In Our Eyes: Worlds of Fun on October 26,2003

11/7/2003 "So we have come to the end of this season. Boy, it seems like April wasnít that long ago and now Iím writing the end of the season review. I think overall this season has been good, we have certainly seen a lot of improvements. In spite of that I think also many would agree there has been one sobering subject that has occupied the entire year. You know the one Iím talking about, its red, made of steel and today at least it's still 117 feet tall. However, before we go into that any further, first the good news, and there is quite a bit of that.

The biggest shot of good news this season has been Halloweekends. I know I have personally complimented several at Worlds of Fun about it already. I was extremely impressed, and I am not alone in saying that. Wow, can we do this again next year? The two large additions this year were The Magical House on Boo Hill and the Carnival of Carnivous Clowns. First, House on Boo Hill. Located up at the old employee Ambam (Break Area) in Camp Snoopy, Boo Hill, was an attraction specifically built for children and families. Unlike its companion at Cedar Point, I am happy to say that this one didnít have a height requirement, so those of us over 54"" tall were all able to enjoy it without being accompanied by a child. I was really impressed, and Boo House by itself exceeded my expectations. If Boo Hill makes a return next year this is one to try. The best way I can describe it is as a haunted mansion type ride that you walk through. The whole premise is that you are invited on a tour of a deserted mansion at the top of the hill and as you walk through each room you discover some interesting things, like crocodiles in the bathtub, a dining room turned upside down, and a spice rack full of some unusual ìspicesî, would you like some fresh ground newt with your salad? There were several ghost maids and butlers that roamed the mansion, but they were not scary; they didnít jump out at you or anything. I would say even with this one attraction Worlds of Fun proved to us they could still do something creative that didn't cost millions of dollars.

The other attraction of course was Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns. Located in the old Beat Street section (renamed Freak Street), this attraction always had a line. In fact, in many cases the line for Carnival of Clowns was longer then most of the rides at the park! And for good reason too. As if Boo Hill wasnít enough creativity output from Worlds of Fun, Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns topped that. The whole concept was a fun house overrun by lunatic clowns. You passed through a series of rooms, including a fun house mirror maze, psychedelic arcade, and a spinning barrel, all attractions you would find in an old-fashioned fun house. In this retro version, Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns was painted up with neon 3D paint, and was filled with dozens of clowns that had a tendency to jump out and startle you. As I mentioned the whole attraction was painted in 3D paint and the 3D glasses that were available for sale really made this attraction, amazing, fun and another attraction we hope to see again next year.

As if both attractions werenít enough Worlds of Fun took Halloweekends a step further and marketed Halloweekends through t-shirts and sweatshirts available for sale. The prices werenít bad either between $5 and $10 each. Of course since our General Manager used to be head of Merchandising it makes sense, but it was a really cool idea.

Besides the two new ìhaunted houses/mazesî many of the attractions at Worlds of Fun were repeats. There was still The Used Coffin Dealer, Trick or Treat Town, etc. The only other minor addition was the Grave Diggers Marching Troop, if it could be calling that. I really donít know if it had an official name or not. It honestly took both Jeff and I a few weeks to figure out what the whole point was. The Grave Diggers were a group that marched around the park with shovels, dressed up as grave digger zombies. When I finally figured out what was up with this unusual group I was pretty amazed. I donít know if you have seen the Marineís silent drill platoon, this was fairly similar. The group at Worlds of Fun, I believe it was the youth drill team from Topeka (correct me if Iím wrong) actually would stop at various locations in the park, and perform their own version of the Marine's silent drill. Not with the rifles like usual but with actual shovels. Imagine hitting your head with one of those! Ouch! It was something I have never see quite like before, and it was really kind of unique. I was impressed by their talent of course, but what leaves me wondering, is who came up with this idea? If you really stop and think about it, having a group of marching grave diggers is pretty unique. Iíve never seen it at a park or anywhere else for that matter. Who ever thought this one up gets an A++ in my book for creative thinking.

I really have to say again how impressed I was over Halloweekends. Over the past few years I really have complained about just how pathetic Halloweekends has been, especially in comparision to many other parks. I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised this year. I really thought the whole presentation of it was unique and creative. Halloweekends at Worlds of Fun was unlike any other Halloween event at any other park I visited, in the fact that it was in no way shape or form the standard billowing smoke and blood drenched zombies that you get at most parks. Not that there is anything wrong with that to a point. However,considering that most parks are supposed to be providing family entertainment, and many donít consider that point when planning their Halloween events, Iím actually happy to say that Worlds of Fun did. One final comment I have to make. So many people like to say how great Cedar Point is, and quite frankly itís a great park, itís probably one of the best. But, I have to say I was much more impressed with Worlds of Funís Halloweekends then Cedar Pointís. Yes, people like to be scared, but people also like to be entertained as well.

One last comment about Halloweekends, after visiting Cedar Point this fall one attraction that impressed Jeff and left me running for cover was the Fright Zone. For those who have visited Cedar Point the Fright Zone was located in part of Frontiertown. I was a chicken so I did not take part in it. But from what I heard it was a lot of good scary fun. Yes, Jeff was actually scared at one point that really surprised me. What we were thinking would be a great addition to Worlds of Fun's Halloweekends next year would be to take the Europa section of the park and make it into a Fright Zone, or maybe to fit with the theme the park could call it, Transylvania. This section would start at the hill leading from Africa to Europa, have fog rolling down the hill, then finish off the section with fog, blinding floodlights and terrifying effects. Europa is already the deadest part of the park, but even with that I would only close off the rides after maybe 7PM. I'm not really big into the major terrifying attractions, but I know that many of the teenage crowds that Worlds of Fun draws would probably love it.

Fortunately for the park, Halloweekends was not the only thing positive at the park this year. The next group Iím going to mention, their work is not as evident, but it is such that it has made a big change in the overall appearance of the park, and that is landscaping. If youíre under fifteen you probably donít remember when Worlds of Fun was absolutely stunning with itís floral displays, amazing floral clock and overall landscaping. The park was originally designed as a gardenerís masterpiece, a beautiful botanical masterpiece of a park. Unfortunately, this sadly deteriorated over the past decade or so, until there was really nothing special about the parkís landscaping at all. Many remember me talking and complaining (fairly loudly actually) about the mulch gardens, and dirt gardens, and of the gardens they removed completely. Well, I for one have seen a big change in that this year. The mulch gardens of just a few years ago were full of flowers this year. I think every hook at the park this year held a hanging plant. For those who have not been to Worlds of Fun (we pity you), Worlds of Funís hanging baskets are huge, many of them when hung are around six feet tall, and probably a good 2 feet wide if not more in many cases. There were dozens of these hanging baskets I dare say in each section alone. If that wasnít enough, Worlds of Fun has been rotating flowers. What that means is that they change the plants in the flower beds throughout the season. They have also pruned the bushes in many areas so that they at last arenít growing wild, and in many cases the bushes are prunned so that they are perfectly sculptured plants.

I think the highlight though for me, is that they actually planted trees. Not only that, but in one case that I know of they planted themed trees. It might not seem like much to a casual reader but for me, I really was shocked, after so many years of nagging about them tearing trees out. For those who didnít notice they planted several trees under the Scandi/Orient Bridge, and then four of five Japanese Maples around the pond in the Orient section. I really do have to commend the job landscaping has done, its obvious someone in that department cares about the park and it really does show. I hope you keep the good work up next year and for the years to come, because Worlds of Fun really was a beautiful park at one time and I believe it can be again.

