Theme-Park-Urge

There are usually two carnivals at Nolensville Pike and Old Hickory - the beginning of May and the end of August. I think that the first is usually done by Dickson Carnival Company and the second is by Geren Rides - at least, that's how it's been in the past. The Cool Springs carnival is usually held around the end of May and can be seen in the mall parking lot from I-65. Franklin Main Street Festival is also at the beginning of May. 2011 was the first year that I had heard of it though, after being in Nashville for five years. I can shoot you a PM if I see that any are running, if you'd like. The majority of these pics were shot with a Sony Cyber-shot. I switched to a Canon EOS Rebel T2i around September, 2010. Thanks to anyone who posted compliments!

Next up: Favorites - none of which have been shared on TPR before. This is just a sampling of my personal favorites from my travels over the last couple years. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Journey To Atlantis - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Freak Out - Cool Springs, TN Carnival (2009) Wild Mouse - Idlewild (2009) Round Up - Idlewild (2009) Fandango - Knoebels (2009) Sklooosh - Knoebels (2009) Coastline Plunge - Hersheypark (2009) Wildcat - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Sidewinder - Hersheypark (2009) Storm Runner - Hersheypark (2009) Storm Runner - Hersheypark (2009) Great Bear - Hersheypark (2009) Great Bear - Hersheypark (2009) Great Bear - Hersheypark (2009) Great Bear - Hersheypark (2009) Cheetah Chase - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Scorpion - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Ride Of Steel - Darien Lake (2010) Boomerang - Darien Lake (2010) Viper - Darien Lake (2010) Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer (2010) L. Ruth Express - Waldameer (2010) Mega Vortex - Waldameer (2010) Canyon Blaster - Great Escape (2010) Steamin' Demon - Great Escape (2010) Screamin' Eagle - Seabreeze (2010) Silver Comet - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010) Roller Coaster - New York, New York (2010) Speed (The Ride) - NASCAR Café (2010) Canyon Blaster - Adventuredome (2010) Rock-O-Plane - Franklin, TN Main Street Festival (2011) Loop-O-Plane - Franklin, TN Main Street Festival (2011) Zipper - Nolensville Pike, TN Carnival (2011) Firestorm - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Mega Drop - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Ferris Wheel - Tennessee State Fair (2011)

Next up: Thrills - close-ups and action shots. Voyage - Holiday World (2007) Voyage - Holiday World (2007) Thunder Run - Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (2007) Georgia Cyclone - Six Flags Over Georgia (2007) Orbiter - Lake Winnepesaukah (2007) Maverick - Cedar Point (2007) Maverick - Cedar Point (2007) maXair - Cedar Point (2007) Steel Hawg - Indiana Beach (2008) Cyclops - Mt. Olumpus (2008) Avalanche - Timber Falls (2008) Swing Shot - Kennywood (2009) Thunderbolt - Kennywood (2009) Thunderbolt - Kennywood (2009) Jackrabbit - Kennywood (2009) Wild Mouse - Idlewild (2009) Flume - Knoebels (2009) Skloosh - Knoebels (2009) Tidal Force - Hersheypark (2009) Wild Mouse - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Fahrenheit - Hersheypark (2009) Comet - Hersheypark (2009) Lil' Dipper - Camden Park (2009) Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer (2010) Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer (2010) Comet - Waldameer (2010) Comet - Great Escape (2010) Bobsleds - Seabreeze (2010) Whirlwind - Seabreeze (2010) Whirlwind - Seabreeze (2010) Silver Comet - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010) Sky Jump - Stratosphere (2010) Canyon Blaster - Adventuredome (2010) Crazy Mouse - Tennessee State Fair (2011)

Next up: Dusk & Night - as darkness sets in, many parks come alive. Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point (2007) Giant Wheel - Indiana Beach (2008) Water Swings - Indiana Beach (2008) Seattle Wheel - Williamson County, TN Fair (2008) Seattle Wheel - Williamson County, TN Fair (2008) Mega Drop - Williamson County, TN Fair (2008) Cyclops - Williamson County, TN Fair (2008) Sky Wheel - Tennessee State Fair (2008) Starship 3000 - Tennessee State Fair (2008) Windstorm - Old Town (2008) Thunderbolt - Kennywood (2009) Volcano - Kennywood (2009) Hurricane - Nolensville Pike, TN Carnival (2010) Loop-O-Plane - Nolensville Pike, TN Carnival (2011) Starship 2000 - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Ferris Wheel - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Firestorm - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Mega Drop - Tennessee State Fair (2011) Tennessee State Fair (2011)

