Sorry for not updating. I deleted the Orleans Park area when testing something out and I accidentally saved the game and was too lazy to fix it until now.
JaminOut wrote:Schwarzkopf shuttle.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's not that compact. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday June 18th, 1994 Connecticut Twister BACKWARDS opens
What a nice day to be at the park.
I can't wait to finally do this.
Here goes nothing...
Nobody on the stairs yet. The line would go on to be 3 hours for the rest of the day after this.
Look at all of those people rushing towards CT Twister.
This was one of those "Oh Sh*t" moments. The drop feels so much faster and much more intense going backwards.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Surprised the park didn't cover this up at all, somebody can just hop the fence and walk down the service road.
S.S Bayou in the trees.
Unfortunately, my team didn't win the first round of the 1994 Band Battles. Last years champions, The Connecticut Rippers did.
B&M Goodness.
I heard the reason El Starfish is still closed is no longer because of a drop in attendance, but because the ride was mistakenly tested on the wrong date. (1/3 [January 3rd] instead of 3/1 [March 1st]) The park is waiting for a part to arrive, but it's likely it'll remain closed until next year, maybe until Fall.
Who doesn't love some good ol' Dodgems? XD
And here's one last look of the construction site.
Here's what we know so far: - It's a coaster - The name of it will be Hurricane (Which fits in pretty well in a New Orleans area :p)
Here's one interesting thing I found out. Mr. Heage has a friend Nicholas Jenkins, who owns an amusement park called Castro Park in Springfield, Illinois. The park is said to be closing after Labor Day 1994, and apparently, one of the park's 5 coasters is being moved to Heage Lake. The coasters they have include:
Wild Moose - A PTC Wooden Coaster Frenzy - A Vekoma Boomerang Python - An Arrow Dynamics Looping Coaster with 6 inversions An unnamed Vekoma Kiddie Coaster Hurricane - I don't remember the type of the ride and I'm not familiar with the manufacturer.
My bet would be on Frenzy, as I heard that a bunch of camera equipment showed up recently next to the ride, but I also heard this about Python, so I'm not sure.
NEW in 1994 is Hurricane, a brand new steel coaster with multiple twists, turn, and steep dives. Hurricane will join Heage Lake's world-class line-up as the park's FIFTH roller coaster, in only 3 years!!! You don't see Calico Lake doing that, do you? Come back from June - October and experience the classic Connecticut Twister roller coaster BACKWARDS! Come back next year for Hurricane! This is only one of MANY major thrill attractions we plan to add in the coming years.
- Mike Heage
I can't believe it! I would've never expected this! I had my bets on Castro Park's wooden coaster, but I guess not. Here's some facts on Hurricane:
I want to apologize for the typo, I saw that video like 25 times so I don't know how I missed it. I fixed the link in my previous post so it links to the new video.
Sorry for the lack of posts. ------------------------------------------ Tuesday August 2nd, 1994 Summer Update
A lot of people were visiting the park today since local schools are starting up again soon.
Don't know why, but everyone always treks to the right side of the park first.
Whereas nobody at all was even going near the left side.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention this but the Showhouse has been renamed Connecticut Showhouse for this season.
I was unable to beat my high-score on Joust.
Yes, you read that right. Connecticut Twister backwards has been cancelled, and the ride likely won't open at all until Memorial Day of next year. Apparently, the trains the park brought on the ride caused severe damage to the ride's support structure. According to Mr. Heage, the ride was delivering rough rides last week, along with pacing issues, barely making throughout the course, causing the park to shut the ride down. Upon further inspection, it was found that the new trains were causing the support structure to nearly fracture, and even cracking a few beams on the turnaround since RCOA used really cheap wood to build the ride. The park is apparently suing RCOA for allowing them to use the backwards train when they knew it could potentially harm the all-ready weak support structure, which is supposedly being re-built.
You won't be flying backwards on this today......
Here's the future site for Hurricane. It looks like a queue line has been constructed. Obviously the park can't start constructing the ride until it closes at Castro Park and is relocated here. :p
It's a great day to splashdown.
45 minutes after opening and everyone's still racing to the right side of the park.....
Seriously, why are they all walking in a straight line?!?
At least Tajito Village was empty.
I never noticed how much room is available behind Haunted Ranch/Tajito Village Bathrooms. They could fit a large B&M, or even a huge wooden coaster back there.
Or behind Klondike River Splashdown...
There's possibly even enough room in the plot of land next to La Empresa for a Vekoma Boomerang or a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop. I doubt this area will be used for a coaster, though.
I can't recall how long it's been since Americana Swings sign was removed, but a new one has been put in place. I actually found out that there's a ride at Six Flags Northwest or whatever it's called under the same name.
Guess what's still not running today?? Yep, El Starfish is still closed, though maintenance is progressing quickly. I heard it'll be open by the end of August for sure.
Even though dozens of families were racing towards this side of the park, Nifty Fifties Playground was pretty much dead.
Fairgrounds Food Court was receiving more foot traffic than usual today.
Unfortunately, my day was cut short early, as I had to go to work.
Guy_With_A_Stick wrote:Nice update! I'm interested to see how the RCCA thing ends up!
Also, sorry for the name thing. But still, many parks around the world have the same name for many flats. :p
Thanks. I don't have a problem with the whole name situation, I've been meaning to give Americana Swings a new sign for a while (I forgot why I deleted it) so you actually helped me remember.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday September 4th, 1994 Labor Day Weekend Update
I was able to make it out to the park today
The 1992 Fall Fest Map is still proudly displayed at the front of the park
Yukon SkeeBall, Sky Tower, and Mountain Climber all in one shot
La Empresa remains one of my favorite flats at the park
I'm happy to report that El Starfish has resumed operation. I was getting really worried that the 1992 rumor about the ride being removed before 1995 would come true.
I think Cocina Picante might be my favorite sit-down restaurant in the park...
It's a real shame when people disrespect park rules to get a kick.. I saw this guy and his friends running through flowers and going beyond public boundaries at various points of the day.
No line for Grand Stand. Yay
A unique view of Grand Stand's break run. Funny thing, Mr. Heage told me that the ride was originally going to be named "Vortex" and be themed to a time vortex relating to the 1950's, but plans were scrapped due to money constraints. Did you ever wonder why there's a tunnel at the bottom of Grand Stand's drop? It was apparently supposed to cover up the whole drop rotating colors between yellow and light blue to give riders that "Swooosh" feeling.
I decided to go see how Andre's Pizza compares to Pizza Factory. While I enjoy Pizza Factory's dessert alot more, Andre's Pizza has amazing garlic breadsticks. Yay for Italian food!
Delirium looks wonderful tucked in the side right-side of the park
I've also liked its sign as well. It's actually the same as Torbellino's
There was some Jamaican Band playing at the Americana Theater. Oh yeah, that reminds me, Me and my band were disqualified from the Band Battles after my klutzy brother dropped a taco on the expensive drum equipment.
Fairgrounds time!
I really like this shot of Zipper. Too bad the line was 25 minutes long.
I haven't been on Sky Tower in a while, so I decided to take it for a go.
Main Gate Gifts has easily become my favorite gift shop in the park
I'll end with this shot of the front pond
I'm really excited for Hurricane, I think tomorrow is its last day at the park. My cousin Mark flew out to Illinois this weekend so he's going to be riding Hurricane at Castro Park tomorrow, so that's pretty cool. It's kind of a bummer that Fall Fest won't be returning this year, but at least the park is still open.
--------------------- Saturday October 1st, 1994 Final 1994 Trip Report
Ferris Wheel always looks nice in the morning, or any time of day for that matter
Swingset is a park icon
I got an update on the Connecticut Twister/RCCA fiasco. RCCA has agreed to construct a new, more consistent support structure for the ride as opposed to paying the park $32 Million dollars in losses. (The ride would've had to be removed, as well.)
Here's an update on Hurricane. It looks like a few pieces of track have been installed and signage has been placed on the station. (That reminds me, my cousin who rode the coaster on its last day at Castro Park said it was awesome!)
