Thunderbolt

Perhaps it was at an earlier Q&A session and I'm mistaken? Mark Kane's statement was purported shortly before a B&R:TC generator was found at the park's entrance, on flatbed. I'll have to search the gadv.com archives (if they weren't deleted). ***UPDATE*** It was the 7/26/2007 "Q&A Session with Mark Kane". http://tinyurl.com/739kbu Q-Will it be open this year or are you going to give up on it? A-We are definitely not going to give up on it. We are waitng for parts and will continue to try to get it up and running. We want to make sure everything is done right to avoid anymore downtime in the future.If we can get it done before the end of the season it will open if not it will be next season.

Mark Kane also emphatically stated B&R: The Chiller wasn't going anywhere (at "Great Adventure Source Day" in 2007). The ride was supposed to finally get the extensive rehab it needed, versus the band-aid fixes of years past. A week later, the blow torches were lit. Corporate told him otherwise. Here's hoping "The Big Wheel" returns. I have little faith in Six Flags PR.

Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse (Wessssssslayyyyyy!) Movie Theater or Home Theater?

Mark Kane said Six Flags planned to finally address all of B&R:TC's problems. Of course after Kane emphatically stated B&R:TC wasn't going anywhere, corporate told him otherwise.

Considering how badly the cabanas have failed in the theme park (now down to $25, some 75% off the original asking price), I don't see this VIP scheme taking off. Perhaps if they bundled a t-shirt and some other "Glow In The Park" souvenir or dinner; it would fare better.

Sad to think NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol was a pupil of Roone. Dick worked for Arledge at ABC Sports in their glory days. Funny you mention Jim McKay. Unfortunately, I'm too young to remember ABC Sports' presentation of their last Summer Games (Seoul 1988). Most of my memories of Jim are from Athens 2004 (on "loan" from ABC). McKay's son, Sean McManus (Jim's actual surname) heads up CBS Sports as well as CBS News now. ABC Sports was on life support for years. It died officially when the BCS bolted to Fox. Everything today is ESPN produced.

Wow, even back in the early days; nobody replaced the defective light bulbs on "The Big Wheel". That's one frustrating aspect plaguing Great Adventure throughout its history. It seems every management team simply plops a new ride or building down and forgets about it. Instead of providing the TLC needed, they defer refurbishment to the point where its no longer feasible (either cost wise or structurally). Even with "The Flying Wave" refreshes, nobody cared enough to budget and replace the dead bulbs or non-functioning light panels. I would like to see the park replace all the incandescent light panels with LEDs, but that won't happen. Despite their brighter appearance, efficiency, and enduring nature, management wouldn't dare bother to do it. Great Adventure loses so much of its splendor do to the poor lighting at night.

^Indeed. "The Party Patrol" was Shapiro'd with the 2006 mid-season budget cuts. Kind of sad, as the GP seemed to like them. I couldn't help but laugh the day the golf cart ran out of juice by Nitro. Alas, the fireworks show was a bigger loss.

ABC Sports was awesome in the Roone Arledge, pre-Disney/ESPN era. Nowadays, CBS Sports is the gold standard (HD PQ is second to none save HDNet).

I wish we got the "clean" "pool" feed instead of NBC's Opening Ceremony. By all accounts, the film like presentation was hampered by NBC's cuts, camera angles, and pedantic commentary of Costas & Lauer. This is the stuff HDTV was made for, and WNBC-DT wouldn't turn off their subchannels (FAIL!). I guess Weather Plus and the pointless "4.4" are worth more than the $1B event that had to be delayed for 14 hours (CBC showed it live).

Convenience? If the ride scared the sh!t out of you; the bathroom is right there.

Dainan, I've never met you (I have read many of your PTRs.), but keep your head up. The sun always rises in the east; even on cloudy days. Living is the best way to spite all the things depressing you. As long as you can find a "Herbert" heavy episode (and I do find it disturbing such a deplorable individual can be made to be endearing) of "Family Guy", everything is fine. Despite your obstacles, you still enjoy an existence that 4 BILLION people on this planet would envy. Try to reflect on the good things/people in your life, and let the chips fall where they may for everything else. We've all faced what we thought were insurmountable situations. With time and self-forgiveness, we moved ahead. I may be speaking "out of turn" here, so feel free to drop a "ST*U" on me.

