“Oh my…” that was the response of the KC Star teen writers as they approached Worlds of Fun for their first ride on Mamba in 1998. As I stood on Worlds of Fun Avenue a day later, April 18th 1998, trying to get pictures of Mamba, I was passed on one side by an entire string of cars literally parked on Worlds of Fun Avenue waiting to get in… I saw more than one gapping open mouth… looking straight up, 205 feet up to be sure.But that’s not where Mamba’s story starts.I also vividly remember in summer 1997 first hearing about the “big new ride” coming to Worlds of Fun in 1998 while I worked in retail at the old Baltic Bazaar.The guy, I will always vividly remember this, was wearing a Cedar Point “Banshee” shirt.But that wasn’t the start either.I happen to believe that in history, nothing happens in a vacuum and so it is with Mamba as well.Because no discussion of Mamba would be complete without its sisters, Steel Force and Wild Thing, or its own progenitor, Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point.
Mamba? Is that you? Nope... Its Magnum XL-200.
Back in in the late 80’s, Cedar Point was looking for the next big thing and they went to a company that had already designed and built several of their most popular coasters, Gemini, Corkscrew and even Cedar Creek Mine Ride.Arrow Dynamics. Arrow, the great proliferator of amusement park rides and roller coasters for the last four decades still had several good tricks up its sleeve, and one of these just happened to be the world’s first hyper coaster, or coaster 200 feet tall or taller. A type of coaster built not for loops or other crazy shenanigans, but speed and lots of it.It could be said that Magnum propelled Cedar Point to its title “Roller Coaster Capital of the World”.It could also be successfully argued that if Magnum hadn’t been built, neither would Worlds of Fun ever have become a Cedar Fair park.Certainly, there would have been no Mamba.Ron Toomer, the designer for Arrow Dynamics, and designer of the immortal Orient Express and Screamroller had one last great trick up his sleeve.
Some specs on Mamba from the original press kit.
The world wasn’t ready for Mamba as of yet though.A few years after Magnum, Cedar Fair began to do what it has always done best, copy its most successful ideas to its other parks. Before I continue it's important to point out that at this time Cedar Fair didn’t own over a dozen parks like it does today.In 1996, where our next chapter takes us it only owned four, Cedar Point, Valleyfair, Dorney Park and of course Worlds of Fun, which it had bought from Hunt Midwest in mid-1995.Instead of Arrow though, they went to Morgan Manufacturing, owned by the son of one of the founders of Arrow Development, Dana Morgan (son of Ed Morgan).The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree at all.
Ok let's all be honest... who puts their hands down here?
Wild Thing at Valleyfair was first, and it opened in 1996, though there are urban legends that Wild Thing was actually planned for Dorney Park first yet the construction permits couldn’t be filed in time… so it went to ValleyFair instead.Steel Force would find its way to Dorney Park and it would open in 1997.Worlds of Fun would be third in line, completing what is commonly referred to as the “Morgan Triplets” . Improving on everything that was learned with the two previous incarnations, designer Steve Okomoto and D.H Morgan gave “The World” what is arguably the best of the three.
Obviously, all these people did... Looks deceivingly close in this shot!
Mamba would combine the best elements of the first two, a 200+ foot lift hill and first drop along with some fantastic air filled bunny hops as a finale.To the mix, Mamba would spice things up with an equally towering second hill at 184 feet, complete with its own massive dose of airtime and a fantastic head-chopper helix.Mamba was to be built, perched at one of the highest elevations in the park, utilizing some of the park’s naturally slopping terrain allowing both the lift hill and first drop to reach 205 feet equally, creating a grandiose monster that to this day seemingly snakes around the park.
Mamba wasn’t without its own fiascos and “urban legends”. A commonly quoted fact that Mamba’s price tag was ten million, is actually false and based on the price tag of its two quasi-twin predecessors. Mamba’s price tag was never officially announced and only listed officially as “over ten million dollars”.The other story fans love to tell is that Mamba was designed with twin tunnels, identical to those on Steel Force and Wild Thing.This one is true, as the press release above can attest.The tunnels were cut as the budget continued to climb above the original price tag, but not before the preliminary wiring was complete.Out in an electrical shed, near the turn-around of Mamba are two on/off switches, one for “enclosure #1” and the other for “enclosure #2”.Though the tunnels are often discussed, even today, they are not often missed, as from at least this rider’s point of view, having ridden both Steel Force and Wild Thing on multiple occasions, I ‘ll take Mamba any day.
