North Idaho roller coaster maker expands to accommodate innovations

Rocky Mountain Construction Group Inc., of Hayden, is erecting a new $1 million shop building where it plans to move its proprietary roller coaster track manufacturing operations, says Fred Grubb, the company’s president.

The move also will make room for the specialty contractor to develop and manufacture high-performance roller coaster cars that can excel on a track that Grubb says is revolutionizing wooden roller coasters.

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SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Names James M. Heaney New Chief ...

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment today announced James M. Heaney, former Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance and Travel Operations for Disney Cruise Line, will join the company as Chief Financial Officer.

Heaney brings nearly 25 years of finance, analysis and operations experience to his new role. The bulk of his career has been spent in the travel industry, initially with Royal Caribbean Cruises and later with the Walt Disney Company. Before leaving Disney in 2011, Heaney had risen to CFO with additional responsibility in Revenue Management, Travel Operations, and Risk Management for the company’s cruise division. In that role he managed the cruise line’s call center, air/sea department, terminal operations and ground transportation system.

"Jim will be a great addition to the senior leadership group at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment," said Jim Atchison, President and Chief Executive Officer. "In addition to the significant roles he has played in managing a large and complex organization, he also brings experience in other types of travel businesses and has proven skills in leading functions outside the traditional scope of finance."

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Nashville amusement park’s cost to taxpayers is unclear

Gov. Bill Haslam and Mayor Karl Dean were happy to join Dolly Parton on stage, sing her praises, give her birthday flowers and offer their governments’ support as she announced plans to build a water and snow park with Gaylord Entertainment Co.

But the mayor and governor weren’t as expansive when reporters started asking exactly what that support would look like. And that made taxpayer advocate Ben Cunningham unhappy.

“It’s outrageous that they don’t feel any more obligation to let us know how much it’s going to cost us,” said Cunningham, who recently started the Nashville Tea Party and previously led a successful campaign to limit Metro government’s ability to raise property taxes.

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Opryland-area water and snow parks won’t occupy the same space

Don’t expect to go sledding down a snow-packed water slide when a proposed water and snow theme park opens near Opryland in a few years.

While Opryland owner Gaylord Entertainment and Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Co. released few details in announcing the $50 million joint project last week, they already have some ideas of what it might look like.

For starters, it actually will be two distinct areas next door to each other: a 27-acre water park and a winter park about half that size. Conceptual plans include several slides and pools and a lazy river in the water portion, and a pair of snow runs in the winter park. An additional 39 acres would be available for future expansion.

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Cedar Fair foresees growth

Cedar Fair LP said Thursday it expects a record dividend in 2013 and foresees higher revenues because of new initiatives that include a fresh ad campaign, more e-commerce via updated Web sites, a nighttime light show at Cedar Point to get customers to stay longer, and "fast lane" programs at all 11 parks that let customers pay extra to bypass long lines on popular rides.

"We believe there are substantial growth opportunities available to us," Matt Ouimet, Cedar Fair’s new chief executive officer, told Wall Street analysts in New York during his first investor presentation since replacing the company’s longtime leader, Dick Kinzel, this month.

During the two-hour presentation, Mr. Ouimet, 53, a former executive with the Disney Co. who was chosen in June to replace Mr. Kinzel, outlined his vision for the Sandusky-based amusement park company, a plan he called "New Fun" — a word play on the company’s FUN ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Legoland now joins other parks in reporting injuries

Orlando’s theme parks reported 12 injuries during the fourth quarter of 2011, including a 48-year-old man who fractured an ankle at Walt Disney World’s Typhoon Lagoon and an elderly man who fell and hit his head after exiting Toy Story Midway Mania in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney also reported a 71-year-old man "not feeling well" before and after riding Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, noting that blocked arteries were a factor. The resort also reported a 43-year-old woman who complained of nausea and dizziness related to the Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain ride.

Universal Orlando reported a 43-year-old woman who experienced motion sickness on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster in Universal Studios, and a 79-year-old man who reported dizziness and a brief loss of consciousness associated with that same park’s Men In Black ride.

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SeaWorld Orlando: Video gives glimpses of TurtleTrek

SeaWorld Orlando has released the first “webisode” about TurtleTrek, an attraction set to open at the theme park this spring.

In the video, creative director Brian Morrow walks us through several of the elements of the attraction, which will feature a 3-D, domed movie and animal interaction with manatees and sea turtles. As usual, SeaWorld plans a conservation theme and a call to action for its guests.

Along the way, we see renderings of the interior of TurtleTrek and brief video bits of dome construction, computer graphics and projectors.

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Legoland officials excited by Obama’s pledge

Even though President Barack Obama spoke Thursday at a rival tourist attraction, Legoland Florida General Manager Adrian Jones welcomed the president’s pledge to make it easier for citizens of Brazil, China and other countries to visit the United States.

"This development is a major game-changer for Florida," Jones said in a statement issued by the theme park. "An improved visa process helps us roll out the welcome mat to our friends in Brazil and will result in record numbers of young families visiting Florida."

