HodgePodge: Week of September 30, 2011

Time for this week’s HodgePodge. Here it is:

No, not THAT Hodge Podge. (And if you got that bad joke, you and I should be best friends.) Anyway:

Magic Kingdom

Well, according to AllEars.net, the announced revamp of the parking lot that has caused so many fans to be up in arms began to see changes on the 23^rd. The lot, no longer representing famous mascots like Mickey and Minnie, now is divided into two sections: the Heroes lot and the Villains lot.

Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park

DiscoverMyrtle Beach claims that the rides will be operating again at Freestyle Music Park possibly for the 2012 season. No news yet, but I’ve heard that a former investor of the park (back when it was known as Hard Rock Park) is getting other investors onboard for a re-opening. I’ve been keeping up with this park’s downfall, and it’s sad that it was doomed from the start. At least The Pavilion went out with some dignity. 

Six Flags Magic Mountain

One of my favorite sites, Roller Coaster Philosophy, has a nice piece on Magic Mountain coasters.

Knott’s Scary Farm

With The Haunt underway, a nice discussion thread is up at Theme Park Review that gives some trip report photos and the always-present TPR humor.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Theme Park Adventure has some in-depth articles and pictures on the new haunted houses and scare zones for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, this time themed around Hostel and The Thing.

IRM

International Rides Management is putting some old attractions from Morey’s Piers up for sale on Facebook. If you want to make a backyard amusement park in the vein of Neverland Ranch, this could be your big chance!

EPCOT Center

Finally, let me state that I don’t think this will ever be sold, at least not for a long time. However, I wanted to share this eBay auction by Mouse Surplus. It’s an old vehicle from Horizons retrofitted with the original speaker system by General Electric to play the theme song when you sit inside it. If you have at least $10 grand, I’d give it a shot.

That’s it for this week. See ya!

HodgePodge: Week of May 1, 2011

Park Impressions is pleased to announce HodgePodge! HodgePodge is intended to be a new feature, replacing the General News Updates but differing in several aspects. Instead, a HodgePodge will focus on just a few key news updates from the previous week, and will report in more detail than the General News Updates did. Without further adieu, check out our first HodgePodge!


Hersheypark:
The mysterious Ride Institute of Technology is back with their study on Gravity Manipulation. The study itself is unimportant in comparison to the hidden code on the first page. You can easily notice an alphanumeric key near the bottom of the page, which doesn't seem to do much for us at first. However, if you highlight the large blank area, and then copy it into a document, you get this:

4 17 14 1 6 / 0 16 15 / 15 0 / 

19 17 , / 13 / 21 13 9 9 / 6 14 

22 17 / 13 8 18 0 4 19 14 15 13 

0 8 / 15 0 / 5 6 14 4 17 / 5 6 0

The alphanumeric key comes in handy for translating this, which comes out to "Reach out to me, I will have information to share shortly. Dr. M. Coupone."

Hopefully we'll see more soon, and of course the next study will be released on Monday. Keep an eye on the RIT website for more tricks!

Busch Gardens Tampa:

Courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa

Cheetah Hunt is still undergoing the testing process, as well as adding finishing touches to the surrounding area. At least one train is now testing without water dummies, and another train has not had its additional designs (decals, etc.) added yet. Either way, the area is beginning to look fantastic; the park has really created a great atmosphere and theme for the ride! Check out more photos at Behind the Thrills.

Morey's Piers:

Photo from NJ.com

Morey's Piers seems to have something up their sleeve, according to an article at NJ.com. The park seems to be planning a massive GCI Woodie for 2013, at a cost of $10 million, the park's most expensive addition to date. Unfortunately, the park will be forced to remove their original ride, the Wipe Out slide. The coaster will dive under the midway, and will span the length of two piers, forming a bridge between them. 

Unfortunately, it will not open in 2012 due to its sheer "size and intricacy", according to the article. For starters, look at those lift hill supports! Regardless, this coaster looks to be on the scale of GCI's Mountain Flyer at Knight Valley. If that's the case, I'm sure it won't disappoint!

Tidbits:

- According to the Sandusky Register, Cedar Point's Windseeker will not open on time due to the extreme rain we've seen in Ohio this year. According to Kinzel, the delay will be brief.

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