Six Flags Great America Trip 21, Fright Fest 2

I didn’t have to work on Columbus Day, so I figured this would be a good time to make my last solo trip to Great America and my only solo trip for Fright Fest. The crowds were smaller than the other day, so nailing Raging Bull was an easy credit. It didn’t take very long to get on, and Giant Drop also had little to no line.

I was able to ride Giant Drop twice before the line picked up a bit. Heading out of Southwest Scare-itory, I made my way to Demon. I could see from Giant Drop that the line was minimal. After a great ride, I made my way to County Fair, only to see American Eagle had a long line. Revolution was a walk-on ride, and it really packed a punch when we were spinning backward.

I continued through Area 51 and stopped for an ear of corn. I ate every last kernel. Soaked in butter and coated with salt, the large ear of corn was worth my three bucks. I then waited a short time for The Predator, previously Iron Wolf. The sign even has an illustration of the character from the movies. I got kind of a headache from the ride, and I read that the Mistress of Mesmerism show was to begin shortly.

I was hoping to get picked to see if hypnosis would work on me, but due to sound difficulties, the show had to be shortened. The sound wasn’t working where the volunteers would be, so Susan Rosen led the group hypnosis thing and that was about it. I would have to come back again later to see the full show.

Since I was in the area, I rode Raging Bull again, which still wasn’t a bad wait. Then, the Human Freak Show began, and I watched as the two guys began by breathing fire and eating it. One of the guys had pierced nipples, to which he attached a five-pound bucked of dirt. He began swinging the bucket wildly, and I’m surprised it didn’t rip his piercings right out.

He also nailed a nail up his nose, explaining that it barely misses the brain. He then put hooks through his eyelids and pulled on the chains attached to them. This was disgusting. He swung around yelling, "All right! Take your pictures!"

The other guy sat with a cinder block on his groin while the first guy cracked it with a sledgehammer. I felt nasty inside as the guy was rolling on the stage in agony.

The show ended again with people stapling money to the two, but only those willing to part with a 20. One kid didn’t know he couldn’t get his money back, so to compensate, they let him staple it again. Right between the eyes.

After the freak show, I rode Ricochet, and the clouds began to look uncertain if they would pour or not. Thankfully, it only sprinkled while I was on the ride, which made it a cooling experience. I just was hoping the next hypnosis show wouldn’t get rained out.

To my surprise, the skies cleared up quickly. I got a pretzel with cheese and went to watch the show. This time the sound was working fine, and though I didn’t get selected as a volunteer, I was highly entertained. I again couldn’t fall into the group hypnosis, this time because someone had to leave with their kids and walked through my aisle, breaking my concentration.

Most of the same tricks were played on the volunteers like the last time I saw the show, but this time the wedgie part was the best. One guy really felt it, and he was even rolling around on the floor every time Susan Rosen snapped her fingers or tapped on the mike. He begged her to stop, which only made the audience roar even more. She even brought out a voodoo doll and most of the people felt affected by it.

Some of the key words called for people to scream, from their seats, "Save a horse, ride a cowboy," or "I own this park and all the cotton candy’s on me!" One girl even paraded around thinking she was Miss America. Again, the show was a hoot. If I see it again, I want to be picked to see if it will work on me. It’s worth the humiliation.

I then made my way back to County Fair, riding Revolution again. I planned on making my way to front of the park to avoid the traffic, as the park would close before it was totally dark. I cut through Necropolis, and I saw a girl who was either having a seizure or was hyperventilating near the end. I don’t know if she got too scared or what happened, but she did not look alright at all.

I took a peek at the line for Batman, and there hardly was one. I rode in the last row as I usually do, and this was a great rush to the head. Working my way to Seven Sins Cemetery, I took my first ride on The Birds. The frightening thing is that when the ride reaches the top, eventually the spinning slows down almost to a halt, which made me wonder if that was supposed to happen. I truly thought there was a problem on the ride, and unlike Giant Drop, if the ride falls, there are no springs on the bottom to prevent a crash. I held on to the handles because I didn’t know if I was coming down any time soon. The ride did start back up, and I figured it was just another way to put the fright in the guests.

Superman’s line was only at the bottom of the stairs, so I waited for the last row, my favorite. I was able to leave the park with a massive head rush, which was how I wanted it. I had the choice of which way to exit the park, and I opted for the less-crowded route under American Eagle. The giant spider was faithfully attached to the side of the coaster, with its babies nearby. For a solo trip to Fright Fest, I had a pretty good adventure. I got 12 rides in and I got to see a couple of shows.