Jones said Legoland Florida has already noticed large numbers of guests from Latin America since opening last October.

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More to remember: Coney museum grows

The People’s Playground is being bottled up for old times sake.

The Coney Island History Project will expand its storefront museum beneath Deno’s Wonder Wheel this summer to showcase its growing collection of artifacts and oral testimonies of the iconic amusement district before it morphs into a state-of-the-art, 21st century entertainment Mecca.

“We’re keeping [old-school] Coney Island alive in living memory,” said Charles Denson, the project’s executive director and founding member.

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Fire burns for hours in Magic Landing

Fire investigators are searching for clues about what started a massive fire at the old Magic Landing theme park Monday morning in Socorro.

The fire started around 3 a.m., sheriff’s deputies at the scene said.

Volunteer fire crews from Fabens, Clint, San Elizario and Horizon came to help those in Socorro battle the flames.

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Disney Keeps 10-Person Board After Jobs’s Death, Departures

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) will stick with a smaller board for now following the death of Steve Jobs, its largest stockholder, and two departures.

Disney, based in Burbank, California, proposed 10 current directors for re-election at the company’s annual meeting set for Tuesday, March 13, in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a regulatory filing today.

The world’s biggest theme park operator is preparing for the departure of Chairman John E. Pepper, 73, who plans to hand over that role to Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger at the meeting. Iger will hold both titles as part of the company’s plan to appoint a new CEO in 2015. Iger, 60, received 2011 compensation of $33.4 million, up from $29.6 million a year earlier, according to the filing.

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Lagoon to pay same water rate as others

This city’s largest employer will now pay the same commercial rate for water as other commercial customers.

The city council recently amended the consolidated culinary water fee schedule for commercial users by a 5-0 vote. The rate for residential customers will remain the same.

The new commercial rate is expected to have a significant impact on Lagoon, because the amusement park was charged at a different rate than other commercial users when new water rates were enacted July 1, 2010, as part of the 2010-11 fiscal year budget. The change also means Lagoon will pay the base rate for only two meters monthly, rather than four.

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Six Flags Fiesta Texas Announces Job Fair for the Upcoming 2012 Sea...

Six Flags Fiesta Texas will hold its’ Annual Job Fair on Saturday and Sunday, January 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for all positions including Admissions, Food Service, Games, Security, Merchandise and Rides. Most positions will be hired on the spot!

Fiesta Texas offers paid training, benefits, flexible schedules, a fun atmosphere, free park admission, and the opportunity to work at one of the most exciting places in South Texas!

Interested applicants must be at least 16 years old and should be prepared for on-the-spot interviews. Due to the high volume of participants, all interested candidates must apply online at sixflagsjobs.com prior to arrival. Job fair interviews will be by appointment only so it is important to schedule your interview prior to visiting the fair.

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Ark Encounter, Kentucky Creationist Theme Park, Gets Generous Tax B...

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) has proposed a 2012-2013 budget that includes heavy cuts to some key departments while giving a $43 million tax break to a massive creationist theme park.

In his plan, Beshear calls for a 6.4 percent cut to Kentucky’s higher education department, a 2.2 percent cut to the State Police force and sizable cuts to other agencies in what he calls an effort to cut the budget to the bone.

The proposal is one of the most austere state budgets in recent history, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, and Beshear was quick to admit it is "inadequate for the needs of our people."

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This week: Bob the Builder, the Fixx, Retro Game Night, Doodlebops

What’s up this week with Orlando theme parks and attractions: Kiddie supergroup Doodlebops will be the musical guest during the Just for Kids Fest at SeaWorld Orlando on Saturday. Show times are 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., but the distribution of tickets begins at 9 a.m. across from Nautilus Theater. Festival events are included in regular SeaWorld admission.

Coming to Orlando Science Center on Saturday: Traveling exhibit “Bob the Builder — Project: Build It,” in which kids and families join the Can-Do Crew. Exhibit, which is included in regular science-center admission, will remain in Orlando through May 13.

Retro Game Night returns to the Orange County Regional History Center on Friday. This is for ages 18 and up, and it features board games such as Battleship, Clue, Scrabble, Candyland and more. It’s $5 for nonmembers, free for members. Free treats, but pizza for sale and a cash bar. Hours are 7 p.m.-midnight.

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Game ticket or not, NFL Experience expected to wow fans

It’s taking a lot of manpower and heavy machinery to turn a 500,000 square foot space inside of the Indiana Convention Center into the Super Bowl favorite NFL Experience.

"You can watch a Wilson football being made by hand here and then you get to punt pass throw and kick it," said Bob Shultz, NFL Experience spokesperson.

The interactive theme park opens next Friday. This week, crews will be working around the clock to create what we’re told will be an even better version of what fans experienced in Dallas. Games, displays, attractions, food, entertainment, free autograph sessions, football memorabilia and more will await fans.

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New dynasty for water park?

