California's Great America to be Sold

So I was strolling the internet today, and I found out some SHOCKING news:

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=321

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Sept. 19, 2011 -- Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its California's Great America amusement park, located in Santa Clara, California, to JMA Ventures, LLC ("JMA") for $70 million in cash. The Company, which purchased the park in 2006, expects to use the cash proceeds from this sale to reduce its senior secured debt.

"Our decision to divest of our California's Great America park was not an easy one," said Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair's chief executive officer. "This is a quality park that has terrific employees and serves a strong market. That being said, as part of our regular comprehensive review of our portfolio of parks, we determined that divesting a smaller park like California's Great America at an attractive market value created a compelling business opportunity that we couldn't pass up. Among other things, it provides us the opportunity to immediately de-lever our balance sheet resulting in additional financial flexibility for growth and unitholder value creation in the future. California's Great America and its employees have always demonstrated tremendous capability in providing its customers with the highest level of family entertainment in the northern California region. I'm confident the park and its employees will continue to thrive under the ownership of JMA."

"As we look toward 2012, we are building significant momentum for Cedar Fair to deliver consistent and meaningful distributions to our unitholders," said Matt Ouimet, Cedar Fair's president. "At the same time, we remain committed to driving top-line growth through a combination of new rides and attractions, marketing initiatives and related strategic expansion around our entire portfolio of premier entertainment venues. The divestiture of California's Great America will provide us with additional financial flexibility earlier than anticipated to achieve these goals and maintain Cedar Fair's position as one of the most attractive growth and yield stories in the leisure and hospitality industry."

The transaction, which is subject to approval by the City of Santa Clara and customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011. Cash proceeds received at closing are expected to be applied to the Company's senior secured debt under the terms of the Company's credit agreement. A Form 8-K with the material terms of the definitive agreement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the end of day Tuesday.

California's Great America is northern California's leading amusement park, with more than 50 rides and attractions. JMA Ventures, LLC is a California-based full service real estate investment firm, serving as managing partner of over $500 million in existing projects spanning hospitality, leisure, residential developments, retail, office and industrial/telecom.

About Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, and one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world. The Company owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels. Amusement parks in the Company's northern region include two in Ohio: Cedar Point, consistently voted "Best Amusement Park in the World" in Amusement Today polls, and Kings Island; as well as Canada's Wonderland, near Toronto; Dorney Park, PA; Valleyfair, MN; and Michigan's Adventure, MI. In the southern region are Kings Dominion, VA; Carowinds, NC; and Worlds of Fun, MO. Western parks in California include: Knott's Berry Farm; California's Great America; and Gilroy Gardens, which is managed under contract.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements as to the Company's expectations, beliefs and strategies regarding the future. These statements may involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors, including general economic conditions, adverse weather conditions, competition for consumer leisure time and spending, unanticipated construction delays and other factors discussed from time to time by the Company in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") could affect attendance at our parks and cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations. Additional information on risk factors that may affect the business and financial results of the Company can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the filings of the Company made from time to time with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

And yeah, I meant nothing but sarcasm out of the word "SHOCKING."

This came as no surprise to me. Pretty much the only thing I found kind of surprising was that Cedar Fair didn't take Flight Deck and Vortex; however, after thinking about it, I think CF wanted to make the park look attracting for the sale. So now we pretty much know the reason why Invertigo was removed earlier this year (and sent to Dorney Park as Stinger).

Here is the company, JMA Ventures:

http://www.jmaventuresllc.com/

One thing I find scary is this:

JMA Ventures is a full service real estate investment firm, serving as managing partner of over $500 Million in existing projects spanning hospitality, leisure, residential developments, retail, office and industrial/telecom.

Founded in 1986, our San Francisco based company has focused on delivering superior risk adjusted returns to our investors while providing quality products and improving the communities and environments in which we conduct business.

Our value-added approach has delivered outperforming returns across our portfolio base during our 20 year history.

JMA Ventures has not only proven itself as a real estate investment firm resulting in high returns for their investors, but has also become an expert in developing and redeveloping large scale lifestyle properties. JMA is a full service firm combining cutting edge ideas with the know-how and ability to deliver.

