Official Carnival Spotting Thread

[SammyTheSparerib]

Nemesis 360 (KMG Inversion) is currently at the Kane County Fair in St. Charles, IL.

[FParker185]

Weird, may have to check that out tomorrow. Wonder what in the heck Happee Day Shows is doing in IL, normally they are around the deep south, unless they sold it I guess. Figured the first Inversion to be within 500 miles of here would be was going to debut at the MN State Fair purchased by Mike Demas who recently traded in his sweet looking Afterburner to get it.

awesome

[Ilovthevu']

^It's going to the County Fairs. That's why it's around here. Dupage County Fair, and Kane County Fair. I think it's a dumb idea to buy a 12 person ride. A 24 person ride with 2 trucks I feel is a better fit because with a 2 truck ride, sure gas is a pain, but it's constantly getting more money if it's a great ride with a much higher capacity than 12 people. The extra gas per town could be only an 20 miles only too for a much better capacity. On top of it, they probably spent $750,000 - 1 million on the ride, and even if it has a HUGE line the whole day, you still only can get so many people on the ride. A Swinger could probably outgross this ride.

Carnivals in IL at least are all buying the higher capacity rides like Zero Gravity, Century Wheel, Cliffhangers, Himilayas, Pharoah's Fury, Orbiters, and so on. Some are selling Scat, and Tilt-A-Whirls because of lower capacities.

[DejaVuGurl1203]

I was just at the St. Chris Fiesta in Midlothian on Sunday - my first time riding the Zipper in many years since they removed it from our annual Oak Fest. Was also the first time I've been to a carnival in quite a few years.

[Ilovthevu']

^You wouldn't find it at Oak Fest anymore unless they change carnivals. Spectacular Midways doesn't own it anymore. The Zipper this week MIGHT be at Alpine Fest in Lake Zurich, or Highwood Days. Next week try Lake County Fair, or Lincolnwood Fest for the Zipper. I know you rode it already, but maybe there are some other people that really want to ride the Zipper.

DejavuGurl, you said earlier in the topic (probably 3 years ago), you want to find Spin Out, Freak Out, and Chaos. Well, Chaos is only at amusement parks, and like one carnival, but it's not in IL. Better off, going to an amusement park like Circus Circus, I think Valleyfair!, Cedar Point, Belmont part in California (I forgot the name of it.), and I think a park like Elitch Gardens put it back up?

For Freak Out, the Freak Out is harder to find. The reason being is because that ride will come to an event one year, and than the next year, it won't be there. The same goes with the Spin Out. One year, there was no Spin Out at Libertyville Days (in June I think), and the next year there was the Spin Out. I think the Spin Out came to Northlake also, and another year, it's not there, but the Freak Out I believe was there this year. The Spin Out, and Freak Out are owned by the same company around here (North American Midway Entertainment but if you go the website, they go to a lot of places because this company bought maybe 5 former carnival companies and they combined it into one.). The best thing I can say for the Spin Out is go to the Wisconsin State Fair, and what I can say for the Freak Out is that at the Wisconsin State Fair, they have had the Freak Out, and than they have had a ride called Extreme X which is in the order of the Freak Out.

If you want to ride a ride similar to Freak Out without going to the Wisconsin State Fair, you can go to Arlington Heights around July 4th, or you can go to Glendale Heights Summerfest in July (second or third weekend in July), and that carnival which is also part of NAME has a ride called the Fuererball which is similar to the Freak Out. And that ride has been going to those places for awhile so I wouldn't expect it to not be there unless they sell it, and they make money on that ride, so I doubt they would sell it.

[Ilovthevu']

Sorry, for the double post, but my last post was getting too long, and this is of something different.

Since there is the overrated for coasters at our park, I thought I mention overrated for carnival rides, and carnival manufacturers.

Overrated Carnival Ride: In my opinion, it's the Wisdom Himilaya. I think the party atmosphere is more why it's a hit than the actual ride. It's just boring to me really, but it's the lights, music, strobes, fog or snow machine, and disco ball that probably really interest people, and they are just everywhere in IL. I guess the other one would be 1001 Nachts. I just don't see what's so fun about that ride. I have been on it multiple times, and there really just isn't anything that great. It's not like I get a feeling of floating on that ride or anything.

Underrated Carnival Ride: I would say something like the Force 10. It kind of looks like a Paratrooper, but it goes super fast around it's axis, and it's just so much fun. And the thing is, I think there are only 5 in the US. It's ridiculous in my opinion that they only made 5, and you never hear much about them.

Overrated Carnival Manufacturer: I would say Wisdom. I noticed with Wisdom rides especially the Himilaya is that they run them, and than eventually they start getting really slow. I don't care much the Himilaya. I don't like the Tornado, the Sizzler hurts after a minute, and I don't like the Gravitron. The Wisdom Viper instead of reminding me of the Cobra reminds me of a swing type of ride. I didn't think the like Moby Dick ride at the Wisconsin State Fair was very fun at all (I forgot the name). I used to like the Gee-Whiz, but last time I seen it, it looked like the ride was about to die being how slow it was at a canival.

Underrated Carnival Manufacturer: My opinion is Chance Manufacturing. All I hear is that there new rides are junk and what not, but Chaos is really the new ride they had, and I enjoyed that ride even though it has had problems. The Inverter isn't that great, but that's what FParker said is that it's really an ARM ride, and ARM rides to me are pretty disappointing anyway. Chance made the Wipeout, the Zipper, I wish I could get on a Skydiver just to try it at least once, Falling Stars aren't bad, they make Alpine Bobs type of rides, I don't think I have ever gotten on the Toboggan (the roller coaster ride), the Yo-Yo, and the Chance Revolution besides the Chaos. Pharoah's Fury I don't care for, but they seem to be a hit around here.

[FParker185]

Chance no longer manufactures Portable Rides. Their reputation is beyond horrible, even if they came out with a new portable, no one would buy it.

ARM drop towers are pretty decent I think.

Wisdom is a whole nother story

[FParker185]

I just now spotted a carnival in Dusseldorf Germany with the worldwide debut of a new ride from Funtime, The Rocket, an updated version of a Traver Circle Swing

onride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAYB22R3 ... r_embedded
offride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfhE5cy- ... re=related

[Ilovthevu']

^I don't know if you are trying to be funny or not, but that's a similar ride in which the ride broke off of the cable, and it just happened at Divo Ostrov theme park called the Rocket. I guess it's not the same ride though, but I think the same manufacturer. For the ride you are showing me, that reminds of the ride at California Adventure combined with a Star Flyer ride.

[FParker185]

the Russian one was a proof of concept prototype, this one is the first implementation of the technology on a portable Star Flyer frame.

[Ilovthevu']

^Did you see that bell that Funtime makes. Holy cow, that looks so weird of a ride. Have they made any of them, and if so what is the ride's name? - There is no video on Funtime site of that ride.

[FParker185]

I've ridden the Bell, only one has been made, I rode it at Wiener Prater, it has since been removed and sent to Hansa Park in Germany. It was pretty disappointing, the rocking motion was very slow. It was definitely different though, and I'll give it credit for that.

here it is at Hansa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXDfNnMXdrY