Overall Blog- More Flags. More Fun. (:

Since this is my second-to-last blog for my school blogging project on Six Flags Great America, so I am going to make it an overall free blog about everything I have blogged about for the past few weeks. The next blog I do will be a reflection of my blogging expirience. Okie dokie, lets get started!!!



Great America was first owned by Marriott Corp. until it was purchased by Six Flags Managers and many varying companies. It was purchased by Shapiro in 2006, and Shapiro is the current owner. The Six Flags mascot is an old bald dancing man by the name of Mr. Six. He was replaced after only a year by an un-named Asian man, and recreated in 2009 with the motto "More Flags, More Fun!". Opening Day for Six Flags Great America was on April 24th. There are new rides like the Little Dipper, and new games and attractions like MagiQuest. There is also a ride in storage called Chang, and it may be brought out late this year for the 2011 season, but because of its large size it will be difficult to fit it in. You can get these games, rides, and much more for FREE with the purchase of a season pass, which are under $70 for this year. A season pass is your ticket to anything within Great America. That also includes Hurricane Harbor, the free water park inside of Great America that consists of a wave pool, a lazy river, and many, many water slides. There are also restaurants and fast-food areas throughout the park and Hurricane Harbor with well known places like Johnny Rockets, Papa Johns, and Cold Stone Creamery. There are also shops and souvenir stores within the park with names like Attitudes, Baubles, Bangles, and Beads, and Surfer Girl. There are also amazing rides and coasters at Great America. Some of the most popular are the Raging Bull, The American Eagle, The Demon, Batman:The Ride, Superman:The Ultimate Flight, and Vertical Velocity, The Whizzer, and the Viper. Great America also has entertainment every day, like the Looney Toons Dance Off, Music In The Parks, parades, street entertainment, and karaoke competitions. Six Flags Great America is a wonderful family place to have fun and hang out. The park will be open until early September and re-open in late October for Fright Fest. Fright Fest is a Halloween themed season where the park is open to passholders and paying visitors. It is full of scary music, scenery, characters, and parades and they change the ride names to the theme. Fright Fest and the summer season of Great America are definetly something you will want to do this year!

for more information on the park, go to http://www.sixflags.com/

for more information on events in the park, go to www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/events/CalendarEvents

I hope you enjoy your day at the cleanest and most fun theme park in the world (:

Hurricane Harbor! and what I encountered on the 24th!

Hello (:


Since Great America is now open, I am going to reflect on the next opening thing at Six Flags called Hurricane Harbor!

aaaaannnnndddd I'm going to tell you about and show you pictures of things that happened when I visited Great America on opening day with my friends.


First, me and my friends Haily and Stef headed to the Whizzer. I was the only one screaming and people were looking back at me like I was weird. (: we then got off and noticed that our friend Ginell was walking by. We were planning to meet Ginell and my friends Jansen, Shelby, Charlie, Grant, and Mo. They were all at the American Eagle, so we met them there. The line wasn't long. My friends Charlie and Mo sat in the blue cars while me and my friends Shelby and Haily sat in the red ones. we had a race, and red won (:. We then walked the park to Batman: The Ride. we had a great time. We then went to Mardi Gras and rode King Chaos- MY FIRST TIME! it was sooo fun! We also rode Superman: The Ultimate Flight and the Dark Knight. When we approached the Raging Bull, my friends Haily, Shelby, Charlie and Grant wandered off to go find food because it was getting late and most of the restauraunts were closing. Me, Ginell, Mo, Stef, and Jansen all rode the Raging Bull and then the Giant Drop. We then made our way toward the middle of the park and met them there. We all walked to a pizza and pasta place and had some yummy food. It was at least 7:45 now, and the park closed at 8, so we left. Even though it doesn't sound like much, we had a GREAT time!


pictures:

The entrance of the park
The carousel
American Eagle
Batman: The Ride
Us going on Batman (I'm the one in the blue jacket)
Us on King Chaos




I have a lot more pictures, but I'm not going to put them all on here. Now lets focus on HURRICANE HARBOR!