JMA has no theme park involvement, but it has real estate involvement. Hopefully what I'm thinking doesn't come true (I doubt it. If the park gets demolished, it will be for the 49ers Stadium).

However, there is a possibility of JMA making CGA an entertainment area to accompany the supposed 49ers Stadium (placing it on the overflow parking lot). I read another article saying that they like the park and hope to keep its unique appeal. It seems possible, but I'm not sure...

I'll keep you guys updated! ;)

Canada's Wonderland and California's Great America

Canada's Wonderland:

http://www.canadaswonderland.com/2012/

Looks like teasing has started! It seems that the announcement will be on AUGUST 18th 2011!

And apparently... (Screamscape):

2012 - New Attraction / Raptor - Rumor - (8/1/11) We may have had a slight mathematical error with the countdown on the 2012 announcement page, as it may actually be counting down to August 18th, not the day before as previously mentioned. According to a guest visiting the park, a good number of footers have been placed in the construction site at this point, many formed in small groups, sometimes extremely close to Dragon Fire.
Meanwhile CWMania has posted a zoomed in picture of a label put on a rebar formation at the park and noticed that it clearly says, ‘Giga Coaster Caps’ in one section. Hmmmm….

Hmmm... I still am holding my judgement until Canada's Wonderland announce the coaster, but I kind of doubt a giga. Supposedly, Knott's Berry Farm is building one next year. Would Cedar Fair install TWO Giga Coasters in one year? =/

However, if this is true and there are actually TWO Giga Coasters in one year (two at Cedar Fair parks that is)... I think I might faint from excitement! I loved I305 at Kings Dominion and Millennium Force at Cedar Point, and I will be so pleased if this is true!

But I'm kind of leaning towards a bigger version of iSpeed in Mirabilandia, Italy. CW already has an airtime coaster (Behemoth, B&M Hypercoaster) (not that I would oppose a Giga. As stated above, I will enjoy watching construction of this thing and drool of excitment and anticipation), and there are only two launch coasters at Canada's Wonderland... both of which are geared towards a younger audience (Backlot Stunt Coaster (though I liked the one at KD) and Thunder Run (I guess you can say its launched?)). An adult launch coaster (Intamin Blitz in this case) would do wonders! I also have this feeling that the station will be where the construction in front of Speed City is. I also think there will be a launch where the row of stakes under Dragon Fire is, a top hat by Dragon Fire's two loops, and some interactions with Dragon Fire.

Some say this may actually be a launched coaster at around the 300 ft. mark (giga coaster mark). I kind of think this is the case, which is why rumors point toward a 300 ft (or more) coaster. It could be cool (maybe they can call it a Giga Blitz ;)). But like I said, until the announcement, this is all just speculation.

California's Great America:

There might be hope for this park after all:

???? - GCI Wooden Coaster - In Limbo - (8/1/11) Remember that awesome GCI wooden coaster project that was all but approved at one point for California’s Great America before getting tangled up in a mess with a local neighbor over noise issues? There may be life in the old girl yet… as the park applied in June for a two year extension to the previously approved height-variance needed to install the ride, and was approved for it at a meeting in June. Could the park be preparing to finally deliver this great looking coaster, or are they just keeping the variance alive for a new unknown project in development? Either way, it sounds like something big may be on the way.

To tell the story... CGA was originally going to get a 2009 GCI Wooden Coaster to be built right by the park entrance (encircling the park's Star Tower). Right when the park was ready to construct it (I heard there were survey markers), the nearby office neighbors came in and complained about noise, which is an annoying factor, because the neighbors came in after the park was built. They should EXPECT noise from a park. And when the neighbors complain about the park adding things like this, little do they know they are (along with hurting the park) hurting their economy. The park attracts business, and no new rides = no business for park = no business for the neighbors.

After the noise complaints, the coaster never saw the light of day. If this ride is truly coming back to life (which hopefully it is), then it will be great for the park! Hopefully they can work out something with the neighbors. However, back when Invertigo was removed, the park said there will be something for 2012. They said it will not be the wooden coaster.

This makes me wonder about a possible 2013 opening date, and the 2012 ride being something else. My predictions:

2012: Either nothing (to save money for the 2013 coaster, if it were to open then) or a mini-WindSeeker (150-200 ft).
2013: GCI Wooden Coaster

In any case, this looks like good news for the park. Hopefully it comes to life!

