Lol at ABC7 newscast

[mallclerks]

They are doing a news segment about eating the cockroaches/bugs to get to the front of the lines at the park, and they are telling everyone about how its for frightfest and they cut to some footage of Great America/Fright fest, and show some video of Shockwave...

Maybe it is time to update their stock video being it is atleast four years old!

[CoasterDude12-2]

Or maybe it's time to actually realize the news doesn't need to be that accurate. Only nerds like us would notice the goof.

[SFGAm Shock Wave]

^ Exactly, I still see some guests that are suprised to see Whizzer still standing Although it may be annoying to us, most people dont notice it. Its the same reason SF can get away with using SFMM in a SFGAm commercial. A majority of people are too ignorant to notice. Just this weekend, I saw a guest say, "Lets go on the Demon" and get in line for Whizzer

[ITMS-Gradchick]

When is or was it on?

[DejaVuGurl1203]

Watch, I bet some GPer was watching that and said, "Is Shockwave returning for Fright Fest?" or something to that extent.

[Ilovthevu']

Look at the commercial they had this year. They actually said something like try the Ragin Cajun, and show Pandemonium at New England.

[andyvball93]

LOL i saw that yesterday too, and shockwave's footage and viper's sign looked really weird it was with white supports

[LAFFfan4lyfe]

that's the beauty of having the general public....they won't notice the difference.

[viperchick85]

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/09/21 ... 9fehg1.txt

There's an article my paper wrote about it. ^_^

I consider myself a coaster fanatic, but I don't love them THAT much.

[shockwave guy mark]

I am eating one, It cant be that bad. I heard they really have no taste, but it just does not feel right when they move around your mouth is all. I will bring back some footage from my expeirence! I hope you will al enjoy it!

[andyvball93]

I hope they allow you to kill it first becuz then I'll do it

[revolutiongurl]

Yeah me too

[Sedir]

^ Exactly, I still see some guests that are suprised to see Whizzer still standing Although it may be annoying to us, most people dont notice it. Its the same reason SF can get away with using SFMM in a SFGAm commercial. A majority of people are too ignorant to notice. Just this weekend, I saw a guest say, "Lets go on the Demon" and get in line for Whizzer

Actually my friends are GP'ers and even they notice stuff like this. Then again I may have just rubbed off on them...

[SFaddiction84]

Fox 6 Out of Milwaukee also has outdated video with shockwave in it =), I noticed stuff like that all the time. its like, imagin all the people who see those rides and are like OMG im going to Great America only to find out, we dont have them lol

[Cryptkeeper]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE SAVE THE COCKROACHES!!!

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S10923.htm

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PETA takes bite out of Six Flags cockroach munch

By Dan Moran DMORAN@SCN1.COM

GURNEE — One man's publicity stunt is apparently another man's outrage, as the activist group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling on Six Flags Great America to cancel a live cockroach-eating contest planned for next month's Fright Fest.

"We have been flooded with calls and e-mails from all around the country about this," said PETA spokeswoman Jackie Vergerio, who studies issues related to animals used for entertainment.

Vergerio said late Friday that "we are in the midst right now of contacting all 12 Six Flags parks participating in (the cockroach-eating). We're asking them to cancel (this) gratuitously cruel practice, which is really just a tired gag from 'Fear Factor.'"

Six Flags officials announced this week that visitors to Fright Fest 2006 will be offered a chance to eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach, a three-inch version of the Blattodea order that is native to the island of Madagascar, but raised on farms for use as pets and feed.

Those taking and successfully executing the challenge will be given four Fast Lane passes, which allow entry to the front of the line at any ride in the park. The eating will take place in the Southwest Territory's Mission Stage on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition, on the night of Oct. 13, Great America plans to host an open-invitation attempt to break the Guinness world record for most Madagascar cockroaches — baked in this case, not live — eaten in a single minute. The record of 36 roaches has stood for the last five years.

