The one and only Theme Park in India is none other than the Fun World.

From discounted rates to customised programmes, our group incentives give you great value for your money. whether it’s a school picnic or a corporate gathering, Fun World will ensure that your event is a smashing success! So Plan your vacation or event and visit Fun World for a dream come true!

Events

In the lap of nature lies heaven of man-made luxury of an individual 30 well laid & furnished cottages at ground floor, Covering an area of 300sq ft with an impressive ambience, complimented by multi-cuisine menu, for your comfortable stay. Also a large swimming pool is
there surrounded by water & flowering shrubs- a
freshness different from the city.

Cafe Restaurant

Fun World is Serving the best of energizers and appetizers in our two food locations situated for your convenience

1. Cafe Rainforest

Wooden interiors gives an impression as if you are in the forest near the city. Serving you the best of Continental, South Indian, Chinese, Chaat, Shakes and lot more. It can accommodate upto 40 pepole at a time.

2. Cafe Hypnos

Colourful ambience can easily hypnozites the visitor coming here. Place is apt for Parties, Get together’s, Family gatherings. It also han dance floor with stunning and foot tapping DJ facility where you can rock with your friends. Tempting Punjab Food is the main attraction here. Like Café Rainforest. it also accommodates 40 people at one time.

Mughal Garden

The Mughals, an Islamic dynasty, their art and architecture is now probably the best documented of myriad artistic traditions of the Indian subcontinent. And here we take those traditions ahead by making an attempt of revealing Mughal art in the form of garden, where royalty is at your footsteps. This Mughal Garden is spread in the area of 60,000sq ft an accommodation for 1500-1800 people at one time.

A one stop place for all events which will cherish lifelong in your memories. It provides dining andentertainment for the special occasions organized here. We add icing on a cake by providing varied facilities like Light decoration, Tent decoration, Flower decoration, Frill work, Round table arrangements, an overall a combination of your personal request and our experience. We advise the most suitable layouts for your function suite.

Amusement Park

Jodhpur’s 1st and India’s 6th Amusement Park so aptly known as FUNDUSTAN Where you can experience the ultimate thrill gelled with undescribable fun, its also said to be the perfect destination for your kids who can have a gala time, away from the madding crowd of the city.

Main Rides

• Merry-go-Round
• Jumping Frog
• Break Dance
• Tele Combat
• Jumping Ducks
• Bombsey
• Sea Horse Train
• Concord
• Jumping Dragon

Water Park

A new & refreshing experience for jodhpur which make the city a happening destination. The only Water Park in Jodhpur is welcoming you this summer, which gives an aqua cool feeling for the visitors. The very idea for a water park can be a Hungarian Spa.Here, bringing you more than what you want, space which provides you to be yourself and discover the child in you. There are two pools of area of 5,000 square feet each, which welcomes you with open hands always.

Main Attractions

Kids pool

Family Slide 

Water Umbrella

Rain Dance floor

Contact Information

Postal Address :

Fun World

Opp. Filter house, chopasani Road,

Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

India.

Live Contact

Mr. Rajesh Shinghvi : +91 982 902 7775

Mr. Amit Shinghvi : +91 982 902 7795

Mail us: mail@funworldjodhpur.co.in

Visit us : http://funworldjodhpur.co.in

 Country Crossing Grand Opening Line-up
Twenty Acts Will Perform in Three Days – Combining 66 No. 1 Hits and 120 Million Albums Sold
Posted: 10:06 AM Jan 4, 2010 

DOTHAN, Ala. – Country Crossing announces artists to perform during its three-day grand opening event, January 15-17, 2010. Headliners for the event include Tracy Lawrence, Darryl Worley, Lorrie Morgan and John Anderson, who all have interests in the development.

All live shows will be free to the public.

“As we’ve said all along, Country Crossing will provide first-class country music entertainment and this lineup is just the beginning,” says Ronnie Gilley, president, Ronnie Gilley Entertainment and developer of Country Crossing.

“Our grand opening will be nothing short of spectacular, and we are looking forward to many more great performances in the months and years to come.”

Dates and confirmed artists include:

Friday, January 15:

5 p.m. Matt Kennon
6:30 p.m. Confederate Railroad
8 p.m. Restless Heart
9:30 p.m. Little Texas
11 p.m. Aaron Tippin
12:30 a.m. Neal McCoy

Saturday, January 16:
3:30 p.m. The Grascals
5 p.m. Houston County
6:30 p.m. John Conlee
8 p.m. Pam Tillis
9:30 p.m. Blackhawk
11 p.m. Joe Nichols
12:30 a.m. Tracy Lawrence

Sunday, January 17:
3:30 p.m. LoCash Cowboys
5 p.m. Blackberry Smoke
6:30 p.m. Bellamy Brothers
8 p.m. John Anderson
9:30 p.m. Lorrie Morgan
11 p.m. Darryl Worley
12:30 a.m. Commodores

Bluegrass sensation, The Grascals, will also perform in the Worley Bird Saloon on Saturday night, Jan. 16

The performing artists have combined record sales of more than 120 million, 66 No.1 hits and 200 top ten singles.

“This is the first time in history that 20 artist, with a combined 120 million record sales and 66 No. 1 hits, will perform in three days at one venue – all free to the public,” adds Gilley. “You won’t have to go to a big city anymore to find high-caliber entertainment. We are bringing it right here.”

Ribbon cutting ceremonies for the venues with artists and officials will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17. George Jones will attend the ribbon cutting for the George Jones Possum Holler Bed & Breakfast. The Grascals will attend the ribbon cutting for the Bluegrass Hollow RV Park. Exact times for the individual ribbon cuttings will be released at a later date.

Venues for ribbon cuttings include:

George Jones Possum Holler Bed & Breakfast

Bluegrass Hollow RV Park

Lorrie Morgan’s Hot Chicken

John Anderson’s Cafeteria

Darryl Worley’s Worley Bird Saloon

Artists will be available for interviews at the ribbon cutting ceremonies. Artists performing each night will also be available for interviews. To schedule an artist interview, please contact Claire Ratliff at claire@websterpr.com.

For all entertainment-related questions, contact Kirt Webster with Webster & Associates at kirt@websterpr.com.

The new year brings a whole new set of coasters to be ridden.  2010 brings us one of the smallest classes of coasters in recent years, highlighting the economic downturn as of late.  But it’s not all a loss; there’s some great stuff on the way.  Here’s what to look for in 2010:

10. Monster (Walygator Park, France)

This one might be a little suspect since it’s not exactly new, but I was having a hard time getting 10 real quality attractions.  Monster had its first life as Orochi at Expoland, Japan before the park closed in 2007.  Walygator snagged the coaster and will now give France its first B&M and probably one of, if not the, best coaster in the country.  While sharp eyed and possibility even blind enthusiasts will note that the ride is a clone of Cedar Point’s Raptor, that’s hardly a bad thing.  6 inversions and a bunch of intensity in a huge layout now gives people a reason to stop  at Walygator aside from collecting some bruises on their Cobb wooden or Vekoma  hurricane.   Word on the street is that Walygator also picked up Expoland’s Mack mouse to be set up in 2011.  While slightly odd due to the fact that the park has already had a Mack Mouse (2003), it’s still another +1 for the park and a coaster that might not suck.  Good for France.

9. Flying Turns (Knoebels, Pennsylvania)

Maybe this year?   I remember checking out the park in 2007 and seeing a mostly complete structure waiting for some cars.  Fast forward 3 years and we have a several times reprofiled completed track waiting for another iteration of trains that hopefully don’t flip over this time.  But it’s impossible to be mad at Knoebels.  They’re bringing back a coaster type that hasn’t been built since Herbert Hoover was president.  So long as they can figure out the whole cars flipping over thing, this is bound to be a great coaster and a good addition to Knoebels, an amazing park in its own special way.  Fun fact: while Flying Turns was being built, Knoebels installed a replacement for High Speed Thrill Coaster (rest in pieces) and bought PTC’s only steel coaster from Dinosaur Beach.  If all goes as planned, Knoebels could increase their offerings by 3 in the last 2 years.

8. Thirteen (Alton Towers, England)

I’m really unsure where to post this one, but I think 8 is a good spot.  Massively overhyped by Alton and fanboys alike, the Intamin family coaster should still provide a decent ride.  Amid speculations of world’s firsts and 18+ age limits, the outdoor section of the coaster has popped up, showing some great turns along the ground and a lot of airtime hidden in some tight little hills.  Theming is sure to be fantastic, with its creepy something or another façade and a storyline most guests will probably miss.  Indoors, a section of track will drop with the train, creating a controlled freefall effect.  While sure to be interesting, I can’t help but wonder how unreliable something like this is going to be.  Still, the forwards, backwards, airtime, train-dropping coaster should be a pretty cool addition to Alton, and a good replacement for corkscrew.  That said, the term “Psychoaster” is retarded.

7. Battlestar Galactica (Universal Singapore, Singapore)

In most any other year, this might not have made a list, but it’s a slow year, and I think this looks cool.  Vekoma introduces a new track style and 4 across train style on a dueling sitdown/invert launched coaster.  I’m sure nothing will go wrong.  Early indications show that the coaster will average at least 5mph with assistance from the wind and a couple of people pushing.    Not to be all mean, though, the layouts for both rides are pretty cool looking, especially the inverted side, which launches over a hill into a cobra roll.  The dueling aspects should enhance the ride and take people’s minds away from the fact that they’re barely moving.  At the very least, the inverted side is one look forward to since it has a pretty nonstandard layout and a loop around 2 lift hills (stick it, Kumba).  Since it’s Universal, you know that the theming will be top notch and the overall experience is sure to be a good one.  The jury is out as to how fast it’ll go with people loaded on, but hopefully Singapore has some fat people to give it a good pace.  Good luck, Battlestar!

