Knott's Berry Farm Media Day Schedule

Thursday, June 12 from 7:30 a.m. PST to 2 p.m. PST

• Check-in at the Knott's Main Gate: 7:30 a.m.
• Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
• Camp Snoopy Grand Opening: 8:00 a.m.
• Calico Mine Ride Grand Re-Opening: 9:00 a.m.
• Special preview performance of Boom Town: 9:45 a.m.
• Special preview of Snoopy…Unleashed! on ice: 10:30 a.m.
• Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The following individuals are available for interviews:

• Craig Schulz, President of Creative Associates and son of Charles M. Schulz
• Darryl Knott, Great Grandson of Walter and Cordelia Knott
• Raffi Kaprelyan, Vice President and General Manager of Knott's Berry Farm
• Lara Hanneman, Knott's Director of Technical Production and Calico Mine Ride Project Manager
• Jeff Gahagan, Knott's Vice President of Ride Maintenance and Camp Snoopy Project Manager
• Jeff Shadic, Knott's Manager of Park Decor & Art Director for Calico Mine Ride &Camp Snoopy
• Eric Lynxwiler, Knott's Historian and Co-author Knott's Preserved
• Garner Holt, President and Founder of Garner Holt Productions
• Bill Butler, Garner Holt Productions Creative Design Director for Calico Mine Ride & Camp Snoopy
• Miller Oh, Buena Park Mayor
• John Waite, Knott's Historian and Former Employee of Bud Hurlbut Attractions
• Leidy Arevalo, Publicist of Knott's Berry Farm
• Several hundred excited Season Passholders

Read the rest at Reuters

Old interview with Laura Hanneman

BTT: What is your favourite attraction or themed maze/attraction that you did not work on?

LH: It would have to be Berry Tales. It was a huge part of my childhood memories, down to boysenberry scent. I really love dark rides and always wanted to be a part of creating one. I’ve done concepts for other parks, but nothing that came to fruition. I think it’s the one element that Knott’s lacks. 

BTT: What does the term “Theming” or “Theme” mean to you? (i.e. theme park or themed attraction)  

LH: Theming is the aesthetic atmosphere that can transport you to a different place. It’s an escape from reality, and the theming fools you to believe you are in a different world by mimicking a reality that doesn’t exist. When you sell that illusion or theme, you can tell an entire story without saying a word.

Read the rest at BehindtheThemes

Complete Ride-Through of Updated Grand Sierra Railroad with Linus Narration

A sneak peek at one of the new residents of the Calico Mine Ride

Who's excited for the grand re-opening of the #CalicoMineRide? Here's a sneak peek at one of the new residents. pic.twitter.com/3PD7ebI2vW
— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 31, 2014

Knott's Berry Blog: Behind the scenes with Garner Holt Productions

The Witches Keep to return

A more reserved Halloween experience, The Witches Keep uses no actors and only a change in sound, lighting, and just a few changes in set dressing.  

Read the rest at MiceChat

A Look Inside the Refurbished Knott’s Berry Farm Calico Mine Ride

Knott’s Berry Farm announced the renovation of the Calico Mine Ride in November of 2013 with the same creative forces that had handled the Log Timber Mountain Log Ride.  Garner Holt Productions would again be on board to handle all of the figures, animated and otherwise, along with pitching scene and story ideas.  Head of Park Decor, Jeff Shadic, would again be dressing the sets and producing the props.  Lighting would again be handled by James Sidler and Kyle Arnold, while Lawrence McCoy and Richard Little would bring their sound design expertise to the depths of the Calico mine. Wrangling them all would be Lara Hanneman.

Read the rest at MiceChat

New digital signage near Picnic Area!

Post by Knott's Network.

Peanuts have set up camp along Grand Sierra Railroad!

Post by Knott's Network.

Knott's News: Now if only they could cut back on the coaster supports by removing Silver Bullet and disguise the remaining supports as trees. Still, it's a welcome improvement.

Final details being added to the outside of the Calico Mine Ride

Post by Knott's Network.

Peanuts Play Area looking good!

Post by Knott's Network.

Snoopy added to top of Linus Launcher

Post by Knott's Network.

Grizzly Creek Lodge is back open and looks better than ever!

Post by Knott's Network.

June 12th preview event!

Save The Date!

Knott's Berry Farm Season Passholders get an exclusive preview of the fresh Camp Snoopy and restored Calico Mine Ride on June 12th!

Charlie Browns Kite Flyer ready to fly!

Post by Knott's Network.

High Sierra Ferris Wheel is back open!

Post by Knott's Network.

Knott's News: Kinda wish they would've added a giant Snoopy face to the side of the ferris wheel, like the giant Mickey face on California Adventure's ferris wheel.

Linus Launcher is ready to launch!

Post by Knott's Network.

Grizzly Creek Lodge! Looking 1000 times better!

Post by Knott's Network.

Peanuts are setting up Camp along the Grand Sierra Railroad Route!