Hurricane Harbor is the best waterpark in the nation. There is over 10,000 feet of slides, pools, and fun. many Hurricane Harbors at Six Flags around the country, and there is one at our very own Great America! It opens in late May and closes in early September. With Great America admission, you get in free. There is a wave pool, about 10 extreme water slides, and a lazy river. There is also great food and a beach store. Hurricane Harbor at Great America was first opened in 2005, and it is a fun place to cool off every summer. Today I am going to review some of the water slides and rides at Hurricane Harbor!

Bahama Mama and Bubba Tuba: These are twin water slides where you ride in a multi-passenger raft through a six story course. You will rapidly splash and turn all the way down! Six Flags Thrill Rating: Moderate.

Buccaneer Bay: A small area for little kids full of tipping buckets, small slides, and 0 depth water. Thrill Rating: Mild.

Castaway Creek: Take your time being drifted away through this long and lazy river. You will encounter small waterfalls and interesting sights in no more than 3 ft. 4 in. water. Thrill Rating: Mild.

Hammerhead and Barracuda: have fun and fly down 5 stories of water-rushing tube slides switching from open and closed slides all the way to the chilly water below. Thrill Rating: Maximum.

Hurricane Bay: This is a half million gallon wave pool open to anyone who visits Hurricane Harbor. Get the choppy ocean feeling right there in a pool! Whisk away into the waves and have a great time! Thrill Rating: Moderate.

Hurricane Mountain: 4 stories of fast paced winding tube slides and fun! Thrill Rating: Mild.

Paradise Plunge and Riptide: These twin slides are fast paced and super high. They will shoot you down at speeds up to 40 miles per hour into a pool below. Thrill Rating: Maximum.

Skull Island: An area full of 100,000 square feet of slides, water, climbing, and fun. Skull Island is the largest interactive playground in the world. Thrill Rating: Moderate.

Tornado: This is a 132 foot long water tunnel that blasts you through a slide that has 5,000 gallons of moving water. The Tornado is 7 stories high and lots of fun! Thrill Rating: Maximum.

Vortex and Typhoon: enclosed water slides that shoot you down and whirl you around until you hit the pool below. Thrill Rating: Moderate.

Wahoo Racer: Racing mat slides that shoot you to the bottom. First one to hit the pool wins! Thrill Rating: Moderate.

Now that you know about the fun rides at Hurricane Harbor, maybe you'll visit on opening day in a few weeks!

For more on Six Flags, visit www.sixflags.com

For more on Hurricane Harbor, visit http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/rideswaterpark/WaterParkOverview.aspx

The History of Six Flags Great America

1 DAY UNTIL SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA OPENS!!!!!

Because Six Flags Great America opens tomorrow, today I am going to fill you in on the history of the park. I am going to show you pictures of it 'back in the day' and tell you some amazing facts about it.

Construction: Six Flags Great America was first built in 1974 and opened on May 29th, 1976 by Marriott Corporation, and was known as Marriott's Great America until bought and renamed by Six Flags Great America in 1984.

Coasters: Only 3 roller coasters existed before Six Flags bought the park. These were Willard's Whizzer (renamed The Whizzer), The Turn Of The Century (now re-themed and renamed the Demon), and the Tidal Wave (replaced in 1992 by Batman:The Ride).

a few old and still-running rides from Marriott: Great Americas main attraction-The double decker Columbia Carousel, Rue De Lodge Bumper cars, White Water Rampage (now known as Roaring Rapids), The Orbit, and The Sky Trek Tower.




1977- The Sky Trek Tower was installed being the tallest free standing structure in Lake County Illinois. 1979- The Pictorium, an IMAX theatre, was added to Great America. 1981- The American Eagle was built and introduced as the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster.

1984- Marriott sold Great America to the Six Flags company, then owned by Bally Manufacturing. The new era did not start out well because of failures on popular rides.

1985- Six Flags Great America cleaned up their act and installed new rides like Splash Water Falls, which closed in 2007.

1987- Bally Manufacturing sold Six Flags to the Wesray Capital Corporation and a group of Six Flags managers. This era was a successful era of new attractions and coasters. The workers uniforms were changed to be more comfortable for the weather, and fast food areas were added.

1990- The first stand-up coaster at Six Flags Great America called the Iron Wolf was introduced and is still running today.

1991- The Condor, a high-flying, spinning ride in which you sit in cars that look like birds was introduced. Six Flags was very close to bankruptcy in 1991.

