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Welcome to the ~ Freeper Canteen ~ July 17, 1955 Disneyland Opens Disneyland, Walt Disney's metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy, and futurism, opens on July 17, 1955. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and soon brought in staggering profits. Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion. Walt Disney, born in Chicago in 1901, worked as a commercial artist before setting up a small studio in Los Angeles to produce animated cartoons. In 1928, his short film Steamboat Willy, starring the...

"Batman the Ride" at Six Flags Over Georgia. It was the second Batman ride-related death at the Cobb County park. According to the police and a statement from the amusement park, the boy and a friend climbed over two 6-foot fences -- the park perimeter fence and a second one surrounding the ride -- to get to the roller coaster. Park officials said there were numerous signs warning would-be intruders of the danger. The victim was decapitated when the ride struck him, police said. The youth was not identified. "The areas where the individuals entered were clearly marked with signs...

A 17-year-old South Carolina boy on an church outing was killed Saturday when he was struck by the popular "Batman the Ride" at Six Flags Over Georgia. It was the second Batman ride-related death at the Cobb County park.

An L.A. Speculator Plans a Disney-Style Park in BaghdadWhat a blast By DAVID FERRELL Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 6:19 pm Only five years after U.S. warplanes rained down “shock and awe” on Iraq, decimating towns and families, a few rich Californians have figured out how to counter the mortar attacks, suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism that continue to ravage the capital city, Baghdad. Build an amusement park. Not enough excitement in machine-gun fire and cars blowing up? Soon, thanks to some Los Angeles–area venture capitalists, Iraqis may have what every adrenaline junkie really craves — thrill rides....

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 – For the rest of this year, sitting in Shamu the killer whale’s “splash zone” or talking turkey with a big yellow bird are just two activities servicemembers and their families can enjoy for free at Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. Through its “Here’s to the Heroes” program, which began in 2005, the brewing company is offering free tickets to its theme parks for servicemembers and up to three family members to thank them for all they do in service to the country. “It’s important to us for all the reasons you can probably predict,” said Fred...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wonder Woman, King Kong and Shrek are heading for the Persian Gulf as part of the rush to build what could become the world's largest theme park playground. But even as the ink dries on the billion-dollar deals in the United Arab Emirates, movie studios are grappling with ways to make their signature characters and amusement parks fly in the conservative Muslim region. Politically sensitive characters such as Captain America could be left at home. Prayer rooms will join the list of accommodations, and menus will likely feature falafel and humus alongside pizza and hot dogs....

With last week's announcement of Busch's four-park deal in Dubai -- they'll be running a Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica water park -- it's worth revisiting what's been going on with all the developments we've covered in Dubai before. And there are plenty of new schemes in the offing as well. Someone somewhere really should maintain an obsessive blog about what's popping in Dubai real estate (hello Curbed?), but failing that, here's a roundup of some of the biggest, weirdest, and most expensive skyscrapers and manufactured metropoli in Dubai and environs. Not comprehensive by any means, because I...

Kennywood Park, the summertime mecca for generations of Pittsburghers in search of thrill rides, arcade games, old-fashioned family fun and gooey cheese fries, was sold yesterday to a Spanish company. Kennywood Entertainment, a West Mifflin-based enterprise since 1898, will be taken over by Parques Reunidos of Madrid, which plans to leave day-to-day operation of the park in local hands. The descendants of F.W. Henninger and A.S. McSwigan, who acquired the park from Pittsburgh Railway Co. in 1906, had been approached by amusement companies in the past about selling the local icon, but have refused. When Premiere Parks, an Oklahoma-based chain,...

BUENOS AIRES-- What would Jesus do? At a theme park in Buenos Aires, he rises to the heavens on the hour, every hour, as the rousing chords of Handel's Messiah blare out of speakers suspended from plaster palm trees. Welcome to Tierra Santa -- Spanish for the "Holy Land" -- where catechism meets adventure park. The park is promoted as the first religious theme park in the world, called "a voyage across time to get to know what ancient Jerusalem was like in the time of Jesus." Located between Argentina's bustling domestic airport and a water park, it offers a...

Plans to build new "China Town" with replica of Forbidden City in Anna, Texas. Anna is approx 40 miles north of Dallas and the development is planned just West of the intersection of US 75 and FM 455. (Interestingly near where the Trans-corridor is currently proposed to be) Machine Translation ...The world's largest real estate project 250,000 acres China City The new special economic zones -- the United States after the completion of the largest city in Texas, is a reconstruction of Shenzhen, China. Two real estate developers to invest in new bright spot. Chinese immigrants in the United...

