For more information on tickets, operating hours, attractions and more, hop over to Schlitterbahn.com.

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We'll start off with the Calico Mine Ride. Not only did we get a special treat when Bill and Garner from Garner Holt Productions presented some details about the refurbishment, but we also got a walk-through of a portion of the attraction. 

Safety first!!! 

Garner and Bill speaking to the assembled guests

Below is some concept art that was provided by the park, truly remarkable. 

They also provided us with some historical pictures of the mine ride including this one of the ride under construction

One of my favorites featuring Bud Hurlbut on one of the trains in 1960

We even got a sneak peek at some of the animatronics Garner Holt Productions is working on. As you'll recall, they did the Timber Mountain Log Ride animatronics last year and we all know how awesome that turned out. 

Calico Mine Ride Animatronics > The entirety of the new Robocop movie

Once the presentation was complete we were led over to the Mine for our tour

The work being done both inside and outside the mine is staggering.

Portions of the exterior have been completely sandblasted and repainted

They also had one of the refurbished and repainted trains out for us to see

Time to head into the mine

Our tour guide Kelley. Like most people at Knott's you can tell he loves his job. 

We got to see the first cavern and long time fans of the ride are going to be quite happy. After a long absence, the steam in this room is back. And you can feel it thanks to an all new boiler. 

A peek down the track towards the maintenance bay

And lastly, a look at some of the guys working on the Glory Hole (insert joke here)

The tentative date for the Calico Mine Ride is June 14. Once the reopening is officially announced we will be sure to let you know. 

Next, lets take a look at what's coming to Camp Snoopy. The area is getting a complete overhaul and it's going to look better than ever. The park is taking the time to turn the area back into it's original theme which was High Sierra. So gone are the race cars and giant skateboards because, as the park said, what's so High Sierra about that? 

Just like with the Mine Ride, the park has provided some great artwork and history of Camp Snoopy. The picture below might be one of my all-time favorite pictures. It's Charles Schulz with Marion and Virginia Knott. 

And Charles Schulz with Snoopy 30 years ago. 

There's so much going on in Camp Snoopy right now, hopefully I'll be able to place all the pictures with the proper artwork from Knott's. 
The first thing that really makes the refurbishment of the area stand out is all new signs for the attractions. Gone are printed signs and in their place are all-new hand made and hand painted ones. 

I think this one was my favorite. Snoopy looks fat and tired after working out, kind of like me. =)

GR8 Sk8 has been removed and in it's place will be a complete meet and greet area for the Peanuts Characters. Great idea!!! 

In addition to the new rides, the Grizzly Creek Lodge is getting a complete makeover for the first time since it opened. 

Below is what Grizzly Creek Lodge looked like 30 years ago

Let's take a look at the other improvements for Camp Snoopy and the three new rides

The biggest news from today was that the Grand Sierra Railroad is going to feature Peanuts characters and will be narrated by none other the Linus. We got to catch a bit of the new narration and there were smiles all around. 

A look at the Franklin, Sally and Woodstock figures. The big circle things they are holding will be butterfly nets. These are also being created by Garner Holt Productions. 

Let's take a look at where the three new rides are going, starting with Linus Launcher. I'm going to be 100% honest, I'm not sure what exactly is going where but I think this is a pretty good guess. 

In addition to the new ride in this area a new ADA ramp is being made for the Balloon Race. 

The construction area for Pig Pens Mud Buggies and Charlie Brown's Kite Flight

Lastly, Lucy's Tugboat has lost it's tugboat theme (because what's so High Sierra about a Tugboat) and has been renamed Rapid River Run. Looks great!! 

I have to admit, even though my children are far older than the target demographic for Camp Snoopy I'm truly excited about the amount of love and care is going into this project. I can't wait to see everything done this summer!!!

Just a couple of pictures completing our Berry Bloom coverage from Monday. We spent so much time eating we missed a couple of things. 

Great Boysenberry Festival shirts!! 

A look at some of the other merchandise available. I thought I was buying a magnet, turns out it was a coaster (I thought it seemed kind of heavy). Now I have a new coaster for my desk!!! 

I wish I could take credit for this, but it's all Dan from Westcoaster. I did ask for permission to steal the idea. ;)

Apparently there are giant topiary's at the topiary wine tasting garden. ;)

Lastly, the Bumper Cars have been renamed to Bumper Bugs for the spring, cute idea. 

That's going to wrap it up for this update. Thanks again to Knott's for inviting us to their event. We are hoping to make it out to Berry Bloom one last time before the even is over, but don't forget, the event runs only until April 27, so make sure you go!!!

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You can read all about the magazine article here. 

