Besoyan - ACENorCal.org
Transcription
Besoyan - ACENorCal.org
Official Newsletter of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, Northern California Region Volume 3, Issue 2 Spring 2006 All Clear for Dispatch! Did we get a new roller coaster in Northern California this year? You might think of Survivor The Ride as a hybrid of a spinning ride, roller coaster, and television reality show. Whether you decide to call it a roller coaster or not, it is a fun ride! A MESSAGE FROM YOUR REGIONAL REP preservation is one of ACE’s primary objectives, it remains a tough challenge. Losses outnumber the wins. But that makes the wins all the more significant. Recent months have not been so good for the cause of preservation. We quickly lost an entire park: HousThis issue’s “Blast from the ton’s Astroworld. While Past!” looks back at the some of the coasters were cherished Willard’s saved, many were lost — Whizzer. It is a reminder of including some of the most another coaster lost, unhistorically significant coastderscoring the importance ers. of preservation. While Inside this issue: Roller coaster preservation is a worldwide challenge. In recent days, we learned that Japan’s Nara Dreamland is set to close after August. This unofficial Japanese interpretation of Disneyland, with its top tier wooden coaster, Aska, soon may no longer exist. Blast from the Past! 2 ACE NorCal Auction; A Sad Farewell; Boardwalk’s 100th 3 Opening Day at Six Flags Marine World 4 Stay Up to Date with ACE NorCal 5 Take time to appreciate what he have here. I encourage you to support all of our Northern California parks this season and enjoy the ride! — Steven Wilson Emi and Matthew with 6 ACE in Japan BELOW: Remembering Willard’s Whizzer in Santa Clara. See story on page two. Survivor The Ride 8 ACE NorCal Spotlight: 9 Pete Dusza Page 2 Northern California Dispatch Willard’s Whizzer All Whizzer photos courtesy of Paramount’s Great America. We could fill an entire issue of the Northern California Dispatch with articles devoted to all of the coasters that have been removed from Great America in Santa Clara over its 30year history: Gulf Coaster, Turn of the Century (transformed into Demon), Tidal Wave/Greased Lightning, and Stealth. For many, however, the most beloved of the removed coasters was the Whizzer, originally named Willard's Whizzer after Marriott Corporation founder, J. Willard Marriott. Designed and built by Anton Schwarzkopf, Whizzer was one of two identical coasters that made their debuts in the Hometown Squares of the new Marriott’s GREAT AMERICA parks in both California and Illinois in 1976. Today only the Illinois Whizzer remains. It is one of only two surviving examples of the Schwarzkopf Speed Racer / Extended Jumbo Jet model. The other was relocated from Kansas City to a park in Colombia. At a height of 70 feet, with a drop of 64 feet, and a top speed of only 42 MPH, Whizzer was not the tallest or fastest steel coaster for its day. But it was, without a doubt, one of the most fun. The trains had on-board motors that drove them to Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 3 the top of the unique spiral lift. From the top of the spiral, gravity powered the trains through the remainder of the course. Whizzer's hills and ground-hugging curves gave riders a heightened impression of speed. Lacking inversions, the coaster was a favorite of families. Many children grew up with Willard's Whizzer being their very first "big" roller coaster ride. Passengers rode tandem, so a small child could ride feeling comfortably protected in the arms of a parent. To the surprise of many riders, the trains had no lap bars or even seat belts. The forces of the ride were designed to keep well-behaved riders in their seats, in accordance with the laws of physics. Eventually, seat belts were added as a safety precaution. Tragedy struck on Saturday, March 29, 1980. A 13year-old boy was killed in an accident on Willard's Whizzer. The boy was attempting to board when he was struck from behind by another car as two trains collided. Eight others were reported injured in the accident. Following the accident, the ride was renamed as simply Whizzer. The Whizzer lived on for eight more seasons, only to be dismantled — without warning — following the 1988 season. While the Whizzer is long gone, its site remains largely unoccupied. The Xtreme Skyflyer and Whitewater Falls take up only a small portion of the land where the Whizzer stood. A new coaster would fit nicely in there. Many coaster enthusiasts are still bitter about not having the opportunity to say goodbye to the Whizzer. A new coaster would certainly help to make up for that, but the Whizzer will continue to be missed for as long as there is a Great America park in Santa Clara, California. — Darren R. Besoyan Auction Supports ACE Goals A Sad Farewell Donors and bidders at the 