2005 NEWS ARCHIVE

Archive of past news articles on theme and amusement parks, thrill rides and attractions.

December 2005

Dec 21, 2005
Santa Claus First To Try New Valleyfair Thrill Ride
Valleyfair completed the installation of their new Xtreme Swing ride that will debut at the amusement park in 2006.

Dec 20, 2005
Six Flags Great Adventure Tops Off New Roller Coaster
A crane hoisted the final piece of the lift hill into place on the new El Toro wooden roller coaster this morning.

Dec 8, 2005
Knott's Rocks In 2006 With Entertainment And Fireworks
Top entertainment headliners, world-class thrill rides and spectacular fireworks add up to a fantastic New Years Party.

Dec 7, 2005
City Not Liable For Demolished Landmark Roller Coaster
An appeals court upheld a ruling that New York City will not have to pay $3 million to reconstruct the Thunderbolt roller coaster.

Dec 1, 2005
Holiday Savings On Idlewild Park 2006 Season Passes
Idelwild Park season pass is the perfect holiday gift that offers 95 days of summer fun for one low price.

November 2005

Nov 25, 2005
Bonfante Gardens Opens For Holiday Season
Northern California theme park celebrates the holidays with ice skating, festive lights, and holiday themed rides.

Nov 24, 2005
Disneyland Hong Kong Surpasses One Million Guests
Disney's newest theme park in China surpasses this milestone only two months after its opening day.

Nov 18, 2005
Knott's Salutes Firefighter and Police Officers
During the salute fire and police personnel will receive free theme park admission for themself and a guest.

Nov 17, 2005
Flying Roller Coaster Coming To Six Flags Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain to celebrate its 35th anniversary with the tallest, fastest, longest Flying roller coaster.

Nov 16, 2005
Thrill Ride Strands Riders After Power Outage
Power outage leaves six people hanging over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas for 90 minutes.

Nov 11, 2005
Six Flags Over Texas Expanding With Ten New Attractions
The addition of multiple new rides for the 2006 season marks the single largest capital expansion ever for the Texas theme park.

Nov 10, 2005
Arnolds Park Campaign Recieves $500,000 Gift
Historic Arnolds Park Inc. reported that they received a large donation for their Sustain The Park campaign.

Nov 3, 2005
Libertyland Amusement Park Closes Forever
Board votes to close down the Memphis attraction that ended its season in September due to financial losses.

October 2005

Oct 30, 2005
Wooden Coaster Design Firm Celebrates 3rd Anniversary
The Gravity Group, LLC celebrated its third year recently as an independent design and engineering firm for the amusement industry.

Oct 28, 2005
Capacity Crowds Expected For Astroworld's Final Weekend
Six Flags modifies operating schedule and suspends ticket sales in anticipation of overwhelming crowds.

Oct 15, 2005
Disney's Reopens California Adventure Roller Coaster
State investigators finish and allow Disney to reopen the California Screamin' ride at the Anaheim theme park.

Oct 14, 2005
Cedar Fair To Consider Purchase Of Six Flags
Detailed financial information about Six Flags has been requested to determine if Cedar Fair should extend an offer.

Oct 13, 2005
Cedar Point Closing White Water Landing Ride
Once the world's longest hydro-flume the water attraction will be retired after 24 seasons and 28 million rides.

Oct 11, 2005
Knott's Pays Tribute To Veterans With Free Admission
U.S. veterans and current military personnel receive free admission during Veteran's celebration in November.

September 2005

Sep 30, 2005
Hurricane Damaged Six Flags Park To Remain Closed
New Orleans theme park future uncertain due to severe damage to the park and its rides from last month's hurricane.

Sep 28, 2005
Six Flags Great Adventure To Build Monstrous Wooden Coaster
El Toro will challenge the most daring thrill seekers and a third children's area will provide new family fun in 2006.

Sep 23, 2005
Valleyfair Announces New World-Class Thrill Ride for 2006
New Xtreme Swing attraction to be the largest ride of its kind in the upper Midwest.

Sep 21, 2005
Hallowboo Screams into Idlewild & SoakZone
Award-winning family friendly amusement park rounds out its year with a new Happy Halloween twist.

Sep 20, 2005
National Geographic To Film Construction Of New Wooden Coaster
Holiday World Splashin' Safari says that a television crew will be present to film the construction of the new Voyage roller coaster.

Sep 19, 2005
Magic Springs To Build X-Coaster Ride For 2006
The new $4 million roller coaster from Maurer Rides is being called the highest inversion ride in the world.

