ITPS Amusement INdustry News 3.3.11

[Shawn Haas]



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Click for more information regarding Ripley's Franchises.	International Theme Park Services, Inc. ("ITPS") delivers the news you want regarding the amusement and leisure industry on a daily basis. Nowhere else can you find a greater compilation of news covering the amusement and leisure industry! ITPS can Assist in Improving Business Operations Our clients find comfort in our tried and tested methods of improving their business operations and presenting them with solutions. We provide the highest quality advisory services and offer “alternatives” when it may appear there are none. We have affiliated professionals in investment banking, financing, accounting, law, restructuring, and bankruptcy. ITPS Developing New Parks Attractions In its traditional business - ITPS has the experience to develop, operate, enhance, and more for your new or existing facility. From the initial feasibility study, to design, site selection, to the operational manuals and on-site training, product selection, management, facility audits, and more. Our experience is extremely varied, and we utilize professionals with relevant expertise when necessary, but we always deliver value. We look forward to speaking with you about your individual needs and appreciate your referrals. Call 513-381-6131 for details.
	Thursday March 3, 2011
	Spring Hill theme park plan raises big hopes, big questions SPRING HILL, TN — A theme park announced Wednesday would be only part of a $750 million, 1,500-acre development that would include resort hotels, a film production studio, a sports arena, a charter school, restaurants and an outlet center. Click for Article Abramovich Will Invest in Recreation and Gorky Park Moscow - Billionaire Roman Abramovich plans to build an amusement park near Skolkovo and restore the downtown Gorky Park. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in December criticized the condition of Moscow's parks and demanded that a city program be created to restore the parks and develop recreational zones. Click for Article Disneyland auditions begin Friday for new parade CA - Auditions are set to begin Friday for roles in the new Disneyland parade. Mickey’s Soundsational Parade is scheduled to debut May 27 in time for the Memorial Day holiday, Disney announced last week. Click for Article Knoebels Looking For Hundreds of Employees PA - An amusement park in Northumberland County is looking to hire hundreds of people for the summer season. Workers at Knoebels Amusement Resort are creating a new ride at the park. Soon they will be working alongside new employees. Click for Article Wild Escape Developer Says He Hasn't Given Up on Wheeling Amusement Park Idea WV - Colorado developer Steve Minard said he still sees a future for his Wild Escapes theme park project at The Highlands in Ohio County, though he can't put a timeline to the work. Minard blames the lack of progress on the environmental permitting process. Until the permits were in hand, he said it didn't make sense to expend the time and money mapping out what he called the detail work. Click for Article Disney to move its ride shop to Glendale CA - Glendale will soon be the birthplace of the Walt Disney Co.’s world-famous theme park attractions after the entertainment giant moves its machine shop here from North Hollywood. Click for Article Glimpse of Disney plans Shanghai - Water will be a prominent feature of Shanghai Disneyland, according to artwork providing a tantalizing glimpse of the forthcoming theme park. Though the plan unveiled by the Walt Disney Company is short on detail, it appears to include a castle, a mountain and numerous lakes and rivers running across the first Disneyland on China's mainland. Click for Article Take a (blurry) look at Shanghai Disneyland! Click for rendering Six Flags to repurchase common stocks Six Flags Entertainment Corp. announced that its board of directors has approved a stock-repurchase plan that permits the company to repurchase up to $60 million of common stock over a three-year time period. Click for Article Sunshine Coast thrill ride at Aussie World called the Giant Redback tipped to take business away from Gold Coast A WILD theme park ride could help the Sunshine Coast take a bite out of the "adrenalin tourist market" dominated by the Gold Coast. Aussie World has announced a $2 million expansion of its family theme park at Palmview, which until now has offered entertainment for younger children. Click for Article
