ITPS Amusement INdustry News 1.25.11

[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.
	Tuesday January 25, 2011
	Cedar Fair SEC Filing On January 24, 2011, Dick Kinzel voluntarily relinquished his position as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cedar Fair Management, Inc., the general partner (the “General Partner”) of Cedar Fair, L.P. (“Cedar Fair”), effective immediately, but will continue as a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Partner. The Board of Directors appointed C. Thomas Harvie to serve as the new non-executive chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Harvie will continue to serve as an independent director, as he has since 2008, and will not be employed by the General Partner. Click for Article Welcome to Aqua City Hong Kong - It’s partly competition and partly showing off. Earlier his month, some folks from Hong Kong Disneyland got a sneak peek at Aqua City, Ocean Park’s newest attraction, which opens Thursday. Click for Article Panel rejects zoning for park Baton Rouge, LA - The East Baton Rouge Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected a request by the owner of Blue Bayou-Dixie Landing to rezone 85 acres of property, saying the request allows for too many uses and the process doesn’t provide enough information. Click for Article Indian visitors work Disneyland magic Hong Kong - Results recently announced by Hong Kong Disneyland show it is was in the black for the year ended October 2 before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, prompting park chief Andrew Kam Min-ho to say he is confident of turning a net profit "fairly soon." Click for Article Alabama Adventure water ride to make a big splash AL - Alabama Adventure has broken ground on its new Buzzsaw Falls water thrill ride in the theme park next to Celebration Street. The ride will hold up to 20 passengers on a boat that plunges down a 50-foot drop, creating a wave that will soak both passengers and anyone on a nearby bridge. Click for Article Commission workshop on Silver Springs set for 7 p.m. Tuesday FL - The County Commission will host a public workshop tonight to gain feedback from constituents on whether the county should replace a California-based company as the manager of Florida’s oldest theme park — with an eye toward making the park an anchor of an ambitious economic development plan focusing on ecotourism. Click for Article Construction starts on Disneyland’s Main Street Anaheim, CA - Disneyland‘s Main Street U.S.A. is a bit of a maze for visitors now that workers are doing construction on the main thoroughfare into the theme park. Crews began working last week on the concrete on Main Street U.S.A. The work will take place mostly at night, for almost two months, said David Gill, a Disneyland Resort spokesman Click for Article Former Tilikum Trainers Take You Behind The Curtain At SeaWorld Since the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau almost one year ago, the world has been learning a lot about more about the reality of life in marine parks for killer whales. Now two former trainers have just released a powerful report that captures the full range of stresses suffered by orcas in captivity, stresses that likely contributed to the death of Dawn Brancheau (as well as a trainer named Alexis Martinez as a marine park in the Canary Island two months earlier). Click for Article PARC Management Celebrates Accomplishments; And Concludes Sale Transaction with CNL JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PARC Management today announced that it has closed its sale transaction with CNL Lifestyle Properties and is celebrating its industry-leading -- and guest-pleasing – results as it prepares for the next exciting chapter in company history. In order to facilitate the Jacksonville-based entertainment management company’s new focus, PARC and CNL agreed to dissolve their sale-leaseback relationship last November. Click for Article So. Ind. theme park to fill 2,100 jobs Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari officials expects a record number of job applications as it holds four fairs to fill 2,100 seasonal positions at its amusement park 140 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Click for Article Six Flags hiring for 2011 season CA - While many companies continue to shed employees, at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, the opposite is happening, as theme park managers look forward to celebrating 25 years in Solano County. Click for Article