Sep 15, 2005
Canada's Wonderland To Hold First Ever Halloween Event
Paramount Canada's Wonderland to transform into Halloween Haunted theme park for nine October evenings.

Sep 13, 2005
Opening Day Success For Hong Kong Disneyland
The newest Disney theme park had 16,000 in attendance and revenue of about $2.5 million for its first official operating day.

Sep 12, 2005
Disneyland Theme Park Opens In Hong Kong
Disney's first theme park in China held its grand opening and is expected to draw 5.5 million visitors in first year.

Sep 12, 2005
Six Flags To Shut Down AstroWorld Theme Park
Houston theme park to close in October as Six Flags announces it will sell the 109-acre property citing increased real estate value.

Sep 8, 2005
B&M Inverted Roller Coaster Announced For Worlds of Fun
The Patriot roller coaster to be the largest capital improvement in Worlds of Fun history.

Sep 5, 2005
Largest Halloween Event In New England Returns
The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce returns Sept. 30 and continues weekends through October 31st.

August 2005

Aug 30, 2005
Cedar Point Voted "Best Amusement Park In World"
For the 8th straight year the Ohio theme park was voted best in the world in the annual poll conducted by Amusement Today.

Aug 30, 2005
Thunderhead Wooden Roller Coaster Claims Top Honor
Dollywood's Thunderhead finished first in the Best Wooden Coaster category in the 8th annual Golden Ticket Awards.

Aug 29, 2005
Magic Springs Employee Injured In Roller Coaster Mishap
The maintenance worker got his foot caught in the roller coaster and rescurers had to cut him free.

Aug 26, 2005
Six Flags Theme Parks Puts Itself Up For Sale
Six Flags' Board announced that it will seek proposals from third parties regarding the possible sale of the company.

Aug 18, 2005
Riders Suing Knott's Over 2003 Stagecoach Accident
The suit alleges the park failed to properly operate the ride resulting in injuries to thirteen guests aboard the stagecoach.

Aug 18, 2005
Galaxy Spin Roller Coaster Opens At Cypress Gardens
Midway through its first season under new ownership Cypress Gardens unveiled its fifth roller coaster.

Aug 16, 2005
Cedar Point's Demon Drop Freefall Ride For Sale
The park hopes to sell the Intamin first generation freefall ride to make room for a new attraction.

Aug 8, 2005
Investigators Find Nothing Wrong With Playland Ride
State investigators find nothing wrong with historic boat ride after 7-year old was killed.

Aug 6, 2005
Enthusiast Takes 5,000th Ride On Lake Compounce Coaster
Veteran coaster enthusiast reaches milestone on the Boulder Dash wooden roller coaster at Lake Compounce.

Aug 5, 2005
World's Tallest Fastest Roller Coaster Reopens
After a near two month closure Six Flags Great Adventure theme park has reopened the Kingda Ka roller coaster.

Aug 4, 2005
Boy Dies On Historic Ye Old Mill Ride At Playland
A 7-year old was found dead in the water of the Ye Old Mill boat ride at Playland amusement park in Rye, New York.

July 2005

Jul 30, 2005
Coaster Trains Bump At Disney's California Adventure
Two roller coaster trains collide Friday causing minor injuries at Disney's California Adventure theme park.

Jul 29, 2005
Beech Bend Park To Build Twisted Wooden Coaster
Great Coasters International will construct Kentucky's most twisted wooden coaster at Beech Bend Park for 2006.

Jul 28, 2005
Freefall Slides Coming To Dollywood's Splash Country
Fire Tower Falls to become the tallest and fastest waterslides in the Tennessee water park and will debut summer 2006.

Jul 27, 2005
Lake Compounce Adding New Ride Thunder "N" Lightning
America's oldest amusement park to add new Screaming Swing thrill ride for 2006 and discussed plan to expand water park.

Jul 19, 2005
Fun Plex Seeking Permit To Build Roller Coaster
Nebraska's largest amusement park hopes to obtain approval to build a nine-story tall steel roller coaster.

Jul 16, 2005
SeaWorld Orlando Plans New Water Park For '07
SeaWorld's new water park will feature slides and attractions that will bring guests close to dolphins and sea creatures.

Jul 5, 2005
Woman Dies Of Heart Attack At Six Flags Water Park
A female park guest went into cardiac arrest while riding one of the waterpark's water slides.

June 2005

Jun 17, 2005
Knott's To Open T.G.I. Friday's Restaurant In Marketplace
New theme park restaurant to open on June 25 and be the first on the West Coast with new, revitalized design.

