All posts by Steven

Invertigo…going, going, gone.

Following in the tradition of the Gulf Coaster, Whizzer, Tidal Wave / Greased Lightnin’, and Stealth, Invertigo is leaving California’s Great America. Plans for the vacated site, once home to the iconic Sky Whirl / Triple wheel, have not been announced. The official announcement on Invertigo’s departure is here: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/news/detail.cfm?item_id=1069

California’s Great America is closed for the season. Opening day of the 2011 season is set for March 27th. For the operating calendar, see: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/visit/visit_calendar.cfm

California’s Great America
web site: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cagreatamerica

— photo: Steven Wilson

Gilroy Gardens is closed this month. The 2011 Season opens on March 27th. If you’d like to work at Gilroy Gardens, the park is having a job fair on February 27th. For more information, see: http://gilroygardens.org/employment.html

Gilroy Gardens
web site: http://www.gilroygardens.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilroy-Gardens/122943674395623

— photo: Steven Wilson

Who could have guessed that the Scarecrow of OZ was a member of ACE? Derek Willhite of Santa Rosa, CA came to the Wizard of OZ weekend event at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach in full costume and make-up. In the picture are three ACE members: Richard Tuck, Derek Willhite, and Frank Biafore, all volunteers at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach. Photo courtesy of Playland-Not-at-the-Beach.

“This is one of the busiest times of the year for us,” Richard Tuck explains about Playland-Not-at-the-Beach. “The regular theme parks are closed and people want to stay warm and dry, so they come to stay indoors with us. In February we feature Laffing Sal’s Valentine Hijinks and later in the month a tribute to the Addams Family.

“Our Roller Coaster Rampage project is getting more exciting. We are collecting archival footage of the world’s best coasters. Our goal is that eventually guests would be able to choose from 1000 different coasters before boarding our attraction and getting a front seat ride on the coaster of their choice. For the coasters that no longer exist, we are hopeful of attracting engineering students would like to recreate a rendition of the ride.”

This would be an opportunity to travel anywhere in the world or even back in time to sit in the front seat of any coaster selected. It would all be menu-driven off a computer. Anyone interested in helping with the project, please email Richard at RichardD56@aol.com.

For more details on what’s happening at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach in February, see: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org/calendar_01.html

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach nonprofit Museum of Fun, open to the public every Saturday, Sunday, and school holiday. Open evenings for private events 365 days a year. 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 592-3002. http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org . Admission $10 for kids (to 13), $10 for seniors (55 and up), and $15 for general admission. Admission includes 34 free pinball machines, penny arcades, carnival games, treasure hunts, miniature dioramas, and surprises around every corner. ACE members receive a $5.00 discount on admission upon presentation of their ACE membership cards.

— Thanks to Richard Tuck for contributing this article.

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach
web site: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Playland-Not-At-The-Beach/99162687027

“Giants” Dipper

February at the Boardwalk

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s rides are open this month on weekends and on Presidents Day, February 21st. For hours and dates, see the operating calendar for February here: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/calendar/2011/february.html

Current deals
2 for 1 Unlimited Rides
Buy one unlimited rides wristband and get one free! Offer is available on February 12, 13 (Saturday, Sunday) and February 19, 20, 21 (Saturday, Sunday, and Presidents Day).

Also, get your Boardwalk Super Savings coupon sheet online at:
http://beachboardwalk.com/01_coupons.html

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
web site: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzBeachBoardwalk

— photos: Steven Wilson

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is closed this month. Opening day for 2011 is March 19th.

Current deals
Buy four season passes and get one season parking pass free! For details, see: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/tickets/seasonpass.aspx

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
web site: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/discoverykingdom

photo: Steven Wilson

Welcome to the January 2011 edition of ACE NorCal News!

