Tomorrow the Knott's Boyselberry Festival begins it's 3rd year and the other night we were invited out for a preview of this years event to try some of the new food, some of the wine vendors and talk with the people who put on the event. Be sure to check out all of the info on the Festival here. Written by Gregg Condon Pictures by Scott Linder and Gregg Condon Before we get started we also put together a little video of the chef's talking about the new food for this year, which was all excellent. After a 3 hour drive it was nice to see this sign and know that good food was close. (Stupid LA Traffic) I think one of the most underrated things about the invention of the Boysenberry Festival has been all of the Berry Market goods that have come along with it. So much stuff to choose from. The Salsa is new and the Boysenberry Chipotle is amazing. The Boysenberry Butter and Mustard are new. Will have to try them tomorrow. Lots of great wine vendors. Being a red wine man myself I didn't try any of the white wine's. I'll have my wife try some of those tomorrow. She'll be heartbroken. =) Before we get started on the food, I just want to commend Knott's and their entire food team for the amazing culinary turnaround they've made the last few years. For those of you long time fans of the park you'll remember that 5 or 6 years ago most of us would actually leave the park to eat. It was typical "theme park food". And now there are just so many great things to eat whether it's Boysenberry Festival or a Tuesday in October. New for this year ... The Fun Stick!!! Boysenberry Cheesecake dipped in Funnel Cake batter and fried ... on a stick. Amazing. Wings with "the sauce". Pulled Pork with "the sauce" and cold slaw. Amazing. Chicken sandwich with Boysenberry Mayo The Boysenberry beer is back, or as seen below, Boysenberry Beer mixed with Berry Cider. Short Ribs!!! Boysenberry Meatballs. They actually had these at a few media events last year and they are pretty amazing. They'd be great on a sandwich. Boysenberry Trifle!!! The Boysenberry Lemonade is VERY tart, but I loved it. The Alligator Bites are back this year And lastly the Boysenberry Panna Cotta which was probably my favorite "dessert" thing that was new this year. It's perfectly made and very creamy and delicious. Next week we'll have our full Boysenberry Festival report including more food, entertainment and more and since we'll be at the park I guess we'll take a look at Ghostrider construction. Don't forget, as the park announced yesterday, Ghostrider will now be opening in June. We do not have a specific date yet. Also don't forget that there will be a Boysenberry Eating Contest tomorrow featuring Joey Chestnut at 2:00pm. Thanks for checking out our Boysenberry Festival preview and if you happen to be going tomorrow let us know, we'd love to say hi. This past Friday we had the great opportunity to get some great backstage tours at Knott's Berry Farm for their 2016 additions including Ghost Town's 75th Anniversary, the Chicken Dinner Restaurant re-do and of course Ghostrider. Check out all the great pictures and video below. Pictures by Matthew Nelson Videos and Written by Gregg Condon UPDATE:: Ghostrider opening has been pushed back to June. We will update when we have a new opening date. Let's start off with a great tour of Ghostrider. Be sure to check out the video below. We got to get up close and personal with the ride and take a look at all the great work they are doing on this amazing coaster. The drop after the mid course brake run has been re-profiled and raised up a bit (you can see the old spot in the below picture) Under the station They've removed some of the steel supports they'd been putting up on the ride the last few years because due to re-profiling of the turns (to give them more banking) they simply don't need it. In addition the Pan for Gold is looking great back in it's original location. Ghostrider will re-open in June. We can't wait!! Opening on May 27th is Ghost Town Alive. Be sure to check out the video below to hear all the great stuff that's coming. It's going to be a lot of fun. Is there a more awesome place to get theme park pictures than Ghost Town? The Barn will feature horses and mules over the summer. The bank will also be back and interactive!! The theater is also getting a lengthy refurb. Moving on, the Calico Saloon is getting a very awesome looking rehab. Again, be sure to check out the video to see and hear all the details on this awesome refurbishment. A look at some of the things they are planning for the inside. An all new bar, sound-system and additional seating. Work is also continuing on the new stage. Lastly, the Chicken Dinner Restaurant ... you can see how much work is going on below. There's also a few other things going on at the park. Riptide has been completely removed. The Flyers are closed for rehab And we'll leave you with some great pics of Knott's, because we can. Enjoy!! We hope you enjoyed this update of some fantastic tours the park was great enough to hold. We can't wait to experience all the great things the park has in store for this summer. But don't forget, the Boysenberry Festival begins in just a few weeks on March 19. We hope to see you there!! Today we're back at Knott's Berry Farm for a LONG overdue look at Ghostrider and the work going on for the 75th Anniversary of Ghost Town. We'll also take a look outside the park at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant and other changes going on in the Marketplace. Written by Gregg Condon Before we get started we wanted to remind you all that the Knott's Pink event is still going on and you can get a ticket to the park all while supporting a wonderful charity. All of the information on the event can be found here. Ghostrider is still closed while it undergoes it's massive renovation. To read more about all the work being done on Ghostrider and Ghost Town for the 75th click here. Lots of walls around the ride But they really aren't hiding anything as we can just walk down to the other end and see all the great work they are doing. =) Sorry for the brightness in some of these pics, it was a VERY bright day. Since most of the ride is located outside the park we can definitely see more from this side. All of that track is new Those of us who remember Ghostrider when it first opened are so excited, and those of you who didn't are definitely in for a treat when it reopens. No opening date has been announced yet however. Close up view of all the amazing work they are doing. Can't wait to see those new trains flying around the track. Back inside the park, work on the Pan For Gold is moving along. It'll be nice to have it back where it belongs. The rest of Ghost Town is also getting some work done in preparations for the 75th. The Saloon is completely behind tarps. While we can't tell how much is being re-done from the looks of the shadows it looks like most of the structure is gone. Some of the wood framing has been replaced. Sadly due to the 75th the Haunt Museum is closed and if rumors are to be believed it looks like it may not be coming back. Let's hope it does come back in some form as it is a big part of Ghost Town's history. The Calico Stage is still up The new stage isn't up yet. Plus they've taken away the spot where we could get pics from the candy store. =) Outside the park, work on the new Starbucks is proceeding. It is going to be located where the Dreyers Ice Cream was. You can read more about the Starbucks here. Lots of work going on for the big renovation of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant and new bar (which we are very excited for). As you can see the work here is quite extensive. Walls extend all the way into the Marketplace. It's a good thing they made those walkways bigger when they took out the parking on Grand Ave. Fear not, you can still get your Chicken To Go. Let's hope the Cable Car Kitchen comes back when the CDR reopens. We love that place. Back inside the park, guess we should share a coaster pic in this update. =) There's still one train you can ride in Orange County. =) Timber Mountain Log Ride was closed for refurbishment but did reopen this past Friday. Yay!! Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this update. We'll be back at Knott's soon to look more at Ghostrider and the rest of the great work going on in Ghost Town. |
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