Work behind the walls, cutting queue to bring back the old pan for gold!

Work behide the walls, cutting queue to bring back the old pan for gold! #GhostTown #ghostrider #GhostTown75 #knotts #KnottsBerryFarm #themepark #amusementpark #BuenaPark #cedarfair

Posted by Knott's Network on Monday, December 21, 2015

Most Influential 2015: Raffi Kaprelyan

Kaprelyan has put Knott’s back on the map, leading the effort to highlight the park’s historic roots. Yes, Knott’s unveiled the critically acclaimed new video-game-meets-thrill-ride, Voyage to the Iron Reef, in May – a move that helped the park set an attendance record for the year. But it’s the way he has reinvigorated the park’s historic attractions like the Timber Mountain Log Ride and the Calico Mine Ride that has set the tone. Knott’s also announced plans for other improvements, including changes to Ghost Town, a park staple since 1941. Many of the wooden mannequins that depict life in the West will be replaced with role-playing employees.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Whiting: Buena Park is looking to boost its tourism appeal beyond Knott's Berry Farm

Orange County amusement park aficionados, if you will, are divided into two camps. There are Disneyland fans, and there are Knott’s families. Since I was 4 years old, my parents were Knott’s people.

For my father it was less about the rides – my first was the stagecoach at Knott’s – than it was about tasty treats. Dad loved, and still loves, Knott’s boysenberry syrup. Back in the day, you couldn’t order it on the Internet or buy it at your local grocery store; you had to drive to Knott’s.

When my own children were young, they fell in love with Camp Snoopy. A few years later the highlight was Bigfoot Rapids.

Today, unless it’s October and Knott’s Scary Farm time, the park’s focus is on roller coasters and thrill rides. And that is working out just fine for Knott’s, which added Soak City on the eve of the millennium.

But the secret to capturing tourist dollars for cities is bed taxes. And some of the aging attractions outside Knott’s weren’t cutting it.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Virtual reality rides set to invade theme parks in 2016

It’s beginning to look like 2016 will be the year that virtual reality takes theme parks by storm with plans for nine VR coasters in the works and VR dark rides, thrill rides and haunted mazes already on the drawing board.

Canada’s Wonderland amusement park outside Toronto will add VR headsets to the Thunder Run roller coaster in 2016 for an upcharge fee after testing the devices on the ride during the offseason, according to company officials.

Thunder Run riders wearing VR headsets will fly on the back of a fire-breathing dragon above a medieval village and experience an imaginary corkscrew element on the inversionless mine train coaster. The VR experience will require riders to travel twice around the track without knowing exactly when the second lap begins. Daily capacity for the virtual reality experience will be limited to continue to allow non-VR riders on Thunder Run.

VR headsets will likely be added to another coaster at one of the 11 locations in the Cedar Fair amusement park chain, said CEO Matt Ouimet during a recent interview.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's News: While this may sound exciting, there are 3 things that have me worried: 

1) The fact that it's - in some capacity - turning a normal attraction into an upcharge attraction 

2) That fact that securing these head sets will destroy capacity. Remember, this is the same company that doesn't want people wearing hats or have cameras out on their rollercoasters, so safety will be prioritized as always, especially when you factor in the cost of each of these units.

3) The fact that you have to put on a mask that some other sweaty person just had on their face (considering the fact that they have to wash and sanitize 3D glasses after each use, it makes you wonder what they have planned for these).

Rustic Christmas Cheer Adorns Knott’s Merry Farm This Holiday Season!

One of the best parts about being a theme park fan in Southern California during the holiday season is that each park celebrates a unique vision of the holiday. While some parks may celebrate in a more traditional or whimsical way, the thing I love about Knott’s Merry Farm is that it’s a very rustic, old fashioned celebration that can only be found at Knott’s. It’s a timeless and very acoustic feeling event that strays from the politically correct or commercial aspects of the season. Uniquely Knott’s, but distinctively Christmas!

Read the rest at BehindtheThrills

Take a virtual stroll through Knotts Berry Farm with the new Google Street View

Take a virtual stroll through #Knotts Berry Farm with the new Google Street View: https://t.co/DI884arAnu pic.twitter.com/48qGribfes

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) December 11, 2015

Cedar Fair pursues new strategies

Cedar Fair LP is on pace for a record $1.23 billion in revenues this year, but the amusement park chain believes there’s still more money it’s failing to get.

Company Chief Executive Matt Ouimet, at an investor conference Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif., outlined new strategies that included electronic photo packages, interactive computer-aided rides, and sports complexes to be used in the near future to enhance the Sandusky firm’s revenues.

First is a partnership with game maker Electronic Arts Inc. to build two digital attractions, Mr. Ouimet said at Wedbush Securities’ California Dreamin’ Technology Consumer Management Access Conference.

Read the rest at ToledoBlade

Knott's brings Wild West stories to life with 'Ghost Town Alive' interactive experience

As a kid in the 1970s, Lara Hanneman always dreamed of stepping inside the peek-in scenes scattered throughout Knott’s Ghost Town and bringing the stories of the animatronic townspeople to life.

“I wanted to make those places come alive even then,” said Hanneman, now creative director of Knott’s Berry Farm. “I imagined looking in the peek-ins and seeing the guys in there talking and doing things. And I thought it would be fun to go play in there.”

Tired of hearing visitors express the same desires — or worse, ignoring the peek-ins all together — Hanneman created a new interactive entertainment experience that will inject Wild West characters and improv storytelling into the original heart of the Buena Park theme park.

“Everybody understands the concept of play,” Hanneman said. “You did it when you were a kid. What we’re trying to do is keep it simple and make it fun.”

Read the rest at LATimes

New short film explores what Knott's Berry Farm would be like if it were in Roller Coaster Tycoon

Red Carpet Report: Must-See Festive Celeb Pics from Knott's Berry Farm's Countdown to Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of the year and what better way to celebrate the holiday season than buy whipping out your best Christmas sweaters striking a pose with Snoopy on the red carpet? That's exactly what some of your fave celebs did at Knott's Berry Farm's Countdown to Christmasevent!

Brec Bassinger, Austin North, and Chloe Lukasiak all wore more casual outfits that featured elements of the holidays, which is always one of the best parts of the month of December. You can totally get away rocking a Santa-hat or a reindeer-printed sweater whenever and wherever you want!

Read the rest at TwistMagazine

What will fans experience in the new GhostRider at Knott's? A much smoother ride

Anyone who has ever ridden GhostRider at Knott’s Berry Farm can tell you about the white-knuckle and back-breaking experience.

The roller coaster is a herky-jerky jaunt full of twists and turns and stop and gos. But come next year, the 17-year-old high-speed wooden coaster will have a new look and feel.

“The ride will be the smoothest wooden roller coaster in Southern California,” said Adam Yerdon, a design engineer at Great Coasters International, a Pennsylvania company rehabbing GhostRider.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott's makes an appearance in the latest Nathan For You episode on Comedy Central

Knott's Berry Farm made a brief appearance in the latest episode of the The Comedy Central series Nathan For You titled "Nail Salon/ Fun". The appearance takes place at the very end of the episode.

