Posted
[Ed. note: Press release follows. -J]
Following a season of 20-percent attendance growth, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will add three new rides to its lineup for 2003.
“With the unprecedented growth we’ve experienced this season, we need to increase capacity in both parks,” says Will Koch, the president of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. “As we grow, we’re determined to keep lines short and families happy.”
Koch says the $3.8 million expansion project is the largest in his park’s 58-year history, and will include a new family water ride in Splashin' Safari and two new rides in Holiday World.
“We’re working with the company that designed ZOOMbabwe for us in introducing a brand new water-park ride—which we’re calling Zinga,” says Koch. Zinga, the Swahili word for “to move in a circle,” starts eight-stories high with a 108-inch diameter water slide tunnel. The slide propels riders into a 60-feet-wide, open “funnel” where the inner tubes zoom back and forth across the funnel, high up the banked sides, before exiting through a tunnel. Families will ride Zinga together in three- and four-passenger “clover leaf” inner tubes.
In Holiday World, two new rides will be added for the 2003 season: HallowSwings and Liberty Launch. HallowSwings is a four-story “flying carousel” ride, which will swing riders high up in the air. “This ride is being custom made for our Halloween section,” says Koch. “The design includes pumpkins, witches, scarecrows, bats, and lots of other colorful Halloween figures. HallowSwings will be a work of art.”
New for the 4th of July section is Liberty Launch, an eight-story “double shot” tower ride. Riders will be launched 80 feet in the air and will then experience a free-fall sensation as they are blasted back to earth, and are then launched a second time.
Other capacity-boosting projects for 2003 include expanded seating areas at several restaurants, widened walkways, a new gift shop in the Christmas section, and more than 1,500 new lockers.
The park plans to hire an additional 50 seasonal staff members for next season, totaling 1,050 employees. Koch expects the new ride package to increase the parks’ attendance by 10 percent in 2003.
Holiday World is open weekends through October 13. For more information, visit the parks’ website at www.holidayworld.com or call 1-877-Go-FAMILY.
LOL! Yes, it took me TOTALLY by surprise! When Will told us he was buying a Double Shot I dashed back to see exactly what I'd posted about it on CoasterBuzz. :)
Frankly, Liberty Launch is being added to add a thrill ride to our selection, since Banshee is going. Makes sense to me...
Paula
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Paula Werne
Holiday World PR
JPWerne@holidayworld.com
About the waterslide, it says that it will be pitch black. Now I've heard MANY waterparks claim that their totally pitch black water ride is totally pitch black, but they never are. They always have holes in it big enough for light. The ONLY one I know of that is 100% pitch black all the way though (with mist at the end so you can't see the outside :) ) is Black Widow at Oasis Water Park, errrr Knotts Soak City USA in Palm Springs, California.
I was wondering if it will be completely black or will it have holes? Weird question but it's kinda like false advertising if it isn't completely pitch black.
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www.knottsunlimited.com
The SFMMInsider... coming soon
The holes are drilled for safety reasons, to help riders get their bearings while heading into a tight curve. It's very, very dark in there.
I don't know yet if Zinga will have holes drilled in it...I'm referring to ZOOMbabwe.
Paula
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Paula Werne
Holiday World PR
JPWerne@holidayworld.com
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84 coasters and counting
I just wish my local small park was doing as well as Holiday World...
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TOGO!
Vekoma!
Just curious, but why wasn't the Double Shot called "Patriot Missle" instead? That is one of the largest types of "bottle rockets" that you can buy.
Thanks as always for responding to the many coaster enthusiasts and public! It's great to hear their will be Christmas Ornaments :) Thanks!!!
Wow, I did not know that Holdidayworld widened their midways in 2001...wow were they REALLY small before? If so, it's a great thing to have to worry about widening the midways in a strange good way ;)
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"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
Haunted Ohio Parks...you've been warned!!
Does this mean that we can expect the same ferocious intensity from Liberty Launch?
The double shot at IB is the single scariest tower ride I've ever been on. It just looks so quiet and unassuming sitting there at the north end of the park... so you sit down and relax a bit, only to be thrown around like a rag doll and have the crap scared out of you... LOVED it. :)
More reason to go to SRM next year!
Zinga looks like a cross between the "Royal Flush" type slides, and the Noah's Ark's new "Stingray" slide...at least in concept. Cool.
In reply to a few questions:
Swoosh: Patriot Missile would have been a great name, pre-Desert Storm. Back in 1991, Patriot Missiles were in the news coverage of the Gulf War all the time -- and they weren't talking about fireworks! We didn't want to reference war in any way--especially given the state of the world today.
CoasterCameron: I looked up Kalahari's website and they appear to have a "royal flush" water ride...but that is not what Zinga is. Zinga is a brand new design from ProSlide. After riding in the enclosed part of the water slide, inner tubes with three or four riders will shoot across the open funnel, oscillating back and forth (but not around and around) until reaching the bottom of the funnel and enterting a fog-filled tunnel for the ending of the ride.
Thanks, Paula
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Paula Werne
Holiday World PR
JPWerne@holidayworld.com
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