Author: printingddd

Fury 325 Closed Indefinetly After Carowinds Discovers Foundation Issue

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The iconic roller coaster Fury 325 at Carowinds in greater Charlotte, NC has been closed since July 7, 2026. It has now been reported that this is due to a routine maintenance inspection uncovering a foundation issue. Guests have seen work walls erected around a support pillar of the ride with no timeline for the ride’s return. Fury 325 is the world’s tallest and fastest traditional chain-lift “giga” coaster and the speeds and forces on it are intense. The ride got national attention 3 years ago with videos of a crack in one of Fury 325’s support pillars that caused an extended shutdown. This broken support beam had the ride down for about 6 weeks.

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Theme Parks with Exclusive Beers: Disney and Universal Lead the Way

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Hawkes’ Grog Ale at Pandora (Courtesy of @living_for_the_magic)

Several theme parks now have exclusive beers, with many of them found at Universal or Disney parks. Animal Kingdom is the surprising home of many of Disney’s exclusive beers. You’ll find one of the most iconic in the Pandora area with the green Hawkes’ Grog Ale. This distinctly green-colored American Pale Wheat Ale brewed exclusively for Disney by Terrapin Beer Company of Athens, Georgia. It’s said to be quite refreshing with flavors of apricot, peach, and citrus. You’ll also find Mo’ara High Country Ale in Pandora, a spicy hop amber ale. Safari Amber is another exclusive beer found at Animal Kingdom. It is an American amber/red lager brewed by Anheuser-Busch exclusively for the Walt Disney World Resort and I saw it on the menu at the Sanaa restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Finally, you’ll find Gold Squadron Lager at Oga’s Cantina at Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Could Wild Adventures Be a Potential Place to Relocate ArieForce One?

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ArieForce One

There has been tremendous conversation about the future of ArieForce One, the World-Class RMC roller coaster at Fun Spot Atlanta, with its impending closure. Enthusiasts are desperate to see this coaster saved rather than demolished with tremendous speculation of where it could possibly relocate. One of the parks that has been continuously mentioned in the enthusiast community by people like Theme Park Brandon and Coaster Studios is Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. Could it happen? RMC has already confirmed ArieForce One is very moveable, so it’s just a matter now of determining if it makes sense for someone to move it and if Wild Adventures would be a good home for it.

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Busch Gardens Announces Kumba will Close August 2nd, but Surprises with Simultaneous Announcement of Kumba’s Revenge!

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As rumored earlier, Kumba is indeed closing forever on August 2, 2026 and silencing the iconic roar forever. The park made it official with a release on social media today. This is sad for sure and August 2nd will be a dark day in the coaster community with the closure of both ArieForce One and Kumba on the same day. However, in the sadness there is some intrigue as the park simultaneously announced a new attraction to replace it called Kumba’s Revenge as part of a $100 million project. Could this be the much rumored Giga Coaster for Busch Gardens? Time will tell I guess, but today is a time to reflect and enjoy what we’re losing, we can focus on the future after August 2nd. Kumba was a beast and provided kinetic beauty and iconic sound to the back of the park. Enjoy these last few weeks with Kumba and hope to see you at the park!

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Will Busch Gardens Close Kumba and Silence the Roar Forever?

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Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa
Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa

Update 7/14/26: Unfortunately the rumors were true and Kumba will close on August 2, 2026.

Rumors are flying online that Kumba may be closing, perhaps as soon as August 2nd! The demise of the iconic B&M coaster has been feared for years now, but this time feels real. There is no official word from the park yet, but my information comes from sources in the know that have essentially always been right (which is unfortunate in this case). It seems crazy to not announce anything in advance, but the same thing happened with Kingda Ka, so anything is possible. The last time Busch Gardens closed a roller coaster was Scorpion and they announced a September 2, 2024 closing on August 23, 2024. Therefore I’m not expecting a long runway once the announcement is made. The hope is of course that the only announcement we get is a retrack (like Hulk at Universal).

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Toilet Themed “Go Racers” and Other Unique Carnival Rides

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Go Racers From Phantom Entertainment

I was at the Bartow County 4th of July celebration and they had rides from Phantom Entertainment, a carnival/midway company. Phantom had a couple interesting rides including the “Wrecking Ball” and “Tubs-of-Fun”. Wrecking Ball had a “Stay Back Puke Zone!” sign which I had never seen before. It essentially just rocked and gently spun. “Tubs-of-Fun” is akin to a “teacups” ride where you can control the spin. I visited their website as I was curious to get more info on Wrecking Ball and stumbled on a toilet themed ride called “Go Racers”!

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Human Ashes Cause Disney Ride to Temporarily Shut Down

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On July 6, 2026 “human remains” reportedly caused a temporary shutdown of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. Guests reported seeing a cast member approach the ride vehicle with a vacuum. It’s evidently a common occurrence at the Disney parks that it has its own radio code and is called “Code HEPA”, but it’s been nicknamed “Code Grandma”. According to a YouTube video by Lauren the Mortician, using a vacuum is the common “cleanup” procedure. The park uses a special HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum to remove and then dispose of the ashes in a bag in the trash. Dumping ashes is especially pervasive at the Haunted Mansion with one cast member reporting, “I was a Mansion maid for around a year and it would happen at least once a month, probably around ~2 weeks is the amount it was realistically.”

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Is Kid Flash From Six Flags Over Georgia Moving to C.J. Barrymore’s in Detroit, Michigan?

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Guests have noticed that Kid Flash Cosmic Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) was being removed the last several weeks. It appeared to be carefully disassembled as opposed to demolished (reportedly by the manufacturer themselves) and we may now know where it’s headed. In a bit of a footnote to a July 8, 2026 Detroit Free Press article about the debut of another new coaster at C.J. Barrymore’s (ironically called “The Coaster”) there was a quote from the owner mentioned they were getting a, “family-friendly dueling roller coaster”. The owner’s description of the two trains of 12 riders each and other details appeared to perfectly describe the P’Sghetti Bowl model by Skyline Attractions (AKA Kid flash from SFOG). The new coaster at C.J. Barrymore’s is not definitively the former Kid Flash at SFOG, but we can hypothesize it’s a strong possibility

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What is ArieForce One Worth Today if it Were Sold?

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Fun Spot America Atlanta is closing and many are wondering about the future of its iconic World-Class roller coaster ArieForce One. There have been rumors that it could be demolished for a tax write-off, moved to Fun Spot Orlando or sold to another company. With regard to the sale option, what would a fair price be for the ride? To figure this out we can use publicly available information about the cost of the ride and combine them with standard depreciation practices. When we take the cost and figure in depreciation we arrive at a figure of about $7 million.

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A Little Love for Hurricane and Sea Serpent: The Other Roller Coasters Not Named ArieForce One that are Also Closing at Fun Spot Atlanta

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Fun Spot America Atlanta is closing August 2, 2026 with ArieForce One and its future are getting the most attention. This is well deserved as ArieForce One is a World-Class ride, but it’s not the only roller coaster closing next month. Fun Spot Atlanta actually has 3 roller coasters along with a bunch of great flat rides and go-karts. The two other coasters are a kiddie coaster named Sea Serpent and a family coaster named Hurricane. Neither of these coasters is as unique as ArieForce One, but they do each have a story and are deserving of some recognition as well and perhaps a ride on your last visit to Fun Spot Atlanta.

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