As a husband and father I was pretty upset by the entire thing, a magazine that is supposed to be promoting a good "Self" image of women is ridiculing them. People run for different reasons. Not everybody is going to run a marathon in 3 hours, not everybody is going to qualify for the Boston Marathon or even wants to. People run for different charities, for loved ones who can't or just to have a great time. But out of something like this came a great awareness of the real issue and the charity behind the above picture, Girls on the Run. 

So I decided that in a show of support I'd wear a Tutu for the Hollywood Half Marathon. And then I got the idea to dress up as a Minion in a Tutu. Not soon after a few friends said that if I did and got photographic proof that they would make a donation to Girls on the Run. How could I say no? 

And here's the proof. =)

So here's my story. 

As a member of Team Superhero my duty is to promote Superhero Events to the best of my ability. Why I chose to be a member of Team Superhero has to do with two people, Ken and Sabrina Nwadike. I first met Ken while running the Santa 2 the Sea Half Marathon in 2011. He was pushing his infant son in a stroller and despite having to stop a few times to tend to his son, he passed me more than once and we shared a kind word each time and then we spent a few minutes talking at the finish. 

Little did I know he was the Race Director for the Hollywood Half Marathon that I had recently signed up for. Ken and I became Facebook friends and as soon as Team Superhero began he asked me to join. The thing that makes Ken and Sabrina's events so great are their sense of community and that most of their races are about "fun". Sure people are competitive, sure there are elite runners but these two have a way of letting every runner know they are important. 

So while I would normally wear a "Team Superhero" shirt for this race, it was quickly accepted by our "team" that me wearing a Tutu was a great representation of what Team Superhero is all about. 

Below, "Team Superhero" at the Hollywood Half Marathon. As you can see we aren't your normal running team. 

After leaving the house at some ungodly early hour we made our way to the start line and the person who's usually in the background, maybe taking a few pictures with friends was all of a sudden getting asked repeatedly to get their picture taken. 

Once the race started I was purely in "business" mode. I wanted to prove to Self Magazine that the Tutu wasn't going to make me faster per se', but it sure wasn't going to make me slower. 

Then something began to happen. For the first 9 miles of the race I was setting a Personal Record (PR). And not just by 2 or 3 minutes, by 10 minutes. I was on pace to completely shatter my PR. 

But then something else started to happen, something that was VERY "Team Superhero". You see, Ken introduced a new thing for this years race, they are called "Course Angels". Basically these 5 amazing people were out there to encourage the runners. Not the ones at the front who always get the cheers, but the ones in the middle of the pack and at the back who always cross the finish line well after the hoopla of the winners is over. 

They brought a party atmosphere to the course that had a lot of switch-backs, and a lot of chances to see the same people over and over. 

Even though I wasn't a course angel, seeing a 6'1" guy running in a Tutu isn't something common and people started asking to take pictures with me. On any normal run when I was on pace to shatter my PR I would have been annoyed, but that wasn't the point of this day. I was there to have fun, and have fun I did. The last 4 miles I took pictures with a lot of different people. I have gotten comments on Facebook to this day of "Hey, I saw you and you helped me keep my pace". 

At the end of the day I needed the official course angels to encourage me at the end and finished the race about 20 minutes slower than my PR. But it was the most fun I've ever had during a race. 

To make up for it I did set a PR in a 10k I ran the very next day. 

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We arrived in the early afternoon and checked in at the front of the park. The park provided us with coupons to check out some of the food options and the wine tasting event. 

The decorations added for the event are great. 

There was so much to see we actually missed some even though we were at the park for over 9 hours. We'll be sure to report on the rest when we get back to the park soon. 

Colossal Carrots!!! 

Over in the Boardwalk area the park has placed some oversized flowers and some fun games for kids to play. 

Is it just me or does this look like a Schwarzkopf coaster? 

Sally playing some "Big Boardwalk Games" seemed to be a very popular thing. 

Charleston Fountain has also been converted into a stage for the "Bloomination Dance Party" that begins after sunset. 

Most of the Berry Bloom activities take place in Ghost Town and you can spend hours eating your way through the area. 

The park has also recreated the original Berry Stand where you can buy and take home your own Boysenberry plant. 

Let's take a look at some of the food options that are available for Berry Bloom. This isn't all the food the park has to offer and we'll be sure to try the rest when we are back at the event. You can only eat so much in one day. =)

We'll start off in the Calico Saloon

The absolute best value is the "Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card" which allows you to try 6 of the special treats for only $20. 

Events like these give you a chance to try some food you wouldn't normally try and I'm happy to announce that all of the treats at Knott's were a hit!!!

