Search

Playdium Edmonton, located at the West Edmonton (Alta.) Mall, is drawing big crowds with its main attraction, a $150,000 ($101,362 U.S.) monster truck simulator ride dubbed 'Maxzilla,' made by MaxFlight [...]

In a novel marketing move for sheds, Metropolitan Entertainment Group is selling personal seat licenses at three of its amphitheaters -- Pier 6 Concert Pavilion, Baltimore; Montage Mountain Amphitheater, Scranton, [...]

Foundations are being laid for a new $29.5 million minor league stadium in Staten Island, N.Y., slated for completion in June 2001. The HOK Sports-designed stadium will house the Staten [...]

Since the introduction of the new Moody Gardens $49 million aquarium, there has been a significant increase in traffic through the park. According to General Manager John Zendt, summer 1999 [...]

Perfect weather and a admission price break led to a banner year for the New Jersey State Fair, Augusta, held Aug. 2-11. Attendance increased to 213,200, or 4% over last [...]

Reports the merger of entertainment companies SFX Multimedia and Clear Channel in the United States. Implications of the merger; Terms of the deal; Increase in the profit of Clear Channel for the second quarter of 2000; Decrease in the net loss of SFX.

This article focuses on the fact that a random sampling of amusement parks show that most finished ahead this summer despite poor weather on the East Coast and a heat wave in Southern California. Helping to draw more patrons was the addition of a ProSlide Cannonball ride. Canobie Lake Park in Salem, had a decent year thanks to the addition of a Summer Legends entertainment program that featured Bozo the Clown and Elvis Presley and Beatles tribute bands. Attendance at Splish-Splash Waterpark in Riverhead, was up despite a summer season filled with rain and cool temperatures.

The article discusses the need for shopping malls in the U.S. to incorporate entertainment and unique experiences in their facilities. According to WHLLG numbers, more than 70% of shopping purchase decisions are being made by women, so it's important to meet their needs at shopping destinations. In September 2005, Warner Bros. Consumer Products Ltd. struck a deal with Taubman Centers Inc., which owns 22 malls nationwide, to launch Looney Tunes-themed children's play areas. In addition, Taubman shopping centers began a rollout of a themed interactive experience at its malls to coincide with the holiday season.

The article focuses on Family Entertainment Centers (FEC) in the amusement industry. As the annual Fun Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center draws near, FEC executives detailed the best ways to get and keep patrons in the business--by becoming a member of the community, offering specials, putting on themed events and sharpening up those marketing tools. FECs can offer a nice alternative to any event in the community, be it a meeting, holiday party or fundraiser. Donating space for a community event is a great idea. Tamara McKee, owner of Pojos Family Entertainment Center in Boise, Idaho, notes that her place is completely involved in the community.

This article reports that with travel returning to pre-Sept. 11 patterns in the U.S and a host of new attractions to lure guests, the 2005 outlook is bright for U.S. amusement and theme park operators seeking to build on the positive momentum of last year. From Six Flags' Intamin-made Kingda Ka roller coaster, a record-breaker set to debut in a new 11-acre jungle-themed zone at the chain's Great Adventure park in Jackson, New Jersey. Cedar Fair's planned $26 million (two-year) expansion of Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio and Paramount Parks' launch of Tomb Raider: Firefall, a Huss Maschinenfabrik-made inverted coaster that will use fire and fog to wow guests at Paramount's Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia.

With the economic existence of many traditional farms being threatened by the modern global agricultural economy, many farms in the U.S. are developing entertainment attractions as additional revenue streams, sometimes referred to as" agritainment." With the introduction of agritainment, however, the idea has been extended from pick-your-own vegetables and fruits, petting zoos and hay rides to include children's play areas, children's discovery farms and destination mazes, to name a few. One of the East Coast farms bringing in agritainment is Johnsons Corner Farm in Medford, New Jersey.

According to many concessionaires and fair managers, unexpected customer questions and hardware glitches sometimes accompanied cashless midway systems used on game concessions this year. Paul Rosenberg, senior manager of cooperate development at the Calgary Expo & Stampede, Atlanta, Georgia, told that the biggest problem with the card systems is not the hardware or the software, but information transition process. Mike Pence, owner of Pence's Concessions based in Bryan, Ohio, said, "I have heard from quite a few people that there were problems this year. Basically the, games concessions were the guinea pigs for the concession card systems and they had to deal with a slew of problems."

