Art Show to Benefit Sandy Graham Sunday, April 25th at Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel

On Sunday, April 25th, friends of Sandy Graham are hosting a public art show at the Knott's Resort Hotel from 6pm - 9pm.

A $3 admission/donation is requested at the door, and the majority of the artwork on sale will be by members of the Halloween Haunt community, including designers and members of the Knott's team.

For this event, all artwork will be priced to move, and 100% of the proceeds will be given to Sandy as a gift toward her medical bills and various living expenses. It is important that people come with open hearts as well as open wallets to support our friend in this time of great need.

This event will be semi-formal, and no one or any donation amount will be turned away; this is a gathering of love and support as we assist our beloved Sandy in her battle.

No food or drinks will be permitted inside the art show, but there is a bar off the main lobby of the Knott's Resort Hotel.

Please repost this information anywhere and everywhere - the more people that come and show their love and support, the better.

Knott's Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott's Berry Farm

Book Discussion with Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler

GENERAL INFO

Date / Time:  Saturday, Apr 17, 2010, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location:  Autry Store

Museum of the American West
Griffith Park
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
T: 323.667.2000
F: 323.660.5721

Appropriate For:  Everyone

Admission:  Free

The Autry Store accepts major credit cards, and Knott's Preserved will be on sale for $40 (hardback).

Join us as Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler discuss their latest book, Knott’s Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott’s Berry Farm. On sale in April, this book represents 20 years of research on the designs and history of the varied attractions at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. With over 200 photos, rarely seen conceptual art, and interviews with the original designers and the Knott family, Knott’s Preserved gives an overview of the farm from its earliest years to present day.

Christopher Merritt is an artist and designer working in the theme park industry. His notable projects include serving as art director for the 2008 Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through at Disneyland, and as a concept and show designer for various attractions at the Disney theme parks.

J. Eric Lynxwiler grew up in Southern California and spent one school year working at Knott’s Berry Farm’s shooting gallery while earning his degree in urban anthropology at UCLA. Popular host of Los Angeles’s renowned Neon Cruise and board member emeritus of the Museum of Neon Art, Lynxwiler coauthored the celebrated book Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles.

SPEND A “SATURDAY IN THE PARK” WITH GRAMMY-WINNING BAND CHICAGO ON THE FINAL NIGHT OF UNIVERSAL ORLANDO’S MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION

Universal’s Mardi Gras 2010 Celebration Concludes Saturday, April 17

This Saturday, legendary rock band Chicago will “Make You Smile” as they perform their well-known hits live in concert for Universal Studios Mardi Gras guests. Chicago is one of the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever, and is one of the most successful American Rock bands of all time. They have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, and have scored 21 Top-10 singles, five consecutive No. 1 albums and 11 No. 1 singles. Some of their most popular hits include, “If You Leave Me Now,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Hard To Say I'm Sorry” and “You're The Inspiration.”

Saturday, April 17 is the last chance for guests to experience Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras 2010 – celebrating 15 years of beads, bands and good times. It is the biggest and most authentic Mardi Gras celebration outside of The Big Easy, complete with an elaborate parade, costumed characters, tons of souvenir beads, Cajun cuisine and performances by mega-talented artists. For more information, visit www.universalorlando.com/mardigras.

Mariah Visits Universal Orlando!

Mariah Carey, biggest-selling female recording artist and actress, who most recently co-starred in the Oscar-nominated film, “Precious,” looked calm and confident in front of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida on April 8. Carey spent vacation time at both of Universal Orlando Resort’s theme parks while her husband, actor and comedian Nick Cannon, filmed auditions for season five of the NBC reality television show, “America’s Got Talent.”

WORLDS OF FUN FANS CAMPOUT FOR OPENING DAY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. − Opening Day at Worlds of Fun is always a special time, but this year, fans anticipating the park opening can count it down together at the park's overnight party! The all-nighters will be rewarded by the park with huge perks including $9.99 admission, a private ride session on Prowler, the “World’s Best New Attraction”, free food, and fun activities.

As the sun sets on Friday, April 16, the fun begins for anyone attending this free activity when the official line for the event begins to take shape. The park’s front gate area will be home to tents, sleeping bags, blankets, and fans ready to countdown the hours until the park opens for 2010. Worlds of Fun staff members will be on hand to provide the fun with prize drawings, snacks, and trivia contests.

