Howdy pardners, we return to the farm, Knott’s Berry Farm that it, to check out the fully refurbished Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. There are also a few other bits of news from around the park for us to share as well. The new Calico Stage is under construction and the reopening of Ghostrider has been delayed.
Read the rest at MiceChat
Friday, April 29, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Knott’s Berry Farm Update – April 24th 2016
After a very large update last week, this week brings us an update that’s a bit easier to chew on. The park was busy as ever this weekend, which, of course, meant that lines were long. Unfortunately, two of the park’s signature attractions are down for maintenance/refurbishments, which doesn’t bode well for the crowds at other popular attractions. However, it’s always good to have work being done, making the park a more enjoyable place! Let’s get started, and check out this week’s progress at Knott’s Berry Farm!
Read the rest at CaliforniaCoasterKings
Read the rest at CaliforniaCoasterKings
Electronic Arts Blasts Off With 'Mass Effect' Theme Park Ride
BioWare used Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 technology to create the Mass Effect trilogy. Halon Entertainment, which created the 3D digital media for the Mass Effect: New Earthride, has been migrating parts of its development pipeline to game engines for cinematics and virtual reality for some time. Halon used Unreal Engine 4 for the new attraction.
Jason Choi, lead engine technical designer from Halon Entertainment, says using Unreal Engine 4 allowed his company to work on a small collection of artist workstations to create the movie instead of running an extensive farm of machines that might typically be used to produce final work.
“Once the images started pouring out we were shocked by how much visual quality we were able to produce in such a short period of time,” Choi says.
Mass Effect has come full circle, developed for game platforms and then designed with game technology for a thrill ride. It’s the latest example of theme parks developing attractions for today’s gaming audience.
Read the rest at Fortune
Knott's News: Seems to be a trend, using Unreal Engine 4 on these EA attractions. Its weird, since Frostbite 3 is EA's in-house engine. It's even weirder that a non-interactive attraction is using a video game engine to render real time instead of putting it through the render farm for a more refined image. Was the time and/or budget restraints really that high?
Jason Choi, lead engine technical designer from Halon Entertainment, says using Unreal Engine 4 allowed his company to work on a small collection of artist workstations to create the movie instead of running an extensive farm of machines that might typically be used to produce final work.
“Once the images started pouring out we were shocked by how much visual quality we were able to produce in such a short period of time,” Choi says.
Mass Effect has come full circle, developed for game platforms and then designed with game technology for a thrill ride. It’s the latest example of theme parks developing attractions for today’s gaming audience.
Read the rest at Fortune
Knott's News: Seems to be a trend, using Unreal Engine 4 on these EA attractions. Its weird, since Frostbite 3 is EA's in-house engine. It's even weirder that a non-interactive attraction is using a video game engine to render real time instead of putting it through the render farm for a more refined image. Was the time and/or budget restraints really that high?
Mass Effect New Earth will officially open on May 18
#MassEffectNewEarth created in partnership with @EA, will officially open on May 18. https://t.co/cLy8yE5whb pic.twitter.com/wFwFuRyAu2
— CA Great America (@CAGreatAmerica) April 27, 2016
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
VCMS Wins Big at the Knott's Berry Farm 'Music in the Park' Competition
Valley Center Middle School earned six awards this past Saturday, April 23 at the Knott's Berry Farm Music in the Park band and choir competition.
The VCMS Choir received 1st place in their division and was awarded Best Overall Middle School Choir out of all the middle school choirs that competed.
Read the rest at ValleyCenterHappenings
The VCMS Choir received 1st place in their division and was awarded Best Overall Middle School Choir out of all the middle school choirs that competed.
Read the rest at ValleyCenterHappenings
Knott’s Scary Farm to Join HHN Hollywood, Fright Fest and Other Major Haunts at Midsummer Scream!
This morning horror/haunt fans woke up to some big news! Knott’s Scary Farm will be joining the ranks of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Queen Mary Dark Harbor and Six Flags Fright Fest at the brand new Midsummer Scream. For those of you who haven’t heard about Midsummer Scream (have you been living under a rock?) It’s a new MASSIVE new horror and haunt convention taking place in Long Beach, anyone and every one is expected to be there. If you’re a haunt fan, you should be too.
Read the rest at BehindtheThrills
Read the rest at BehindtheThrills
Friday, April 22, 2016
Historic restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm reopens
The historic Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm has reopened after a renovation that added more seating space while preserving its traditional hometown feel.
