There seems to be a lot of activity going on over at the Coney Island Message Board about the possibility of bringing in a Funtime manufactured Slingshot ride to Coney Island. To sum it up, board member ElephantMan, also the proprietor of Gotta Love Coney Island, had talk with the director at Funtime and was told that they have a Slingshot that needs to be relocated by the end of 2009.
ElephantMan apparently stirred up enough interest that a person from Funtime is going to be checking out possible installation locations in Coney. If Coney Island were to be chosen to be the Slingshot’s new home, from what I gather, Funtime would lease a piece of land and set it up there; they would then hire local people to operate the ride.
As a side note, the Slingshot in question is currently at Darien Lake Amusement Park up in New York state; so don’t be suprised if the Slingshot is gone next season one way or another all you Darien Lake fans!
Anyway, this is an interesting twist in the ongoing Coney Island saga! A Slingshot at Coney Island would certainly have an impact in the area. First of all the ride is huge and would be visible from afar, especially at night when the towers are lit up. It would attract a lot of attention and crowds would certainly gather near the ride and areas surrounding it. Another member over at the message board also pointed out that if the ride is successful, it could spark an interest in the amusement zones of Coney Island, possibly leading other ride operators to set up shop.
Of course the Slingshot has to come to Coney Island first! One of the biggest concerns is that the cost of the ride might not make it such a hit in Coney; it’s no joke that a ride on most Slingshot rides costs some major coin! Lowering the price could work but it might not be viable due to the low capacity and high insurance costs that would most likely come with a ride like Slingshot.