Category: ACE NorCal Events
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Beach Boardwalk Bonanza 2024 Event Recap
On April 24. 2024, we had our yearly event at Santa Cruz, this year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Giant Dipper. We started the day with an amazing 90 minutes of ERT, and the Dipper gave its usual amazing rides. Notice the cool new graphic on the front of the train! Everyone took…
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Tricks and Treats with ACE 2023 Event Recap
Last month, we held the first-ever ACE NorCal event during Tricks and Treats at California’s Great America. Learn more about our spooktacular day, thanks to ACE member Liz Tan! On October 14, 2023, ACE NorCal members gathered at California’s Great America for a terrific day that included a behind-the-scenes tour of Tricks and Treats, ERT…
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Here’s how Northern California theme parks are celebrating the holiday season
It’s the most festive time of the year, and what better way to celebrate the season than riding a rollercoaster amidst all the holiday cheer? Here’s what our Northern California parks have on tap for this season. ∙∙∙ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Winter Wonderland opens Nov. 24 and runs through Jan. 1. In addition to…
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Behind the Scenes of Sidewinder Safari
Greetings, ACE members! Thanks to ACE member Mitchell Sweet, we take a look back at our first event of the year – a construction tour of the now-open Sidewinder Safari at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Thanks to Robert Ingle for the photos featured in this article. A full set can be found on our Facebook page.…
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ACE NorCal tours Great America in first event in more than a year
ACE NorCal was back inside a park for the first time in more than a year, courtesy of our friends at California’s Great America. The May 2 off-season tour at CGA erased any doubts about the pent-up demand among park fans after 14 months. Within 15 minutes of registration opening, the 2021 off-season tour filled…
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ACE tours Great America, honors Spirit Award recipients
California’s Great America opens for the 2019 season on March 23, but for ACE members, the season typically kicks off much earlier than that. Such was the case on March 9, when Great America hosted ACE for the seventh annual behind-the-scenes tour, where members got the chance to not only check out the ongoing improvements,…
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Great America 2018 preview: Construction, food, expanded entertainment and more
Last year, ACE NorCal’s annual California’s Great America preseason tour hit a record attendance of nearly 60 members and guests, all eager to get a glimpse at what was new for the 2017 season. This year, ACE NorCal smashed that record, two-fold. More than 130 ACE members and guests packed Great America on Feb. 24…
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New prototype coaster at Great America pays homage to California scenery
National Roller Coaster Day was celebrated in a big way on Aug. 16, when California’s Great America introduced its newest coaster, RailBlazer. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, RailBlazer is a prototype coaster based on RMC’s new “Raptor” model. Eight riders will traverse in a single file train on a single rail, giving riders a unique…
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Boardwalk’s Main Entrance project moves forward
Work is moving swiftly on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Main Entrance project, and park officials are eyeing a Memorial Day opening date. The $14 million project, which broke ground in September, will include two new rides, more ticket windows, a new Fright Walk experience, two arenas for The Vault Lazer Maze and more. Sitting…
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Great America hosts ACE NorCal for preseason tour
With all the excitement for the upcoming season and future of California’s Great America, it should come as no surprise that ACE NorCal’s annual preseason tour of the park had a record turnout on March 4. Nicholas Laschkewitsch, regional representative of ACE NorCal, said nearly 60 ACE members and their guests attended the two-hour tour,…