Wondering About California's Great America

I've been thinking about CGA recently. No news about the 49ers or the possible selling of the park, but I'm kind of convinced (I hate to admit it, but...) that the park is in trouble.

Since my last post on this subject, the old Invertigo site has been untouched, other than a garden (now named "The Green") with a stage that has been set up just recently for the Bay Area Bands. This reminds me of the time Geauga Lake closed Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall (Intamin 1st Generation Drop) and replaced it with "Central Park." And the park (CGA) stated (when Invertigo got removed) that a new ride for 2012 will go up in that area. Now, I am aware that ride construction doesn't have to start this early (if a new coaster will go up in that area, I'm betting on an Intamin ZacSpin or a Gerstlauer Eurofighter), but it is still kind of worrisome to me. However, it has been reported that some of the things in "The Green" are temporary.

Now, before you get excited, temporary stuff in an area that is supposedly the site of a "2012 ride" doesn't necessarily mean a good thing. While it could be temporary for the new ride, it also could be temporary because of a more negative thing... for bulldozing the area once the park closes (if it happens). I hope for the former (for the new ride), but the realistic side of me thinks it will be the latter (I pray not!).

As for where the rides will go, I have changed my thoughts about some rides:

For Flight Deck, I have a strange feeling that it could go up in Valleyfair OR Kings Island. The reason why I see Kings Island as a possibility is this:

2012 - New Coaster - Rumor - (6/15/11) While I don’t have a lot of information just yet, an early rumor going around claims that Kings Island may have another steel coaster in the works for 2012. The park’s last new coaster was Diamondback, which opened back in 2009 which followed Firehawk in 2007 and Backlot Stunt Coaster in 2005. So historically speaking, the park is about due for a new one. With a fairly well rounded collection however, it’s hard to pin-point just what the park may be looking to add, so stay tuned.

Unless this is a very cheap coaster, I think for 2012, Kings Island will have two Flight Decks (Arrow Suspended and relocated B&M Invert), except the latter would probably be called Afterburn (a much cooler name than Flight Deck!). I also think it would be in front of the park somewhere (IDK where exactly).

As for Psycho Mouse, I'm going to be betting that if Knott's gets the supposed 2012 giga coaster, Psycho Mouse will go to Worlds of Fun.

And Vortex will probably go to either Valleyfair (if they don't get Flight Deck) or Michigan's Adventure. I still kind of think Worlds of Fun, but this is if Psycho Mouse goes to WoF. Both parks are overdue for a new coaster. If MIA gets Vortex, I think they will put it somewhere in the backside of the park.

But this is all just speculation, so we shall wait and see.

Park Updates #9

Despicable Me Update:

From Screamscape:

2012 - Despicable Me & Kong 360 - Rumor - (3/11/11) I’m hearing rumors that either Universal will not lose the rights to use Jimmy Neutron until the end of the year, or that they may have struck an extension deal to allow the ride to continue to operate a little longer. Either way, the rumors about a 2012 replacement attraction, still thought to be themed to Despicable Me, is going strong.
(2/18/11) In case anyone was wondering how much Universal may really want to have a Despicable Me attraction in their theme parks, consider this little tidbit. Sales of the Despicable Me DVD’s allowed Universal’s to show a 38% increase in their Q4 report.
(2/17/11) While I still don’t have any more solid info on the opening of a Despicable Me attraction for 2012, I did uncover that Despicable Me 2 was in production for a 2013 release. Adding a theme park attraction for 2012 would make perfect sense to see the characters alive and in the public focus for the year ahead of the new film’s premier. After all, Universal did the same thing with Shrek 4D, by opening it a year in advance of Shrek 2 hitting the theaters, and hyping it as the official story to bridge the gap between the two films.

I've come to the conclusion that I will just wait and see what Universal does. I trust them, and I'm ready for something new.

Don't get me wrong viewers, JNNB is a great ride at USF, but if it goes for a better attraction (Despicable Me), you got a deal! But if the rumor gets cheapened (Disaster), horrible (Fear Factor), or something bad (Miss Congeniality comes to mind), then just forget it: SAVE JIMMY NEUTRON!!!