Watch the episode at ComedyCentral

Fab News: The New, The Skilled and the Merry

Did you see the In The Parks look at Knott’s Merry Farm? Fantastic! We got to go to a press preview day and were invited to bring family members along, which was really nice. Disneyland used to do something like this back in the day. It was really fun, especially when Alice was younger. You have a different perspective writing about the park when you see it through the eyes of your loved ones. It can’t be helped. For this outing, the loved ones were my husband, Noe (who took the photos you see here), my daughter Alice and my mother-in-law Luisa, who is awesome. Yeah, I was dealt a lucky hand with my mother-in-law BOTH TIMES!

Read the rest at MiceChat

Knotts Merry Farm Returns

Howdy folks, I hope your Thanksgiving was a great one and that your shopping dreams come true this Black Friday. I was able to spend some quality time in a very special plans to me and am back on MiceChat to share the good news . . . it’s Christmas time down on the farm! Knott’s Berry Farm is once again filled with the spirit of the holiday season as it transforms into Knott’s Merry Farm! Knott’s is one of our favorite places to make holiday memories. Guests can celebrate the season with live entertainment, a crafts fair, festive food, lavish Christmas decorations, and nightly snow in Ghost Town.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Behind the Scenes of "Merry Christmas, Snoopy" On Ice Show at Knott's Merry Farm

Merry Christmas, Snoopy! Ice Skating Show at Knott's Berry Farm

IAAPA Legends Panel: How Disneyland Changed the Industry, and How the Industry Changed Disney

Ouimet also talked about his career after leaving Disney.

"The things that you give up when you leave? You give up the brand. There's not a phone call in the world you can't make, to get someone to answer the phone, if you say you're from Disney. And the amount of resources. I had to retrain myself. Now, some of that is satisfying. I probably had 84 less people to ask, [but] I have 83 less people to do the work."

Still, fewer resources can still lead to success, provided you focus on what the public wants, that you do best.

"Knott's is having best year in its history," Ouimet said. "About three or four years ago, that was not the case. So we took a step back, went out, and talked to the consumers in the marketplace, and we were trying to figure out why [Knott's] wasn't doing as well as it had done before. Part of it was our fault. We'd starved the asset."

"We did focus groups, and we weren't getting much," Ouimet continued. "So the moderator said, 'I'm going to go back in the room and I'm going to tell them that Knott's is closing.' They started crying. Out of that, we came back to the basics."

Over the past three years, Knott's Berry Farm has moved from competing with Six Flags by building more iron rides to refocus on more family-friendly attractions. Under Ouimet's leadership at parent Cedar Fair, Knott's refurbished its Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Train, added the Voyage to the Iron Reef interactive dark ride, and next year the park will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Ghost Town with improvements throughout the land, including a rebuild of the Ghostrider coaster and Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.

"We have a saying: Having fun should be fun," Ouimet said. "The day you go to the park, it shouldn't be about - with my apologies to the organization that did so well for us - it shouldn't be whether I'm going to get my $100 worth. It should be about, am I going to create a memories? I'm going to relax, enjoy the Chicken Dinner restaurant, ride the Timber Mountain Log Ride. It shouldn't be stressful."

Ouimet credited a focus on the community over the corporation in making a connection with potential customers.

Read the rest at ThemeParkInsider

Knotts Merry Farm: Joy Is In Season At Knott's Berry Farm's Christmas and Holiday Celebration

Raising My Rating On Cedar Fair

I hope you guys realize on these calls we tend to moderate our comments a little bit, but I am most excited about 2015 as anything I have seen since we got here. I like the mix of traditional steel basically the Cedar Point clearly has done an anchor for us in a good way over the last decade, several decades. But the digital interactive I think is going to tap into a new audience. My favorite line that was posted online about our product which Mack attracted Great America was a guy that said I don't know what Great America is but I am going. So I think the collection of that, Knott's Berry Farm with the 75th Anniversary of Ghost Town plays very strongly to the legacy that's worked so well for us in a highly competitive market. So '16 for me is really well positioned from a capital standpoint and we got some of the older stuff behind us. The Breakers Hotel behind us is good and the reputation its built this year because of how the job the team did in restoring it have to beat the better results next year as well. So look I got stop there, it's not my usual approach, but I am really solid about 2016.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha

Knott's News: This was actually a really interesting read. I only posted what specifically pertained to Knott's but the whole thing is worth reading. Haven't read the conference call but the excerpts point towards a very positive outlook for Cedar Fair.

O.C. Answer Man: Doesn’t the Panda Express in Ghost Town at Knott’s Berry Farm ruin the Old West illusion?

True, a Chinese fast-food place looks odd, but there’s an easy fix.

Read the rest at OrangeCoastMagazine

New concept art for Mass Effect: New Earth

Announcing the name of our new attraction for 2016 - Mass Effect: New Earth! It is an incredible 4D Holographic Journey. Like this post for a chance to win an XBOX console or a copy of the Mass Effect game.

Posted by California's Great America on Saturday, November 7, 2015

How Snoopy Killed Peanuts

By the end of its run in 2000, Peanuts was an institution. It had become an omnipresent part of American culture, and that’s not a compliment.

The general response to reading the average Peanuts strip in the 80s and 90s was a ‘meh’ half-smile — a snicker, maybe, but never a full-blown laugh. The strip had run for over 50 years, but it was a flicker of its former flame, mostly coasting on its reputation and its endurance. Humor-wise, it was aggressively safe and took no risks, which of course, made it ripe for global, unprecedented popularity. There was a figurative mountain ofPeanuts merchandise everywhere, and the smiling faces of Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy stared back at us from shelves.

Perhaps Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes, had the right idea. He stopped working on his strip after only 10 years — a fifth of the time that Schulz spent working on his — and he never licensed his characters. Because as legendary as Peanuts is, it was only ‘great’ for a 15-20 year period — from about the mid-50s to the early 70s. And even by the 70s, there was a slow, but definite drop-off in quality. By the 80s, with the exception of a few notable storylines, the strip was essentially dead. The 90s was just more of the same.

And unfortunately, much of the blame for this can be traced back to Snoopy, the most beloved of Schulz’s creations. As the strip progressed, the beagle hogged more and more of the spotlight in increasingly negative ways. And the intelligence and darkness of the strip, which once made it so distinctive on the comics landscape, was replaced by more mainstream, cutesy humor.

Read the rest at Kotaku

Voyage to the Iron Reef: New Interactive 4-D Ride At Knott's Berry Farm

MASS EFFECT™ Official Video – N7 Day 2015

The stars, writer and director of "The Peanuts Movie" appear at Knott's Berry Farm

Knott’s Berry Farm Announces Ghost Town 75th Anniversary Celebration

Howdy folks, I’ve got some great news for you from down on the Farm. This week, Knott’s announced an unprecedented restoration and refurbishment of a huge portion of the park in honor of Ghost Town’s 75th Anniversary. This will include the full renovation of Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, the construction of an all-new Ghost Town stage, an all-new interactive game (“Ghost Town Alive”), and the full refurbishment of the classic wooden coaster, Ghostrider. All of this news came hot on the heels of a hugely successful haunt season. They are hardly wasting time on the farm, basking in success, they are also in the middle of rapidly changing the park over from Halloween frights into Christmas cheer.