	The evolution of the arcade requires an evolution of thought The American arcade scene isn’t dead; it’s evolved into a corporate, saccharin-filled environment that I simultaneously respect and borderline loathe. Potentially contradictory views, for sure, but those are the feelings that reside within when I think of the current state of arcade gaming. Click for Article KidZania® hosts over half a million visitors in its first year of operation Dubai, UAE; January 25, 2011: KidZania®, the unique children's city in The Dubai Mall managed by Emaar Retail LLC, has hosted more than half a million visitors in its first year of operation, offering them an unparalleled learning and leisure experience. Click for Article In The Biz - Interview with Dave & Buster's Special Events Consultant Tatiana Alvarez Hollywood, FL - Dave & Buster's is like an indoor year-round carnival with booze. Roughly the size of a small airport, Dave & Busters is a combination arcade, sports bar, pool hall and restaurant. It's no surprise that they also do a booming event and party business - from kiddie birthdays to large corporate affairs. Special Events consultant Tatiana Alvarez shared some of her experiences planning parties and events at D&B. Click for Article Ripley’s fertility statues return to Orlando Orlando, FL - Be careful what you touch at Ripley’s on International Drive. The famed fertility statues are back. The statues, purchased by Ripley’s in Africa in 1993, gained a reputation after several staffers and visitors at Ripley corporate headquarters became pregnant. All had touched the statues. Click for Article
	Grand Bear files for bankruptcy Utica, IL - Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort in Utica has filed for bankruptcy. Grand Bear Lodge, the limited liability corporation that owns the hotel, conference center and indoor water park, filed for Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago Friday. Click for Article Schlitterbahn will spend $5M for expansion of Kansas City, Kan., water park Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark will plunge into its 2011 season with a more than $5 million expansion, according to construction permit information provided by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan. The growth will create as many as 100 jobs. Click for Article Cherry Valley Lodge set for auction next month NEWARK, OH — Cherry Valley Lodge likely will be sold at auction next month, but expectations are for it to continue operating as a hotel and water park. The auction, scheduled for Feb. 15-17, begins with bidding at $2.9 million for the lodge and CoCo Key Water Resort, said Jessica Coulson, spokeswoman for Chicago brokerage firm Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. Click for Article
	Toledo Zoo to raze 8 houses nearby in summer OH - The Toledo Zoo plans to demolish eight houses it owns adjacent to its South Toledo complex come summer. In a letter to neighbors in the Harvard Terrace and Arlington neighborhoods, zoo Executive Director Anne Baker said renting the properties is not cost-effective Click for Article Woodland Park Zoo unleashes solar carousel ponies SEATTLE -- The painted ponies on the historic carousel at Woodland Park Zoo are getting a little TLC.  Workers are sprucing up the hand-crafted figures for another big season and, when the ride reopens early next month, it will feature a different kind of horse power. Forty-eight solar panels are being installed by Puget Sound Solar on the attraction's large roof. When it's completed, it will pump a healthy 9.2 kilowatts into the Seattle City Light system and offset the cost of powering the carousel. Click for Article Australia Zoo culls staff numbers THE Sunshine Coast’s biggest tourism employer, Australia Zoo, has sacked 22 employees. The Daily understands dozens of other workers have been forced to take unpaid leave and job share. Zoo management yesterday blamed the job losses on a drop in visitor numbers due to the floods and the global economic crisis. Click for Article
	Houston CityPASS Offers a Texas-sized Deal on Houston’s Top Attractions -Recently named to Budget Travel magazine’s 2011 list of top value destinations, Houston is one big city that won’t bust your budget. In fact, a quick check of Houston’s average hotel rates and restaurant prices reveals that the oft-quoted mantra “everything’s bigger in Texas” does have a few pleasant exceptions. And, as Budget Travel’s editors noted, Houston CityPASS offers a value-packed way to see Houston’s best attractions for a fraction of the price. Click for Article Spectacular light show marks EDF Energy London Eye name change The illumination, which took place at sunrise this morning at the newly-named EDF Energy London Eye, was designed to encourage Britons to take action against climate change, according to EDF, which is the sustainability partner for the London 2012 Olympics. Click for Article Stars climb aboard Disney Dream for inaugural voyages Disney Cruise Line has had some star power help launch the Dream on its inaugural voyages. Last week, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson was named the new ship’s godmother and she helped christen the Dream at a lavish ceremony. 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.