6. Unknown (World Joyland)

B&M doing something different?  Maybe.  Actually, I know almost nothing about this flying coaster aside from some renderings and a few stats.  What we do know is that the ride will be about 2800ft. long, slightly over 130ft. tall and go about 55mph.  Not too shabby for a flyer, for sure.  But the really interesting stats are the inversions: inline twist, vertical loop, and a double corkscrew.  We’ve never seen B&M try a loop on flyer, which begs the question as to how accurate this stat is.  Then it makes you wonder what kind of loop?  Inside like Vekoma or something crazy, like an outside loop.  We’ve seen Vekoma throw half of an outside loop onto their stingray coaster, but B&M would be the first to complete the circle.  The double corkscrew is also something B&M has never done (ever on anything, actually).  I suppose that’s not terribly special, but it’s still unique.  Either way, about 5000 question marks make this a hard ride to comment on.  Hopefully we’ll hear something once the park goes up, as China seems to be pretty quiet until somebody suddenly gets a lot of news at once.  Judging by the renderings, World Joyland should be pretty cool.  Let’s hope so.

5. F1 Coaster (Ferrari World, UAE)

First off, we’re going to have to hope this one actually opens in 2010.  At this point, I’m not really sure with the way stuff is going over there.  The cleverly named F1 Coaster (please that be a placeholder or bad translation) is like a Rita or Desert Race layout on steroids.  A lot of steroids.  Word is that the coaster is capable of 150mph, which would crush the current speed record.  There has been some reports that the coaster will be operated at a lower speed, although here’s hoping it’ll still be fast enough to take the speed record.  It’s going to need that speed too with the first hill and corner being ridiculously drawn out.  The first instance of Intamin’s new track system makes for some impressive spans around the whole layout.  With the hills as shallow as they are, the airtime might be questionable in the beginning, although the ending 3 bunny hops should throw you out of your seat.  The entire Ferrari World Park is thoroughly impressive, not only for what’s in the park, but also for the fact that it’s the first big UAE theme park to get done.  In an industry where the trend has been better rides in smaller packages, F1 coaster goes in the other direction and doesn’t stop walking for a few miles.

4. Sky Rocket (Kennywood, Pennsylvania)

It’s been 9 years since Kennywood got a coaster and even then it was just half a new coaster.  But now they seem ready join into the coaster wars in probably the strangest way possible.  Premier has always been a company of feast of famine.  Their spaghetti bowl LSM coasters, Revenge of the Mummy layouts, and Mr. Freeze types were all hits, while the Italian Jobs, and the more recent ventures at the former Hard Rock Park were less than stellar.  Ignoring Premier’s recent stuff, Kennywood decided to add Sky Rocket, one of the more unique coasters of 2010.  All has been quiet since the ride was announced, except for a layout released during the Euro Attractions show.  The coaster is an LSM launched ride, reaching 50 in 3 seconds.  That’s pretty slow for these days, but at least there’s a layout to follow.  Sort of reminiscent of the Zierer Tower Coaster model (hopefully this time with correctly welded joints), the ride pulls up and over a tophat, through an overbank, and around a barrel roll.  The train then dives down the ‘cliffhanger’ element, otherwise known as a steep drop.  After a corkscrew, it seems they started to run out of ideas as the ride has a few ‘surf curves’ (zig zags) and some small bunny hops.  Although it doesn’t look like terribly much, Sky Rocket gets placed high for the shear ‘where did this come from!?’ thoughts behind it.  I think it’s safe to say that this one could really go anywhere (metaphorically).. from a great underrated ride to an unreliable piece of mediocrity.  Let’s hope it’s the first.

3. Intimidator (Carowinds, North Carolina)

We’re into the top 3 now, which means they better darn well be good.  If B&Ms recent hypers have been any indication, this should be pretty excellent.  With Intimidator, Carowinds gets it’s first real worthwhile coaster since Afterburner in 1999.  The ride does what pretty much all B&M hypers do: go out for a while and then come back.  While sometimes we might hope it would go out and not come back, Intimidator throws 7 hills in there along with a nice big drop (B&Ms second biggest) and a turnaround.  The ride will use the weird offset cars seen on Behemoth and Diamondback.  With a length twice as long as the old style trains, there’s sure to be some pretty strong airtime on the train extents.  I’m sure somebody will go out and complain about how it’s not going to have ejector airtime and as a consequence be horrible, but I suspect the airtime will be pretty nice no matter what kind it is.  The layout is a little strange in that the mid course brakes are so far along in the layout , but if it gives them the ability to run 3 trains then I’m all for it.  I’ll be mentioning this again, but I’m not sure I understand the idea of theming it to a racecar driver whose been dead for 9 years.  I guess it’s not like there’s going to be much theming in the first place aside from a giant sign and some checkered flags in places.  Hopefully they’ll prove me wrong.  But either way, the ride itself should be pretty excellent.

