the Flying Elephant' and the 'Mad Tea Party.' The Dumbo and Tea Cup arrived in Washington earlier this week and were given a quick tour of the city before being delivered to the Museum." Press Release on Yahoo!

Theme park anchors new Canadian development
"The already dizzying pace of development in Niagara Falls, Ont., is about to take another spin, this time with a project anchored by a 175-foot Ferris wheel. Hoco Ltd., a Niagara Falls-based hospitality and entertainment developer, is working with city officials on a multi-phase project that will cover 30 acres, extending south from Clifton Hill toward the Skylon Tower. The mixed-use project will include a 28-story, 294-room Comfort Suites hotel, a 50,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor waterpark, an amusement park and 140,000 square feet of new retail outlets and restaurants along Clifton Hill." From Buffalo Business First.

Volunteers need help rebuilding Bushkill Park
"Amusement ride expert Walt Reiss has worked on some of the world's biggest roller coasters at places such as Six Flags Great Adventure and Dorney Park, but he's spent the last two months cleaning mud and rust off children's rides at Bushkill Park [PA]. Bigger rides aren't always better, Reiss said, which is why he and a group of volunteers are trying to get the 103-year-old Forks Township park off the endangered species list. After being buried by as much as 10 feet of water and mud in two floods since September, the park wasn't ready to be reopened last month. Owners had hoped to open its gates later this month, but that won't happen, and unless Reiss' band of workers turns into an army of do-gooders soon, it probably won't open this year." From The Morning Call.

Beach, Spackman honored during celebration
"Thomas E. Spackman's first summer job was selling bags of popcorn for a dime a bag and soda for a nickel a bottle to summer visitors to the only stretch of beach on Lake Shafer [IN]... Eight decades later, that same stretch of land were Spackman sold refreshments as a lad now draws over 800,000 visitors a year. The amusement park icon that is Indiana Beach celebrates its 80th birthday this summer." From The Herald Journal.

Central Park Childrens' Ride Stops Flat
"There were some suspenseful moments in Central Park today as a kids' amusement ride came to a sudden and unexpected stop, trapping kids at the top of the ride... The Victorian Gardens in Central Park is like an old fashioned carnival. Except today the rides went back to pre - electricity times when the power suddenly died... We're told there was no panic but there were two children stuck in the ride called the Crazy Trolly. Crazy indeed. They were stranded in the trolly until firefighters arrived with ladders, escorting the unharmed youngsters to their anxious parents." From WABC.

Deal to Sell Legoland Parks Is Expected
"Financially troubled Danish toy maker Lego Holding is about to sell four of the biggest bricks in its empire -- its Legoland theme parks. Blackstone Group, a New York-based private equity firm, is close to an agreement to buy Lego's family entertainment parks, including one in Carlsbad in San Diego County. The deal would be valued at about $461 million, according to sources close to the deal cited by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday." From The LA Times.

Whalom Park sale can go forward
"The settlement of an ongoing lawsuit means the sale of the now-closed Whalom Park can go forward, according to one of the attorneys involved in the case. Attorney Scott Fenton of Worcester, who represents the Whalom Park Amusement company, which owns the abandoned amusement park on Lake Front Avenue, said the closing date for the property is in early 2006." From The Sentinel & Enterprise.