The Dreaded Off Season is Here

A number of things happened on November 5th 2008: Americans exercised their right to vote, Barack Obama became president elect, and for thousands of theme park fans the buzz of that final amusement park visit of 2008 ended. What follows is a long off-season until your favorite park opens in April…well unless you reading live in one of the southern states where parks don’t close, you lucky duck…

To satiate your theme park needs and lessen the off-season blues, the DoD3 will continue to update regularly through the off season with news, updates, reviews and more. I’ll also be introducing a new weekly series where I’ll upload a full theme park brochure or park map from yesteryear; all straight from the DoD3 Vaults (an old junk drawer.)

Let the countdown to various opening days begin…

Six Flags Great Adventure announced two weeks ago that they will re-theme and add new effects and features to their floorless B&M coaster Medusa. It is now becoming apparent that Medusa’s new theme will celebrate one of the parks most notable past coasters…Shockwave.

Shockwave was of course Great Adventure’s old blue and white stand-up coaster that opened in 1990 before being taken down two years later and shipped off to Six Flags Astroworld. Considering that Medusa was the first floorless coaster ever and Shockwave was the first stand-up coaster on the east coast, perhaps the new Medusa/Shockwave will be the first floorless/stand-up in the world!

Just into the DoD3 newsroom today (aka myself leaching off other sites) Hard Rock Park is up for sale! As many theme park lovers know, the just opened in 2008 amusement park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in September. Instead of sorting things out and planning on what to better in the upcoming season, officials instead said “funk dat!” and put the whole joint up for sale. The park apparently cost $400 million to construct, an amazing feat considering the park had…uh…um…well they had that Led Zeppelin coaster! Oh I get it now! $300 million went to the licensing fees to name it Led Zeppelin! There we go, it’s crystal clear now!

For the most part, mourning of Hard Rock Park’s potential demise is heard most from the credit whores of internet coasterdom who were deprived of adding to their coaster count. Another portion of the coaster loving population almost gave a damn, the third portion forgot or never knew that Hard Rock Park had even opened in the first place and the final portion will only remember the park for Led Zeppelin: The Ride and their Magic Mushroom themed Huss Magic.

Rock is dead in once sense I guess…

Full story: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/

Dorney Park Video 10/26/08

I love Dorney Park, I really should get a season pass to that park since it’s pretty close (about an hour ride down I-78) and has a lot of nice rides. A formal trip report will definately be up soon, but here’s a video that I whipped up in the meantime for your viewing pleasure. The song is ‘Silver Rocket’ by Sonic Youth.


Dorney Park 10/26/08 from The DoD3 on Vimeo.