2. Joris en de Draak (Efteling, Netherlands)

In 2007, Efteling won the ‘retarded decision of the year’ by contracting Kumbak coasters to give them a combination dark/coaster/water ride.  Now they’re finally redeeming themselves by going with GCI to design their new dueling, racing wooden coaster.  After removing the family wooden coaster Pegasus to much applause all around, the space is clear for over 5000 combined feet of wooden track.  The oddly specific 72ft. 5in. track height leads to a twisted series of hills and corners not seen since Lightning Racer a decade back.  The first drops will be side by side in between the lift hills leading to a fast pass over top of the station.  At this point, I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t make it a double station flythrough, but perhaps there’s only so much amount of awesome you can have in one ride.  For the most part, the layout is racing, although it splits at several points to duel.  The rendering shows some pretty excellent theming along the coaster, and I wouldn’t put it past Efteling judging by their previous ventures.  The coaster is themed to George and the Dragon, a story I can only assume is European since I’ve never heard of it (maybe I’ve just missed an important part of my childhood).  No matter what the theme, the world could always use more wooden coasters that don’t suck.  Enjoy your wood, Europe.

1. Intimidator 305 (Kings Dominion, Virginia)

If you’re familiar with coaster things (which I suspect you are since you’re reading this), then this shouldn’t be much of a surprise.  The world gets its 2^nd Intamin gigacoaster, coming in at 305ft. and a speed of 90mph.  For the Millennium Force haters, 305 throws in some more hills in between the high speed ground corners the ride focuses on.  The lift hill uses a giant (and I do mean giant) truss to get up to 305ft. with only two supports on the entire hill.  An 85 degree first drop leads to a ground corner reminiscent of the  much smaller mega lite models.  An airtime hill bigger than the lift of most coasters sends the train into the high speed corner section.  This is the ‘make it or break it’ part of the coaster.  It will either be 20 seconds of perfectly engineered high speed awesome, or 20 seconds of side to side neck smashing pain.  I’m going to hope for the first.  Unfortunately, this is also the point to bring up the over the shoulder restraints.  There’s still argument as to whether they’ll be the standard over the shoulders or over the shoulder straps as seen on Bakken’s Intamin spinner that opened last year.  Of course, I’d much prefer their T-bars, but they have a habit of disliking fat people.  It’s a moot point, though, since 305 will have over the shoulders, whatever type they end up being.  Judging by the layout, this will probably be a hit or miss for a lot of people, but I can easily see Intimidator 305 being one of the top coasters in the world.

My family and I headed to Universal Studios over the holidays for some good ol’ amusement park fun. Can I first just leave a little disclaimer for all those wanting to visit Orlando, FL during the holidays: DO NOT DO IT UNLESS YOU MUST! :hahaha: It was sooo overcrowded that we waited 1-1.5 hours in line for each ride! (not so fun)

On our way to the hotel…I broke down the fun :times: we had for the day. We were at the park for about 12 hours… 9:30ish-10:35 pm. We only got to go on 11 rides (Disaster, Jaws, The Simpsons Ride, MIB Alien Attack, E.T. Adventure, Fivel’s Playground, Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, The Terminator 3-D, Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, Shrek 4-D and had lunch in the “San Fransisco” area. 12 hours MINUS at least 11 hours of “line time” = 1 hour of fun/rides! YIKESSSSSS.

Nonetheless, we had a great time and enjoyed our time together. I hadn’t been back to this park since the 5th grade (Jack D Gordon’s Grad Day) when my mom chaperoned!! It’s funny to see what’s exactly the same and what’s been changed. The Simpsons Ride is BY FAR MY FAVORITE out of the 11 we were able to experience.  I can’t wait to go back when it’s a little less crowded so I can enjoy all the big kid rides I was too exhausted to wait in line for (The Revenge of the Mummy & Riptide Rock-It).

Here are a few shots I got while waiting in line..

Adventureland is hands down my favorite movie. It’s simply fucking cool & I know it’s the kind of film I’ll enjoy watching again when I’m older. Thus, the shirt below must be mine:

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Credit: CoolSpotters.com

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It’s the Games Games Games ringer tee that both Em Lewin (played by Kristen Stewart) &  James Brennan (played by Jesse Eisenberg) don whilst working at Adventureland.

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Credit: Styleisblog.com

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The shirt actually plays a fairly significant role in the development of Jesse’s character.

If you’ve seen the movie you know that to be a “Games Guy” is to be the guy who wasn’t cool enough to work on rides. It is to be awkward. It is, as James so eloquently put it, the “Scarlet V” in shirt form.

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Credit: Styleisblog.com

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To make a 107 minutes story short, James ultimately triumphs over the games uniform & all the disgrace that comes with it. In the movie’s final scene Em offers to let him wear the old shirt. James contemplates it for a moment before flinging it behind him.

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Credit: Styleisblog.com

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It’s cute, kitschy, & a little self-deprecating. NerdyShirts is selling it for just under twenty bucks. You’re welcome.

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Sunday was a day of rest.  We spent the day sitting in front my parent’s fireplace reading,

and having tea, crumpets, oatmeal bars, and dried fruit and nuts.

It was freezing cold (hence why we huddled next to the fireplace) but the sky was clear and the sunset was amazing.

Little did we know how much we’d appreciate all the relaxation when Monday rolled around.

We’d been planning to go to Disneyland for a while and since Ali and I are both off work and Maya’s school is closed, we figured, why not Monday? 

Most people just drive down to Disney buy tickets at the gate and go from there.  Not us.  Why?  Because we can never do anything the easy way.

