20 days to go

We are now less than three weeks away from opening day! In preparation, many members have been planning their day in the Meeting Plans & Trip Planning forum which is now open.

*Dark Knight Update
The framing for the structure is complete and walls and siding are on about halfway up the building. Construction of the actual ride has presumably begun.

*'No Old Country for Old Men'
With the confirmation that Old Country will be closed this season, it seems as though a wooden fence will be built on either side of the section. I would assume gates will be built, as well, and we can only hope that there will also see signs saying "please excuse our mess as we prepare for 2009"!

Old Country to be 'No Country'?

Screamscape has reported a rumor that Old Country may be blocked off to the public this season. With Chiller removed and the entrance to the Dark Knight most likely being located closer to Batman: The Ride, the only remaining attractions in Old Country would be Autobahn (bumper cars) and Musik Express. These two low-level flat rides certainly could be relocated to one of the many open lots in the park or simply just be SBNO (standing, but not operating) for the season.

Of course this report has rumors running wild on the Forums. Many seem to think this could allow construction to begin on a bigger plan for 2009 that would entail a re-theme of the area. However, it is also very possible that this could simply be designed to cut some costs. With no major attraction in the area and with the Showcase Theater planning to go dark in '08, shutting down the few games, food stands and rides would save money on staffing and maintenance.

No matter what the reason may be, this idea makes sense. This one pathway could be blocked off on Dream Street and by the empty Stunt Arena since the only real traffic would be people cutting over to Movietown to ride Batman, Dark Knight and Nitro. The group picnic pavilions, which are located just behind Old Country, pose a problem, however. Either a separate entrance would need to be added or groups would need to have access to this blocked off corridor. If the latter were true, that would indicated that the closure might not be for construction, but simply to save some money.

One has to wonder, though, that if this is true, can the park really afford to shut down two more flat rides? With a weak slate of shows and even more rides closed down, there is going to be little crowd relief for the coasters this season, causing queue lines to grow longer. I'll keep you posted if anything official is confirmed, but until then be sure to voice your opinion.

* In other news, discussion has developed concerning which coaster members are looking forward to riding first when the park opens in April. El Toro seems to be the popular choice, and I can't say that I disagree!

Latest aerial construction update from Flyin' Phil

Flyin' Phil has posted his latest fly-over detailing the Dark Knight construction. Track and supports are visible and the concrete slab for the foundation is all set. As a result, you can get a true idea of just how the building will be situated. It is also interesting to note what is left of Chiller's theming and pathways/queues.

Phil also has posted general aerial shots of the whole park, but there are no changes to report on. thechiller15 points out that Medusa has not been painted and that if it hasn't by now, we probably shouldn't expect it at all this season. However, you can never rule it out, especially with the new contract Six Flags signed with Baynum Painting.

Little revealed about Dark Knight at 'Eastcoaster'

ACE's annual 'Eastcoaster' event was held this past weekend at Dorney Park. The event usually features presentations by all of the big east coast amusement/theme parks. A similar event like this in the Midwest featured Six Flags Great America revealing some information and layouts of their version of the Dark Knight coaster. It turns out, however, that the licensing with Warner Brothers/DC Comics isn't quite finalized, which is why we haven't seen much information on this yet. As a result, little information was given about the new coaster, but sros1fan has posted some pictures of the presentation that Great Adventure put on, including Dark Knight and Glow in the Park.

* It was also announced that this year's Coaster Celebration will be on Saturday, May 31. The annual event is held by Great Adventure and features exclusive ride time (ERT), food, events and more! An extra charge is required and the application form can be found on the official web site or by clicking here. Morning ERT will feature Nitro, Skull Mountain, Batman the Ride and The Dark Knight coaster, while evening ERT will consist of Medusa, Rolling Thunder, El Toro and Kingda Ka.

* One more bit of information to cheer everyone up...only 60 days until opening day!

Dark Knight details revealed

Great Adventure Source affiliate SFGAm World has a look at some details of the Dark Knight. I'll detail everything below, but I just want to announce a disclaimer that these are based on the Dark Knight version for Great America and not Great Adventure, so we cannot assume that everything will translate. By the way, the original information can be found here.

Great America's Dark Knight coaster will utilize an existing structure, the Theatre Royale. Therefore, the entire layout of the coaster will be based off of this building, which will receive a makeover. The queue will contain a pre-show followed by an effect that sets up having to "escape".