So I will just wait and see what Universal does.

Cheetah Hunt:

Well, recently there was a fuss about the Skyride cable clearance and the airtime hill over the Skyride. It seems that the solution is to lower the towers around the coaster area:

(3/3/11) After yesterday’s big fuss over a possible miscalculation on Cheetah Hunt, I’m happy to report that I was able to get in touch with the park for a statement on the issue, which they report to be false. False as in there was no miscalculation… they have known all along that the they were going to lower the Skyride towers in that area to allow for Cheetah Hunt to jump over it. Here is the statement from the park below…
“…part of what makes Cheetah Hunt such an amazing addition is its use of an interaction with existing park elements. To make that happen, of course it has been necessary to make major changes to several park landmarks like Rhino Rally, the Clydesdale Hamlet, the Crown Colony and the Monorail Station.
Some of the more subtle changes include raising the floor in the Monorail Station, cutting back the waterfall outcropping in Rhino Rally canyon and moving some of the Serengeti Express’ train tracks. Some of the more major changes – many of which are immediately noticeable to guests in the area – that are taking place include building new guest bridges and pathways between Nairobi and Edge of Africa, building a seating terrace in front of the Crown Colony, replacing the Clydesdale Hamlet’s wooden stalls with secure “bedrooms” for the cheetahs, and, indeed, lowering certain Skyride towers near the area where the track “jumps” the cable.”
While we’re on the subject of Cheetah Hunt, check out the latest construction update over at BGT Nation and RCPro this week.
(3/2/11) The big rumor coming in from several contacts and sources over the past 24 hours is that a couple of big issues have come up with Cheetah Hunt. First of all, several people are saying that the work in “Trench 2” has hit a snag as the digging down there may be having a problem with water seeping into the trench that has to be addressed. (It’s hard to dig too deep in Florida before you hit the water table you know…)
The second and larger issue of note has to do with that “leap” over the Skyride. The big rumor going around this week is that a serious miscalculation was made here and that there is going to be clearance issues between Cheetah Hunt and the SkyRide. I attempted to get a statement about this rumor from Busch Gardens Tampa today, but as of this writing, they have not gotten back in touch with me with a comment.
Having said that, one has to wonder where the error was made. Did the surveyors make the mistake long before the construction started, or did an error come from Stengle’s layout calculations, the track fabricators or even Intamin itself? We can’t just point the finger at Intamin here and say, “Look, another Maverick” as there really are simply too many piece of the puzzle right now to know where the fault came from.
In the end, it sounds like either the coaster is going to have to be altered or the SkyRide itself. Don’t think that it would be simply to try and “shorten” the SkyRide towers however, as there is a lot more involved than that. They would have to get a new shorter cable for the ride, and then likely have to adjust the whole counter-weight system that maintains the tension on the cable at all times. If they used the same old counter-weight, it would likely put too much tension on the cable and could damage or even snap it.
Of course manufacturing new track for a higher jump over the SkyRide may not be a viable solution either if the coaster’s layout does not allow for the train to have enough velocity to achieve the higher jump at that point in the ride. In this case, they could be forced to return to the original idea, as seen in the animation, where the track simply goes under the SkyRide once again.
In the end, I’m really hoping the rumors are wrong here and that we’ll see Cheetah Hunt open as promised for Memorial Day Weekend. More as I find out…

Vertical construction has restarted today with the 130 ft. drop into the second trench going up.

http://www.bgtnation.net/2011/03/cheetah-hunt-tower-drop-started.html

And it seems that the trains are on site (they have been painted recently):

http://www.bgtnation.net/2011/03/cheetah-hunt-train-on-track-station.html

They look very cool... perfect for hunting with cheetahs! =D

Invertigo On the Move:

Looks like Dragon Coaster, one of the rides by the old Laser site getting removed, is going up at Valleyfair for Planet Snoopy (it has been reported on February 18). Meanwhile, more evidence of Invertigo going up at Dorney Park is appearing in the form of deliveries (this also includes recent Invertigo deconstruction updates):

February 14, 2011 - A crane has appeared by Invertigo.

February 18, 2011 - Some track from the spike is gone.

February 22, 2011 - Invertigo's cars arrive at Dorney Park.