Next up: Water - a collection of pics that feature fountains, waterfalls, lakes, etc. and focus on the more serene aspects of parks. Thunder River - Six Flags Over Georgia (2007) Pirate - Lake Winnepesaukah (2007) Shafer Queen - Indiana Beach (2008) Avalanche - Timber Falls (2008) Entrance - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (2009) Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (2009) Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (2009) Paddle Boats - Kennywood (2009) Fountain - Kennywood (2009) Fountain - Kennywood (2009) Fountain - Kennywood (2009) Old Mill - Knoebels (2009) Fountain - Hersheypark (2009) Fountain - Darien Lake (2010) Ali Baba - Waldameer (2010)

As 2011 nears an end, I realized that I haven't posted to TPR in a while (let me just say that things have been crazy). Now that things have seemed to settle down a bit and I wouldn't dream of posting old trip reports, I thought that I would share some of my favorite pics from my park visits, presented in themed categories. I hope you enjoy them! Happy (early) New Year! First up: Flowers & Foliage - a collection of flowery pics meant to show the more beautiful aspects of parks - proving, once again, that beauty can be found where you least expect it. Sky Ride - Cedar Point (2007) Iron Dragon - Cedar Point (2007) Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Cedar Point (2007) Cyclops - Mt. Olympus (2008) Little Titans - Mt. Olympus (2008) Journey To Atlantis - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Journey To Atlantis - SeaWorld Orlando (2008) Pittsburg Plunge - Kennywood (2009) Satellite - Knoebels (2008) SooperDooperLooper - Hersheypark (2009) Trailblazer - Hersheypark (2009) Storm Runner - Hersheypark (2009) Storm Runner - Hersheypark (2009) Stanley Falls Flume - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Scorpion - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Skyride - Busch Gardens Tampa (2009) Sky Ride - Waldameer (2010) Sky Ride - Waldameer (2010) Grand Carousel - Great Escape (2010) Sky Ride - Great Escape (2010) Carousel - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010) Carousel - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010) Gondola Wheel - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010) Mega Disko - Martin's Fantasy Island (2010)

Here are a couple Great Escape images that you listed, Larry, as well as a Kennywood Raging Rapids sign pic. Keith

Thanks for your replies and kudos!! To answer an earlier question: I actually use a Sony-Cybershot. I hope to upgrade to an SLR soon... I'm glad that you found Kennywood as beautiful and aspiring as I did!

Part three (aka The End): Don't forget: there's even more Kennywood pics at www.ThemeParkUrge.com. Thanks for reading! And fireworks! But not before one last history lesson... Goodnight. The Windmill. And with that, I say: Bayern Kurve! For some reason, I love this shot. Maybe it's coz I actually know what I'm looking at. Most probably won't... Volcano! (with a different camera setting) Volcano! Musik Express! Even prettier at nite! Fountains, flowers, and the flag. A fountain! Yes, I kind of like fountains... Phantom's Revenge! Lost Kennywood. I love the way this pic turned out. Thunderbolt! Get it? Arrow 360. Kennywood Arrow. Yeah, it actually took me quite a while to realize... Aero 360. Paddle Boats. Jackrabbit. As nite fell, Kennywood lit up! The Merry-Go-Round. And since we're on the subject of daughters, here are seven daughters (of whom, I have no idea...) standing in a row while jugglers perform around and over them. They kept it going for about five minutes! Since we're on the subject of Merry-Go-Rounds, here's Kennywood's. I found this to be adorable. Actually, if I ever have a daughter, she WILL have a Merry-Go-Round horse like this in her bedroom. I'm proud to be an American, where we can display our country's flags in cute little wheel barrel flower planters and not risk persecution. It don't get any more historic than this. Speaking of history... And its history. After conquering just about the whole park, I decided to meander a little. This is the windmill. I thought that this was a nice touch, even if it was sponsored by BP. It's still subtle. Kennywood's antique cars: Turnpike. Garfield's Nightmare. Sorry, I passed since I hadn't heard amazing things about it. Here's a better look. All the ride does is go around in a flat circle until you reach this launch pad. Then, airtime ensues. You can see the launch pad here. Plus, this kid's expression is priceless. Check out the blonde girl's hair. That's how much airtime you got when you hit (what I call) the launch pad. Next up, another Kennywood classic: The Kangaroo! I have no idea how I got this glow... Here's Kennywood's Skycoaster. I only like this shot coz somehow Pitt Fall is in the distant background centered and framed by Skycoaster's supports.