Ali began planning and strategizing Christmas Day.  He poured over a number of websites trying to find a deal on tickets (no luck), then memorized the park’s map and selected the attractions we’d be visiting, and finally put together a schedule for the day.  Maya and I were just relieved it included bathroom breaks.

We were told to report at 06:00 hours on Monday morning.  We were too terrified to argue about the early call time.  It doesn’t happen often, but when Ali means business, he means business.  So after cramming some breakfast down our throats, a la GI Jane, Ali treated us to a roller coaster simulation as we went careening down the 5 freeway.  We had not only the car’s GPS telling us where to go, but Ali frequently consulted his iPhone GPS too.  One can never have too many directions. Meanwhile, in the backseat Maya looked a little green but she knew deep down there were not going to be any stops, no matter what.  I’m pleased to note she was too scared to throw up.

Forty minutes later Maya and I were a bit shaken but happy to be at Disneyland with no visible scars.  The park was fully decked out for Christmas:

Ali wasn’t able to appreciate the decor due to his furious pace through Main Street.  I could barely keep up but was still able to catch a bit of his muttering that he didn’t understand how other people had gotten there before us.

We made our way through a bunch of rides in an hour and a half because there was absolutely no wait.  At that point I had to hand some kudos to Ali for making us get there early.  It nearly killed me. 

Pirates of the Caribbean, Teacups, Dumbo, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride were some of Maya’s favorite rides.

Ali stopped checking his watch to smile for this picture, but then we were a few seconds late for Toon Town.

Luckily we all agreed it was overrated so we were able to leave Toon Town a minute or two early to make up for the photo opportunity.

“No more pictures, Mama.”

Once our bootleg snacks were finished Ali and Maya demanded lunch.  By this time we stopped congratulating ourselves on picking a slow day to be at the Happiest Place on Earth and started worrying that soon there wouldn’t be enough room for us to walk. 

After a number of attempts to find a restaurant without a 45 minute wait or hot dogs on the menu, we found the Blue Bayou.  I truly had no illusions that this restaurant would be good, after all, where can you get decent food at an amusement park? 

I ordered the Cajun Salmon with rice and vegetables and am pleased to say it was excellent!  The salmon was cooked to perfection and had a nice, spicy kick to it.  I didn’t eat much of the rice but the vegetables were good too.  Even better was that they sent the chef out to personally speak with me when I requested no butter/cheese.  It was amazing that they not only accommodated my food allergies but were so nice in the process.

After lunch we headed to Autopia so Maya could drive.  I wasn’t too surprised when we hit traffic.

And naturally, in that traffic we saw a girl doing her lipstick.

Again, not surprised.

We felt warm and fuzzy after visiting It’s a Small World:

We overpaid for some face painting:

Rode some germy horses:

And some of us consumed a ridiculous amount of ice cream with our germy hands:

By this time I was fading fast…too many people, too chilly, and I was way too tired.  So we made one last stop to buy some new ears:

And then drove home and collapsed.  I was hoping that Maya’s Disney adventure would tire her out for a few days but this morning she woke up bright and early and asked, “What are we doing today, Mama?”

I have no idea, Maya.  I have no idea.

Digital Marketing-3D Winter Wonderland

In this Christmas, Leovation powered by Total Immersion provided a web application for the world famous theme park to promote “A Sparkling Christmas – Winter Wonderland”, which taking place from November 20 till January 3, 2010. Visitors can live an AR experience with Small World and Castle in 3D on the website by just simply download the application, print out the e-Cards and then the 3D Winter Wonderland will come to life!  It allows the audience to interact with different scenes of the theme park on any computers equipped with a webcam right in their home and shares it with others in Facebook.

…when you thought the lights were amazing

I do, it was yesterday

Apollo Global Management agrees to acquire Cedar Fair. The $2.4-billion deal total includes refinancing of Cedar Fair’s debt, Apollo says.

By Hugo Martín and Tom Petruno
Los Angeles Times

The $2.4-billion buyout of Knott’s Berry Farm’s parent company by a private equity firm may be a sign of confidence in the future of theme parks, analysts said Thursday.Apollo Global Management agreed late Wednesday to acquire Cedar Fair, the Sandusky, Ohio, company that owns Knott’s in Buena Park and 10 other amusement parks, seven water parks and five hotels in the U.S. and Canada.

The deal, including the assumption of debt, follows a poor summer for Cedar Fair — the recession clipped park attendance. The company also said in a Nov. 3 earnings report that attendance had continued to fall in October.

Still, theme park consultants and others who follow the industry say the deal relieves Cedar Fair of debt pressure brought on when the company bought the Paramount Parks chain in 2006.

“It’s good news that they no longer have this debt hanging over them,” said Robert Niles, editor of a website on theme park news and a former Disney theme park host.

Dennis Speigel, president of industry consulting firm International Theme Park Services Inc., said that by investing in Cedar Fair, Apollo Global Management has shown it believes theme parks will be profitable in the future.

“It says that [the equity] group feels we have bottomed out as an industry,” he said.

Although theme parks nationwide will probably continue to offer discounts next year to attract guests, Speigel believes the discounts will be smaller as the economy slowly rebounds.

