Facebook group member Joey Hayes posted an update on Monday about the Raging River. This white water rafting ride recently opened for the season after a rehab. When it first opened, it was reported that some of the waterfalls were not yet turned on.
Waterless fall, earlier this week. (Photo by Joey Hayes.)
Today, Joey confirmed that they are back…
Waterfalls falling. (Photo by Joey Hayes.)Waterfalls sorta falling. (Photo by Joey Hayes.)
I have ridden many white water rafting rides over the years, including the very first one that ever was built at Astroworld in Houston, Texas. I have often been quite lucky at staying dry while all the others in my raft got drenched… but these waterfalls put an end to such “luck.”
When I just saw a reference to dinosaurs at Adventureland, I immediately thought of the Sinclair gas station dinosaur that used to be in the park near where the Frog Hopper is today.
Sinclair gas station dinosaur mascot in 1998.
But apparently that is not what was meant by Facebook group posters Dee and Anna.
They posted a photo today that would make a cryptozoologist giddy. It showed the twisted track of the Monster roller coaster with what sure does appear to be a dinosaur of some kind deep inside of it…
What do you see? (Photo compliments of Dee and Anna L.)
Is it April 1st again?
They took a ride on the Sky RideStorm Chaser to get a better look.
(Photo compliments of Dee and Anna L.)(Photo compliments of Dee and Anna L.)
It looks like we need to send out an exploratory team to see what is going on.
As mentioned in an earlier article, the circus is back at Adventureland. This year, it is being billed as Billy Martin Presents the Adventureland Circus. It is in a different tent than the one used in recent years by the Royal Hanneford Circus.
There is even a large Adventureland banner at the back of the tent:
Adventureland banner at the Adventureland Circus in 2017.
In addition to a nice new tent, the show also has a fancier lighting and sound system.
The ringmaster is Billy Martin and he has been there every year (as far as I know) since the circus first came to Adventureland in 1997. According to his website, he first got involved with the circus when it visited his town in New York in 1972. This eventually led to him joining the circus and becoming a juggler and ringmaster.
Billy Martin, ringmaster. And owner?
Based on a very brief conversation with Billy, my understanding is that this is now his show, and is not connected to the Royal Hanneford Circus. It still features many familiar acts from past years:
There were also other acts that I did not recognize from last year.
Billy said that each of the three daily shows would be a bit different, and then during the season, other acts would be brought in to keep the circus fresh.
With the recent closing of theRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, it is becoming rarer to see this type of variety show. Be sure to check it out when you are at the park next.
Corn Dogs have been a staple of carnivals for as long as there have been corn dogs. According to the always reliable Wikipedia, the corn dog was patented in 1927 here in America.
I bet Adventureland sells a ton of these things! In 2007, the park even sold “I (heart) Corn Dogs” shirts (and you could save 10% on one if you brought in a receipt showing you bought a corn dog).
Buy a corn dog, save money on a corn dog shirt (2007).I (heart) Corn Dogs shirt in 2007.
Rally Round was one of the places that sold corn dogs. Here is the old location from 2009, when they had recently introduced foot long corn dogs to the park:
Rally Round in 2009.
Prices have gone up a bit since then 🙂
Today, the park has normal corn dogs as well as foot long corn dogs, but at some point in recent years they introduced veggie corn dogs and corn brats, too.
In 2016, Rally Round (in it’s new location, which was formerly the Chicken Shack) promoted the veggie corn dog as new that season:
Rally Round offering new Veggie Corn Dogs in 2016.
A week later, they had a nice permanent sign:
Veggie Corn Dogs at Rally Round in 2016.
I’d never had a corn brat before, so I tried one last year. It was quite good.
Corn Bratwust at Rally Round in 2016.
Now I’m hungry. I’ll have to go see if any place in the park sells foot long corn brats or veggie corn dogs.
Joey Hayes shared these photos of the Raging River’s new load area today in the Facebook group.
(Photo by Joey Hayes)
The load and unload area for the two rafts now have air gates. According to desertions posted in the group, the unload gates open to let folks out, then the other gates open to let folks in. I’m still not sure if this is different than how things worked in past years, before the gates.
As previously mentioned, new foot switches are also installed that workers have to stand in for the rafts to deploy. Joey provided a photo of those, as well.
(Photo by Joey Hayes)
And, here is a look at what used to be a waterfall. I know some parks adjust the water level of their wet rides based on temperature, but it seems if this was working, the park would certainly have it on when the temperatures are as hot as they have been lately (90s!).
(Photo by Joey Hayes)
I rarely ride water rides due to not wanting to be wet and soggy walking through a theme park, but I expect I’ll have to give the River another shot – especially with the waterfalls being off 🙂
Thanks, Joey, for the report and allowing use of your photos.
Based out of Chicago, Miss Green and her puppet friends present two shows at The Chapel each day.
American Puppet Theater at The Chapel.
On the stage, a small puppet theater is set up:
Miss Green and her puppet theater.
I grew up watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and the puppets in the Land of Make Believe, but I have seen very few puppet shows in person. The show I caught featured two short stories.
The first involved a pirate and made references to the monster of Dragon Island. It was neat seeing the show customized for Adventureland. (For those who haven’t visited, Dragon Island is one of the “lands” of the park, where some carnival games are, as well as the Dragon roller coaster, Puff the Dragon and Himalaya).
American Puppet Theater pirate show.
The second show featured two friends and a tree:
American Puppet Theater.
Both shows are short enough they should work well with the A.D.D. generation of kids roaming the park these days.
If you stick around after the show, you can meet Miss Green and some of her puppets. She had a gift for the kid’s the stayed for this show:
American Puppet Theater meet-and-greet.
If you have little ones (or just like puppets), be sure to catch the American Puppet Theater this season, and tell Miss Green that ParkHopping.com sent you.
Yesterday, Facebook group member Toni Smith and Christian Gerald Evans reported that the Raging River has finally opened for the season – just in time for the hot summer days ahead.
Dee and Anna Lipscomb posted a few photos showing that new air gets have been installed in the loading area. Earlier reports say new foot switches were installed that will require multiple workers to stand on them to deploy a raft, bringing this ride up to date with more modern redundant safety systems.
Some earlier comments pointed out that there used to be some additional waterfalls that hadn’t worked in awhile, so hopefully someone familiar with the ride can go on it and give us a rundown of what’s new and changed.
Update: Christian reports they are still loading just one raft at at time. Some had hoped that the updated system might allow them to load two rafts simultaneously.
Until then … line up early! It’s going to be a hot weekend!
Yesterday, Saturday June 10, 2017, Facebook member Joey H. reported that The Inverter was being tested, giving hope that the ride is repaired and will soon return to operating in the park. Thank you, Joey, for passing this along!
Today, however, we have different news.
The UIROTD (Unsubstantiated* Inverter Rumor of the Day) for Saturday, June 11, 2017 is that it is the The Inverter is now officially* leaving the park, to be replaced by … we don’t know yet.
This comes from a Facebook comment left by a ride operator in the park:
“Official word has just come-down the inverter is going to be replaced but nobody knows with what”
I’ll leave out the poster’s name in case they weren’t supposed to mention this and decide to delete the original.
Wait a sec. Can anything “official” still be considered a rumor? I really want to use my new Rumor category here. I guess since, as much as I trust Facebook for all my medical and political advice, the only official Adventureland statements on Facebook have to come from the park’s official page, I can happily call this a rumor.
All of you who like this ride should make sure to hop on it this season for one last ride. Assuming it starts running, that is.
*un·sub·stan·ti·at·ed – not supported or proven by evidence. Aren’t all rumors unsubstantiated by nature? I mean, if they were supported or proven by evidence, would they be a rumor?
Updated 6/10/2017 – added Iowa Beer and Wine restrooms and arcade restroom notes.
Updated 6/11/2017 – additional notes about the front gate restrooms.
Here’s a weird one… The restrooms of Adventureland!
This article is inspired by my wiki page that breaks down all the public restrooms in the park, and lists how many stalls (and/or urinals), sinks, and baby changing tables they have. (There is only one restroom that has no baby changing station.)
That page was, in turn, inspired by an old Disneyland fan website called “The Happiest Potties on Earth” which was put together by a woman who was pregnant at the time. Since someone on my Facebook group recently brought up nursing stations at the park, I thought it might be time to revisit the restrooms as well..
Ever find yourself standing in a really long line to use the restroom? If you find yourself doing this at Adventureland, you could probably take a short walk to another location and avoid the line. The park has plenty of restrooms, and some are very small (long lines!) while others are huge.
When I first visited Adventureland in 1995, one of the things I did not like about the park were the older restrooms. They reminded me of my old elementary school. (I guess I don’t really like standing shoulder to shoulder using a long group urinal as an adult, either.) Fortunately, there are plenty of modern restrooms as well.
Here’s a brief rundown…
In the entrance area you will find the first restrooms. For 2017, the park fenced them off so they could be opened up to the outside where the Season Passes are being processed. When they are closed to the inside park, a sign directs folks to the ones inside the Palace Theater. This was done by the park as a courtesy to guests so they have access to restrooms from outside without having to go through the line (great for folks who show up early, or exit then someone in the group decides they need a pitstop before getting back to the car).
Restrooms at the entrance.
Here’s one I didn’t know about until last year. There are restrooms inside the Palace Theater, and they are usually open to the public (along with water fountains). The theater was remodeled a few years ago and is REALLY NICE inside, and it’s worth stopping in for a drink of water just to check out the updates. The theater was used for big presentations every season until 1996. Today, it is used as a rental facility for corporate picnics, as well as craft shows in the off season (and gun shows, and arcade auctions, and…).
Restrooms in Palace Theater.
The restrooms at the corner of Main Street near the Giant Sky Wheel are the largest, but due to their location, they are often the busiest.
Restrooms near Giant Sky Wheel.
I think these restrooms inside Iowa Cafe are the smallest (no baby changing station), but when the restaurant isn’t busy, they are usually empty.
Restrooms in Iowa Cafe.
Did you know about the newest restrooms in the park, inside the Penny Arcade? They are clean and modern (but small). There is also a family restroom at this location.
Restrooms in Penny Arcade.
At the end of Main Street, around the corner from Professor Bellows, are these… Except during busy times, it seems folks just walk right past them.
Restrooms near Professor Bellows.
Next to Ladybug is this green restroom building.
Restrooms near Ladybug.
Between Lighthouse and the Golden Nugget Shooting Gallery is this one…
Restrooms near Lighthouse.
Over in the Iowa Farm section, there are restrooms in the farm house where Iowa Beer and Wine Shop is. Up until 2016, there was a grassy area out front with large restroom sign pointing the way. With the expansion of the new barn tent in 2017, that sign is gone (replaced by shade and live entertainment), but the restrooms are still there.
Restrooms behind Iowa Beer and Wine Shop.
Outlaw Gulch has its own restroom building.
Restrooms in Outlaw Gulch.
And, there are several huge restrooms over in Adventure Bay but I don’t have any information on them.
Which restroom is your favorite, and why? Answer in the comments… 😉
