August 26, 2002

2002 "Golden Ticket" Awards For Amusement Parks Announced

Arlington, TX -- Amusement Today, a monthly trade newspaper for the
amusement, theme and waterpark industries, today announced the winners of its coveted Golden Ticket Awards during a ceremony held at Paramount's Kings Island, located just north of Cincinnati. The Golden Ticket Awards were created by publisher Gary Slade in 1998 as a way to reward the parks for their outstanding performance during the year. Since its inception, the awards have been featured on the Discovery Channel, America Online, and numerous other national and local media outlets.

Survey forms were sent to well-traveled park enthusiasts around the world, asking them to rate the top parks and rides in 18 categories. To prevent ballot stuffing, an equal number of surveys were mailed to four geographic regions across North America with a fifth region consisting of international mailings. Employees of the amusement industry and staff of Amusement Today were not allowed to vote.

Winners of Amusement Today's Golden Ticket awards for 2002 include:

Best Park: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

Best Waterpark: Schlitterbahn, New Braunfels, Texas

Best Steel Roller Coaster: Millennium Force, Cedar Point

Best Wooden Coaster: Raven, Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana

Winners in the remaining categories include:

Friendliest Park Staff: Holiday World

Best Capacity (Fastest Moving Lines): Cedar Point

Cleanest Park: Holiday World

Best Landscaping: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Best Shows: (Six Flags) Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Best Food: Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pa.

Best Dark Ride: Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida

Best Water Ride (Amusement/Theme Park): Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Universal's Islands of Adventure

Best Kid's Area: Paramount's Kings Island, Kings Island, Ohio

Best Waterpark Ride: Master Blaster, Schlitterbahn

Four new categories were added for 2002 and will be awarded every third year. They include:

Best Souvenirs: Knoebels Amusement Resort

Best Games Area: Cedar Point

Best Themed or Background Park Music: Universal's Islands of Adventure

Most Classic or Distinctive Coaster Station: Lakeside Park, Denver, Colorado

For more information about the Golden Ticket Awards or a complete listing of all categories and points, visit www.amusementtoday.com.

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