One-of-a-kind coaster combines family thrills with historic storytelling BRANSON, Mo. (3-27-24) — The largest family roller coaster in the Heartland, Fire In The Hole, is set to open this Saturday, March 30 at the internationally-awarded Silver Dollar City theme park. Today, media from across the country "answered the call" to experience their first rides on the new family coaster as part of a media preview at the 1880s theme park in the heart of the Ozarks At over 32,000 square feet, Fire In The Hole represents the 1880s theme park's single-largest attraction investment to date — a nearly 3-minute long ride, retelling an account of the night the real town Silver Dollar City now sits on was burnt to the ground. Integral to the ride's story, "volunteers" are asked to board their very own "pumper" — an 1880s steam-powered, firefighting wagon — and save the burning town from the notorious vigilantes, The Baldknobbers. 14 iconic show scenes are paired with 3 gravity-driven drops, while the journey ends with a surprise, quick water-splash finale. The final product is a result of years of collaboration with Idaho's Rocky Mountain Construction and Herschend Creative Studios. "Fire In The Hole is truly one-of-a-kind," said Duane Marden, founder of the Roller Coaster Database, a worldwide database with statistics on over 10,000 roller coasters and counting from around the world. "The ride combines a family coaster experience all can enjoy with indoor elements illustrating the history of this area, all in a massive building that ends with a water splash. There's nothing like it anywhere and will be an absolute must-ride every visit." True to the theme park's 1880s roots, the new coaster recounts the story of a real night in Ozark Mountain history when the mining town of Marmaros — the once-real town Silver Dollar City now resides on and inspiration for the park's theme — was burned to the ground by the Baldknobbers. This new coaster follows in the legendary footsteps of the original Fire In The Hole, a 51-year-old coaster that held final rides on Dec. 30, 2023, after hosting over 25 million riders since 1972. Now, housed in a 5-story, temperature-controlled building, the new family coaster will always be open regardless of the day's weather and temperature. "Fire In The Hole is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the men and women who work here at Silver Dollar City," said Brad Thomas, President of the Silver Dollar City Company. "Work on this massive addition started back in 2021, with planning much before that. They have poured tens of thousands of hours into this project, and their craftsmanship can be seen in every nook of this ride, from the queue line and coaster building, all the way to the hand-painted backdrops and lush foliage." Effectively doubling the size of one The City's most popular areas, Fire In The Hole is the new centerpiece in the newly incorporated Fire District. Additionally located in The Fire District is Sadie's Pretzel Cafe, an all-new restaurant serving handmade pretzels, pretzel dogs and pretzel sandwiches. Plus, just across the street, the new Flanders Dry Goods offers a line of "Flanders-branded" merchandise, connecting the store location back to Fire In The Hole's rich lore. "This new Fire In The Hole continues our mission of creating memories worth repeating, as we look to always improve the experience for our guests and towards the future of our park," said Thomas. "This coaster, just like the original, ensures the whole family makes lasting memories for the foreseeable future, and the only place you can ride something like this is Silver Dollar City." Today, heralded as the "first" ceremonial coaster train, firefighters from Stone County and neighboring Taney County made up the ride's first batch of "volunteers" in honor of their heroic actions in 2021 that saved The City from a fire of its own. Thanks to those actions, no serious injuries were sustained and the fire was contained to just three buildings. Fire In The Hole marks the beginning of an action-packed summer this year at Silver Dollar City, with the park's Summer Celebration kicking off June 8, with extended nighttime hours starting July 13 with Summer Nights, all the way through August 4. And, there's plenty of fun between now and then, too, as this spring The City celebrates the final year of Street Fest from April 11-29. Then, Bluegrass & BBQ from May 2-27, awarded "Top Bluegrass Event" by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Related Videos
Related Updates
Nickelodeon Universe® at Mall of America® celebrates the opening of ‘Fly with Appa,’ new ride based on Avatar: The Last Airbender Prepare for liftoff at Nickelodeon Universe® as we introduce the iconic theme park’s newest addition, 'Fly with Appa.’ Based off the popular Nickelodeon franchise, Avatar: The Last Airbender, guests can climb aboard their very own sky bison and take to the skies. These loyal and loving creatures use airbending to navigate air currents with their tails, allowing them to fly. Surrounded by serene trees and plant life, riders will embark on a majestic journey feeling the rush of the skies while enjoying stunning aerial views as they travel up, down, and all around. ABOUT MALL OF AMERICA® At 5.6 million square feet, Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America with up to 520 world-class retail stores and restaurants; Nickelodeon Universe, a 7-acre indoor theme park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium; FlyOver America; Crayola Experience; and more. The Mall opened in 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and adjacent to MSP International Airport. Follow Mall of America on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Listen to So Much More – a Mall of America podcast, on all major platforms or watch on YouTube. Download the Mall of America app from the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android. ABOUT AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender emerged from its three-season run (61 episodes), from February 2005 to July 2008, as one of the most beloved animated properties in history. Honored with a Peabody Award and Primetime Emmy, along with multiple Annie Awards and Genesis Awards, the series follows the adventures of the main protagonist Aang and his friends, who must defeat Fire Lord Ozai and end the Hundred Year War to restore balance to the Four Nations. In addition to the series’ success, the property has also been translated into several bestselling book series, which continue to roll out new original stories. The graphic novel series has sold over 3M copies, and the young adult novels have spent 25 total weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and have over 700,000 copies in print. The Home Entertainment category has also been incredibly successful, generating nearly $65MM in global retail sales across digital and physical media since 2015. In 2024, Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert will take fans around the globe on an unparalleled musical odyssey with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life. ABOUT NICKELODEON Nickelodeon, now in its 44th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon is a part of Paramount’s (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA) global portfolio of multimedia entertainment brands. New Land Boasts Three Rides, Interactive Build and Play Area, Plus New Costume Characters in Celebration of the Carlsbad, CA, theme park’s 25th Birthday
CARLSBAD, CA (March 22, 2024) – ROAR-some news! The ground shook, and streamers flew this morning as LEGOLAND® California Resort unveiled Dino Valley for the first time to hundreds of special guests and community members. The Carlsbad, CA theme park opened the new land in honor of its 25th Birthday introducing an immersive prehistoric land with three rides, two new costume characters, and a build and play station. “Dino Valley has been in the making for two years after extensive research asking our guests what they’d like to see next and dinosaurs took the cake,” says President of LEGOLAND® California Resort, Kurt Stocks. “Transforming two rides into prehistoric journeys the whole family can enjoy together along with building more than 30 LEGO® models created out of more than 1.8 million LEGO bricks with interactive and animated features is a testament to our commitment to innovation and family fun. We are excited to transport our guests back in time to the age of dinosaurs where they can marvel at the wonders of these magnificent creatures and the magic of LEGO all in one place.” To bring this new land to life, a team of Master Model Builders from all around the world helped design and build the more than 30 LEGO models that now roam Dino Valley. One of the largest LEGO models is a giant T-Rex, which can be found in Explorer River Quest. It is created out of more than 140,000 LEGO bricks, took four Master Model Builders 700 hours to build and stands 11 feet tall. A brightly colored Stegosaurus spans 12-feet long and is made of over 119,000 LEGO bricks, while a Parasaurolophus mother stands nearly 11-feet tall, is 8-feet long and nearly 6-feet wide, created of more than 178,000 LEGO bricks! Highlights of the new land at the entrance of the Park include:
LEGOLAND® Hotel and LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel guests have exclusive access to this new land and can explore Dino Valley from 9 – 10 a.m. on days when the Park is open until 6 p.m. or later, and from 9:30 – 10 a.m. on days when the Park is open until 5 p.m. In honor of LEGOLAND California’s 25th birthday year, summer 2024 will feature a slate of exciting happenings, including the debut of North America’s first LEGO World Parade, exclusively at LEGOLAND California Resort. Entertainers with glittering costumes will march hand-in-hand, dance, and sing as the Parade makes its way through the west side of the Park. It’s the perfect finale to a day spent riding, roaring, climbing, splashing, and building throughout the Park. For more information about LEGOLAND California, visit our website or follow us on Facebook. To book a Vacation Package at LEGOLAND Hotel, visit our Vacation Packages page. Guests can also purchase single-day tickets or annual passes with or without a hotel stay. About LEGOLAND®California Resort LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND® California, SEA LIFE® aquarium, LEGOLAND® Water Park, LEGOLAND® Hotel and LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND® California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including the new LEGO® Ferrari Build & Race and The LEGO® MOVIE™ WORLD based on the blockbuster films The LEGO ® Movie™ and The LEGO® Movie™ 2: The Second Part. The newest land fully immerses guests into the LEGO® Movie universe and places them onto the streets of Bricksburg. Discover the world’s first LEGO version of San Diego in Miniland USA with a realistic 30-foot beach, streets lined with 120 palm trees, and 55 San Diego landmarks, including The Rady Shell, Petco Park and Coronado Bridge. LEGOLAND® Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River plus Pirate Reef and LEGO® Legends of CHIMA Water Park comprising 10 acres of water fun! The nation’s first LEGOLAND® Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, kingdom, LEGO® Friends and LEGO® NINJAGO™! North America’s first LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel features 250 rooms, fully themed as Knights and Dragons, Royal Princess and Magic Wizard. LEGOLAND California is a Certified Autism Center, credited by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346). About Merlin Entertainments Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in branded entertainment destinations, operating more than 140 attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 23 countries across 4 continents. Merlin’s purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its millions of guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its employees. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2024
|