Jun 16, 2005
Williamsburg Indoor Waterpark Resort To Be Expanded
Great Wolf Resorts plans to add additional guest suites and multiple new rides within the waterpark.

Jun 15, 2005
Kingda Ka Closure Should Not Impact Six Flags Performance
Six Flags said today that the closure of the Kingda Ka roller coaster should have no impact on its financial performance.

Jun 10, 2005
New Tube Slide Opens At Knott's Soak City San Diego
Pacific Spin, a major new water attraction from ProSlide, is now open at the San Diego water park.

Jun 2, 2005
Hurricane Harbor Water Park Washes Ashore At Six Flags America
The entire water park makeover includes three major new attractions and creates a bigger, better water park.

Jun 2, 2005
Tornado Touches Down At Western NY Theme Park
Six Flags Darien Lake opens new Tornado water slide attraction as a part of an expansion of the park's water park.

May 2005

May 27, 2005
Six Flags Great America Puts Final Touches On New Hurricane Harbor Waterpark
Six Flags new waterpark that will be included with theme park admission is scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend.

May 26, 2005
Paramount's Great America Honors Heroes This Weekend
Admission to the theme park is free to Military, Fire, Police and other emergency services this Memorial Day weekend.

May 24, 2005
Idlewild Park Opens 128th Season With New Flume Ride
Paul Bunyan's Loggin' Toboggan to make a big splash when it opens on May 26th at the award-winning theme park.

May 19, 2005
Tallest, Fastest Roller Coaster On Earth Debuts
Six Flags Great Adventure launches new mythical jungle section and rockets Kingda Ka, the tallest, fastest coaster on earth.

May 11, 2005
Kings Dominion's WaterWorks Water Park Opens May 14
Guests can plunge into the fun at Kings Dominion's 19-acre water park that is included with park admission.

May 5, 2005
Grizzly Roars Into Its 23rd Season This Weekend
Paramount's Kings Dominion's beastly wooden coaster is scheduled to reopen Saturday, May 7.

May 5, 2005
Cedar Point Opens 136th Season This Saturday
The park's new thrill ride maXair will debut along with a special fireworks display to celebrate Opening Day.

May 4, 2005
'Happiest Celebration on Earth' Begins Tomorrow
Thursday Disney theme parks worldwide begin a 18-month long event to commemorate Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

May 3, 2005
Idlewild Voted Second Best Kid's Park In Survey
In a survey conducted by Amusement Today, Idlewild SoakZone took second place honors for best kid's park.

May 3, 2005
ConAgra Sponsoring Rides & More At Six Flags Parks
Popular ConAgra brands start sponsorship at Six Flags with brand names appearing on thrill rides and attractions.

May 3, 2005
Caped Crusader Returns To Six Flags Magic Mountain
Theme park guests can experience the thrills of Batman this summer with a new live action show based on the film.

April 2005

Apr 30, 2005
Hydra The Revenge Roller Coaster To Open May 7th
The first and only floorless roller coaster in Pennsylvania comes alive at Dorney Park on Saturday May 7th.

Apr 29, 2005
Six Flags To Open New Attractions Across North America
Theme park operator Six Flags will debut the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster and other new attractions this year.

Apr 28, 2005
Marine World Unveils Interactive Dolphin Experience
New Ocean Discovery experience makes a huge splash with an up close and personal encounter with magnificient marine life.

Apr 28, 2005
Busch Gardens To Unveil Curse of DarKastle May 1
Thrill-seekers can experience the park's new 3-D dark ride, the most cutting-edge theme park ride to debut in 2005.

Apr 27, 2005
Canada's Wonderland Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
Millions have been entertained at Canada's largest theme park since it first opened for guests in 1981.

Apr 26, 2005
Six Flags Astroworld Salutes America's Soldiers
Houston theme park hosts Military Family Day on Saturday, May 7 with free tickets to all military members.

Apr 24, 2005
Busch Gardens Testing SheiKra In Preparation For May 21 Opening
SheiKra the world's tallest dive roller coaster and a first of its kind ride in the US will debut at the Tampa Bay theme park next month.

Apr 22, 2005
The Italian Job Stunt Track Previews Begin April 29
Kings Islands's new roller coaster the most anticipated summer blockbuster, opens for technical rehearsal weekends through May 15.

Apr 17, 2005
Disney Theme Parks Worldwide To Celebrate Disneyland's 50th
New attractions, fireworks shows and parades at Disney parks will be part of the 50th anniversary celebration.