Below some Chocolate covered Boysenberry Glazed bacon and a Chocolate Covered Jalapeño stuffed with Boysenberry Cream Cheese. Both were excellent and the Jalapeño was an unexpected treat. 

Next we tried the "Deep Fried Boysenberry Ice Cream" balls. We were thinking they were going to be the size of a golf ball. 

As you can see they were the size of a softball and were absolutely delicious. 

Flank Steak with Boysenberry Sauce

This was our first opportunity to taste the specially made Boysenberry Glaze that is on many of the food options at the event. I've had a lot of good BBQ sauces, I've tried to make homemade BBQ sauce, but this sauce is honestly one of the best I've ever tried. 

Everything we tried with "The Sauce" was absolutely amazing. I'm generally not a fan of things smothered in sauce but I didn't mind at all. 

The employees working the food booths not only did a great job preparing the food but also were very outgoing and actually knew a lot of the history of the Boysenberry. They added a lot to the experience. 

Wings smothered in "The Sauce". This was probably my son's favorite thing of the day. 

Corn on the Cob with Boysenberry Butter. It really brought out the sweetness in the corn. 

Waffle on a Stick. This was VERY good but turned out to be the longest line of the day (almost 40 minutes). The process they were using to make them "fresh" was appreciated, but when you have a line of 15 people, making 1 waffle instead of 4 at a time (which they can do) isn't worth it. 

Being the first day of the event we're willing to give them a pass here but hopefully they'll come up with a better process for these. 

One of the things we were most interested to try was the Deep Fried Alligator Bites with Boysenberry Aioli from the Calico Fry Co.  

It was actually VERY good and tasted a lot like Fried Calamari. My son actually wanted more. 

This was one of the very few things at the event that you could walk around or wait in line while eating it. We had ours while in line for Ghostrider. 

The last thing on our list was the Turkey Leg with "The Sauce". You could either get the sauce on the side or over the top of the Turkey Leg. 

After all that food what's one to do except head over for some wine tasting. 

The set-up inside is great and has about 9 different wineries each with about 4 or 5 different types of wines. 

This is one of those things were you need multiple visits to try everything. The price for the tasting also includes an appetizer plate that includes crackers, cheeses, olives, strawberries, pecans and of course boysenberries. 

After you purchase your card you are allowed 6 tastings and you get to pick which ones you'd like to try. 

For those that don't drink wine there is also a beer booth outside that is included as well. You can also bring your kids in as they have lemonade, soda's and berry punch. 

As the sun starts to set the event is still going strong as some of the entertainment kicks into gear including Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies. 

I can't think of another park that looks so great at sunset. 

Signature Shot!! 

Coast Rider at Sunset

Even Boomerang looks good at sunset. =)

Still the best log ride anywhere

After the sun goes down the Bloomination dance party kicks into gear

The Boardwalk area looks great at night

Thank you to Knott's for inviting us out to Berry Bloom, we had a great time and we will definitely be back soon. For more information on Berry Bloom check out www.knotts.com 

Berry Bloom runs until April 27. 

We'll have a general update from Knott's later this week. Stay tuned!! 

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Every April for the past 4 years, SeaWorld Orlando has hosted the Dream Big 5k, to benefit the Dawn Brancheau Foundation.

On this morning, April 12, hundreds of people and many SeaWorld employees who worked with Dawn, gathered at SeaWorld to run or walk and celebrate her life

The first mile of the 5k went around the parking lot, but once that was completed, we entered the park and began at the Bayside path, which is usually where special events take place.

We crossed the bridge back towards the front of the park.

After crossing the bridge we immediately went past the Waterfront shops and restaurants.

The Waterfront is one of the nicest areas of the park, in my opinion, and was great to run through without a huge crowd.

Back at the front of the park, you can see the new sign for the 50th anniversary celebration, right next to Manta.

The flamingos weren't the most enthusiastic cheerleaders as we ran by.

The sun was just starting to rise above Manta.

Over at Dolphin Cove, the dolphins were already playing and ready to start their day.

The newest area of the park, Antarctica, was finally not packed with people and I was able to take a quick look at how nice it looks there.

It isn't a terribly large area, but it's impressive. And Journey to Atlantis makes an appearance in the background.

The last part of the course in the park took us through Shamu's Happy Harbor.

The final mile marker before rounding the corner to the finish line in the parking lot near where we started. 

I should also note that Dawn's brother gave a lovely opening speech before the race began, and some of Dawn's favorite songs were played along the course. It's a really nice tribute to her, and you can see how loved she was.

Some information about this years event: 

Make a Difference Only You Can Make!