Read the rest at MiceChat

There's something about Charlie: From an annual holiday display to a theme park, Orange County loves 'Peanuts'

Over at Knott’s Berry Farm in the 1970s, the Buena Park theme park was struggling to find an identity, a front-and-center character that would greet guests just like Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

The park tried and failed – until it found one in an imaginative beagle with a trusty bird sidekick and a loving owner.

Read the rest at OCRegister

A Celebration 75 years in the Making

In 2016, Knott's Berry Farm’s Ghost Town will celebrate its 75th anniversary with two major offerings next summer. The centerpiece of the summer 2016 celebration is the interactive entertainment experience, Ghost Town Alive!, which immerses guests in new stories and adventures in the familiar town of Calico. The west is about to get even wilder when GhostRider returns from a major restoration project with all new trains that will gallop along over 4,500 feet of new wooden track. In addition to the Ghost Town offerings, a complete refurbishment of the legendary Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant will be completed in 2016. Become a 2016 Season Passholder now at the lowest price of the year for unlimited visits in 2016 to experience all of the new farm fresh fun coming to Knott's next year.

Read the rest a KnottsBerryFarm

Ghost Town 75th Anniversary: A Celebration 75 Years In The Making

Here's what you can see from the Snoopy blimp above O.C.

Snoopy was in the air over Knott's Berry Farm on Saturday.

No, not a flying beagle on top of a red dog house. It was Snoopy Two, the MetLife blimp.

The dirigible floated over Knott's Berry Farm's Camp Snoopy for a few hours, promoting the opening of the new Peanuts movie.

“It's like being in a boat in the sky,” is how pilot Cesar Mendez described flying the light-than-air ship. “We keep it slow and low - 30 mph and 1,000 feet above the ground,” he said.

The blimp will be floating over Westwood on Sunday for the premier of The Peanuts Movie. It will be over Southern California for the rest of the week.

Read the rest at OCRegister

A sit-down with Jon Cook on Paranormal Inc.

This year, Knott’s Scary Farm debuted one of their most ambitious mazes ever, Paranormal Inc. With a unique blend of storytelling, special effects, and really great stunts, the maze has amazed guests every single night with its exceptional scares.

I was lucky enough to sit down with Jon Cook, designer and mastermind behind the maze, to ask him some questions about its creation and execution.

The general idea for the maze started during the 2014 Haunt season, just after Cook’s last big project for Scary Farm, Infected, was up and running, allowing guests to transport themselves into their very own zombie film.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

Remember to meet the cast of The Peanuts Movie at Knott's today!

The cast of the @PeanutsMovie! @knotts pic.twitter.com/4IfWSS629F

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) October 31, 2015

A former Disney Imagineer's Top 10 must-do attractions at Knott's Berry Farm

My first visit to Knott’s Berry Farm was in 1962, when my parents brought us to California on a vacation. I have always remembered my visit to that theme park, along with visiting Disneyland. As I was a young lad from Indiana, these were amazing places. Two years later we moved to Orange County, and we were able to visit both parks on a regular basis.

Eventually I went to work at Disneyland, working my way up to becoming an Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering. But I’ve also always enjoyed Knott’s Berry Farm, particularly its classic attractions. So with that in mind, here are my top-10 must-do things at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Should Cedar Fair continue investing into VR?

This isn't going to be an article (I may expand upon it later), since I don't have the time to write one right now but just take a look at this:



This is a new game called Until Dawn: Rush of Blood - built on the PlayStation VR peripheral for the PS4 - that seems to be directly going for the same market Cedar Fair was hoping to tap with their VR experimentation. Granted, it won't have the sensation of a moving ride vehicle, and that may make a huge difference but its a game themed after a rollercoaster - directly linking it to an amusement park. We have to ask, will people really travel to experience something they perceptively see as the same experience they can get at home? Will it be worth the investment? These are all questions I'm sure Cedar Fair is asking themselves right now and we'll just have to wait to find out the answer.

If Cedar Fair does decide to continue pursuing VR, I hope their marketing team is ready to expound upon the difference a physical moving vehicle makes in conjunction with VR. If not, I don't see success in its future.

Elvira's Asylum at Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt Brings the Camp

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is the true definition of the term “living legend.” Think I’m exaggerating? How many celebrities get to embody an entire time of year like Elvira does? Our fair Mistress here is to the Halloween season what Santa Claus is to Christmas—only she’s an actual, real, live person (uh, spoiler alert?). Well, the actress beneath the wig—Cassandra Peterson—is; Elvira on the other hand is an ageless icon. While the rest of us have crept along this mortal coil over the past thirty plus years since she made her debut, she looks exactly the same, as was evidenced during her live show, Elvira’s Asylum.

Read the rest at the Nerdist

Why People Pay To Be Afraid At Knott's Scary Farm

Bringing Back the Missions at Knott’s Berry Farm

It may seem like an odd theme park attraction. Back when admission to Knott’s Berry Farm was free, Walter Knott commissioned dioramas of the California missions. Displayed in 21 glass-fronted cases—usually with a wooden wall a few feet in front of the glass (and a roof above the space) to limit reflections and to control lighting inside—the detailed models allowed Knott’s guests to journey up the length of California without leaving the park. It was a free attraction and had no sponsor. Of course, Walter Knott hoped guests would spend money elsewhere on the “Farm.”

The dioramas were about history. But as Knott’s morphed into a thrill ride mecca, the dioramas became history.

Around 60 years after the mission models were built, they are being rebuilt. Guest contributor M.H. Habata has been watching the progress and wrote this article for Yesterland.

Read the rest at Yesterland

GhostRider receiving a complete re-track to bring it back to opening day status!

Finally have a chance to share these with ya'll! Ghostriders refurb is starting to show!!!!! But it looks like its just...

Posted by Knott's Network on Monday, October 19, 2015

New Haunted Shack Pin!

New Haunted Shack Pin!!!! Photo: @knottsnut74 #knotts #knottsberryfarm #themepark #AmusementPark #pintrading #BuenaPark #cedarfair
Posted by Knott's Network on Friday, October 16, 2015

Knott's News: Should we consider this an early announcement or am I just looking into this too much? Honestly not much else they can put in that relatively small footprint.

Knott's Green Witch: Scaring people is her business

Scaring people hasn't gotten old for Parker, even after 32 years of portraying the Green Witch of Calico Ghost Town at the annual haunt at Knott's Berry Farm, which takes on the mantle of Knott's Scary Farm for the holiday season.

Parker, who has worked at the Buena Park theme park since 1983, said she originally auditioned for a part-time job. Little did she know the job would become a routine part of her life for the next three decades.

Read the rest at DailyPilot

Vote: Which Orange County teacher is the scariest Knott's monster?

The Knott’s Berry Farm monsters gave the high school teachers some dastardly instructions.

If you want to scare your students, stay low. Coming at them from below gives you the element of surprise. Get too close – people don’t like their space invaded.

Lock eyes with your students. Eye contact is intimidating.

Scream, grunt, growl – your voice is the scariest thing you’ve got.

“And above all,” one monster said, “leave your sanity at the door.”

The Orange County Register asked four high school teachers to go full-zombie, with tattered costumes, too much hair spray and ghoulish makeup, to scare the wits out of their students at Knott’s Scary Farm last weekend. More than 80 students from Edison, Santa Ana, Northwood, La Habra and Buena Park high schools were invited to see if they could recognize and survive encounters with their frightful teachers.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Knott's Ghostrider re-tracking update #1

Enjoy this look at Ghostrider, they really aren't wasting any time on hopefully bringing this amazing coaster back to it's glory days. And we couldn't be happier. ​

The entrance, doesn't appear to be any changes here yet, and there may not be which is fine. They aren't needed. We'd rather they focus the work on where it's really needed, the track.