POSTED: 5:15 pm EDT August 3, 2007 UPDATED: 9:59 pm EDT August 3, 2007 Walt Disney World is raising ticket prices for third time in two years, company officials announced Friday. An adult one-day, one-park pass will increase 6 percent, $67 to $71 beginning Sunday. Discount packages also will be affected, but the per-day cost could be less than $23 for adults who buy as large as a 10-day package. The change is due to an annual planning cycle of travel wholesalers, tour organizers and commercial publications, Disney officials told the Orlando Sentinel. "We strongly believe that Walt Disney World...

MAGGIE VALLEY (AP) — Dozens of visitors were rescued Monday from the chair lift at Ghost Town in the Sky after lightning struck the ride. Ten riders made it to the ground safely with the help of a rope ladder system, said David King, sales and marketing manager. Twenty-eight others had to wait until repairs were made. Rescue workers tossed ponchos, for protection from the rain, to those who were stuck. Wendy Whiteside of Knoxville, Tenn., said she and her family were about 10 chairs from the top when the ride stopped. The problem didn't dissuade her from possibly trying...

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. - Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park will be adding a new $5 million raft ride equipped with water guns to soak targets, other riders and bystanders. Scheduled to open in 2008, the River Battle sends eight passengers on rafts down a 500-foot channel lined with more than 100 targets. The targets include large-scale talking animals such as beavers, skunks, otters and bears, some of which shoot water back at the riders. Riders can also aim at other passengers on their raft or park guests along the edge of the ride. The Great Smoky Mountains venue will also...

Millions of migrants have crossed illegally from Mexico into the United States. Their experience could hardly be more real. But now at a controversial theme park in Mexico, tourists can pretend to be an illegal migrant. Torch, check. Heavy boots, check. Willingness to hide under bushes, check. Ability to see in the dark, an advantage. Preparation for what, you might think? A hike across Dartmoor? Try a night out in a theme park. But when I say theme park, do not think Alton Towers or Disneyland. Think, instead, illegal migrants. Because now you can pretend to be an illegal migrant...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it took "appropriate action" against employees at its Paris theme park who were caught simulating sex while dressed as Disney characters in a digital video that has received wide attention on the Internet. Disney would not say whether it had dismissed any of the costumed employees featured in the grainy video, which appears to have been shot with a hidden camera at a backstage dressing room at Disneyland Resort Paris. "The behaviour shown on the video is unacceptable and inexcusable," Disney said in a statement. "The video was taken...

(AP) FORT BELVOIR, Va. The Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military theme park that would include “4D” rides and bars including a “1st Division Lounge.” Military officials said a massive entertainment and hotel complex built next to a national Army museum could draw more than 1 million people a year. But authorities in Fairfax County are objecting because of already traffic-clogged roads surrounding the proposed site.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest theme park has called off the country's first "National Muslim Fun Day" because of lack of interest, the park said Wednesday. Alton Towers in central England was to open on September 17 for Muslims -- with halal food, a strict dress code and prayer areas. Music, gambling and alcohol were to be banned for the day and theme park rides such as "Ripsaw," "Corkscrew" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all segregated by sex. But the park said the event's organizers, Islamic Leisure, who rented the park for the day and were marketing the event,...

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest theme park has called off the country's first "National Muslim Fun Day" because of lack of interest, the park said Wednesday. Alton Towers in central England was to open on September 17 for Muslims -- with halal food, a strict dress code and prayer areas. Music, gambling and alcohol were to be banned for the day and theme park rides such as "Ripsaw," "Corkscrew" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all segregated by sex. But the park said the event's organizers, Islamic Leisure, who rented the park for the day and were marketing the event,...

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest theme park has called off the country's first "National Muslim Fun Day" because of lack of interest, the park said Wednesday. Alton Towers in central England was to open on September 17 for Muslims -- with halal food, a strict dress code and prayer areas. Music, gambling and alcohol were to be banned for the day and theme park rides such as "Ripsaw," "Corkscrew" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all segregated by sex. But the park said the event's organizers, Islamic Leisure, who rented the park for the day and were marketing the event,...

A MUSLIMS-only day at Britain’s biggest theme park has been axed after a huge bookings flop. Organisers Islamic Leisure had hoped to attract 28,000 people to the event at Alton Towers, Staffs, on September 17 — but less than 1,000 tickets were sold. The fun day — exclusively revealed by The Sun — caused a race row after plans to ban mixed-sex rides, smoking, alcohol and gambling. Non-Muslims were angered by the plans. An Alton Towers spokesman said last night: “At least the park will be open to the general public.”