Bob DeStefano, owner of Dreamland Amusements, East Moriches, New York, said that some spots the show visited during its first year were up 25%. Last year, DeStefano split with Silver Dollar Shows and his partner of 18 years, William Reiss. This year the show added a couple of spots to the route, including Oswego Harborfest in July, the New York Apple Festival and the New York Air Show, both in September. The route includes Philadelphia, Upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Long Island, Florida and Vermont. Ticket prices remained on par with last year's Silver Dollar Show prices at $1 each, 20 for $20 and 50 for $40.

Value-added is a key factor at fairs in the U.S. and that includes free entertainment. Fair managers said that stationary motorcycle stunt shows, animal acts and street entertainment were particularly popular this year, as of October 13, 2003. New York State Fair Marketing Director Joe LaGuardia said, "We personally feel the street entertainment is what really brings flavor to the fair. It is the spontaneous entertainment that is special." Robin Turner, president of Fair Management Inc. and manager of the Nassau County Fair, New York, agreed that the animals steal the show every time.

McDonagh's Amusements in Chesaning, Michigan has invested $1.3 million into the show this year, the biggest investment since 1995. Matt McDonagh, the show's GM, told that Larson Fireball was delivered to the midway July 26, 2003. So far the show, which travels throughout the state of Michigan, is having a decent, but not great, year. The show begins its route in April with church and city festivals, then switches to the county fair dates after July 4. The season wraps in October. In all, the show has an average of 27 stops, and all 25 of the show's rides travel on one unit throughout the season.

New dates and a new chicken act program are keeping things in the right place for Connie Boger and Bunky Boger, owners of Animal Specialties, based in Lowell, Arkansas, despite a spring season that has seen more rain than all of last year combined. The problem with the early year rain washout is that the Bogers were planning on using 2003 as a measuring tool to decide next year's expansion plans. While the usual fair fee for a two-tent attraction is $ 1,000, the cost covers travel and animal feed only. The real bread and butter is in the sale of animal feed for the petting portion of the attraction, the $ 3 pony rides, and the $ 5 fee for photos taken with the animals.

Addresses the need for park and midway owners and operators to know the types of visas of their non-U.S. citizen employees. Reasons for hiring non-U.S. citizens; Implications of employing a non-resident; Information on exchange companies that handle overseas employment.

Reports that Snyder's Amusements will celebrate the show's 60th anniversary in 2002. Fairs and festival bookings of the show across the U.S.; Itinerary of its 2002 show season; Ticket prices for its midway rides.

Reports on the rising cost of talent or performers facing the amusement business and attractions industry in the United States. Factors attributed to the rising cost of talent; Cost cutting plans of Pensacola Interstate Fair in Florida; Comments from Karen Leach, assistant manager at the Minnesota State Fair.

Focuses on the sponsorships made by the Rolling Rock beer company to several Town Fair events in the United States in 2001. Significance of the Town Fair to the brand recognition campaign of the company; Bands that will perform in the events; Ticket prices; Deal formed by the Rolling Rock with the Westmoreland Fairgrounds and Recreation Association.

Reports on the growth of outdoor concert bookings in the United States for 2001. Factors to consider in deciding whether a show should be booked into a shed; Outdoor concert tours slated for the year; Description of the George Strait Chevy Trucks Country Music Festival.

Reports that Pennsylvania ride safety improved dramatically in 2000. Percentage of the drop in injuries; Focus of the Amusement Ride Division in the state of Pennsylvania; Reason for the success of Pennsylvania's ride safety program.

Reports on the plan of Tufano Amusements company in Connecticut to change its ticketing system in 2001. Reason for the plan; Amusement rides to be added; Historical background on the carnival company; Itinerary of its carnival show; Staffing strategies.

Reports on the outcome of the York Inter-State Fair in Pennsylvania in 1999. It's highest grossing day; Featured artists as paid entertainment; Details on the free entertainment that it provided.