Post by Knott's Network.

New decals for The Rocky Mountain Trucking Company in CampSnoopy

The Rocky Mountain Trucking Company in #CampSnoopy is getting a fresh coat of paint. Here's one of the new decals! pic.twitter.com/2nhoMydSrM
— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 20, 2014

New photos on Knott's official CampSnoopy Facebook album

We added some new photos to our #CampSnoopy 2014 album on Facebook. Check them out here: http://t.co/6O4DKy7Ml9

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 14, 2014

The newest member of the Calico Mine waiting to be moved into his new home.

Here's the newest member of the Calico Mine waiting to be moved into his new home. #MineRide pic.twitter.com/gyGBknvGQz

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 14, 2014

Pig Pin's Mud Buggies has taken shape!

Post by Knott's Network.

Knott's Berry Blog: Introducing Two New Dining Options at Knott's

The All Day Dining Plan can be purchased online while guests plan their fun-filled day at knotts.com. For just $29.99+tax and applicable fees, guests can enjoy a wide variety of entrées, including mouth-watering pizza, flavorful tacos, and juicy burgers. Every 90 minutes, guests can dine again and select from one of 20 combinations at any of the six participating dining locations throughout the park. 

Single Meal Deals, available exclusively online for just $13.99+tax and applicable fees, offer the convenience of pre-purchased vouchers redeemable for a variety of combo meals at the lowest available price. Upon arrival at Knott’s Berry Farm, guests can redeem their Single Meal Deal vouchers for one of nearly two dozen meals that include an entrée, a side and a 20 oz. fountain drink. Single Meal Deals are available at six dining locations throughout the park, including Sutter’s in historic Ghost Town and Coasters in the new Boardwalk area. Knott’s Soak City Water Park guests can enjoy the new dining plans at Long Board’s Grill, all summer long.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryFarm 

New pavement at the lower queue for Mine Ride!

Post by Knott's Network.

What I'd Like to See Happen in 2015

Knott's Berry Farm is experiencing somewhat of a golden age under the management team of Raffi Kaprelyan/Matt Ouimet. Standards in themed entertainment have been raised as the team returns the park to it's roots. Simply put, what has transpired over the past couple of years has me excited for the future, and while Knotts has hinted at whats to come, we can really only speculate at this point. With that said, my hopes for the future.

Grizzly Creek Lodge, Peanuts Play Area and Fresh Food Stand update

Post by Knott's Network.

Post by Knott's Network.

Refurbishment continues at Knott's Berry Farm Hotel!

Post by Knott's Network.

Sneak peek with lots of new details on the Calico Mine Ride refurb! Time to get excited!!!

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Design Team, in partnership with Garner Holt Productions, Inc., has elevated Hurlbut’s 1960 design while preserving the original mining experience. Nearly fifty animatronic humans and dozens more animals populate the updated adventure, with more than 120 characters spread through classic and re-imagined scenes. New denizens of the mountain include an old miner just inside the first tunnel who will welcome guests into the Calico Mine and warn them of dangers that lie along the rails ahead. Despite the massive mining operation depicted inside the Calico Mine, since the attraction first opened, no character has ever actually found gold in the mountain. As part of the renovation, beginning June 14, one lucky miner will be seen striking it rich with gold in-hand! 

New excitement is also coming to the “chain lift”, where trains will pass by a nervous miner carrying a canary in a cage for safety into the unknown diggings ahead. The animatronic canary is just one of many new animals coming to the attraction. Other wildlife will include a donkey, vultures, a playful dog, countless bats, and blind fish in the eerie Lake Room.   The attraction’s rustic wooden loading platform has been refreshed and now includes a “peek-in” similar to those found throughout Ghost Town, offering guests windows into the rich mining history of the 1850s on their way toward boarding the mine train car. A new guest and employee elevator has been installed to improve access to the attraction, especially for guests seeking ADA accommodations. 

Guests will soon embark on the eight minute journey aboard fully refurbished, hand painted mining cars featuring new speakers and a digital amplification system, pulled by beautifully-detailed locomotives. Garner Holt Productions, Inc. installed a cutting-edge RFID playback system in the ride vehicles to play the all-new on-ride narration and audio effects through the crystal-clear digital system. “The spiel is based on the original 1960 script, and will have all-new points of interest and stories in the voices of three all-new character narrators so that each trip through the Mine will be unique,” explains Garner Holt, founder and president of the San Bernardino based Garner Holt Productions, Inc. “The updated script includes references to a number of real historic mining practices and personalities. The on-board audio narrator will also interact with animatronics and special effects in some scenes.”

Read the rest and see photos at KnottsBerryFarm

Mark your calendars, Calico Mine Ride and Camp Snoopy reopen June 14th!!!

We are excited to announce that the restored Calico #MineRide and fresh #CampSnoopy plus its 3 new rides will open on 6/14/14!
— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 1, 2014