A malfunction on an amusement park ride Sunday sent at least 20 people to hospitals, most with minor chest and neck injuries, a sheriff's office dispatcher said. The accident happened on the Son of Beast roller coaster at Paramount's Kings Island just northeast of Cincinnati. WCPO-TV reported that witnesses saw the roller coaster come to an abrupt stop. Riders complained of discomfort after the coaster completed a circuit and pulled back into the boarding area, said Maureen Kaiser, a spokeswoman for the park. The park's emergency staff tended to the riders and notified authorities, Kaiser said. Park officials shut down...

EXCLUSIVE Muslim-only Alton Towers Thrilling ... but only Muslims will be invited     By GUY PATRICK and ANDY RUSSELL BRITAIN’S biggest fun park has sparked a race row — with a MUSLIMS-ONLY day. Up to 28,000 are expected at Alton Towers on September 17 when there will be no music, booze or gambling.Instead there will be prayer areas, Muslim stalls and all food served will be HALAL.Organisers Islamic Leisure have billed it the First National Muslim Fun Day and tickets can only be bought through their website.Non-Muslims phoning the Staffordshire park have been refused tickets.One, George Hughes, 19, who...

Six Flags Inc. said Thursday that it might sell its Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor amusement parks in Valencia and raised the possibility that they could be dismantled for real estate development. Facing mounting losses and declining attendance, Six Flags wants to reduce its $2.1 billion in debt by selling parks in Buffalo, N.Y.; Denver; Seattle; Houston; and Concord, Calif., in addition to Magic Mountain. Mark Shapiro, a former ESPN executive who is now Six Flags' chief executive, said in a conference call with investors Thursday that Magic Mountain was considered a candidate for sale partly because of its often...

STOCKTON, California (AP) -- A 6-year-old boy plunged 90 feet to his death from the top of a Ferris wheel while his mother watched from below at the San Joaquin County Fair, authorities said. Ruben Castillo was riding alone in his gondola, which was near the top of the 100-foot Giant Wheel when he fell Sunday afternoon, authorities said.He was pronounced dead at a hospital. California Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials, who are investigating the incident, were told that the boy tried to climb out of his seat, said spokesman Dean Fryer. It was not immediately clear why he...

At Six Flags, the Don'ts of Dos Employees Say Their Ethnic Hairstyles Are Challenged as 'Extreme,' and They've Complained to ACLU By Avis Thomas-Lester Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 17, 2006; B01 It's right there, under "Extreme Hairstyles," in the 2006 seasonal handbook for Six Flags America employees: no dreadlocks, tails, partially shaved heads "or any hairstyle that detracts or takes away from Six Flags theming." Braids "must be in neat, even rows and without beads or other ornaments," the amusement park handbook advises.

A £7m sex theme park, which has no rides, is to open in London's West End later this year. Visitors to Amora - The Academy of Sex and Relationships at the Trocadero in Piccadilly, will pass through seven zones including Pleasure and Orgasm. The 10,500sq-ft exhibit is designed to "separate fact from myth and educate everyone into being better lovers". You have to be aged 18 and over to get in and tickets will cost £15 for the attraction which opens on 7 September. Organisers expect to attract more than 600,000 visitors within the first year. The theme park will...

THE world's first "theme park" dedicated to sex and relationships is set to open in London's bustling West End later this year, its promoters said today. Amora: The Academy of Sex and Relationships, featuring "high-tech and interactive exhibits together with new media displays", expects up to 600,000 visitors within its first year in the Trocadero Centre at Piccadilly Circus. "Titillation is not the goal," the promoters – who include sexologist and self-help book author Sarah Brewer – said in a statement, refuting comparisons with museums of erotica in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris. "Our vision is to build a Kinsey-type institute...

Tourists and thrillseekers in Iran could have a new attraction in downtown Tehran: the former United States Embassy being converted into a "Great Satan Park." A gruesome image of the Statue of Liberty on the outside of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran A top Iranian commander is calling for the creation of such a theme park at the one-time location U.S. facility, which has seen a troubled history dating back to the Carter administration of the 1970s. "We would be able to nicely show off the American crimes to citizens strolling in the park," General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh told...

TALLAHASSEE - The Holy Land Experience, an Orlando-based religious theme park with mock crucifixions and ''Goliath'' hamburgers, might not have to render its property taxes unto Caesar. By a 28-10 vote, the state Senate on Thursday sent Gov. Jeb Bush a bill designed to settle a tax dispute between the 15-acre theme park and Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan. The heart of the dispute: Park backers say it's a church. Donegan says the $30-a-ticket park is a money-maker, a sort of religious Disney. He says it owes more than $1 million in back taxes since it opened in 2001....

