The Coaster Critic's Blog

Theme Parks Gear Up for Halloween 2008 Transformations
This month, theme parks across the country will begin their transformation for Halloween-themed events like Six Flags' popular Fright Fests. Typically on weekends in the month of October, parks will take on a whole new look with spooky decorations, haunted houses, fog, and strange and disturbing performers roaming around the park.

Halloween events are NOT for small children and many brand their events as PG-13. Each park and/or chain has a name for their event. Below are links to some of the most popular Halloween theme park promotions:

Fright Fest at Six Flags Park

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios

Halloween Haunts at:
Kings Dominion
Kings Island
Knott's Berry Farms
Dorney Park
Worlds of Fun

HalloWeekends at Cedar Point
ValleyScare at Valleyfair
Scarowinds at Carowinds

Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa & Williamsburg

Hersheypark in the Dark at Hersheypark

Hallowboo! at Idlewild

Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood

Frightmares at Lagoon

Phobia at Wild Adventures

Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce

Check out my Scarowinds trip report from 2007. Also, here's a preview for Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights 18:

Get a Ride on Laser While You Can
NewsPlusNotes has reported that Dorney Park's Schwarzkopf looper Laser has been sold. Check out this listing on UsedRides. Enthusiasts are saddened by the news. Schwarzkopf loopers are legendary. His coasters (like Minbender at Six Flags Over Georgia & Sooper Dooper Looper at Hersheypark) are dated by today's standards, but hold a level of nostalgia for many. They're also the only loopers that have a lapbar instead of the over the shoulder harness that Arrow and Vekoma have. This removes the issue of headbang and adds a level of fear.

No word on who bought Laser or where it will resurface. It has a portable design so it could show up anywhere even in a carnival/fair capacity. Wikipedia has more on legendary designer Anton Schwarzkopf. Take a ride on Laser:

Construction Photos | Voodoo Coaster at Dorney Park
Dorney has created a pretty slick site and cool logo for their new Voodoo roller coaster set to open in 2008. Voodoo is the launched shuttle coaster that Cedar Fair moved from Geauga Lake to Dorney earlier this year. Check out the site for downloads, fresh construction pics, a web cam and more.

Official Voodoo Site

Dorney's Relocated Impulse Coaster Has a Name
NewsPlusNotes has pictures of posters at Dorney advertising their new coaster for 2008. It's the relocated launching shuttle coaster Steel Venom from Geauga Lake. There has been no official announcement, but the new name of the coaster will be Voodoo.

Check out the poster photos here.

Hercules at Dorney Park | Defunct Roller Coasters
Hercules reigned over Dorney Park in Allentown, PA from 1989 to 2003. It was a massive wooden roller coaster. When it debuted it had the longest drop of any wooden coaster in the world. It was a big draw for Dorney before it had Steel Force and Talon to bring in the masses. By the time I rode it in 2003, Hercules was on its last legs. It had such a rough reputation that I told my girlfriend that she might want to skip it.

I don't remember a whole lot from my ride. Rough, unevenly paced wooden coasters (like Predator @ Darien Lake) start to meld together in my memory. The record setting drop was long, but not very steep. And the banked turn over the pond was as rough as you'd expect on a turn that immediately follows such a tall drop. In the Fall of 2003, Hercules was dismantled and removed.

I love terrain coasters, but Hercules met the same fate as so many other wooden coasters. It aged badly, became rough, and ridership decreased. I'm not sure if any rehab efforts were taken, but it obviously didn't do the trick. At least Dorney Park bounced back with a winner in Hydra: The Revenge. Hydra was a nine-headed monster that battled Hercules and in this version of the tale it looks like it won. The B&M looping floorless coaster was built on the former site of Hercules and has been well-received.

Check out this onride video of Hercules at Dorney Park:

Steel Venom Roller Coaster Joins Dorney Park's Lineup in 2008
We've known for months that Steel Venom was being removed from Geauga Lake. They mystery was which Cedar Fair park it was going to be shipped to. Coasterdom has reported that Dorney Park will be the new home of the Intamin Impulse Coaster. Dorney Park was among the other rumored locations that included Canada's Wonderland (near Toronto) and Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO).

Steel Venom features a launch that propels riders 0 to 70 mph in a matter of seconds. It's a short 704' U-shaped roller coaster with a straight end and a twisted end. It will join Dorney's strong lineup that includes the floorless coaster Hydra, Morgan hyper coaster Steel Force and beloved B&M inverted coaster Talon.

Pictures of Steel Venom
More at Coasterdom & the Morning Call.

What do Pennsylvanians and Dorney fans think of this development? Is this the type of coaster Dorney needs? Leave a comment below.

Steel Venom: Missing in Action
Cedar Fair is reportedly moving Geauga Lake in a new direction. News about X-Flight moving across the state to Kings Island and becoming Firehawk has already surfaced. Steel Venom, an Intamin inverted launch coaster, has been removed as well. The question is where will Steel Venom be sent to.

An article on ThrillNetwork includes a quote from a Cedar Fair official mentioning that Steel Venom is "destined for storage at another park once it's dismantled." There were no hints as to which park would get the coaster, but the 'Net is buzzing with rumors and theories. Recently acquired Canada's Wonderland (near Toronto), Dorney Park (Allentown, PA), and Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO) seem to be popular guesses.

Where do you think Steel Venom will go? Leave a comment below.

Does Steel Force Live up to its Lofty Reputation?
Steel Force dominates the skyline at Dorney. Thunderhawk is just dwarfed by the 200 foot steel monster. It's a visual testament to how far coasters have come. I stepped aboard the uninteresting Morgan trains and enjoyed the nice long ride up the peak. The first drop wasn't as steep as I thought it would be and the tunnel was just so-so. The highlight for me was the helix at the turnaround. The speed, g's, and the view of the lake is really cool. The trip back to the station is pretty pedestrian. I didn't get much if any airtime on those bunny hills. For me, Steel Force was a bit of a let down. I didn't expect it to unseat my favorite hyper coasters. Not only did it not do that, it didn't even come close. When visiting Dorney, it's definitely a must ride and it's by no means a bad ride. It's long, has a big drop, a fun helix, two tunnels and it's not rough. Steel Force is still a good example of a traditional hyper coaster. It's good, just not quite great. Final Rating - 7.5 (Good)

So how good is a 7.5? Check out the CCCS to find out. Also, check out this roller coaster video of Steel Force at Dorney Park.