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10 YEARS OF SERVICE
1997 2007
POSTMASTER: Dated material.
PLEASE RUSH!
Mailed Tuesday, September 4, 2007
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
FT. WORTH TX
PERMIT # 2069
www.AmusementToday.com
Vol. 11, Issue 6.2 SEPTEMBER 2007 $5.00
Amusement Today’s 2007 Golden Ticket AwardTim Baldwin
Amusement Today
P A R K S
SEE PAGE 3
R I D E S
SEE PAGE 19
P U B L I S H E R ’ S P I C K S
SEE PAGE 31
S T E E L C O A S T E R S
SEE PAGE 34
W O O D C O A S T E R
SEE PAGE 38
AT PHOTO/TIM B
Cedar Point makes it a complete decade of win
Amusement Today’s Best Park category.
Host Park
2007 Golden Ticket Awards
September 5, 2007
2007 WINNERBEST CAROUSEL and
BEST AMUSEMENT PARK FOO
THE PHOENIX VOTED # 3
TOP WOODEN
ROLLER
COASTER
Thank You for
ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!
Often called “The Oscarsof the Amusement Industry,”this year marks the 10th annualGolden Ticket Awards. Today, more than ever,amusement parks, theme
parks, and waterparks are alllooking to adapt to the chang-ing challenges in marketing tothe public’s quest for entertain-ment. As the culture, economy,and growth of countries aroundthe world evolve, so must theindustry. Parks are looking tohone and ne-tune the essen-tials in creating a great guestexperience. The Golden TicketAwards pause to acknowledgethe Best of the Best, as deter-mined by park enthusiasts fromaround the globe. Enthusiasts of our industryspend the bulk of their vacationtime and hard-earned cash totravel across the country andaround the world to experienceall there is to see in this won-derful industry. Challengedwith the daunting task of ratingeach park for its best qualities,this panel of experts forms acollective voice that no amountof research can truly surpass.Year after year, Amusement To-day is indebted to the hundredsof fans that contribute their in-
sights and expertise. Our staff,along with parks around theworld, thank each of these a-cionados for their time and sup-port. As the general public re-nes their tastes for their enter-tainment dollar, each park mustseek out to exceed their expec-tations. In so doing, the taskof nding the Best of the Best becomes a greater challengefor our experienced panel. The
harder it is for them to pinpointthe cream of the crop, the clear-er sign it is that the industry isindeed moving forward in theright direction in meeting andexcelling in customer satisfac-tion. Amusement Today salutes allthe parks around the world thatstrive each day to bring smilesto those that visit their facility,whether they be four years old,or 84...continue to take us to
GOLDEN TICKE
BONUS ISSUE
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2 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
All about the BUSINESS of FUN!
Gary Slade
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief [email protected]
Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $50 in the USA; $70 elsewhere; 2(28 issues) $90/$130; 3 years (42 issues) $130/$190. Send check or money(U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank) to Amusement Today , P.O. Box 5427, Arli
Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Please allow up to sixfor your subscription request to be processed and the first issue mailed.
Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amus Today Inc., P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Presort Standard Postage (No. 2069) pre -paid at Fort Worth, Texas. The entire contents of this newspaperrelated Web sites are copyrighted by Amusement Today 2007, with all rights res
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today , P.O. BoxArlington, Texas 76005-5427.
ADDRESS, SUBSCRIPTION, POSTMASTER INFORMATIO
Sammy Piccola
Accounting / [email protected]
Alice Baron
Tim Baldwin
Emilie Justman/Corporate Graphics
Graphic [email protected]
Terry Lind/TLCreative Design
Website [email protected]
ADVERTISING
Bill Rea
(972) 690-6822/Fax (972) 690-04841213 Whispering Oaks
Richardson, Texas 75081
Sue Nichols
(615) 662-0252P.O. Box 238
Pegram, Tenn. [email protected]
Beth Jenkins
(615) 794-72882040 Belmont CircleFranklin, Tenn. 37069
AMUSEME NT TODAY STAFF
EDITORIAL
Scott [email protected]
Pam Sherborne
(615) [email protected]
Paul McDonald
Cell (352) 255-6249
Bubba Flint
Contributors
Justin Garvanovic, Natasha Emmons,Andrew Mellor, Janice Witherow
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 5427
Arlington, Texas 76005-5427
•(817) 460-7220
Fax (817) 265-NEWS (6397)
Deliveries2012 E. Randol Mill Rd, Suite
Arlington, Texas 76011
•Member of:
IAAPA, AIMS International, PANEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA and
AWARD WINNER1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004
Tim Baldwin
The passion of the enthusiast
Baldwin
EDITORIAL
Promotion & competition
—Gary Slade
A common question arises each year about the Gold-en Ticket Awards balloting. How do I get my park to wina Golden Ticket?
Ask any of the winning parks and they will be therst to tell you it’s through hard work, dedication to whatthey do, and promotion. They promote to their own staff how important theGT Award is to the park and promote their park to thepublic that they are the Best of the Best. They also pro-mote their facility to the various enthusiasts’ clubs andorganizations, who are in many cases, the word-of-mouthfor this industry. Check out any Web-based newsgroup orchat room and you’ll quickly see how fast word-of-mouth
via the Web can spread. Competition is a good thing also. Amusement Todaysees many parks coming on strong in several categorieswhich will force even more competition among the parksin our industry. Win or lose, the park guest is the ulti-mate winner. Observations by the AT staff and calls made to the
AT ofces on 2006 parks indicate these facilities may bepoised for striking Gold very soon: •Cleanest Park: look for Morey’s Piers and Michi-gan’s Adventure to challenge. •Friendliest Park: Six Flags Great Adventure hasmade a huge turnaround here. •Best Landscaping in an Amusement Park; BuschGardens Europe has had a lock on this for years, but
don’t rule out sister park SeaWorld San Antonio fromchallenging from within. •Best Shows: Dollywood is getting ever closer to un-seating reigning champ Six Flags Fiesta Texas. •Best Wooden Coaster: Don’t be surprised to see SixFlags Great Adventure’s Intamin-built El Toro to continueto climb in the rankings. The bottom line is don’t rest on your past success,push your staff to continue to be the Best of the Best.
Both celebrated and tolerated bythe amusement industry, the passionof the park enthusiast is as deep asany hobbiest-type organization, butsomehow has its own special quali-ties. Not just a pastime of gatheringcollectibles around the house, thedrive behind amusement park fansnds them traveling to the furthestcorners of our great planet to nd and cher -ish everything the industry has to offer. I’mproud to be among this elite group of people. As a whole, enthusiasts contribute muchto the industry. Nowhere will you nd a
group of people with an assemblage of his-torical data, photos, artifacts, and park col-lections, often with the intent of preservingwhat we so dearly treasure within this in-dustry. Quite often it is easy to forget all thememories and accomplishments of our pastas we strive to move forward. Thankfully, theenthusiasts are there to remind us what hasmade this industry so special for more than acentury. In many respects, no one knows this in-dustry better. They see it all and are quite
often the biggest untapped sourinformation of what’s out there iworld of amusement parks - the and the bad. Lucky for Amusemeday , hundreds of dedicated fanwilling to share their opinions weach year. The Golden Ticket Aw just couldn’t happen without theand money invested by parks’ gr
fans. This publication will remain indebthem for their insight and expertise. It’s impossible for every enthusiast tit every park every year. If it were, I’d don my career to be on the bus, plane
each roller coaster right along with themwith our panel of experts residing all ovnation and in the countries beyond, I as I tabulate each point that we are sl but surely, seeing the Best of the Best. Wcontenders gain new exposure each sewaiting to be noticed. Take heart, the enasts will nd you. I know I can’t wait to each and every park myself. On behalf of park fans everywherethank the industry for making life bette
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODA
A new category added to 2007 park winnerSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk joins Cedar Point, Schlitterbahn, Legoland and SeaWorld Orlando as Best Pa
Tim Baldwin Amusement Today
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, celebrating its 100th anniversary this sea-
son, is top pick in our newest category, Best Seaside Park.
PHOTO COURTESY SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK
Schlitterbahn’s unmatchable mix of attractions and riverside se
keep it the favorite among Golden Ticket voters.
PHOTO COURTESY SCHLITT
Legoland features coasters, exhibits, and attractions suited to the young-
er set and their families. It is voted Best Children’s Park.
PHOTO COURTESY LEGOLAND
The No. 1 Marine Life Park, SeaWorld Orlando, offers guests water rides
er coasters, beautiful landscaping, shows, animals, and of course, Sham
PHOTO COURTESY SEA
4See PARKS, pa
Santa Cruz Beach Board-walk has not only captured
the nostalgic ambience of atraditional seaside amuse-ment park, but they have alsotaken grasp of AT’s newestcategory, Best Seaside Park. Charles Caneld, presi-dent of the Beach Boardwalk beams of taking this inauguralaccolade, “We’re very honoredto be recognized as the BestSeaside Amusement Park. TheGolden Ticket Award is reallya great tribute to all of our
dedicated employees, pastand present, especially duringour centennial year.” Santa Cruz Beach Board-walk celebrates its 100th an-
niversary this season. In thesame year that Henry Fordcreated his rst Model T andcolor photography was in-vented, so also did Fred Swan-ton of the newly formed SantaCruz Beach Company startconstruction on a new casinoin 1907. One hundred yearslater, the Boardwalk is teem-ing with families enjoying aday on the colorful rides, the bright sand, or on a scenic sky
ride above the shore.Other nalists in this
category are Pleasure BeachBlackpool in England: Mo-rey’s Piers in New Jersey: Bel-mont Park at Mission Beach,California; and Kemah Board-walk in Texas. Belmont Park shares simi-lar qualities with its Californiacousin as both boast a 1920sPrior and Church wooden
coaster named Giant Dipper.Morey’s Piers is in the devel-oping stage of adding anoth-er wooden coaster in futureyears and Kemah Boardwalk
was nishing testing on itsnew Boardwalk Bullet wood-en coaster as this issue wentto press. Blackpool relocateda suspended looping coaster by Vekoma this season to in-crease their coaster count totwelve. Cedar Point makes a cleansweep, pulling in a tenth-year-in-a-row nab of Best Park. Theresort boasts numerous hotelproperties, a waterpark, and
the largest collection ofin one of the biggest parkerating on Planet Earth. John Hildebrandt, president and general
ager of Cedar Point exc“Ten years makes a ment. We’re very proud award, especially sincvoted on by people whknowledgeable about amment parks, people whothe midways and riderides.” Hildebrandt con“I have the Golden TAward for Best Park in mce. I look at it every da
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THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN! THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGA
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS, AMUSEMENT TODAY, FOR NAMING US
#1 KIDS PARK FOUR YEARS IN A ROW.
LEGOLAND® California with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions is located in Carlsbad, 30 minutes north of San Diego. LEGO, LEGOLAND, the LEGO and LEGOLAND logos and the brick configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2007 The LEGO Group. LEGOLAND IS A PART OF THE MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS G
THANKS AGAIN!
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� � � � � � � �
�
� � �
Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks • Wildwood, NJ • 609-522-3900 • www.MoreysPiers.com
CongratulationsSanta Cruz andHoliday World.
We want a rematch.
Congratulations to our colleagues on being voted the best by Amusement Today.
They deserve recognition for a job well done.
In the spirit of American competition, we have a bold statement to make for 2008:
Visit us and we’re betting we’ll earn your vote f or Best Seaside Park and Cleanest Park.
Seeing is believing, so we invite y ou to take advantage of a special invitation.
Check out our website early next year for details.
www.MoreysPiers.com
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10 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
PARKSContinued from page 3
PHOTO COURTESY MOREY’S PIERS/DAN FEICHT
Morey’s invested a quarter-million dollars to update light-
ing on the Ferris wheel to help make the night special.
PHOTO BY MARK ROSE
Idlewild’s unique setting and kid-friendly rides make
great place for family visits and our No. 2 Children’s P
right next to the picture of mywife and sons. My plan is tokeep looking at it for a longtime to come.”
In addition to Cedar Point,Best Park nalists includeKnoebels, Pennsylvania; Is-lands of Adventure, Orlando;
Holiday World, Indiana; whileDisneyland, California, andPleasure Beach Blackpool, tiefor fth. Terri Adams, Chief Oper-ating Ofcer of SchlitterbahnWaterparks, responds to win-ning Best Waterpark for the10th year, “Every August wecross our ngers, hold our breath, and wait for the Gold-en Ticket results. Our teamgoes to great lengths to makesure we are offering the bestschlitterifc experience imag-inable and we take great pridein earning the Golden Ticketdistinction.” Adams beams,“We love sharing the newswith our park team, our com-munity and our guests, espe-cially this year since we’veachieved this honor for tenconsecutive years.” Other nalists include
Splashin’ Safari, Indiana insecond; Blizzard Beach, Orlan-do, in third; and a tie betweenTyphoon Lagoon, Orlando,and Noah’s Ark, Wisconsin, atfourth. SeaWorld Orlando nabsthe award for Best Marine LifePark, a category introducedlast year. The Orlando parkfeatures three roller coasters,numerous shows, a sky tower,a heavily themed water ume,gorgeous gardens, many ani-mals, and of course, the amaz-ing Shamu. On the heels of the Orlan-
do property are the two sisterSeaWorld parks located inSan Antonio and San Diego.The Texas facility makes an11 percent gain on its Orlando brethren this year. The newlynamed Six Flags DiscoveryKingdom takes fourth, andMarineland in Canada takesfth. Best Children’s Park istaken again by Legoland Cali-fornia. This beautifully land-scaped park is bustling withfamilies enjoying attractionsgeared toward a youngerage. Family style coasters,
Lego exhibits and interactiveattractions have made this apopular spot with those 12and under and our young-at-heart voters.
The second place nalistin this category is Idlewild,tucked away in Pennsylvania.Attractions such as Mr. RogersTrolley and the many larger-than-life storybook scenes allcomplement the mix of rides,activities and fun suitable forfamilies with younger chil-dren.
Farup Sommerland inDenmark is a new player in
this category. Many ovoters recently travelethis European treasureto be delighted by cou bouncy, jumpy, crawlinggle-inducing activities. Tin some family coasterster rides, and uniquerides, and Farup Sommemakes a great spot for ain Denmark to becomeagain.
Tied with Farup Somland for third is Pennsnia’s Sesame Place. MemKiddie Park in the Clevarea nishes the top ve
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
Park and Ride WinnersRanked by percentage of votes cast
Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 33%
Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 10%
Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 9%
Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 7%
Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. (tie) 6%
Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England (tie) 6%
Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa. 5%
Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg, Va. 4.5%
Europa Park Rust, Germany 4%
Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. (tie) 3%
Tokyo DisneySea Tokyo, Japan (tie) 3%
BEST PARK
BEST WATERPARK
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, Texas 45%Splashin’ Safari Santa Claus, Ind. 23%
Blizzard Beach Orlando, Fla. 9%
Noah’s Ark Wisconsin Dells, Wis. (tie) 4%
Typhoon Lagoon Orlando, Fla. (tie) 4%
Legoland California Carlsbad, Calif. 51%
Idlewild Ligonier, Pa. 15%
Farup Sommerland Saltum, Denmark (tie) 7%
Sesame Place Langhorne, Pa. (tie) 7%
Memphis Kiddie Park Cleveland, Ohio 5%
BEST CHILDREN’S PARK
BEST MARINE LIFE PARK
SeaWorld Orlando Orlando, Fla. 57%
SeaWorld San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 26%
SeaWorld San Diego San Diego, Calif. 8%
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, Calif. 6%
Marineland Ontario, Canada 3%
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 49%
Pleasure Beach Blackpool Blackpool, England 21%
Morey’s Piers Wildwood, N.J. 12%
Belmont Park San Diego, Calif. 4%
Kemah Boardwalk Kemah, Texas 3%
BEST SEASIDE PARK
Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 48%
Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 20%
Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 5%
Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. 4%
Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. (tie) 3%
Beech Bend Bowling Green, Ky. (tie) 3%
FRIENDLIEST PARK
Holiday World Santa Claus, Ind. 49%
Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg, Va. 14%
Disneyland Anaheim, Calif. (tie) 6%
Magic Kingdom Orlando, Fla. (tie) 6%
Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 4%
CLEANEST PARK
BEST SHOWS
Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa.
Epcot Orlando, Fla.
Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg, Va.
Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls Islands of Adventure
Valhalla Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom
Popeye and Bluto’s...Barges Islands of Adventure
Journey to Atlantis SeaWorld Orlando
Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 29%
Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tenn. 27%
Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg, Va. (tie) 8%
Silver Dollar City Branson, Mo. (tie) 8%
Disney-MGM Orlando, Fla. 6%
BEST FOOD
BEST WATER RIDE (Park)
BEST WATERPARK RIDE
Master Blaster Schlitterbahn
Deluge Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Zoombabwe Splashin’ Safari
Bakuli Splashin’ Safari (t
Summit Plummet Blizzard Beach (t
BEST KIDS’ AREA
Kings Island Kings Mills, Ohio
Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla.
Carowinds Charlotte, N.C.
Idlewild Ligonier, Pa. (ti
Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif. (ti
BEST LANDSCAPING (Park)
Busch Gardens Europe Williamsburg, Va.
Gilroy Gardens Gilroy, Calif.
Efteling Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands Epcot Orlando, Fla. (t
Busch Gardens Africa Tampa, Fla. (t
BEST LANDSCAPING (Waterpark)
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, Texas
Typhoon Lagoon Orlando, Fla.
Blizzard Beach Orlando, Fla.
Splashin’ Safari Santa Claus, Ind.
Dollywood’s Splash Country Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
BEST OUTDOOR NIGHT PRODUCTION
Epcot Orlando, Fla.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas
Disneyland Anaheim, Calif.
Disney-MGM Orlando, Fla.
Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio
BEST DARK RIDE
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Islands of Adventure
Haunted Mansion Knoebels Amusement Resort
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Disney-MGM
Indiana Jones...Forbidden Eye Disneyland
Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland
BEST HALLOWEEN EVENT
Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, Calif.
Universal Orlando Orlando, Fla.
Kennywood West Mifflin, Pa.
Knoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa.
Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio
BEST NEW RIDE FOR 2007 (Amusement Park)
Maverick Cedar Point 42%
Mystery Mine Dollywood 23%
Griffon Busch Gardens Europe 17%
Renegade Valleyfair! 5%
Troy Toverland 3%
BEST NEW RIDE FOR 2007 (Waterpark)
Bakuli Splashin’ Safari 4
Deluge Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom 3
Brainwash Wet’n Wild Orlando 1
East Coast Waterworks Hersheypark/Boardwalk
Poseidon’s Rage Mt. Olympus
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12 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
Courteous staff, landscaping and food add to guest experienHoliday World, Busch Gardens Europe, Schlitterbahn, Knoebels all repeat winners
Tim Baldwin Amusement Today
Visitors to Busch Gardens Europe are always taken back by the park’s
beautiful landscaping.
PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH GARDENS
Value, flavor and satisfaction is a Knoebels winning
mula for Best Food.
PHOTO COURTESY KN
Friendly faces and smiles are shared between Ho
World staff and their visitors.
PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY
A commitment to cleanliness has become well-known to
Holiday World’s employees and guests.
PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY WORLD
It’s certainly debatablethat a park experience is allabout the rides. But withfurther examination, it takesmore on the part of the parkto truly create a day that sur-passes the expectations of theguest. Courteous employeescan help bring the messageof “welcome” home to eachguest and family. HolidayWorld has had a long lock on
this category. AT asked WillKoch, president and generalmanager, what the park doesto get their hosts and host-esses to be so friendly. “Wesend Pat Koch into the park,”he smiles. “We also respect them,listen to them, give them thetools they need to do their jobs, ask them to perform ata high level and expect themto perform at a high level,”Koch continues. “Lead byexample.” Those nal wordsmay just be the key to Holi-day World’s winning formula.
All these attributes can easilytransfer to the park’s win ofCleanest, along with Friendli-est. Other nalists in the
Friendliest Park category areDollywood in a strong secondplace, along with Knoebels,Silver Dollar City, Disney-land, and Beech Bend. For Cleanest Park, BuschGardens Europe, Disneyland,Magic Kingdom, and Dolly-wood, take second throughfth respectively. Beautiful foliage can beappreciated by every age.Two Busch properties are -nalists, with Williamsburg being top pick again. Othersinclude Gilroy Gardens, Eftel-
ing, and Epcot. Making their waterparkslook beautiful, Schlitterbahn,Typhoon Lagoon, BlizzardBeach, Splashin’ Safari, and
Dollywood’s Splash Countryget top nods from our voters. A day in a park can’t beaccomplished without stop-ping to eat. Often this is atreat, while at some parks it’sa chore, usually due to slowlines or high cost. Knoebels has long foundfavor with park visitors for both taste, price, and quality.The Best Food Golden Ticketstays rmly in their hands. Other nalists includethe vast offerings by Epcot’sWorld Showcase, Dollywood’s
and Silver Dollar City’s homecookin’, and Busch GardensEurope’s quality meals. All these ingredients helpmake each visit more special.
Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels treats tubers to a beautiful and sh
atmosphere.
PHOTO COURTESY SCHLITT
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It takes 4,500 cubic yards of
mulch (enough to cover 35
football fields), 150,000 annuals
80,000 tulips, 4,000 chrysanthemum
and 700 “container” gardens. Not t
mention more than two dozen
landscape artists who spend six hou
every day pruning, planting and
weeding (all by hand). And did we
mention the tens of thousands of
beneficial bugs, like ladybugs, that
are released into the park every year
to help keep our gardens pristine?
As you can tell, we’re quite proud o
our landscaping excellence. And
we’re honored that you recognized
our efforts.
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
It’s Showtime!Six Flags Fiesta Texas takes Best Show category; Epcot’s Illumination wins
Best Outdoor Night Show Production; Knott’s Berry Farm takes back Best Halloween EveTim Baldwin
Amusement Today
Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ dedication for outstanding show talent takes the Golden Tic
PHOTO COURTESY SIX FLAGS FIEST
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is a must-see for every Epcot visitor.
PHOTO COURTESY WDWEverybody scream!! Knott’s Scary Farm has been giving
fun-lovers the shivers for 35 years.
PHOTO COURTESY KNOTT’S BERRY FARM
In a hard fought duel with
Dollywood, Six Flags FiestaTexas retains its grasp on theGolden Ticket for Best Shows. Many people know thatFiesta Texas was built in 1992 by Opryland folk with an em-phasis on shows. Over theyears and through the chang-ing hands of ownership, thepark struck a balance of livelyshows, thrilling rides, and wa-terpark fun. It became clear tothe new owners that the his-tory of show quality neededto be maintained. Our votersagree that it has.
“To retain this prestigiousaccomplishment for nine yearsis obviously quite a feat!” saysMartin Bozer, park presidentand general manager. “I amconstantly amazed that eachyear our entertainment castseems to outperform pro-ductions from even the prioryear.” In acknowledging thepark’s commitment to shows,Bozer adds, “We’re well awareour guests visit us not only forthrilling rides, but the best,most innovative, cutting-edgeshow product...and we intendto continue that tradition.”
One of Fiesta Texas’ new-est bragging rights is theirmajor Halloween production,Monster Mash Bash. For thosespecial nights, close to 30 mu-sicians, singers, and dancerscaptivate audiences of be-tween four and ve thousandpeople with an elaborate,rocking concert production.It is the highlight of any guestwho visits during the park’sannual Fright Fest. Dollywood came in at aclose second to Fiesta Texasthis year. Shared with DollyParton’s love for performing,a full day’s line up of showsduring a visit to Dollywoodawaits each guest. Pete Ow-
ens, public relations manag-er for Dollywood, explains,“When Dolly Parton is theowner of your theme park,the commitment to high qual-ity show product is extremelyimportant. Large productionshows are who we are andwhat we’re about.” That commitment to showquality is shared by sister parkSilver Dollar City in Branson,which holds the number fourspot with our panel, withBusch Gardens Europe andDisney-MGM completingour top ve nalists for Best
Shows. If ducking into a showcan rejuvenate the soul fromthe summer heat or miles ofwalking, a nighttime showproduction can be the pro-verbial icing on the cake to a
great day in the park. Epcot’s Illuminationscontinues to dazzle our panel.Filled with lasers, lights, re,projections, and more, this -nale completes a day at Epcotand remains a must-see forany visitor.
Fiesta Texas’ long-lovedLone Star Spectacular comesin second, while Disney on both coasts take the third andfourth place spot with Fantas-mic!, and Cedar Point’s Hot
Summer Lights complettop ve. Halloween is big bufor parks these days. In ing tug-of-war, Knott’s Farm and Universal goit again, with Knott’s “eing out the win for 2007 Kennywood’s PhaFright Nights takes with its park-wide Hallomakeover, and KnoebelCedar Point round out tnalists with their festiva
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That’s hot! That rocks!
We just can’t make up our minds what to say
about winning two Golden Ticket Awards.
B OUD NH SH PDU
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot ®
B ID RLL C
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster ® Starring Aerosmith at Disney-MGM Studios
anks, Amusement Today !
©Disney
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
Go for a ride!Universal’s IOA takes top honors in Dark Ride and Water Ride; Schlitterbahn boast
Best Waterpark Ride; Kings Island keeps record with Best Kids’ Area
Like the movies, Spider-Man brings in thousands of thrill-seekers for the
top-rated Best Dark Ride.
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO
Dudley-Do Right’s Ripsaw Falls keeps Islands of Adventure guests la
ing, screaming, and cooled off.
Schlitterbahn’s Master Blaster maintains a top rating for Best Waterpark
Ride for 2007.
PHOTO COURTESY SCHLITTERBAHN
Kentucky Kingdom’s new Deluge features brand new magnetic tec
ogy to propel riders uphill and the new ride into second place.
PHOTO COURTESY SFKK/DAN
4See RIDES, pa
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS O
Outside of roller coasters, the two favorite categoriesfor our panel to vote for are Best Water Ride and BestDark Ride. These two categories list more nomineesthan any other category in our Park and Ride Winnerlist. Such rides are so ingrained into a classic park experi-ence, it is no wonder that our experts have found favor-ites around the world. Maintaining its dominance of Best Dark Ride is Is-lands of Adventure’s Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. This multi-sensory ride takes riders through a breathless escapade that involves physical stunts withinthe vehicle, three-dimensional visuals, pyrotechnics,and illusory effects such as a disorienting multi-story fallfrom a sky scraper. Spider-Man has captured this billingevery year Amusement Today has featured the category inthe Golden Ticket Awards.
Another fan favorite is Knoebels’ Haunted Mansion.More of a traditional dark ride, Knoebels keeps their ver-sion in top form with classic and newer stunts to keepguests laughing and screaming.
Other favorites include Disney’s Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror in Orlando and the adventurouana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye aneyland in California. Disneyland’s Pirates of the bean rounds out the top ve for 2007. These three Dattractions are known for their elaborate sets and ing theming. Ironically, as dark rides go, this Disnranges from its most thrilling to the rather genteel Once again, IOA also nds Dudely Do-Rightsaw Falls taking Best Water Ride. Built by Mack anurated with tongue-in-cheek theming, corny jokesplashy effects, Universal has a real crowd pleaserit comes to cooling people off with this attraction. Gmight nd simply listening to the comical soundrounding the ride to be totally entertaining. Ride joy a humorous storyline as their log travels thro
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20 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
RIDESContinued from page 19
Kings Islands’ No. 1 Kids’ area features three coaster
numerous rides for kids and families.
AT PHOTO/TIM B
The whimsical world of Dr. Seuss comes to life in the chil-
dren-friendly area at Islands of Adventure.
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO
cartoon-inspired landscape.
Other nalists includeBlackpool’s Valhalla, also built by Mack. Valhalla takes ridersthrough a dark thematic expe-rience indoors which includesnumerous effects and a wet out-come. (Rain capes are for saleprior to boarding.)
Rounding out the top ve -nalists are three attractions fromOrlando - Splash Mountainat the Magic Kingdom, IOA’s Jurrasic Park River Adventure,and SeaWorld’s Journey to At-lantis. All three of these attrac-tions boast extensive themingand numerous visuals, not tomention thrilling drops locatedfor park guests to enjoy beingspectators. In the waterpark division,Best Waterpark Ride sees a newplayer making a charge againstlong-standing champion MasterBlaster, Schlitterbahn’s massive
uphill water coaster. Comingin second to Master Blaster thisyear is the new-for-2007 Delugeat Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.Deluge’s unique electro-mag-netic uphill sections make thiswater coaster unique to any-thing else ever built. Jay Thomas, president ofKentucky Kingdom says, “Del-uge has become a crowd favor-ite. Our park guests have repeat-edly remarked how much theyenjoy this family water ride. It’sthe perfect blend of thrills andchills and we could not be hap-pier with this innovative water
coaster designed specically forus by ProSlide.” Still, remaining at the top ofthe list is Schlitterbahn’s MasterBlaster, the park’s signature at-traction.
Scott Connor, enthusiastand frequent visitor to Schlit-terbahn says, “Master Blasterhas such an imposing pres-ence when you enter the park.Sometimes it’s fun to just watchpeople riding it, listening tothem scream.” Connor adds,“It’s always where I start when Ivisit Schlitterbahn. It’s the wild-est kick-in-the pants waterslide
you’ll ever ride. And the wettest,too! A total blast!” Finishing up the category isSplashin’s Safari’s multi-persondark mammoth slide Zoomba- bwe, built by ProSlide, in third;as well as Splashin’ Safari’s newBakuli tying with Disney’s Sum-mit Plummet at Blizzard Beachin fourth place. Kings Island has maintainedits proven formula for Best Kids’Area. Fueled by Nickelodeoncharacters and Hanna-Barberaclassics, the area features threecoasters that parents can ridewith their children, as well as a
log ume themed to TheThornberrys and many rilections scaled down just fyounger ones. Dr. Seuss comes to Islands of Adventure. Thidren’s area based on the wacky books of this belovthor rates second with our treasured for its creativity.
Completing the top our Golden Ticket categoCarowinds in third and a fourth between IdlewildKnott’s Berry Farm. —Tim Bal
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22 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
Certain Golden Ticket Awards get a rotating form Each year, a few categories go into a rotationwhile newer ones are introduced. The 2007 edi-tion sees the return of three categories not seensince 2004.
It is often said that if the roller coasteris the King of the Midway, then a carousel isits heart. Carousels are treasured for variousaspects including nostalgia, beauty, and creativ-ity. Our finalists for Best Carousel exemplify
these attributes. Knoebels and Santa Cruz bothoffer guests the opportunity to reach out andgrab the brass ring in a throwback to yester-year. Knoebels takes top prize in this category.Atlanta’s gorgeous preservation of Riverview’smajestic carousel brings it in third, Islands ofAdventure showcases a touch of whimsy withtheir Car-o-Suessel in fourth place, and Six FlagsGreat America’s double decker rounds out thetop five.
Roller coasters are always the favorite cat-
egory for our voters. This year, indoor favreceive their own category and it was away battle for top billing. Just edging first place win was Disney-MGM’s Aeroscharged Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. Barely bthat ranking was a tie for second with Reof the Mummy on the Florida coast and Mountain on the California coast. Florida’s Mountain follows and Kennywood’s rat-th
Exterminator rounds out the five finalists.One of our more challenging categor
one of the industry’s fastest growing pro- indoor waterparks. West Edmonton famous World Waterpark rises to the tthis category. The new Schlitterbahn Galvcomes in second with its convertible capabMany ties for third and fifth showcase prties in Sandusky, Ohio; Wisconsin DellsEngland.
—Tim Bal
Golden Ticket survey ballots defined by region
1
23
4
5 – International Surveys
From its inception in
1998, Amusement Today hascontinued to seek out thewell-traveled enthusiast andpark afficianado. In an effortto keep the Golden TicketAward survey balanced andas fair as possible, the UnitedStates is divided into fourgeographical regions and anequal number of survey bal-lots were sent to each region.In addition, several interna-tional participants also tookthe survey. Amusement Today isextremely indebted to thehundreds of kind people
who took the time, effort, andthought into completing thesurvey and returning it to AT .Their expertise is not onlyappreciated, but also theirkindness. Any well-traveled enthu-siasts who wish to be consid-ered for the 2008 survey cancontact us by email at [email protected] by postal mail. AmusementToday is eagerly interested inexpanding our internationalparticipants.
Three-year format awardsBEST CAROUSELKnoebels Amusement Resort Elysburg, Pa. 40%Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz, Calif. 18%Six Flags Over Georgia Atlanta, Ga. 8%Islands of Adventure Orlando, Fla. 5%Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Ill. 4%
BEST INDOOR ROLLER COASTERRock ’n’ Roller Coaster Disney-MGM 17%Revenge of the Mummy Universal Studios Florida (tie) 16%
Space Mountain Disneyland (tie) 16%Space Mountain Magic Kingdom 13%Exterminator Kennywood 8%
BEST INDOOR WATERPARKWorld Waterpark West Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 18%Schlitterbahn Galveston Galveston, Texas 12%Castaway Bay Sandusky, Ohio (tie) 10%Kalahari Sandusky, Ohio (tie) 10%Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky, Ohio (tie) 6%Kalahari Wisconsin Dells, Wis. (tie) 6%Splash Landings/Alton Towers Staffordshire, England (tie) 6%
PHOTO COURTESY KNOEBELS
Knoebels’ Grand Carousel allows guests to grab
for the brass ring.
PHOTO COURTESY WDW RESORT
Fueled by an Aerosmith soundtrack, Disney’s Rock ‘n’
Roller Coaster creates a concert atmosphere indoors.
AT PHOTO/TIM B
World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall d
ers splashy fun year round.
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westedmontonmall.com
I l
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26 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
2007 Best New Rides go to Cedar Point, Splashin’ SafaTim Baldwin
Amusement Today
PHOTO COURTESY DAN FEICHT
Cedar Point’s new Maverick takes thrill-seekers on a 70
mph launched and looping wild ride.
PHOTO COURTESY HOLIDAY WORLD/DA
Groups of four at a time swirl down Bakuli, a massive
ride, new at Splashin’ Safari.
4See NEW RIDES, pag
Forrec is proud to have
played a key role in thedesign of Mystery Mine®,Dollywood’s® stunning
new dark ride attraction.
CONGRATULATIONSDOLLYWOOD®& HERSCHENDFAMILY ENTERTAINMENT®!
2007 Golden Ticket Award WinnerSilver Award, Best New Ride for:
MYSTERY MINE®
Even before the year of-cially begins, a “buzz” centersaround what new rides areopening for the upcoming sea-son. Once announcements are
made, mental plans are madeto travel to the must-get-to at-tractions debuting ahead. The sought-after ridesusually have a unique edge tothem. It may be height, nov-elty, theming, or the rst of itskind.
Roller coasters are the big-gest draw for an amusementpark. Guests immediatelyidentify with what a coasteris and what thrills they mightexperience. Our top two con-tenders this year are Maverickat Cedar Point and MysteryMine at Dollywood.
Contrary to Cedar Point’sprotocol of building the tallestand fastest of whichever typethey’ve purchased, 2007 sawthe park going in a whole newdirection. Maverick scarcelytops out over 100 feet, but ifthat sounds rather tame, thinkagain. An LSM-powered lift
whisks short trains to its apexonly to have riders plunged ata beyond-vertical 95-degreeangle. What follows is chaoson rails as Maverick darts anddashes close to the ground on
a runaway excursion completewith negative-g hills, smoothinversions, and enough direc-tional changes to make any-one lost. Midway through theride, buckaroos are blasted at70 mph from a railroad tunnelto complete a second half ofwild maneuvers.
Mystery Mine, Dolly-wood’s thematic masterpiecewas the rst U.S. Euroghterstyle coaster from Gerstlauer.Not to be content with sucha simple bragging right, the
Tennessee themer investedover $10 million in theming,making it a stunning work ofart even to those guests not brave enough to dare a spin.
Pete Owens, public re-lations manager, says, “It’sour own version of Tower ofTerror!” While journeying
through the involved story-line, coaster riders climb twovertical lifts, are surprised bytwo 95-degree drops, and zipthrough some wild acrobat-ics.
Our other coaster nal-ists include Busch Gardens’new Griffon, which brings theoorless aspect to its amazingten-across seating. Griffon isa 200 feet diving coaster fromB&M. Great Coasters Interna-tional round out the top vewith Valleyfair’s Renegade,
featuring an S-shapeddrop and Troy, their laproject to date tucked over in The Netherlands In the waterpark Holiday World’s captu
enthusiasts let them eence the new Bakuli, a mafour-person behemoth from ProSlide. Bakuli foHoliday World’s trenadding attractions that a high capacity, therefoducing their guests’ wai
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
NEW RIDESContinued from page 26
AT PHOTO/SCOTT RUTHERFORD
Dollywood’s new Mystery Mine allows guests to experi-
ence several surprises during its storyline.
PHOTO COURTESY SFKK/DA
Deluge at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom uses LIM tec
ogy to give a roller coaster style ride.
in line. Cleverly, Bakuli has
an observation platform builtright above the bowl to allowfriends and family to waveand take pictures. Six Flags Kentucky King-dom’s Deluge wowed thosewho had a chance to ride itwith its unique technology.Almost by mysterious force,electromagnetic power tookriders up and down overwaterslide hills. The color-ful new attraction offers bigdrops, high capacity, and fourperson in-line seating thatgives the back rider pops of
airtime. Coming in third place isWet’n Wild’s new Brain Wash,a ProSlide Tornado with atwist. Totally unique is its en-closure of the funnel, packedwith sound and visual imagesto make a signature experi-
ence compared with similarinstallations.
Fourth place goes to EastCoast Waterworks, part ofHersheypark’s new section,The Boardwalk. This giant in-teractive playstructure has acapacity for 1,000 people.
Mt. Olympus Water andTheme Park rounds out thetop ve with Poseidon’sRage, their new wave pooldesigned to generate nine-foot waves. Built by White-water, Poseidon’s Rage is thesecond wave pool Mt. Olym-
pus offers its guests, coin at a price tag of $7 mThe park has the capabiadjusting the wave heigcreate actual surng cotition when swimmers been cleared. Radical du4MORE FINALISTS, pa
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ENTERTAINMENT VALUE CAPACITY LEADERSHIPSAFETY PERFORMANCEINNOVATION
WORLD HEADQUARTERS: 2650 Queensview Drive, Suite 150, Ottawa, ON, K2B 8H6, Canada Tel: (613) 526-5522 / Fax: (613) 526-5872 [email protected]
All Top 3 "BEST NEW WATERPARK RIDES"from the same company!
ProSlide Technology Inc.(Another waterpark industry-first.)
Congratulations to
Holiday World
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
and Wet’n Wild Orlando
on your Golden Ticket Awards
And, thank you from ProSlide
for your continued support
We pour on the
www.ProSlide.com
NNOOTT A A LLLL WW A A TTEERR RRIIDDEESS A A RREE CCRREE A A TTEEDD EEQQUU A A LL TT MM . . . . . . ..(It bears repeating...) ProSlide is the trusted forerunner in innovative water ride developmen
pioneering award-winning ProSlide® ride technologies. (Ride technologies that work. )
Make no mistake. That’s why world-leading waterpark operators choose ProSlide® Technology
You should too
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!
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30 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
AT PHOTO/GARY SLADE
Griffon combined two aspects of B&M’s catalog
- the diving machine and the floorless coaster,
all within a 200-ft. drop.
PHOTO COURTESY WET’N WILD
While ProSlide’s Tornado funnels are seen
throughout the industry, no one matches Wet’n
Wild for their high-tech visuals placed inside.
PHOTO COURTESY TERRY LIND
GCII’s Renegade sports an S-shaped first drop
not seen in any of their previous designs. The
coaster debuted at Valleyfair this season.
PHOTO COURTESY HERSHEYPARK
East Coast Waterworks is one of the most dra-
matic new components to Hersheypark’s new
Boardwalk section.
PHOTO COURTESY RENE SE
Troy, built at Toverland in the Netherlan
GCII’s biggest project to date. Its July ope
still attracted voters under the wire.
PHOTO COURTESY MT. O
Poseidon’s Rage, Mt. Olympus’ new wave
is the second largest wave pool in the na
capable of generating nine-foot waves.
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
Park, individual, supplier each recipients of 2007 Publisher’s Pi
PHOTO COURTESY DOLLYWOOD
Natural landscaping aids in the beauty that is
Dollywood, a theme park that steps back in
time to themes without cartoons or movies.
PHOTO COURTESY HERSHEYPARK
The Milton Hershey School is a private, coeduca-
tional home and school for children from fami-
lies in financial and social need.
National Ticket Company celebrates its 1
anniversary this year thanks to the hard
and dedication of its entire staff, shown he
PHOTO COURTESY NATIONA
Carefully thought
out theming makesDollywood special
Milton S. Hershey, the
man behind a town, park and school
100 years strong,
National Ticket Co.not slowing down
Dolly
PartonMilton
Hershey
Since 1986, visitors fromaround the world have becomewell acquainted with the Dol-lywood name and experience.However, the entertainmentpark actually traces its roots back to 1961 when Rebel Rail-road rst opened on the sitethat, over time, expanded andgrew into Dollywood. Rebel Railroad was asmall-scale attraction operated by the Robbins Brothers from neighboring NorthCarolina. The ve-mile long Rebel Railroad featureda coal-red steam train named Klondike Katie, a gen-eral store, a blacksmith shop and a saloon for visitorsto enjoy. The Robbins Brothers had created a winningformula. That formula led to ownerships by Art Modellof the Celevland Browns, then to Jack and Pete Her-schend of Silver Dollar City fame. In 1986, the Her -schend brothers soon welcomed a much-loved andrecognizable East Tennessee superstar to the parkwhen Dolly Parton joined the family in the themepark business, lending not only her childhood mem-ories for future ride development, but her name aswell, for the park’s rebranding into Dollywood. Today, Dollywood’s carefully thought out them-ing of everything from rides to it’s buildings and
shops make this theme park a special park to visit.No cartoon or movie themes are needed here to tella story or entertain its guests. After all, isn’t that thepurpose of the theme park, to entertain its gueststhrough theming? Dollywood does it right, and forthat, they are selected as AT’s Park of the Year.
From the moment he laidout his community, Milton S.Hershey planned to build apark, making an early commit-ment to create a more pleasantenvironment for workers andresidents than the typical fac-tory town of the time. Even though Hershey’sMennonite mother thoughthis idea was frivolous, he pro-ceeded to survey a site alongSpring Creek in 1903. On April 24, 1907, HersheyPark opened; a baseball game was played on theathletic eld. Milton Hershey and his wife, Cath-erine, watched the game from the grandstand. Hershey Park’s original appeal was its simplic-ity. An ideal spot for picnicking, boating and canoe-ing, the park was landscaped with graceful treesand wooded groves that provided a shady retreatfor thousands of people without being crowed. Thepark’s rst ride, a merry-go-round opened on July 4,1908. His vision for the town did not stop with thepark. Unable to have children of his own, MiltonHershey established the Milton Hershey SchoolTrust, whose sole beneciary is the 1909-foundedMilton Hershey School, a private, coeducationalhome and school for 1,600 children from families
in nancial and social need. All expenses for thechildren are provided free of charge to enrolled stu-dents. Today, as Hersheypark and the Hershey’sChocolate Kiss celebrates its 100th anniversaries, AT salutes our Person of the Year , Milton S. Hershey.
After 100 years,paper tickets are stillselling strong. But that’s notkeeping NationalTicket Companyfrom sitting still asthe company celebrates its 100th anniversaryyear. The company is in the early stages of ginto the radio frequency identication techncalled RFID. They are already offering wristband soon will be offering paper and plastic ca Still yet, the tradition and achievements restrong in a company that was founded in 19 brothers Alphonsus E., William A. and John J.way along with a local clothing merchant NicR. Ludes in Shamokin, Pa. The four were equalners in the company. Today, offspring of the orfounders still work for the company. In 1938, National Ticket became the rstpany in the area to provide life insurance covfor its workers. Five years later it added healthaccident coverage. The company has also rewed employees for their loyalty and hard work benets, competitive wages and annual celebrwhich started in the mid-1930s. With a worldwide customer base in exc5,000 customers, National Ticket Company co
ues to meet the needs of its long time amuseand entertainment customers, and new onwell. Congratulations to National Ticket Comon 100 years of outstanding ticketing servicechoice for Supplier of the Year.
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34 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
Hold On!Six Flags New England’s Superman repeats as Best Steel Coaste
Tim Baldwin Amusement Today
Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England shows its
strength by holding on to the No. 1 position on our charts.
PHOTO COURTESY SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND
AT PHOTO/TIM BALDWIN AT PHOTO/TIM BAT PH OTO/GARY SLAD E P HOTO COURTESY BUS CH G ARDEN S EUROPE
The top five features Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Apollo’s Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe, and Magnu
Cedar Point. Intamin and B&M both boast two coasters in the top five, as well as a historical favorite by Arrow.
There was a time whensteel coasters were a rarity. To-
day, they outnumber woodencoasters almost ten-to-one. Returning as our top per-former, Superman Ride ofSteel at Six Flags New Eng-land soars to the top of the list.Built by Intamin and knownfor an amazing amount ofnegative-g’s, Superman ismany a thrill-seeker’s truehero. Also by Intamin, CedarPoint’s famous MillenniumForce, the rst coaster to top300 feet, easily takes the num- ber two spot. Climbing a notch, SixFlags Great Adventure ndsNitro moving upward into thethird place position this year.Built by B&M, Nitro climbs toa height of 230 feet. Nitro’s cousin, Apollo’sChariot, also built by B&M,raises a notch on our charts,as well. Coming in at fourthplace, Busch Gardens Eu-rope’s hyper coaster is a fanfavorite at this wonderfullythemed park. Magnum XL-200 com-pletes our top ve. Magnumhas enjoyed an immense pop-
ularity since its debut in 1989, breaking the 200-foot barrierfor the rst time. Its creationcaused American CoasterEnthusiasts to coin the term,“hyper coaster” for a rideof this statistical dimension.Magnum started a wave ofsuch coasters built through-out the world in the 1990s. Expedition GeForce is thehighest rated coaster in all ofEurope. Built by Intamin andcherished for its deliciousairtime, Expedition GeForcends its home at Holiday Parkin Germany. Featured in our top tenare Phantom’s Revenge atKennywood, Goliath at SixFlags over Georgia, Top ThrillDragster from Cedar Point,and Montu at Busch GardensAfrica. Three new-for-2007 coast-ers fought their way onto thecharts this year. The high-est performer is Maverick,Intamin’s launched 95-degreecoaster at Cedar Point. Oper-ating with six trains, Maver-ick makes for a scenic “wow”
for spectators as ridersover a lagoon between sing geysers. Maverick’pressive debut is at nu14. Griffon, the new o
coaster from B&M chanumber 27 for Busch GaEurope, and Mystery Dollywood’s amazing stlauer coaster paired Forrec’s outstanding theappears at the number 4sition. Seven international ers nd places on our cthis year. Along with dition GeForce in theten, the lists include: Tower’s Nemesis (NoEngland; Walabi’s G(No. 29) Belgium; La RoGoliath (No. 37), CaBlackpool’s Big One (NoEngland; Galaxyland’s M bender (No. 48), CanadaMiribilandia’s Katun (NItaly. The oldest coasters osteel list are a pair of Schzkopfs built in 1978. Bender at Six Flags Georgia and Shock WaSix Flags Over Texas havlost their fan base, spoting that excellence nevergoes out of style. Bothebrate 30th anniversari2008.
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36 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
PARK YEAR POINTS
Superman Ride of Steel
Millennium Force
Nitro
Apollo’s Chariot
Magnum XL-200
Expedition Ge-Force
Phantom’s Revenge
Goliath
Top Thrill Dragster
Montu
Ride of Steel
Raging Bull
Maverick
Nemesis
Superman Ride of Steel
SheiKra
X
Alpengeist
Raptor
Steel Force
Kumba
Mind Bender
Dueling Dragons
Goliath
Xcelerator
2000
2000
2001
1999
1989
2001
2001
2006
2003
1996
1999
1999
2007
1994
2000
2005
2002
1997
1994
1997
1993
1978
1999
2000
2002
Six Flags New England
Cedar Point
Six Flags Great Adventure
Busch Gardens Europe
Cedar Point
Holiday Park
Kennywood
Six Flags Over Georgia
Cedar Point
Busch Gardens Africa
Darien Lake
Six Flags Great America
Cedar Point
Alton Towers
Six Flags America
Busch Gardens Africa
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Busch Gardens Europe
Cedar Point
Dorney Park
Busch Gardens Africa
Six Flags Over Georgia
Islands of Adventure
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Knott’s Berry Farm
1181
1083
733
616
589
542
439
392
372
309
255
249
220
219
219
208
198
183
170
167
165
149
140
130
130
LOCATION
Agawam, Mass.
Sandusky, Ohio
Jackson, N.J.
Williamsburg, Va.
Sandusky, Ohio
Hassloch, Germany
West Mifflin, Pa.
Atlanta, Ga.
Sandusky, Ohio
Tampa, Fla.
Darien Center, N.Y.
Gurnee, Ill.
Sandusky, Ohio
Staffordshire, England
Largo, Md.
Tampa, Fla.
Valencia, Calif.
Williamsburg, Va.
Sandusky, Ohio
Allentown, Pa.
Tampa, Fla.
Atlanta, Ga.
Orlando, Fla.
Valencia, Calif.
