Happy Holidays everybody. This prologue is being written just a few days before Christmas. I have had little time to prepare for the season this year, but am almost caught up. My tree is standing and as decorated as it will get this time around. Most of my gifts have been purchased, with only one thing for my brother left to pick out. None of them have been wrapped yet, but there is plenty of time for that to get done. I know that's not what the season is supposed to be about, but unfortunately it seems like that is what it has become this year...finding time to be ready for the 20 minutes spent exchanging gifts and forgetting about the other countless hours that we're supposed to celebrate and honor the true meaning of the season, no matter what holiday we choose to celebrate in December.
Family Gathering, Part Two
Last week, we covered a good portion of the day that I spent at Paramount's Kings Dominion on Saturday, September 8, 2001 with my family. If you recall, it had been myself, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my two lovely nieces. The day was not for me, but for those girls. In the last issue, we covered the few adult rides we chose to rode and most of the kiddie section. But there was one promise I had made to the girls that to this point in the afternoon had been unfulfilled.
We had walked past the amphitheater in Kidzville a few times, as the girls tried to peak in at Angelica of the Rugrats singing. I knew they wanted to see the show, and to be honest it was something I had always wanted to see, too. I had always heard the kids screaming and cheering in the Slime Bowl and wanted to see what was going on. Was the show really that good, or are kids that easy to make scream?
The Nicktoons Summer Jam gets off to a slow start. The host introduces the dancers, tries to say some funny things, and eventually invites some kids on stage. After the first five minutes or so, my nieces looked bored. But luckily for us, Angelica also realized the show and takes over from the "dictator's booth". The host introduces a fury of Nickelodeon characters that sing and dance for the audience. Angelica is not impressed by any of them, and eventually comes to the realization that if something is to be done right she must do it herself. This leads to the climax of the show, as a larger than life Angelica appears from out of the smoke effects and performs for us.
As the characters came out and the show kicked into high gear, Paige (the two year old) began to perk up and took an interest in the show. I knew from watching her that she was having a good time. Cheesecake (the four year old) just sat there and watched. I wasn't sure if she was enjoying it or not. And I wouldn't find out for sure until that night when she performed the show for the family in the hotel room. It became clear that she absolutely loved the show when she performed it again the next morning.
By this time in the afternoon it was time to eat. The family voted on the Bubba Gump Shrimp Shack. Paige had a tummy ache and the long line for the food gave her ample time to sneak in a nap. Cheesecake couldn't find anything she wanted at Gump's, so her wonderful Uncle Jeff walked back to the Thornberry's Adventure Café to get her some macaroni and cheese. After dinner, we had enough time to go back through Kidzville to hit all of the rides the girls wanted to do one, two, or three more times.
As it got dark, we fell back on the oldest of family traditions, playing the games. It took the girls some time to find a game they wanted to play, but when they saw Bear from Bear In The Big Blue House they knew exactly what they wanted to play. Bear could be won by playing the water gun race game. Unfortunately, three players were needed to play for the big prize (Bear) and nobody was around to play with my girls. I was going to volunteer to play against them but the game had started with just two of them.
Cheesecake won game one, and when asked which prize she wanted she of course said Bear. The kid at the counter barely hesitated and grabbed Bear for my girl. I had overseen him tell two other, older kids that it took three to play to win Bear just ten minutes earlier, but he was nice enough to give Cheesecake her Bear. Paige was slightly jealous at this point, so John paid for them to play one more time and Paige won the second time around. Once again with just two people playing, the attendant gave Paige the larger prize. The girls may not have realized just how nice the attendant had been to them, but we sure did and appreciated his true kindness.
The park was now ready to close and we still had our souvenir shopping to do. We each picked out something for the girls and took some time to find Nanny and Cheesecake, who wandered off without any word. Now I know what my parents meant when they told me to never wander off.
We were walking back to the exit to end our day when the girls saw the phantom. They climbed up onto the stonewall and watched with amazement as the water turned colors, trying to guess which color would be next. I spent a minute or two watching the fountains with the girls and when I turned away I noticed my mother was standing by herself a few feet away.
"This is exactly what I remembered," she said as her eyes filled up with tears.
"The fountains?" I asked, thinking she was referring to how my brother and I would stare at the water the same way when we were kids.
"Everything," she replied.
My family had entered a new era. A whole new generation had just been introduced to the place that my family cherishes more than anyplace else. For this day, nobody cared that the Rebel Yell doesn't run like it used to. Nobody cared that the steel coasters are short or that the flat ride collection is sub-par.
What mattered was the 23 years of memories that has been built at that place and the new memories that had just been established. Cheesecake and Paige approached the day the way I still approach every day I spend at a park. That is, with an innocence that allows them to believe that whatever ride they are on is the best in the world if they want to believe it. That may not be the proper way to approach a park, but this innocence is something I hope they never lose.
Random Ramblings
I was at Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane this past weekend. When I was leaving the park I saw a sign that encouraged visitors to buy season passes for Dutch Wonderland, the newest member of the HERCO family. I have not been very enthusiastic with Hershey's purchase of Dutch Wonderland, but at least I have some confidence that the park will not be totally ignored just yet.
It does not appear that a season pass at one park will be honored at the other, but I guess that may have been too much to hope for. On the plus side, parking will remain free according to the park's website (www.dutchwonderland.com) and the monorail will be included with general admission.
HERCO please be good to the park. And if you do decide to concentrate on your Hershey properties in a few years, please don't just hand Dutch Wonderland over to the highest bidder.
Knott's Berry Farm has announced Xcelerator for 2002. This Intamin launched ride will be short, running into the same concerns that Hypersonic ran into this year. Will Knott's be able to run the ride at a good enough capacity to meet the park's needs? Only time will tell, but it will be a tall task.
Even if it is too late for Christmas, it is not too late to buy your 2002 RollerCoasterWorld calendar. Check out the link from the front page for more information.
In my next issue, I will unveil the official View From The Back Top Ten New Attractions For 2001. The rankings are still being debated, so keep your emails coming with your thoughts and suggestions. There is no clear cut #1 this year, with several coasters worthy of Top Ten status.
I want to thank everyone who stuck around long enough to read this column. This has been a difficult year for just about everyone and the View was out of commission for some time. When we came back last month I said that the column was more than just trip reports, and then proceeded to come out with what was essentially a three-part trip report. Maybe that wasn't the best idea, but it was fun for me. I hope you enjoyed this look at my favorite park. In the weeks to come, we have the Top Ten list I've just discussed, a look at handicapped rules at parks, and some other interesting stuff.
Until next time, have a safe and happy holiday season. If you can sneak in a ride on a train of any kind, be it a coaster or anything else, please take a back seat ride once for me...
Coaster 3:16
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