2005 ACE NorCal Holiday Party raised $500 in support of the ACE Preservation and Museum Funds. The money was allocated according to bidders’ preferences, with $210 going to the Preservation Fund and $290 going to the Museum Fund. ACE Northern California would like to thank members Meg Keehan, Paul Asente, and Richard Tuck for donating such great items for the auction. Special thanks also go to Al García of Six Flags Marine World for donating auction items. We also thank and congratulate winning bidders Cliff Aldecoa, Frank Biafore, Emi Pearce, and Derek Willhite! In our last issue, we dared to dream of riding our beloved Tidal Wave / Greased Lightnin’ one day in Vallejo. It had been stored in the parking lot of Six Flags Marine World ever since its much-lamented departure from Paramount’s Great America. As much as we would have loved to see that loop and spikes of track rise again in the North Bay, it was not to be. The coaster’s parts have been shipped to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville where they will be used for that park’s Greezed Lightnin’ Schwarzkopf shuttle loop. The Kentucky ride was originally the Tidal Wave at the Gurnee, Illinois Marriott’s GREAT AMERICA. Now the two Tidal Waves essentially are becoming one. AT OUR ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY GOODBYE, OLD FRIEND Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: 100 Years and Millions of Memories YOU ARE INVITED TO SHARE Here in Northern California we have an important birthday coming up. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2007! This calls for a real celebration. The park is planning a year-long centennial celebration with fireworks, special events, and more. ACE’s 2007 Spring Conference will be at the Boardwalk to celebrate the centennial. Furthering the Boardwalk’s commitment to historic preservation, the park is working on exciting centennial projects for a commemorative book and DVD. The Board- walk has an archivist going through their extensive collection, selecting all sorts of delightful rarities from the park’s one hundred years of history. The Boardwalk’s visitors, including ACE members, are encouraged to share their favorite stories, photos, and even home movies. Material from 1970 and earlier is especially welcome. The contributions from visitors may be shared on the Boardwalk’s web site or may even be used in the DVD. ACE members are encouraged to contribute! Go to http://beachboardwalk.com/memories/ . Page 4 Northern California Dispatch Opening Day AT SIX FLAGS MARINE WORLD The 2006 season for Six Flags Marine World (SFMW) opened on March 4th. Six Flags is under new corporate management, which seeks to take the parks in a different direction. Late in 2005, Daniel Snyder and Mark Shapiro made headlines when they took over Six Flags’ top positions. The company has been struggling with more than two billion dollars of debt. Snyder and Shapiro want to turn the company around. Many of the changes that SFMW has already made this year reflect the new CEO’s thinking and most of the changes are very positive. Opening day kicked off with a ceremony in which two young boys celebrating their birthdays threw a large switch to open the gates. Confetti rained down on the entering guests and employees graciously greeted every guest. It is Six Flags’ 45th anniversary this year and many of the employees were not shy about letting others know about that. There was a lot of hand shaking between employees and guests and an improved sense of communication between the two. The park is really making an effort in guest relations this year and it was evident this first day. They are also promoting a safe family image this year. Another change is that all Six Flags parks are banning smoking inside the parks. Also new this year is a big increase in the number of costumed characters at the front gate and around the park. Not only will the Looney Tunes characters be out, but the DC Comics characters will be signing autographs and posing with guests, too. Watch out for some surprise characters as well. Opening day had an “American Idol” character running around trying to impress guests with her singing. The area previously known as the Gentle Jungle is being converted into Tava’s Jungleland. Named in honor of the elephant residing adjacent to the new area, Tava’s Jungleland will offer seven new family rides and two interactive attractions. The new area extends from near the elephant ride area down to the lakeside walkway near the giraffes and lions. The park describes the new rides and attractions as: • • • • • • PHOTO: SCOTT CRAIG Cosmetic changes to the park include a new decorative plant ring around the main dolphin fountain and a much cleaner eating area at the lakeside food court. The park removed the defunct jumping fountains, creating a new eating area that supports many more