	Madame Tussauds wax museum, observation wheel may open on I-Drive Orlando, FL - Merlin Entertainments Group, the company developing Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, said it is working with two other companies to bring some of its other attractions to the long-vacant Mercado property on International Drive. Click for Article Sword Swallowing: The World's Most Dangerous Form of Therapy On Saturday afternoon Natasha Veruschuka participated in the fifth annual World Sword Swallower's Day at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Times Square Odditorium in New York City. The day was established to raise awareness of the contributions sword swallowers have made in the fields of medicine and science and to correct myths that the stunt is faked. Click for Article WharfPass 2011 Includes More Attractions and Amazing Savings San Francisco -- WharfPass announced today the launch of a new and improved Fisherman's WharfPass for sightseeing tours, bay cruises, and attractions at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.  New this year, WharfPass delivers additional activities and discounts including Open Top Sightseeing WharfPass Exclusive 90-Minute Full City Tour, Gray Line Sky-View Full City Tour, Classic Cable Car City Tour, and the return of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum. Click for Article Plans for a Madame Tussauds in Sydney The European company which has taken control of several Australian tourist attractions says it plans to open a Madame Tussauds wax museum in Sydney in 2012. Merlin Entertainments Group's $115 purchase of Village Roadshow Ltd's Sydney Attractions subsidiary was completed on Thursday, sealing the European group's entry into the Australian market. Click for Article
	AquaDuck improvement comes to Typhoon Lagoon’s Crush ‘n’ Gusher FL - Since the Disney Dream began sailing from Port Canaveral in January, passengers have compared its signature water coaster, the AquaDuck, to Crush ‘n’ Gusher at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Both rides use powerful water jets to propel guests up and down hills and through turns. On Crush ‘n’ Gusher, each water jet nozzle puts out about 1350 gallons per minute. On the AquaDuck, about 10,000 gallons of water per minute surges through the clear tubes. Click for Article Aquatica: Deal knocks $10 off for Florida residents at SeaWorld water park FL - Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, is running a $10-off deal for Florida residents through May 31. That makes the price $37.99 for guests ages 10 and older, $31.99 for ages 3-9, for a day at the park. Click for Article Kids spa opens at KeyLime Cove GURNEE, IL — Spa services have been part of the KeyLime Cove lineup since the indoor waterpark resort opened three years ago this spring. But, to date, things like skin treatments and manicures were only available to adults through KeyLime’s Paradise Mist Spa. Click for Article Not all are applauding Schlitterbahn expansion Schlitterbahn's first and biggest water park will expand this summer in New Braunfels with additions that include a new lazy river and treehouse-themed resort rooms that will look out over the Comal River. Click for Article Sheboygan's Blue Harbor deal near; buyers see 'great potential' in property Two privately held companies with resort holdings in the United States and Canada said Wednesday that they're in negotiations to purchase the troubled Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sheboygan. Click for Article
	ZOO EMPLOYEES GIVE NOTICE BILLINGS - As the state's only zoo continues to struggle with financing, at least three of the facility's 13 employees will leave before the end of the year. Director Jackie Worstell is one of the three employees who has given notice. Click for Article Mill Mountain Zoo curator Dave Orndorff takes new position in Salt Lake City When veteran zoo man Dave Orndorff arrived at Mill Mountain Zoo in 2007, he said he planned to make the zoo the final stop of his then-37-year career. But on Wednesday, the general curator and former director for the mountaintop zoo announced he was taking a new job at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, according to Ray-Eric Correia, executive director of the zoo. Click for Article The zoo's Bloomin' Crazy Plant Fest teases to springtime CA - A sign that spring really will be here soon, the Sacramento Zoo is hosting its sixth annual Bloomin' Crazy Plant Fest on Saturday. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. "As of right now Bloomin' Crazy is still on," said zoo spokeswoman Marisa Hicks. "The event is rain or shine, but if it is the rain is too hard, then we will cancel it the day of. We are definitely keeping our eye on the weather." Click for Article
	Hard Rock Hotel management group ends its run with resort Las Vegas - Morgans Hotel Group Co. of New York, former manager of -- and investor in -- the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, is closing the books on its disastrous experience with the property. The company today issued the first statement about its settlement with lenders over loan defaults -- a settlement that turned the property over to lender Brookfield Asset Management Inc. of New York effective Tuesday. Click for Article Spring break offers chance for tourism in Tenn. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Chattanooga tourism officials promoting their city for spring break say a visiting youngster can be an animal keeper, spelunker, riverboat captain, art explorer, train car or trolley conductor and culinary creator. And in Sevierville, you can surf. Sort of. Click for Article Muskegon County tourism leaders plan for expansion of the local industry MUSKEGON, MI  — Maybe it’s more youth sports tournaments. Maybe it’s extreme sports like kiteboarding. Or maybe it’s simply showcasing what Muskegon already has, like historic buildings and museums. 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 10 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.