See it all at ParkJourney

'Stars, Stunts and Stories:' Hollywood stuntman got his start at Knott's Berry Farm

Remember that classic, albeit gory scene in the gangster film “Casino” when consummate movie wise guy Joe Pesci squeezes that guy’s head in a vise?

Carl Ciarfalio was that guy.

As a veteran stuntman, Ciarfalio, 61, has been tossed off a cliff by Jeff Bridges, kicked in the gut by Chuck Norris, traded blows with Tom Cruise, shot by Robocop and choked by Clint Eastwood.

He’s been hit by cars, fallen off buildings and tumbled down staircases.

But before performing stunts for TV and films for more than 30 years, Ciarfalio was robbing stagecoaches and getting in shootouts at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena Coming to Carowinds in Spring 2016

Carowinds and PopCap Games, creator of some of the world's most beloved video game franchises, and an Electronic Arts Inc. studio are leading the charge as innovators in the amusement park industry by announcing a new digital experience. Carowinds will open the world's first intra-active 3-D game experience, Plants vs Zombies™ Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena, in spring 2016 - adding to the park's family line-up of thrills for all ages.

The new attraction, exclusive to Carowinds, will be based off the Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare franchise - a hilarious and over-the-top shooter videogame series that drops you into a crazy, all-out battle between plants and zombies in their fight for suburbia. The newest release from the franchise, Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, will also launch spring 2016 and for the first time, zombies have taken over and plants are on the attack. Players will be able to join the battle with new characters including Super Brainz, a zombie super hero who thinks he's an 80's action movie star, and Citron, a bounty-hunting orange from the future.

An intra-active experience means the game allows players to interact with the opposing team's screen. Guests will step inside the state-of-the-art Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena complex decked with 3-D technology, massive screens, surround sound and motion-based seats, to enjoy outrageous and imaginative encounters with their competition. Teams will compete in the Plants vs Zombies universe during an almost five minute backyard battle, where they'll shoot screens with blasters and track their scores as they go.

Read the rest at Carowinds

Knott's News: Color me impressed. If the concept art is anything to go by, it seems like a pretty decent amount of effort is going into this. Nice job Cedar Fair!

Janney Capital Reiterates Buy on Cedar Fair L.P. (FUN) Following Knott’s Berry Farm Tour

Janney Capital reiterated a Buy rating and $67.00 price target on Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) following a tour of Knott’s Berry Farm outside of LA. Knott's is the second largest asset in the portfolio with attendance approaching 4M people. The park has undertaken numerous CAPEX projects over the past few years to differentiate itself. It refurbished some of the most popular rides and renovated the kid's area.

Analyst Tyler Batory commented, "We recently had the opportunity to tour Knott’s Berry Farm outside of LA. We came away impressed with the quality of the park and the strategic investments made over the past few years. This has allowed Knott’s to differentiate itself from nearby Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood. From a stock perspective, we have increased confidence in our thesis that future growth can be driven by price increases, sales of more season passes and advanced tickets, and in-park spending. Our FV is $67 which is 11x our 2016 EBITDA."

Read the rest at StreetInsider

The full Plants vs Zombies attraction teaser

Get ready to soil your plants in 2016... pic.twitter.com/25nP54Ibdw

— #SCarowinds (@Carowinds) October 5, 2015

Disneyland's Annual Pass Price Increase Creates an Opportunity for Universal, Knott's

Disneyland's price increase creates opportunities for its nearest competitors in the Los Angeles-area theme park market: Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm. With a no-blockout pass to the Disneyland theme parks now costing more than $1,000 a year, Universal and Knott's have plenty of room to raise their pass prices and create new admission products and still come off looking like an absolute bargain compared with what Disney is charging.

Read the rest at ThemeParkInsider

Knott's News: I have to agree. I know many people won't want to hear this but a stern price increase would definitely help give Knott's a healthy source of revenue to invest in higher quality attractions (that Garner Holt Knott's Bear-y Tales reimagining isn't just gonna fund itself) and intern be more competitive. It may also help - and I'm putting this lightly -  keep some of the riff-raff out. As this article says, even at $200 for Gold or $300 for Platinum - with free parking and no blackouts - they're still the best value in town (and since the Platinum Pass includes all Cedar Fair parks, there is nothing stopping you from heading north and checking out the new Mass Effect attraction next year).

I'm sure Knott's is waiting to see how Universal reacts before doing anything.

Carowinds to announce Plants vs Zombies attraction soon!

Another world's 1st attraction is coming to Carowinds in 2016. Official announcement coming soon! pic.twitter.com/LTkwHlYpOY

— #SCarowinds (@Carowinds) October 4, 2015

Knott's News: This is the only other part of the Cedar Fair EA deal that we know of. Considering Cedar Fair's reluctance to deal with outside IP in the past, this sure does shake things up, even if it's just some temporary Action Theater shows. Could we see a Dead Space maze in Scary Farm's future? Who knows. I'm really excited to see how this plays out and what impact it may have on future Cedar Fair projects.

Knott’s Scary Farm Returns for 2015 with One of the Strongest Offerings Yet

The grand-daddy of Halloween events is back and is ready to turn your worst fears into reality once more for its 43rd year in a row. From demented dolls, to twisted tooth fairies, maniac magicians and some titillating talent acts, Knott’s Scary Farm is back and bigger than ever before. Please let it be known that this “review” is based on our experience during opening night. It’s common that many effects are still being tinkered with, talent is getting into the grove of things, and it’s hard to base final judgement on something that has only been running for a few hours vs. the rest of the 6 week run and that goes for any Halloween event, really. This “review” will focus primarily on what is new, without trying to spoil too much. There are many secrets deep inside the farm that you just need to see for yourself.

Read the rest at BehindtheThrills

Knotts Scary Farm 2015 Full Review

Last week, the original halloween haunt, Knott’s Scary Farm, opened its gates for the 2015 season. This year, there are 11 haunted attractions, 3 scare zones, and over 1,000 monsters waiting for you in the fog. Yes, you will be scared . . . but you’ll also be delighted.

For 2015, we have an impressive and varied line-up of experiences to dive into. Returning mazes include Pinocchio Unstrung, Forevermore, Black Magic, Gunslinger’s Grave, Trick or Treat, Voodoo, and The Tooth Fairy. Two entirely brand new mazes join the ensemble of terror this year; The Dead of Winter and Paranormal Inc. This year also marks the return of scares in the Calico Mine Ride with the all-new, My Bloody Clementine. In this review, we will focus primarily on the mazes, haunted experiences, and Shows.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Knott’s Scary Farm 2015 – The Hanging

We take a break from scary stuff today to look at The Hanging, one of two shows at Knott’s Scary Farm this year. A fixture of the Halloween Haunt since the early days, The Hanging is the annual satirical lampooning of pop culture, where The Lawman and the Hangman search out and hang the year’s most vile and offensive media figure.