tables and chairs. This also opens up the walkways between the food vendors and the eating area. • • • Congo Queen -- Set sail for an unforgettable adventure on the latest innovative family ride that features a unique combination of rocking and whirling motion. (This is a Zamperla Rock N’ Tug.) Nairobi's Look Out Balloons — Up, up and away we go! Take a sky-high ride for a spectacular view of the park on unique hot air balloon gondolas. Tava's Elephant Parade — Kids fly round and round on soaring pachyderms. Monkey Around — Glide through the air with ease on these monkey-themed swings. Safari Jeep Tours — Kids hop aboard and convoy through the backside of Tava's Jungleland. Frog Hopper — Little explorers are lifted twenty feet above the landscape before "hopping" down to their descent. Safari River Journey -- All aboard on these miniature safari vessels for a most memorable voyage. Splashwater Oasis — Two towers of wet and wild excitement where kids can splash and cool off from the summer heat. Treehouse Play Structure — Kids climb high and explore one of the worlds’ largest play structures, where they can explore three towers of fun offering cargo nets, slides, bridges, and more. Volume 3, Issue 2 Regarding the roller coasters, Roar has undergone some extensive TLC, including track work as well as new wheel assemblies for the orange train. The coaster is running beautifully — just like it did when it first opened. Zonga remains out of service and faces an uncertain future. In other ride news, the miniature train that ran along the lakeshore has been removed. Page 5 ABOVE: Views of Tava’s Jungleland construction. Photos courtesy of Six Flags Marine World. BELOW: Merlin and Shouka perform together in Shouka’s Splashtime Show. Photo by Scott Craig. The big new animal attraction this year is Shouka’s Splashtime Show. The new show features the park’s killer whale Shouka teaming up with Merlin, the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin. For the first time in the park’s history both species will be performing in the same tank. Together, they will show off their aerial skills and educate the guests by demonstrating learned behaviors. Another new show for 2006 is the 45th Anniversary Parade with Bugs Bunny and friends. Make sure to take the family down to see a good collection of Looney Tunes characters and animals parade though the park from the Shouka Stadium all the way to the Shark Experience. Six Flags Marine World extends its season through December this year with a new winter holiday celebration. The park plans to install a million twinkling lights for Holiday in the Park. Activities will include ice skating, sledding down a snow hill, and creating holiday crafts. To see Six Flags Marine World’s operating calendar, check out http://sixflags.com/marineworld/. — Amy Craig and Scott Craig Stay up to date with ACE NorCal Thank you! To receive our ACE NorCal email announcements, make sure that your correct email address is on file with ACE. If your address is not in the membership database, or if it is incorrect, you will miss out on important late-breaking information from ACE. Update your email address online at: http://www.aceonline.org/MemberServices/ . Our announcements are sent out under “bcc:” with the subject starting with “[ACE]”, so check your spam folder and update your spam filters if necessary. • ALSO VISIT OUR WEB SITE: http://www.acenorcal.org/ FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS ISSUE Paramount’s Great America: Holly Perez and Carrie Williams • Paramount Parks: David Cobb • Six Flags Marine World: Al García • ACE NorCal: Darren Besoyan, Amy Craig, Scott Craig, Pete Dusza, Emi Pearce, Matthew Pearce, Jerry Willard Text and photos not otherwise credited are by Steven Wilson. Northern California Dispatch Page 6 Emi and Matthew with ACE in Japan PART ONE Emi and Matthew Pearce were two of the many Northern California ACE members who went on the ACE / European Coaster Club tour of Japan in 2005. In this twopart series, they share some of their memories of the adventure. All photos are courtesy of Matthew and Emi. after returning home had an article describing the park when it was open! Emi at the closed Oyama Yuenchi park. Next was a short jaunt to look at the Tokyo Tower. Then we headed to Aqua Stadium and rode the Galaxy Express 999 roller coaster. We purchased the related movie, with subtitles, and now understand the ride’s theming. Matthew Emi We flew to Tokyo ahead of the scheduled trip so that we could go to more parks. After our first breakfast, we met other ACE members at our hotel. We tagged along with them to Arakawa Yeun. On the way to the park, we got to ride a trolley in the only area of Tokyo served by streetcars. Arakawa Yeun is a small children’s park with a wacky worm coaster, a Ferris wheel (with a manual fan for cool comfort), and