Apr 15, 2005
Celebration City Adds $2 Million Nighttime Spectacular
NightFire! a brand new high-tech nightime spectacular to be featured each evening at the Branson theme park.

Apr 14, 2005
Paramount's Kings Dominion Offers a Perfect Blend
Starbucks lovers won't have to go without a cup of their favorite java this year when visiting the theme park.

Apr 9, 2005
Disneyland Paris To Unveil New Space Mountain Today
The revamped Disney roller coaster attraction will debut to the public at the theme park today.

Apr 7, 2005
Holiday World Launches First Ever Theme Park 'Blog'
Responding to popularity of Weblogs, the park starts their own and to share stories, updates and day-to-day musings.

Apr 4, 2005
Parton Herself Launches Dollywood's 20th Anniversary
The legendary country singer kicked of the theme park's 20th anniversary season by giving away 1,600 platinum passes.

Apr 1, 2005
Soarin' To Give Epcot Guests Bird's-Eye View Of Golden State
Epcot's new ride film attraction that takes guests on a glide over the state of California will open at the theme park in May.

March 2005

Mar 30, 2005
S&S Screaming Swing Ride Opening At Wild Adventures
The Gauntlet, two SS swing rides placed side-by-side will open this April at the Valdosta, Georgia theme park.

Mar 25, 2005
Historic Starliner Roller Coaster To Be Relocated
Adventure Parks Group announced the purchase and pending relocation of this John Allen classic wooden coaster.

Mar 24, 2005
Cleveland's I-X Indoor Amusement Park Opens Today
The 16th annual indoor amusement park has a dozen new rides this year and operates through April 17.

Mar 24, 2005
Elitch Gardens Opening New Extreme Water Ride
Six Flags announces new Edge water slide for Island Kingdom Water Park located within the Denver theme park.

Mar 23, 2005
Court Removes Hurtle For New Roller Coaster
Monday a judge ruled in favor of Waldameer Park allowing it to proceed with plans to build a wooden coaster.

Mar 18, 2005
Double Shot Opens Saturday At Santa Cruz Boardwalk
The 125-foot thrill ride blasts riders up and down the tower where they'll experience positive and negative Gs.

Mar 17, 2005
Power Keg Launch Coaster Testing At Silver Dollar City
The new SS compressed-air launch coaster at Silver Dollar City has begun its initial round of test cycles.

Mar 16, 2005
New "Water Coaster" Opens At Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
Crush 'n' Gusher opens, and unleashes a torrent of excitement for water park thrill seekers at Typhoon Lagoon.

Mar 14, 2005
Iger Named New Chief Executive Officer Of Disney
Robert A. Iger has been unanimously elected CEO of the Walt Disney Company effective Sept. 30, 2005.

Mar 9, 2005
Tomb Raider Ride Opening At Kings Dominion March 19
The park's new adventure attraction is slated to debut on the opening day of the 2005 season, Saturday, March 19.

Mar 8, 2005
Cedar Fair Increases Quarterly Cash Distribution
This is the 13th increase in the Partnership's distribution rate in the past ten years.

Mar 7, 2005
Cliff's Amusement Park Announces Three New Rides
The park announced its expansion plans for the 2005 season that include a 13-story tall freefall thrill ride.

Mar 7, 2005
50-Foot Tall Waterpark Ride Coming To Wild Waves
The Pacific Northwest's largest waterpark and theme park building Zooma Falls, a five-story family raft ride for 2005.

Mar 7, 2005
Re-Imagineered Space Mountain To Open July 15
Disneyland will re-introduce one of its most popular attractions, Space Mountain, two days ahead of the park's 50th anniversary.

February 2005

Feb 25, 2005
New GM's For Cedar Point & Dorney Park Announced
Cedar Fair today named the new vice president and general manager for both Cedar Point and Dorney Park.

Feb 24, 2005
Maryland Waterpark Renamed Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags America announced the large water park expansion that includes three new attractions and a new name.

Feb 24, 2005
Cedar Fair Announces Organizational Changes
The amusement park operator announced several organizational changes including three promotions.

Feb 23, 2005
Six Flags Unveils Two Coasters For New England Park
Region's largest combination theme and water park to open two new roller coasters for the 2005 season.

Feb 22, 2005
Bay Area Water Park Rebranded Under Six Flags Name
New extreme tubing ride to be added to the Bay Area's largest water park now renamed Six Flags Waterworld.

