ITPS Amusement INdustry News 2.28.11

[Shawn Haas]



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	Monday February 28, 2011
	Cedar Fair Creates Additional Financial Flexibility by Amending its Senior Secured Term Debt Facility Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, today announced that it has amended its senior secured term debt facility dated July 29, 2010, on terms reflective of the recently improving conditions in the credit market, as well as the Company's strong performance and favorable outlook for 2011 and beyond. Click for Article Disney workers approve labor contract LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Union workers at Walt Disney World on Friday approved a new labor contract with their employer. Members of the Service Trades Council, a coalition of six unions that together represent over 20,000 full-time employees have been working without contracts since last summer. Friday's vote was the second vote since negotiations began and was approved by a large majority. Click for Article Thorpe Park criticised over 'plane crash' ride UK - THORPE Park has drawn criticism from a pilots union for its latest rollercoaster ride - which simulates a plane crash! The Surrey theme park has submitted a planning application to Runnymede Borough Council for the new 38m tall 'coaster, which is as yet unnamed. Click for Article Kentucky Kingdom reopening may be delayed FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Kingdom may not reopen as planned in 2012 because legislators seem unlikely to approve a $50 million state bond issue to help pay for improvements there. The Louisville amusement park, which is on property owned by the Kentucky State Fair Board, has been closed since 2010 after its previous owner, Six Flags, filed for bankruptcy. Click for Article Malaysia set for Asia's first Legoland next year JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia - Asia's first Legoland theme park is on track to open next year in southern Malaysia, its builder said, as the region goes all out to lure tourists with a series of big ticket attractions. Click for Article Not your ordinary pool accessory at SeaWorld FL - As SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment prepares to put trainers back in its killer-whale pools, the most complex — and expensive — safety upgrade the company is developing is a fast-moving pool floor capable of rising to the surface quickly in an emergency. Click for Article Book recalls amusement park memories St. Louis, MO - As a 3-year-old child, Doug Garner gazed at the roller coaster at Westlake Park. That experience in West County, one of Garner's earliest recollections, became part of a lifelong love of amusement parks. Garner remembers family trips to the area's amusement parks, including the Forest Park Highlands along Oakland Avenue and Chain of Rocks on the bluffs near Riverview Boulevard. Click for Article Child dies in Medellin amusement park Colombia - One five-year-old child was killed and three were seriously injured in an accident in Medellin's municipal amusement park, Parque Norte Saturday. According to witness reports, one of the attractions "went crazy" and started spinning out of control. Because of the speed, the four victims were violently thrown out the machine. Click for Article Zippin Pippin roller coaster in Green Bay may lure legion of Elvises WI - There could be a whole lotta shakin' going on when Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster rolls into Green Bay this summer.  City officials are considering inviting Elvis impersonators en masse to entertain crowds at the Zippin Pippin roller coaster. Click for Article Lightwater Valley theme park primed for more ups than downs in 2011 season LIGHTWATER Valley, the Ripon theme park, starts its 2011 season on April 9 with a clutch of new awards and celebrations. The 175 acres of North Yorkshire parkland with 40 rides and attractions has just been named the UK’s Best Value Theme Park, The Ultimate has been voted the second best rollercoaster in Europe and Raptor Attack, featuring dinosaur-like creatures in an abandoned mineshaft, is the highest performing new attraction in Europe. Click for Article
	Tussauds operator plans bigger presence Thailand - Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd, the British operator of amusement parks and other attractions, is seeking further investment opportunities in Bangkok through acquisition and its own new development. Click for Article Jumpin' Janes opens in new location IA - Jumpin' Janes Indoor Party and Play Center has opened in its new location.  The family fun center recently moved from Holliday Drive to the former family fun center Monkey Business site at 4292 Dodge St. An 8,000-square-foot addition was added to the 6,000-square-foot building, according to owner Melissa Turner. Click for Article Childrens birthday parties are big business on the First Coast FL- The Spreitzers are an example of those buying into a booming business in Jacksonville and the rest of the country: children's birthday parties. Informal surveys show that in recent years, on average, parents spend $200 to $400 on birthday parties. And some wealthy families may spend up to $5,000 or more, said Heather Downs, a professor of sociology at Jacksonville University. That's a far cry from the Pin the Tail on the Donkey and paper streamers of the past. Click for Article Flower Fields anticipating big bloom this year CA - That bloom so familiar to North County residents and beyond is once again near. The Flower Fields open Tuesday in Carlsbad, the start of more than two months of soon-to-be spectacular color bloom at one of the most highly regarded and feature-filled flower collections in the world. Click for Article