The cars will look like a subway car and the lift will be enclosed by a tunnel, equipped with "subway lights", so it appears that the "escape" is via a "runaway subway car". This seems to make the idea that most of the theming will be in the queue/pre-show a bit easier to swallow, because from experience...there is nothing to look at while you're riding the subway.

Again, please note that the above photos and information apply to the Great America version of The Dark Knight, so nothing is guaranteed for our version. I'd like to extend a special thanks to supermanros16 for finding this information and to our affiliate SFGAm World.

Aerial Photo Update - Dark Knight foundation

Our favorite photographer, Flyin' Phil, has provided Great Adventure Source with another Aerial Photo Update of the Dark Knight construction. The photos show that all of Chiller's track has finally been removed and foundations are being built for the Dark Knight building. To check out all of Phil's photos, click here. I just wanted to share this quick update with you and I'll have more on this in the coming days. Enjoy and have a safe and Happy New Year tonight!

A hint at some park upgrades for '08

At the latest meeting held by the Jackson Township Planning and Zoning Board on December 17, Great Adventure’s final approvals for construction on The Dark Knight in addition to other capital improvements were granted. Here’s a look at what we can expect to see in ’08:

- Riverbank Café renovation
No word on whether this will be the new “Seaport Eats” that was hinted at in an earlier meeting, but we still don’t know the specifics. All we DO know is that this food location will be upgraded next season, which will be a nice improvement.

- Dark Knight location confirmed
As I’ve discussed, the location will be primarily on the Movietown Water Effect lot.

- Hall of Justice shop will be remodeled
This will probably be done to incorporate the ride exit for Dark Knight, and will probably take on a “Batman” theme.

- Chiller’s station and the Observatory will remain
No plans for these two things just yet, but it looks like they may play a role in the future…stay tuned for more on this.

- Relaxation station will be located between Carousel and the paintball building

- A small expansion of Guest Relations and the administrative human resources building in Hurricane Harbor

- A large soil sediment project to happen on the east side of the park's property
No details on this, but the reasons could range from the Safari to a possible expansion of the theme park in the future.

- 10 tree removals to allow for the new “Glow in the Park” Parade

Thanks to JJ2K who helped with this information. There is definitely more details on the way, we just can’t release them all quite yet. In the meantime, here are some other odds and ends:

* It seems as though The Dark Knight has an unofficial targeted opening date of May 3, which seems a bit ambitious, but still certainly possible.

* As MajorTom brings to our attetion, Mark Shapiro is optimistic about his 3-year plan to improve the Six Flags chain, despite the bad weather out west and a freak accident in Kentucky. For the most part, though, it looks as though things have worked out as planned.

* All is pretty quiet right now with Christmas only a few days away, but if I hear anything, it will be posted here. The Survivor final vote will run through New Years, and it looks like El Toro will match up again against Nitro, so be sure to get your vote in. Have a great weekend and I’ll check in with you soon!

Park offers sneak peak of Dark Knight construction

The park has released a very brief update of The Dark Knight construction, with three photos taken on December 3. The quality isn't great, but you can see up close on the ground where Batman & Robin: The Chiller and Movietown Water Effect once stood.

Also evident in the photos is that the Observatory and station from Chiller are still standing, as they are expected to remain with the addition of the new roller coaster. Another hint given in this update is that The Dark Knight will be located not so much in Chilller's former location, but rather in the former location of Water Effect.

To check out the update, click here. What are your thoughts of the progress made so far?

More on The Dark Knight, plus some other odds and ends

* In my entry yesterday I forgot to mention some other aspects that we have learned about The Dark Knight from Six Flags New England’s approval to the Agawam Planning Board. Since the plans for all three coaster will be the same, here’s more of what we can expect:

The queue may have some extensive themeing done to it, working up to a pre-show video of some kind to set the story in motion. Also, the station will be themed as a Gotham City subway station. The exterior of the building will be designed to appear like smaller city buildings, mimicking the fictional Gotham City of Batman fame. The drawings on file in the Planning and Community Development office show Gotham City Hall, Gotham Police, and the Wayne Industries tower. A billboard proclaims "Harvey Dent for Mayor," which references Gotham's new district attorney.

* I came across an update at xtremecoastin.com featuring fresh paint being applied to Medusa at SFDK. It’s amazing how good the fresh purple paint looks and it just makes you wonder when our version well get the TLC.

* It looks like Scream Machine will be this week’s victim in Six Flags Survivor, giving the game a final four of El Toro, Nitro, Kingda Ka and Medusa…which seems about right. There are three rounds left, the next of which will feature Nitro against Medusa to determine the Group A champion. The Round 7 voting should be up sometime tonight.