Part two: Oh yeah, here's Kennywood's Paratrooper, which they ran in hyper-out-of-control mode. Seriously, I've never seen a Paratrooper swing so much or rotate so fast! Stay tuned. Part three (aka The End) coming right up. And the final drop. Actually there was a girl in line in front of me teaching her young riding partner about double-downs, which I found to be very cool. And again. And here is that "big drop". This is the turnaround that precedes the "big drop". You actually pick up a good head-of-steam before reaching the tunnel. One cool aspect is that after leaving the station, you go down a ravine and up into this tunnel, then down again; all before the lift. Jackrabbit's trains were pretty sweet! Check out the old-school bumper on the front. Either this guy thought that he moving OR he was showing his young riding partner how it's done OR he was hamming it up for the camera. You decide. Everyone who's been to Kennywood has this picture, right?!? Let's keep the classic wooden goodness going, shall we...? Jackrabbit's up next! Red's in the lead. I was in the red train and had the outside track on the first turnaround. My train won. But it would've been more fun if there was a little hand-slapping during the turnarounds. The Racer was a lot of fun. I did not know that... More history for those who care... Seriously, I loved how the park had these posted everywhere, coz I DO care! Which also happens to be right next to this: The Racer! Whoo hoo! More Kennywood history for those who are interested... I found it quite apropos that the Shooting Gallery is located here. People didn't seem to get too wet on this. Log Jammer. Blah, blah, blah... (The ride's not blah, the caption is) I was kind of worried about the woman across me losing her lunch when she said that she's never been on a ride like this and hasn't been to a theme park in many years. Thankfully, she survived. They left us hanging up there for a good while. Yes, it's a double-inverted floorless swinging ship. Or DIFSS for short. Aero 360! Oh yeah, and a miniature version of The Turtle, called Turtle Chase. Cute. Ok, enough with the kiddie rides... You didn't come here for kiddie rides, did you?!? You came here for... Oh yeah, Kiddieland also had this contraption called Dizzy Dynamo; which I can't say I've seen before. Adults can ride, but I did not. I'm no whore. Then there's this: Lil' Phantom. Kennywood also has a pretty nice Kiddie section, most of which are your normal rides: Kiddie Swings, Kiddie Ferris Wheel, Frog Hopper, Rockin' Tug, Crazy Bus, etc... Too cool and cute, all at the same time. Auto Race was another classic ride in Kennywood's arsenal. The obligatory Laffin' Sal pic. The classic Kennywood clock. I then made it through the pre-show of Ghostwood Estate only to have it go down. Sorry, but I'm not waiting an hour for a shooting dark ride. She went for it. And I'm thankful, coz Thunderbolt rocked my world in a good way! Now it's in my wooden Top 5. Suggest to her that she take her frantic kid out of the station and I'll ride with her youngster. (Yeah, it sounds creepy in hindsight) Too bad once it came our turn to board (a mother with her older son and me with her younger son), the older son chickened out. Leaving me to do only one thing... Luckily, just as I got in line, a family of three walked up behind me. I thought all was well... I sure hope that I can find a partner to ride with me coz I ain't leaving the park without riding this coaster... A little history for those who care... I'm thinking about replicating this drawing on my bedroom wall. What do you think?!? Hey, that's my high school's moniker! You don't know how many times I've heard AC/DC's "Thunderstuck" in my life... Thunderbolt! Noah's Ark sits making a very annoying noise while I'm trying to eat my fries. I didn't have time to actually partake in the attraction, coz I was heading here: Yes, I had to get the cheesy bacon fries, but I wasn't brave enough to get gravy on them. Close-up of The Turtle with a little Phantom action in the background. Although extremely simple in its design, I still found The Turtle to be plain good old fun. Yep, it's a turtle. A little history for those who care... Next up: The Turtle!