The lobby area was expanded to give more room to wait inside rather than lining up outdoors. There's also a new outdoor patio and banquet rooms that can be closed off for private partiees. A bar was also added to what used to be the garden room.
"We opened up the inside, we raised the ceilings," said Knott's Berry Farm general manager Raffi Kaprelyan. "It's more of a farmhouse look to it. There are wooden chairs and tables. The decorations are more of a rustic look to it."
Read the rest at KABC
The lobby area was expanded to give more room to wait inside rather than lining up outdoors. There's also a new outdoor patio and banquet rooms that can be closed off for private partiees. A bar was also added to what used to be the garden room.
"We opened up the inside, we raised the ceilings," said Knott's Berry Farm general manager Raffi Kaprelyan. "It's more of a farmhouse look to it. There are wooden chairs and tables. The decorations are more of a rustic look to it."
Read the rest at KABC
Thursday, April 21, 2016
DINING: Readers share memories of Mrs. Knott's chicken restaurant
For more than 80 years, guests have packed themselves into a classic piece of Americana in Buena Park. Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant has been a must-see and must-eat stop for people visiting Knott's Berry Farm.
The classic and old-time restaurant recently reopened after a refurbishment that saw a number of improvements including a bar area and more seating added.
Read the rest at ThePressEnterprise
The classic and old-time restaurant recently reopened after a refurbishment that saw a number of improvements including a bar area and more seating added.
Read the rest at ThePressEnterprise
The World's First Snoopy Museum Is Opening in Tokyo
This is it. The first museum in the world dedicated to the cartoon beagle. And it’s opening this weekend.
Located in Tokyo’s Roppongi, the museum features original and unpublished works from Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, rare memorabilia, as well as new, rotating exhibits. The only other Peanutsmuseum is the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.
Read the rest at Kotaku
Knott's News: This isn't surprising in the least. While the Peanuts franchise isn't very popular or even well known outside of the United States (which is why the movie performed horribly internationally and was the main contributor to its underwhelming performance at the box office), Snoopy is. In Japan, Snoopy's design just appeals to their desire for anything kawaii and has become incredibly popular, despite the distinctly "american" feeling source material. This is why Universal Japan has an entire section of their park devoted to the lovable beagle called "Snoopy Studios"
Read the rest at Kotaku
Knott's News: This isn't surprising in the least. While the Peanuts franchise isn't very popular or even well known outside of the United States (which is why the movie performed horribly internationally and was the main contributor to its underwhelming performance at the box office), Snoopy is. In Japan, Snoopy's design just appeals to their desire for anything kawaii and has become incredibly popular, despite the distinctly "american" feeling source material. This is why Universal Japan has an entire section of their park devoted to the lovable beagle called "Snoopy Studios"
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant reopens with new look, but same chicken
The aroma of fried chicken once again wafts out the doors of Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner restaurant, which has reopened at Knott’s Berrry Farm with a new look.
Tuesday was a “soft opening” to give staff time to get used to working in the new set up, which can hold nearly 800 diners at a time, said Russ Knibbs, the vice president of food and beverage for the theme park. The restaurant closed in January for the overhaul. The park is also renovating the Ghostrider roller coaster and nearby Ghost Town.
“We knew it was time to redo the restaurant, but a lot of people have been coming here a long time,” Knibbs said. “We needed to improve the flow from the kitchen to the dining rooms, and upgrade the kitchen. Yet we wanted to still feel like it was the original.”
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Tuesday was a “soft opening” to give staff time to get used to working in the new set up, which can hold nearly 800 diners at a time, said Russ Knibbs, the vice president of food and beverage for the theme park. The restaurant closed in January for the overhaul. The park is also renovating the Ghostrider roller coaster and nearby Ghost Town.
“We knew it was time to redo the restaurant, but a lot of people have been coming here a long time,” Knibbs said. “We needed to improve the flow from the kitchen to the dining rooms, and upgrade the kitchen. Yet we wanted to still feel like it was the original.”
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Fabulous Fords Take Over Knotts Berry Farm
When you say “Knotts Berry Farm” to a Ford lover, they don’t think about roller coasters and Snoopy. No, the theme park in Buena Park, California brings to mind the biggest and best all-Ford car show on the West Coast. The 2016 Fabulous Fords Forever, referred to by the Ford faithful as just “the Knotts Ford show,” in its 31st year in 2016 and once again proved to be a cornucopia of everything Ford, especially Mustangs.