Read there dest at Westcoaster

Knott’s Scary Farm 2015 – Returning Mazes

Welcome back to day 2 of Knott’s Scary Farm coverage. If you missed yesterday’s post on Haunt’s new mazes for 2015, you can check it out here. Today, we check out the returning mazes, including several that received some makeovers and bring new elements to familiar themes! We’ll jump right in, because there are lots of mazes and lots of photos to post (but do note that some of this update will contain spoilers to new changes to old attractions).

Read the rest at Westcoaster

Knott’s Scary Farm 2015 – New Mazes

Kids, it has finally come upon us. All year, we ask, “Is it Haunt yet?” And all year, the answer is, “no.” But now, with three nights of opening weekend under our belts, we can finally say, “Yes, it IS Haunt!” This week is devoted to the Granddaddy of them all, Knott’s Scary Farm, the first large scale haunted attraction in America and the event that kickstarted the entire haunted attraction movement. Today, we’ll focus on the three new “mazes” (quotes, since one of them is a ride overlay) for 2015. Lets get going, and of course haunted attraction disclaimer: photos in this update may be graphic in nature with simulated gore, so exercise appropriate discretion.

Read the rest at Westcoaster

Mass Effect attraction coming to California's Great America in 2016

California’s Great America and Electronic Arts (EA) are teaming up to create a first-of-its-kind guestexperience at Great America. The dynamic new attraction will feature settings and characters from EA’scritically acclaimed Mass Effect™ videogame series developed by BioWare™ and will open next season in a newly renovated Action Theater.

This exciting guest experience involves cutting edge technology customized for Great America and delivers 4D effects combined with a live performer and incredible special effects.

Great America guests will be taken on a thrilling adventure across the galaxy where they will travel through awe-inspiring landscapes, face off against bigger than life adversaries and ultimately help save the day.

“Teaming with a world-wide gaming leader like EA will enable us to build an incredible user experiencefor Great America guests,” said California’s Great America Vice President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg. “This combination of technology and creative video game content is sure to usher in a new wave of entertainment innovation at amusement parks.”

“EA and BioWare are thrilled to partner with Great America and see one of our most iconic games turned into an exciting high-tech attraction,” said Patrick O’Brien, Vice President of Entertainment and Licensing, EA. “Having a partner who shares our commitment to thrilling our fans is extremely important to us and we look forward to building an attraction that will appeal to the Mass Effect fan-base and introduce it to many more.”



Read the original story at CAGreatAmerica

Knott's News: Anyone who knows me knows that Mass Effect is one of my favorite video game series of all time. To many, Mass Effect is the video game equivalent of Star Wars. To others, it's deep lore and rich characters go beyond what Lucas himself calls "kids films" and the Star Wars comparison offends them. I fall into the second category.

So when I read the headline that a Mass Effect attraction was coming, I was beyond excited. Then I found out that it was in Cedar Fair's hands, of all people, and I immediately felt suffocating disappointment.

Hear me out, I love what Cedar Fair has been doing with Knott's since Matt's arrival but what I want - and what many fans assume they're getting when they read the headline - is a Wizarding World / Star Wars Land-esque immersive experience. What they're gonna get instead is a mass (wink wink) produced 3D film that'll go in the ever rotating Action Theater to replace Happy Feet. When the Cedar Fair license is up, we'll most likely see this in every Six Flags, mall and Casino you can think of. What this means is that we won't see much theming outside the entrance sign.

Hell, I probably have more Mass Effect theming in my room with my 1/4th scale Garrus statue (for interested fans, you can pick one up HERE) and the accompanying blue LED lights I affixed him with to give it a deep space atmosphere.

So, what can we expect exactly? Well they say the theater is receiving a renovation  which usually means additional 4D effects. They also say there will be a live performer in the room, which means it'll be like T2 3-D at Universal Studios, only with a single performer instead of a group (probably just someone in N7 armor, a...commander of sorts). Other then that, we can expect the Action Theater to look and behave the same.

Thus far, no other details have been released, leaving one to speculate. Is SimEx-Iwerks handling the distribution? Will the awesome people at Blur Studios be handling the content, since they have experience with both theme park attractions and Mass Effect? 

For reference, here is an example of Blur Studio's promotional work on Mass Effect:



And here's a trailer for the latest installment in the series coming out holiday next year, Mass Effect Andromeda, running on EA's Frostbite graphics engine:

I know this isn't Knott's related but you're gonna get updates regardless.

Knott’s Scary Farm 2015 opens with lots of creepy fun, including new Frozen-inspired ‘Dead of Winter’ haunted house

The Halloween season has officially begun in Southern California, as Knott’s Berry Farm in downtown Buena Park opened its gates as the rechristened Knott’s Scary Farm for the 43rd year running.

This year’s haunt features two brand-new mazes (The Dead of Winter and Paranormal, Inc.), seven returning mazes (Trick or Treat, Voodoo, The Tooth Fairy, Forevermore, Pinocchio Unstrung, Gunslinger’s Grave, and Black Magic), a newly re-themed Mine Ride (My Bloody Clementine), one returning interactive experience (Special Ops: Infected), and two shows (The Hanging and Elvira’s Asylum).

Read the rest at InsideTheMagic

What's the Deal with This Year's Knott's Scary Farm?

Knott’s, we need to talk.
No, no, come sit down. We’re all here because we love you and we want you to get better. I know this is going to be hard, but you need to sit and listen before we can help you get where you need to be. I’ll go first.

Knott’s Scary Farm is in its 43rd year of existence. I imagine it was quite scary and impressive for many of those years, but after taking two steps forward the past two years the event took a major step backwards this fall.

Of the 11 mazes at the 2015 event, three were what I would put in the category of “recommendable.” The other eight range between “take it or leave it” and “avoid.”

Read the rest at ThemeParkInsider

Review: Reenergized Knott's Halloween Haunt lures us back into the fog

Halloween Haunt returns with a vengeance to Knott’s Berry Farm with the best maze lineup in a decade and a new commitment to quality set design and immersive storytelling.

From start to finish, I found the nine mazes at Haunt 2015 to be solid and well-executed, the shows at their raunchy best and the scare zone monsters in terrifying form.

It’s taken awhile to clear the Buena Park theme park of some past Haunt flotsam and jetsam, but by and large this year’s returning mazes have held up well while continuing to improve. And the newest offerings compare favorably to what’s being offered up the freeway at Universal Studios Hollywood.

While Haunt still has a way to go to catch up to and keep up with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, the level of detail and commitment to storytelling in the newest attractions bodes well for the future of Knott’s Scary Farm.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's took time to get this scary

The Knott’s Scary Farm we know today is far different than when it first opened in October 1973.

Knott’s Halloween Haunt started with nine costumed monsters roaming the park – “The Munsters” (remember them?) in the Livery Stables, the Phantom of the Opera in the Saloon and the Invisible Man in The Haunted Shack – and decorations of cobwebs and skeletons.

Over the 43 years, it has evolved into Knott’s Scary Farm with 1,000 monsters lurking this year in the fog that settles throughout parts of the park, lifelike gore as decorations and 11 mazes filled with special effects, projections and the latest technology.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Old Screamin Swing area!