February 25, 2011 - The spike supports/track are gone

March 8, 2011 - Invertigo track pieces have been discovered in the Dorney Park parking lot.

And from Screamscape:

2012 - Invertigo - Semi-Confirmed - (3/7/11) A local area reader snapped a great picture of a piece of Invertgo track leaving CGA on it's way to Dorney Park this week. This has been followed by two more pictures sent in showing off two entirely different trucks carrying different Invertigo track pieces crossing the country, which is kind of amazing coverage to have all in one short weekend. Way to go to the Screamscape readers for keeping their eyes open and camera phones at the ready!

This information pretty much confirms Invertigo's final destination.

Kings Island 2012:

From Screamscape:

2012 - New Attraction - Rumor - (2/22/11) Kings Island has been teasing their facebook fans for a couple of weeks now with strange drawings of a twisted red-line. At first I was thinking it was some kind of walk-around path, created by a GPS style tracking system, but now others also believe it may be a topography map that could show off a possible expansion to the X-Base area of the park. In any case, this seems to be the start of hints for what’s to come in 2012 to Kings Island. You can catch the latest image and some comments posted over at KICentral.

Recently there has been crazy rumors spreading that Kings Island will get something big for 2012 (their 40th season). I remember posting a rumor that Flight Deck (Arrow Suspended) was getting removed in 2011. The rumor then was the 2012 ride. As of November, however, the ride is getting repainted, so it seems it could be staying for a few more years.

Now the 2012 rumor (as seen on Screamscape) seems to involve a forest behind Racer (as seen on the "Planning" from February 14, 2011):


















Other teases from the park include:

January 28, 2011 - A picture of a dinosaur footprint in the snow.

February 4, 2011 - A strange picture of a red outline is posted on KI's Facebook page.

March 7, 2011 - A picture of Don Helbig (president of Kings Island) doing some work on the 2011 park map and covering the Son of Beast area and the stated area (I'm not sure if this is a teaser or not).

March 9, 2011 - Something weird appears on Kings Island's main page, showing the words "Something big is coming. You're history. 3-18-11" (hinting an announcement six days from now). It returns to normal later.

March 11, 2011 - The weird tagline appears again as: "Turn Back The Clock On Thrill. SOMETHING BIG IS COMING TO KINGS ISLAND." "3.18.11"

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/mud/index.cfm

And today, a little more of the page is revealed, showing a hilarious teaser video of the "announcement" (which is censored):



XD And other goodies include some pics:

















^A marked out tree.

















^Some really muddy water.

















^Some dirt with tracks on it (probably from construction equipment).

What could this be? Rumors seem to be out of control from a new section of the park (probably themed to prehistory), a new section of the park with a new coaster, or a new coaster. I doubt this has anything to do with Son of Beast, so we can rule that out for now, though some rumors state that the coaster will be getting a Texas Giant-type makeover (all depends on if the new Texas Giant is successful or not, which it seems so).

Anyways, I think the 2nd choice seems the most logical. As for the type of coaster, I think we could be dealing with one of the following options:

1. B&M Inverted Coaster
2. Intamin Blitz
3. Intamin Giga
4. B&M Dive Machine
5. B&M Wing Coaster

Any one of these sounds good, but I sense that this could be America's first B&M Wing Coaster, like Raptor at Gardaland and LC12 at Thorpe Park.

Either way, this looks like an interesting project to look, though this can be for anything (I still have a wild guess this is a B&M Wing Coaster). Why would I say something like that... well...

Because I'm CRAAAZY!!!!! Haha, just had to put it there somehow (I'm not just a coaster fanatic... Plants Vs. Zombies = HEAVEN TOO!!)...

Is California's Great America DOOMED?!

Sorry for not posting much lately (it's been very busy at school), but recently, people have been speculating a possible sale or closure of California's Great America (the park that removed Invertigo, which BTW has trains at Dorney Park, it's destination). Now, this article seems to nearly show the writing that is on the wall:

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/27583

Attendance at Cedar Fair’s amusement parks hit a record last year, and that meant record revenues of nearly a billion dollars. But investors still took a per-share loss of 57 cents, and the Sandusky-based company is still trying to finish the refinancing of its massive debt. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on the release today of the company’s annual results.