Deals with the status of Brownstone Amusements' operations in the United States as of August 7, 2000. Impact of the weather on its fairs' attendance; Schedules of fair events; Importance of its kiddie rides; Food concessions; Problem with staff.

Deals with the rescheduling of the postponed Rhyme and Reason Tour at the Metropolitan Entertainment in 2000. Reason for the postponement of the tour; Requests for refunds for the postponed show; Reactions to the postponement.

Focuses on the celebration of the 16th anniversary of Conklin Shows at the Westchester County Fair in Yonkers, New York in June 2000. Description of the rides that it introduced; Details on its route in other places; Prices of tickets.

Reports on the decline in the attendance in the Nassau County Fair in Uniondale, New York in June 2000. Average number of attendees; Sentiments aired by concession owners; Performances featured in the event.

The article presents information on the future of the amusement ride industry in the U.S. A new, wholly interactive ride based on the hit movie "Men in Black," (MIB) affords multiple endings, depending on the skill of the rider. The attraction is never the same twice. This is exactly the type of ride parks should be looking toward to draw patrons. But, in the opinion of Craig Hanna, the conceiver of the idea for the MIB ride, this kind of interactivity is just the beginning. The biggest hindrance is that the amusement park managers are not risk takers, and there is risk involved with introducing something new. What they need is to take a page from the casino industry and create a theme that extends to a total concept.

Good weather has been a blessing for the amusement company Stipe's Shows, White Bear, Minnesota, so far this year, keeping revenues up despite increasing fuel and insurance prices. "We have played four spots and the weather has been great," said co-owner Barry Stipe. Because of the increasing prices during the past couple of years, the show, which plays 25 dates throughout their home state of Minnesota and Wisconsin, has depended on Stipe's food trailer to fatten the bottom line. Stipe's has three county fairs in Minnesota and a number of celebrations.

This year, amusement company Bush's Baked Beans will be the title sponsor of the duel location Family Zone during the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair June 10-13, in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Introduced in 2001, this popular CMA Music Festival element continues to expand. In 2004, the Bush's Baked Beans Family Zone will be on Broadway between First and Second Avenues and at the Hall of Fame Park, across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at Fifth Avenue and Demonbreun Street. Free to the public and open daily, the Bush's Baked Beans Family Zone will feature celebrity storytelling; interactive inflatables, arts and crafts, face painting; assorted games, hands-on exhibits and product sampling.

This article presents information on various developments in the amusement industry in the U.S. Nearly 50 people were sent to area hospitals, and more than 200 others were treated for heat exhaustion on May 22 at a concert festival at RFK Stadium in Washington. The singer Marc Anthony tour has been canceled, as Anthony released a statement saying, "Due to the delay in production of my two albums, I have chosen to postpone my Nada Personal tour until November." Music group Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder played a surprise five-song solo set in Seattle, Washington on May 22 as part of a benefit concert anchored by the group's guitarist, Mike McCready.

Howard Miller, owner of Nancy's Concessions and Porky's, told that the season has been off by about 10% this year. "The weather has been great, but the people just are not coming out as much as prior years," said Miller. "Personally, I think it is because of the economy." At the beginning of the month, the concession, which is based out of Lafayette, Indiana, played two bike rallies simultaneously, one in North Carolina and one in Nevada. The concessions will start in Indiana in June and travel between that, Virginia and North Carolina for most of the summer, then head to Florida in the winter.

A falling tree branch killed a 5-year-old boy and injured his mother at Lake Compounce theme park in Southington, Connecticut and a 3-year-old boy was hurt after falling out of a carnival ride at the Manchester Parkade shopping mall. The fatality occurred at Lake Compounce on the evening of May 16. Larry Piretti, spokesperson for the park, told that the Southington Police Department had completed its on-site investigation and concluded the incident was a natural occurrence. Piretti told that the mother and son were on their way from the park's trolley barn and passing the miniature golf area at 7:15 p.m. when a six-inch diameter tree limb fell from the tree, striking both of them.