Trains have arrived
A few pieces of track waiting to be installed
Fall Fest may have not returned this year, but you can't have October without candy, so the park thought it would be a good idea to add the Hurricane Candy Trail.
Even though it looks like it was slapped together in 20 minutes, I'm glad the park is still getting into the Halloween spirit after what happened last year...
Hurricane's queue line so far. I hear it'll receive theming to make it look like an actual hurricane hit.
So much room for expansion!!!
Over here, too
Some little kid peed his pants on Americana Swings which made the 1 minute wait a 20
Who doesn't love a spin on Cab Derby?
I haven't been on Carousel in a while, so I figured, why not?
Scream Machine made me scream with pain. I mean, it's alright, it's just not that good.
Did you know that On The Trail sells Caribou meat?
Honestly, I don't really care for S.S. Bayou's name. It sounds like it took someone the same amount of time to come up with it as it took to build Hurricane Candy Trail. Aside from the name, it's a great ride!
I'm surprised Klondike River Splashdown was running in the cool fall breeze
I really like Ship Dip's lighting package
And.... that's a wrap on the 1994 season. A pretty average year if I do say so myself. Hopefully having a 5th roller coaster at the park will make things even better. I'll see you guys next year!
Sorry for the huge delay, I made the big mistake of not finishing Hurricane's construction before school started... yeah.... --------------------------------------
Saturday April 8th, 1995 Heage Lake 1995 Opening Day
Goooood morning Connecticut!
Connecticut Twister's new lift-hill support structure looks amazing
The new hotness of the park...
Hurricane... looks.. so... cool..
...And thanks to Heage Lake's wonderful marketing department, it wasn't open! -_- While the ride was ready, even testing during the day, the park mistakenly reported the opening date as May 8th instead of April 8th. Oh well. 1 month to go
In the mean time, we can still watch this amazingness
What does Heage Lake have that other parks tend to lack? Hang on man, I forgot. Oh yeah, I mean the way in which our park has put together a lovely looking Spanish area. Find out for yourself and spring into the park's Tajito Village area. I can tell that this is going to be a great 1996, I mean 1995 season.
La Empresa looks great where it is, don't you think?
Haunted Ranch is a great ride for families
Hmmmm.... I may have to hang around this spot so I can find out what's up
My favorite inversion in the park!
This is how I'd rank the 3 Stand-Ups I've been on: 3. Vortex - Paramount's Great America 2. Grand Stand - Heage Lake 1. Iron Wolf - Six Flags Great America
While I love all 3, Grand Stand and Vortex don't hold a candle to wolfie..
Opening weekend crowds weren't TOO terrible. Calico Lake is actually doing worse than us this season I hear, what with it being an off-year for them and all. That worries me for next year though, as I hear they're adding 2 more coasters over 200 feet tall...
I couldn't see my car in the crowded lot
I can't wait to ride the storm
That's right - retsiwT tucitcennnoC is back! RCOA has stated that the new support structure is stable enough to have trains run backwards, so yeah. I'm excited to do this again!
Junior Twister had no line (For once) so I decided to take it for a twist (Terrible Pun Intended)
I'll ended with a picture of Connecticut Twister's drop
Opening Day was a wild success, I can only imagine the crowds when Hurricane opens next month. See you then! -Jacob Karse- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of you knows what this is...
Everyone at the park flocked to Hurricane after the rope drop
Yeah.... this temporary overflow queue filled up within an hour of the park's opening, and the line actually stretched all the way back to The Lost Rapids around the end of the day...
At least people will be entertained while waiting
I only had to wait 5 minutes, thankfully
Single riders (Like myself) were allowed to queue on the right. I'm glad this was an option, it saved me at least 10 minutes
I love the view from the top of the lift-hill
You get some nice floater-airtime from the back-row when going over this airtime hill. Plus you get a nice view of the lake
This helix is so fun
Such a photogenic coaster
Hurricane was so fun, I'd give it a 7.5/10. While it was fun, and surprisingly intense, the coaster is aimed more towards families hence my rating.