1992- Six Flags was brought out of bankruptcy by being completely purchased by the Warner Brothers Company, who brought many changes to the park and created a Loony Toon's character theme. -- Batman: The Ride was built.


1994- Space Shuttle America, a motion stimulator ride, was created and successful in this year until it was taken down in late 2009.

1995- The Viper, a metal coaster structured similar to the American Eagle was built. It still exists and works efficiently today.

1996- Southwest Territory was created and featured rides like Chubasco (spinning teacups), The River Rocker, and the Ricochet.

1997- The Giant Drop and Dare Devil Dive (bungee jumping) were added to the park. The American Eagle broke down in this year, sending several people to the hospital, but reopened in time for Fright Fest in October 1997.

1998: Premier Parks purchased Six Flags to be the parent company of Six Flags. Camp Cartoon Network was opened featuring rides themed after the Flintstones and a successful childrens coaster called Spaceleys Sproket Rocket. (my personal favorite as a child!!!!!!!!!!!!)

1999- the favorite of most coaster-riders The Raging Bull was opened and changed the Great America skyline, as well as raised the parks popularity.

2001- The exciting and still existing coaster V2 (Vertical Velocity) opened, as well as Deja Vu, which had unfortunate circumstances and possible lawsuits and was removed in 2008.

2003- Superman: The Ultimate Flight soared into Six Flags, becoming a unique favorite to the public.

2004- Mardi Gras area opened featuring a coaster called the Rajun Cajun, a swinging topspin model called King Chaos, and a few rides for younger children. There was also a frisbee ride added to the park called Revolution, and Batman: The Ride was repainted from plain black to yellow and dark purple.

2005- Six Flags Great America built an outdoor water park in the theme park called Hurricane Harbor. The water park features a wave pool, a lazy river, many water slides and rides, shops, and cafes.

Late 2005- The company Shapiro took Six Flags Great America out of Priemier Parks hands. Shapiro made Six Flags a much more family friendly environment and are the current owners.

2006- The Triple Play was dismantled for the season because Six Flags over Texas needed a part of the ride. The ride did open for the 2007 season and is still running. Also in 2006, The Six Flags advertisement sign that has ran on I94 since 1975 was replaced with a new LED sign that still uses the same post.

2007- It was announced that the tent area for the American Eagle would be converted into a new area called Wiggles World, featuring rides and games themed after the popular children's show The WIggles. Also in this year, The Trailblazer ride in Southwest Territory was removed, Splash Water Falls was shut down and removed later in 2008, and Space Shuttle America was shut down and removed. Where Space Shuttle America once stood, there was a sign that read "Future Sight For New Attraction."

2008: The indoor coaster The Dark Knight was opened next to Superman: The Ultimate Flight. The coaster includes Batman and Joker scenery and a preshow that has Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Also in 2008, more restaurants were added, The Raging Bull was repainted the same colors, and $1 lockers were added to popular rides.

2009: A new water ride, The Buccaneer Battle was introduced in the former site of the Deja Vu. It consists of 14 eight person boats in which you squirt water on others and water falls on you. At the end you are absolutely SOAKED! Also in 2009, signs for The Raging Bull, Roaring Rapids, and the Hometown Fun Machine were re created in hopes to make the rides more popular.

Now that you know about the history, here's whats happening this year!

2010: A new parade called Glow In The Park will be introduced. The Kiddieland coaster called The Little Dipper will be ready to ride on Memorial Day. This is the first season that the park will be without Space Shuttle America and there may be a new ride that will be introduced soon because the sign from 2007 still remains. There is a ride called Chang in storage, and they are still deciding if it will be open for the 2011 season.

Hope to see you at Great America TOMORROW!!!

Six Flags Shopping and Restraunts

4 DAYS UNTIL SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA OPENS!!!!

Today I am going to focus on shopping and eating at Six Flags Great America. There are about 40 different food and clothing/jewelery stores around Six Flags that you can shop at to buy food, clothing, jewelery, and souvenirs. Some of these places are; Johnny Rockets, Papa Johns, Cold Stone Limited, Attitudes, Ben and Jerrys, Cartoon Cabin, Heroes, Hurricane Hanks Island Traders, Surfer Girl, and many, many more. There are also new restaurants and clothing stores for this season. These are; Baubles Bangles and Beads, MPORIUM, Mrs. Fields, and Sweet Treats. In this blog, I am going to write a brief summary about all of the new stores and a few of the old but popular ones.

NEW STORES;

Baubles, Bangles, and Beads: jewelery and accessories are abundant throughout this store. You are bound to find jewelery that you like here! Located in Mardi Gras.

MPORIUM: going to be the newest and coolest candy store at Six Flags this year! MPORIUM is going to feature the best of M&Ms and MARS candy. Located in Country Fair.

Mrs. Fields: enjoy Mrs. Fields fresh baked cookies, brownies, and cookie slices here. There is also TCBY frozen yogurt, a Six Flags Super Brownie Sundae, and TCBY Yogurt Cookie Sandwiches. Yum! Located in Country Fair.

Sweet Treats: full of tasty treats that will satisfy the whole family! Located in Yukon Territory.

POPULAR STORES AND RESTAURANTS:

Johnny Rockets Shakes and Fries: enjoy all American food like frosty shakes, crispy chicken strips, American fries, onion rings, and ice cold soda and drinks at Johnny Rockets located in Country Fair.

Attitudes: features contemporary merchandise and clothing that shows off the real you and matches your style. With funky cartoon shirts and pretty jewelery, you'll love this store! Located in Country Fair.

Heroes: check out this store for clothes and accessories featuring your favorite superheroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Located in Orleans Place.

Pink Flamingo Cafe: cool off after swimming with delicious pizza, burgers, hot dogs, salads, and iced drinks from the Pink Flamingo Cafe located in Hurricane Harbor.

If you want to learn about more restaurants and shops around Great America, click this link: http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/food/AllFoodandFun.aspx

Hope to see you chowing down and shoppin' it up at Great America on the 24th!

Rides and Rollercoasters

7 days until Great America opens!!!!

Today I am going to focus on the roller coasters and rides at Six Flags Great America. Many of you probably know of the most popular coasters, like the American Eagle, the Raging Bull, the Demon, Superman: The Ultimate Flight, and Batman: The Ride, or you may know of the popular rides like the Giant Drop, the River Rocker, King Chaos, and the Ricochet (cow ride). But did you know that there are over 55 rides at Six Flags Great America? If you go on the Six Flags website (http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/rides/AllRides.aspx) it will show you all of the rides and their thrill ratings from Mild to Moderate to Max. If you go to the page labeled "Thrill Rides", it will show you all of the popular and "maximum" rated coasters, and a few rides. a few of the thrill rides are; Batman: The Ride, American Eagle, Giant Drop, Iron Wolf, Raging Bull, Superman: The Ultimate Flight, and Vertical Velocity (V2). I have been on all of these rides before, and I definetly have my opinions, so I will review them for you!

Raging Bull: 3 words; BEST. COASTER. EVER. The Raging Bull is the largest, highest, and longest coaster. With a 65 degree drop and 75 mph speed, the Raging Bull is an amazing and popular ride at Great America. My Tip: try to get in the front seat. It may be a 10 minute longer wait, but its WELL worth the wait. It only makes the ride more of a thrill!

Batman; The Ride: Definetley a fun ride. I like to think of it as a more extreme version of the Demon. Your feet dangle as you ride and there are many corkscrews and loops. This ride goes 50mph and is 2,700 feet. My Tip: Just relax and have fun! It may look scary at first, but it is not at all. Make sure that if you are wearing loose shoes to take them off before the ride starts- I almost lost mine last time!

American Eagle: A true Six Flags classic. This wooden coaster has been around for 25 years. I LOVE this ride! It has a 147 foot drop and goes at almost 70 mph. It is a fast and fun thrill, and even though it doesnt have any loops or corkscrews, its got a great drop! My Tip: Try to get a front car for more of a thrill, and if you have long hair wear a ponytail! The wind is wild! Also, be cautious. This ride is bumpy and may hurt your back.

Giant Drop: The Giant Drop is a very exciting ride, even though its not a coaster. It climbs 227 feet into the sky and unexpectedly drops straight down. You can get a great view of the park, and it will distract you to a point that when it drops, your heart will race! It is quite a thrill and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do! My Tip: Like most highflying rides, take off your shoes before the ride starts, and be ready for the drop because you will feel your stomach drop!

Iron Wolf: This ride is the tallest and fastest stand-up ride in tjhe world, and it's only at Six Flags Great America! I must say that this is not one of my favorites.On this ride, you are positioned to stand up the entire time. You go down on a 90 foot drop and a few hairpin turns and loops. I don't like this ride very much because it is not very comfortable and it sometimes hurts my back. It is also very bumpy. My Tip: Do not ride this ride if you have difficulties with bumpy rides or can become very uncomfortable.

Superman; The Ultimate Flight: This ride is a fantastic and fun thrill! You are postitioned to lay 'face down' on the tracks unparallel to make it look as if you are "flying". Soar headfirst through loops, curves, and spirals. It is 115 feet tall and flies at 60 mph. You are garanteed to LOVE this ride! My Tip: Keep all of your belongings in a place where they can't fall out. You are laying face down, so anything can fall out of a pocket.

Vertical Velocity (v2): All this ride is is really just two corkscrews connected together. You sit in the car "ski lift"style- your feet dangling- and you are sent all the way up a corkscrew, back down, and up a different corkscrew. This ride is EXTREMELY fast and furious., and I like V2 because of this. This ride swifts to speeds of more than 70 mph in 4 seconds! My Tip: Hold on to your belongings and brace yourself for a wild ride!


Hope to see you on these rides on the 24th!!

Click on Video below for the Six Flags Theme Song "We Like To Party" by the Vengaboys!!!

Mr. Six (:

9 Days Until Six Flags Great America Opens!!!!

Today I am going to focus on Six Flags ads and of course, Mr. Six!

Many of you know him as the Six Flags Dancing Old Man, or the Happy Old Six Flags Man. But this man actually has a name- Mr. Six! Mr. Six is a character that Six Flags has been using in its advertisements since 2004 when he was first introduced. He was in his first Six Flags commercial in 2004 dancing in front of a Six Flags vehicle. (See video above.) Mr. Six was the Six Flags symbol for a year, until he was retired in 2005 for an un-named asain man. In February 2009, Mr. Six was revived in place of the Asian man, and is planned to be the mascot for quite a while. In Six Flags Great America, Mr. Six is sometimes with the characters that walk around the park during the day. Some people find it odd that he is an old man used to attract young kids and families, but it shows that the park can even bring joy to old people (:. Whenever a dance song or the Six Flags theme comes on the loud speakers, he dances around the park, and occasionally people join him. Me and my friends Shelby, Charlie, Chesney, and Stef once joined him when he danced the Macerena by the carousel, and a park videographer filmed us the entire time! It was so funny! Mr Six is a well-known phenomenon all around the country. Every year in October, I see at least one person dressed as Mr. Six for Halloween. On July 9th, 2004, our very own Great America held a contest to see who could best impersonate Mr. Six, dancing, tux, and all. The reward was $2,500 and other small prizes. At least 200 people participated, and the overall winner was a 13 year old boy named Jordan. This just goes to show how popular Mr. Six was and has become. You may see him at the park on opening day on April 24th!!!

Season Passes

10 days until Six Flags Great America opens!!!!!!!

Today my blog is going to reflect on Six Flags Passes. Season passes are now on sale for $64.99, which is the lowest price in 18 years. Season passes are only $10 more than a one day pass. every year my family and I buy a season pass, and it's completely worth it. I went to Six Flags at least 7 times last summer, and probably 5 times during Fright Fest. The season pass advertisement on the Six Flags website (www.sixflags.com) and in some commercials is:

"A Season Pass is your ticket to More Flags. More Fun. That's exactly what you'll find. More rides. More shows. More awesome".

I personally believe that this statement is exactly correct.
More Rides: There are special nights in the summer called "Coasters After Dark". These nights are normal park nights that go until midnight instead of 10:00. They reserve all of the major rides (Raging Bull, Superman, Batman, American Eagle, etc...) for passholders ONLY. Before you are able to go onto a ride, they check your pass. There is no wait and 3x the fun (:.
More Shows: There are many different shows and concerts in the park, and no one wants to pay individually to see one of these shows. with the pass, they are FREE.
More Awesome: Well, the whole thing is awesome. You just get to go there for free (:.

This just goes to show that these passes are COMPLETELY worth it, and you should consider buying one!