Cedar Fair says nearly 23 million people visited its two-dozen amusement and water parks and hotels last year, a boost of nearly 8 percent over the year before. Cedar Fair credits aggressive marketing of season-passes, especially at its parks in the South and West.

And, it says, the good weather didn’t hurt.

Cedar Fair grew over the last decade a series of acquisitions that added to its original holding – Cedar Point – and to its debt.

But outgoing CEO Richard Kinzel says the company is stable now. And with the exception of a parkin Santa Clara, California, that it hopes to sell to the San Francisco 49ers, it anticipate no major deals.

“Other than that, we have no parks on the market and we’re not talking to any one about divesting any of our parks. We’re very pleased with all of them. They all contribute very handsomely to our bottom line.”

Whether Cedar Fair’s major investor agrees remains to be seen. The hedge fund – Q Investments – successfully pushed to oust Kinzel and is pushing for another special board meeting to get its own representatives on Cedar Fair’s board.

Great America is the Santa Clara park. After reading that, I'm now thinking... could this park be the next Kentucky Kingdom or Geauga Lake (I really hope not, but it seems inevitable!!)?

This post is to state what will probably happen to the rides in the park. Of course, with Invertigo all but confirmed for Dorney Park, that park can be ruled out of all options (unless it is a small flat ride, but still).

So, with that said, here is my post:

Flight Deck (B&M Invert): Options (unless you count Kings Dominion with Volcano): Valleyfair, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion. Kings Dominion just got I305, so that can be ruled out. Recently, Kings Island is rumored for something behind Racer for 2012 (teasers have been going on recently), but I don't think they would hype it up only to disappoint fans with a used coaster for 2012. Valleyfair seems like the most likely choice, as it has been rumored to get an Invert for a while now. Flight Deck could make a great fit there. My best guess is that it will go up by Thunder Canyon (river rapids) and Excalibur (and the entrance can squeeze by the Thunder Canyon).

Vortex (B&M Stand-Up): Options: Dorney Park, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, Michigan's Adventure, Valleyfair, and Worlds of Fun. Dorney Park can automatically be ruled out (like I said, Invertigo is all but confirmed) so that leaves you with 5. Like I said, Kings Island is rumored for an expansion, and I doubt it will include a used coaster. Valleyfair seems possible, but I'm leaning towards Flight Deck for this park. The remainder seems really likely, but Knott's Berry Farm is in the same competing area as SFMM, which has a much better stand-up, Riddler's Revenge (I love this ride). The two most likely options are Michigan's Adventure and Worlds of Fun. MIA could use a stand-up, though there is one very similar in SFGAm: Iron Wolf. So I'm not really sure. Now, Worlds of Fun might have had a Stand-Up already, but so did SFGAdv, and we all know what they are getting (Chang/Green Lantern). That said, Worlds of Fun looks to be the winner on this one, as Vortex can make a great fit there, as the only stand-up in that state, and new trains and refurbishment can work too (I always heard it was very rough, especially for a B&M). Maybe they can put it between Tivoli Music Hall and Worlds of Fun Ave.

Psycho Mouse (Arrow Mad Mouse): Options: Cedar Point, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, and Worlds of Fun. Any of these seem likely, but I'd honestly say Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's tried getting rid of Screamin' Swing for Demon Drop (funny, Screamin' Swing was to be sent to Great America... ironic). For some reason, I still sense that they are thinking of getting rid of it (I hope not, because those look fun)... or at least moving it to a different space (I would hope for this. Maybe by Sky Cabin). That space seems perfect for Psycho Mouse, and the park (along with an awesome Intimidator 305-type ride or B&M Hypercoaster) needs a Wild Mouse.

Xtreme Skyflier: Options: Dorney Park and Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's Berry Farm seems most likely for this one, as Dorney Park is getting Invertigo (yeah, I said it). They can build it adjacent to Pony Express, Screamin' Swing (which should be moved by Sky Cabin to make room for Psycho Mouse), and Ghost Town.

Planet Snoopy/Kidzville rides with Taxi Jam: Let's think for a moment: which Cedar Fair park is the only park without a Planet Snoopy or anything Snoopy-related, kiddie area wise (yes, I'm looking at you Knott's Berry Farm and Camp Snoopy)? Yep, that's Michigan's Adventure. Maybe behind Grand Rapids with an entrance between Grand Rapids and Adventure Falls, across from Thunderhawk.

Carousel Columbia: Initially, I thought they would sell it, but after looking at Worlds of Fun getting Geauga Lake's carousel, I can see Kings Island getting it, putting it in part of the old King Kobra site.

Tiki Twirl: Say, this looks to be a perfect gift for Worlds of Fun, putting it in the Africa section, by Boomerang or Prowler's entrance.

Firefall: This can go to Carowinds in the field by Intimidator.

Drop Tower: Michigan's Adventure is the only Cedar Fair park without a drop tower, but I hear there is a 200 ft. height restriction, so IDK. You never know though.

Delirium: My gut tells me this will end up at Kings Dominion taking up some of Hypersonic's old space, or replacing Beserker (they tried removing it once).

Now for some doomed rides:

Grizzly (wooden coaster): Woodies are hard to relocate (other than Starliner), and this ride receives some bad reputation, so I can't see anyone wanting it (ugh, it looks fun).

Demon (Arrow Corkscrew): It is very old, and old Arrows just don't seem relocatable these days (Big Bad Wolf, Great American Scream Machine, Double Loop, Python, etc.). =(

Woodstock's Express: (Intamin Family Coaster) Now I thought this could be relocated (it was once, according to RCDB), but after watching a POV, it looks like a terrain coaster. Since terrain rides are hard to relocate, I can't see this surviving.

Logger's Run: Cedar Fair is starting to remove log flumes (though some better ones (*cough*Shoot the Rapids*cough*) are being made). A few examples are Cedar Point's log flume (removed in 2005 for Maverick in 2007), Valleyfair's log flume (removed in 2008 for the Breaker's Bay wave pool in 2009), and Carowinds's log flume (obviously removed in 2008 for Intimidator in 2010). I can't see CF saving this ride.

Whitewater Falls: Okay, maybe this ride has a chance of being sold to someone else (like Geauga Lake's), but I can't see CF saving this either.

So these are my thoughts. Again, I would prefer if Cedar Fair keeps the park, but with the nearby neighbors and the 49ers stadium, I can't see it.

Harry Potter and Invertigo Removal

Wizarding World Phase 2:

From Screamscape:

???? - Wizarding World Expansion - Development Phase - (1/29/11) According to one rumor, Universal is looking into having the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter finished by 2013… which is confidently the same time that Disney should be done with their Fantasyland expansion down the road. (I love it when they play nasty…)
As for the expansion, the plans are still being worked on, but the general idea is to take over the rest of Lost Continent, though at the same time they do not want to disturb the Mythos restaurant. (Just my 2 cents… but just place the new gateway to the Wizarding World just beyond the entrance of Mythos to avoid the clash.) The obvious and early idea here right now is to re-create a Diagon Alley environment… full of more theme appropriate shops to sell merchandise of course. An action show of some kind is being tossed around to replace Sinbad, and one possible storyline could involve the TriWizard Tournament. As for what may become of Poseidon’s Fury… the jury is still out, and many ideas are said to be on the table, however one possible idea under consideration would be an indoor steel coaster ride themed to Gringotts Wizarding Bank vaults seen in the first film. In case you’ve forgotten, check out the video embedded below.
(1/26/11) Screamscape sources tell us that survey markings are appearing in backstage areas behind the remainder of The Lost Continent as they attempt to map out how Phase 2 of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will take shape. It would be easy to convert Sinbad into a new live action show, but what kind of attraction could make good use of the Poseidon’s Fury structure?

I'd take the 2013 opening with a grain of salt, but with surveying apparently happening... hmmm... if this 2013 opening rumor is true, expect construction to begin in a matter of months.