Heage Lake made sure Hurricane's exit ran through their new gift-shop, Shelter Shack
Nice, but empty-ish shop
What could be going on here?
La Empresa was not running today, I was told in Guest Relations that it something to do with measurements.
Oh yeah, so it looks like Calico Lake has revealed their plans for next year:
"Introducing, Total Chaos. It's the coaster that changes the way you look at coasters. Standing 201 feet in the air and flying at speeds of 71 MPH, Total Chaos will be the world's tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster when it debuts at Calico Lake in March 1996. You don't see Heage Lake open that early, do you? "James Calico - Park President/Owner
In March of 1996, Calico Lake will launch Maverick, the world's tallest and fastest launched roller coaster reaching 225 feet in the air and enduring speeds of up to 75 MPH, Taller AND Faster than ANYTHING at Heage Lake. PLUS, We aren't adding a carnival coaster and over-hyping it, like them" James Calico - Park President/Owner
Aside from the stats, it sounds like Calico Lake is trying to blackmail Heage Lake, like when they were advertising Predator back in 1993. I heard Mr. HeWIlth has already come up with a plan to get revenge, including making a fake story about someone falling off of Predator at Calico Lake. All I can say is, this is about to get ugly. ---Jacob Karse--- --------------------------------------------------------
There will be a ton of it for a while... stay tuned! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday May 29th, 1995 Memorial Day 1995 + Calico Lake announces 2 more coasters!
Time for another day of fun at the park
The skyline looks really nice.. I heard it could change drastically next year
Loops of pain
Another rumor I heard is that every bathroom in the park is being "Re-Located," as they are currently in the weirdest spots possible. The Main Gates and Fairgrounds ones are 30 feet away from each other, The Connecticut and Fairgrounds bathrooms are in the middle of the pathway, the Pontchartrain Bay expansion area bathroom is very cramped and is right in front of the service road (Someone could easily fall 30 feet into it) and the Tajito Village one is very, very small and is hidden behind Mine Shaft Drop/Haunted Ranch.
The arcade still looks great
Hurricane... Still amazing!
It's shocking how intense these drops are..
The line was a half-hour... with quick pass Oh well, shorter lines for Grand Stand!
People are starting to use the Pontchartrain Bay expansion as a private smoking area. Not cool
Notably this scenic spot right here..
The park confirmed to me in Guest Relations that La Empresa is being relocated within the park for next season for a future addition
I asked them if this a new coaster, flat ride, or what. I was told to hang on and they gave me a wink
La Emprea's new location. It's unclear if the exit/entrance will be located in Pontchartrain Bay or Klondike Territory, but it's for sure next to S.S. Bayou
It has been a while since I've had a ride on El Scrambler
Its queue is a nice way to escape the scorching summer heat
Plus the ride gives magnificent views of the park
Hmmm.... The latest rumor I heard is that this is some sort of roller coaster called "Brain Eraser." My friend told me the rumor, and he was right about Hurricane, so...
It's time to take a stand
One last rumor... I'm told the Diner MAY return next season, OR a flat-ride will fill it's place. We'll just have to wait and see.
In other news, Calico Lake has announced 2 more coasters. (Strangely, they released no concept art or anything)
Flying Knight - A 209 Ft. Tall Wooden Wild Mouse Coaster (Unknown Manufacturer)
Vertical Flight - A 203 Ft. Tall Launched Inverted coaster (Unknown Manufacturer)
Huh. Neither of them sound realistic, and this technically means they're adding 4 hyper coasters for next year... something's not right. I can tell this is not going to end good...
She must've ordered the chili cheese nachos from Splashdown Snacks...
This area of the park is finally getting attention due to Hurricane
Hurricane only had a 15 Minute... Wow
The park did a great job with the maintenance shed/station
The reason Hurricane's line is so short.... Connecticut Twister BACKWARDS re-opened today!
105 Minutes?!?
I forgot how intense it was
The airtime in reverse is like nothing you've experienced before
No wonder this thing had a 3 hour line...
Calico Lake News
After just 2 (1 1/2) seasons, Predator at Calico Lake is closing forever on July 4th.