What better way to celebrate America's independence than head out to Kennywood?!? After all, it is a historical landmark... Thanks to TPR, I had a plan that would hopefully allow me to maximize the day, as I feared the potential for large crowds. The only other park I'd been to on the 4th of July was SFGAM years ago and it was a ghost town then. I was praying that my luck would be much of the same this year, but I planned according to maximum capacity and maximum thrills. Early on, the crowds were extremely light; allowing Phantom's Revenge, Exterminator, and Thunderbolt to be walk-ons. Not bad: it's noon and I've got three of the five coasters I plan to ride out of the way. Good thing too coz, after noon, swarms of people descended on Kennywood. I was amazed by the overall atmosphere at the park: old-school flats (Bayern Kurve, Turtle, Kangaroo) mixed seamlessly with newer technology (Cosmic Chaos, SwingShot, Aero 360) to give the air of excitement and thrills that spans generations. Oh yeah, and the coasters are great too! Phantom's Revenge was great in the front but kind of tweaked my back near the end while riding in the rear. What a great coaster! Thunderbolt was such a surprisingly good ride that it's firmly in my wooden Top 5 now. Racer was wonderful, although I was disappointed with the lack of hand-slapping on the turnarounds. Jackrabbit had a uniqueness to it and was fun, especially the double-down. Overall, the park was great and after almost twelve hours I still didn't want to leave. Cap that off with a fireworks show, and I had a memorable Fourth of July! With that, on to the pictures (posted in multiple parts): btw: There are a ton more pics (yes, there's even more) posted to www.themeparkurge.com Part one: But not before one more pic of Phantom's Revenge. Hang tight. Part two is coming... With that, it's time to move on from the Lost Kennywood area of the park. How awesome is this?!? Somehow I can't imagine this scene in a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park... Pittsburg Plunge and fountains... and flowers. Pittsburg Plunge and a fountain. Phantom's Revenge's second drop and a fountain. Phantom's Revenge's first drop and a fountain. And now for the fountain segment of this trip report: Pitt Fall and fountains. However, these kids (and many others) still love drop towers. I hadn't ridden a drop tower since S:TOP at SFKK. Call me spooked. This is Pitt Fall. Clever name. Exterminator! Actually, for an indoor spinning wild mouse, I was dizzy beyond belief from this! The Kennywood Whip looked fun but I was on to more pressing matters... No Wave Swinger for me. Which lead me to ask: Do chairswings have a weight limit? Coz I never feel safe on them... ...which I'm sure is exactly what the dude flashing the devil horns is thinking. I love giant swings coz there's really nothing to hold onto... I will never pass up a paid-with-admission Screamin' Swing. After a couple spins on Phantom, SwingShot's next. ...and a crazy return trip to the station that gave an unexpected spine adjustment the second time around. ...and the high-speed turnaround... Oh yeah, and there's the second drop that's longer than the first... What you can expect after the first drop. Kind of... I love the way this pic turned out! Phantom's Revenge through the bushes (and trees). I tried to avoid the cliché but couldn't resist... The first drop was fun in the front and pretty intense in the back. I must say that I am a fan of swooping drops! However, I am NOT a fan of sun spots in my pics... Much of the same. Phantom's sexy swooping first drop. Phantom's impressive lift hill. Ah yes, that's what I'm here for (among other things): Phantom's Revenge! Hey, it's open now... Simply the nicest looking Musik Express I've seen in person. Musik Express (and a most beautiful one it is) isn't open yet either. See?!? I didn't know that palm trees were native to West Mifflin, PA. I found Pirate amazingly well-themed too. King Kahuna. I love how everyone's hair is being tossed around. Does this count the same as having two different coaster trains in the same pic?!? Didn't think so... Volcano was a cool take on the standard Enterprise. There were times that I felt like I'd be thrown off and splat in the midway below. Thankfully that didn't happen. Cosmic Chaos was pretty disorienting. Comfy, yet disorienting. It was well-themed too. Cosmic Chaos was my first Disk-O. This classic flat was so intense that I got off and thought I had soiled myself. Good times. That's more like it! Bayern Kurve isn't even open quite yet... Gran Prix bumper cars. Very cool façade. And the park was all decked out with American Flags in the beautiful foilage. Upon entering the park, a stilt-walking Uncle Sam was there to greet everyone. The entrance sign, yep. Kenny's Parkway sitting dormant as no one's here yet. That would change in a couple hours. I'm ready to celebrate America! How about you?!?

This is the shot I entered. Just a simple shot of Storm Runner at Hershey. Photoshop or not?!?!?

