Bad news everyone, I didn’t get the slide cred.
But fortunately for you that means I’m back with some more news.
Firstly, let’s discuss April Fools day. Theme parks like to joke around on April 1st and often
come up with jokes about ridiculous new rides or changes to the park in general. This year,
you’ll be glad to hear, was no exception. Liseberg claimed they would be increasing the top speed of
Lisebergbanan by 8kmh by covering the track in beeswax; Indiana Beach said they were going to
name their new triple looping roller coaster Coasty McCoast Face; and Fun Spot America said
due to popular demand they’d be changing the name of their wooden coaster, Mine Blower,
to Mind Blower. Honestly, that one serves them right, what does Mine Blower even mean?
A waiver allowing Busch Gardens Williamsburg to build a 300ft tall coaster
has been extended. Back in April of 2019, it was discovered that the park had filed
a height waiver for a 355ft structure within the park. Then, in October of the same year,
plans were leaked to build what looked like an extremely large scale
shuttle coaster - which could potentially be over 300ft high. Not much had been said since,
leading many to question the likelihood of the project happening at all. However,
the original 355 foot FAA height waiver that was originally filed has officially been extended.
The waiver is now valid as long as construction starts by 22 of September 2022. Fingers crossed.
Movie Park Germany will no longer print maps in a bid to be more eco friendly. The park joined the
ÖKOPROFIT initiative in September 2019 which aims to strengthen the sustainability of companies.
After completing workshops, consultations and an audit through the initiative, the park has
received the official certificate to say they are an ÖKOPROFIT company which was presented to them
by Lord Mayor Benrend Tischler. Moving forward, Movie Park wants to continue to take steps towards
more environmental and climate protection. They have already begun by using fewer plastic products
and using water sparingly across the park. They have also announced that in 2021 they will not
be printing their park maps at all, instead the maps will be accessed by guests digitally.
Owners of American Dream mall have defaulted on their loans following a cash flow crisis.
The lenders behind the American Dream mega mall project are in the final stages of taking a 49%
stake in two other malls owned by developer Triple Five that were used as collateral for
the $1.2 billion construction loan. American Dream shut down last March three days before it planned
to open its DreamWorks Water Park and retail. It reopened on October 1st and currently has eight
attractions and 130 stores operating. There are more openings scheduled, including for its Sea
Life Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center, which are set to open on May 4th. Kurt Hagen,
senior vice president of development for Triple Five, said that the pandemic had created a very
significant cash flow crisis for American Dream and that the collateral pledge was an ‘indirect
ownership interest’, which means once they start making a profit again, 49% of the profits
will go to the lenders until the collateral is released. Man things haven’t really gone well
for the American Dream Mall, it took them like 9 years to open, and once they did, boom-covid.
Fun Spot America have announced plans to add another new ride:
Sky Hawk, a family swing ride. The 90-foot ARM swing ride will provide a bird’s eye view of
the park and will feature both traditional side-by-side seating as well as horizontal
(prone) seating. It will be located on the north side of the par between White Lightning
and Freedom Flyer. Excitingly, the tower will feature a programmable LED lighting package
to illuminate the ride at night. The ride is set to open in May 2021.
Well that’s been it for this slightly shorter episode of dispatch, I think parks are generally
hesitant to announce real news around the 1st April. Whoa look at all these names on
the right - they’re all supporters of dispatch over on Patreon. If you enjoy this series and
would like to support us making it, check out our Patreon page. You can get some sweet perks too,
one of which is having your name displayed at the end of the first new dispatch episode
of each month. If that tickles your fancy, click the i button or find the patreon link in
the description below. And that’s not an April Fools joke, I promise, seriously, it’s real.