SFWoA 9-29 Fright Fest & Free Fest!!
Associated parks:
None
Did I scare you?
Trip: Six Flags Worlds of Adventure
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2002
Weather: 70' and Sunny
It's actually here, that time of year where all Ohio parks transform and screams are heard from more than just roller coasters...
Shanwna (my fiance) and I got the opportunity to take 2 people who haven't been to SFWoA since the old Geagua Lake days. We used are free season pass coupons to get both of them in (that makes a total of 22 people we have now gotten in for free in 2002 using various coupons)
This year the park is done much "scarier" than last year. More gore and scarier than CP, but I wouldn't say one is better than the other. Right when you walk in you see this HUGE "Grave Keeper" monster that is sleeping. It does look very cool and is surrounded by graves, and a blood fountain. Crowds weren't too bad today but would get quite busy around 6pm once the haunted houses open (supposively this was nothing compared to Sat. night though.) We hit SUE, X-Flight, and Big Dipper right off (great as usual). But we then headed over to the Wild Life side (they have never been over there period.) I can say I was QUITE impressed with ALL the trainers over there today. No matter where we went over there they were all VERY nice and told me things that I haven't heard all year. Cudos to ALL the crew on the Wild Life side today. The Stingrays were VERY friendly today for touching and Shouka was having a lot of fun with the people and here trainers in the viewing pool. She kept waiving to people and playing with a ball and throwing it around and singing.
I made my annual climb up the cargo net and had a few races with my friends. NOTE (to anyone): If you want to loose A LOT of weight climb this thing when it's warm...My calves and thighs still hurt...and I'm in shape!! They had some nice Halloween and Fall landscaping done over here, but nothing towards the gory side like the Wild Rides side. I can also say this is the first time I have seen somewhat big lines for the Carnival rides on the Wild Life side! Oh, and the metal screaching on the Pirates FRIGHT (fomerly Pirates Flight) was gone. Many rides have had their name changed for Fright Fest.
Yes, RWB is having work done (as rumored in the summer), but no one knows to what extent yet. BKF was FLYING today and train 2 had no vibrations through any of the corkscrews! Train 1 had a little. We had some great front seat rides and some back seats. Shawna and I agreed that the last front seat ride had to be one of the best all year.
My two friends and I decided to ride Texas Twister (Shawna opted out to get some pictures of us while we where on it). For the first time I rode this thing and didn't get one flip!! Usually they have this set for the 6 flips right off the bat mode. But we did get to stay on and then got that mode. The ride operator (who usually is over at MBtriangle) was having fun making scary voices over the microphone. Next we went over to Serial Thriller (it was now around 6pm) The FOG machines/misters where REALLY on tonight...we could barely find the Ques I don't know if the weather was just right, but every time you went on it, you go up out of the fog, then back down into it, very cool! And Serial Thriller was running in "I want to be a hyper mode" WOW was it flying! We all got some good front seat rides with two trains running.
We than headed over to get our wrist bands. We showed them our Brutal Planet coupons and Shawna and I got in for free (I think were up to over $300 now on money saved).
BIG COUPON NOTICE!!!!!! With your wrist band you get coupons!!!! Here's what you get:
FREE Frightfest Admission valid from today-November 3, 2002 (I guess where bringing even more friends back)
Free Ice cream with purchase of Waffle cone.
BOGOF Rope climb
BOGOF Long Range Basketball
$2 off at Ring Toss
1/2 off ticket for another wristband (which we used for our friends and then they got coupons...so ideally if you had no coupons, you buy one and then get a ton after that for half off using all the coupons they keep giving you.)
Free Breadsticks with purchase of 2 pizzas
Free Apple Cider with purschase of one adult Entree at "Road Kill Cafe'
$3.95 Hot Beverage in ReUseable insulted mug.
So we used are coupons and where off to the Hauted Gautlet and Haunted Trail. Haunted Trail is ALL outdoors and goes around and behind Grizzly Run, and Haunted Gautlet goes around all the picnic pavillions 1/2 indoors and 1/2 out doors. We got over there and they had 4 SFWoA managers saying that it will be open once dark outside. They were very nice and appologized for any inconvience and gave us FREE cider for stopping back there!! I thought that was pretty cool and they told us all other haunted houses were open and told us which ones did what. Thanks! And we were off to Brutal Planet.
I won't go into all the haunted house detail but I will say a little bit and rank them from best to worst:
#1 Haunted Gauntlet...best actors and a lot of fun.
#2 Lost Lake (Free without wrist band) Great story and the boat goes all the way around the lake and strobe lights...very neat, I can't wait to see what they do next year with this from what I'm told...and the boat looked Awesome!
#3 Brutal Planet pretty long and some cool effects in here
#4 Trail of Terror once at night it was dark they had some pretty cool stuff...much like the old hay wagon ride but you walk now.
#5 Fearanoia LIVE RATS and Magets and Scorpions!!! As Shawna would say EEEEWWwwww And yes the Rats had real blood on the mouths from...yes RAW meet. You gotta see that one for yourself!
