Image via Wikipedia
Disneyland President Named
A Walt Disney Co. veteran who was on hand for the opening of Disney’s California Adventure is returning to run the company’s Anaheim operations.
George Kalogridis, who has been with the company for 38 years, was named Disneyland Resort president on Monday.
He’ll oversee the company’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and Downtown Disney District shopping center.
Blackstone Calls Bottom Of Mkt;Plans IPOs,Sales-Source
Blackstone Group (BX) has called the bottom of the market and plans to sell several of its portfolio companies, both to the public via IPOs and privately to trade buyers and other private equity companies, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.
MagiQuest(R) Opens at Mall of America — Visitors Can Now Slay Dragons, Duel Goblins and More With the Wave of a Wand
MagiQuest®, the world’s largest live action fantasy game that bridges the gap between physical play and computer play, is now open on the third level of Mall of America outside Sears.
The 12,000 square-foot adventure complex allows guests to step into a world of
mystery, magic and adventure where they can fight goblins, slay dragons and interact with magical creatures including pixies, princesses and more.
"MagiQuest is an amazing adventure where you’ll literally find imaginations running wild," said Denise Weston, co-founder and Director of Imagination at MagiQuest. "MagiQuest is a perfect way to combine physical play and computer play while kids or the entire family work together to solve problems and make great memories."
Busch Entertainment boss sees slow recovery starting in spring
Last week’s $2.7 billion sale of Busch Entertainment Corp. comes amid an industrywide slump that has theme parks everywhere grappling with falling attendance and reduced guest spending.
But Busch Entertainment President Jim Atchison said his chain of 10 parks has held up well despite the tough operating environment. Though corporate parent Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is selling the chain to the Blackstone Group, breaks out almost no details about the company’s financial performance, Atchison said if people were able to compare Busch’s results to that of rival operators, they would be "pleasantly surprised."
The company’s flagship park, SeaWorld Orlando, has had a particularly good year, thanks to the addition of Manta, the roller coaster and aquarium attraction.
Blackstone Takes Bud for a Thrill Ride
If you’re an investor in Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), you hope the proposed sale of its theme-parks division to Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) will close as fast as possible.
Not only will the deal reduce Anheuser-Busch InBev’s debt by between $2.3 billion and $2.7 billion, it also will shed some assets that could be held hostage to the uncertainty of consumers’ discretionary spending in a shaky economy.
If you’re a Blackstone investor, you hope top management sees a better future than that being forecast by some theme-park companies, including Blackstone’s own partnership in the Universal Orlando complex with NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric (NYSE: GE).
Raging Rivers showing a profit at the moment
Less than sweltering temperatures cooled the profit margin for Raging Rivers Water Park in 2009. On paper, the outdoor facility emerged in the black after its first season with the Mandan Park District.
Reid Katzung, its operation manager, said Monday Raging Rivers ended its 100-day season with just over a $16,700 profit. Still, with year-end expenses pending, he told the park board net revenue could be fuzzy at best.
Disney’s Retail Plan Is a Theme Park in Its Stores
The Walt Disney Company, with the help of Steven P. Jobs and his retailing team at Apple, intends to drastically overhaul its approach to the shopping mall.
At a time when many retailers are still cutting back or approaching strategic shifts with extreme caution, Disney is going the other way, getting more aggressive and putting into motion an expensive and ambitious floor-to-ceiling reboot of its 340 stores in the United States and Europe — as well as opening new ones, including a potential flagship in Times Square.
Disney Stores, which the media giant is considering rebranding Imagination Park, will become more akin to cozy entertainment hubs. The chain’s traditional approach of displaying row after row of toys and apparel geared to Disney franchises will be given a high-tech makeover and incorporated into a new array of recreational activities. The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer, perhaps bolstering sales as a result. Over the next five years, analysts estimate that Disney will spend about $1 million a store to redecorate, reorganize and install interactive technology.
Haunted Theme Park Goes Interactive on the Apple iPhone
Shocktoberfest, Pennsylvania’s Premier Haunted Theme Park announces Tuesday their new iScareYou attractions for the 2009 Halloween season.
Patrick Konopelski, Executive Producer of Shocktoberfest says, "The iScareYou program is a logical extension of the Text2Scream technology we debuted two years ago. It’s fantastic because it engages our customers in a way never done before in the entertainment industry. It puts control in the hands of our customers via their Apple iPhone!"
Shocktoberfest visitors interact with animated props in ScareZones found throughout the park via their Apple iPhone. The scare zones are set up where customers least expect them and are designed so that once you’ve been scared, you can join in on the fun and scare others.
One Big Change on the Horizon at SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego visitors won’t see many changes following The Blackstone Group’s acquisition of the Mission Bay park and nine other theme parks.
But the financial heft of the new owners, the largest private equity firm in the world, may have influenced the park’s management to roll out one of its most ambitious entertainment shows in years.
“The first and most noticeable impact (to visitors) will be our new blockbuster show, Blue Horizon, which we plan to introduce next May,” said Andy Fichthorn, SeaWorld San Diego’s general manager.
Disney college program to recruit interns
The Walt Disney Co. will be on campus Monday, Oct. 19, to recruit Western Michigan University students for a one-of-a-kind education and work program for the "Magic Kingdom" in Florida.
Representatives from the Walt Disney World College Program will be on hand at noon and at 6 p.m. in the Brown and Gold Room of the Bernhard Center to provide information about the real world of make believe and becoming a Disney "cast member." The free event is sponsored by the Walt Disney World College Program Alumni Association WMU chapter, which was established in 1996 to provide networking opportunities and promote the development of the Walt Disney World College Program at WMU. Disney representatives began recruiting at WMU in 1993.
The program offers a paid fall semester internship at the Disney World amusement park near Orlando, Fla. The internship provides living, learning and work experience.
Dinosaur World makes list of ‘Top 50 places every kid should see’
An airline magazine included Dinosaur World in an article themed, "Top 50 places every kid should see."
The piece in the June edition of Go Air Tran Magazine listed Dinosaur World alongside such iconic attractions as Disney World, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and the Statue of Liberty.
"The historic and the modern, the manmade and the natural, the zany and the iconic: There are so many astonishing sights to see. Even if you’re technically not a kid anymore, it’s not too late to experience them. What do you have left to do on your checklist?" the magazine’s introduction to the list states.
Great Wolf Lodge aims to provide family-friendly entertainment
Colder weather doesn’t mean Oklahoma families can’t enjoy a family-friendly, water-themed vacation. Just a few hours from the Oklahoma City metro area, vacationers can find Great Wolf Lodge, an eco-friendly, nature-themed vacation resort with an indoor water park.
Use of the water park is exclusive to those staying in the lodge.
Great Wolf Lodge aims to provide one-stop shopping for weary moms and dads looking to grab a weekend away with the kids.
Kicks to reopen Thursday, but without buffet
Kicks Family Entertainment Center, 2744 S. Sixth St., is set to reopen Thursday after a little over a month of retooling.
Co-owner Bill Furling said one of the most significant changes is that the restaurant has dropped its food buffet. There will still be a salad bar, but customers will order their meals.
“We are going to have pizza that will be made-to-order,” Furling said. “We’ve gone to the higher quality products in the pizzas.”
Ghosts, goblins and more fall fun
Seen any ghosts lately?
Now’s your chance. Meet up with a vengeful ship captain and a villainous mutineer — a true Nautical Nightmare — at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, and bring along children’s socks to be donated.
Time travel back to the 18th century where you can get up close and personal with pirates and ghosts at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. "It was spooky and real," reported 12-year-old Coleman Woody of Brevard, North Carolina, who said the ghosts were the highlight of his trip to the recreated 18th-century city.
Closing season No. 66 at Pick’s Resort
If anyone has a better view of a Siouxland summer than Theresa Pick, I’d like to see it.
Pick, 99, looked out on West Lake Okoboji on a clear October morning and declared, "We do have a wonderful view."
Not only can she see Iowa’s bluest and deepest natural lake — it is 136-feet deep — she takes in the vistas and volume from the Legend roller coaster at Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Imagine straining to hear your TV because of a roller coaster’s screams.
The Holidays–and Holiday Shopping–at Six Flags
Most Six Flags theme parks used to lower their flags for the season soon after Labor Day. Now, however, all of them are filled with zombies and pumpkins for the annual Fright Fest Halloween events. And some of them will remain open through the end of the year with Holiday in the Park festivals. This year, The Great Escape in New York joins Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California, Six Flags Over Texas, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in offering bazillions of twinkling lights, visits from Santa Claus, holiday-themed stage shows, and other seasonal fun.
If you’re thinking of going to Holiday in the Park, you might want to consider getting a 2010 Six Flags season pass. It will get you into this year’s Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park and give you unlimited visits to all Six Flags parks for 2010. Six Flags is offering some discount deals with 2010 season passes going for as low as $49.99. Perhaps you could think of the passes as early holiday presents.
Arizona Science Center signs deal with Phoenix Museum of History
The Arizona Science Center signed a new operating agreement with the city of Phoenix that will bring exhibits from Phoenix Museum of History back into public view.
The museum, located adjacent to the Science Center in downtown Phoenix, closed June 30 after struggling with finances. The city deal calls for the Science Center to take over the building’s operation.
The Science Center was approached by Museum of History officials about 18 months ago, said Kristin Priscella, senior director of communications at the center. Working with the city and museum, the parties put together an “asset acquisition,” she said, although that did not involve any financial payment.
Aquarium wants to carry its weight
The Flint Riverquarium hopes to become less dependant on public money within the next couple of years.
Riverquarium CEO Scott Loehr told county commissioners Monday the attraction is doing better at fundraising and developing programs to attract more visitors.
He’s hopeful the Riverquarium can decrease the amount of money it needs from the city and county within the next 24-months as it moves to become self-sufficient.
Whitney Advances Plans for Museum Near the High Line
Three years after reaching a tentative agreement with the city, the Whitney Museum of American Art is forging ahead with plans to build a second museum at the entrance to the High Line, the abandoned elevated railway line that has recently been transformed into a public park.
The museum signed a contract last month with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to buy the city-owned site at Washington and Gansevoort Streets, in the meatpacking district, for $18 million. That is about half the appraised value of the property, a sign of the city’s interest in drawing visitors to the area.
Sukkos Brings Simcha to Chai Lifeline’s Children
Chai Lifeline, the organization renowned for helping families cope with the crises and daily challenges of serious pediatric illness, elevated the simcha of Sukkos for thousands of seriously ill children and their families this week. Across the country, chol hamoed activities brought laughter and joy to lives impacted by life-threatening or chronic pediatric illness.
Twelve hundred children and adults enjoyed a day at Hershey Park yesterday. Chai Lifeline staff members and throngs of volunteer counselors eager to lighten the load for parents greeted families as they entered the park. Shrieks of delight were heard throughout the day as Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special campers hugged their summer friends and introduced brothers and sisters. Groups of children and counselors made their way to the rides while parents meandered on the walks or brought young children to the toddler play area.
“This must be what camp is like,” noted one mother as she watched a counselor sit on a bench. A child quickly scampered up and climbed onto the counselor’s shoulders. They caught up to another group, several campers and counselors, including a child in a wheelchair, were singing a favorite camp song on the way to the carousel.
Vail Valley: Eagle bowling alley celebrates fifth anniversary
The Back Bowl Family Entertainment Center in the Vail Valley community of Eagle is celebrating five years in business this month.
Since the business opened, it has earned several industry awards, including Best New Business, Business of the Year, Best Bowling Center Interior and Best Lounge & Restaurant from Bowler’s Journal International.
”Our vision was to reach out to people looking for a fun, high-energy environment for their family entertainment,” general manager Doug Cahill said. “Judging by the sights and sounds of the many families and groups we see on a daily basis, I think we can safely say that we’ve achieved our goal.”
AROUND THE GLOBE
Legoland’s plans for new pirate ride
Legoland could be set for a thrilling new pirate ship ride after its bosses applied for a proposed use or development certificate.
The Windsor based theme park, in Winkfield Road, has applied for a certificate of lawfullness to the Royal Borough, to determine if is potentially possible to build.
Council planning chiefs will decide on the certificate sometime in the next few months.
The Great Wall of Chocolate
China plans to cater to the country’s rising number of chocoholics with the opening next year of a Willy Wonka-style theme park in Beijing, complete with a replica Great Wall of Chocolate.
The ‘world chocolate dream park’, reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s beloved book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", will feature a life-size edible Terracotta Army, Great Wall and versions of famous paintings, the China Daily said.
"Our ‘chocolate wonderland’ will be beyond the imagination," Tina Cheng, general manager of the company that will operate the park, was quoted as saying.
Blue Lagoon, near Narberth has a new take on Friday night entertainment
With flumes, water cannons and the wildest waves in Wales, all in a gigantic upturned coracle, Blue Lagoon could never be confused with anything as mundane as a swimming pool.
But for October, Blue Lagoon is set to take another step into uncharted waters as it blurs the line between waterpark and nightclub.
Friday night Wild Water sessions at Blue Lagoon, when everything is turned up full and dance music charges the atmosphere, have proved hugely popular and things are set to get even more extreme – with a series of events featuring dancers, UV cannons, fire-eaters, and lots more.
Dubai’s amusement industry to lead the world
Dubai’s entertainments industry is maturing and is set to become a world leader in the next five years, that’s according to Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, President of International Expo-Consults (IEC), organisers of the Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) expo.
Talking about the success of the recently opened SEGA Republic at The Dubai Mall, Abdul Rehman Falaknaz said that such attractions are set to catapult Dubai to the very top of the amusements industry.
"The arrival of such an internationally renowned brand as SEGA Republic to Dubai is indication of the emirate’s continual development as an amusements hub in the region," Abdul Rehman Falaknaz said.
Spooky goings on at Drayton Manor Park
The upcoming half term week, children and parents alike will be treated to spooky goings on at Drayton Manor Theme Park.
Amongst the fun to be had at the park during half term week, the park will be introducing a new film to their new 4D cinema. The film ‘Haunted House’ is an animated feature full of frights for the audience, as they explore a haunted building through the eyes of a cat. The experience is made all the more scary by the special effects in the 4D Cinema, including chairs that move up and down, sprays of water and bursts of air.
Alongside the new film, the park will also be hosting a special live stage show called Spooky Spectacular, following the exploits of friendly ghost Jasper.
Stonehenge plan moves forward
Plans have been submitted for the long awaited new visitor centre for Stonehenge.
English Heritage has now submitted a planning application for the centre, which will be located one-and-a-half miles from the monument.
It has been designed to blend in with its surroundings, and the centre will not be visible from the stones themselves.
Stargate Edutainment theme park, Dubai, announces own professional Go-Karting team
Stargate Edutainment Centre, Zabeel Park, Dubai, has announced its very own professional go-karting team, created to compete in FIA/CIK International level and National race events, helping to raise awareness of the Emirate through sport.
Stargate Dubai, a family oriented theme park built in the form of a spaceship with five wings, which provide exhibition and retail spaces on various themes, opened its doors during the Holy Month of Ramadan, where thousands of eager visitors enjoyed the new entertainment facility. Aimed at families and children, the 250,000 sq foot facility has a newly designed indoor go-karting facility on three floors, with a track for adults, bumper cars, a children’s driving school, and coffee shop, all contained within the facility.
Baby snakes help Woodlands prepare for Halloween
Two new boa constrictors have been born at a family attraction near Plymouth, and are already helping make preparations for Halloween.
The snakes, born two weeks ago, took the opportunity of 3,000 pumpkins being prepared for halloween at Woodlands Leisure Park to bask in the sun.
"Its good for baby snakes to bask in the sunshine” said Head Keeper Elliot. "Monty and Crusha the baby Boa Constrictors were having their dose of sun when they sneaked into pumpkins the Rangers were hollowing out for Halloween.
Bawadi Mall opens skating rink
The region’s first artificial skating rink, spread over an area of 2,000 sq m, opened at Bawadi Mall in Al Ain. The rink boasts of a capacity of 200 skaters, services and spectator area.
Bawadi Mall, developed by Nael & Bin Harmal , houses a mix of international as well as regional retail brands of fashion, food, jewellery and much more, all in a bright, spacious, and inviting environment, distinguished by a wide curved vaulted skylight that soars above the main corridor and its main three spacious courts.
The 140,000 sq m Bawadi Mall, with a gross leasable area of 110,000 sq m, positions itself as Al Ain’s ultimate shopping, dining and leisure destination, located just five minutes from the town center on “Mezyad Road”, which can be conveniently accessed, avoiding the congested city roads.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5b2be260-31e4-4725-9e24-bfa7b3e60a52 "Around the Parks")