other small rides. We had researched Oyama Yuenchi prior to the trip. Its web site listed three coasters: Jungle Mouse, a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop, and W Face Coaster. Upon arrival, we found that the park was closed, but the security guard gave us passes and allowed us into the park unescorted! We got to explore the Schwarzkopf shuttle. Some walked the track. Others used the catwalk and climbed over a roof to stand on the track. Ironically, the first issue of RollerCoaster! magazine that we received The first park of the official tour was Hanayashiki, a tiny park near the Asakusa Kannon Temple. Opened in 1853, it is the oldest park in Japan. Hanayashiki has Japan’s oldest roller coaster, dating back to 1953. This Togo roller coaster circles the entire park. It goes through buildings and has some amusing props. While you go up the lift hill, a message sign, shaped like the head of a man wearing a night cap, pops out! The park was remarkable for packing about thirty rides into a small area that is more compact than Indiana Beach. The park has many gems, including a scary sound effects room. The next time a park manager says that they just can’t fit another ride into their park, ask if he or she has been to Hanayashiki. Rain started as we left Hanayashiki for Toshimaen. All of the outside rides closed because of the rain. So the group converged on the carousel which has three rings -- each spinning at a different rate. The outer ring rotated the slowest and the inner ring was the fastest. We moved on to Tokyo Dome City, a shopping area with the LaQua amusement park. Thunder Dolphin runs on top of the mall and goes through the center of the Ferris wheel called the Big O. Also there are Linear Gale, the first Intamin impulse coaster, and Geopanic, an enclosed Togo sit-down coaster, and Maihime, a spinning mouse. The following day we saw how similar Tokyo Disneyland is to the original Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. Space Volume 3, Issue 2 Mountain was the same as the original Anaheim configuration, as were Big Thunder Mountain and Gadget’s Go Coaster. Our visit to Tokyo DisneySea was the next day. Raging Spirits was the new coaster at this park. Signs warned us that people of unusual size could not ride. We were measured and allowed to ride! The next day we visited Yomiuriland. This park features an aerial gondola that provides transportation between the park entrance and a train station. The park’s smallest coaster is the Wan Wan (bow wow) Wandit., while the park’s best coaster is Bandit, a non-looping Togo hyper coaster. The cars of Bandit’s trains are shaped like logs. The SL Coaster is a Togo mine train. Many of the group dubbed it the “Slow, Lazy Coaster.” MOMOnGA is a unique combo stand-up and sit-down coaster with one stand-up and one sit-down train. Page 7 pendently-spinning cars, and Panic Drive — a Sansei wild mouse with cars styled like antique automobiles. Others were Batflyer, Big Boom — a Meisho single looper, Camel Coaster — a Meisho non-looper, and Thunder Coaster — a Meisho corkscrew. Meet the Prez! ACE President Carole Sanderson seated behind NorCal ACEer Paul Asente Thunder Dolphin! There is plenty of steel at Nasu Highland Park. After Yomiuriland we went to Joypolis, an indoor park featuring the unique Speed Boarder. This coaster runs individual two-seater cars that are shaped like skate boards. The ride is mostly in the dark, but it also flies out to a glass-enclosed area offering a view of Tokyo bay. The next day we visited Nasu Highland Park. The coaster setup reminded me of a scenario from Roller Coaster Tycoon in which you had to squeeze eight coasters into a small park by intertwining them. Favorites included F² Fright Flight, Spin Turn — a Meisho non-looper with inde- On right: NorCal ACEers Rick Widger and Colleen Hutchings aboard Thunder Dolphin. Tobu Zoo was a surprise! Here we enjoyed Regina — a great wooden coaster by Intamin, a Togo wild mouse with a loop through a cat’s mouth, and Tentomushi — a Zierer medium Tivoli coaster. We had fun on the Skylove monorail, a Ferris wheel, and the Gmax drop ride. Night ERT on Regina and Tentomushi was the only nighttime ERT of the trip. We really appreciated it! On Saturday we rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka to visit Expoland on the site of the Expo ‘70 world’s fair. Their Daidarasaurus coaster was both the longest and noisiest we have ever ridden. It began as a twin racing coaster, but was modified to combine both tracks for a total length of 7,677 feet. Fujin Raijin II, is a TOGO standup whose name means “thunder god”. Other coasters were Family Coaster, Mini Coaster, Space Salamander, Wild Mouse, and Orochi — a B&M inverted with a baby dinosaur theme. Next, we took a monorail and train to Universal Studios Japan where we rode Snoopy’s Sound Stage Adventure