Blimpie International Inc. will sponsor the second year of Clear Channel Entertainment Inc.'s Summer of Live promotion. As part of the deal, Blimpie has been named premier sponsor for this year's summer touring in more than 30 sheds. As with last year, Summer of Live 2004 presented by Blimpie will showcase a variety of performers from all genres. Last year, the event included Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Taylor, Pearl Jam, Norah Jones, Kenny Chesney, Alabama, The Allman Brothers Band, B.B. King, Dave Matthews Band and Bon Jovi. In addition, as part of the event, Clear Channel Entertainment will bring Lollapalooza and Ozzfest 2004 to amphitheaters.

To even out the demographic and increase ridership capacity, the management of Camelbeach Waterpark in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, has added a $700,000 ProSlide family ride dubbed the Checkered Flag Challenge. The new ride, manufactured by ProSlide Technology in Ontario, has been painted a dark blue blending into light blue, with a yellow finish line and checkered Hag pattern deceleration runout. The ride also sports a total drop of 48.5 feet, water circulation of 4,000 gallons per minute and has a maximum hourly capacity of 1,440 riders per hour.

Brownstone Amusements in Portland, Connecticut, is looking for several fill-in dates on the way to Colebrook, New Hampshire, where the show's co-manager, T.J. Rossitto, has just bought a home. Currently, the shows route begins in March 2004 and wraps in October, traveling to 27 stops in the state of Connecticut. Although many of the events are within five hours of the Rossitto's old home in and around Portland, employees stay on-site in trailers during the season. Ticket prices have remained the same as last year. Tickets sell in 10-packs for $5 and 20-packs for $10, or about 50 cents each. Each ride costs between $2 and $2.50.

Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, has introduced the first major addition to the park in six years with the $5 million Timberland Twister coaster. The ride, which opened March 15, 2004 is expected to increase ridership at the park by an estimated 6%. The quarter-mile ride, described as an aggressive family ride, climbs about five stories, hits speeds up to 31 mph and runs for about a minute and a half. The coaster has what Camp Snoopy officials call a unique feature for roller coasters, the four-person cars have face-to-face seating, and each car spins randomly on its own axis as it zooms up and down and around steeply banked corners.

Many of the fireworks companies polled by the journal "Amusement Business" said that while 2003 hardly ended with a hang, they expect business to rebound in 2004. Steve Vitale of Pyrotecnico in New Castle, Pennsylvania, did large New Year's Eve shows in New Orleans and Jacksonville, Florida. The company has seen a decline in budgets for New Year's fireworks since the Millennium. Vitale told that while there was a definite drop in corporate work during 2002 and most of 2003, things are looking up again.

Tour and festival veteran Jim Lewi has been named senior vice president of Clear Channel Entertainment Inc.'s (CCE) newly formed Festival/Events Group. Frank LoPresti, creator of Minnesota's Twin City Ribfest and Rib America Festivals, has been promoted to vice president of the group. The new Festival/Events group will be responsible for creating new content for CCE venues and tours that will range from larger, European-style music tours to Ribfest-style events throughout the country. In addition, the group will also produce specific programs such as open houses, holiday and consumer interest shows and auctions.

The Ketcham family, owners and operators of amusement events company Ketcham's Concessions, expanded their season and route in 2003 by traveling with Wade Shows Inc. Jon and Dee Ketcham started the concession business 25 years back. At first, Jon and Dee played with Gooding's Million Dollar Midways that routed through the South. Later, the concession traveled with Otto's Amusements Oscar's Amusements and for the last 20 years, S&S Amusements. Besides Dee, Jon and daughter, Sara, Ketcham's Concessions is run by Jon and Dee's son Dan and youngest daughter Kate.

Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania, will add a yet-to-be-named Maurer Sohne spinning roller coaster this year, part of a $4 million expansion that will celebrate the 108th season of the park. The new ride will be a cross between two rides already in place at the park, the Spider spinning ride and the Comet roller coaster. The new Maurer Sohne coaster will have a footprint of 148 feet by 79 feet and a track length of 1,418 feet. The highest point of the track will reach 51 feet, and will plunge 49 feet at the deepest drop.