Wow, this is shocking. It's apparently being removed for TWO MORE new coasters. TWO. MORE. Does Mr. Calico have money growing out of his a**?
---Jacob Karse--- ---
I need some help from you guys. I downloaded this "Peep Generator" to get more people in the park, but it just removed every all ready in the park and replaced them. So attendance dropped from nearly 3000 to 1100-1500. I deleted the Generator, but can't get the old peeps back. Can someone help?
Please someone answer my question --- Friday July 7th, 1995 Heage Lake's 1st Annual Sports Fest
I was very excited for this trip, as Heage Lake hosted their first Sports Fest today
Tajito Village has been transformed into "Tajit-Ball Village" (Football Themed)
Mine Shaft Drop is temporarily known as "End Zone Drop"
Haunted Ranch was changed to "Tajito Tournament"
This was the center-point of the event (And it was exclusive to Coaster Enthusiasts!) More to come later...
Mid-Century Square has become "Centennial Park" (Baseball themed)
Grand Stand was cleverly dubbed "Grand Slam"
Andre's Pizza is now "Home Plate." Another clever name
Delirium was renamed "Batting Cages"
Fairgrounds went under a transition to "Soccer Square" (Obviously, it's soccer themed)
Scream Machine has been changed to "Goalie," an actually decent themed ride.
That net was a pretty cool head-chopper
Next Stop, Baton Rouge Basketball (Basketball Themed), or as you know it as, Pontchartrain Bay.
Hurricane Hoops was a really nice Free-Throw event
I heard the grand prize was a train on Connecticut Twister backwards all to yourself for the last hour of the day. Darn
Back to this baby...
Wait, this first. The park is starting to install water fountains. Pretty cool
Mr. Heage and Mr. HeWilth gave us a quick Q&A session along with a discussion of Sports Fest, and a nice buffet.
We also had exclusive access to "Tajito Touchdown."
And finally, we got a train on "Grand Slam" to ourselves for half of an hour
I really liked this event, and I hope Heage Lake has more of these. The theming was great, the names were great, the food was superb, the whole thing was just one big pile of fun
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, but today was La Empresa's last day of the 1995 season. It will return in 1996 in Pontchartrain Bay as La Empresa (Confirmed by the park during the Q&A)
Sounds like a pretty neat event! Quite different from what I've seen before. Can't wait for more!
As for the peep generator problem, I think the best way to get them back is to either run the game for 5-10 minutes on full speed with a park advert going(through the marketing window), or by adding in the CS called 'DasMatze's Utilities V. 1.3'. It includes a peep generator you can place down. I actually use it a few times around my park. But just note the peeps need to reach the real park entrance to 'pay' first. Here's the link:
Thanks Cam. I haven't gotten around to do the peep generator thing yet, but I appreciate your help!
--- Tuesday August 8th, 1995 New coaster confirmed, no details
Very gloomy day at the park
Looks like a tornado might be ahead...
Atleast it gives us nice views of Scream Machine!
Former location of "24 Elm Street"
Heage Ice Creamery is pretty amazing
Pretty funny how fast Hurricane's queue emptied out when the storm rolled around
S.S. Bayou has riders for once.. I'm shocked
Is that a station I see?!?
Track??
I knew it. From what I've been told, this is either a mirror-image of one of the Arrow Mega-Loopers or some type of Vekoma inverted coaster. I'm excited, eitherway
Future site of "Project 96"
At this point, the storm was getting so bad that we had to take shelter (Tornado warnings and all)
This is what the bottom of Haunted Ranch looks like incase you ever wanted to know..
The Sports Fest area was partially destroyed in the storm
Even in the dark and gloomy clouds, Grand Stand still looks great
The first corkscrew is probably my least favorite element, being very small compared to the vertical loop and inclined loop, it can be quite uncomfortable.
The storm really brings out the surrounding area
Nothing else is open, so what the heck?
A good spin on Musical Cups never hurt anybody
I had a really great day, as usual. The storm was kind of a cool experience. I'm very excited for the new coaster, I've actually been told there will not be a formal announcement, so that kind of stinks.