indoor coaster. (Continued on page 10) Northern California Dispatch Page 8 Survivor The Ride NEW FOR 2006 AT PARAMOUNT’S GREAT AMERICA Paramount’s Great America (PGA) opened for the park’s 30th anniversary season on April 1, 2006. Ready for opening day was their newest attraction, Survivor The Ride. The first of its kind at any park in the world, the ride is a Zamperla Disk’o Coaster. It combines the action of a spinning ride with that of a roller coaster. Themed to the CBS television show Survivor, the park touts the new ride as the world’s first “reality coaster”. Should you count it as a roller coaster or not? Come take a ride and decide for yourself. In any case, the ride is definitely lots of fun and is a welcome addition. ABOVE: Left to right: David Cobb of Paramount Parks and CBS Survivors Katie Gallagher, Stephenie LaGrossa, and Lex van den Berghe. PGA graciously invited ACE members to participate in the making of the ride’s television commercial and to come out for media day on April 13th. On media day, ACEers were treated to unlimited rides, plenty of food, and the opportunity to meet three CBS “Survivors” as well as chat with David Cobb, creative designer of the ride’s theming and interactive effects. Thanks, PGA! Dora, the CBS Survivors, and NorCal ACE members pause for a photo. Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 9 ACE NorCal Spotlight Pete Dusza Asked when he became a coaster enthusiast and park fan, Pete replied, “I don't think I became a park fan. I was BORN a park fan.” Pete was born a park fan in Chicago, Illinois and grew up there. He was too young to remember his very first roller coaster ride, but his mother says that it was probably one of the kiddie coasters at a suburban kiddieland park. Pete’s first big roller coaster was the Silver Flash woodie at Chicago’s famous Riverview Park. The Silver Flash was the first coaster just inside the park’s entrance. It had caged cars and the coaster trains resembled a streamliner locomotive. Pete recalls, “The great thing about Riverview was when you came back into the station, you could ride AGAIN without getting out of the car for only 10 cents and as long as the dimes held out.” Pete moved to California in 1979. It was not until 1988 that he found out about ACE. He was waiting in the lobby of a company here and picked up a copy of the trade magazine Hydraulics & Pneumatics. That issue had an article about coasters and included a mention of ACE. He joined ACE immediately after that, but wishes that he would have found ACE earlier. PHOTO: PETE DUSZA LEFT: Pete’s sign from the Riverview Bobs station. ABOVE: Laughing Sal and Pete with his NorCal ACE Spirit Award plaque at the 2005 ACE NorCal Holiday Party. BELOW: Renewing wedding vows on Colossus. Choosing a favorite coaster is a tough question for Pete. When pressed, he indicates that his current favorites are Hades in Wisconsin Dells for wood and Millennium Force at Cedar Point for steel. The coaster that he has not ridden, but would most like to ride, would be the defunct Crystal Beach Cyclone. Pete and his wife Nancy took a coaster tour of England in 1994, which was dubbed the year of the roller coaster in England. Pete travels a lot to Japan. In 1997 he wrote an article for RollerCoaster! magazine (issue number 65) about a coaster tour he did in Japan. Pete says that he is working as hard as possible to get to semi-retirement so that he can be even more active in ACE. Pete and Nancy’s 25th wedding anniversary occurred during CoasterCon XVII at Six Flags Magic Mountain. With ACE member Father Gerry Chleborad at the Con, they renewed their wedding vows on Colossus on their anniversary date, June 7, 1994. Pete has a big collection of roller coaster souvenirs and a few antiques, including an original sign that was above a treasure chest in the Riverview Bobs station. The treasure chest was full of earrings that had been found under the Bobs roller coaster. For his many behind-the-scenes contributions to ACE Northern California, Pete was awarded the NorCal ACE Spirit Award at the 2005 ACE NorCal Holiday Party. Photo courtesy of PETE DUSZA Northern California Dispatch Page 10 ACE in Japan (Continued from page 7) On Sunday we went to Nara Dreamland, seemingly a copy of Disneyland, but with an Intamin wooden coaster, Aska. We also enjoyed Bobsleigh, reminiscent of the Matterhorn Bosleds, Fantasy Coaster — a Meisho mine train, Kid’s Coaster, and Screw Coaster (yes, that is its name). Hirakata Park was next with Elf — an Intamin wooden coaster, Red Falcon, Crazy Mouse — a Reverchon nonspinning mouse, Peekaboo Town, and Fantastic Coaster Rowdy. Afterwards, a group of us took the subway to Festivalgate to ride Delphis. — Matthew Pearce PART TWO OF THE STORY WILL APPEAR IN OUR NEXT ISSUE! PO Box 23817 San José, CA 95153 http://www.acenorcal.org/ Survivors! See story on page 8.