PGAm vs SFGAm

by **greatamerica2003** on October 23rd, 2003, 10:45 pm

In response to Chitown's comment and for the education for some of you who don't know much about the sister park, here's a few things that are different and some that are still the same between Paramounts Great America and Six Flags Great America:Themed AreasAdvantage: SFGAmWe still have all out themed areas. The names haven't changed, most if not all non-ride buildings are still standing, and the decorations are true to Marriotts.PGAm loses big time. Every themed area has changed names except County Fair (and part of CF is now a different area) They have a fetish with the name "Plaza" Celebration Plaza, Pavillion Plaza, All-American Plaza, Festival Plaza. WTF?! What do those names have to do with "America" Our themed areas are still from a portion of our continent's past. Theirs are from, well, I don't really know.Original RidesAdvantage: SFGAmBoth parks stil share Whirligig (theirs is called Celebration Swings), Orbit, Barney Oldfield Speedway (original name for Raceway) Sky Trek Tower, Columbia Carousel, Loggers Run and the Demon.They still have the Sky Ride, but thats it. We have more original rides. Fiddlers Fling, Lobster, Scenic Railway, Yankee Clipper, Big Top (now Ricochet) Fun Machine, and the Whizzer.

by **M-SFGreatAmerica** on October 23rd, 2003, 11:00 pm

I went out to California a few years back just to see what our sister park was up to. And you are right, it is quite disapointing. There is very little that is origianl to MGA. Hometown Square is still really true to the colors and such, but that is about all. They didn't have any shows in the 2 main theatres, how cheep. The only advantage that they don't have is that they don't have winter to reak havock on the pavement. That's the only thing they have that I wish we did (as well as their sky ride). But what is up with them getting rid of the train, what's next, the Carousel? (BTW, they have already gotten rid of the Ameri-Go-Round)

by **greatamerica2003** on October 24th, 2003, 12:02 am

The Californina park never had an Ameri-Go-Round. That carousel is one of a kind, built in 1917 and was at a park in Kentucky originally.

by **Galvan** on October 24th, 2003, 12:10 am

Great Post GreatAmerica, Did PGA have an American Eagle Type coaster? i know that PGA and GA are sister parks, but did they ever have sister coasters besides Demon?

by **greatamerica2003** on October 24th, 2003, 12:15 am

Nope no Eagle, but they had the same arena area.The parks shared Whizzer and Turn of the Century/Demon. And a small kiddie coaster called the Gulf Coaster and Tidal Wave.

by **T_Biggs** on October 24th, 2003, 12:15 am

Both parks opened with Turn of the Century, Whizzer, and Gulf Coaster. Gulf Coaster was removed right away from SFGAm, and sometime later from PGA. Whizzer was removed from PGA at some point over 10 years ago. Tidal Waves were both installed the same year (1978?) Turn of th Centuries were converted to Demons the same year (1980?) American Eagle was the first split in coaster installations, then the parks were sold.Edit: No fair! You got your reply out first by leaving out some extra information! I want you to read my signature. You deserve it. :lol:

by **planea380** on October 24th, 2003, 6:49 am

Does PGA still have Wilderness Theater and all that back there?

by **Mr. SFGAm** on October 24th, 2003, 9:37 am

No, I believe that PGA's Wilderness Theater may have been removed for Stealth. Correct me if I'm wrong.I think that over this past offseason, PGA also demolished several old buildings that were from the Marriott days. But they still have the Yankee Harbor Lighthouse.

Another thing is The Pictorium. We still use ours but theirs sits idle. They also still have their Fiddler's Fling and Yukon Yahoo. Yukon Yahoo was renamed Berserker and moved into County Fair; next to Demon. Fiddler's Fling was renamed Centrifuge and still sits in it's original location.Check out the site http://www.greatamericanthrills.com

by **T_Biggs** on October 24th, 2003, 9:42 am

Mr. SFGAm wrote:Yukon Yahoo was renamed Berserker and moved into County Fair; next to Demon.

