THRILLING NEWS TEASES ENTHUSIASTS.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The wheels of the roller coaster rumor mill have been churning, taking listeners on a wild ride up and down the twists and turns of what could be, should be and is hoped for at Magic Mountain.

``You name it, they're saying it's coming - everything from 300-foot- tall coasters to weird prototype things,'' said American Coaster Enthusiast regional representative Ric Turner, who can see the park from his Santa Clarita home. ``Everyone's excited.''

Luckily for some, they got an advance tip when season-pass holders received a brochure in the mail that set the record straight.

Turner found his underneath one of his kids' half-eaten banana Thursday evening.

``Soon as I saw the brochure, I went nuts,'' he said. ``I opened it up and there it was in black and white. Rumors confirmed.''

They chat over the Internet and elsewhere, swapping information - reliable and otherwise - about the development.

Accountant Matthew Lax of Santa Clarita said he was at an annual amusement park industry trade convention in November when he started hearing word of something new at the park. He went hiking around, trying to get a peek.

Brian Sisk, who handles telecommunications operations for the IRS, was among those waiting this week for the word.

``Obviously, we're hoping it's a roller coaster of some kind,'' Sisk said earlier in the week. ``There's rumors there is, rumors it isn't.''

Turner said by 6:08 p.m. Thursday there was a posting on the rec.rollercoaster newsgroup on the Internet.

Park spokeswoman Amy Means would not comment Friday on the latest buzz, but said earlier in the week that the park puts no brakes on the rumors.

``We just let them go on their course, it's fun to read, at the same time we like to keep people guessing until we make the announcement ourselves.''