Old Screamin Swing area! #knotts #ghosttown75 #ghosttown #knottsberryfarm #themepark #AmusementPark #buenapark #cedarfair

Posted by Knott's Network on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Park Map

Knott’s Berry Farm – 09/23/2015

In just a little over 24 hours, we’ll be back at Knott’s for the annual festivities to check out 2015’s edition of Knott’s Scary Farm… so this morning with a little free time on my hands, I decided to go take a walk around the park to see what’s up. Remember, 24 nights of Scary Farm start tomorrow and will run through October 31st, and if you haven’t taken advantage of the Haunt Pass, you’re missing out! Unlike other parks, this pass gives you access to all 24 nights of Scary Farm for just $80. $140 if you add parking. But, if you have a Season Pass with parking included, it’s already taken care of! Cool, huh? You ready? I know I am!

Read the rest at Westcoaster

A lifetime after working for Walter Knott, nun to celebrate 95th birthday at Knott's Berry Farm

Her mother worked in the kitchen making gravy and boysenberry pies. Her father plowed the berry patch.

It was 1939, and America was just coming out of the Great Depression.

Sister Florence Hund, who was 19 at the time, answered the phones for Walter Knott. She remembers he was a nice guy, thin, round glasses. She worked weekends in the small office building next to the berry stand on Highway 39, before Buena Park became a city, before Knott’s Berry Place became Knott’s Berry Farm.

The phone rang constantly with people making reservations for dinner. That’s all she remembers doing – taking dinner reservations.

“They were famous for their chicken dinners,” Florence said. “People came from miles around for a chicken dinner.”

Thursday is Hund’s 95th birthday, and she’s got one request.

She’s going to Knott’s Berry Farm for lunch. She’s planning to order chicken.

Read the rest at OCRegister

A new mission: Former service members to lead the charge in Knott's popular Scary Farm maze

Former Marine Sgt. Darren Rivenbark will lead quite unusual battles this Halloween.

The 41-year-old will try to help save humanity from a zombie apocalypse starting Sept. 24 at Knott’s Scary Farm.

“We’re going to get us some zombies!” belted Rivenbark, an Anaheim resident performing his best drill sergeant impression dressed in desert camouflage fatigues.

Rivenbark is a squad leader in the theme park’s popular Special Ops: Infected – an interactive maze that places guests armed with laser guns on a mission to save the world from zombies.

In his role as Sgt. Stress, he is one of 25 squad leaders, nearly half of whom are former service members.

Read the rest at OCRegister

The Spark – Cheers to My Mentor Garner Holt

Fellow MiceChatters, this is The Spark. In this space, I’ll discuss what it’s like to pursue a career in themed entertainment, trends and developments in the industry, and Disney and otherwise related items on theme park and immersive entertainment history, culture, and more. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride.

Today is the 55th birthday of the man who has made the most significant impact on my life and career: my friend and mentor, Garner Holt, founder and president of Garner Holt Productions, Inc. In the inaugural bit of writing for The Spark, his birthday provides the perfect inspiration to talk about him, and the virtues of mentorship in the creative industry.

Read the rest at MiceChat

It's bound to be bloody as Knott's steps up challenge to Universal's Horror Nights

The difference between Knott’s Halloween Haunt and Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights has always come down to quantity versus quality.

Knott’s Berry Farm has always been about more, more, more: More mazes, more monsters, more nights. After inventing the theme park haunted event, Knott’s dominated the competition for decades.

Universal Studios Hollywood is known for its movie studio-quality set designs, special effects monster makeup and heart-stopping theatrical scares. The ghastly crosstown upstart now sets the bar against which others — including Knott’s — are measured.

Knott’s has stepped up its game in recent years with the thrilling Trapped escape-room maze and the expansive Special Ops: Infected zombie-killing laser-tag experience. But capacity issues dogged both the upcharge Trapped maze and the highly interactive Infected experience, which were as good or better than anything offered by Universal’s Horror Nights.

Now, Knott’s is applying the lessons learned over the past few seasons to the more traditional Paranormal Inc. haunted maze — which at first glance appears to have the quality sets and top-notch talent of Trapped as well as the in-depth storytelling and in-your-face action of Special Ops: Infected.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's Scary Farm : September 24 - October 31, 2015 Commercial

Knott's Scary Farm build update 9-9-15

School is back in session, crowds are much lighter now. We now are starting to see Scary Farm deco though out Ghost Town. This year there are a lot of pumpkins, Im assuming that will also tie into the new Knott’s Spooky Farm (Weekend Daytime Halloween Fun) in Oct.

Read the rest at KnottsNetwork

The Removal of Screamin Swing has begun!

The Removal of Screamin Swing has begun! #ghosttown75

Posted by Knott's Network on Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Work has begun at Ghostrider! Reopening 2016!

Work has begun at Ghostrider! Reopening 2016! #ghosttown75

Posted by Knott's Network on Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Knott's Scary Farm - Largest Halloween Event In Los Angeles and Orange C...

Ryan Reynolds shows off his first girlfriend!

My first girlfriend, Karen. Obsessed with Knott's Berry Farm. She refused to leave. Refused to do lots of stuff. pic.twitter.com/47pWBidQqj

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 3, 2015

Fireworks will explode over Knott's Labor Day weekend

The rocket’s red glare, in the form of fireworks, will be bursting mid-air at Knott’s Berry Farm Sunday night.

The fireworks are part of the extra entertainment on the schedule at America’s oldest theme park for the Labor Day weekend, which includes extended operating hours through Monday.

The fireworks display is scheduled for 10 p.m. Sunday night, September 6.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Knott's Scary Farm Preview 2015

History of the Charles M. Schultz Theatre

Known today as the Charles M. Schulz Theatre, Walter Knott opened the John Wayne Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm on June 19, 1971. It is the very theater that still stands there today. A theater filled with rich Knott’s Berry Farm history.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

History of the Bird Cage Theatre

If you have been to Knott’s and have visited Ghost Town, then you have probably seen Knott’s Bird Cage Theater. It’s located just around the corner from the Old Wind Mill in front of the Fireman’s BBQ.

Bird Cage Theater is full of history. I met up with longstanding Bird Cage Theater performer, Dean Carter, to learn a little bit about the unique history of this beloved little theater.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

Whipout slowly getting new signage!

Whipout slowly getting new signage!

Posted by Knott's Network on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

New wall near Boomerang Queue to hide the backstage areas!

New wall near Boomerang Queue to hide the backstage areas!
Posted by Knott's Network on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Announcement Event - Southern CA's Largest Halloween Event

Knotts Scary Farm Announces Full Line Up

Last night, Knotts Berry Farm invited haunt fans and season pass holders to the Knotts Scary Farm Announcement event. Here we would find out what was in store for us when Knotts Scary Farm opens its gates to Halloween and theme park fans. Scary Farm, slashing into its 43rd year, is the single biggest haunt event in the world, employing over 1,000 monsters, featuring 11 mazes and haunted attractions, 2 horrifying shows, 3 scare zones and a new roving terror throughout the park. They promise this will be THE haunt event of the year.