Are you sure? On this page, at the bottom, the pic of TotC (I'm not sure which park it is,) has a flat ride next to Demon's lift hill. I always thought that it was the Industrial Revolution, and was very similar to Yukon Yahoo. Are you sure of it being Yukon Yahoo? And do you know what the difference was between them?

by **M-SFGreatAmerica** on October 24th, 2003, 10:06 am

PGA did have a ride in the Ameri-Go-Round spot, there's was an original as well, but it was called the Ameri-Go-Round. There's was an 1918 antique carousel. I have a map from 1981 that shows it.

by **greatamerica2003** on October 25th, 2003, 12:07 am

Now I'm confused. What did you just say?

by **M-SFGreatAmerica** on October 26th, 2003, 1:51 am

PGA did have an Ameri-Go-Round, but theirs was a 1918 antique carcousel, it was replace by their drop tower, much like our Giant Drop.

by **Mr. SFGAm** on October 26th, 2003, 2:41 pm

T_Biggs: It is Industrial Revolution that is in that picture. As for PGA, I am not quite sure. I read on some other site that PGA moved their Yukon Yahoo to that spot and renamed it Berserker, but it could still very well be the Industrial Revolution. As for a difference between Yukon Yahoo and Industrial Revolution, I have no idea. Anybody else?? :?:

R.I.P. Deja Vu 10/07/01-10/28/07

Travis: The Tidal Wave at PGA was installed in 1977 then ours in 1978. TofC was rethemed for the 1980 season. It seems as if PGA was the experimental park because (from what I remember from this time line of when our parks got our rides/ attractions) PGA got the Edge and TW a year before us. So Im guessing that if a ride didnt do well there then Marriots didnt bother placing it in our park.

by **T_Biggs** on October 26th, 2003, 9:42 pm

I never even knew they got Tidal Wave a year earlier, or that they even got a first generation Intamin drop while with Marriott. Interesting. But why did we get American Eagle, and they didn't? Did Marriott see better attendance in Gurnee than Santa Clara, or is American Eagle too tall for Santa Clara?

R.I.P. Deja Vu 10/07/01-10/28/07

I think its too tall for Santa Clara.

by **Mr. SFGAm** on October 27th, 2003, 8:34 am

In 1977, PGA got Tidal Wave. In 1977, we got Sky Trek Tower, Big Top, Hay Baler, and Southern Cross Sky Ride. Then in 1978 when we got Tidal Wave, PGA got the Pictorium.I guess that along with American Eagle, PGA never got the Southern Cross, Hay Baler, and Big Top either.

by **M-SFGreatAmerica** on October 27th, 2003, 10:44 am

PGA never got Traffique Jam either which was a antique car ride in the place where Rappids is now. Traffique Jam was an original ride to SFGAm, but PGA never received it, so the parks were not as identical as everyone thinks. Also if you look at the show lists for the Grand Music Hall and Theatre Royale, shows generally premired in California and were then shiped to Chicago the next year.

by **greatamerica2003** on October 27th, 2003, 2:56 pm

Traffique Jam was pretty similar to Raceway. Arrow made the cars for both. At one time the park owned 150 cars. The cars from Traffiqe Jam (75 of them) were sold and the rest of the 50 raceway cars are sitting in the dirt out back.

by **da rcman2001** on October 27th, 2003, 3:04 pm

They didn't get American eagle because Six Flags gave us american eagle after they bought us. Also, it couldn't be their height limit because they have a drop tower that's only 2 feet shorter than giant drop.

by **T_Biggs** on October 27th, 2003, 3:11 pm

American Eagle is Mariott, not Six Flags era.

by **da rcman2001** on October 27th, 2003, 3:19 pm

Oops my bad, ive been under the impression it was six flags for ever now. I went to pga this summer, but I dont remember if they have the tent or not. I'm glad they didn't put it in California. Just adds one more record to our park.

PGAm vs SFGAm

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