Six Flags Over Georgia has its annual Fright Fest event going in full force. One of my favorite displays is located just inside the gate where they have tombstones that commemorate many of the former rides of the park. These grave markers have the name of the ride and the years they operated. Some of these had long lives at the park while others were short lived as they were part of the Six Flags ride rotation program. There are some Six Flags Over Georgia classics memorialized here including the park’s first launch coaster in Viper, its inverted boomerang in Deja Vu and the park’s first Intamin coaster Z-force. There are also some classic non-coaster rides Ike the Sky Buckets, the Wheelie a long with several more. It’s great to see theme parks and other businesses embrace their history and not try to erase it. I saw this in full force at the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Tour where they had a permanent flavor graveyard. Many of these rides were someone’s favorite and although they no longer exist, the memories remain. Be sure to catch a glimpse of these as you enter Six Flags Over Georgia this fall.

Fun Spot put a new video out on social media as part of their podcast series where they interview Fun Spot America CEO, John Arie Jr. In this video we learned about some of the rides moving from Atlanta to Florida, a new ride opening in Orlando around Thanksgiving and the possibility of Fun Spot getting another RMC! The park has been very transparent these last few months about the company and it appears they are firmly focused on the future. I’d imagine this became much easier recently too with the future and legacy of ArieForce One appearing secure after the sale to Six Flags.

You may not have been following the saga of the Coyote vs. ACME movie, but it’s quite the story. This was originally a Warner Bros. Discovery movie filmed back in 2022 that they shelved in 2023 with plans to take a tax wrote-off rather than ever release it. The film had cost $70 million to make and there would be marketing budget on top of it. Warner Bros. thought it was better to take the loss even though it had done well with test audiences and had some star power with people like John Cena and Will Forte. There was an outcry from fans, the movie stars and production team that eventually lead to independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment acquiring the rights for $50 million in March 2025. Much of the outcry was on principle from people who obviously never saw The film on the principle that finished art shouldn’t just be buried with the remained being fans of the Looney Tunes franchise. The film was finally released on August 28, 2026 and grossed $15.5 million against a $70-72 million budget, quite good for a film that didn’t get much advertising. It has received positive reviews from critics and is expected to continue to do well by word of mouth as the fall movie season is pretty light on competition.

Popcorn buckets are a big deal at many theme parks. Many of the Disney ones are known to have lines that rival rides and often sell out. These popcorn buckets get exotic, taking the shape of characters, props or landmarks, often incorporating lights and sound. Dollywood now has an awesome looking collectible in its NightFlight Color-Changing Bioluminator Popcorn Bucket. The Bioluminator is a key part of the plot of the NightFlight Expedition ride and the popcorn bucket is a faithful recreation of it. You can get one at Dollywood for $29.99 and no doubt it will be a conversation piece wherever you display it.

Dolly has a secret and it’s at the DreamMore Resort at Dollywood. Around 2015 when the hotel was built, Dolly Parton recorded a secret, final song titled “My Place in History”. The song master is on a CD and locked in a wooden “Dream Box” (with a CD player) and is scheduled for release on her 100th birthday on January 19, 2046. The song is stored in a display case in Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort lobby alongside her Dream More book and a piece of wood from her childhood home. There is also a letter in the case with instructions on how to play the master (and maybe more). It’s sort of a transparent time capsule. Dolly did speak about the song in interviews and mentioned she hoped she might be there when it was opened and that it was tough to hide it away, but that she wanted to do something special for the future. So Dolly may be gone, but in 19 years we’ll still have new Dolly Parton music.