Since I probably won't get a chance to post my SeaWorld trip report until after the holidays, I wanted to share some Manta photos from my visit on 11.11.08. Although not construction photos per se, here are some of the highlights (of the first drop):

Part three: Tennessee State Fair (nitetime). Again, if you want to see more photos from this fair click here: http://pics.themeparkurge.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=122462 Goodnite from Tennessee. The Carousel at nite provides me with a good ending to a long yet enjoyable day at the Tennessee State Fair. I don't know why, but I really wanted to take this pic & actually am satisfied with its results. Family Swings looks nice at nite. It'd look nicer if all the bulbs worked though. Orient Express heading up the lift. Giant Wheel all lit up. I love how this picture turned out! Thunder Bolt in action. Dream Catch... I mean Weav... (dammit) Machine by the light of the moon. Will someone please just change the name for me?!? Great! Now that song Dream Weaver is stuck in my head! So far, I've typed (& deleted) Dream Weaver & Dream Catcher when I'm trying to type Dream Machine... Dream Machine looks even more stunning at nite. Big Ben falling from the sky. Big Ben beauty. Close-upside-down Exstacy action! Close-up Exstacy action! Wow! Gorgeous! Pretty! Time for some nitetime Sky Wheel love! Oh yeah, they had a Round-Up that I kept waiting to open but it never did. Yet another boo on you! I had a vision of this shot when I was at the fair earlier & here's the result. One of my all-time favorite pictures! You don't know how many pictures I had to take before I could get this shot timed correctly. Power Surge (again) looks cool! After a quick nap, I headed back to the fair for some nitetime pics. Sound familiar?

Part two: Tennessee State Fair (daytime). If you want to see more photos from this fair click here: http://pics.themeparkurge.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=122462 Oh! That looks "appetizing"... Stay tuned for the final installment: TN Fair at nite. Then I saw this: Beef Sundae. What the heck is a Beef Sundae?!? They had a Quit Smoking stand. God, how I love irony! (Check out the lady in pink.) Toon Town. A walk-though copyright infringement attraction. Raiders. Tornado. Spider. I was impressed/shocked that they had two coasters at the fair too. Among tons of kiddie rides that I'm not going to post pictures for, there was an Orient Express. Cliffhanger. Giant Wheel. Yep, there were two ferris wheels at this fair. ANOTHER Scooter?!? Seriously?!? Sea Ray swinging ship. Yep, that's as high as it went. Boo on you AGAIN! Tilt-A-Whirl. What carnival/fair doesn't have one?!? A blow-up Haunted House?!? Now, that's a first. Ring Of Fire. Thunder Bolt, straight out of RCT3!! I absolutely love how this picture turned out! It was pretty photogenic too. Dream Machine was extremely nice-looking. ...until you dropped to the ground. ...and sat... ...where you sat... ...then it kicked into drop tower mode, lifting you to the top... First, it shot you up & bounced you a couple times... Big Ben, their space shot drop tower. ...until the arms raise you to upside-down. All the while, you continue spinning!! Believe it or not, it wasn't the least bit dizzying or nauseating! It spins like a Scrambler first, then like an Orbiter... Time for one of my new favorite flats: Exstacy! Scrambler. It was difficult to get a picture of this Sky Wheel in operation, since they ran a split-second cycle: only a couple revolutions & off you go. Boo on you again. I had previously only seen a Sky Wheel operating in one of my RCT3 parks. The Sky Wheel was originally manufactured by the Allan Herschel Company & later reproduced by Chance Rides. The rare Sky Wheel. Starship 3000 (Gravitron). This ride is so intense & seems to never end! Power Surge. One of my all-time favorite flats! Scooter bumper cars. Nitro. That's as high as it went & it didn't spin. A motor was broken but they kept the ride open. I thought that was pretty lame on their part. Boo on you! They were giving like four laps per ride! Such a cute little coaster! Wow! They've got a Wacky Worm here! Dizzy Dragons. Rockin' Tug. Super Slide. In honor of Big Mike! Good luck counting all the duckies in THIS picture! "Help Wanted"? Hmmmm... Another huge game stall. I loved the colorfulness of Mighty Bluegrass' midway! Family Swings. A closer look at the Carousel. Carousel. Elephant Ears?!? I'll definitely be visiting that later! BTW: They were so huge that I couldn't even eat half of it! And I love me some Elephant Ears! See what I mean?!? BTW: you can kind of see the game girl hiding from the camera. She did not want to be captured on film! Many of the games seemed to be over-sized on the midway! This food smelled delicious! Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Gyros, huge Turkey Legs... Yummy! But $7.50 for a Philly Steak at the TN State fair?!? What gives?!? There was food EVERYWHERE at this fair! You can get your picture on a pony & who doesn't want their picture on a pony?!? Welcome to the Tennessee State Fair. Rides provided by Mighty Bluegrass Shows.