For the first time in the show’s history, 2016 was completely sold out ahead of time! In the show were of course Mustangs of every generation and build style, and there was pretty much anything else Ford-related, from lifted Bronco rock-crawlers to street rods and Panteras. Celebrities in the house included Parnelli Jones, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter Linda Vaughn, Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak, Steve Saleen, and more. Vendor displays included Roush, Saleen, Shelby Amercian, Falken, Nitto, and many more.
Read the rest at Mustang360
For the first time in the show’s history, 2016 was completely sold out ahead of time! In the show were of course Mustangs of every generation and build style, and there was pretty much anything else Ford-related, from lifted Bronco rock-crawlers to street rods and Panteras. Celebrities in the house included Parnelli Jones, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter Linda Vaughn, Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak, Steve Saleen, and more. Vendor displays included Roush, Saleen, Shelby Amercian, Falken, Nitto, and many more.
Read the rest at Mustang360
Monday, April 18, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Electronic Arts Grows ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ Theme Park Game
The giant video game experience was built using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 technology, which powers games such as Psyonix’s Rocket League and virtual reality experiences such as Fox Labs’ The Martian.
Alterface Projects’ media partner, Pure Imagination Studios, created the interactive gameplay based on content and characters they received from PopCap. But since that game wasn’t built with Unreal Engine 4, they had to create life-sized versions of the colorful cartoonish characters.
“The Pure Imagination team has been working closely with Epic Games to bring their technology into the attraction industry,” says Tom Gass, partner at Alterface. “The studio has written proprietary code to push the engine to handle the significant requirements needed for large-format interactivity required in a theme park environment.”
Read the rest at Fortune
Knott's News: I find this interesting. Plants vs Zombies was built on EA's in-hourse graphics engine, Frostbite 3. Either EA didn't want to be on the line for extended tech support or they don't want the in-house technology leaving their inner circle. Either way, porting a game from one engine to another is a lot of work (might explain why some of the presentation is a little unpolished). Luckily, Epic Games offers some of the best support out there and Pure Imagination Sudios should be in good hands.
Alterface Projects’ media partner, Pure Imagination Studios, created the interactive gameplay based on content and characters they received from PopCap. But since that game wasn’t built with Unreal Engine 4, they had to create life-sized versions of the colorful cartoonish characters.
“The Pure Imagination team has been working closely with Epic Games to bring their technology into the attraction industry,” says Tom Gass, partner at Alterface. “The studio has written proprietary code to push the engine to handle the significant requirements needed for large-format interactivity required in a theme park environment.”
Read the rest at Fortune
Knott's News: I find this interesting. Plants vs Zombies was built on EA's in-hourse graphics engine, Frostbite 3. Either EA didn't want to be on the line for extended tech support or they don't want the in-house technology leaving their inner circle. Either way, porting a game from one engine to another is a lot of work (might explain why some of the presentation is a little unpolished). Luckily, Epic Games offers some of the best support out there and Pure Imagination Sudios should be in good hands.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Knott's Berry Farm: Calico Saloon opens and Pan for Gold relocates as Ghost Town work continues
Construction noise is still echoing throughout Ghost Town at Knott’s Berry Farm, as work continues to upgrade several longtime attractions at the park.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Stuntmen - and women - try to rustle up jobs with new Wild West show at Knott's
Jonathan Cedillo landed some big roundhouse punches to his opponent’s gut.
The 275-pound, 42-year-old former professional wrestler showed that he could take a few blows to the midsection as well. And he couldn’t wait for his chance to fall from a 70-foot-high scaffold.
Cedillo was among 63 stunt performers – 55 men and eight women – who turned out at the Charles M. Schulz Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm on Saturday to audition for a role in Knott’s new Wild West Stunt Show.
Six men and one woman will perform in the 20-minute show, which will feature plenty of brawling and high falls.
The show debuts May 27, coinciding with the unveiling of Knott’s revamped Calico Ghost Town.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
The 275-pound, 42-year-old former professional wrestler showed that he could take a few blows to the midsection as well. And he couldn’t wait for his chance to fall from a 70-foot-high scaffold.
Cedillo was among 63 stunt performers – 55 men and eight women – who turned out at the Charles M. Schulz Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm on Saturday to audition for a role in Knott’s new Wild West Stunt Show.