Buena Park, Calif.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14 (tie)
14 (tie)
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24 (tie)
24 (tie)
RANK NAME SUPPLIER
Intamin
Intamin
B & M
B & M
Arrow
Intamin
Morgan/Arrow
B & M
Intamin
B & M
Intamin
B & M
Intamin
B & M
Intamin
B & M
Arrow
B & M
B & M
Morgan
B & M
Schwarzkopf
B & M
Giovanola
Intamin
The List2007 TOP 50 STEEL ROLLER COASTERS
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
PARK YEAR POINT
Titan
Griffon
Volcano
Goliath
Incredible Hulk Coaster
Kingda Ka
Big Bad Wolf
Expedition Everest
PowderKeg
Shock Wave
Superman Krypton Coaster
Goliath
Storm Runner
Mamba
Kraken
Tatsu
Top Gun the Jet Coaster
Medusa
The Big One
Revenge of the Mummy
Steel Eel
Mystery Mine
Mindbender
California Screamin’
Katun
2001
2007
1998
2002
1999
2005
1984
2006
2005
1978
2000
2006
2004
1998
2000
2006
1999
1999
1994
2004
1999
2007
1985
2001
2000
Six Flags Over Texas
Busch Gardens Europe
Kings Dominion
Walabi World
Islands of Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Busch Gardens Europe
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Silver Dollar City
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
La Ronde
Hersheypark
Worlds of Fun
SeaWorld Orlando
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Carowinds
Six Flags Great Adventure
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Universal Studios Florida
SeaWorld San Antonio
Dollywood
Galaxyland
Disney’s California Adventure
Mirabilandia
119
106
104
95
89
87
84
84
84
81
80
76
75
66
64
63
63
57
56
49
47
45
43
42
41
LOCATION
Arlington, Texas
Williamsburg, Va.
Doswell, Va.
Flevo, The Netherlands
Orlando, Fla.
Jackson, N.J.
Williamsburg, Va.
Orlando, Fla.
Branson, Mo.
Arlington, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hershey, Pa.
Kansas City, Mo.
Orlando, Fla.
Valencia, Calif.
Charlotte, N.C.
Jackson, N.J.
Blackpool, England
Orlando, Fla.
San Antonio, Texas
Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Anaheim, Calif.
Savio, Italy
26
27
28
29
30
31
32 (tie)
32 (tie)
32 (tie)
35
36
37
38
39
40
41 (tie)
41 (tie)
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
RANK NAME SUPPLIER
Giovanola
B & M
Intamin
Intamin
B & M
Intamin
Arrow
Vekoma/WED Imag.
S & S
Schwarzkopf
B & M
B & M
Intamin
Morgan
B & M
B & M
B & M
B & M
Arrow
Premier/Universal
Morgan
Gerstlauer/Forrec
Schwarzkopf
Intamin
B & M
The List2007 TOP 50 STEEL ROLLER COASTERS
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Proud designers of the
Golden Ticket Awards
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38 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
The tradition of wood!Holiday World’s Voyage takes over new spot as Best Wooden Coaster
The Voyage at Holiday World sets an Amusement Today record for the most points ever
cast for a roller coaster.
AT PHOTO/TIM BALDWIN
PHOTO COURTESY JOEL STYER PHOTO COURTESY KNOEBELS PHOTO COURTESY LAKE COMPOUNCE AT PHOTO/GAR
Left to right, holding positions in the list of top five wooden coasters are Thunderhead at Dollywood, Phoenix at Knoebels, Boulder Dash at L
Compounce, and Hades at Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park.
4See WOOD, pa
According to the onlinecensus of American Coaster
Enthusiasts this summer, therewere 180 wooden coasters inthe world. To make it onto ourchart of top 50 can sometimes be an aggressive struggle, par-ticularly at the lower end where just a matter of points, or even asingle point, can help a coaster jockey for position. Points were not a problemfor the new number one wood-en roller coaster. The Voyage atHoliday World triggers an up-set in our entire top ve listing.Ironically, Dollywood’s vener-able Thunderhead garneredeven more points this year thanit did last year in the numberone spot, but The Voyage cameon by storm, setting a recordfor the number of points evertabulated for a roller coaster inGolden Ticket history. Paula Werne, HolidayWorld’s director of public rela-tions, recalls General ManagerWill Koch’s impression on theVoyage project. “Will had sucha gleam in his eye during theentire design and construction.Once in a while he’d whisperto me, ‘I really think this will
be the greatest wooden coasterever built.’ Over the monthsWill’s whisper grew a littlelouder,” Werne jokes. “Afterhe took his rst ride, he wrotefor the HoliBlog: ‘It was every-thing I’d dreamed of. The Grav-ity Group outdid themselves inmaximizing every moment. I
think it’s safe to say that a newera in wooden roller coastershas begun.’ “We knew the coaster en-thusiasts would love it, butwondered if The Voyage might be ‘too much’ for the generalpublic,” states Werne. “Onopening day last year, we knew
beyond a shadow of a doubtthat The Voyage was a greatt for our park and our familyaudience.” As the anchor to thepark’s new Thanksgiving sec-tion, Werne says, “All it tookwas spending a bit of time in theThanksgiving plaza, watchingthe children dashing off The
Voyage and queuing up shouting ‘That was great In a strong second poThunderhead, built by Coasters International, highly among coaster fan buting its opening year oin the top ten, Thundehas held the top two posevery year since. Knoebels’ Phoenixconsistently held a topposition in the Golden TThis year, it climbs to nuthree, its highest placeever. What makes this angreater achievement is thwoodie could have easilylost to the wrecking ballpark had not stepped insaved it from Playland iAntonio in the 1980s. The nix stands as one of the grpreservation stories withindustry. BoulderDash, nestledthe rocky slopes of Lake pounce races into the nufour slot. Many of our vcommented to AT staff a
Tim Baldwin Amusement Today
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40 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
WOODContinued from page 38
PHOTO COURTESY JO
Lightning Racer is the top rated racing coaster, stil
forming wonderfully in the top ten.
AT PHOTO/TIM BALDWIN
The ultra-smooth El Toro at Great Adventure lays claim to
wild drops, extreme air time, and twisting curves.4See WOOD, page 44
much smoother the ride is run-ning this year with some sig-
nicant track work in place.BoulderDash could just nditself climbing back higher onthe chart in the years ahead. The top ve is closed outwith Hades, rated as The BestNew Ride in 2005. Known forits riotous underground tun-nels, Mt. Olympus’ GravityGroup creation maintains itsplacement rmly at the top ofthe charts. Charging into the top ten isSix Flags Great Adventure’s ElToro. With a late June debut in2006, the monumental woodiemade it to the AT charts last
year in the top twenty. Thisyear, the Intamin-built coastermore than doubled its points,landing at the number nineposition. This coaster is one towatch. Of all the racing coasters
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42 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
The List2007 TOP 50 WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS
PARK YEAR POINT
The Voyage
Thunderhead
Phoenix
BoulderDash
Hades
Shivering Timbers
Raven
The Beast
El Toro
Lightning Racer
The Legend
Avalanche
Kentucky Rumbler
Cyclone
Balder
Tremors
GhostRider
Ozark Wildcat
Comet
Texas Giant
Thunderbolt
Giant Dipper
Colossos
Cornball Express
Megafobia
2006
2004
1985
2000
2005
1998
1995
1979
2006
2000
2000
2004
2006
1927
2003
1999
1998
2003
1994
1990
1968
1924
2001
2001
1996
Holiday World
Dollywood
Knoebels Amusement Resort
Lake Compounce
Mt. Olympus Theme Park
Michigan’s Adventure
Holiday World
Kings Island
Six Flags Great Adventure
Hersheypark
Holiday World
Timber Falls
Beech Bend Amusement Park
Astroland (Coney Island)
Liseberg
Silverwood
Knott’s Berry Farm
Celebration City
The Great Escape
Six Flags Over Texas
Kennywood
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Heide Park
Indiana Beach
Oakwood Leisure Park
1240
932
844
740
702
550
548
506
494
402
358
313
308
257
193
188
176
170
169
164
149
137
136
134
121
LOCATION
Santa Claus, Ind.
Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Elysburg, Pa.
Bristol, Conn.
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Muskegon, Mich.
Santa Claus, Ind.
Kings Mills, Ohio
Jackson, N.J.
Hershey, Pa.
Santa Claus, Ind.
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Bowling Green, Ky.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Gothenburg, Sweden
Athol, Idaho
Buena Park, Calif.
Branson, Mo.
Lake George, N.Y.
Arlington, Texas
West Mifflin, Pa.
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Soltau, Germany
Monticello, Ind.