Knotts took a while to announce what they had to offer for the 2015 season, but it was so worth it. The collection of scare zones, returning mazes, updated mazes, new attractions and new maze experiences makes this one of the most promising seasons since the 40th anniversary of Haunt. The creative team at Knotts Scary Farm has fashioned a collection of terrifying experiences that has us salivating. We get to investigate a haunted hospital in the groundbreaking new maze, PARANORMAL, INC. We can escape the icy grasp of the chilling Snow Queen in The Dead of Winter. Or enlist to fight the zombie apocalypse in an all-out war against the undead in the interactive experience, Special Ops: Infected – Patient Zero

Then there are the shows. Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark, returns new show that will transport guests to an asylum of music, dance and comedy. Then of course there is The Hanging: Straight Outta Calico. Simply brilliant.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Knott's YouTube page advertising camera?

Voodoo: Order of the Serpent | Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Maze

Still a kid at heart! Demi Lovato celebrates turning 23 with Snoopy as she visits a theme park with Wilmer Valderrama

She's still just a big kid at heart.

And singer Demi Lovato was all smiles when she celebrated her 23rd birthday with boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama with a trip to Knott's Berry Farm on Saturday.

Although the singer's actual birthday was on Thursday, she kept the party going with a fun trip to the Los Angeles theme park.

Read the rest at DailyMail

Knott's Berry Farm's GhostRider, Screamin’ Swing closing – one temporarily, one for good

“GhostRider is one of the most beloved attractions at Knott's Berry Farm,”said Raffi Kaprelyan, vice president and general manager at Knott’s. “The full restoration of the ride is just the beginning of what we have in store for the 75th anniversary celebration of Ghost Town in 2016.”

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Behind the scenes interview with Bobby Obezo: Executive Chef at Knott's Berry Farm

Your idea of a perfect Friday night might differ a bit from mine. I recently had an opportunity to step into Chef Bobby’s kitchen. I got to go behind the scenes, take long slow sips from an amazing boysenberry shake, and learn more about the chef that makes all your food dreams come true at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

Streetmosphere

What happens to a place that once bustled with the day-to-day activity of work, economics, and life? Abandoned villages, towns, and cities permeate the US, some stricken by natural disasters, war, or irreversible economic failure. What's left behind are the buildings that once housed the people who breathed life into that town. Knott's Berry Farm sits on what used to be a berry farm, established by Walter Knott.

His interest in American pioneer history fueled the construction of the Ghost Town, using buildings relocated from real Old West towns. Unlike the ghost towns you'll find as you travel across the country, Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm is alive with townsfolk that will take you back to the days of the Wild West. During a warm summer Saturday afternoon at the park, we strolled the town to glean insight and secrets from these resident townsfolk.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

History of the Iron Reef building

Knott’s newest ride, Voyage to the Iron Reef, has been a big hit with my kids. They love taking a sci-fi adventure under the sea and defeating the Kraken to save Knott’s Berry Farm from utter destruction. This thrilling adventure ride is located near the Knott’s Boardwalk, across the way from the Charles Schultz Theatre.

For those of you who are new to the Knott’s Berry Farm theme park, you may not know the history behind this particular area of the park where Voyage to the Iron Reef now resides. But for those of you who have been coming to Knott’s since the beginning, you probably have many memories of this part of the park before Voyage to the Iron Reef came to be.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

Ghost Town 75th Anniversary Celebration!!!

In 2016, Knott's Berry Farm’s Ghost Town will celebrate 75 years of creating lasting memories for countless generations. In preparation for Ghost Town’s Anniversary Celebration, GhostRider, the longest, tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast, will close on September 8 for a comprehensive restoration.

The massive coaster features plunging drops, harrowing turns, and 4,533 ft. of wooden track. Hitting speeds of over 50 miles per hour, and looming 118 ft. over the historic Ghost Town, GhostRider even races outside of the Park, towering over Beach Boulevard. Screamin’ Swing will permanently close on September 8 in preparation for Ghost Town’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2016.

In November, Knott’s will share more plans about how the park will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Ghost Town.

Read the rest at KnottsBerryBlog

Knott's News: Sounds like we'll find out what's replacing Screamin' Swing in November. Will we see a return of a classic (Haunted Shack) or will it be see something entirely new? Either way, I'm sure fans won't be disappointed.

Campers sleep with roller coasters in distance at Knott's first campout

With the whirring of roller coasters and screaming of thrill-seekers emanating from the background, families ruffled through their tents trying to figure out how to pitch them.

“This isn’t working,” said Bailey Webb, 16, of Mission Viejo, as he and his family worked to get their tent up. “Oh my god, this is really difficult.”

Webb was one of about 20 people who came to spend the night under the stars at Knott’s Berry Farm’s inaugural Coaster Campout. Those with special tickets got two days of admission and a chance to camp in a field next to the theme park’s replica of Independence Hall.

The campout was organized by Knott’s parent company, Cedar Fair, in honor of National Roller Coaster Day, which is Saturday. Proceeds from the event, which is also being held at eight other Cedar Fair parks, are going to local Boys & Girls Clubs chapters.

For $200, attendees got four tickets to the park Thursday and Friday, a campsite in the Park Pavilion Picnic Center, a free parking pass and four meal vouchers for either dinner on Thursday or breakfast on Friday at select Knott’s restaurants.

Read the rest at OCRegister

Knott's Scary Farm 2015 ScareLA Panel

Come enjoy the Great Coaster Campout at Knott's Berry Farm on the house!

Hey Folks! Knott's Berry Farm just surprised up with an amazing opportunity for our readers. Come enjoy the Great...

Posted by MiceChat.com | The Happiest Place in Cyberspace... on Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Happy Birthday, Snoopy! #drawsnoopy

Snow queen will reign over Knott's

A snow queen will menace Knott’s Berry Farm guests this Halloween in the new maze Dead of Winter.

Knott’s Scary Farm’s 43rd edition will also feature returning favorites, including Elvira and last year’s hit maze, Special Ops: Infected. In addition, the park will expand its kid-friendly Halloween offerings during the day with the new Knott’s Spooky Farm.

In Dead of Winter, the Snow Queen and her henchmen of resurrected Viking warriors will go after those who wend their way through her realm, which maze designer Gus Krueger described as history and fantasy.

“To me, the best mazes are a mix of a beautiful environment, good talent and good scares,” he said.

Krueger promised that Knott’s Snow Queen will be nothing like “that other snow queen,” referring to the ubiquitous Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen.” Instead, Krueger’s Snow Queen will be more like the villainous version in Hans Christian Andersen’s original story.

The new attraction will include a mirror-maze portion and at least some snow similar to the kind Knott’s uses in Ghost Town during Christmas. The maze will contrast dark portions typical of Halloween mazes with white areas.

“I wanted to contrast the white and black because everything’s so dark all the time,” Krueger said. “I’m not afraid of going white, which is terrifying for people in haunt design.”

Read the rest at OCRegister

Knott's Halloween '15: A new haunted maze ruled by an evil queen, plus lots of zombie-killing ops

Knott's Berry Farm will add a new haunted maze for Halloween Haunt 2015 featuring a vengeful ice queen and will bring back an interactive zombie-killing experience that arms visitors with simulated military assault weapons.

The 43rd Knott's Scary Farm will start Sept. 24 and run on select nights through Oct. 31.

The granddaddy of Halloween events will feature 11 haunted mazes, three scare zones and two shows scattered throughout the Buena Park theme park. Elvira Mistress of the Dark will return as the face of the perennial event.

New for 2015, the Dead of Winter maze will put visitors in the icy grasp of a snow queen who sounds a lot like a vengeful version of Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen.”