Airtime!
Going back to April 18th, 1998 the day Mamba opened to thousands of would be, possibly traumatized gawkers… I was there and I was one of them, and while I wouldn’t ride Mamba myself for six more years, I cannot forget that day.The line for Mamba streamed all the way back past the line for Fury of the Nile.Of course, there was a simple reason for that, Mamba was quite literally an 11th hour miracle.Morgan had delivered Mamba’s first and only train for opening weekend literally DAYS before opening day!However for those brave enough to challenge Mamba it was and still is one heck of a ride, enough so to make all of those of us who were there to witness it realize we were witnessing a once in a generation event, the birth of a legend.
3.5 G's right now...
Mamba’s Long-Term Impact
What makes a legend?Is it something that thrills us right out of the gate?Is it something that ten, twenty, thirty years later we still love, or is it something deeper than just a ride that just offers a good time?My argument is that it is all three.Any ride can be popular the first or second year that it is open, Mamba had to be all of that and then some.Because it wasn’t just Mamba being this huge awesome coaster, it was everything that happened at the same time.Mamba became not just a big new coaster it became a turning point in park history.
This illustrates the point perfectly...
History will tell us that the three years surrounding the addition of Mamba saw the removal of almost a dozen major and minor attractions, Cotton Blossom, The Main Gate, the Henrietta, the Dolphin Show, the Marionette Show, the Floral Clock, The Trams, and of course the Zambezi Zinger.Zinger, no less was in the process of being removed while Mamba was being built.Only a few years later, Orient Express would follow the Zambezi Zinger, and in the blink of an eye, Worlds of Fun had lost its two legendary roller coasters.
Why do I bring this up?Why is this important?Because it illustrates how Mamba was not only at the crossroads between an old Worlds of Fun and new Worlds of Fun, but that these changes, helped shape Mamba, and more importantly, how its fans and riders viewed it.Simply put, Mamba became a legend not because it was a home run hit out of the park when it first opened (though it was!), but because it was THERE when it felt like at the turn of a corner who knew what else wouldn’t be.It was a 205-foot, 5,600 foot long, red steel piece of bedrock.Mamba was almost instantly put on the road to become a legend because it filled for many of us the terribly empty shoes left by the two biggest roller coaster legends of park history up to that point.Today, it's not Zambezi Zinger and Orient Express, it's Mamba, Patriot, and Prowler, and by being first then and being first today, Mamba cemented its legendary and beloved status that we celebrate today.
Mamba Today
Twenty Years have passed since that day Mamba gave its first public ride.
Today, when I look at Worlds of Fun’s website I still see Mamba’s visage being plastered in videos, photos, and comments.What ride are you going to ride first?Mamba of course!Magnum XL was long ago surpassed in height at Cedar Point. Steel Force isn’t the biggest, hottest ticket at Dorney Park anymore.Mamba has been surpassed as the newest trick in town at Worlds of Fun almost a half a dozen times already, yet whenever we look at Worlds of Fun what do we see first... Mamba.Twenty years may have dulled her paint job but not dulled the Worlds of Fun’s patrons love of the big red coaster on the hill.
Come on a roller coaster blog from me? Of course you're going to get a panel shot, because its awesome!
Today, we all clamor for what we consider the best seat in the house, many love the very front, some, crazy people mind you, like the back, me I love that beloved airtime-inducing, third row of the first car.We groan when Mamba is only running one train, and ALL fans wait for that perfect combination of warm weather, no breeze, and light B-Block trim brakes.Back in 2007, I had the honor of driving Mamba for an entire season, and it was one of my absolute favorite rides to work, with the possible exception of maybe ELI.Today, I can still rattle off the spiel that I said probably at least a hundred times daily.I still hear, even over a thousand miles away, the ride operator yelling “pop one, pop two!” for the “automatic” pedals that were and still are anything but automatic. (manual foot pedals are a staple on older steel roller coasters, they unlock the safety harnesses) The most vibrant memory is the one that lives even today when I “argue” with my husband about which coaster, Mamba or Patriot is really superior, and we all know the answer to that question. It’s these memories that, so like the memories of Worlds of Fun when I was eight, or twelve, are what continue to make Worlds of Fun more than a place on a map.
What is different between the two Mamba logos you ask? I'll wait....