Pembrookeshire, Wales
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
RANK NAME SUPPLIER
Gravity Group
GCII
Dinn/PTC-Schmeck
CCI
Gravity Group
CCI
CCI
KECO
Intamin
GCII
CCI
S & S
GCII
Keenan/Baker
Intamin
CCI
CCI
GCII
Schmeck/PTC
Dinn/Summers
Vettel/Miller
Prior & Church/Looff
Intamin
CCI
CCI
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
PARK YEAR POINT
Tonnerre de Zeus
Rampage
Grand National
Coaster
Twister
Thunderbird
The Boss
Jack Rabbit
Aska
New Mexico Rattler
Timber Terror
Viper
Wildcat
Mean Streak
Gwazi
Hurricane
Roar
Georgia Cyclone
Great Am. Scream Machine
Racer
Big Dipper
Roar
Blue Streak
Racer
Thunder Coaster
1997
1998
1935
1958
1999
2006
2000
1921
1998
2002
1996
1995
1996
1991
1999
2000
1998
1990
1973
1972
1925
1999
1964
1927
2001
Parc Asterix
Alabama Adventure
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Playland
Knoebels Amusement Resort
PowerPark
Six Flags St. Louis
Kennywood
Nara Dreamland
Cliff’s Amusement Park
Silverwood
Six Flags Great America
Hersheypark
Cedar Point
Busch Gardens Africa
Boomers
Six Flags America
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Kings Island
Geauga Lake
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Cedar Point
Kennywood
Tusenfryd
112
93
88
87
86
76
74
71
68
64
61
58
57
54
51
51
47
46
45
44
42
38
35
34
34
LOCATION
Plailly, France
Bossemer, Ala.
Blackpool, England
Vancouver, British Columbia
Elysburg, Pa.
Alaharma, Finland
Eureka, Mo.
West Mifflin, Pa.
Nara, Japan
Albuquerque, N.M.
Athol, Idaho
Gurnee, Ill.
Hershey, Pa.
Sandusky, Ohio
Tampa, Fla.
Dania Beach, Fla.
Largo, Md.
Atlanta, Ga.
Atlanta, Ga.
Kings Mills, Ohio
Aurora, Ohio
Vallejo, Calif.
Sandusky, Ohio
West Mifflin, Pa.
Vintebro, Norway
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 (tie)
40 (tie)
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49 (tie)
49 (tie)
RANK NAME SUPPLIER
CCI
CCI
Paige
Phare
Fetterman/Knoebels
GCII
CCI
Miller/PTC
Intamin
Cliff’s
CCI
Starkey/Six Flags
GCII
Dinn/Summers
GCII
Coaster Works
GCII
Dinn/Summers
Allen/PTC
Allen/PTC
Miller
GCII
Hoover/PTC
Miller/PTC
Vekoma
The List2007 TOP 50 WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS
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44 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
80 years old and still going!
Two big climbers on the charts are Liseberg’s Ba
jumping up an amazing 12 positions, and Beech B
Kentucky Rumbler, which inches its way toward th
10.
AT PHOTO/TIM BALDWIN
WOOD Continued from page 40
PHOTO COURTESY JOEConey Island’s classic 1927 Cyclone is the oldest roller
coaster appearing on our charts. As Coney Island faces
an uncertain future of redevelopment, the ride’s land-
mark status helps keep it running for years to come.
in the world, the highest ratedone is Hersheypark’s LightningRacer. Built by GCII, this engi-neering masterpiece dazzlesriders with its neck-and-neckrace to the nish. LightningRacer still resides in the topten. Of our list of 50, it is a tes-timonial to our panel that ninecountries outside the U.S. arerepresented on the charts: Bald-er (No. 15), Sweden; Colossos(No. 23) Germany; Megafobia(No. 25), Wales; Tonnerre deZeus (No. 26), France; GrandNational (No. 28), England;
Coaster (No. 29), Canada;Thunderbird (No. 31), Finland;Aska, currently silent, (No. 34), Japan; and Thunder Coaster(No. 49), Norway. Of note,currently Aska is not operat-ing awaiting an uncertain fate.Many of its fans didn’t give upon it.
AT PHOTO/TIM B
Bristol, Connecticut
www.lakecompounce.com
Boulder Dashis proud to be voted
one of the bestwooden coastersin the world!
ThanksAmusement Today!
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September 2007 GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS AMUSEMENT TODAY
Seen here, award winners are shown at the 2006 Golden Ticket Awards, hoste
Holiday World. In total Amusement Today presented 26 Golden Tickets to 15 parks
two individuals.
PHOTO COURTESY S. MADONNA H
Did you forget who won Golden Tickets in 2006? In all, 26 Gold-en Tickets were awarded to 15 parks and two different individuals. Here is a quick recap: •Busch Gardens Europe: Best Landscaping (Amusement Park) •Cedar Point: Best Park, Best Capacity
•Dollywood:Best Wooden Coaster •Epcot - Walt Disney World: Best Outdoor Night ShowProduction
•Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari: Friendliest Park, Cleanest Park, Best New Ride in 2006 (Amusement Park), Best New Ride in 2006 (Waterpark) •Knoebels Amusement Resort: Best Food •Legoland California: Best Children’s Park •Paramount’s Kings Island: Best Kid’s Area, Best Concert
Venue •Schlierbahn Waterpark: Best Waterpark, Best Waterpark
Ride, Best Landscaping (Waterpark) •SeaWorld Orlando: Best Marine Life Park •Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Best Shows •Six Flags New England: Best Steel Coaster •State Fair of Texas: Publisher’s Pick (Park of the Year) •Pat Thomson, Western Playland: Publisher’s Pick, (Person
of the Year) •Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Best Water Ride, Best
Dark Ride, Best Theming of an Attraction •Universal Orlando: Best Halloween Event •WHR Inc/Bill Robinson: Publisher’s Pick (Supplier of
the Year). — Gary Slade
Class of 2006 A look back at last year’s Golden Ticket Award winners
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46 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2007
Marine Life Park category. •Pleasure Beach Black-pool, England, for being a toppark, seaside park, and water
rides. •Tokyo DisneySea, Japan,and its beautiful park settingand attractions as a top park. •Toverland, The Nether-lands with its new-for-2007coaster. •World Waterpark, Can-
International parks and coasters make impact on surve
Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland showcases GCII’s
designs from around the world.
AT PHOTO/TIM BALDWIN
Expedition GeForce is Europe’s highest rated roller co
and continues to be a top ten contender.
AT PHOTO/GAR
Tim Baldwin Amusement Today
It’s a fact that the major-ity of our panel of experts is based in the U.S. Thankfully,Golden Ticket participants docome from around the world, but even more important is thefact that our hundreds of vot-ers also travel the globe. Theirexpertise is shown in the recog-nition of parks in 13 differentcountries outside of the U.S. onour international poll. Often, parks around theworld experience additionalexposure to our voters when
international tours of parksare sponsored by enthusiastorganizations and thrill-seeker businesses. In addition to the ninecountries mentioned on ourwooden coasters and ve coun-tries mentioned on the steel
lists, voters have paid notice tothese parks around the globe: •Efteling, The Nether-lands, for beautiful landscap-
ing. •Europa Park, Germany,for its excellence as a top park. •Farup Sommerland, Den-mark, for its family accom-plishments as a kids’ park.
•Marineland, Canada, for being a nalist in the Best
ada, rating as our top pick onindoor waterparks. These international parkshave coasters that appear on
our lists:•Alton Towers, England, •Galaxyland, Canada, •Heide Park, Germany, •Holiday Park,
Germany, •La Ronde, Canada, •Liseberg, Sweden,
•Mirabilandia, Italy •Nara Dreamland,
Japan, •Oakwood Leisure
Wales, •Parc Asterix, Franc •Playland, Canada, •Pleasure Beach
Blackpool, Engla •PowerPark, Finlan •Tusenfryd, Norwa •Walabi World, Bel
CONGRATULATIONS TO
DOLLYWOOD’STHUNDERHEAD
MAJOR
IMPACT AT A
BARGAIN
PRICEGreat Coasters International, Inc. • P.O. Box 119 • Sunbury, PA 17801
570.286.9330 • www.greatcoasters.com
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Congratulates All of the2007 Golden Ticket
Nominees and Winners!It was a very special honor for all of us at Dollywood to host the2007 Golden Tickets. We sincerely appreciate being named thePublisher’s Pick for Park of the Year and share the honor withall of our hosts who spend everyday providing true Southern
hospitality and unique experiences for our guests.
www.dollywood.com
Pigeon Forge • Tennessee