It's Pendulum. GAdv. management simply walled off the empty chasm even leaving up its tent roof.

Stereotypes are ok until they target a group or issue you're sensitive towards. Everything in paragraph 2 is spot on.

The second quarter profit is largely attributed to a hefty gain on debt restructuring. A smaller contribution to the profit margin was achieved through staff reduction (the answer Medusa opens at noon), ad revenue, and in park price gouging. The "free cash flow positive" comments still baffle me. He states this year will be SIX's first year as "free cash flow positive", but then mentions the company was in 2005 ("$260 million is what they did, yet they burned $115 million in terms of free cash flow."). I quickly scanned a full transcript of the conference call (available here: http://tinyurl.com/6frlvm), so I'll reexamine that previous point. I know for a fact Six Flags was a profitable venture for Time Warner. Six Flags has stated attendance for the quarter declined to 8.6 million; while year to date attendance was "flat" at 10.1 million. Shapiro stated this was due to fewer operating days this year with the Easter Holiday falling in the first quarter. Cedar Fair reported a gain in attendance today for the second-quarter. Earnings for Q2 more than doubled, helped by the additional operating days. The former Paramount Parks were largely responsible for FUN's gains. More importantly, despite gate discounts, admission revenue rose to $163.6 million from $150.2 million. FUN also stated, "Attendance revenue improved across all of the company's properties toward the end of June and through the peak vacation month of July." Comparing SIX's results to FUN's paints the former in a much darker place despite the latter reporting a lower profit number. FUN managed to grow despite a tougher economic climate without short term accounting gimmicks. SIX's profitable quarter was a nice surprise. The overall picture is less rosy due to attendance. All the increased costs, fees, and advertising won't help them sustain profitability if the people stop coming. The Wall Street Jorunal has an article regarding Six Flags (sub required): http://tinyurl.com/5j8b3c Based on Mark's comments in the preview; I don't see Dive Machines coming any time soon. I hope I'm wrong. Seeking Alpha has posted a Q2 2008 Transcript: http://tinyurl.com/6frlvm)

Neither. Utilize the tons of open, dead space throughout the park. Surgically plan installations with preserving (or moving, NOT REMOVING) mature trees. Focus on theming and don't bother with half-baked efforts (TDK). Zierer Wave Swinger/"flats"/light bulbs for "The Big Wheel" or TDK?

Harry, your depth of Great Adventure knowledge and the classic photo repository make GAH hands down the BEST non-Disney enthusiast site! You're right up there with Yesterland! (I hope that doesn't sound like a dig. I simply love how both sites revisit the history of their parks.) I remember the "Statue of Liberty" too.

My Dad loved the "Garden of Marvels". I have no memory of its successor sadly. I do remember the entrances having the RC Carts, but wasn't further access blocked off? Were some of the mini-buildings utilized by the RC Boats from the mini-golf course or special?

Giant Wheel ("The Big Wheel") The Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats or the other Chinese Acrobat show in the Americana Music Hall?

Considering the current sad state of arcades; I'll go with the Wii Experience. No pinball == FAIL. Name choice: Gingerbread Fancy or Granny's? Bonus: Lightnin' Loops Red or Blue?

Searching through Schwarzkopf Coaster Net, I came across the following Ferris Wheel: http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/ESriesenrad24mGF.htm I know it doesn't match the Panorama Wheel exactly (perhaps it was customized for that park?), but the gondola bottoms bare a striking resemblance. The wheel dimensions appear similar, and have that small platform on the hub.

No love for the Bayern Curve (a.k.a. Swiss Bob)? I loved these as a kid and enjoyed the GAH Spotlight. Wasn't the Panorama Wheel a Schwarzkopf model too? Boardwalk & Baseball had an awesome Bayern Curve that shared GAdv.'s original theming elements. Long Island's Adventureland called theirs "The Flower Jet". It had a 60's flower power theme. I miss riding all 3.

If those numbers were true; he'd be canonized! Even I would salute him.

Failed attempt at humor. I was suggesting an "emo" soundtrack replacement for the attraction. Subsequently, I tried to mock the genre with my lame impression of it. Mega FAIL on my part. :|

Six Flags America can't catch a break! It's not unlike Great Adventure during the Westray era. Thankfully, nobody was injured.