In a letter dated Friday and addressed to Great America General Manager Hank Salemi, Vergerio described the concept as "barbaric" and wrote that PETA asks "that you consider the cruelty associated with this promotion and either cancel it or replace it with a harmless alternative."

"As a corporation that owns animal theme parks, Six Flags has no business encouraging the inhumane treatment of any animal," the letter states. "Presumably, the cockroach was chosen for this 'gag' because of the species' extremely negative image. However, this much-maligned invertebrate possesses keen senses, is quite docile, and has an amazing evolutionary history.

"Every creature on earth is ideally suited to its purpose, whether we know what that purpose is or not. It is unlikely that the purpose of Madagascar hissing cockroaches is to serve as appetizers for an unimaginative marketing scheme."

Great America Public Relations Manager Jim Taylor said Friday that he had not received the letter or heard of any animal-rights protests over the event, but he added that cockroaches are essentially no different from any other animal used as food in the park.

"It is important to point out that cockroaches do provide nutritional value. (They) are high in protein and they have no fat," Taylor said. "They are a common part of a lot of other diets in the world, (and) we do eat some things in this part of the world that might be frowned upon in other parts of the world."

Vergerio also questioned the practice of staging live bug-eating in front of children, writing that "Six Flags is meant to be a safe place for family fun, not a place to teach children insensitivity to animals of that 'might makes right.'"

Taylor said that the cockroach eatings are "not going to be forced on anybody," and he noted that Fright Fest will have two designated children's areas and a general theme that he described as "family by day, fright by night."

Taylor also pointed out that Great America and the other Six Flags parks staging the contest during their Fright Fests will not be the first to do so — Wild Waves & Enchanted Village, a Six Flags-owned park in suburban Seattle, had the same eat-and-ride promotion at its 2005 Fright Fest.

"Seattle tried it," he said, "and they actually ran out of cockroaches."

Opening day of Fright Fest is scheduled for Oct. 7, and it will be open Friday evenings through Sunday, along with Columbus Day, before closing on Oct. 29. For more information, visit http://www.sixflags.com/parks /greatamerica

.

Crunch!

-----------------------------------------------

What a sad, but funny article. I'm a big fan of animals myself, and it still boggles my mind why PETA is so up in arms about this.

You have to love Mr. Taylor's quotes regarding the nutritional value of cockroaches. Despite that factoid, that's not nearly enough to get me to even get close to one.

I do agree w/ PETA in that I think this pr stunt, though harmless to all but those tiny fun-loving cockroaches, is quite disgusting. It reminds me of reality tv shows like the aforementioned Fear Factor, and I just can't stand reality tv such as that show. Just my $0.02.

[LAFFfan4lyfe]

Taylor's remarks make me laugh. Anyone on a health diet should try this one....lol

[Sedir]

Why are animal activists getting so upset with the harming (eating) of insects? Do they want to ban stepping on ants while they're at it?

[andyvball93]

/\ one hundred percent agreed and plus Taylor's point about cockroaches being a delacatessien in other countries is right on, cockroaches are not cute or cuddly at all there annoying and gross

[perseus the hero]

Wow what's PETA going to get mad at next? That water treatment plants kill bacteria?

[FRD714]

^You spoke too soon.

http://www.peta.com/watertreatmentplantskillbacteria

No Im jk. Anyway, I think this is kind of crazy. Lots of tv shows and other events have had cock roach eating and all the sudden they get all nuts about SF doing it.

[CoasterDude12-2]

I'll eat a cockroach for first in line..give em here.

[CoasterCrazy1657]

^ Exactly, I still see some guests that are suprised to see Whizzer still standing Although it may be annoying to us, most people dont notice it. Its the same reason SF can get away with using SFMM in a SFGAm commercial. A majority of people are too ignorant to notice. Just this weekend, I saw a guest say, "Lets go on the Demon" and get in line for Whizzer

yeah, i was there once waiting for my friends to get off the giant drop, and someone came up to me and asked where the shockwave was! no joke. i'm like uhhh...it gone.