SFA's Wild One Turning 90... help Celebrate it's B-day, possibly win 4 2008 Season Passes

I saw this on another site and thought some of you might be interested...

This year, Six Flags America’s “The Wild One” wooden roller coaster is turning an impressive 90 years old. Six Flags America will commemorate the woodie’s nine decades of memories and is asking for ACE’s help planning the perfect celebration. Ideas in-house at Six Flags America are endless, however, the park knows that ACE members are extremely creative and passionate about their beloved coasters. The park welcomes any brilliancy for a one-of-a-kind publicity event (stunt) that goes beyond the “been-there – done that“ coaster ride-a-thon or ribbon cutting ceremony.

“Six Flags America recognizes that ACE members are some of our best resources when it comes to showcasing and publicizing both steel and wooden roller coasters,” said Karin Korpowski, Six Flags America’s Public Relations Manager. “Read any of the many internet coaster message boards and one can find various ideas and opinions about these rides. Now is their chance to truly be heard at the park level!”

Submit your idea(s) for a visual, exciting, news-worthy and unique event TODAY! The Wild One has had it’s share of PR stunts in the past, including weddings, ghouls at Fright Fest and a full train of Uncle Sam riders for the 4th of July (as seen on NBC’s Today show!). Can you top these ideas?!?

ALL SERIOUS ideas should be sent to sfawildone@hotmail.com. The park will evaluate all submissions on creativity, originality, budget and ability to execute. The person whose submission is chosen will receive four (4) Six Flags America 2008 Season Passes and be included in the event, serving as “Honorary Chairperson of the 90th Celebration!”

Please note: Six Flags America is merely looking for ideas that may expanded or surpassed their existing plans in originality and creativity. No credit will be given to duplications of pre-existing in-house ideas. **It is possible no outside idea will be chosen, thus NO winner selected. First person to enter an idea is the “owner” of that idea. Six Flags America has final say in the idea selection, interpretation and execution.

SHORT HISTORY
“Born” in 1917 at Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, The Wild One was originally called “The Giant.” The “out and back” coaster moved from its original site in 1985, when the owners of Wild World (14 years before the park was rebranded Six Flags America), came to the rescue of this wooden “beast,” buying The Giant in a last minute bid at auction.

Essentially, what the owners of Wild World actually “bought” was the design and mechanics of The Giant from Paragon Park. The idea to reconstruct The Giant rather than build a brand new coaster stemmed from their belief that one buys the “science” of a coaster not just the materials.

The park took great care in its decision to reconstruct this historic wooden coaster. It was decided that, to add to the excitement of showcasing such a thrilling roller coaster, the park would completely restore the coaster to its original condition. In its heyday, The Giant was billed as one of the largest and tallest coasters in the world.

Tens of thousands have enjoyed the thrill of this coaster over the years, including the young Jack, Bobby and Teddy Kennedy (and their siblings) who would take the ferry from Martha’s Vineyard, not far from the Kennedy Compound at Hyannisport, in the hot summer months over to Paragon Park.

Other celebrity riders have included Judy Garland and Ted Williams. Boston’s Cardinal Cushing celebrated his birthday annually on The Giant, and several weddings have taken place actually on The Wild One in Maryland. Future Baseball Hall of Famer and Baltimore native Cal Ripken, Jr. has also taken a spin or two on The Wild One. *** Edited 2/24/2007 12:51:31 AM UTC by Coaster Lover***

Interesting that the park wants to go all out in celebrating the ride's 90th anniversary.

I was just now thinking of two possible things they could do:1. they could combine the 90th anniversary of when the ride was built in it's original location,along with it's 21st season at the park.:2 Perhaps it might be possible to locate some of the original advertising used to market the ride back in 1986?

They could put up monitors in the queue & just run the original ad in a loop while wating in line....does anyone even remember the old commercial they used back then?

Calling Paul Reuben!! Calling Paul Reuben!!

Seriously, though, how many NON-anniversaries are Six Flags going to Celebrate?

"Happy 45th Anniversary...but not for this park" chain wide last year? That was a joke.

90th anniversary? Not really in my book, it's only 21. If I go out and buy a 1968 Mustang Convertible, I'm not going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of me having the car next year - I've only had it for a year.

Yes technically it's not wrong to say the ride is 90 years old, and Moosh won't count is as a new credit ;) but IMO a "90th anniversary" is REALLY pushing it on the part of Six Flags.

Maybe I should go out and buy a 10-year-old steering wheel cover for my 2006 Lancer so I can say "happy 10th anniversary" to everyone that gets in my car! :)

My suggestion? Rebuild the back turn to this:

http://rcdb.com/ig148.htm?picture=1

^That would be cool. I was lucky enough to ride the coaster when it looked like that in 98'. I don't believe it had the deep drop though of the first hill as in the one picture.

Unfortunately from what I've heard, the turnaround was causing too many yearly maintenance rebuilds and it went goodbye in 1999. You can still see the old turnaround if you look for it.

