ITPS Amusement INdustry News 1.26.11

[Shawn Haas]



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	Wednesday January 26, 2011
	Former owner of Wild Waves Theme Park takes over as manager Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way will return to local management under a former owner. CNL Lifestyle Properties Inc. announced Jan. 25 that it has reached an agreement with NorPoint Entertainment to manage the theme park, located off Interstate 5. Former pro soccer player Jeff Stock, a Browns Point resident, formed NorPoint Entertainment specifically for this venture and is assembling a management team. Stock owned and operated Wild Waves from 1992 to 2000 before selling the park to Six Flags for $19.2 million. Click for Article Crowds close Seaworld Drive to traffic Australia - POLICE have closed Seaworld Drive at Main Beach because of large Australia Day crowds in the area. Click for Article Follow up:  New operator brings strong reputation to Darien Lake Herschend Family Entertainment, which operates Dollywood theme park, was named Tuesday as the new manager for Darien Lake and immediately took over day-to-day operations of the theme park, according to a joint announcement from park owner CNL Lifestyles Properties Inc. and Herschend. Click for Article EDITORIAL CARTOON: Along for the ride - Cedar Fair Click for Cartoon Disney’s Critter Country set to close for a month Anaheim, CA - Disneyland is set to shut down Critter Country for more than a month starting Wednesday (today). Crews already began refurbishing Splash Mountain and Hungry Bear Restaurant, two major features in the land in the northwest corner of the park, earlier this month. Click for Article Cedar Point hopes to add DQ Grill & Chill Sandusky, OH - Cedar Point is applying to the Sandusky City Planning Commission for site plan approval and a permit for an electronic sign to convert the existing East of Chicago Pizza Co. into a new DQ Grill & Chill. Click for Article Simulated terror attack at Resorts World SINGAPORE : Singapore authorities simulated a terror attack on Tuesday evening to test the emergency preparedness of the Home Team and the security teams from Resorts World Sentosa, one of the Singapore's newest tourist attractions. It was the first time that one of the two Integrated Resorts was participating in such a large-scale exercise. Click for Article Engineer Charles Robertson put Busch Gardens in fast lane Busch Gardens entered the big leagues as a theme park in the 1970s when it incorporated roller coasters and other rides. Charles Robertson, who ushered in the change, was a genial Georgia Tech graduate who found his 25 years as the park's chief engineer a perfect fit for his childlike creativity. Click for Article Silver Springs meeting attracts a crowd --- and lots of opinions Ocala, FL - County Commission Chairman Stan McClain on Tuesday hoped to launch a community conversation about the Silver Springs attraction as a possible engine of local economic growth ---- and whether there was a role for the county in facilitating that by managing the park. And more than 100 people turned out on a stormy night to offer an opinion on that. Click for Article Sunway Lagoon’s brand-new Extreme Park is the place for adrenaline junkies Malaysia - Extreme sports enthusiasts now have a place to go to test their courage and skills – Sunway Lagoon’s Extreme Park. To mark the opening of the new attraction on Jan 1, the theme park organised the Extreme Park Challenge 2011: Malaysian Media Edition in which 16 teams from the media participated. Click for Article Potential buyers express an interest in saving Edaville Carver, MA  - A spokesman for the owner of the Edaville railroad property said several serious potential buyers have expressed an interest in buying the Carver site and continuing to operate an amusement park there. Click for Article
	Chicago area museum attendance down in 2010 Attendance at Chicago area museums and cultural institutions was down 3 percent in 2010, even though free visits by students and youth groups increased by 5 percent. A total of 14.4 million people visited 14 museums and zoos tracked by an umbrella agency called Museums In the Park in 2010. Click for Article Chuck E. Cheese’s Makes Special Guest Appearance on Lifetime Television’s “The Balancing Act” Chuck E. Cheese’s (NYSE: CEC), everyone’s favorite family entertainment center, made a special guest appearance on Lifetime Television’s “The Balancing Act” to discuss how it is giving away more than just toys and tickets. The segment, available for viewing, aired Jan. 25 at 7 a.m. EST and featured a discussion with Ryan Linders, Chuck E. Cheese’s director of marketing and sales, Click for Article 3-D pirates on their way to Fun Factor Canada - You could call it mini-golf with added muscle. The Fun Factor Family Fun Centre in North Kamloops is adding an attraction that is unique to Western Canada. Click for Article
	Parent-teacher fundraiser at Kalahari goes awry Sandusky, OH - A number of Solon teens are facing drug and alcohol charges for partying while at Kalahari Resort on Monday. Several hundred students and parents were at the resort for a Parent Teacher Organization fundraiser, according to sheriff’s reports. Click for Article Great Escape Lodge to fill 50 year-round positions Lake George, NY - The Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark will host a job fair on Sunday to fill 50 year-round positions at the resort. This is the first time the lodge has held a winter job fair; the property has in the past filled positions on an ongoing basis. Click for Article Wilderness at the Smokies draws major sporting events including upcoming K2 Volleyball Tournament SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Local, regional and national sporting events are flocking to the new Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn. Conveniently located, Wilderness at the Smokies resort provides a perfect year-round location for sporting events large and small and is quickly becoming a favorite of sporting event organizers. Click for Article
	Tempe's Sea Life Arizona shatters 1st-year attendance forecast Tempe, AZ - Sea Life Arizona in Tempe surpassed its attendance goal for 2010 by more than 80,000 and is expecting crowds to spike again for its new exhibit in March. The 26,000-square-foot aquarium, which opened last May at Arizona Mills, hoped to attract 216,000 people. More than 300,000 traveled through the underwater voyage in 2010, said Sea Life spokeswoman Kelly Schwartz. Click for Article Cleveland Metroparks Zoo sees slight decline in attendance in 2010 Attendance at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo fell about 2% last year from 2009 but still managed to surpass 1 million visitors for the 18th consecutive year. Zoo officials announced that attendance was 1.13 million, down slightly from 1.15 million in 2009. They noted in a news release that attendance held up well “despite the continuing weak economy and 20 days when temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher.” Click for Article Chattanooga Zoo Officials Deny Allegations Concerning Animal Care Chattanooga, TN - Chattanooga Zoo officials, in the wake of the death of Hank the chimpanzee and accusations about staffing and care of the animals, on Tuesday issued a statement defending the operation of the city facility. Click for Article Fresno's Chaffee Zoo expansion debate FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno's Chaffee Zoo, and plans for expansion are back on the front burner of the city and those who oppose it. Click for Article
	Disney aims to wring more revenue from new ship Arguably the most innovative new feature on the Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Dream cruise ship is the "magical porthole." Installed in all of the 4,000-passenger ship's windowless interior cabins, the round, high-definition video screens offer real-time views of the sea — and occasional surprise visits from Peach, the starfish from Finding Nemo, or Mickey Mouse as "Steamboat Willie." Click for Article Asian neighbors lining up for Chinese tourists More than 2.5 billion individual trips are currently in the process of being undertaken by Chinese people heading home for Spring Festival - as is the tradition during the event, which is built around Chinese New Year on February 3. 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.