Gatorland reopens
"Gatorland [Kissimmee, FL] — shut down by a spectacular early-morning blaze that destroyed its entrance, gift shop and other buildings Nov. 6 — reopened this morning to music, dance, gator wrestling and hugs." From the Orlando Sentinel.

Park dismantling coaster for move
"A northeast Ohio amusement park is dismantling one of its newest and most popular roller coasters. Representatives of Geauga Lake say that the X-Flight coaster will be relocated to another park owned by parent company Cedar Fair." From WKYC.

Interest soars in Tulsa [OK] amusement park
"Several Tulsa-area communities are interested in becoming the new home of an amusement park that has lost its lease at Tulsa's Expo Square... Broken Arrow Mayor Richard Carter has put in a call to officials at Bell's Amusement Park... Sand Springs City Manager Doug Enevoldsen says his community is also interested..." From KTEN.

No Change Likely On Bell's Amusement Park Decision
"There is still no new deal for Bell's Amusement Park to stay at the Tulsa County [OK] Fairgrounds. The plan for the land now, is most likely a parking lot." From KOTV.

Gatorland fire burns attraction
"A fire that broke out early this morning at Gatorland has been mostly contained by firefighters, but two dwarf crocodiles and two pythons died and the signature gator-mouth entrance has been charred black by the blaze. The alligators and other creatures at the 110-acre alligator theme park and preserve in Orange County are fine, the attraction's curator said. There is some debris from the fire in the lake that they will try to clean up. Gatorland officials are hoping they can reopen the 57-year-old attraction in a week or so, perhaps by creating an alternative entrance on the other side of the park." From The Orlando Sentinel.

Huge Fire at Gatorland
"Firefighters are working a huge fire at Gatorland in Orange County [FL]." From MyFox Orlando. The park's entrance and gift shop appears to have suffered heavy damage. The blaze began in the early morning hours before the park had opened for the day.

Dinosaur theme park coming to Montgomery County
"A dinosaur mega-attraction — Animal Kingdom meets science museum — will open its doors in the summer of 2008 in Montgomery County, north of Houston [TX], officials announced on Thursday. Creator “Dino” Don Lessem, author of 47 books, builder of traveling dinosaur exhibits and columnist for a children’s magazine, expects the planned $50 million Dinosaur City to bring at least 100,000 visitors its first year. Having advised people in both the entertainment industry and museums, Lessem said he wanted to create a hybrid of both." From KHOU.com.

NY acquires Chautauqua amusement park
"In a deal that took more than one year to complete, New York state has officially acquired the historic Midway Park, one of the nation's oldest amusement parks. The state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation formally closed on the Midway deal, paying $4 million for the amusement park whose roots go back to 1898. The deal was struck last fall but didn't close until Oct. 27 on the landmark Town of Ellery facility." From Business First of Buffalo.