Rotor rides still in operation?
Almost a cliche at this point, but I sure would love to see Knoebels pick up this ride. If anyone would do it, it would be them.
And if they do, let it be one of the old, larger, gallery rides. And good luck finding one.
Maybe they could take many years to build one with weird safety constraints.
Well I meant buy the one from WoF, but really, any would be fine. I don't know the difference, and have only ridden a few in my life, mostly when I was younger.
I remember when Geauga Lake removed theirs in the final weeks of the 1999 season prior to the Six Flags Ohio conversion. It sat for ages in the employee parking lot. The rumor way back then was that it was actually going to be refurbished and put back in for the 2001 season themed to a giant washing machine, but updated ADA requirements would not allow it. Apparently the ride could have continued to operate indefinitely, but the moment it was taken down it would then be considered a "new" ride and new structure and had to have a certain level of ADA accessibility that would literally be impossible for a Rotor. I have absolutely no idea how true this story really is, but it would explain why no parks have picked up these rides when other parks retire them.
Thought I'd bring this one back again to see what kind of Rotor updates we can find in 2020. I don't see the new Rave model on the list of rides for the Florida State Fair this year, and the last mention of the ride on any social media I can find is 2013. It also looks like the model at Sylvan Beach in New York was SBNO all last year according to a reddit thread. Just curious if anyone knows of any traveling models in the US still going?
The Rave ride hasn’t been to Tampa in a number of years. I think it only played there once. I also saw it at the State Fair of Texas but once again it’s been a while now. It wasn’t a very comfortable ride.
I think it was a booked-on piece, and I saw it racked (and possibly for sale) along with some other rides near Fun Spot’s parking lot. This was during an IAAPA week.
I may have said all of this somewhere above, not sure.
Kissel Entertainment still tours with a Chance Rotor (called VooDoo Experience): VooDoo Experience
As far as I know, if the Sylvan Beach one is down and Rave is sitting on the sidelines, this may be the last remaining Rotor in the States?
^ Good call RCMAC and thanks for the memory jog. I totally forgot about Canobie's Turkish Twist, a rare SDC Rotor.
I happened to see a video of the Kissel model I mentioned earlier and found it unusual that they installed what appears to be foam footrests around the perimeter of the barrel as seen here: Rotor Footrests?
To me, that sort of ruins the whole idea behind the thrill of the Rotor. But hey- at least they still have one!
Good lord.
I don’t know about those Kissel rides. These days they’re known for taking fading rides and converting them into spectaculars with, as far as I’m concerned, varying success. They booked on to the Ohio State Fair last year and their old assed Skydiver was red-tagged and removed from the grounds before opening night. Which was a shame- Skydivers are few and far between these days. Their Astrowheel and a couple other pieces made the cut and were allowed to stay, but they weren’t all that pretty.
So the fact that they have this weird and unnecessary embellishment on their Rotor is no surprise. Maybe it was to make sure nobody’s foot got caught between the floor and the wall. (See the discussion above, harkening back to ‘08)
There is something about the stresses that are imposed on the frame on the Skydivers as they have aged. The last one on the road in CA was tagged a while back, and I know for a fact that the show had been welding on it for some time prior.
RCMAC said:
Doesn’t Canobie still have theirs?
Yes, they do and it's just as fast. Sadly they run a much shorter cycle then they used to. Basically as soon as the fool hit the lowest point it comes back up.
I rode the Gravitron at the Central Florida Fair the other night after all the recent nostalgia I've had for the old Rotor rides. I had never ridden one, and the ride experience was close enough to help me get that Rotor nostalgia fix I've been looking for.
Before I braved it I timed two cycles, and they both clocked in at about 1m 20s. No way I was going to do it if they were running crazy long cycles. I was pleasantly surprised that despite not being able to do many flats these days, I had no ill effects and would absolutely do it (or a Rotor) again anytime with a reasonable cycle time.
I used to go to the Central Florida Fair years ago. Strates had the show back then and it was good, lots of big rides. I imagine it’s a redneck fest these days.
We just got back from Tampa bay last night. We thought about the Strawberry Festival in Lakeland but opted for Tarpon Springs that day instead. No rides for me.
I’ve gone for the last several years and it’s nothing special. The midway is done by Wade Shows and the exhibit areas seem to get smaller and emptier each year. It seems to still pull a decent local crowd, but the fairgrounds are hardly in a good part of town and the main reason I go is that it’s convenient. The Osceola County Fair is a much nicer event, but where I live now north of Downtown Orlando it’s just too much of a hassle to try to get there.
That said, there are a few food vendors that I remember from growing up going to the Canfield Fair in Ohio. They come down and do the Florida fair circuit in the winter and spring. It’s always worth a lap and an $8 admission for some fair food, and now, a spin on the Gravitron.
I'm old enough of a fart to have ridden the Hell Hole at the old Sportland Pier in Wildwood. The over the top theming was bad ass.
It's on their website under "Rides" and on the park map as well. I didn't even know this park existed until this thread.
You must be logged in to post