Feb 19, 2005
Cedar Fair Spending $7 Million At Worlds Of Fun
Overnight accomodations and a new multi-level children's area in Camp Snoopy new for 2005 at Worlds of Fun.

Feb 19, 2005
Wisconsin Dells Theme Park Unveils $10 Million Expansion
New waterslide complex, wooden coaster and expanded go-kart track to open at Mt. Olympus Water Theme Park.

Feb 18, 2005
Robocoaster Ride Coming To Legoland California
The first US installation of this thrill ride will be at the Carlsbad, California theme park.

Feb 18, 2005
Tornado Slide Announced For Six Flags Darien Lake
New water park expansion at Western New York theme park to include enormous new Tornado water slide.

Feb 16, 2005
Conneaut Lake Park Approved To Open For 2005 Season
The troubled Western Pennsylvania amusement park received court approval to reopen for the 2005 season.

Feb 8, 2005
Skull Island Coming To Six Flags Over Georgia
World's largest water play structure at a theme park complete with water slides coming Memorial Day weekend.

Feb 1, 2005
Six Flags To Offer Dolphin Touch and Feeding Experience
New Ocean Discovery at Six Flags Marine World will let guests get close with dolphins, stingrays, penguins and sea lions.

Feb 1, 2005
Six Flags Forms Alliance With Energy Supplier
Direct Energy becomes the official energy company for all of Six Flags' Texas theme parks and water parks.

January 2005

Jan 31, 2005
Six Flags Adding Tornado Slides At Two Water Parks
Prepare to ride the ultimate storm as Six Flags announces the award winning addition at two of its water parks.

Jan 28, 2005
Busch Gardens Tampa Tops Off New Dive Coaster
The theme park reaches new heights as they top off the tallest roller coaster in the state of Florida.

Jan 24, 2005
Disneyland Paris To Build New Rides For Both Parks
240 million Euro to be spent on two new attractions and one new land for Disney's Paris theme parks.

Jan 21, 2005
New Water Park Free With Admission To Great America
Six Flags' new Hurricane Harbor water park will be included with admission to the neighboring theme park in 2005.

Jan 19, 2005
Fear Factor Shows Coming To Universal Studios Theme Parks
Both the Hollywood and Orlando theme parks will open a new live show based on the reality television show Fear Factor.

Jan 18, 2005
Can of Food Earns Discount To Knott's Theme Park
Guests who bring a can of food for the park's food drive will get into the park for just $16.95 now through Jan. 31.

Jan 14, 2005
Six Flags Completes Tallest, Fastest Roller Coaster On Earth
Construction team places record-breaking steel track on the apex of the 45-story tower topping off the Kingda Ka roller coaster.

Jan 13, 2005
Great Adventure To Top Off World's Tallest Coaster
Six Flags today will hoist the final piece of track into place on Kingda Ka completing the record breaking roller coaster.

Jan 12, 2005
Magic Springs Building Shoot-The-Chutes Water Ride
The new $2-million water ride will debut on Memorial Day and is part of a two-year, $7 million park expansion.

Jan 12, 2005
Zamperla, Stengel & Lindstrom To Speak At Euro Amusement Show
Three experts will discuss the future of Europe's amusement industry at the Euro Amusement Show, in Vienna, Austria.

Jan 12, 2005
Southern California Parks Compete For Local Visitors
Six Flags matches Universal's discounted pass promotion to help sway more local residents their direction.

Jan 10, 2005
San Antonio Theme Park Raising Admission Prices
The admission price hikes are being attributed to the addition of more attractions and entertainment.

Jan 10, 2005
Six Flags New England Seeks Approval For New Rides
Plans for three new rides have been submitted to the city for approval, including a 146-foot tall thrill ride.

Jan 8, 2005
Valleyfair Adding Skyscraper Thrill Ride For 2005
Skyscraper is an extreme thrill ride that captivates an audience, whether you're riding or watching.

Jan 6, 2005
Attendance Up 3% At Cedar Fair Parks In 2004
Cedar Fair's theme parks and water parks entertain more than 12.5 million guests during the 2004 season.

Jan 5, 2005
Disney Gives Away 72,000 Tickets At The Orange Bowl
Every attendee received a ticket good at any Disney theme park in celebration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

Jan 4, 2005
Disney Parks Worldwide To Celebrate Original Park's 50th
Disney announced that all of its theme parks will celebrate as Disneyland hits its milestone 50th anniversary.

Looking for more stories? Read the 2004 news articles in the news archives.

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