I'd rather see a Ministry of Magic-themed show, instead of a Triwizard-themed show (though it would be fun too). But either case, this expansion is already sounding exciting to me. =D

Invertigo Removal:

From Screamscape:

Park News - (1/29/11) Cedar Fair has confirmed on the CGA website that Invertigo is indeed being removed from the park before it opens for the 2011 season, to be relocated to another Cedar Fair park. As for the Invertigo site… they say they have plans in the works.
I say that it better be a new coaster… something wickedly cool in steel… or that awesome GCI design they had all but confirmed a few years ago. If they try to put in another Windseeker there, you have my permission to riot.
(1/27/11) Screamscape sources tell us that California’s Great America will remove Invertigo before the start of the 2011 season. If true, we can look for it to start to coming down around February 1st. Unfortunately they have no plans for the site in 2011, and this means yet another coaster removed from the park, in a long series of such events, without having added a new coaster in the past ten years.
The good news is that apparently they are finally eyeballing the park for a major new attraction in either 2012 or 2013. One rumor is that the GCI wooden coaster that was designed could be back on track, possibly moved a bit to take up some of this location and avoid the complaints from the neighbors that delayed it before. Other rumors say that something entirely new may come in to replace Invertigo. Either way, if Invertigo is coming down, we wont have long to wait.

From the California's Great America website:

Invertigo Going to a New Home

After 12 years of service at California's Great America, Cedar Fair has decided to move the ride to another Cedar Fair park and open up a new opportunity for Great America.

This is a business decision that is taking into consideration all of the Cedar Fair properties and allowing us to infuse capital into another park while opening up a great opportunity for a new attraction at Great America.

Although we do not discuss future plans that are not definite, our Corporate Design team has evaluated the location and plans are underway for the future of the location.

This is not unusual as in 2003 the ride Stealth was removed and relocated to Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., to make way for what is now known as Boomerang Bay water park.

Stay tuned for more details as they are available!

California's Great America is in Santa Clara, California (of course in California). And the park consists of 5 (er... 4) big coasters:

1. Vortex (B&M Stand-Up) - I hear this is one of the roughest B&Ms ever made, but it kind of looks like fun. I think a refurbishment will fix it.
2. Flight Deck (B&M Invert) - This coaster has a low-to-the-"ground" helix on top of a lake.
3. Demon (Arrow Corkscrew) - This was originally "Turn of the Century" when it opened.
4. Grizzly (??? Wooden Coaster) - I have no idea who the manufacturer is, but next to Vortex, I hear this is one of the most despised rides in the park (it looks cool though).
5. Invertigo (Vekoma Invertigo) - This coaster has a clone at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. THIS RIDE IS NOW BEING REMOVED.

And three smaller ones:

6. Psycho Mouse (Arrow Wild Mouse)
7. Taxi Jam
8. Woodstock's Express

I'm just shocked though. They just reopened Invertigo last summer, and now they are removing it? =O I hope something big comes to this park. I would hate to see another Kentucky Kingdom/Geauga Lake/Astroworld tragedy. Unfortunately, many people are speculating that this is the first step in selling the park to the impending 49ers, whom the park had many issues with over the past few years (along with some cranky neighbors in office buildings next to the park that delayed the 2009 GCI wooden coaster (hey, newsflash! You chose to LIVE by a park... imbeciles -_________-)), as they want a stadium in the parking lot.

As for where Invertigo will go up, Screamscape posted this:

2012 - Invertigo - Rumor - (1/29/11) In case you missed the rumor from California’s Great America, it has been confirmed that their Invertigo coaster will be removed in the next few weeks to be sent to another Cedar Fair park. The early rumor, even before the removal was confirmed, was that it was going to Dorney Park for the 2012 season. This would make Dorney Park the only park in the country (world maybe too) to have 3 true Inverted coasters. (No, I’m not counting Suspended or Flying coasters) Stay tuned!

I've got to admit, I felt that it would go to Dorney Park when the announcement occurred. My gut tells me it is where Laser once stood. The space seems perfect for a ride like this. Also, there are some kiddie rides adjacent to the site up for sale:

Park News - (12/3/10) It looks like Dorney Park has put three (1 / 2 / 3) of its small kiddie rides up for sale on Ital Intl, all of which I believe are located in the same general area of the park, along with the Steel First kiddie coaster. Could they be clearing the area out for a new future development?

I'm getting pretty interested in what Dorney Park is getting for 2012 (guess Hersheypark's 2012 coaster is getting some competition), and what the future of California's Great America holds. Will the park survive? Or will the park die in the hands of the 49ers and cranky neighbors? Wait and see!