The Rolling Rock Town Fair rock music festival will celebrate its fifth anniversary by returning to its original location, the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by Latrobe Brewing Co.'s flagship Rolling Rock brand, last year's Town Fair music festival was staged in July at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, drawing nearly 25,000. Rolling Rock Town Fair has gained national recognition and become one of the premier single-day music events since it began in the year 2000.

Jeff and Lynn Haar made the best of a sad situation this year, as of January 5, 2004. When Jeff's father, Edward, passed away unexpectedly, the couple honored Edward's 15 independent dates with Newton Shows. Jeff's wife, Lynn, operates an independent fish game, ring toss and Moonbounce with several carnivals in the Long Island area. In addition to Newton, Haar's three independent joints are booked into Gargano Amusements out of Boca Raton, Florida and Allied Shows and All Star Shows, both from Long Island.

Bill Magann has been an entertainment consultant with Variety Attractions in Zanesville, Ohio, for 30 years, but he worked with company owner George Moffett for five years prior to that in an entirely different capacity. In 1973, Magann made the jump from wrecked cars to country music stars and moved to Variety Attractions full time, relocating from his hometown in Kenton, Ohio, to Zanesville 120 miles away. Magann began by booking traditional country acts like Mickey Gilley, Charlie Rich, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty into fairs. All that changed when country music supergroup Alabama burst onto the scene in the early 1980s. As an independent entertainment consultant, Magann needs to look at each fair and festival with new eyes each day.

A new ticketing system could not help the entertainment company Tufano Amusements, Cheshire, Connecticut, this year as rain doused revenues by as much as 50%. "The people came out when the weather was good, but that was not often this year," said owner Tony Tufano. While the show was not affected by the blackout of 2003, the Tufanos canceled their week-long engagement slated for the week Hurricane Isabel was due to hit the East Coast. The show, which stays within Connecticut and travels no more than 2,000 miles a year, used to be owned by Tufano's father.

Good weather boosted attendance at the 178th annual Topsfield, Massachusetts, Fair this year by 6% to just fewer than 200,000. General manager Alvin Craig said the fair was a good one. He cited the weather, a strong carnival midway provided for the 53rd straight year by Fiesta Shows of Seabrook, New Hampshire, and a strong lineup of entertainment for bringing the crowds to the fair, held October 4-13. Also helping attendance was the third annual Topsfield Night, when the fair administration and Dean and Flynn's Fiesta Shows teamed up for an $8 pay-one-price event. It celebrated the 53rd anniversary of Fiesta Shows at the fair and the 353rd anniversary of the town of Topsfield.

This article presents developments related to the amusement industry in the U.S. Much of the free entertainment at the 100th edition of the Florida State Fair in Tampa, February 5-16, will be linked with sponsors. The Donnas have bowed out of their performance at the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans the weekend of October 31-November 2, due to drummer Donna C.'s ailing wrist. The Johnny Cash Memorial Concert slated to take place at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium November 12 is gearing up to be quite an event. On the roster so far are Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Hank Williams Jr., Jack Clement, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam and Larry Gatlin. Don and Phil Everly, ages 66 and 64, respectively, made a surprise appearance during the first date of Simon & Garfunkel's "Old Friends" tour in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

Non-stop rain slashed revenues for Shaw and Sons Amusements this year by at least 50%, owner Ralph Shaw said. The show saw rain on Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and on Labor Day, as well as plenty of days in-between. In fact, even when most of the East Coast dried out after Hurricane Isabel, Shaw still saw rain. Most of the show's route is made up of church and firemen celebrations, but Shaw has been steadily adding fair spots during the past two years. New to this year's route was the Cambria County Fair in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania., when the show brought in a number of rides with Powers Great American Midways; a spot in Stanville, Virginia, when they brought in 10 rides with Amusements of America; and the Preston County Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, West Virginia.

A rainy Spring and Summer brought revenues for S&S Amusements Inc., Jermyn, Pennsylvania, down by about 35% this year. While the weather was bad, the relationship with Commerford & Sons Petting Zoo, run by old time friend, Bob Commerford, went well. The attraction joined the midway for the first time in several years at several fairs during the Summer this year. In all, the show has 30 stops during the 26 weeks that are routed through mostly Pennsylvania, with one date in New York and two in New Jersey.