---Jacob Karse--- ------------------------- Sorry for the 2 week delay (Again) I almost posted literally the day after the last update but a bunch of stuff came up and yeah
Monday September 4th, 1995 Verdugo, the world's FIRST Inverted Shuttle coaster announced!
From the press:
Cameron Kolch -- Whitehall Gazette Coaster Lovers from Whitehall, Connecticut and beyond will have a brand new thrill next summer, as Heage Lake introduces "Verudgo" (Translates to "Hangman" in Spanish) the world's FIRST Inverted Shuttle Coaster! This adrenaline machine will take riders up more than 130 feet into the air, sitting face-to-face through not one, not two, but a grand total of 3 inversions! You'll climb up ANOTHER 13 Story lift-hill and endure the vertical loop and boomerang AGAIN. By the time you step off of this manical monster, you'll have been inverted 6 times! Verdugo is not only the tallest, but has more inversions than ANY other coaster at Heage Lake! It's also more unique than ANYTHING at Calico Lake, where they just advertise false roller coasters to create publicity for their park. Verdugo will open in the spring of 1996 at Heage Lake! (Connecticut's BEST Amusement Park!)
[/quote][/quote]
coollogo_com-79024206.png (27.45 KiB) Viewed 16086 times
Verdugo's Logo
The "Boomerang" Element
Vertical Loop
Verdugo will be the FIRST ever roller coaster to reside in the park's "Tajito Village" area
Verdugo DOMINATES it's surrounding mid-way, and it's visible from practically anywhere in the park!
Another 1996 change, La Empresa will be re-located to Pontchartrain Bay. It is confirmed to be getting a new paint job, but a new name has not been decided at this time.
In my opinion, Verdugo looks pretty sick, it *might* become my favorite ride in the park. I was honestly expecting an SLC, so yay! This will probably be better. MUCH, much better.
---Jacob Karse--- ----------------------------------------- "Hang Around" for more updates, this won't be the last thing changing for 1996
--- [b]Thursday October 5th, 1995[/b] [b]1995 Map + Calico Lake and Heage Lake Being Sued[/b]
Hey all,
The park released their first map this year (Previous years was just a sheet with ride names/locations) So here it is:
[b]NOTE: Map is featured at the bottom of the page for whatever reason[/b]
On another note, Calico Lake is being sued by Premier Parks AND a group of protesters. Here's the article
[quote]"Total Chaos" broke out this morning at Calico Lake after Premier Parks, Owner and Operator of the "Six Flags" theme parks and a group of protesters filed separate lawsuits against the developing park.
The first of which, filed by Premier Parks Inc., is because the marketing department at Calico Lake used copyrighted footage of "Batman: The Ride" at Six Flags Great America from a 1992 commercial for their new "Total Chaos" roller coaster without any consent from the corporation themselves. Premier Parks is suing for $8,000 USD.
The second lawsuit has been filed by the a group of protesters, for false advertising by Calico Lake. This summer, the park announced 7 fake new roller coasters in an attempt to snatch publicity from their competitor, Heage Lake. Local enthusiasts started to get suspicious when announcements with very little, if any, details were being spewed out by the park. They are only getting 2 legitimate coasters in 1996, Maverick, and Total Chaos. The rest were all fakes, and they have caused complaints from thousands of citizens of Connecticut, even causing some protests in the parking lot of Calico Lake. The protesters are suing the park for $10,000 USD from money lost in ticket sales caused by the announcements.
Additionally, Calico Lake is suing Heage Lake for "Concern of Safety," after a train on the park's "Scream Machine" roller coaster became stuck on the ride's lift hill for 10 minutes with 24 passengers aboard. "We're concerned for the safety of Connecticut Thrillseekers," Park Founder James Calico says "The way Heage Lake is operating their rides is unacceptable, and they show no concern for their guests." Calico Lake is suing the park for $20,000"[/quote]
Ok, that last one is plain ridiculous! Roller coasters get stuck all of the time, I can't believe Mr. Calico is foolish enough to file this kind of report! Both Calico Lake and Heage Lake have been ordered shut down for the rest of the 1995 season due to these lawsuits, and because of a rumored accident at Heage Lake (Ironically started by Calico Lake)
I guess I'll see you next season (I'll also be visiting the park during the winter to record a POV of Hurricane)
---Jacob Karse--- ------------------------------
Attachments
And here's the actual map
Here's the front cover, featuring Hurricane (Top Left, Bottom Left), Delirium (Top Right), and Grand Stand (Bottom Left)
As you may know, the season was brought to a sudden stop because of false lawsuits filed by Calico Lake, who is getting sued by Premier Parks
But that doesn't mean I can't go back!