Six men and one woman will perform in the 20-minute show, which will feature plenty of brawling and high falls.
The show debuts May 27, coinciding with the unveiling of Knott’s revamped Calico Ghost Town.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Saturday, April 9, 2016
With trees and sprinklers going in the old Riptide spot, don't expect a new ride anytime soon
Sprinklers are coming in, I can't tell if they are going to add speakers along this area yet, Subwoofers please ;) this...
Posted by Knott's Network on Saturday, April 9, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
Yesterland: Knott's Berry Farm Then & Then & Now
When I visited Knott’s Berry Farm in 2010, I brought along some historic photos from the Knott’s Berry Farm Collection of the Orange County Archives. I took photos of the same spots.
Six years have passed. This week, I returned to those spots.
Read the rest at Yesterland
Six years have passed. This week, I returned to those spots.
Read the rest at Yesterland
Monday, April 4, 2016
Cedar Fair writes a new book
“Each of our parks has their own story to tell, their own personalities and experiences,” Semmelroth says. “We had to understand and define each park’s identity, and what their brand promise is going to be to their market.”
Knott’s Berry Farm’s promise, Semmelroth discovered, is to provide a unique Southern California experience for its guests, “where fun comes easy.”
“We had definitely lost our identity out there. Folks didn’t know what we were anymore, and they stopped going,” she says of Knott’s, which joined the Cedar Fair system in 1997 and is approaching its centennial in 2020. “It’s not a thrill park, necessarily—this one is more about celebrating California’s roots.”
In 2013 and 2014, Knott’s didn’t install any flashy new roller coasters. Instead, it lovingly refurbished its classic log flume and mine ride, while also spending time and money on various beautification projects throughout the park. 2015’s “Voyage to the Iron Reef” dark ride was the capper, an immersive, interactive experience whose story was built around the park’s iconography. All of these improvements came straight out of the market research, company officials say; it’s likely no coincidence, then, that last year also proved to be Knott’s Berry Farm’s most successful in its history.
“We now know what Knott’s is, and we can stay true to that,” Semmelroth says. “It is Southern California’s theme park, and we just needed to embrace that and be who we were meant to be.”
Knott’s Berry Farm’s promise, Semmelroth discovered, is to provide a unique Southern California experience for its guests, “where fun comes easy.”
“We had definitely lost our identity out there. Folks didn’t know what we were anymore, and they stopped going,” she says of Knott’s, which joined the Cedar Fair system in 1997 and is approaching its centennial in 2020. “It’s not a thrill park, necessarily—this one is more about celebrating California’s roots.”
In 2013 and 2014, Knott’s didn’t install any flashy new roller coasters. Instead, it lovingly refurbished its classic log flume and mine ride, while also spending time and money on various beautification projects throughout the park. 2015’s “Voyage to the Iron Reef” dark ride was the capper, an immersive, interactive experience whose story was built around the park’s iconography. All of these improvements came straight out of the market research, company officials say; it’s likely no coincidence, then, that last year also proved to be Knott’s Berry Farm’s most successful in its history.
“We now know what Knott’s is, and we can stay true to that,” Semmelroth says. “It is Southern California’s theme park, and we just needed to embrace that and be who we were meant to be.”
Read the rest at IAAPA
Riptides old area update! Midway is wider now
Riptides old area update! Midway is wider now :)
Posted by Knott's Network on Monday, April 4, 2016
New guest services
New Guest Services! Im assuming this is Temp, its a little bland inside! Unless Theming is coming later ;)
Posted by Knott's Network on Monday, April 4, 2016
Pan for gold in it's new location!
New Pan For Gold!
Posted by Knott's Network on Monday, April 4, 2016
Activity spotted on the former spot of Knott's volcano
Something coming soon! ;)
Posted by Knott's Network on Sunday, April 3, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
Yesterland: Original Gold Mine at Knott's Berry Farm
Gold… real, genuine, honest-to-gosh gold.
Here at Yester Knott’s Berry Farm, there’s a gold mine in the gully next to the only active volcano in Southern California. You can pan for real gold and take home the results of your efforts.
What are you waiting for? Head into the gulch.
Here at Yester Knott’s Berry Farm, there’s a gold mine in the gully next to the only active volcano in Southern California. You can pan for real gold and take home the results of your efforts.
What are you waiting for? Head into the gulch.
Read the rest at Yesterland
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