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amusement park

BO keeps elbows down on coasters

Wed, 08/19/2009 - 03:21 by surajdogra

Chertse, England -- Bosses at a British amusement park said they banned patrons from putting their arms in the air during roller coaster rides due to concerns about body odor.

Mike Vallis, director of Thorpe Park in Chertsey, England, said guests who do not keep their elbows at their sides will be kicked off rides, and repeat offenders will be escorted out of the park, The Sun reported Tuesday.

"We've found that when the temperature tops 25C (77 degrees Fahrenheit) the level of unpleasant smells can become unacceptable, and we do receive complaints," Vallis said. "Our rides are really scary, and people tend to sweat more than normal due to the fear and anticipation they experience while queuing up so it can
get really pongy.

Fatal monorail accident at Disney World

Sun, 07/05/2009 - 21:33 by Natalie James

Florida, July 5:A Disney employee was killed early Sunday morning after two monorail trains crashed head-on in the Magic Kingdom section of Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, a spokesperson for amusement park told CNN.

Six Flags Inc. files for bankruptcy protection

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 18:11 by Jamie Anderson

New York, June 14: Owner of 20 theme parks, Six Flags Inc. (Pink Sheets: SIXF), sought bankruptcy protection Saturday. The amusement park operator, however, intends to keep its parks open, at least for the time being.

2-Star Stocks Poised to Plunge: Cedar Fair?

Wed, 03/25/2009 - 15:25 by Brian D. Pacampara
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 130,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, amusement park operator Cedar Fair, (NYSE: FUN) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

Minn. amusement park up for sale

Wed, 03/11/2009 - 17:36 by MT Bureau

Shakopee, Minn. -- The Minneapolis-area amusement park Valleyfair is up for sale in the down economy.

Cedar Fair, the Sandusky, Ohio, company that bought Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minn., in 1978, is looking to sell it, along with its amusement parks in Kansas City and Santa Clara, Calif., and land in Toronto and Cleveland, to ease its debt load, the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press reported Tuesday.

Cedar Fair spokeswoman Lee Alexakos disclosed no further details about the company's situation, the newspaper said.

The amusement park business has been recession-proof in the past, but David Mandt of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions in Virginia says that's less certain this time around.

Six Flags Over Texas opens soon

Mon, 02/23/2009 - 07:54 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Arlington, Texas -- The Six Flags Over Texas amusement park should see thousands of guests when it opens for the season despite the recession, the park's general manager says.

Park General Manager Steve Martindale predicts that thanks to discount offerings made popular last year, the amusement park in Arlington, Texas, should remain a popular attraction when its gates officially open next weekend, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Sunday.

"We were kind of ahead of the game last year when we came out with 'everybody pays kids' price,' kind of ahead of the major part of the recession," Martindale said. "We really think that people that took advantage of it before are probably going back to their friends and telling them that's the way to do it because it is such a good value."

Park not eager for Cirque du Soleil run

Sun, 02/08/2009 - 09:26 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Santa Monica, Calif. -- The operators of an amusement park in Santa Monica, Calif., say they are not eagerly anticipating an upcoming two-month run of Cirque du Soleil.

Mary Ann Powell, chief executive of Pacific Park, said the amusement park is not like others businesses that are predicting the circus will help bolster their revenues, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

Powell said park officials are concerned the location tabbed for the circus act will block more than 700 parking spaces park visitors typically use.

Parking will likely become a serious issue when Pacific Park customers are forced to compete with Cirque du Soleil fans, Powell added.

"It's difficult to find ourselves as the sole major business that does not anticipate a major windfall from Cirque," she told the Times. "It's not a comfortable position to be in, because usually everyone's interests are in tandem."