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Traveler: Christmas Holidays at Parks in Northern Climes

Posted in amusement park, Travel, tagged Christmas, Christmas lights, Hersheypark, Holiday lights, Kennywood, Lake Compounce, Liseberg, Storybook Land, Tivoli Gardens on December 22, 2013| 2 Comments »

Christmas Light Display at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. Photo courtesy of Hersheypark

While most amusement parks in northern climes close after Halloween due to the cold weather, a few have extended their season with Christmas celebrations featuring holiday lights, a visit with Santa, and a spin on selected rides for the price of admission. ATZ took a look at four parks that are worth the drive from the New York metro area, as well as Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens and Gothenburg’s Liseberg.

Christmas in Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo via Facebook.com/Tivoli

CHRISTMAS IN TIVOLI
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tivoli Gardens, the 170-year-old amusement park in the heart of Copenhagen, has been open for Christmas for the past 20 years. Thousands of lights adorn the buildings and rides, while glass, mother-of-pearl and heart-shaped lights bedizen the trees. Father Christmas and his elves greet visitors and the Tivoli Boys Guard parades through the Gardens playing Danish and English marches and carols. The park features 50 Christmas stalls and 32 rides including five new rides which are part of a Russian and Scandinavian-themed Christmas. For the first time ever, Tivoli will be open for walk-in guests on New Year’s Eve before the Fireworks are launched. Last year’s successful opening of some of Tivoli’s restaurants on New Year’s Eve sparked the idea of a full scale opening of the rides, games and shops. November 15-December 31. Closed December 24 and 25.

Christmas at Lake Compounce, Bristol, CT. Photo via Lake Compounce

HOLIDAY LIGHTS AT LAKE COMPOUNCE
Bristol, CT
Lake Compounce, North America’s oldest continuously operating amusement park, is bedecked with thousands of bulbs including “12 Days of Christmas” displays to celebrate the park’s 2nd annual Holiday Lights event. A selection of kiddie rides and family rides are open for the occasion. Lake Compounce’s train, which circles the lake, has been recommissioned the North Pole Express. Among the indoor activities are Story Time with Mrs. Claus, cookie decorating and gingerbread house making, carolers, an ice carver, clowns and holiday characters. November 29-December 22, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Hershey Park Christmas Candylane, Hershey, PA. Photo via Hershey Park

HERSHEYPARK CHRISTMAS CANDYLANE & HERSHEY SWEET LIGHTS
Hershey, PA
Founded in 1905 as a leisure park for Hershey Chocolate Company employees, Hersheypark marks its 30th holiday celebration this year. Christmas Candylane features more than 30 of the park’s rides including the Twilight Express, Santa and nine live reindeer, the N.O.E.L light show with 125,000 lights synchronized to Christmas carols, live entertainment, costumed characters, games, shops and food. Hershey Sweet Lights is a 2.3-mile drive-thru of 600 themed light displays with a customized radio broadcast. November 15-January 1. Closed December 24 and 25.

Christmas at Storybook Land, Egg Harbor, NJ. Photo via Storybook Land

CHRISTMAS FANTASY WITH LIGHTS AT STORYBOOK LAND
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Fairytale-themed children’s parks were a popular attraction in the 1950s but New Jersey’s Storybook Land, near Atlantic City, is one of the few that has survived and is thriving in the 21st century. Christmas has been celebrated here for over 25 years and is a tradition for generations of South Jerseyans. Through December 23rd, Santa Claus comes out of the chimney of his house nightly at 5pm, waves his wand and lights the park’s million lights. Bubbles the Coaster, the Tick-Tock Clock Drop and other kiddie rides along with the park’s storybook architecture are also bedizened with lights. November 23-December 30. Closed December 24 and 25.

Christmas in Kennywood. Photo via Kennywood.com

12 NIGHTS OF HOLIDAY LIGHTS AT KENNYWOOD
West Mifflin, PA
Kennywood’s 3rd Annual Holiday Lights Festival includes two different light shows every half hour in the area surrounding the lagoon, local choirs, magic show, strolling band, dinner with Santa, and readings of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Pittsburgh radio and TV personalities. Operating rides include the Paratrooper, Kangaroo, Merry-Go-Round, Turtle, Ghostwood Estate (with a special holiday twist), The Gingerbread Express (Holiday Lights version of the Olde Kennywood Railroad), and up to 9 rides in Kiddieland. Although the park’s roller coasters aren’t open, guests are invited to stop by the Racer to take a unique picture with Santa in a replica coaster car. November 29-December 22. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas at Liseberg. Photo via Liseberg.com

CHRISTMAS AT LISEBERG
Gothenburg, Sweden
Founded in 1923 as a temporary attraction for the 300th anniversary of the city of Gothenburg, Liseberg is Sweden’s most popular amusement park. In November and December, the 260-acre park hosts Scandinavia’s largest Christmas Market, which is illuminated by nearly 5 million lights. Rustic stalls and shops sell arts and crafts, and traditional food such as marinated herring, roasted reindeer meat from Lapland, marzipan pigs and glögg. Some rides are open including the Liseberg Wheel, carousels and kiddie rides. There’s also sleigh rides, an ice skating show, Santa’s House, a midwinter festival at a medieval village, and white rabbits from the North Pole greeting the park’s green rabbit mascot. November 15-December 29. Closed December 24 and 25.