Good evening everyone. I would like to make a response to this older article that I was sent: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1603947/posts

Penguins lose 'fairy' tag THEME park bosses have re-named their colony of fairy penguins amid fears they could upset the gay community. Managers at Sea World, on the Gold Coast, are now calling the species "little penguins" in case associations with the word "fairy" offend visitors to the park. "We didn't have any complaints about the name of the penguins, but someone thought they could be seen as offensive so we decided to change it to little penguin instead," a Sea World spokeswoman said. "We just didn't want to upset the gay community. The new name is more politically correct."...

MIAMI — A 49-year-old woman died Wednesday, a day after becoming ill after riding "Mission: Space" at Walt Disney World's — the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot ride so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain. The woman became ill after riding the rocketship ride Tuesday afternoon and was transported to Celebration Hospital, where her condition worsened and she died, Walt Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a statement. The woman's identity and hometown were not immediately released, and Prunty said no additional information...

BAGHDAD is to get its first water park and wave machine - thanks to a Scottish company. Murphy's Waves are in talks with the developers of the indoor water park and recreation centre planned for the Iraqi capital. And a team from Iraq are due to fly to Glasgow next week for talks to finalist the plans. Engineers for Murphy's hope to start work on the project before the end of the year. International sales manager Jim Stuart said yesterday: "I am delighted to be involved in this project and it shows that rebuilding in Iraq really is happening. Murphy's...

Heaving rain is causing flooding in Dallas/ Ft. Worth. Heavier Storms still coming. Six Flags Over Texas is under water.

ORLANDO (Army News Service, Feb. 18, 2006) – The “world’s happiest place” has been invaded by some of the Army’s best entertainers. The Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division “All-American” Chorus entertained hundreds of Mickey Mouse fans – young and old – at an outdoor performance pavilion in Downtown Disney Feb. 18. The concert was a part of Disney’s Magic Music Days program, which brings non-professional bands, choirs and orchestras to Disney World for the chance to participate in educational workshops with Disney musicians or perform for the thousands who visit the amusement parks daily. The program brings over one...

Pat Robertson, the American televangelist, today appeared to withdraw a diatribe against Ariel Sharon in an attempt to salvage his $50 million plan for a biblical theme park in Galilee. Ministers in Jerusalem were furious after the millionaire preacher suggested that the Israeli Prime Minister suffered a stroke in divine retribution for carving up the Holy Land in withdrawing from Gaza. The future of the project, nicknamed Jesusland and criticised by some for commercialism in an area of undeveloped rolling hills, is now hanging in the balance. Mr Robertson released a statement saying that he was merely pointing out the...

Tourism Minister Avraham Hirchson has shunned US evangelical leader Pat Robertson shortly before the two were to sign a major funding deal for the Galilee Christian Heritage Center after Robertson suggested that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was a punishment from God for the Gaza Strip withdrawal, The Jerusalem Post has learned. "The minister has very strong views on this and cannot accept what was said," Tourism Ministry spokesman Ido Hartuv said. "We reconsidered the deal and realized that we cannot sign with Robertson or anyone who supports his views." Hartuv stressed that this was an attack on Robertson and...

Israel will not do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment for the Gaza withdrawal, a tourism official said Wednesday. Robertson is leading a group of evangelicals who have pledged to raise $50 million to build a large Christian tourism center in Israel's northern Galilee region, where tradition says Jesus lived and taught. But Avi Hartuv, a spokesman for Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson, said Israeli officials were furious with Robertson, a Christian broadcaster. A day after Sharon's Jan. 4 stroke, Robertson said the prime minister was being punished for...

A Telluride, Colo., family sued Walt Disney World Co. for injuries suffered in a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad collision at Disneyland, a report said. The Orange County, Calif., suit brought last week claims Gerald Cope suffered a major back injury requiring surgery and incapacitating him for months. It also claims the injury forced Cope to sell his jewelry business.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - A 35-foot Christmas tree caught fire early Wednesday in the lobby of the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel, forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 guests, officials said. No one was injured except for a guest who complained of a strained back and another with symptoms of stress, officials said. The sprinkler system kept the 3 a.m. blaze in the artificial tree in check, and firefighters were able to quickly put it out, said Maria Sabol, a spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department. She called the fire "electrical in nature," saying it started after employees changed some lightbulbs...

