RIDING THE SUMMER OUT PARKS PUTTING HOPES ON NEW ATTRACTIONS.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer VALENCIA - Making a splash just in time for summer, the new ``Tornado'' thrill ride will open at Six Flags For the national flags of Texas, see . Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) is the world's largest chain of amusement parks and theme parks and is headquartered in New York City. There are 20 such parks run by Six Flags. Hurricane Harbor May 8, one of five major openings expected to bring a rush of tourism to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and revive the industry that has slumped since the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Santa Clarita's latest attraction will be a 132-foot tunnel water slide that propels riders at 35-feet-per-second through a ``mammoth, open-ended funnel'' and then into a ``catch pool'' below. Roller coaster enthusiasts say the Tornado, already operating at a few other Six Flags parks throughout the nation, is one of the best of its kind. ``People who have ridden it have said it's the most fun you can have on a water slide attraction,'' said Sean Flaharty, spokesman for the American Coaster Enthusiasts. And Jack Kyser, chief economist The Chief Economist is a single position job class having primary responsibility for the development, coordination, and production of economic and financial analysis. It is distinguished from the other economist positions by the broader scope of responsibility encompassing the for the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Development Corp., said the impact of the ride could be an economic boon for the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. . ``This will make Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, more attractive,'' Kyser said. ``About 22 percent of the overnight visitors come from the Bay Area, and a lot of them drive - this will help Santa Clarita with what you call the 'intercept market.''' Six Flags officials were equally excited. ``This brings us another exciting ride opening - we haven't had a new ride at Hurricane Harbor water park in five years,'' said Sue Carpenter You can improve this article by adding links to related material, within the existing text. After links have been created, remove this message. For more information, see the . Other openings include Disney California Adventure's Twilight Zone twilight zone - [IRC] Notionally, the area of cyberspace where IRC operators live. An op is said to have a "connection to the twilight zone". Tower of Terror The Tower of Terror may refer to: Amusement park rides
Theme park executives hope the concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. of the openings will create a feeding frenzy feed·ing frenzy n. 1. A period of intense or excited feeding, as by sharks. 2. Excited activity by a group, especially around a focal point: , and everyone from ride enthusiasts to economic analysts are expecting a busy and lucrative summer. ``This is what we call 'found money.' It has the potential to be the best summer since 2001,'' Kyser said. ``A lot of people in the Midwest think Southern California is dangerous, but when you have this much new product it's hard to overlook.'' According to Kyser and theme park executives, attendance has suffered since terrorism struck in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001 - these new rides would secure the rebound. ``Attendance has been down - it's been soft, and it's reflected both the terrorist attacks and recession,'' Kyser said. For example, at the end of the 2003 theme park season, Six Flags visitors' receipts dropped 1.6 percent from 2002. And from the summer of 2001 to the summer of 2002, Six Flags saw an 11 percent drop in attendance, a decline that was reflected throughout the industry. But Universal Studios and Disney resorts have already seen signs of recovery, and officials expect the new rides to continue that momentum. ``There's definitely a recovery,'' said John McClintock, spokesman for the Disneyland Resort. ``Things have improved a great deal in the past year, and with the new attractions ... we expect them to help boost things even further.'' ``We're delighted that the opening of this new ride at the end of June is coinciding with an exceptional first-quarter performance,'' said Don Skeoch, senior vice president of marketing for Universal Studios. ``We're seeing year-over-year increases from every point of origin. At this point, post 9-11, we're extremely happy with the recovery.'' Skeoch said the fact that all five rides are opening in the same three-month span will be good for everybody involved. ``The introduction of all of these new rides ... helps boost attendance, and it makes Southern California a more appealing destination. It's good for all of us.'' Sean Flaharty, an Ohio roller coaster fanatic who last summer rode one new Six Flags coaster for 30 hours straight, was equally excited by the prospect of five new rides. ``This is going to be a great year because basically all the big parks are putting in key attractions, which I think will be big hits with everyone,'' said Flaharty, spokesman for American Coaster Enthusiasts. ``It's one big summer with all these big blockbuster rides.'' Each of the new rides appeals to a different type of enthusiast, according to Flaharty, who expects them all to draw big crowds. Universal Studios' new ride is called Revenge of the Mummy, inspired by the recent ``Mummy'' film remakes. The design and specifications of the coaster have been kept secret by Universal. However, Skeoch said it will be the fastest indoor roller coaster An indoor roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure unrelated to the ride. In contrast, an enclosed roller coaster is built inside a structure intended solely for the ride. in California, a title Disneyland's Space Mountain previously held. ``Revenge of the Mummy is going to be a cutting-edge roller coaster unlike any other in the world,'' Skeoch said. Likewise, California Adventure's Tower of Terror ride is another that has been met with high anticipation. It is modeled after a ride of the same name at Walt Disney World Noun 1. Walt Disney World - a large amusement park established in 1971 to the southwest of Orlando Orlando - a city in central Florida; site of Walt Disney World in Florida. ``It is sure to be a huge hit at that park. From what I've heard, this one will live up to all the hype. It's going to be the new flagship ride for that park,'' Flaharty said. ``If you're a thrill ride fan, we already have several first-rate coasters at Disneyland and California Adventure. This is definitely a thrill ride, and quite a unique one,'' McClintock said. Sea World's new ride, Journey to Atlantis, is a ``hybrid coaster,'' part roller coaster and part flume, Flaharty said. It will open May 29. At Legoland, the Coastersaurus is expected to appeal to a younger crowd, Flaharty said, but will still offer several exciting new features. And Six Flags officials have high expectations for Hurricane Harbor's Tornado. Although the rides' appeal may be limited to thrill seekers, the economic winners will be widespread, Kyser said. ``All segments of your tourism cluster will benefit: hotels, restaurants, gas stations,'' Kyser said. But Kyser also warned that Southern California's astronomical gas prices could deter visitors from the coaster capitol. Nicholas Grudin, (661) 257-5255 nicholas.grudin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) A superstructure component for the new Tornado water ride at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor sits on site ready for assembly to begin. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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