Monthly Archives: February 2009

Left to right: Gerry Watt, Mike Ferris, Teri Ferris, Darren Besoyan. Photo courtesy of Gerry Watt.

Mike and Teri Ferris were announced at the ACE NorCal Holiday Party to be the 2008 winners of the ACE NorCal Spirit Award. Unfortunately, they were unable to attend the party. Recently, ACE NorCal Assistant Regional Representatives Darren Besoyan and Gerry Watt of Sacramento met up with Mike and Teri to present them with the award plaque. In addition to the plaque, Mike and Teri receive complimentary reimbursement of their ACE membership renewal for one year.

Congratulations to Mike and Teri!

— Steven Wilson

Winter Coaster Solace at Knott’s Berry Farm takes place on March 20-21, 2009. Plan for a coaster-filled day on Saturday, March 21, 2009 including E.R.T. on the most popular rides, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Lunch, Thrill Seeker’s Raffle, plus a commemorative T-shirt. Stay and Play! Make your reservation today at Knott’s Hotel and enjoy the entire weekend, plus an Exclusive Coaster Enthusiast Dinner Party on Friday night (3/20/09). Event/Registration flier is available at: http://www.knotts.com/special_events/09wcs.htm

West Coast Bash 6 is officially confirmed and scheduled for March 22, 2009 at Six Flags Magic Mountain! This annual event is presented by RideWorld.com and ThemeParkReview.com web sites. Here is the event flier.

While these are not ACE events, they are park-sponsored events that may be of interest to ACE members.

— Darren Besoyan

New for 2009 at California’s Great America: no new wooden roller coaster! — courtesy of the park’s friendly neighbor. Watch for a status update in our next issue. We will know more about the fate of the new wooden roller coaster project following the city council meeting later this month.

Meanwhile, the park is focusing on new entertainment in 2009. Headlining the new offerings will be All Wheels Extreme, a stunt show featuring amazing feats by BMX riders, rollerbladers, skate boarders, and more. This new show opens in June in the Redwood Amphitheater.

The new entertainment lineup continues with comedic magician Chipper Lowell in The Chipper Lowell Experience at the Showtime Theater in Orleans Place. There will also be more fireworks in August, a bigger and scarier Halloween Haunt, as well as concerts, special events and more.

Also new for 2009 will be a new and improved Grizzly. For a report, check out: Grizzly rehab.

To stay up to date on developments at the park, remember to visit our friend Al Garcia’s official blog: Inside Track with Al Garcia.

California’s Great America’s 2009 season kicks off on Sunday, March 29th. Now would be a great time to pick up your season passes: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/shop/shopping_season_pass.cfm

For more information, visit California’s Great America’s web site.

— Steven Wilson

Gilroy Gardens will open for the 2009 Season on Saturday, April 4th. Cedar Fair has extended its management contract for two more years. This means that the 2009 and 2010 seasons will continue under the Cedar Fair banner. Cross promotions with California’s Great America continue this year with admission to Gilroy Gardens included on both Gold and Platinum season passes from California’s Great America (CGA). On the other hand, Gilroy Gardens memberships are like a season pass and offer special benefits at Gilroy Gardens not included on the CGA season passes. In addition, Gilroy Gardens memberships are fully tax deductible! For more information about Gilroy Gardens memberships, go to http://www.gilroygardens.org/tickets.html .

Gilroy Gardens’ web site: http://www.gilroygardens.org/

— Steven Wilson

A shockwave shot through our region — and the amusement park world in general — when the Nut Tree Family Theme Park, barely two years old, announced its closure this past month. The shock was especially felt because there had not been rumors of a closure, or even financial difficulty, prior to the park’s blunt announcement. The official press release is here: http://www.nuttreeusa.com/pdf/Closure.pdf .

This is a double whammy for those of us who remember the former longstanding Nut Tree Amusement Park. It ran for decades, and was a favorite and heavily-attended stop when traveling between Sacramento and San Francisco on Interstate 80. We were thrilled that it was resurrected in this new form for new generations. The new park was beautifully landscaped, with a relaxing garden area, a terrific family coaster, wide-open (no one-way-only driving required) bumper cars, and a variety of other highly-enjoyable rides that were delightfully themed. Another draw was the permanent farmer’s market with fresh produce and delicious free samples located at the park’s entrance. It was easily one of the best small family amusement park experiences in Northern California, and will be sorely missed–again.

Click on the photo above to go to a photo album of an October 2008 visit to the park.

— Gerry Watt

For our February 2009 update on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, click “Read More…” below.

The park is now closed for the winter and is scheduled to reopen on February 28, 2009. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to go to the park on opening day, because you will be attending the ACE NorCal Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Behind-the-Scenes Tour II Event, right??? All kidding aside, this is the earliest in the year that the park has ever opened!

Winter is a great time to renew or purchase your season pass. All Six Flags passes are valid January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009, so get yours now and use it all year long. Prices are an incredibly low $49.99 for an Individual Season Pass. Plus, you’ll get over $300 in discounts on food, games, souvenirs and more, plus access to an exclusive Season Passholder Night in September 2009. Best of all, your Six Flags Discovery Kingdom season pass ID is accepted at 15 Six Flags theme parks. Additionally, you can purchase a Season Parking Pass for an additional $45.00 (otherwise, parking is $15.00 per visit!). You’d better hurry, for this is a limited time offer.

For complete details, please visit: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/tickets/seasonpass.aspx

JOIN TEAM SIX
This free service will give you the scoop on rides, events and entertainment. Receive discounts and special offers exclusively for Team Six members. All delivered right to your e-mail in-box. To sign-up for Team Six, please visit: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/footerNav/ENews.aspx

For complete Six Flags Discovery Kingdom info, please visit < http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom>

— Darren R. Besoyan and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom