Since the attraction was announced a little over two weeks ago, the virtual-reality experience had been promoted as “FearVR: 5150,” as part of the theme park’s “Knott’s Scary Farm” season.
It takes place in a mental hospital where a possessed patient “unleashes chaos throughout the hospital,” according to an LA Times preview article. “5150” refers to a section of California law used to hold someone for 72 hours at a psychiatric facility if he or she is considered a danger to themselves or others.
Local mental health advocates emailed a strongly-worded letter to Knott’s parent company Wednesday objecting to using mental illness as scary entertainment.
The attraction “adds to the hurtful, dehumanizing, discriminatory, prejudicial, insensitive, offensive and stigmatizing of mental illness,” wrote John Leyerle, president of the Orange County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in his letter to Cedar Fair Entertainment President and CEO Mathew Quimet.
Read the rest at VoiceofOC
Friday, September 23, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Garner Holt on the Big and Little Screens
Howdy everyone—greetings after a much-too-long hiatus from this column! It’s been many months — I confess, over a year! — since I’ve written, during which time my company has been busier than ever before, with attraction openings from the Netherlands to Shanghai, Plymouth, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington and plenty in between (even “sallying” through the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland). In the glow of being too busy to slow down for a second, I hope you’ll forgive a tardy article!
One question that I am asked on just about every tour of my shop and in nearly every talk I give to schools and fan groups is whether Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP) ever does work for movies. It’s a good question, since animatronics have long played a significant role in movies of all types, from the troublesome Jaws’ “Bruce” figure to the incredible dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and in hundreds of earlier and subsequent films. However, while GHP is at the top of the theme park animatronic marketplace, our work in films and TV is rather limited.
Read the rest at MiceChat
One question that I am asked on just about every tour of my shop and in nearly every talk I give to schools and fan groups is whether Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP) ever does work for movies. It’s a good question, since animatronics have long played a significant role in movies of all types, from the troublesome Jaws’ “Bruce” figure to the incredible dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and in hundreds of earlier and subsequent films. However, while GHP is at the top of the theme park animatronic marketplace, our work in films and TV is rather limited.
Read the rest at MiceChat
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Expanded Knott's Spooky Farm Returns This Fall Offering More Daytime Family Friendly Halloween Fun Than Ever Before
The daytime park wide, family-friendly Halloween celebration, geared for kids ages 3 - 11, Knott's Spooky Farm, returns on weekends in October and Halloween Day, starting October 1. Knott's Berry Farm invites families to join in the Halloween fun by participating in hands on and fun activities and all new experiences in Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, Boardwalk Ballroom and Camp Snoopy. The special limited-time event serves up live entertainment, trick-or-treating, a costume contest and exclusive festivities honoring the 50th anniversary of the classic Peanuts animated TV special It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
Read the rest at PRNewswire
Sunday, September 11, 2016
That new tree didn't make it
The boysenberry: Napa's gift to the world
The wine industry being the juggernaut that it is today, it’s hard to appreciate that the Napa Valley — the city of Napa, specifically — was once indirectly famous for another berry.
This wasn’t an import from the vineyards of Europe. It was created here in Coombsville. When it received its first splash of publicity, it was touted as the “sensation berry of the twentieth century.”
In 1959, California’s governor, Edmund “Pat” Brown, declared a week’s celebration in its honor. In the southland, Los Angeles chose a young woman to represent this berry at festivals.
We’re talking boysenberry!
Read the rest at the NapaValleyRegister
This wasn’t an import from the vineyards of Europe. It was created here in Coombsville. When it received its first splash of publicity, it was touted as the “sensation berry of the twentieth century.”
In 1959, California’s governor, Edmund “Pat” Brown, declared a week’s celebration in its honor. In the southland, Los Angeles chose a young woman to represent this berry at festivals.
We’re talking boysenberry!
Read the rest at the NapaValleyRegister
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Knott's Berry Farm will be offering its history to collectors in auction
Want to own a part of Knott’s Berry Farm’s past? An auction is planned to give collectors and theme park fans that chance.
According to a post on its website, the farm is planning an auction of “more than 300 one-of-a-kind items from America’s first theme park” that will be held in January 2017 in the Charles M. Schulz theatre at the park.
Knott’s officials have not released a list of what will be offered at the auction, but said on the website that it will include historic artifacts from Ghost Town, Camp Snoopy, other areas of the park and from the Walter Knott Archives. It does say some of the items could be theme park ride vehicles, player pianos, vintage coin-operated machines and more.
“Many memories are created at Knott’s Berry Farm and this auction is one way for fans to preserve those special times through collecting unique memorabilia from the park’s rich history,” Knott’s officials said in a statement.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
According to a post on its website, the farm is planning an auction of “more than 300 one-of-a-kind items from America’s first theme park” that will be held in January 2017 in the Charles M. Schulz theatre at the park.