The wife, myself and my 2 ½ year old daughter were in Florida for a week…..after scouting the C-USA and ACC football championship games we spent three days in Disney World for “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” and from a Christian point of view I must tell you how pleasantly surprised I was. At all three parks we visited Magic Kingdom-MGM-Epcot, Christmas carols blared from the speaker- and many of them were religious hymns most of us will sing in church on Christmas Eve or the day itself…”Hark the Harrell Angels”, “What Child is this?” and many more were heard...

Say goodbye to that dancing creepshow named Mr. Six. Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, is fixing to deep-six the strangeling octogenarian that for years now has served as the chief mascot and marketing engine for troubled Six Flags Inc. Snyder, who took control of the theme park operator earlier this week, is planning to rebrand the Oklahoma company so it better appeals to children and families, the New York Post reported. That means steering away from “thrill-seeking teenagers” and establishing partnerships with fast-food restaurants and cartoon studios, the Post said. Branding experts say the odd-looking Mr. Six —...

In honor of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, we present 50 cool, obscure and simply odd things you probably didn’t know about the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth. Many were culled from Mouse Tales by David Koenig (Bonaventure, $19.95). Some were provided by Disney archivist Dave Smith, and others came from 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland by former park employee Kevin Yee and lifelong fan Jason Schultz (Zauberreich, $14.95). 1. Disneyland’s original Tinker Bell was a 71-year-old Hungarian circus performer named Tiny Kline. The first to fly off the top of the Matterhorn on a zip line, she previously worked...

TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A wild roller coaster ride can trigger an irregular heartbeat among those with cardiac conditions, and could lead to death. That's what German scientists reported Tuesday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Dallas. Their presentation coincided with the release of an autopsy report from the Orange County, Fla., medical examiner's office on 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye, who died in June after riding "Mission Space," a rocket ship ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center. The autopsy revealed the boy had an underlying heart condition that affected his heart's left ventricle, CNN reported. The...

JERUSALEM – Officials in Israel say that out of about 2 million people who will realize their dream of visiting the Holy Land this year, more than half will be Christian. And among those, more than half will be Evangelical.

Tennessee family has filed a lawsuit against Dolly Parton's dinner theater Dixie Stampede and an ex-employee, claiming their 8-year-old daughter was sexually molested while performing in the annual Christmas show. Armando Martinez Gonzalez, 31, is accused of fondling the unidentified child actress before a show in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The complaint, filed on Oct. 10 in Sevier County Circuit Court, claims Dixie Stampede breached its contract to care for, supervise and protect the girl. The family is also charging the company with negligent supervision, hiring, recklessness and emotional distress, claiming supervisors should have been aware of what was happening behind...

TAMPA -- It cost Barry Grayson $600 to tour Busch Gardens the other night with his family, but the Bradenton man says it was worth every penny to have a guide escort them to the front of the line of major attractions at Busch's annual Halloween event. The fee was more than double the regular admission price for Grayson's five-member party. But for an increasing number of tourists at theme parks and attractions, paying extra to break in line or join a custom tour is the only way to go. Hour waits for rides marred his family's otherwise pleasant visits...

The $8.3 million museum will be educational, not sleazy, backers say LONDON - Move over, Eros. Developers announced plans Friday to open a multimillion-dollar sexual "theme park" near London's Piccadilly Circus, home to the much photographed statue of the Greek god of love. Backers say the London Academy of Sex and Relationships, due to open next spring, will not be a sleazy sex museum, but an educational multimedia attraction that will teach visitors to become better lovers and provide information about disease and sexual problems. Located within the Trocadero entertainment center — just around the corner from Soho, London's red-light...

Developers announced plans Friday to open a multimillion dollar sexual "theme park" near London's Piccadilly Circus, home to the much-photographed statue of the Greek god of love. Backers say the London Academy of Sex and Relationships, due to open next spring, will not be a sleazy sex museum, but an educational multimedia attraction that will teach visitors to become better lovers and provide valuable information about disease and sexual problems. Located within the Trocadero entertainment center — just around the corner from Soho, London's red-light district — the $8.3 million project will feature unspecified "high tech and interactive exhibits." Alex...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Investigators said a Scooby Doo character was attacked at Universal Studios and the man charged with the crime is a corrections officer in Hillsborough County. Witnesses said the man maliciously beat the character for no reason. Eddie Bronson The officer bonded out of jail, but now the case is with the State Attorney's Office. The character alleges he was hit in the head and suffered head injuries. It was supposed to be just a regular theme park photo with Scooby Doo. When Eddie Bronson arrived at Universal Studios, he saw Scooby and stopped so that his daughter...