We have talked about Halloweekends, weíve talked about Landscaping, what havenít we talked about yet? How about the rides. Before I get into the rides that have been down for some of the season let's talk about one that still needs some work, Timberwolf. Next year Timberwolf will be Worlds of Funís oldest coaster, 1989 was the year it was built. The last time it was retracked was in 1995, that was nine years ago. What need I say, the ride is rough. Yes, I realize itís a wooden coaster. Yes, it was built by Charles Dinn and henceforth has the famous Dinn shuffle. With all that aside, I really donít think a rider should have to brace themselves for a ride that is supposed to be fun! Most might be aware of Cedar Fairís track record when it comes to wooden coasters. Mean Streak, Hercules, now Timberwolf, they all have a tendency to be rough and they all have a fairly poor record when it comes to re-tracking and overall upkeep of their wooden coasters. Any good wooden coaster manufacturer is going to tell you a wooden coaster should be re-tracked at least every couple of years, and Timberwolf was last re-tracked in 1995, six years after it first opened. Spraying water on the ride may help in the short run, but something serious has to be done to help this once great coaster. Please for the enjoyment of Worlds of Fun visitors over the next some years at least think about re-tracking the Timberwolf sometime soon. It was the #1 ride in the world at one time after all.

Okay after that letís talk about something good. After being down for two months or so Cyclone Samís was back in business creating cyclones, at least for the last month of the season. Cyclone Samís still has the same ride as before; I swear itís the most aggressive Wipeout Iíve ever been on, considering you can practically touch the ceiling (no, I have never done it). The best part of Cyclone Samís being out of commission is that while it was down Worlds of Fun did a little house cleaning. Number one and most important is that they painted over the nasty graffiti in the Queue House. There is some new graffiti in there already, but it was better then it was. The picture on the left is the door the Cyclone Sam's, you can see the difference! Just a comment I have, but Worlds of Fun wouldnít have to worry about the graffiti if you ran the ride the way it used to be. It used to be that what is now the Queue House was a pre-show area (think like Disney), and the only people allowed in there were they people waiting for the next ride. Everyone else waited in the Queue lines outside. I think it would really cut down on the graffiti, but you know I guess it does require an extra employee... Worlds of Fun also fixed the black lights on the ride itself and some of the lighting that creates the ìlightningî during the ride's ""cyclone"" experience. So time while the ride was down was spent working on the actual building. Good use of time and since itís my favorite ride Iím really happy to see Cyclone Samís running again.

Okay you knew it was coming, Orient Express. As you may know the 2003 season was its last, and it should be removed sometime this winter. Like so many things in life, this story has two sides. We all would be kidding ourselves if we said we didnít care, in fact the truth is as far from that as possible. It had a great drop, in fact it had three of them, it was unique in the fact that not only was it the third coaster ever to have interlocking loops, but it also incorporated for the first time ever the Boomerang element, known on the Express as the Kamikaze Kurve. Anyone in the industry only has to look across the park to see how big an impact that one small twisting element had on the entire industry. Not only was the Express unique, but it was beautiful to look at it, it was extremely photogenic and it in a way lured you into the park. More then just a piece of steel the Orient Express touched many lives in its twenty three years with us; it made thousands of memories, and thrilled millions of riders. It was the centerpiece of Worlds of Fun for over a decade, and was always a highlight of the parkís skyline. Like Jeff so eloquently put it, losing the Orient Express is like losing a friend. Like me, many readers and park patrons cannot imagine Worlds of Fun without the Orient Express, because so many never visited the park when it wasnít there. One last comment I wanted to make and that is before the Orient Express removal was announced I hoped with all my heart that Worlds of Fun realized what they were removing, how important this great red steel giant was to so many people. Now after the recent turn of events I really believe they do, and it's comforting. On a more somber note I really would hope that those who read this realize that it may be easy to replace a roller coaster, but its hard to replace the memories.

With that aside I do have to commend Worlds of Fun about being upfront about the removal of the Orient Express. It doesnít seem like much maybe to an ordinary reader, but it means a lot to every visitor who drives through the gates with expectations which might have not been meet. Iím sure if you have read this far you remember the Zambezi Zinger, If not you should be ashamed! Worlds of Fun did not announce the removal of it, and it left a lot of people with a bad taste in the mouth, to this day even. I really was pleasantly surprised this Thursday to hear that they publicly announced it, and not only that, they made a point to mention that they realized how much the Orient Express meant to their park patrons. Itís a small step, but itís on that acknowledges a very important aspect in running a park, caring about your guests.

Last thing I want to cover and then I will wrap this all up, and it has to do with the lighting issue. Now honestly the lighting at Worlds of Fun has seen better days. BUT itís also seen worse, a lot worse. I will say it now and I will say it again, the park looks so much better with all the lights working. Also besides the obvious aesthetic reason there are also several good monetary reasons for the lights to work as well. Number one, the park is safer. There are still a a few areas of the park which are pretty dark at night. Thatís due to one reason, lack of lighting. If people donít feel safe at the park, they are not going to come back. Number two, lights creates atmosphere. That might not seem like its going to make the park in money, or be a return on investment, but I honestly think it would.

Think about it, how many people go to a park based on its atmosphere? What, you said you wouldnít? So you wouldnít go to the Magic Kingdom? Or, maybe to the Plaza at Christmas? The reason most people go to these places is not because of the rides. After all we all know Disneyís rides at Magic Kingdom are not ALL the worldís best or certainly not the most thrilling. Also, most people donít go to the Plaza just to shop. Iím sure some do, but why when itís so much easier and cheaper to go to the closest mall? A lot of the reasons people go to these places is because of the atmosphere, or maybe they had special memories of it as a child. Same thing in this story. Back to Worlds of Fun, in the areas that most of the lights work at Worlds of Fun, itís pretty impressive, and it adds tremendously to the atmosphere. I think thatís been a lot of improvement but there is still lots of rooom to improve.

On the subject of lighting I think there are few things I really want to point out that I feel should be fixed, and while Iím at it I also wanted to commend Worlds of Fun on some things they have fixed. First, all the light poles, or at least most of them worked this year, big improvement over the past few years. Huge. Also we saw the addition of at least two new strands of lights, one on the Autobahn and one on Ragoon Refresher. We know who did the work and we certainly arenít going to mention any names, but it makes a HUGE difference. We also noticed that many more of the lights work on Detonator, and the lights were fixed on Beat Street right around the second week of Halloweekends. All big improvements, all worthy of note, and all appreciated. However, there are a lot of attractions that need work and I could spend pages talking about all of them but I wonít. I will only highlight one or two. One of which I really want to point out is the Skyliner. When all the lights worked it was a beautiful sight, thousands of rainbow colored lights shining above the Worlds of Fun skyline. Today though, it just looks pathetic. I would venture to guess that 20% of the lights actually work. Now, I donít know if my imagination is not running away on me, but the Skyliner did look a bit better on the last operating weekend. That aside think how beautiful it would be if all the lights workedÖ Wow. Now think about people seeing that from the road or parking lot. An off the shelf ELI Bridge Ferris Wheel transformed into a beautiful park landmark. Second attraction I wanted to mention is the Detonator. Itís obvious some work was done on it right before Halloweekends, and in all fairness it does look better considering now many more of the lights work as opposed to the few previously. It still does need work, along with the Skyliner, but if both were in working order, what a postcard that would be. These things are not tangible ROI (Return on Investment), but believe me I would be dumb if I said that it wouldnít make any difference, and I think the people at the park realize that.

Now look at that, five pages of writing and really only one major negative comment, and I really donít think there is a single person out there who wouldnít agree what I said about Timberwolf. Jeff and I were talking and we never graded Worlds of Fun in the traditional sense before but IF we were I would probably give this season a C+, definite improvement shown. I know for a fact that attendance is down for this season, I know Iíts bad, but when you donít add a major ride, well these things happen. Iím willing to bet next year might not be to terribly better. That aside, I really do hope that there is at least some improvement over this year, and I think there will be. On a better note though the park itself, the things that make you say, ìwell that was a really nice parkî, or ìthat was a really beautiful parkî, or yes even ìthe employees were maybe a little bit nicer this yearî, will make a difference, maybe even more then say any ride or roller coaster will ever be able to do. I think thatís great, I would rather see a beautiful park, with wonderful employees, with maybe a few less rides then one with tonís of rides, but nothing else to show for itself. It was a good season, better then the past, but of course there was room for improvement. I look forward to next year, and as always Iím thankful that were owned by Cedar Fair and not Six Flags."