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dannerman said:
Calling Paul Reuben!! Calling Paul Reuben!!

Seriously, though, how many NON-anniversaries are Six Flags going to Celebrate?

"Happy 45th Anniversary...but not for this park" chain wide last year? That was a joke.

90th anniversary? Not really in my book, it's only 21. If I go out and buy a 1968 Mustang Convertible, I'm not going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of me having the car next year - I've only had it for a year.

Yes technically it's not wrong to say the ride is 90 years old, and Moosh won't count is as a new credit ;) but IMO a "90th anniversary" is REALLY pushing it on the part of Six Flags.

Maybe I should go out and buy a 10-year-old steering wheel cover for my 2006 Lancer so I can say "happy 10th anniversary" to everyone that gets in my car! :)

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I think this is going to be a one park celebration and not a chainwide celebration Dannerman.

If I'm not mistaken the first drop was reprofiled & shortened by 9 feet prior to the start of the 1992 season...good thing I got plenty of rides on it between 96 & 99 before the turnaround was reprofiled though.

If you look closely while in line for JJ,or walking down toward supes you can easily make out the original trackbed for the turnaround & how they simply added more bents to it to line up with the entrance to the turn.

One thing of interest I just noticed on RCDB's photo gallery is that one of the photos shown is displayed in the station.If you look at the photo along the back side of the station as you're entering the queue you'll see that the same pic is available in the RCDB gallery...it's the one showing the trim brake going up the 2nd hill.

I think this is the best pic of The Wild One....

http://rcdb.com/ig148.htm?picture=12

I like Thrillerman's idea - rebuild the turnaround AND the first drop to their original glory, OR, maybe the park should have a Judy Garland look alike marathon contest and give everyone a bottle of booze. An urban legend back in the day was that Judy rode the Giant for an entire day in the back seat with bottle of booze.

Having riden the original ride in Paragon Park, it's hard for me to think of the existing ride as 90 years old given all the changes it's had to endure.

Tom

So by some people's logic, anytime a ride is altered, it's now considered a new ride? Why aren't some parks using this to say they now have a new coaster?

The last major changes to the layout were done so TSC could be installed. If TSC is removed (although rumors are the park is going to try to save it), maybe the WO could be reprofiled. I'd love to see a good picture of the coaster as it was when it first went up (original layout), to compare it to what it's like now.

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ilovethewildone said:The last major changes to the layout were done so TSC could be installed. If TSC is removed (although rumors are the park is going to try to save it), maybe the WO could be reprofiled. I'd love to see a good picture of the coaster as it was when it first went up (original layout), to compare it to what it's like now.

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$50,000 per year in repairs to the track and structure alone caused the reprofile of the far turn. Not to mention the battering the trains took. That was the year they opened as Six Flags America in 99, the Sea coaster modification was earlier.

If someone loses their arm or leg or both do they not have the same birthday?

It's simply a way to generate interest in the park, and the wild one, which is one of the best cared for coasters out there.

Hey, I know... maybe they could guarantee a dispatch every 90 seconds.

You got it. And I think the crew in the WO does a great job (95% of the time, anyway).

^^Well part of the problem with dispatch intervals also involves the riders taking their sweet time putting their loose items to the side then getting back into their seats.Still on average the WO crew does manage to get trains out pretty fast when compared to other coasters in the park.

Word from inside the park was that Wild One was the MOST reliable coaster (ie, least amount of downtime) in the entire SF chain by a pretty large margin in 2006... if for nothing else, THAT fact alone is worth celebrating!

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coasterguts said:

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dannerman said:

Yes technically it's not wrong to say the ride is 90 years old, and Moosh won't count is as a new credit but IMO a "90th anniversary" is REALLY pushing it on the part of Six Flags.

Maybe I should go out and buy a 10-year-old steering wheel cover for my 2006 Lancer so I can say "happy 10th anniversary" to everyone that gets in my car!

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I think this is going to be a one park celebration and not a chainwide celebration Dannerman.

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That wasn't the point. My point was that it really isn't the 90th anniversary as far as six flags or the park is concerned. It's the 21st (The coaster can drink! ;) ) It's a wide stretch to celebrate the 90th.

Last year should have been a one-park celebration (the park actually celebrating 45 years).. that was overblown

This shouldn't even be a celebration other than 21 years.. again, it's overblown.

So if I buy a 10-year old steering wheel cover, can I still claim a 10-year anniversary in my 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer?

It's misleading at best.

But the coaster is ridible (backbreaking or not) for 90 years. You've been able to ride this coaster for 90 years.

Not at SFA we haven't.

I know, I didn't say you could at SFA ;) :P

edit: made the smile smile lol *** Edited 2/26/2007 9:31:39 PM UTC by crombiedude11*** *** Edited 2/26/2007 9:31:58 PM UTC by crombiedude11***

The old car on display in front of the station has the 1917 date on it. And the signs throughout the queue telling the ride's history tell anyone that reads them the ride wasn't always at SFA/Wild World/Adventure World.