Six hours ago, Holiday World posted this message on their Facebook page:
“We are heartbroken. Our beloved leader, Will Koch, passed away last night. We believe it was due to his Type 1 diabetes. Please say a prayer for the family and for all of us here at the park. He was so much more than a boss, he was a dear, sweet friend. As we know he would have wanted, the park will be open today and we’ll all try our best to smile and provide wonderful memories to the …

My last final has been taken, kids are swarming all over local parks, and it has gotten a lot tougher to find an elliptical at the gym; it must be summer. This summer brings us new shows, rides, and even lands in Southern California, Florida, and the rest of the world. The fanfare for the Intimidator coasters may have died down, but the long awaited Wizarding World of Harry Potter is drawing comparisons to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. In California, Universal Studios’ King Kong 360 addition to their ever …

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has been “soft opened” for Universal Studios hotel guests, and not for the general public. The initial buzz is very good; one reviewer says that it surpasses The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man in overall quality. Take those words with a gain of salt, but do not be surprised if this sort of buzz continues to emerge as more guests experience this ride first hand. A great review (with some spoilers) can be found over at Theme Park Insider.

If you, or someone you know has …

This news is no longer breaking, but Intimidator 305 has activated those trim brakes on the first drop which has definitely changed the ride experience. The change was made thanks to numerous guest comments about greying out during the first turns – which I always thought was kind of the point. Nevertheless, Cedar Fair is smart enough to know that listening to its guests is its number one priority, and so the trims will stay.

Personally, I don’t really care. Trims, no trims, brakes, no brakes, whatever. Unless it absolutely destroys …

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando is opening soon, but not as soon as some Potter fans would like. With reports coming in from the Twitter accounts of both Screamscape and Theme Park Insider stating that there very well may be (and in fact probably are) people waiting outside the new land; despite reports that the land will NOT be soft opening today. I get waiting outside all night the day before the land opens, and I get going to midnight showings of movies. But this… …