Please join us for the 4th Annual Dream Big 5K, a family friendly fun run. The Dawn Brancheau Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children and animals in need, inspiring others to follow their dreams, and promoting the importance of community service.

This year's event proceeds will be used to refurbish our adopted villas at Give Kids the World, purchase farm equipment for the expansion of Dawn's Garden at Edgewood Children's Ranch, buy new bunk beds for the children at Central Florida Children's Home, construct Dawn's Playground for the children at Matthew's Hope, add exercise equipment to Dawn's Play Yard at Osceola County Animal Services, and supply veterinary care and medicines to the dogs at Harbor House Paws for Peace Kennel and Orange County Animal Services. Please help us "Pack the Pick-Ups" by donating new and gently-used running shoes for the homeless men, women, and children serviced by Matthew's Hope.

All participants are invited to join our community service projects taking place at SeaWorld immediately after our event. Volunteers may proceed to Sea Harbor Pavilion to assemble "Doggie Adoption Bags" for the families serviced by Osceola County Animal Services and to assemble "Family Food Bags" to be donated to the families serviced by Matthew's Hope. 

Thanks for all you do to help us keep Dawn's light shining and make our world just a little bit brighter!

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Upcoming Line-up: 

• Tuesday, April 15 – exclusive reveal/performance by the top 12 finalists of “The Voice” (screening of new episode where we learn who the top 12 are then each of them will perform one song)
  


• Wednesday, April 16 – Jason DeRulo concert and Dirty Talk CD signing (concert is free but do need wrist bands for CD signing after the show)
  


• Saturday, April 19 - hip-hop artist Dev and pop/rock singer-songwriter Pia Mia
  


• Saturday, April 26 - indie rock group The Colourist and alternative rock group Ceasefire
  

Universal City, CA (April 7, 2014) – As Los Angeles’ premier outdoor concert destination, “5 Towers” at Universal CityWalk celebrates the return of the “Spring Concert Series” this Friday, April 11, and will include an exclusive performance by the top 12 finalists of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning series “The Voice” on Tuesday, April 15, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  The concert series lineup also features international pop/R&B singer Jason DeRulo in his only scheduled U.S. concert for his new album, “Talk Dirty,” on Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Universal CityWalk’s free “Spring Concert Series” showcases live musical performances from many of today’s emerging and successful artists and will take place throughout April on the following dates: April 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 25 and 26. 

In their debut appearance at “5 Towers,” the top 12 finalists from NBC’s blockbuster vocal competition series, “The Voice,” will take center stage for a concert and screening event on Tuesday, April 15. The identities of these finalists will first be revealed during a special advanced screening of the show’s new episode. The top 12 selected artists will then rock CityWalk with an energetic “5 Towers” performance. Currently filming its sixth season on the Universal Studios lot, “The Voice” showcases some of the strongest vocalists from across the country as they compete for a grand prize of a recording contract and to be recognized as “The Voice.” Hosted by Carson Daly, the innovative performance series features celebrity musicians and coaches, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher.

A global, chart-topping sensation, DeRulo kicks off the debut of his new album, “Talk Dirty,” with a one-night only concert on Wednesday, April 16. Immediately following the performance, fans will have the chance to meet DeRulo and have him sign his newly released album, which also will be available for purchase prior to the concert at CityWalk, beginning at 3:00 p.m. This marks DeRulo’s dynamic return to “5 Towers,” now as the headlining act, following his special guest appearance a few years ago. Opening for DeRulo is hip-hop/pop musician Jake Miller, who is one of MTV’s Artists to Watch Class of 2014.

In addition to “The Voice” and Jason DeRulo, the lineup for the “Spring Concert Series” includes electrifying performances by pop/R&B artist Colby O’Donis and pop group W3 the Future on Saturday, April 12; hip-hop artist Dev and pop/rock singer-songwriter Pia Mia on Saturday, April 19; and indie rock group The Colourist and alternative rock group Ceasefire on Saturday, April 26. 

More information on Universal CityWalk’s upcoming events is available atwww.CityWalkHollywood.com. Regular updates also can be found on CityWalk’s Twitter@CityWalkLA, Facebook page Universal CityWalk Hollywood and Instagram @CityWalkLA.

Universal CityWalk is Southern California's dynamic entertainment, dining and shopping destination that reflects the area’s rich cultural diversity. The iconic open-air leisure and nightlife complex provides “Always Unexpected” entertainment options and has served as a prototype for similar destinations. Universal CityWalk includes the high-tech concert venue, “5 Towers,” L.A.’s best movie-going experience at the Universal Cinemas and unique venues such as the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, Infusion Lounge, iFly indoor skydiving and mechanical bull-riding at Saddle Ranch Chop House.

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