Ghost Town in the Sky - Grand Opening this Friday - Coaster not ready

If anyone is planning to go to this park on Friday, know that the Cliffhanger (formerly the Red Devil) and the incline railway will not be operational according to the website. I will be unable to visit this park until later in the summer. I hope someone has a good trip report for us (find out what the Undertaker is please)! Nice article in the citizen-times.com (AP) paper from this past sunday (search on "ghost town"). Tickets can be purchased at area "Ingles" grocery stores, season passes were discounted with their "Advantage" card, I'm not sure about now.

For those of you who have never ridden an OD Hopkins looper that plan on visiting after the Cliffhanger does re-open, brace yourself on exiting the loop, Shwartzkopf's loops are tame in comparison (Super Duper Looper @ HP and Mindbender @ SFoG).

I was reading somewhere that they removed a lot of the rides that were at the park. I am really trying hard to sqeeze a trip in this summer, but it's not looking like it is going to happen this year.

The Undertaker has a role in the film premiering a week from Saturday;

www.ghosttownthemovie.net

"Appalachian legend has it that in 1856 a man came out of the mountains of Cold Springs, North Carolina, to avenge the death of his father. Twenty years later he has come back, this time to avenge the honor of his daughter…
Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town, The Movie, a tribute to Robert Doyle Teaster, is based on the folklore of Teaster’s great, great grandfather Harmon Teaster, and is further based on the “Internationally Famous Ghost Town Gunfighters,” a troupe of actors who brought the old west to life every day that Ghost Town in the Sky was open."

I have not been to that park since the mid 70's. I wonder if they still have a Scrambler near the edge of the drop off. That thing terrified my cousin and me. We were convince the car was going to rip off the arm and send us flying over the edge. Youthful imagination can make simple rides so much better.

gamndbndr;

Thanks for that description of an undertaker. In the Sunday (5/20/07) edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times, there was a map of the park along with the article. There was a ride listed as "Undertaker". I am wondering if this is what they named their scrambler after moving it from its enclosed building (possibly to its original location as Frantic Ferret pondered). By the way, the movie's World Premier is June 2 at the Eagle Nest in Maggie Valley, details at http://www.eaglenestnc.com/listings/ .

WLOS news reported that the ticket price would be discounted today... I don't see it on the WLOS website, but they did say the discount would be $15.

Hey , I'm new here but i attended the grand re-opening of Ghost town in the sky. I went there as a kid about 12 years ago , and now 12 years later it pretty much is the same , the park should have waited about an extra month before ever letting the public in. One ride , a kiddie ride was operating , the chair lift , and ALL other rides were closed. My Fiance and I paid $25.00 to watch construction workers shuffle around and a couple pieces of light equipment moving things . Not very impressed. They took us up to the park in a dirty old 90's era econoline van that they did'nt even wash or dust out the inside. The park does have a new coat of paint and some little addtions here and there but still has a way to go. It needs some attention to be a full fledged thriving park. All of the staff was nice and dressed for the part . As for the gran-opening , no ribbon cutting ceremony , no real excitement , just a man and woman duo called Bee and Boo sang horrible versions of folk songs on the roof of a building . They did how ever give everyone a free ticket to return for waiting in line over 2 hours to get the van ride up to the park . I have waited a long time for Ghost Town and I won't right the park off just yet , I just hope they will try harder to get it together .

With so many parks closing it's so nice to see GTITS resurrected. Let's hope for a long and happy rebirth. Just remember: if you support the park now it'll help them get that terrain woodie someday ;)

Boy, am I glad I didn't go! I'd planned on driving a couple hours on Saturday to get there until the website said the Cliffhanger wouldn't be running. I had no idea *nothing* would be working! Maybe we'll give it until August, and try then...

I thought that the Ghost Town owner stated that he was working with state inspectors and stuff so almost everything would be read for opening day? Well it is better to open a safe ride later than on that is on the fence...I will wait until nxt season to go just because it takes a while to get everything running and working all the kinks out.

I plan to hit it when CH opens later this season. Is the drop tower in place yet?

I am excited to go soon!

The coaster, Cliffhanger, opens JUNE 11. The Inclined Railway will open mid-season. The park wanted to keep the re-grand opening on May 26, 2007 as promised. For all of you that went, did you notice that the tickets were a lot cheaper due to the fact that the rides weren't operating yet...

At this point, the "Undertaker" (scrambler) is running along with most kiddy rides with the exception of "Tumbleweed" (smaller coaster). Maybe more this weekend...

Most people who went to the opening weekend/week will most likely return to ride the rides. The park decided to open most rides at the same time. Some are finishing being painted, such as the "Gunslinger" (swings).

The drop tower has been in place for a couple of weeks and is ready for operation. The deck has been finished, but the ride won't open by itself. I suggest waiting a little longer for other rides to open. As of opening week the upper part of the mountain was closed off, which includes the drop tower and other large rides.

I am going to the park around late June or semi-early July. I'm giving the coaster time to run, because I want to make sure the large rides are open also.

This is based on other people's observation and phone calls.

Known ride titles:

"Gunslinger" (swings), "Geronimo Drop" (drop tower), "Tumbleweed" (small coaster), "Undertaker" (scrambler), "Round-Up" (round up), "Paratrooper" (not sure about the new name), "Cliffhanger" (looping coaster). There are a few more rides that I am not sure about.

I wanted to ask a question and didn't want to start a whole new thread. My question is this: Look at the picture of the trains on Cliffhanger

http://rcdb.com/ig234.htm?picture=14

Are there parts missing from this train? Or are those cables always exposed? Aren't they the cables that release the harnesses? I don't know, this just seems BAD!

That pic was from last year. I doubt it will open unless it was safe.

^Maybe that's why it has yet to open. ;)

Coaster not ready
continual theme for park
attendance lacking

:)