PW SEPT08 P8.qxd 8/18/08 1:37 pm Page 8
Park News
www.parkworld-online.com
Pier Support
Industry rallies round to help
after Weston-Super-Mare fire
The owners of the Grand Pier at Weston-Super-Mare on England’s South West
coast have expressed their gratitude for the support offered following a recent fire.
Nearby attraction Wookey Hole Caves, run by ex-circus boss Gerry Cottle, has
provided the pier with an Incredible Hulk figure, model dinosaur and merry-go-
round, while Carter’s Royal Berkshire Steam Fair, which took up residence in
Weston during August, also loaned some equipment. The contributions will provide
some sort of temporary replacement for the attractions, including an amusement
arcade and vintage ghost train, destroyed inside the pier’s pavilion during the
blaze on July 28. Pier owner Kerry Michael pictured on the new go-kart track, which opened just
“The tourist industry is giving a great deal of support to the Grand Pier during
weeks before the blaze that destroyed this and other attractions
this difficult time,” reports co-owner Kerry Michael. “We are grateful for the
assistance and touched by the kindness.” they [the Michaels] completed their purchase of the pier and at the start of the
The pier, which was run for over 60 years by the Brenner family, had been peak season makes it even more so,” he reported. “But I am impressed by their
owned by Kerry and his sister Michelle Michael, trading as AGM Holdings, for less resolve and their determination to replace the Pavilion as quickly as possible. It is a
than six months before the fire occurred. It is now thought the blaze may have true Phoenix style project.”
been started by a fryer in one of the pier’s kitchens. Only weeks before, a 200-
metre split-level go-kart track, the first of its kind in the UK was added over the top
of the pier’s existing dodgems. Both atttractions are now destroyed.
Colin Dawson, chief executive of the BALPPA, the British Association of Leisure
Steel Lasso opens at
Parks, Piers and Attractions, visited last month to inspect the damage and offer his
support. “An event such as this is a tragedy at any time but coming so soon after
Frontier City
Oklahoma’s only Suspended
Family Coaster, the Steel Lasso,
has opened at Frontier City,
Oklahoma City. The new ride is
by Vekoma and stands 49ft tall,
965ft long and reaches a top
speed of 30 mph. Steel Lasso’s
ergonomic seats and restraints
allow guests 39 inches or taller
to join in the fun, making the
coaster one the entire family can
enjoy.
Frontier City, Oklahoma’s largest seasonal attraction, first opened its
gates in 1958. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008, it now offers over
30 rides, shows and attractions.
ITPS wins Turkish
park contract
International Theme Park Services (ITPS) of Cincanatti has been selected to
manage a major new theme park project due to open by 2010 in Turkish
capital of Istanbul. Cocuk Eglence Parki will be part of a multi-faceted
leisure/retail project being developed by ORA Istanbul. ITPS will
deal with the park’s feasibility study,
design review, ride and
attraction procurement, pre-
opening operating services
and long-term on-site
management.
“Istanbul is a wonderful
cosmopolitan city which needs
and can sustain a major project
of this type,” believes ITPS
president Dennis Speigel.
8
SEPTEMBER 2008
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