Enjoy this great article from the May 15, 2024 issue of Good Times, the Santa Cruz free weekly newspaper! Giant Dipper celebrates a century of thrills | Good Times
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 […]
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 […]
California’s Great America unveils NorCal County Fair area with new ride and makeovers
California’s Great America has been busy lately clearing land and sprucing up structures in the County Fair area of the park, and on May 4, the park revealed its plans for the summer. The area will receive a makeover into the NorCal County Fair, featuring a new ride, a new look for a classic attraction […]
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 […]
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. […]
Gilroy Gardens, Cedar Fair part ways
Gilroy Gardens and Cedar Fair quietly ended their management contract at the end of 2021 that had been in place since the Paramount Parks days. News agencies looking into Cedar Fair after it announced at the end of June that it plans to close California’s Great America discovered that Gilroy Gardens and the Ohio-based theme […]
Cedar Fair: Great America to close
UPDATE: More details of the Cedar Fair’s deal with Prologis are outlined in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The lease has a six-year term with an option to extend for another five years. In addition, Prologis also has the ability to terminate the lease early by giving a two-year notice. This […]
Opening date set for Sidewinder Safari
Sidewinder Safari at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom finally has an opening date, three years after it was first announced. May 28 is the day the Vallejo park will open its reptile-themed spinning wild mouse coaster to the public, it announced recently on social media. The “Twister Coaster” model from Zamperla, measuring in at 1,378 feet […]
Q&A: Sean LaRochelle on the magic of backyard coasters
Sean LaRochelle and the team at Magictecture made headlines over the past two years when, stuck at home due to pandemic-related lockdowns and unable to visit any theme park, they decided to construct their own rollercoaster in their Napa backyard. Matterhorn: Alpine Escape, which went viral, was always intended to be temporary, and stood for […]