Throughout the night fans will anxiously be awaiting sunrise, as those that stay at the park are rewarded with something better than morning coffee to wake them up, a full hour of exclusive ride time (ERT) on Prowler roller coaster before the park opens. Plus, during the ERT session, the park will provide a free breakfast at the ride. In addition, the park’s Season Pass Processing Center will open early for campout guests, and Season Passes will be sold at a discounted price to campout attendees only. Those campers without a season pass can purchase a discount admission to Opening Day for only $9.99, a savings of $31 off the normal gate price.

All campout activities are free although park admission or a Season Pass is required to enjoy the exclusive Opening Day festivities. For a complete activity list, visit worldsoffun.com/camp or facebook.com/worldsoffun. Worlds of Fun opens for the 2010 season on Saturday, April 17, and the park is open weekends only through May 9, 2010. For a complete calendar, please visit worldsoffun.com.

Annual Puppet Festival at Fairytale Town

Eight weeks of can't miss puppet high-jinks and action!

Wednesday - Sundays Matinee Performances
May 1 - June 27, 2010

Delighting the hearts and spirits of children of all ages, The Annual Puppet Festival, is returning to the Children's Theater at Fairytale Town, beginning May 1. For more than twenty years, Puppet Art Theater has been coming to Fairytale Town. During the eight week installment, four unique puppet shows will be presented by Art Grueneberger's, award winning, Puppet Art Theater. Don't miss your chance to see classic fairytales retold in an artful and hilarious manner.

This year Puppet Art Theater will debut its newest production, Riley the Wiley Rabbit. This production was built partially through a national grant from Puppeteers of America; a national nonprofit organization that provides information, encourages performances, and builds a community of people who love puppet theatre. Fairytale Town has had a long collaboration with Puppet Art Theater, and are pleased to have this show debut in our Children's Theater.

Each of the four shows will have a two-week run. Hansel & Gretel runs May 1-16; The Three Little Billy Goats Gruff, May 19-30; Little Red Riding Hood, June 2-13; and the debut of Riley the Wiley Rabbit, June 16-27.

Performances are offered, Wednesdays through Sundays. Weekday show times are: 10:30AM, 11:30AM and 12:30PM. Weekend show times are: 12:30PM, 1:30PM, and 2:30PM. Tickets are $1 members and $2 nonmembers.

The Puppet Festival at Fairytale Town is made possible through the generous support of Target and The Kelley Foundation.

About the Shows

May 1 - 16: Hansel & Gretel

Gretel overhears her stepmother convince her father to lead she and her brother into the forest and leave them there for good. Hansel's plans to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find their way home fails miserably, and he and Gretel are left in the forest to fend for themselves. They discover a house made of Gingerbread. Little did they know the house belongs to a Wicked Old Witch. Will Hansel and Gretel escape the Witch and find their way home?

May 19 - 30: The Three Little Billy Goats Gruff

Three Billy Goats must find a way to outwit the Troll and get across the bridge so they can enjoy their field of green, green grass. Little Billy, his older sister Brittany, and their father Bruno all try to trip-trap their way across they bridge. Will they make it?

June 2 - 13: Little Red Riding Hood

A nutty version of the classic fairytale. Little Red and her dog Fifi are taking a pepperoni pizza to Grandma's when they run into the wolf. Wolf loves pizza and plots to get Red's. Join Little Red, Fifi, and Grandma as they try to keep the wolf from eating them and their pepperoni pizza.

Premiere Performance!

June 16 - 27: Riley the Wiley Rabbit

Riley Rabbit and his best friend Trevor Turtle are playing hide and seek. Riley's father warns them not to go into the woods. Riley, tried of being found by Travis, decides to ignore his father's warnings and heads deep into the woods to find the best hiding place ever. In the woods Riley comes across the hungry Fletcher Fox who'd like nothing more than a rabbit dinner. Will Riley get away from the treacherous fox?

About Puppet Art Theater

Puppet Art Theater Co. was founded in 1994 by Art Grueneberger who serves as Artistic Director. Grueneberger has puppeteered for many film, television and video projects. His puppet productions have been seen by thousands of audiences across the United States. His shows have toured internationally and also include adult productions seen in local venues such as Zeum Theater in San Francisco, and the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. For more information about Art Grueneberger and Puppet Art Theater, please visit http://www.puppetarts.com/.