No line to buy tickets!
NO LINE FOR HURRICANE????
It's great having friends that work for the park
Here's a POV of Hurricane! (Who knows where that music is from? )
Not only did I get to ride Hurricane (It was first built for a fair circuit in Alaska which is why it tolerates colder temperatures so well), but I also got to climb the lift-hill! Thanks Mr. Heage!
Got to walk the catwalks too!
Verdugo's station is 95% done (All but electrical work is complete)
La Empresa has been re-installed completely. It will not be receiving a new name/theme for next year, but that color scheme looks pretty slick, don't you think?!
Verdugo's queue is almost done
Have a great 1996 guys! Hope 1995 was a good year!
- Saturday June 1st, 1996 Last visit to Heage Lake?
I don't know if anybody knows what going on or not, but Mr. Heage has informed me that the park is in trouble right now because of the extreme blackmailing with Calico Lake. Last week an unidentified representative from Calico Lake parked a semi right in front of the Heage Lake parking lot entrance and put a "Sorry, we're closed sign" on the side of it. The sign also re-directed visitors to Calico Lake, even including a map with directions! Last week, a Heage Lake employee changed the operation hours sign outside of Calico Lake to make it look like the park was closed. The whole ordeal is becoming an extortion and things are not looking good.
This black-mailing thing is comparable to if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were to ever run for President against each other... It's just a mess!
Not only is the park at the threat of closing, but so is Verdugo. It was testing when I got to the park but something went wrong again. The lift-hill motor was making weird buzzing and vibrating sounds and suddenly made a huge pop. The ride didn't open for the rest of the day. (It has actually been closed since it opened due to persisting mechanical issues. Ah prototypes......)
That black rope is starting to mock me...
It doesn't look like too many people would be upset if Grand Stand closed.... Oh well, more rides for me!
Very rude employee, she rolled her eyes every time I requested a re-ride (There was nobody else in sight). If you don't want to do your job, don't take it. Seriously...
I heard this spot may finally be filled sometime in the next 3 years. Surely it won't if the park closes
Bumping someone's dodgem is comparable to the fight going on between Calico and Heage Lake
Nobody seems to be interested in the Connecticut Rippers anymore... in fact, two band members have quit!
It was a hot (and frustrating) day today, so it was time for a spin on The Lost Rapids
Awesome scenery
This guy seemed to be enjoying himself
CT Twister's station drop..
Hurricane looks great placed right behind the lake
I scored the last ride of the night! I wish Heage Lake had a theme song like the Great America parks or Carowinds to end the night out. I love stepping in Iron Wolf's line and hearing the Carousel Song play 10 seconds later
Took this picture last week, Predator at Calico Lake is rotting away at a local Connecticut Storage plant
It's addition to Heage Lake was actually considered by Mr. Heage, but with the beef between the two parks, and the fact that Hurricane now occupies the plot of land it would've taken up, it's just not possible.
If Predator closes it'll probably just be sold for scrap
Sad day. I hope this wasn't my last visit...
---Jacob Karse--- -
Last edited by RollingCoasting on October 30th, 2016, 12:40 am, edited 3 times in total.
Guy_With_A_Stick wrote:Oh dear, this seems like trouble! Hopefully the situation gets sorted out.
It sure is. You'll find out some more information in this update - Saturday July 6th, 1996 Park Closed (For Good?)
In case you haven't heard, the park has closed. For how long, I don't know. I'll provide more information at the end of this report. This trip to the park occurred today, July 6th, but I didn't receive any more information until I got a call from Mr. Heage after the park closed for the night.
