All posts by Steven

Upcoming activities at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach

September 4,5,& 6 – Playland Lives On Forever!

Bay Area residents know that September 4, 1972 was the final day of operation for Whitney’s Playland at the Beach in San Francisco. Within weeks we lost the Fun House, Laughing Sal, the roller coasters, the games, the excitement, and all that fun. Fortunately Playland will live on forever in our hearts and in our Playland-Not-at-the-Beach Museum of Fun, as you will discover this 3-day weekend.

We are bringing back the good old days! We will be conducting behind-the-scenes tours showing how volunteers built every section of this museum. We will be showing how it all came together — opening our archives for guests to look through our photographs and memorabilia. We will also be showing off the three new exhibit areas that are currently under development — you will be the first people to see them. There will be special contests for everyone. Bring the kids and the grandkids too.

We’re all indoors so the heat outside won’t matter. Come have a grand time! You are also welcome to bring a picnic lunch. We provide the eating areas (indoors) as well as refrigerator, ovens, ice makers, range, and microwave ovens.

There will be entertainment all weekend long too:

Saturday at 1:15 and 3:00: Professor B’s Flea Circus!

Professor B has been training fleas from around the world for many years and has put together the most amazing congress of unusual acts you have ever seen. You will see alive before your very eyes all of the following:

+ The world’s only Rock ‘n’ Roll Flea doing his imitation of the King: Elvis Presflea
+ Fifi LaFlea, the Parisian high wire walker — will she make it all the way across?
+ The Daredevil High Diver, Evil Fleanevil, fearlessly climbs to the top of the ladder and then plunges head first into a small pool of water!
+ The world’s only Mind-Reading Flea, the amazing Fleo!
+ A flea fired out of a cannon to be caught in the hand of a member of the audience! Never to be forgotten! The Austrian strong flea, Arnold!
+ A flea-powered carousel entirely propelled by the strength of two amazing fleas!

There are skeptics out there who claim there is no such thing as a Flea Circus. See for yourself or, better yet, bring a camera to prove to your friends that everything is as described.

Sunday and Monday: Amazing Magicians performing both afternoons!

At Playland-Not-at-the-Beach pay one low price to play all day — over 30+ pinball machines set on Free Play, Penny Arcade devices, carnival games, magic shows, historic films. Only $10 for youths (up to 14 years old), $10 for seniors (55 and up), and $15 for General Admission. Parking is free! If you wish to visit one of the local eateries for lunch, re-entry to the Museum of Fun is free.

Special on Monday, Labor Day, September 6th: Adults get in for the child’s price — $10. Just print out this coupon and bring it with you. Without this coupon the price is $15.

Adventure Weekend is Saturday & Sunday, September 11 and 12:

Put on your helmet and pull out your bullwhip. Become Indy Jones or Dora the Explorer as you try to solve our mysteries. We supply the treasure maps, the compasses, and all the tools to discover the hidden treasures. Beware the Chamber of Laughter and don’t get fooled by Esmeralda the Foolish Fortune Teller. She’s just trying to get you lost! These adventures are geared for every age from 5 to 105.

This October – Magic Classes with Heather Rogers

We are proud to announce in early October The Return of Heather Rogers providing two evenings of Magic Classes — Beginning and Advanced. Watch for details on our website and in future newsletters.

Don’t miss our Extra Day to PLAY This Weekend!

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, and Playland-Not-at-the-Beach will be open for all three days — Saturday, Sunday & Monday, September 4,5,6 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

To see our other Extra Days to Play visit our website: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org

“Remembering Playland”

“Remembering Playland”, the documentary all about Whitney’s Playland in San Francisco, continues to play at 12:30 each day at the Balboa Theater. Or you can order it on Remembering Playland DVD from our Playland Souvenir Shop. Just go to our website www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org or call (510) 232-4264 ext. 24. The DVD version has fifteen minutes of extra footage not shown in the theater.

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach nonprofit Museum of Fun, open to the public every Sat, Sun 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 go to Frank Biafore 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

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk September Highlights:

The last Free Friday Night Bands on the Beach concert of 2010 is September 3rd, featuring The Tubes with Fee Waybill. For more information, see: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/concerts/

September 2nd is the last Pepsi Night of the season. An empty Pepsi can will entitle you to purchase an unlimited rides wrist band for $9.95 plus tax.

