Magic Mountain Mondays #21: Gold Rusher signage

Now this sponsor makes a bit more sense. Film and camera companies have long been theme park sponsors. After all, people are taking tons of pictures at theme parks. So while Mine Train Coaster != Camera Film, there is a connection there. Also - remember Kodak?

In August of 1995, I took a bunch of photos (on film no less) at Six Flags Magic Mountain using an inexpensive camera. I was working as an Operations supervisor at the time, and the purpose of the project was to create a slide show for an employee appreciation party for our Operations staff. I’ve carted these slides around for over 25 years and I finally had them digitally transferred this year. About 2/3s of them aren’t available for posting because they are crew pictures and I have no way to request permission to post them. But I do have 50+ available that are just various shots of the park. Enjoy this time capsule from August 1995.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, August 18, 2021: Tour a lovely park and enjoy some rollercoaster POVs!

BGW didn't disappoint. It continues to be a fun and beautiful park. This was the first of our 2 days at BGW and the first (and only) opportunity on this trip for me to film roll coaster POVs using the GoPro. BGW doesn't have the most coasters, but they only put in good ones. We also fit in a couple of non-coaster rides and made 2 trips to Das Festhaus. Enjoy, and come on back for day 2, coming soon!

Dorney Park, August 2021: Big fun at a smaller Cedar Fair park in PA!

Another winner in the Cedar Fair chain, Dorney Park is one of the smaller regional parks operated by Cedar Point's corporate owner. We rode 5 coasters and a handful of other rides in our partial day before we drove down to Hershey, PA. None of the rides here are breaking records, but they're well-run and we got a touch of nostalgia from the first-generation Intamin freefall ride, transplanted from Cedar Point a few years back (Demon Drop). Hydra and Talon are solid B&Ms, and Steel Force is another Morgan hyper that still packs some fun. Hot and good times in PA, with more to come. Enjoy!

Kennywood: Keeping it weird in August 2021!

Kennywood, just outside of Pittsburg, PA, was long on my list of east coast parks to visit. I knew it was an older regional park with a number of historical woodies. I knew the history of Steel Phantom and its reconfigurations to Phantom's Revenge. But I didn't know just how weird this park is compared with a "standard" theme park. Hence, in addition to coasters we visited things like the Old Mill, Noah's Ark, and Turtle. Keep it weird, Kennywood. Enjoy this small glimpse at the park!