Knott’s officials have not released a list of what will be offered at the auction, but said on the website that it will include historic artifacts from Ghost Town, Camp Snoopy, other areas of the park and from the Walter Knott Archives. It does say some of the items could be theme park ride vehicles, player pianos, vintage coin-operated machines and more.
“Many memories are created at Knott’s Berry Farm and this auction is one way for fans to preserve those special times through collecting unique memorabilia from the park’s rich history,” Knott’s officials said in a statement.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Cedar Fair Announces Record Attendance And Revenues Through Labor Day
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, today announced that preliminary net revenues through Monday, September 5, 2016, increased 2% to a record $1.04 billion compared with $1.02 billion through Labor Day weekend a year ago. As such, the Company expects 2016 to be its seventh consecutive year of record results.
This year-over-year growth was driven by a 1%, or 227,000-visit, increase in attendance to 20.5 million visits; a 1%, or $0.50, increase in average in-park guest per capita spending to $46.71; and a 5%, or approximately $5 million, increase in out-of-park revenues, including resort accommodations, to $114 million.
Read the rest at prnewswire
This year-over-year growth was driven by a 1%, or 227,000-visit, increase in attendance to 20.5 million visits; a 1%, or $0.50, increase in average in-park guest per capita spending to $46.71; and a 5%, or approximately $5 million, increase in out-of-park revenues, including resort accommodations, to $114 million.
Read the rest at prnewswire
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
For the first time, Knott's Scary Farm using VR, Oculus to make the scares more real
This Halloween, Knott’s Scary Farm is stepping up the fear factor in a high-tech way.
A new virtual reality experience called “FearVR: 5150” will give visitors a first-person point of view to horror and carnage unlike anything Knott’s has ever offered.
Forget the 1,000 costumed monsters that jump out of the fog to scare guests. These new monsters will invade their psyche.
“We’re going to take guests on an immersive experience ... in a real-life horror movie,” said Christian Dieckmann, vice president of strategic growth at Cedar Fair, the parent company of Knott’s.
Dieckmann said Cedar Fair will roll out this VR experience to two of its other theme parks – California’s Great America in Santa Clara and Canada’s Wonderland. He also said that the company may add VR to other attractions and roller coasters at Knott’s at a later date.
Visitors who pay a bit extra will be led into an area in the Boardwalk, where they’ll be strapped into a dingy brown wheelchair. Guests will wear headphones and Samsung Gear virtual reality goggles with an Oculus program.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
A new virtual reality experience called “FearVR: 5150” will give visitors a first-person point of view to horror and carnage unlike anything Knott’s has ever offered.
Forget the 1,000 costumed monsters that jump out of the fog to scare guests. These new monsters will invade their psyche.
“We’re going to take guests on an immersive experience ... in a real-life horror movie,” said Christian Dieckmann, vice president of strategic growth at Cedar Fair, the parent company of Knott’s.
Dieckmann said Cedar Fair will roll out this VR experience to two of its other theme parks – California’s Great America in Santa Clara and Canada’s Wonderland. He also said that the company may add VR to other attractions and roller coasters at Knott’s at a later date.
Visitors who pay a bit extra will be led into an area in the Boardwalk, where they’ll be strapped into a dingy brown wheelchair. Guests will wear headphones and Samsung Gear virtual reality goggles with an Oculus program.
Read the rest at the OCRegister
Review Halloween Haunt now admitting patients to a virtual reality mental hospital
A new virtual reality haunted experience coming to Knott’s Berry Farm and two other North American amusement parks this Halloween admits visitors to a mental hospital where a psychiatric patient with demonic powers is on the loose.
Part of a wave of virtual reality experiences sweeping theme parks this year, Fear VR: 5150 will be available during Halloween Haunt on select nights in September and October at Knott’s in Buena Park, California’s Great America in Santa Clara and Canada’s Wonderland outside Toronto. The 5150 attraction takes its name from the California police code for a mentally ill person who is a danger to himself or others.
I got a sneak peek at 5150 last week at Knott’s and found the five-minute VR experience immersive, captivating and scary. The attraction was still under construction during the preview tour, so I did not get to experience the five-minute pre-show populated by live talent.
Read the rest at the LATimes
Part of a wave of virtual reality experiences sweeping theme parks this year, Fear VR: 5150 will be available during Halloween Haunt on select nights in September and October at Knott’s in Buena Park, California’s Great America in Santa Clara and Canada’s Wonderland outside Toronto. The 5150 attraction takes its name from the California police code for a mentally ill person who is a danger to himself or others.
I got a sneak peek at 5150 last week at Knott’s and found the five-minute VR experience immersive, captivating and scary. The attraction was still under construction during the preview tour, so I did not get to experience the five-minute pre-show populated by live talent.
Read the rest at the LATimes
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