The maze will include an army of resurrected Viking warriors hellbent on avenging the murder of the queen’s family and determined to destroy anyone who enters her ice palace.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott’s Berry Farm To Host Deaf Awareness Day

Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park will host a Deaf Awareness Day on Saturday, September 25. It will be sponsored by the Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation (OC DEAF).

The event is open to the public, but welcomes members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, along with advocates, families and friends accompanying them.

OC DEAF will be providing sign language interpreters throughout the park at selected shows and attractions.

Read the rest at CanyonNews

The Dead Of Winter | Knott's Scary Farm 2015 New Maze

The Gunslingers Grave: A Blood Moon Rises | Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Maze

Tooth Fairy | Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Maze

Special Ops: Infected - Patient Zero | Knott's Scary Farm 2015 Maze

Suzanne Harper To Compete At Western Regional Finals Of 2015 Country Showdown

After winning the Country Showdown California State Finals held at Knott’s Berry Farm, Harper will be heading to the Western Regional Finals in Oregon later in the fall.

“It was very exciting (to perform at Knott’s Berry Farm). It was fun being able to be in that atmosphere again, it’s always a great crowd,” said Harper. “The audience started cheering when we did our first song.”

Harper played two original songs at the State Finals on Saturday, “Redneck,” and “Tractors in the Fast Lane.” Harper played the same songs at Santa Clarita Concerts in the Park on July 25.

“We’re thrilled (to be going to the Western Regional Finals),” said Harper. “I’ve been there before so it’s nice to not go in blind. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring it home.”

Read the rest at KHTS

Pack your sleeping bag for a camp out at Knott's Berry Farm (and other roller coaster parks)

Roller coaster fans, grab your tent and buy a ticket if you want to spend the night at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park and other roller coaster parks.

It's all in honor of National Roller Coaster Day on Aug. 16, and money raised from camping tickets will support the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. on Thursday announced the Coaster Campouts at Knott's Berry Farm and eight other parks in the U.S.

Overnighters receive a 7:30 a.m. wake-up call from Snoopy and early time on rides (9:30 to 10 a.m.) Aug. 14 at Camp Snoopy and Fiesta Village. The park is closed to campers at the regular time of 10 p.m. each day.

Read the rest at LATimes

Step right up, pardner, and meet Joe

He's Orange County's oldest incarcerated criminal, he has received mailbags full of love letters and he hasn't aged for 74 years.

Sad Eye Joe, the beloved character and sole occupant at Knott's Berry Farm Jail since 1941, may be a wooden man wearing a frown, but he can speak, call you by name and read your mind.

It's an attraction that began decades ago when founder Walter Knott built the amusement park's Ghost Town in 1940.

Read the rest at DailyPilot

Cedar Fair pickers scour Europe for vintage amusement park rides

Inspired by the “American Pickers” reality television show, a pair of collectors is scouring Europe for classic rides to bring back to Cedar Fair amusement parks in the United States and Canada.

The duo was sent on the continent-spanning scavenger hunt by Cedar Fair Chief Executive Matt Ouimet, a former Disneyland president who is hoping the refurbished family rides will add a nostalgic atmosphere to the chain’s 11 amusement parks.

“We believe that we can bring some classic rides back to the parks, maybe that were there years before,” Ouimet said.


Ouimet is hoping parents will remember the rides from their youth and want to introduce their children to the vintage attractions.

“They will be very recognizable rides,” Ouimet said. “It’s playing to nostalgia and just having fun.”

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's News: Hey Matt, there is this 128 year old historic park called Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio that your predecessor bought and dismantled within 3 years. There is a roller coaster still standing there called The Big Dipper that is the 7th oldest coaster in the United States. Just saying, good place to start if you're really worried about preserving history.

Virtual reality system trial set for fall on roller coaster

After finding success with two high-tech but leisurely interactive rides, Cedar Fair LP is ready to up the ante and give virtual reality a shot on a full-blown roller coaster.

The Sandusky amusement park operator announced plans Tuesday to test a virtual reality system on one of its current coasters this fall.

Officials didn’t name the coaster or say at which park it would be.

“This is only a test, but it starts to give you a flavor for the opportunities that could happen over time, where we could create a compelling and reprogrammable experience with less capital,” Chief Executive Officer Matt Ouimet told industry analysts during a conference call to talk about the company’s second-quarter financial results.

Read the rest at ToledoBlade

On the Line: Eubaldo Ramirez Of Knott's Berry Farm, Part Two

As if he wasn't busy enough, Eubaldo Ramirez was tasked with responding to my seemingly endless list of questions. Well, he tackled it like a pro. Thanks for making time for us!

Read the rest at OCWeekly

New Knott's Berry Farm live shows created by daughter of Snoopy's creator Charles Schulz

Bicyclists soaring upside down through the air, gymnasts doing multiple, quadruple flips, a trapeze artist spinning above the crowd – then there’s this ice-skating show with a beagle named Snoopy.

All Knott’s Berry Farm offerings produced by Jill Schulz-Transki, the daughter of Charles Schulz, the man who created the Peanuts comic strip.

“I was the first person to skate in the first Snoopy costume; it was made by my mother,” the daughter recalled.

And now, Schulz-Transki’s company is producing two new, summertime shows through Aug. 23 at Knott’s, which has a long history of using Peanuts characters in the park.

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Country Showdown KHTS AM-1220 Winner Moves On To State Finals

Harper, along with Kylie Mac and Jarett James, were the three Country Showdown KHTS AM-1220 local competition finalists competing at Concerts in the Park on July 25.

The three were competing for a chance to move on to the 2015 Country Showdown California State finals at Knott’s Berry Farm on Aug. 8, 2015 and Harper emerged victorious.

The three were originally going to perform at the Santa Clarita Concerts in the Park as opening acts for Marie Wise-Hawkins on July 18, however it was cancelled due to the weather.

Marie Wise-Hawkins will be performing as the headliner, along with Three Bad Jacks at the Concerts in the Park on Aug. 15.

Harper competed at the 2013 Texaco Country Showdown and made it all the way to the national championship at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and came in second place.

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On the Line: Eubaldo Ramirez Of Knott's Berry Farm, Part One

Running a restaurant is tough. Try running multiple. Add to that payroll, scheduling, purchasing and cost controls. Roll that all up, and you get Eubaldo Ramirez of Knott's Berry Farm. We gave him some tough questions, but knew he could handle them. Just look at how he spends an average Friday.

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Injury Risk Not Lost on Knott’s Plaintiff Who Now Suffers from Vision Problems

It was last year that Kristine Laborte, then age six, was a participant on the Timber Mountain Log Ride when she hit her head against the seatback in front, breaking a bone above her right eye. She was accompanied on the ride by her father, James, who held his daughter on his lap. The incident happened when the ride stopped suddenly at the bottom of the flume, causing both James and Kristine to slide forward. The injury, according to the family’s Amusement Park lawsuit, happened on July 27, 2014.

The plaintiffs assert the injury to their daughter could have been avoided if there were safety measures built into the ride, such as more adequate feet or leg braces installed in the interior of the log-shaped cars to prevent occupants from unexpectedly sliding forward. The Labortes also claim that better monitoring of the water levels at the bottom of the drop could have also prevented the injury to the little girl.

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