In this issue:
Congratulations to Nicholas Laschkewitsch!
Giant Dipper carries 1,000,000 riders in 2010!
Pixar: 25 Years of Animation at the Oakland Museum of California
Scream Machines at the Lawrence Hall of Science
California’s Great America, January 2011 update
Gilroy Gardens, January 2011 update
Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, January 2011 update
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, January 2011 update
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, January 2011 update

— Steven Wilson

Please join me in congratulating Nicholas Laschkewitsch on being appointed as Assistant Regional Representative for the ACE Northern California Region! Nicholas promises to be a terrific addition to our team! He already has shown himself to be a great asset to our ACE region. Watch for a more complete introduction in a future update. Meanwhile, please welcome Nicholas.

Congratulations, Nicholas!

— Steven Wilson

Close to the end of December, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Giant Dipper had carried nearly 1,000,000 riders during 2010. In an attempt to reach this goal, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk launched a “Giant” promotion. Starting on December 26th and ending on December 31st, the Boardwalk allowed patrons to pay only $5, the price for one ride on the Giant Dipper, to ride all day long, from noon to 5:00 PM. The riders aboard the train carrying the one-millionth rider all received a commemorative Giant Dipper coin, bag of Marini’s Salt Water Taffy, and a complimentary ride photo. The Boardwalk achieved their goal of one million riders at around 2:40 PM on December 31st. ACE member Matthew Pearce was lucky enough to be on the train carrying the millionth rider! Here is what he had to say about the experience:

I lined up for the Giant Dipper at half past two on Friday. The line was out the door, through the hand rail section, and into the walkway. I overheard various mutterings on how they were “close”, needing either two or three thousand more riders.

When we boarded the train, there were a few photographers who were getting the riders excited. They took a number of photos of all the riders. They then dispatched the train.

When we arrived back in the station, the staff cheered wildly. The riders responded in kind. . The photographers took additional photos. The staff distributed the special coins, postcards, and saltwater taffy. The Boardwalk also provided a free ride photo for everyone on the train.

Matthew, accompanied by Emi and twin daughters, holds up his commemorative prizes after riding on the train that carried the one-millionth rider on the Giant Dipper for 2010 on the afternoon of December 31st, 2010.

— Nicholas Laschkewitsch and Matthew Pearce
— photo: Steven Wilson

Pixar:25 Years of Animation is in its final week at the Oakland Museum of California. The exhibit closes on January 9th. We went on Family Day last month and were able to attend a lecture by Pixar Animator Matthew Luhn. Mr. Luhn’s family owns Jeffrey’s Toys, in San Francisco and other Bay Area locations, which gave him his early interest in animation. The exhibit showed how Pixar got its start in Emeryville and lots of early art and storyboards. About three-quarters of the way through the exhibit is a theater where you can watch continuous Pixar animation (e.g. Cars and Up) that is cut into short segments. The exhibit includes art from Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, The Incredibles, and Toy Story. The Oakland Museum of California is located at 1000 Oak Street and has parking under the museum.

Advance tickets are recommended and are selling out. For more information, see: http://museumca.org/exhibit/pixar-25-years-animation

— Emi Pearce

I apologize for not being able to get the word out on this exhibit, as I only found out about it on its last weekend. It closed on Sunday, January 2nd. Matthew and I visited the exhibit at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley on Saturday, January 1st. This traveling exhibit on the science of roller coasters was designed and built by the Ontario Science Centre. It is the same exhibit that ACE visited at the San José Tech Museum a few years back.

Features of the exhibit included a dozen models that compared the forces on roller coasters that were set up with rubber track and balls. The models showed how a clothoid loop is more comfortable than a circular loop or how to design a roller coaster for better momentum and acceleration. A fenced off play area let attendees build their own roller coaster by putting together hills, curves, and loops. A vortex tunnel exhibit (Tunnel Vision), a strobe light exhibit, and a roller coaster simulator (similar to the one at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach’s Roller Coaster Rampage) were in the second exhibit hall. Matthew took the 32-question quiz to find out his thrill seeker rating. Over the quiz the sign read, “Psychologists say it’s more than just the urge to wear Day-Glo clothing and yell ‘whoo’ at the top of their lungs. It’s a fundamental part of their personality.” Yep. The best was the large model roller coaster named the Black Plague. It ran every three minutes with a whirlpool loop after the hill, two corkscrews, and two additional inversions. I hope that this traveling exhibit will return to the Bay Area soon.

— Emi Pearce