Everyone has a different Mamba story, anyone that has any connection with the ride itself, from rider, to operator, to public relations manager, maintenance man, to even the steel worker that knocked her to together all those years ago.It took twenty years to create all of our own personal stories with Mamba, and that is partially what we are celebrating today. One thing I have learned over the years, is that history and its importance isn’t about things, not the steel or the bolts or the paint, it's about how those things impact our lives, and make memories that we can look back on.Mamba certainly has done that for me, and I hope that those reading this can say the same.Happy twentieth birthday Mamba, thanks for all the wonderful memories and here's to many more to come.
So what was different between the two logos? The Grass! Right before the new logo was released, Jeff was shown the two final options for the final logo. One with grass, one without. I think they made a good decision. Snake in the grass...
A few things, first this will not be the last Mamba Construction blog before we celebrate Mamba's 20th Birthday, there will be one more to cover Media Day for Mamba. Also, I have to admit I screwed up on Worlds of Fun History.. well for the last several months I have been talking and posting that Mamba's opening day was April 26th, it wasn't actually, it was April 18th. I checked about a week ago just to make absolutely sure I had the right date! I know exactly where I got the 26th, but that's beside the point. It was my mistake and I am owning up to it, it's certainly not my worst one, by like... a long shot.
(someone, somewhere is nodding their head in agreement to that last statement)
Last point, I am still scanning photos, I have reached somewhere near 400 or so, and I am still barely into the second binder of photos. Its a LOT of photos.
However, when thinking of what to talk about today, I thought about the photos from April, but what couldn't escape my mind is the photos I never shared, or haven't shared yet because we were too busy moving at the time, the ones from December and January and February. There were hundreds of photos that I will still scan and put online, but thought I would share at least my absolute favorite one today and tell you the story behind it.
It's the topping out of Mamba, from January 1998. What is even more fascinating is the story that goes along with it. If you look at the point of view it's not your ordinary ground shot... It was taken from a basket hanging off the construction crane. Jeff and two others, a Channel 5 cameraman and a construction guy. Imagine if you will... being in an open-air construction basket, hanging 200 some feet in the air, and when it moves... you swing behind the crane (think hot air balloon). Then there is the cameraman, with the big video camera, swinging the thing around him to get his shot. Add to that a huge dose of eery quietness, because there is literally JUST you and two other guys, some steel and the cold January air...
The safety guy was on the ground, which is exactly where I would have been too. Smart.
If you look closely in this photo you can see the steelworker positioning Mamba's crown in place, an awesome job, with an awesome view but you better have your head screwed on straight...
From January we are going to fast forward to exactly 20 years ago once more, to early April just weeks before Mamba's opening. In fact, as we will see on Mamba's Media Day, Mamba was quite literally an eleventh-hour miracle...
Working on the bunny hops... whadayamean there are no tunnels? All that work for nothing!
Just so awesome I had to share, love those head choppers.
Oops #2... For further explanation see Oops #1 on the previous post. Something about Morgan advertising a perfect fit EVERY time... Sorry, I love you Morgan but really it's just too good not to share.
Finishing up the lift hill...
If you ever wanted to know who really controls Mamba... This guy.... in the yellow hat.
Every March for the last several years, I have had multiple conundrums.The upcoming month of anniversaries is upon me and somehow, I have to come up with something new and unique to say about many rides that have been around for twenty plus years.After twenty years of writing, you would think I would run out of things to say about roller coasters such as Timber Wolf, Orient Express or Mamba. sometimes it's hard, sometimes inspiration comes from the oddest places.The other day my plans were to share an excerpt from a Kansas City Star article for Timber Wolf’s upcoming birthday, which you are most likely reading on the actual birthday of April 1st.I thought I would also come up with something witty, since it also happens to be Easter AND April Fools Day too.Instead, someone made a comment to me on Worlds of Fun’s Facebook and it took me to an entirely new dimension.It made me think how many thought about history in general, how many of us, including myself at one point thought about it.Dates, years and numbers.Stupid and annoying to most, fascinating to those few crazy people that LIKE history.Maybe I could help you the reader understand a little bit of why it’s so fascinating.
An early aerial view of Timberwolf.
For those that have done crosswords or puzzles of any sort, you know the feeling when you make a connection; where one piece fits into another and allows you to see a bit of the bigger picture? That’s how dates and years work. They are pieces of a bigger picture.April 1, 1989 was the day Timber Wolf opened, but it is also the day Timber Wolf opened.The first day that the smell of grease and wood welcomed visitors to Worlds of Fun, maybe not the first time Timberwolf unleashed its schizophrenic personality on a rider, but certainly the first time it did so to unprepared guests.Timber Wolf always has had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personally, going back to March 31, 1989. The press rode the Timber Wolf for the first time and reviews began to pour in.That amazing, fearsome “Harry Traver-style” first half, and then the anti-climatic second half.Thankfully, that anti-climatic half has quite literally been sawed in half a few months ago and looks to be replaced by a helix worthy of its Mr. Hyde personality.
Back to the topic at hand though.April 1, 1989 is not just a date, it was the date we were all introduced to Timber Wolf.Timber Wolf, a coaster that would climb to the pinnacle of coasters, and be the first and only Worlds of Fun coaster to be ranked #1 in the world.That my friends is where the problem resides.A lot of people, mistakenly, assume it was ranked #1 in 1989, the year it opened.Or possibly 1990.Funny enough,it was ranked #2 those two years, by the reader’s of “Inside Track”.It didn’t hit #1 until three years after it opened in 1991.Now, why is that important?Am I am little stir crazy in the mind for making that such a big deal?Okay, I will admit to being a little crazy; that is besides that point, it IS important.Because it's all part of the story, and NOT just dates on a page.
John Hudacek, General Manager of the park at the time is on the left in this promotional shot. I keep hoping the park will re-make these hats, I so want one!
Why?Let me share with you one of my favorite excerpts on Timber Wolf from the Kansas City Star, April 5, 1991 (The article interviewed General Manager, John Hudacek, in regards to the upcoming 1991 season):
“Of the factors that are out of Worlds of Fun’s control the one that interests Hudacek the most is the Timber Wolf’s reputation.Two new wooden roller coasters will open this year, including one at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio that is said to be the world’s tallest and longest. The competition will be tough but Hudacek has high hopes.
What we did was introduce at various points throughout the ride the elements that distinguish a great roller coaster from a mediocre roller coaster he said.Even though there were new roller coasters in 1990 we were still second best.We think we can create the same excitement as a ride 20 or 30 feet higher because of the unexpected turns and acceleration.
In a lot of cases they’re spending three or four times what we spent on Timber Wolf.But we are confident we’ll hold our position in the top five”
Triplett III, Ward W. (1991, April 5), “Worlds of Fun is Ready to Roll” Kansas City Star p. H3
The sign that stood at Worlds of Fun Avenue and Parvin Road for several years. I spent almost a decade trying to find a copy of this photo, as I always loved the sign!
History will not deny the fact that Timber Wolf was riding on the crest of a wave of new wooden coasters of the 1990’s, it was one of the very first new wooden coasters built.Two years later in 1991, two giant wooden monsters had been built specifically to capture the number one spot, Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas and Mean Streak, now Steel Vengeance RMC (Rocky Mountain Construction) at Cedar Point.The point is, Timber Wolf was not ONLY a part of the new wooden coaster revolution, it ALSO vaulted to the top number one spot even when bigger, faster, taller and more expensive coasters were built.Simply put, by Timber Wolf being voted #1 in 1991 not 1989 it beat coasters it was never intended to beat! Royals of 2015 anyone?THIS is why it's so important to remark that Timber Wolf was #1 in 1991, not 1989, not so much because of the year, but because of what it beat to get there.Timberwolf was and still is not the biggest, meanest coaster out there. It was never built to be, but it had where it counts, and that was enough to even exceed its own builder’s expectations.
Back in September, I started with such high hopes of covering 20 years of Mamba construction over the eight months that it took from announcement to reality. Of course, what I didn't expect, is that building and moving to a new house during that time would involve ALL of my time. Once we got moved in and started unpacking boxes that had been "lost" in storage for two years I began to think, if we are going to do this we should do it right and actually scan all the original photos instead of sharing the poor quality, low-resolution store scanned files.
Finally, last week I bought a new scanner and my very first scan was a Mamba construction photo, followed by, to date, about 120 more. Which is why you are reading what you are reading right now. However, before we get into what was going on exactly twenty years ago, I thought I would stop and reminiscence on the fact as to WHY it took so long to get the photos up.
Twenty years ago there were very few digital cameras, they existed yes, but cost far out of the range of the normal photographer, and consisted of a dollar amount that could easily buy a decent car. Twenty years ago, there were also no smartphones, no camera phones, no Facebook or Twitter or even YouTube (gasp!), and the internet was in its infancy. In fact, the PalmPilot the archaic predecessor of the smartphone had only come out a year earlier! Mamba construction was not shot digitally it was shot using a film camera, in which the film had to be bought, placed in the camera, shot, rewound, taken out (but not before it was rewound or you would ruin the photo!), driven to a photography store that would take the film and develop it rather quickly compared to the old days (only two days!). When you went to pick up photos, the store would then hand you back an envelope of photos, with the negatives and a CD with "high resolution" DIGITAL photos! Of course, "high resolution" then was on par with a gigantic ONE Gigabyte harddrive then too. Which is why those high-resolution photos then are crummy, grainy low-resolution photos in this day in age. So when I wanted to provide quality Mamba construction photos from twenty years ago, it meant I had to re-scan the paper photos form twenty years ago too. Today, I can easily shoot a photo on my iPhone and post it online in a matter of seconds. I wrote that last paragraph not only to remind this writer but everyone else how great technological leap forward we have made in the last twenty years and WHY it has taken me so long to finally start getting these photos online!
Consider that last paragraph a prequel to the editorial to come on April 26th, because Mamba itself, just like the film camera that shot its construction would quite literally straddle the world of the old and new.
However that's looking into the future, lets once again look back to the past, in this case, twenty years exactly, March 1998.
No major action, but just an awesomely large wrench.
The second hill takes shape.
A few weeks later the second hill is done, shot from the top of Timberwolf.
The station starting to become vertical.
The base of the lift hill, incomplete and without a chain or lift drive.
Moving on to the helix, an "oops" shot, or what we like to jokingly refer to the "A Perfect
Fit Every Time" since that was Morgan Manufacturing's advertising line at the time. Obviously not always. Obviously, this was fixed before Mamba ever ran!
A different view showing the still incomplete B-Block.
Track waiting to be placed in the helix.
Air compressor down by B-Block. I call it the evil air compressor as it powers, among other things, the B-Block brakes.
Several months ago, in April, I wrote an opening day review. In that review, I stated in essence that the opening day of 2017 wasn’t perfect and in my opinion, there would never be such a thing as a perfect opening day. Now there really is no such thing as a perfect opening day of anything, but my point was that I kept hoping on one particular opening day I would arrive and I would find “Christmas Morning” or a Worlds of Fun like the one I remembered.
I found it.
And as I mentioned it wasn’t “technically” perfect, but it literally screamed in the voices of hundreds, if not thousands of Worlds of Fun employees that someone really cared. That the people that put together Winterfest at Worlds of Fun saw it as a place worth instilling with their own personal sense of “Christmas Spirit”, which probably at some point also was reflected in very real blood sweat and tears and probably a significant helping of “lack of sleep”. They made the park into something I had thought wasn’t even possible anymore. They made Worlds of Fun … Magical.
And for me. It was Perfect.
Polar Bears in front of the gate.
I like most was hesitant when I heard about Winterfest coming to Worlds of Fun the first time a year and a half ago. One looked at Worlds of Fun, which let's all be honest has its problems, and then looked at Silver Dollar City… and thought how are they going to pull this off? We knew from late 2016 that a lot of work would be put in the infrastructure of the park and that Winterfest was a major focus for the 2017 season.
Just this year, 2017, we found out the park would be operating some rides, and only a month or so ago got an idea what those rides would be (List of Rides: https://www.worldsoffun.com/play/winterfest/attractions-rides). At the same time, we received a feeling for what Winterfest would entail, the stunner was the sheer number of Live Entertainment offerings. TEN. Even at its peak, Worlds of Fun had never offered so many Live Entertainment options.
Though we had seen the park putting up lights as early as August, no one outside of the park itself really knew what the lights would entail, how many there would be, and what they would look like. A friend of mine posted a photo of Front Street at the tail end of Halloween Haunt that blew me away, and then came the photos and video of the Steelhawk Tree, and then the KCTV5 video that just blew everyone away. When we drove by the park Wednesday night, right before Thanksgiving, both Jeff and I were awed by what we saw.
Photo Op at the front gate.
It was one of the few times, and the first time in a LONG time neither of us had a clue what to expect when we walked into the park, which leads me to why I am writing this review today, partially. Hopefully, this will help those coming to Winterfest from here on out this season. Prior to arriving it's important to note that the toll plaza and security opens at 3:30 pm, the gate and international plaza along with Ice Skating open at 4:00. We arrived at around 4:15-4:30, and there was a short line at the toll plaza, but was painless traffic wise. Both Jeff and I had season passes, and we brought my mom, who hadn’t been to the park with me since before I was 12 years old. We ended up pre-purchasing her ticket online for the bring-a-friend price of $19.99, which was approximately $27 with fees attached, but still worth buying online to avoid the lines at the park. The bring-a-friend price is good only on Fridays and Sundays and does not include the week prior to Christmas.
Blue Christmas Trees in front of Festhaus
We parked about halfway back in C lot, and had a short wait through security and were able to walk into the park without a problem. I found out later on that the traffic on Worlds of Fun avenue (and I think onto 435?) increased exponentially in the hour that followed. I would definitely recommend arriving early.
Das Eishaus Skating, crowds were light when this photo was taken around 4:30-5 pm.
The International Plaza area was already quite crowded since the rest of the park wouldn’t open until 5 pm, traffic was cut off at the Scandi/Orient bridge. We took a few photos and moved towards the Ice Skating Rink, which is located in the Festhaus Picnic Pavilion near the Grand Carousel. Its name is not without mention since its appropriately and thematically named Das Eishaus. At this point, we could see the multitude of lights on the various buildings and trees but it didn’t have as much impact as it would have in just a short passage of time as it grew dark. My mom and I decided to sign up for Ice Skating for the 8-9:30-time slot and they gave us a wristband, they had other time slots available including 4-5:30, 6-7:30, and 8-9:30. It was $15 for each person and included ice skate rentals.
Snow Queen and Prince along with the Grand Carousel.
We next discovered the array of different Winterfest characters, some roaming some not so much. So, it’s not just Santa that has a photo op! Next, to Grand Carousel the Snow Queen and Prince held court, and yes… I was coerced into getting a photo with them. Someone posted on dot org’s Facebook about how Disney would sue Worlds of Fun over the use of these characters…which can’t possibly occur as the characters were not created by Disney but by a Danish author Han Christian Anderson, in 1844. Fascinating enough, this makes not only the characters fabulous by design but also amazingly appropriately themed to the Scandinavian section of the park.
Frosty's Furnishings/Plaza Gifts
Many of the shops and restaurants at Worlds of Fun have been renamed and re-themed for Winterfest, and it can get confusing, so, let me cover those as well. Plaza Gifts, the old Scandi Skees building turned gift shop, is now Frosty’s Furnishings, and like many of the various gift shops has not only been renamed but completely transformed, Frosty’s features not only a variety of unique Winterfest Worlds of Fun merchandise but a wide variety of Christmas collectibles as well. Next door, Norma’s Funnel Cakes has been turned into Sugar’s Cake Factory, and features both funnel cakes and fried mint Oreos with Egg Nog dip (yes you read that right). Pizzo Pizza is now Dasher’s Diner and instead of pizzas features Monkey Bread, Mini Donuts, and Smoked Turkey Legs. Chickie and Pete’s is also open in its normal location and serves its normal menu. It along with several other locations through the park is honoring the seasonal dining plan.
The Scandinavian Blue Christmas Trees in the dark.
By this time it was already near 5:30 so we found a spot for the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5:30. A word on shows, about half of them are on the half hour, and the other half, on the hour, and there is absolutely no way you can see them all in one day. If you can only go once, like us, I can attest that you cannot make a bad decision as to what you see, everything is excellent, and we found it exceptionally hard to choose what to see. The Tree lighting is short, about five minutes tops, and like all the rest of the shows offers exceptional entertainment value, plus the 70-foot tree is fiber optically timed to the music played and performed, offering its own performance. Plus, there is snow. Not real snow, more snow suds (what we call “Florida Snow”), but it definitely adds to the festive atmosphere. “Cool Yule Christmas” also performs at International Plaza on the hour and while we didn’t catch the whole show, it features live performances of many popular Christmas hits.
Toy Soldier (I'm Painted On it's Not a Costume!), and Christmas Carol.
A confusing point for us was the showtimes themselves, I would not only recommend picking up a park map in the nearby gift shop or gate area but also STRONGLY recommend picking up a 2017 Experience Guide in Guest Relations which includes SHOW TIMES and more detailed information on the almost innumerable activities.