I paid the ridiculous $15 parking fee for for what was possibly the last time
I surely hope the park doesn't close, this view is absolutely priceless
Sports Fest has been cancelled for this year
Whitehall, Connecticut would never be the same without the view from the top of Ferris Wheel
I'd definitely miss every ride at the park
Verdugo has swiped most of Hurricane's popularity, I'm surprised the overflow queue gates weren't removed completely
Nobody was having fun in Orleans Park on this sad day
Fun Fact: Before Heage Lake, the "Lake Pontchartrain" used to be part of Whitehall National Park and there were actual boat tours for it.
S.S. Bayou never seemed to gain popularity
Verdugo just opened back up after yet another 2 week hiatus
I heard a rumor that the train stalled on the cobra roll during it's first test run (Proven to be false)
I had a strange urge to finish off the day with a marathon on Mine Shaft Drop
By the time I got off, I had ridden 7 times, which brought my total rides on it up to 100! I'll never forget how I waited 3 hours for MSD during on Independence Day 1993. Those were good times I hope Mine Shaft Drop is never removed, it's still my favorite flat ride at the park to this day.
Heage Lake covered up some billboards for Calico Lake
... And constructed this wall in front of their parking lot...
Calico Lake covered up the parking lot entrance sign for Heage Lake and moved it 1 mile past, causing a HUGE pile-up at a local gas station. Traffic was backed up for 3 hours! It was so bad that Mr. Heage let me use the Service Road to get out.
And for those smart enough to make the correct turn (This happened about 3 hours after the park opened, so the majority of the crowd was already in), there was a huge board blocking the entrance to the parking lot.
Both parks have been shut down effective immediately by the State of Connecticut. It's unknown how long they will be closed, or what's going to happen, but a court date has been set for August 5th (:wink:). I heard the city Calico Lake is in is trying to get the State to close the park down forever, but I'm not sure about Whitehall. All I know is, us Heage Lake fans will be nervous wrecks for the next month.
--- Monday August 5th, 1996 Park loses case, closing
I got to the courthouse at about 9:00 A.M. (Ironically, I was called in for Jury Duty). The case lasted a total of 5 hours, ending at 2:00 P.M. sharp. I'm not going to go in to full details of the case, but here is what is happening:
- Both Heage Lake and Calico Lake are permanently shut down, and are city property - Greenwich, Connecticut (Where Calico Lake resides) has decided to shut down the park for good and dismantle every ride - Whitehall, Connecticut has decided to wait until Labor Day to find a buyer - Neither Mr. Heage or Mr. Calico are allowed to operate a business in Connecticut for 20 years
This is a result of the aggressive extortion both men have been throwing at each other over the years. This summer alone, they almost caused 10 car accidents with road blockage from each others parks, they have changed operation hour signs to fool people into thinking the other's park was called, and their media call outs have gotten so serious to the point where the men have been creating fake stories of accidents at each others parks and submitting them to the local news. The State of Connecticut has deemed that this type of performance from the parks is far too dangerous for the public and it simply cannot continue.
I honestly cannot say that I'm in complete shock, as this has been going on since 1993. I'm worried about Heage Lake though, less than a month is NOT enough time to find a park buyer. It's going to take a miracle for Heage Lake to ever open again.
Thursday August 15th, 1996
Deconstruction at Calico Lake has began. Here you can see a piece of their new "Total Chaos" roller coaster being hauled away to the Greenwich Scrapyard.
I heard the park is being replaced with a Walmart This sign will soon sport a brand new blue color scheme
This is the only remaining section of Total Chaos
....Nevermind....
Heage Lake (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, but Mr. Heage has requested that a buyer, if any, has to change the name of the park as it contains his surname.) looks like a ghost town
I still have a small bit of hope in me. I wish I could buy the park, I just don't have the money/skills necessary
Just two months ago this midway was packed to the bone
Why does Connecticut hate B&MS?
Walking down the empty mid-way just gave me an eerie feeling
What the future will hold for Heage Lake is currently unknown. We can only hope for the best.