#6 House on Haunted Hell Street (no wait) WAY WAY to short but they were letting most people go in for free without wristbands. You or "Granny" could choose which way to go right or left....go right. Though the live body bags where pretty neat.
#7 Carnival of Clowns (meant for little kids). Short and strange. I liked the clown ripping up other little stuffed clowns
#8 ALL the side shows. They had about 4 little "side shows" which were just that done by illusions. Pretty neat and worth the 3 minutes and where free to anyone.
They had a TON of actors all throughout the midways which looked realy cool and where very entertaining to watch scare people. Two best ones were the Dentist who kept licking his tools with blood and this little girl pushing around what looked to be a deceased lady in a wheel chair. When people said, "Ooooo what are you going to do little girl with that" She hit this button that LAUNCHED the fake lady into the air a good 10ft above the people via some lifting mehcanism and a scream came out. That was AWESOME to watch and people everywhere fell for it. We grabbed some fries at Road Kill Cafe (American Grill) and watched people for about 45 min!
The park and everything stayed open until 10 and the photo place girl gave us 2 free photos for the price of 2 so we got four tota for $10 of us at Frightfest. In all it was a GREAT day and our friends said they definetly want to come back. CP and SFWoA have both done great jobs this year and I can't wait to see PKI's now. C-ya around...errr...scare you at an Ohio park!!! Go check them out, there's coupons everywhere!!
"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
http://OhioThemeParks.com
*** This post was edited by RollerCoasterGod on 9/30/2002. ***
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Wicked Twister Count-40
I was there Sunday also, and in Fearanoia I was VERY dissapointed. The only haunted house that was good was Brutal Planet. But the Haunted Trail was fun too. The other houses were lame, or just too funny.
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NITRO ~ The most EXPLOSIVE coaster on the planet!
Im not opinionated, im just always RIGHT!
Speaking of inspectors, it's amazing how much has to be done to a haunted house to allow guests in. And you thought roller coastes had a huge checklist.
"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
http://OhioThemeParks.com
*** This post was edited by RollerCoasterGod on 9/30/2002. ***
RCG- You forgot to mention the little surprise the Grave Keeper has in store for guests who stare it him for too long. It was funny watching their reaction (as I'm sure people were saying about me when I jumped a good foot off the ground!)
You are right about the large number of actors roaming the midways this year. At 6:00, they started stalking unsuspecting guests. The dude with the chainsaw was pretty relentless as he went after everyone, small children included.
What was up with the "Jailhouse Rock" sideshow near Checker's? Some guy dressedin gray prison garb had a bloody leg with him and was pushing it through the bars inviting guests to touch it. I didn't quite get it.....
And finally, did you ride "Hannibal's Haybaler"? They fog out the barn before the ride starts and flash strobe lights. Kind of a neat twist on the old favorite.
ray p.
Ray P- No I didn't get to ride Hanibal's Haybaler. I saw that they had it preped with blacklights, and black walls. But I didn't get to see what it did since we didn't stick around that long back there. We ended up riding the Crazed Carousel, which seemed like it was running at Mach 2 compared to the rest of the season.
"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoastergod
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
CPLady- Yes, unlike a certain park in Sandusky where the haunted houses are included in admission, SFWoA's haunted houses require the purchase of a "wristband" for $10. The wristband gets you into all five haunted houses. They are available at the Lo-Q Center at the Wild Rides side entrance plaza and at various portable locations; mostly near the entrances to the houses- I saw one near Fearanoia and one near the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Twister". The Trail of Terror outdoor haunted attraction and the Journey on Lost Lake boat ride ARE included with regular park admission.
As RollerCoasterGod mentioned above, a half-price coupon for an additional wristband is given out upon purchasing the first one. Surprisingly, most people didn't seem to be too upset about the additional charge as there were quite a few people in line for the haunted houses.
ray p. (who doesn't do haunted houses and will spend his $10 on something else!)
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Getting a B&M will always beat out having to take a BM.
Homey-
Be forwarned, SFWoA is expecting MAJOR crowds this Saturday (but it is suppose to rain, so who knows). The Wild Life side will close at 6pm so I would try to get over there and do what you want (they do have new Macorni Penguins that they added to the Penguin exhibit) ;)
As for the haunted houses being worth it I would say maybe for $10 but if you get all your friends/family and use the coupons then everyone split the price, I would say definetly. Enjoy your trip and try the hot apple cider there!
"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
Considering my son (and me to some extent) find most haunted houses to not be scarey (mostly funny or lame), I wouldn't pay extra for them. Gorey scenes and people jumping out at me just don't do it. Funhouse type tricks make them much more interesting, IMO.
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
I agree with you CPLady on the haunted house and lame thing. CP and SFWoA are more towards special effects area since the parks are both catering towards families but Wyandot Lake and especially PKI this year are both out for the big bone tingling chills this year. I still don't know about paying the extra fee at PKI after it closes but if it's like last year and better it should be woth it. I just feel like it's paying twice in one day to enter the park.
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"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
Haunted Ohio Parks...you've been warned!!
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