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s rides are open weekends and Labor Day Monday in September. See the park’s calendar for full details:
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/calendar/2010/september.html

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

— photo: Steven Wilson

Let’s welcome Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s new Park President, Dale Kaetzel! Here is the official announcement:

SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM ANNOUNCES
APPOINTMENT OF NEW PARK PRESIDENT

Entertainment Veteran Dale Kaetzel returns to the Bay Area after 25 year absence

August 25, 2010 (Vallejo, CA) Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced today the appointment of Dale Kaetzel as its new park president. Kaetzel, 51, had previously managed Paramount Parks properties and served as marketing director for the San Francisco Giants. Kaetzel will be responsible for all park operations, strategic direction and general management duties for the 135-acre combination wildlife, oceanarium and theme park.

“With his background in management, marketing and communications, Dale brings keen business acumen, as well as brand understanding, to Discovery Kingdom,” said Al Weber, Chief Operating Officer. “His experience in bringing unique and innovative approaches to his roles as a park general manager and marketing executive has lead to great results, and make him an excellent match for the Discovery Kingdom opportunity.”

During Kaetzel’s eight years as a senior executive in four of five Paramount Parks, he served as senior vice president and general manager of North America’s largest seasonal theme park, Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto. Prior to Paramount, Kaetzel served for 13 years as marketing and retail vice president for Centre Management/MCI Center in Washington, D.C., a preeminent sports and entertainment venue, now called the Verizon Center and home to major NBA, WNBA and NHL franchises and other live entertainment events.

As director of marketing for the San Francisco Giants in the mid 80s, Kaetzel was part of many memorable campaigns including the anti-mascot Crazy Crab, Croix de Candlestick, and the 1984 MLB All Star Game.

“I’m truly thrilled to be returning to the Bay Area to lead Northern California’s most unique family destination,” said Kaetzel. “I look forward to taking Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to a new level of family entertainment and providing guests with one-of-a-kind, memorable experiences.”

Kaetzel joins Discovery Kingdom as the park prepares for its 25th anniversary in Vallejo and as the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation celebrates its 50th year in 2011.

— end of announcement —

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is open weekends and Labor Day Monday in September. See the links below for more info.

Buy your 2011 Season Pass now and get the rest of 2010 included along with lots of other benefits. 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

— Thanks go to Nancy Chan for the Dale Kaetzel announcement.

photo: Steven Wilson

Welcome to the August 2010 edition of ACE NorCal News!

In this issue:
ACE Day at the California State Fair 2010 hosted by Butler Amusements
ACE Day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 2010
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Lunch with Legends
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 2010 Haunted Castle Grand Opening
California’s Great America, August 2010 update
Gilroy Gardens, August 2010 update
Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, August 2010 update
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, August 2010 update
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, July 2010 update

— Steven Wilson

ACE members pose for a group photo before ERT on the Pole Position spinning coaster

ACE Day at the California State Fair has been an annual event since 2002. The 2002 event was a joint venture with the Monorail Society. A standard feature of each event from the beginning has been complimentary ERT on the fair’s coasters. Through 2008, the midway was operated by Ray Cammack Shows. Butler Amusements, Inc. took over the responsibility for the California State Fair’s midway in 2009. The 2010 ACE Day at the California State Fair was the second time that Butler Amusements has hosted the event for us. We could not be happier that Butler Amusements has chosen to continue our traditional fun day at the California State Fair.

A big change for 2010 was that the fair moved its schedule up by about a month. This change was made in an effort to boost attendance by eliminating conflicts with school schedules. As a result, the 2010 ACE Day at the California State Fair was the first ever held in July.

Thanks to Butler Amusements, we started off our day at the fair with complimentary admission to the California State Fair. ACE’s good friend Mike Gorman of Butler Amusements started things off by giving everyone some handouts with information about Butler Amusements. Then he surprised us with a drawing for some cool Butler prizes, including a ultra-rare 40th anniversary hard-cover book about Butler Amusements Inc. The winner of that treasured item was Nicholas Laschkewitsch.

ACEers pause for a group photo with a Butler Amusements truck

Next up, Mike Gorman led us on a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour which really gave us an appreciation of how enormous the task is to transport and operate such a large midway. The final stop on the tour was an unexpected treat. The entire group was warmly welcomed into the quarters of Mr. Earl “Butch” Butler, CEO and President of Butler Amusements, Inc. We enjoyed a fascinating conversation with him about the company and the amusement industry.

Following the tour, all were ready for some complimentary ERT on the fair’s two coasters: the spinning Pole Position coaster and the Zillerator. At the end of ERT, the group gathered at the new Butler Amusements Magical Midway sign for a photo. Then, armed with a generous supply of free ride passes — courtesy of Mike Gorman and Butler Amusements — most of the attendees spread out to enjoy the rest of the day at the California State Fair.

After hearing Mr. Butler’s description of the new LED lighting package on the Giant Wheel, many of the ACEers in attendance chose to stay until after dark. They were not disappointed. Consisting of 57,500 LEDs in 2400 modules, the wheel’s lighting package is nothing short of spectacular, including amazing programmed patterns not seen before. As a further bonus, the new lighting package yields energy savings of 92%!

We would like to thank Mike Gorman, Butch Butler, and the rest of the team at Butler Amusements for their kindness and generosity. Special thanks also go to Richard Tuck, Frank Biafore, and Tim Sauer for their help in making the 2010 ACE Day at the California State Fair a success.

Brian, Nicholas, Cody, and Curt

Jeffrey, Christian, Mike, and Frank

Andy and Ellis

Leonard, Jandy, and Matthew

Eric and Kitty

ERT on the Zillerator

Curt and Emi

Thank you, Butler Amusements!

— Steven Wilson
photos: Steven Wilson

On July 18th, ACE NorCal held an event at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Twenty eight people attended ACE Day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, including three under the age of two.

group photo at picnic

Our picnic lunch by the lake was delicious and included pulled pork sandwiches in addition to burgers and dogs. During our lunch, the staff brought out a three year old alligator named Ali, a two-toed sloth, and a beaver. We were allowed to touch the alligator and sloth. The trainers answered questions about three animals. Charles Laureano was on hand to answer coaster questions from the audience. His favorite steel coaster is Medusa. While at the California Maritime Academy he was able to travel to some exotic amusement parks in Vietnam and Japan. He also talked about his career path and how he got his job as a Supervisor at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Later that day, the park held a raffle. Some of the better prizes were paintings made by the camels, and Discovery Kingdom water bottles. The park also gave all attendees commemorative 10th Anniversary Medusa posters. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom also donated the custom Medusa 10th anniversary banners to ACE to be auctioned off in support of ACE’s preservation and archives funds.

The final treat was an hour of ERT on Roar. The Roar crew was a lot of fun. The ERT was phenomenal, with two-train operation. Everyone could stay on board for the entire time if they wanted.

Edgar Vidal, Senior Account Executive for Tour and Travel at DK worked very hard to put this event together. Thanks, Edgar!

Illinois ACEer Ronald Jiu checks out the sloth

going for the gator

Sue checks out the sloth

getting to know the gator

Edgar Vidal and Manni Quiroga of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
photo: Steven Wilson

the end of a spectacular ERT
photo: Steven Wilson

— Emi Pearce

photos: all photos courtesy of Emi and Matthew Pearce unless otherwise noted

The Lunch with Legends was a fantastic luncheon with the Boardwalk’s Charles Canfield (Park President), Ted Whiting III (Vice President), Carl Arnett (Technical Services/Maintenance), and Carl Henn (Director of Maintenance & Development). The lunch came about at the 2009 ACE Holiday Party hosted by Richard Tuck at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach (PNATB). It was part of the auction that takes place every year at the party. Our friends at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk wanted to come up with a highly-creative auction item for the ACE party and the result was the Lunch with Legends. Among the items at the auction were roller coaster wheels, Medusa brake pads, original boards from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and this fantastic lunch opportunity.