Traveler: Osteria Ai Pioppi’s Homemade Amusement Rides

Posted in Amusement ride, Travel, video, tagged Ai Pioppi, Coleman Guyon, documentary, documentary film, Fabrica, Italy, Luiz Romero, Osteria Ai Pioppi on October 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Restaurants with amusement rides in the U.S. tend to be of the Chuck E. Cheese variety, but deep in a forest in Treviso, Italy, the Osteria Ai Pioppi offers a magical playground of handmade, human-powered amusement rides. The documentary “Ai Pioppi” released last week on Vimeo, where it was a staff pick, features a tantalizing peek at the park and an interview with Ai Pioppi’s creator.

Homemade Slide at Ai Pioppi, Treviso, Italy. Photo via aipioppi.com

“The first big ride I made was that iron slide and that was forty years ago,” says Bruno, who built the rides in his workshop after learning how to weld. “At that time it was big news. There were not many strange rides like that.”

Homemade Roller Coaster at Ai Pioppi, Treviso, Italy. Photo via aipioppi.com

Ai Pioppi’s swings, gyroscopes and roller coasters call to mind the hand-cranked carousels of the earliest days of amusement ride history and the Swingin’ Gym carnival ride of the 1960s. The source of Bruno’s inspiration? “A branch falls, a leaf floats down, a stone rolls. And I say to myself. Maybe I can use this movement. That’s how my ideas are born.”

Beautifully photographed by Coleman Guyon and written by Luiz Romero, the documentary was produced by a team from Treviso-based Fabrica, a communications research center, studio and school.

Homemade Gyro Gym at Ai Pioppi, Treviso, Italy. Photo via aipioppi.com

Traveler: New Big Tex Debuts at State Fair of Texas

Posted in News, Photo of the Day, Travel, tagged Big Tex, Dallas, roadside architecture, state fair, State Fair of Texas, Texas on September 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The New “Big Tex” Was Unveiled at the State Fair of Texas on September 26. Photo via State Fair of Texas

The State of Fair of Texas opens on Friday with a new “Big Tex” who looks different from the old Big Tex ready to say “Howdy, folks!” with his new voice. The now 55-foot-tall figure stands in huge size 70 Lucchese boots featuring symbols of Texas such as the state flower and bird and Capitol building, as well as the State and U.S. flags. The welcome home ceremony will be streamed live at 2pm.

Last October, the original 60-year-old Big Tex was destroyed by flames from an electrical fire on the last weekend of the fair. The icon was rebuilt with the help of many donors, from Tall Texans ($1,000) and Big Tex – Reboot ($500) to Tex’s Friends ($25).

The new Big Tex’s big eyes, darker complexion and the configuration of his arms and hands are different than the old cowboy. On the Big Tex Grief Support Group page on Facebook, which was formed after the fire, reactions to the new Big Tex ranged from “Nothing like the old Big Tex!!!!!!” and “He looks great! – Just like a real Texan / Tejano! Love him!” to “He kind of looks like Howdy Doody!” and “Fail!” Here’s a slide show from KERA of North Texas showing how Big Tex has looked through the years.

Real Photo Post Card of The Worlds Largest Santa Clause Kerens, Texas 1949 Taylor Studio . From the Collection of Ed Williams

Real Photo Post Card of The Worlds Largest Santa Claus. Kerens, Texas 1949. Taylor Studio. Ed Williams Collection

Big Tex was originally a roadside “World’s Largest Santa Claus” built by the Chamber of Commerce in Kerens, Texas, according to The Great State Fair of Texas by Nancy Wiley. The 49-foot figure was constructed from iron-pipe drill casing and papier mache. The State Fair’s president bought the Santa in 1951 and hired Dallas artist Jack Bridges to transform him into a giant cowboy.

We’ve been fond of Big Tex since childhood. He was a familiar figure on vintage postcards in Mom’s shoebox of postcards from the road. ATZ met the big guy in 2006, the first time we visited the State Fair of Texas, which is worth a trip from anywhere. In 2012, the Dallas fair was once again no. 1 on Carnival Warehouse’s list of North America’s Top 50 Fairs, with an attendance of 2.56 million. The 2013 State Fair of Texas runs September 27 – October 20.