7/1/1999 Theme parks change. Get over it.

"by Thomas Atchity"

July 1, 1999 - Most of us forget who visits Worlds of Fun . . . the general public. These are people that visit the park maybe once or twice a year. Obviously, some go more then that, but most of the folks visit Worlds of Fun once or twice a year. For them the magic of the park is still there, the magic in which some people knit-pick at every aspect of when it is gone. Obviously, some of the new things in the park don't fit totally into the theming but that's okay. Things change and life goes on.

People have been quick to dismiss the ""new"" go-carts. But as I'm sure none of you have realized, Kansas City has not had a go-cart track for two years, and being a young male, I know that its great fun to ""swap paint"" per say with some of your best friends. On one of my most recent visits to the park, my friends and I rode all of the major rides, but we kept going back to the go-cart track. It was great!

The next time you visit the park, don't get mad and start bickering at All-Stars Grill, Coasters, or the Heart of America Theater . . . ignore it and go on. You will find if you try to enjoy what Worlds of Fun has to offer instead of knit-picking about what is no longer there, you will enjoy your day a lot more. I'm not saying the park is perfect. It is far from it. But give it a chance.

For some reason, some of you seem to think Worlds of Fun is getting the cold shoulder from Cedar Fair when we got Mamba only a year ago. Some people complain that Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm are getting more money invested in them than Worlds of Fun is. It is obvious that they should. Their Cedar Fair's cash cows. They draw folks from all around the U.S and even the world. People complaining about Worlds of Fun not getting anything sould just stop right now. Take Valleyfair! and Dorney Park for example. They're are comparable to Worlds of Fun's size and amount of rides as well as attendance. Both have not received a major coaster in 2 years, and only this year Dorney Park received a ride similar to Detonator (one side has a turbo drop instead of two space shots) Those parks need rides too, right?

So, in closing . . . stop complaining! Instead, think about the Cedar Fair and Worlds of Fun's position and just give them a chance. ------