Dave Simon is ready for Redlands to stop thinking of Pharaoh’s as Pharaoh’s. In fact, the new name is Splash Kingdom, and the Egyptian theme is being phased out.

I spent the morning Thursday with Simon at the park, learning about his history, his goals and what’s going on there.

Simon has taken over management of the entire park. Aladdin still owns it, but the show is entirely in Simon’s hands. His experience includes managing Wild Rivers in Irvine for 25 years, Raging Waters in San Dimas for five or six years, and even Disneyland for a short time.

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Amusement centre a hit

It wasn’t supposed to cost this much or open this quickly.

I But once Jocelyne Pinard took the plunge with PI-O, her water-themed amusement centre for children in Longueuil, there was no turning back.

Opened before Christmas in a strip mall near the intersection of Roland-Therrien and Curé Poirier Blvds., the centre represents an investment, to date, of more than $4 million.

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Water Park nears completion; Dick’s Sporting Goods set to begin con...

April is a month for new beginnings with the Soaring Eagle Waterpark and Hotel scheduled for completion and construction starting on Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Construction on the resort, 5665 E. Pickard St., has taken about a year to complete.

“Plans for a soft opening are underway, details are not final,” said Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Public Relations Director Frank Cloutier. “Grand opening to the public will take place close to Memorial Day 2012.”

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Aquatic, rec center coming to Santee

Orangeburg County is moving forward with plans to build an aquatic park and recreation center near the Santee Conference Center on Bass Drive.

Plans for the Santee Recreation and Water Park were announced at a special called Santee Town Council meeting Wednesday night. At the meeting, the council unanimously approved second reading of an ordinance to sell 8.47 acres to the county for "$10 love and affection" for the new facility. The property is bordered by Bass Drive, Bonner Avenue and a small portion of Newton Road, and is categorized as "general commercial zoning." A residential zone is located behind it.

A public hearing on the project prior to second-reading approval of the ordinance did not generate any comments.

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Riverwalk land swap spurs sharp exchange

It wasn’t exactly Ali versus Frazier, or even Romney against Gingrich. But City Councilman Bob Ford and developer Buddy LaCour traded some verbal punches in a chicken-and-egg debate of what should come first with a proposed land swap at Riverwalk.

The city wants a deal without any other conditions, while LaCour, Riverwalk’s long-time master developer and major property owner, said he and his partners want conceptual approval of what would be allowed to be built before agreeing to any land swap or sale.

Port Orange wants a land exchange with LaCour so the city can own the project’s entire riverfront for a public park. In exchange, LaCour wants conceptual approval for a riverboat restaurant docked on the site of the former Sweetwater restaurant and possibly a family entertainment center.

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State Fair manager looks at event’s future

After years of study and proposals for relocating the Arkansas State Fair, officials’ most likely move is to keep headquarters for the annual 10-day event at the current cramped urban location, the fair’s general manager says.

Fair officials know what it takes to make the State Fair more visible, accessible and potentially more profitable – move the fair from the current 96-acre site along Roosevelt Road in south-central Little Rock to hundreds of acres at a site along the Interstate 40/I440 corridor between North Little Rock and Jacksonville.

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Jacksonville Zoo proposes ‘living shoreline’ project

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens would like to add a new exhibit, and it wouldn’t come from some far off land or involve an exotic animal. Instead, the proposed exhibit would be added right on the banks of the Trout River where the zoo rests.

If the zoo can raise about $300,000 for the project, the exhibit would extend the existing boardwalk 425 feet south into an environmental ecosystem near the southern train station just west of the Asian Garden display. The exhibit, which the zoo is calling a “living shoreline,” would be accessible with regular admission.

The goal of zoo management would be to educate the public about alternatives to seawalls and erosion prevention and to show an intertidal habitat. It would include monitoring the effectiveness of wake barriers in the water along with the planted shoreline.

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Watertown zoo prepares to transform aviary

City and zoo officials should know in March what the aviary project at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park will look like and when construction will begin.

That’s when they should get a look at the final design plans to turn the unused aviary into a learning center with enough space for about 80 people, said City Engineer Kurt W. Hauk, who is overseeing the project for the city.

Representatives from the zoo and the city and architects from Bernier, Carr & Associates met Thursday to discuss the $487,000 project and figure out how space inside the A-frame building will be used. If all goes well, bids should go out in late March.

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Greater Cleveland Aquarium awes first visitors

First-day visitors to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium couldn’t contain themselves. They just had to point out treasures they discovered inside the fish tanks to everyone around them.

Look is what everyone seemed to be saying Saturday.

"Look, Mom, it’s coming!" said Joey Jirmasek, 6, of Independence, as he pointed at a sand shark swimming above his head. "Look at his teeth. Wow!"

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Two senior staff quit Singapore Zoo

Barely two months before the giant pandas arrive, the Singapore Zoo has lost one of the key people involved in bringing the animals here.

He is zoologist Biswajit Guha, who quit as the zoo’s general manager last month after working there for more than 18 years.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) – which runs the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park – confirmed his departure.

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