Frank Biafore of PNATB won this in the auction and seven ACE members in turn went to this lunch on June 25th, 2010. The seven ACE members who attended were: Cody McAllister, Richard Tuck, Frank Biafore, and Nicholas, Brian, Shelly, and Courtney Laschkewitsch. Our delicious lunch took place at the Coasters Bar located inside the Boardwalk Bowl across the street from the Neptune’s Kingdom Arcade. During the lunch, many great stories were told and facts about the park and its vast history. One interesting fact was that 70% of the season passes the Boardwalk sells are from OUT of the county. Pretty surprising, don’t you think?

After the lunch, Carl Arnett and Carl Henn went back to their offices, while Charles Canfield and Ted Whiting showed us a little bit behind the scenes in the Cocoanut Grove facility. We got to see very old rooms that have literally been unchanged since they were built. There were old dressing rooms, stairways and other rooms. The kitchen was very modern, big, and smelled great as they were cooking a salmon appetizer for an upcoming event. Before we knew it, the little tour was over as the group was dropped off in the Neptune’s Kingdom. Our group was then let free to roam the Boardwalk, and of course, enjoy the NEW Haunted Castle!

— Nicholas Laschkewitsch

After many, many months of construction, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s NEW Haunted Castle finally had its grand opening on June 4th, 2010. Many people showed up to the grand opening, including members of the Big Kahuna club, and other special invitees. Those who belong to the Beach Boardwalk’s Big Kahuna club were sent this invitation via email to attend the Haunted Castle’s grand opening. NorCal ACE members were also invited to attend.

I was very excited to hear that the opening date for the ride was finally set and that I was invited to attend. Many surprises were about to head my way, which I did not expect until I arrived there. My family and I arrived at the Haunted Castle site around 9:00 A.M., when the fog was just beginning to lift. Soon, officials and other attendees began to arrive, which got me even more excited to be able to attend the opening.

Brigid Fuller, the park’s publicist whom I already knew, walked up to me and asked, “Nicholas, how would you like to be on the first ride of the Haunted Castle with Charles Canfield (Park President) and Ted Whiting III (Vice President) this morning?” I was completely shocked and amazed. Then she said, “We will also be presenting you with a gift for your dedication towards the NEW Haunted Castle!” Shortly after, the crowd gathered in front of the Haunted Castle to hear Kris Reyes, Charles Canfield, and Ted Whiting III give a talk about the ride. Before any of them spoke about the ride, they talked about me and another boy (whom was a big fan of Sally Corp.) named Tyler and how we were big fans of the park and new ride. As thanks, we were each given an original piece of concept art from the ride signed by the park president himself, Charles Canfield.

We were both very pleased to receive such an amazing gift. Neither he nor I expected this! After a few words from Charles, Ted, and Kris, Tyler and I were off to be the first riders on the NEW Haunted Castle. The ride overly exceeded my expectations by 100%. I was completely amazed by how wonderful the ride was done. The Haunted Castle is a ride specifically geared towards families that bring their kids to the Boardwalk and the park brings in a lot of those!

I would like to thank Brigid Fuller, Charles Canfield, Ted Whiting III, and Kris Reyes for giving me this amazing opportunity to be one of the first four riders aboard the NEW Haunted Castle. Also, huge thanks to R&R Creative Amusement Designs of Anaheim, CA for the overall design of this great attraction. Thanks to Sally Corp. for the animatronics for the ride, along with every other company involved in this unique attraction. I highly recommend everyone to take a spin, on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s NEW Haunted Castle!

— Nicholas Laschkewitsch
photos: Nicholas Laschkewitsch

California’s Great America is open daily in August through the 23rd. The park is also open on Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29. For hours, see: http://cagreatamerica.com/visit/visit_calendar.cfm

The Bay Area Bands series continues at California’s Great America, through August 28th. For the lineup and schedule, see: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/events/event_detail.cfm?event_id=622&ec_id=13

California’s Great America is featuring a fireworks display every Saturday night in August. The dates are August 7, 14, 21 and 28.

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

— photo: Steven Wilson

Gilroy Gardens is open daily through August 22nd. The park is also open on Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29. For hours, see the operating calendar: http://www.gilroygardens.org/calendar.html

The ten weeks of live shows at the park’s Lakeside Amphitheater continue through August 22nd. For the lineup of shows and more information, see: http://www.gilroygardens.org/events2.html

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

— photo: Steven Wilson