Archive: March, 2007

Jeff, Mike and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Dollywood auctions off first rides on Mystery Mines. Great publicity for the park, great benefit for charities. A good trend among the amusement parks.
• This week in the Conneaut Lake saga: Land sale might proceed if conditions are met, but local business owners don't want to see the sale.
• Disney and local business owners want to take the Anaheim low-income housing issue to the voters. We explain why.
• The old Chippewa Lake property may be redeveloped as a public park.
• A new Marvel themed park is coming to Dubai. What a great property for a huge potential market.
• The Alton Towers clowns complain about noise again. Who cares? They're allegedly guilty of the same thing with a factory in another town.
• Six Flags launches a new Web site, and it's better, but generally average.
• Johnny Rockets is coming to a Six Flags near you. This deal clearly benefits the parks more than the restaurants.
• Cold Stone versus Dippin' Dots. Like that's a real contest.

Jeff, Catherine and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• The gang hits the Blue Man Group show in Dayton. Something for the whole family.
• Kennywood introduces technology into the queues. Does it interfere with the classic feel of the park?
• US borders are unfriendly to tourists. Frankly, "secuirty" is mostly a feel good effort.
• Cedar Fair ups the distribution slightly, and the execs make a nice dime from their holdings.
• More on the fear from Disney's value resort plans in Orlando.
• Six Flags VIP program is way under-priced.
• Wet 'n Wild gets a tornado. What's next for ProSlide?
• Six Flags loss beats analysts slightly, and call 2006 a transition year. We're with them on that, but that excuse won't last forever.

Jeff, Greg and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Dubai Capital sells Tussauds to Blackstone in a relative quick flip.
• Surprise! Mesa wins development project.
• Joyland in trouble financially under new ownership.
• Universal Orlando teases new Blue Man Group theater, starting in June. Blue Man fans might be more freakish than coaster geeks.
• Safety Braking Corp. is suing everyone using magnetic bakes on their rides. Smells like SCO.
• Developers back Anaheim in Disney suit against low-income housing in the neighborhood. Gonch is still on the fence.
• If you have diarrhea, don't get in the pool. Some people got sick after visiting Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, for unknown reasons.
• Pavilion rides will live on in Myrtle Beach.
• Six Flags New Orleans still isn't going to open, and we wonder if it makes sense for it to ever open.
• Kennywood gets hip with in-park video information system, and there will be text message stuff and interaction with guests.
• No BeastBuzz this year, unfortunately.

Jeff and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Lake Compounce wants state to pay for road relocation. A classic case of finding the balance between a business being self-sustaining and looking at bigger picture economic impact.
• Disney pulls the NIMBY card in Anaheim. Pat says it does go both ways.
• Georgia wants to offer tax incentives to bringing new tourist stuff to the state. It worked for Kentucky.
• Geauga Lake is not in a "death spiral." Can people over-react a little?
• Is the smoke free in Ohio a business choice, or part of the new law?
• Mall of America nails the Nickelodeon license. The locals miss the Peanuts, but we agree the new licensing is a win.
• SeaWorld Orlando wants in to the water park action. It might be a market underserved in town.
• Disney about to expand its hotel empire by thousands of rooms. Do you want to be a hotel on International Drive right now? There's your death spiral.