What: Annual Puppet Festival

When: Wednesday - Sundays, May 1 - June 27

Time: Weekdays at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM & 12:30 PM

Weekends at 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM & 2:30 PM

Where: Fairytale Town, 3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822

Cost: General Admission $4 weekdays/ $4.50 weekends

(Additional charge for Puppet Art Theater: $1 members/$2 nonmembers)

Contact Phone: 916-808-7462

Contact e-mail: mail@fairytaletown.org

Website: http://www.fairytaletown.org/

Dickens World Trip Report and Review

By Nick Hutson

If I were to tell you there is an indoor, themed attraction just outside London with a Victorian town lovingly recreated with £62M of the ex-owner of Fox studios, would you believe me? Probably not!

If I were to tell you it was based lovingly on the concept of Charles Dickens' life, stories and characters - you'd probably be more obliged to believe me.

Yes - Dickens World was erected in the historic Dockyard of Chatham in Kent (outside of Rochester, where Dickens spent a lot of his writing life), and opened in May of 2007 to huge crowds. However, the day I went with two friends was a perfect day - as we were practically the only people there.

Whilst the realism of a cramped Dickensian town, full with ragamuffin children running around picking one's pockets would have added to the realism, I preferred the fact we were there on a quiet Tuesday afternoon.

This odd attraction boasts a boat ride, 4-D movie, animatronic show, live theatre, a haunted house special effects show, a restaurant, bar/pub, gift shop and some of the most amazing theming seen within the confines of the British borders.

The vast scale of this indoor attraction is like nothing I've ever seen in this country; the buildings are life-size, the lighting is moody and creates a nice "dusk" atmosphere and the wondering Dickensian characters are very entertaining and not threatening at all.

Upon talking to one of the character actors, he told us about the way they create their characters. He said that most of the actors are asked to put themselves in a Dickens' novel, create a Dickensian name for themselves and create a character based on that - which, I thought is a very interesting concept of character development.

Great Expectations is the main attraction here - a huge, totally indoor log flume ride that tells the story of Great Expectations, and introduces concepts of Dickens' characters along the way. The scenery in the ride is brilliant, as well as the lighting.

However, our first trip round the circuit was marred by the fact our boat didn't have the narration playing - and there were far too many static figures along the way, so it was like going on the ride with all the effects turned off.

Yes - there's a backward drop in the dark (the same ride system is a Mack ride system also employed at The Dungeon attractions over Europe), and the boats move at a nice steady pace to allow one to appreciate the scenery. My main issue was that there isn't enough movement to merit the speed of the boat to appreciate it all!

The queue line through the Newgate prison and mental asylum is atmospheric (again... reminiscent of The London Dungeon's boat ride attraction), made enjoyable by the quiet nature of the attraction that day. Walking right past the "45 minute wait from this point" sign is always a gleeful moment for any theme park fan!

The main let-down of the day was a haunted mansion, called Haunted Man (named after a novella by Dickens)... Basically, it's a walk 'round Scrooge's house looking at about six Pepper's Ghost effect shows (an effect very prominent in Dickens' time), exploring the villains in the works of Dickens. It is a nice effect once... but seeing it over and over again is a bit cumbersome. However, one must remember this is not a Halloween event, it's an educational attraction to teach one about Dickens.

There is a delightful - but overlong at 30 minutes - animatronics show (an effect not very prominent in Dickens' time), with some of the most amazing "holographic" projections and effects I've seen in a long time. It basically introduces us to three major characters in Dickens' novels - with a bit of Marley's ghost thrown in for macabre effect.

There is a very fun 4-D movie (again, an effect not very prominent in Dickens' time) that is more entertaining than Avatar; made more sense and had better 3-D! Though it is computer animated, I thought the direction was very imaginative and told the story of Dickens' life - including a very interesting fact about a train!

I do urge you to check out Dickens World if you're in the beautiful area of Rochester in Kent; do take a couple of hours to have a look!

PROS: Good entry price, amazing theming, atmospheric, amazing use of technology, imaginative 4-D movie.

CONS: The theming on the boat ride is far too static, audio wasn't working on the boat ride our first time 'round, haunted house is not haunted enough, and too long-winded.

Dickens World

Leviathan Way

Chatham Maritime

Kent

ME4 4LL

Telephone : 01634 890 421 Fax: 01634 891 972

Email: enquiries@dickensworld.co.uk

 

Editor's Note: Nick Hutson is a regular on The Season Pass Podcast and is one of the founders of MusicalTalk, the independent UK podcast for musical theater. Nick lives in London and is a huge fan of themed entertainment. We are thankful for this fun trip report - our readers always get a kick out of what's happening on the other side of the pond!

 

Discuss Nick's Trip Report on the Theme Park Adventure Message Board