The deal is the second time this fall that a private equity firm has ventured into the theme park business. In October, Blackstone Group agreed to buy the entertainment business of Anheuser-Busch InBev

, which includes the SeaWorld attractions in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando, Fla., as well as the Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla., and Williamsburg, Va.

Besides Knott’s Berry Farm, Cedar Fair’s 11 amusement parks include Cedar Point in Ohio, Kings Dominion in Virginia and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.

New York-based Apollo, led by Leon Black, said it would pay $11.50 a share for Cedar Fair. The stock on Thursday soared $2.12, or 23%, to close at $11.20. Shares had plunged as low as $6.10 last month after Cedar Fair said Nov. 3 that revenue for the first nine months of the year fell nearly 8% from a year earlier, to $811 million.

The buyout price is about one-third of what Cedar Fair was worth at its peak share price of $35.71 in 2004.

The stock will cost Apollo about $635 million. Apollo said the $2.4-billion deal total includes refinancing of the company’s debt.

Cedar Fair’s heavy debt load has been a source of worry for the company’s equity investors. Crushing debt pushed one of its rivals, Six Flags Inc., to file for bankruptcy protection in June.

Cedar Fair Chief Executive Dick Kinzel said that after considering a range of alternatives, the company decided that the Apollo deal was in the best interest of shareholders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Merrill Lynch & Co., Barclays Capital, UBS Investment Bank and KeyBanc Capital Markets agreed to provide nearly $2 billion in financing commitments for the buyout, Apollo said.

Roy Edward Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose commitment to his uncle’s creative spirit spurred him to play a key role in the revival of the studio’s legendary animation unit, died Wednesday. He was 79.
Mr. Disney, who had been battling stomach cancer died in Newport Beach, Calif., according to a spokesman for his company Shamrock Holdings.

“i met joan sloane in a crowded amusement park back in ‘63. her hair was inconsequential and her eyes said nothing about her soul. i approached her with a peevishness long used by my forefathers to attract women. as i got closer, i noticed her teeth immediately. her canines were alsatian. to my surprise, my attempt to mask my rude interruption as her rude interruption didn’t work as well as it had in the past. but she smiled hungrily nonetheless and handed me a business card, embossed and ensconced in her pocket. i left immediately, of course, and returned home. i hurriedly dialled the number and was greeted by the following recorded message:

it began when i left newport pagnell for the final time. life had become far too scenic by this point. i mean, every day contained another ’scene’, another set piece of my own construction – a carefully planned argument, a well-timed withdrawal from emotional elaboration…it was exhausting and ultimately unsatisfying. so, when i should have gone home, i decided to keep walking. my cat had died a month ago so i had no one left to take care of. i walked through the city, then the surburbs, the countryside after that and arrived at an airport. when i got there i boarded a plane. on the other side i continued to walk, through the countryside, the suburbs and the city. i haven’t stopped yet and, while i can’t say i never will, i’m not looking for a reason to go home again.”

I have just been informed of the death of Roy E. Disney,79.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/roy-e-disney-who-became-a-power-at-his-uncle-walts-studio-dies-at-79/

Roy was the son of Disney Studios business mastermind Roy Disney Sr., who was the brother and business partner of  Walt Disney. He died Wednesday in Newport Beach following a year-long battle with stomach cancer.  For more biographical history of Mr. Disney, click here-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_E._Disney

As an ex-Disney Feature Animation employee during the ”Oliver and Company” and ”Little Mermaid” days, I would often run in to Mr Disney around the studio, and sometimes he would join in on conversations with the animators and chat it up just like one of the guys.

I directly benefited from his leadership in the resurgence of Disney 2 D animation during those days, which have been heralded as the second ”golden period” for Disney 2 D animation.

I also witnessed Roy in a fight against the corporation, that was dedicated to ruining the Disney Feature animation division, and the dismantling of our 2 D animation department, that was the reason for the worldwide success of the Disney brand.

Over the years, I also saw Roy Disney being a tremendously loyal person.

He was so loyal, I like to tell people, that he even bought his favorite restaurant, The Smoke House- 4420 West Lakeside Drive, Burbank, CA‎ – (818) 845-3731‎, when they had planned on closing due to the lack of business that they had experienced there.

Smoke House Restaurant...one of Roy Disney favorites

As a long time residence of Toluca Lake, I appreciated that gesture, because it was and continues to be one of my all time favorite restaurants as well.It’s definetly great for lunch, and a traditional place for  those of us in the animation industry to meet and drink at.

I also remember Roy, chain-smoking at a company wide meeting, and letting us know how happy he was that our movie ”Oliver and Company” opened up so successfully, and then giving the whole crew a substantial financial bonus, in honor of the success of the movie at the box office.

The history and biography of the life and times of Roy Disney will be reported on, quite extensively by others in the media, in the coming days, so I will give my own point of view on Mr.Disney.

Roy Disney was an adventurer, and owned yachts, and several fast cars.

My favorite one was his 1955 Ford Thunderbird, and I just loved the restoration he had done on that car…I wanted one badly.