	Dundee water park reopening this week Spring will arrive a little early this week in Dundee. Splash Universe River Run, the indoor water park at the Holiday Inn Express in Dundee, will be back in business beginning at noon on Thursday. It signals the facility’s full recovery from the devastating tornado that ripped through the community June 6. Click for Article Water park's opening date Australia - MOVIE fans will be able to watch films while floating in a pool at the $80 million Wet'n' Wild water park proposed for western Sydney. The State Government yesterday released planning details of the park as part of the public exhibition process Click for Article
	Ripley’s U.S. aquarium gives a taste of Toronto plan GATLINBURG, TENN.—As visitors squeal at the ragged-tooth shark gliding overhead, it’s easy to pick out the aquarium nerd. “Brain coral!” a little voice exclaims. If Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, in this Appalachian resort town, is anything to go by, the company’s next fin fiesta, proposed for just south of the CN Tower, would spawn a lot of fish fans — and give the troubled Toronto Zoo a run for its money. Click for Article Chester Zoo monorail upgrade is smooth improvement UK - Chester Zoo is reporting improved performance from its newly refurbished 1.5km long straddle beam monorail system – in large part due to new Parker drives and ac motors. Click for Article Citizen partners with Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo as official Timekeeper Citizen, one of the world's largest watchmakers, has entered into a partnership with Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, to become Official Timekeeper for what is one of the largest aquariums in the world. Click for Article Detroit Zoo seeks dinosaur exhibit guides Royal Oak— The Detroit Zoological Society is seeking volunteers to guide visitors through the "Dinosauria" exhibit that's returning to the Detroit Zoo this summer. Volunteers will be recruited and trained early to prepare for the peak summer season. The first volunteer orientation session is April 2. Click for Article Happy birthday, Nellie! FL - MARINELAND -- Neither 5-year-old Brody Woodard nor 58-year-old Nellie the dolphin thought much about history Sunday morning. Woodard had a single purpose -- swimming with Marineland's Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the indefatigable, 73-year-old theme park's 1.3 million gallons of seawater habitat. Click for Article
	Boomers future of tourism CHARLESTON -- Tourism demand is set to grow, and hospitality businesses should prepare to serve the aging baby-boomer population as well as pet owners, an academic said at last week's state hospitality conference in Charleston. "Times are good. They're going to get better. Don't worry about the economy. It's OK," said Lowell Catlett, dean of the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University. Click for Article Wynn Las Vegas gets $99 million upgrade after 5 years While some of his Las Vegas Strip neighbors are tattered from several years of use, Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn barely waits for a thread to be out of place at his hotels before calling for a complete remodel. Click for Article
Shawn M. Haas Vice President of Retail, Operations and Information Technology International Theme Park Services, Inc 2195 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45206 513-381-6131 Phone 513-381-2756 Fax Email Shawn	For over 11 years, ITPS has been providing news updates to the industry. We continually strive to improve our offering and have made some changes to the news, beginning this week. We hope you find the changes beneficial and make it easier for you the reader to quickly find the news you want to read. Please email us for your feedback and suggestions. Thanks for reading! To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, Change Email Address, delivery issues or to send attraction, facility press releases or job openings to the daily mailing, please email Shawn. ITPS Amusement INdustry News now has advertising space available. ITPS News is the longest continuous email newsletter for the Leisure Industry. ITPS Amusement INdustry News is read by the Industry's leaders, decision makers, owners and senior management. Contact Shawn for advertising details and reasonable rates. Visit news.interthemepark.com for past editions of the news are available on our website. Click here for previous daily news updates. To search the archives of ITPS Amusement News, click here.