dougdrummer

I was going to do the same thing but found out my wife eventually threw it away....LOL....probably a good thing.

I wonder if they wanted to change their name after the Penn State football situation......

When I go to a casino, I don't touch the slot machine buttons with my finger tips - I use the back of my knuckles. And I have sanitizer with me at all times. It sounds like I'm a germophobe, but you can't be too careful these days.

One of my favorite TV shows is American Pickers. On one episode they pick for Dollywood, to add props to a brand new coaster Firechaser Express: Here's the opening ceremony of the coaster with Dolly singing: Video of the in-car ride along (be aware the two women are annoying so you may want to mute....LOL):

awesome model building!

I rode FF many times back in the late 80s before the clientele in the park made the experience less enjoyable and I stopped going. I always thought it was so different to end up on your back at the end, The drop was nothing compared to modern coasters, but at the time it certainly gave you the "heart in your throat" feel upon release..

what is this, the NSA or TSA??

why can't people deposit their chewing gum in the hundreds of garbage cans as opposed to throwing it on the walkway or sticking it to a pole or post??

I believe Golden Earring was playing the day/night of the Haunted Castle fire.

SFGA and its safari essentially put Jungle Habitat in northern NJ out of business, just 2-3 years after it opened.

pretty amazing for an out and back coaster

I read this here on this site regarding a separate season pass holder entrance. Is there a separate entrance today?

How does El Toro compare to the coaster it replaced? I wonder if the park ever got their bang for the buck with The Chiller? As unique and as much of a draw as it was, it was also a publicity black eye for a good portion of its existence. I can't even imagine how many millions of dollars they had to pour into that ride over ten years, trying to get it up and running, with all the problems with valleying, LIMs and having to replace portions of the track. I would think except for the hardcore roller coaster enthusiast, most patrons avoided it due to the harshness of the ride. Certainly your average person didn't try to repeat ride it.

I can't imagine being stuck on a ride in anything but an upright position. Has anyone ever been stuck on Kingda Ka way up near the top??? If you were afraid of heights that would be terrifying. Many years ago I was stuck on a plane after we landed, but were delayed a while from being able to get off at the gate. This one passenger must have been claustrophobic, because they went nuts running around screaming they had to get off the plane. I can imagine that happening on a broken down ride.

Great point that I didn't think of! Almost everything is sponsored by something!

Does SFGA have any coasters where you are squirted with water like BGW has/had?

I would think a higher percentage of them are single day pass customers, especially if the buses are coming from out of state or farther distances.

But aren't there a lot of groups bused in for single day events? Or is that not as prevalent as it was back in the early days? I remember my company had their annual picnic there one time back in the late 80's/early 90's, and my first visit was a school trip in 1979. Also, given the high rate of season pass holders, what does the park rely on to make money? Obviously they get an infusion of cash up front, so cash flow is good initially (as opposed to a lot of other businesses). But do they rely on season pass holders to spend additional money on added fee attractions, playing games at the midway, and merchandise purchases? If you buy a season pass and food plan, then parking and most of your food is already covered for the season. What do they get out of those people upon each additional visit? I guess there are a percentage of those people that don't attend enough to utilize the passes and therefore the park makes money on them.

I guess "portable" is a relative term given the photos here that show how the wheel was constructed one spoke at a time.

I have a family wedding in Boston this summer, so I plan on stopping by SFNE on the way home.

Does the Sky Wheel have any mechanisms below ground? I imagine it has quite a foundation.

do I win a keyhole photo? LOL

I never would have guessed that. I wonder what the breakdown is on weekends, as well as peak season and off-peak? i would think that one-day pass attendees are there for longer hours than season pass holders.

got it - thanks!

The only time I can remember getting stuck on a ride was at DW when It's a Small World broke down for about a half hour. Just to torture us, the music kept playing over and over again.........AAAAGGGGHHHHH! Of course that was nothing compared to being stuck five hours on an Amtrak train in the tunnel under Manhattan because of an electrical problem.