Once I had the opportunity to talk with him about the car, and he was in to it.

He must have lived around the area, because I would pass by him on my drive home on Forest Lawn Drive, which is a two lane winding country like road. A couple of times at a stop light, he recognized me, and he would give me a thumbs up greeting, and then he pealed out, and then so did I.

His 1955 T-Bird was a little bit faster than my car, but I am a pretty good driver, and I do not get scared, but let me tell you all, Roy Disney was all about racing.

He beat me every time, and I always would tell my friend Phil Young, who also liked to race dangerously on city streets, that I let him win because he was the boss, but Phil knew Roy for several years, and he knew what Roy was capable of in the racing department.

Those were fun times, and that is just a small slice of the spirit of this great man.I bet he was a fun dad, uncle, and family member.He certainly was a great man to work for.

I was always impressed by how Mr Disney would treat us animators with respect, and I always felt that he truly respected all of us, and considered himself a part of our team, which he was.

I salute Roy Disney, and all the great things he has done with his life. He could have just gone off and become a spoiled rich kid, but interestingly enough, he elected to work with all of us at the studio.

I remember the first time I met him, he shook my hand, and I just remember how much he resembled Walt Disney, it was profound.

With his Shamrock Holdings company, and all the advances he made for 2 D animation, I would like his family to know that he will truly be missed.

When it all comes to an end, just know that Roy Disney was a good man, and his loyalty, and fun that he brought to us all, made a lot of people successful and happy.

I salute you Mr Roy Disney.

Sources-

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/12/roy-disney-walts-nephew-has-died-at-79/1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/16/report-roy-disney-nephew-_n_394563.html

coney by canstruction

aluminum cans were the only items used to create this cyclone, wonder wheel + parachute jump

from the sda website :

Canstruction® is an international charity competition where architects, engineers, contractors and students they mentor, compete to design and build giant structures made entirely from full cans of food. At the close of the competition all of the food from the New York City competition [was] donated to City Harvest

neat!

Fake and Total Immersion would like to congratulate Cossette for being recognized at the annual  Boomerang Awards for the Molson Dry augmented reality campaign.  Fake has once again been recognized for its innovative work and the successful execution of the Molson Dry augmented reality campaign. This project has received recognition through countless articles, and has been nominated as a finalist in the London International Awards.

Although this technological accomplishment has created worldwide buzz, it is the comparison of its visual quality, and artistic innovation to the rest of the graphic world that largely influenced the perception of this campaign. Mato Atom, who also directed the TV spot, contributed enormously to this project. For the past five years, Fake has been a leader in the constant evolution of interactive technologies, from feature films, to commercials, and visual effects for leading American producers. Mato Atom and Anthony Furlong are both available for contracts exclusively in Canada through Fake.  

Molson Dry’s “Ready Bottle” Ad Campaign – A North American First.

The television campaign is composed of three 15-second clips conceived around a ground-breaking feature known as “augmented reality” (AR). Overcoming several technological barriers, a research and development cycle endowed Fake with the tools needed to satisfy the client’s expectations. Amongst these is a custom-built video recorder allowing web-surfers to transmit their videos over the internet, where the campaign’s contagion continues to spread. In addition, the AR platform also works with Apple’s Mac operating system, once again a first for Fake and the Total Immersion technology.

Fake, which has elected to position itself as a leader in visual effects design and technological research, has signed up director Mato Atom, best known for his irreverent graphical style. Fake has been developing its partnerships and expertise for over a decade and its projects regularly receive national and international critical acclaim.

Total Immersion has confirmed its position as leader in the field of augmented reality through the launch of new kind of interactive attraction using mobility and augmented reality. This new attraction developed in cooperation with Hanwa Co. (Japan) is a state of the art walk through where guests are swept in an experience merging videogame and real live adventure.

Before entering in the attraction, guests are equipped with a backpack and a video gun (with an infrared camera, one LCD display and a trigger). Guests have to use the video gun to progress inside the horror house and find ghosts. As soon as the ghost is found, guests have to shoot it to collect point and succeed their mission. Augmented Reality permits to have very impressive scenario like a videogame for this kind of attraction. Guests are totally free of movements inside the ghost house.

“We’re demonstrating the magical ability of augmented reality to capture visitors’ attention and imagination,” said Bruno Uzzan, CEO, Total Immersion. “Guests experience real time interaction with augmented reality content — and are pulled into real life videogame, dynamically.”

This new kind of attraction has been especially developed for Family Entertainment Centres, Shopping Mall and Pay per Ride Parks. This new concept benefits of a high marketable price and revisit rates especially with teens and gamers audience. Hanwa Co. provides turn key project including design and hardware supply and Total Immersion develops Augmented Reality Software.

Photo credit : Hanwa/Total Immersion

Today we took a little road trip to Hershey, PA, to see the Christmas lights. The weather was rainy and cold, but that didn’t stop us. We bundled up the kids and headed out. The boys and Kameran had a blast, and so did the grown-ups. While visiting the Hershey candy museum, we took a little “how we make chocolate” tour, with singing cows and swirling chocolate. Alex thoroughly enjoyed the ride…

A decade ago, the Jerudong amusement park was the main destination for visitors of all ages. The admission fee was free and featuring lavish rides.But after a few years, the entrance fee was imposed to help to boost the park’s income. This reportedly put off domestic visitors who complained that many of the rides were closed despite the charge, or were dangerous and run-down. Since then, the Park has undergone investment in both rides and facilities.

The Jerudong Park official has announced to the public that the Park will once again open its doors to visitors starting on December 12, 2009. All rides are offered at a discounted fare. The playground offers rides such as carousel, the paddle boats, junior & adult bumper cars, the Orbiter, the Caterpillar and Super Karts.

“We have new garden features and we have revived the waterfall feature near shooting gallery. We have done a lot of reshaping of the landscape with new tree features and rock gardens,” informed Wilhelm A Bayona, JP’s Family Entertainment & Events Coordinator. In the future, there is a possibility of wedding being held in the gardens, he added.

Admission fee:

Free

B$8 family ticket for 5 rides OR B$10 family ticket for 8 rides.

Operating hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Sundays- 4p.m to 10.30p.m

Friday & Saturday- 2pm to midnight

Why should we take 6 Flags coupons? Aside from the discount that you can get, you can also see the best rides and attractions earlier than the peak season when most people go. In this way you can see the entire top and most awaited rides before the park becomes packed with people that makes your waiting hours longer than the number of rides that you have tried.

Since, 6Flags is the largest regional park in North America, different types of discounts and offers are offered depending on the park location. This type of visiting will let you enjoy the theme parks on different locations since each amusement park has their own perks and rides unique from each one. So, if you plan to visit a theme park, check out first if there are any coupons or discounts offered through their website.

Country music artist Kellie Pickler will headline the first concert event for Country Crossing Alabama on Dec. 12.
The event, which will also include performances by Houston County and Matt Kennon, is a fundraiser for the Wiregrass Area United Way Food Bank, but it is not being considered the grand opening event for Country Crossing, which is slated to open Dec. 1.

Combining music with a good cause is what Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley said patrons of the country music destination development can expect.

“This is not only our first concert, but it is also our first opportunity to give back to the Wiregrass community that has supported our project so faithfully,” Gilley said by way of a press release. “We have been blessed throughout our endeavor here and look forward to establishing Country Crossing as a first-class country music entertainment destination with many more shows to come.”

The fundraiser was put together this week after Ronnie Gilley Properties Communications Director Doug Rainer met with Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker to select a beneficiary for the first event.

Food Bank Special Projects Coordinator Julie Gonzalez said she was thrilled when Parker called her.

“This is going to be a huge boost to our holiday supply,” said Gonzalez. “During the holiday season, 75 percent of the food bank’s annual distribution takes place – during the months of October, November and December. This year will be a record year for the food bank. Demand is up over 30 percent over last year because of the economic downturn and recession.”

Parker said the fundraiser also helps all those agencies which depend on the food bank for food supplies.

“It seemed like a great opportunity to help so many agencies that the Wiregrass Food Bank serves. This is a good opportunity to complement and enhance the efforts of the food bank.”

Tickets are available from the Wiregrass Area United Way Food Bank, 382 Twitchell Road, Nov. 2 – Nov. 13 for $5 or five cans of food.

“We are getting 5,000 tickets, so we have the potential to collect 25,000 cans,” Gonzalez said. “We hope for a good turnout. I watched Kellie Pickler when she was on American Idol. I hope she has a big draw.”

The event will be held in the outdoor amphitheater Celebrity Station at Country Crossing, located on U.S. 231 south of Dothan.

Pickler, who finished sixth on season five of the FOX reality show American Idol, has recorded two albums, with the first going gold and producing three top 15 hits. She has won numerous awards for her 2007 song, “I Wonder,” the song she wrote about her mother, who abandoned her when she was two years old.

Pickler also took the stage with Kid Rock during this year’s BamaJam Festival in Enterprise, which is also a Ronnie Gilley production.

Houston County is a local band featuring Zack and Adam Hooper and John Milldrum. They also performed at BamaJam during its inaugural year and this past summer. The trio have been in Dothan recently filming their first music video for the group’s first single, “I Can’t Make it Rain.”

Matt Kennon, who recently signed to BamaJam Records, is receiving a lot of attention for his debut single, “The Call,” which was produced by James Stroud, a partner in Country Crossing.

Country Crossing To Add Randy Owen Venue

Dothan, Alabama – The Country Crossing development at Dothan has opened with country music star Randy Owen announcing that a new venue bearing his name is in the works.

With city officials, country stars and developers on hand, the $87 million electronic bingo and entertainment center opened Tuesday. It features the bingo hall, restaurants, an ampitheater, a recreational vehicle park and a bed and breakfast named for George Jones.

Owen, who gained fame with the band Alabama, said phase two at Country Crossing includes the Randy Owen My Home’s in Alabama Family Entertainment Center.

The opening phase includes an electronic bingo hall with 1,700 machines that backers say are legal games under new state Supreme Court standards. Houston County’s sheriff says he’s taking a wait-and-see attitude about the games.