Lit Koi and Lotus Blossom.
Appropriate merchandise at Rickshaw Rudy's and signage... Jeff and I believe Winterfest is Clark Griswold Approved.
After the tree lighting, we headed towards Americana, both to check out the lights and a few of the shows around Americana. I had seen the lights going up in the Orient with my own eyes months before and I was curious how it would look and had been thinking it had the possibility to be a fascinating and unique take on Worlds of Fun’s own Asian theme. I was not disappointed. In fact, it was one of the most beautiful light displays I have ever seen, simply because of the unique factor and how well the park pulled it off. Imagine every attraction and building outlined in red and yellow lights. Glowing lotus blossoms and lit koi fish float in the various ponds, two large twisting dragons are poised vividly over Spinning Dragons. A vast field of Red Asian Lanterns overhang the central garden pond. Absolutely, strikingly beautiful, and I don’t think my mouth closed once while taking it in.
Beautiful Red Asian Lantern Festival
A little commentary before I continue. I like so many others had no idea what to expect from Winterfest, I had watched a few videos from other parks such as Great America in California and Knott’s Berry Farm, but I figured it would be simply “put up some lights and a Christmas tree and throw in some shows” and that would be it. I was blown away by not only the number of activities but the quality of those activities being offered. I would also mention that the park not only kept to the theme in many cases but highlighted the theme in a spectacular fashion.
Animated Dragon Lightning over Spinning Dragons
We almost passed by Richshaw Richards, now renamed Rickshaw Rudy’s, the small gift shop located next to Spinning Dragons. Retail options are fabulous park-wide, but I absolutely loved the creativity of options at Rudy’s, which features merchandise from various Christmas cinema hits, including the infamous “Leg Lamp” from “A Christmas Story”, “Home Alone” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. If you even remotely enjoy any of these movies, Rudy’s is a must stop.
Polar Bear Plaza
Winding our way around Ripcord we headed for Patriot Plaza, and while Patriot is closed for the season the area surrounding it is alive with activities and has been renamed Coca-Cola Polar Bear Plaza. Polar Bear Plaza not only features a Polar Bear Character for photo ops, recreations of classic-styled Coca-Cola Billboards, small games and a DJ but also Polar Party Gifts (Patriot Landing), which is a must stop for any Coca-Cola collectible fans.
Front Street/Hometown Square
The Americana section is home to three different shows. Hometown Square, located at the Americana Sunken Fountain is home to two of them, “Jingle Jazz” and “The Mistletones”, Mistletones features a more 40’s and 50’s style musical selection, while Jingle Jazz is more modern, both feature 3-5 live performers in dazzling costumes that offer not only great entertainment but wonderful atmosphere too. The entire Front Street area is dazzling as well, with both its Victorian Front Street Mall and surrounding oak trees completely covered in white lights, and nearby solitary tree lit in Americana style with red white and blue lights.
A little after 6 we made it to Country Junction to see the show “Christmas Bluegrass” which performs on the hour. Christmas Bluegrass features the local Kansas City band “Old Sound” playing many Christmas favorites both old and new. There were some glitches getting the lighting just right, but a few minutes into the show they had their own “Christmas Lightning Ceremony” and they put on a good show for the portion we experienced. The Depot was next door, and we had hoped to get a ride on the train, but it had an enormous line the entire night if it’s a must do definitely plan on getting to the train early!
Entrance to Planet Snoopy.
We briefly checked out the lights at Planet Snoopy, which were creatively different from anything else in the park, almost like gigantic C9 bulbs done in Sunday Funny Page colors. (primary colors). Cyclone Sam’s was also open for riders, and it didn’t seem to have too much of a line.
Crafter at Artisan Alley.
Bicentennial Square/Timberwolf Games area is next, and like everything else in the park is thematically renamed this time to Artisan Alley. Prior to Winterfest I wondered for a first-time go-around on Winterfest how many crafters would be present, the truth is quite a few, at least two dozen of them, offering beautiful crafts, many of them home decoration, jewelry, t-shirt design, or gifts. You could easily spend an hour just on Artisan Alley alone! For those not wanting to tote their purchases around the park with them Worlds of Fun also offers Package Pick-Up or Gate Delivery, for free.
Boys and Girls Club Snack Stand in Snoopy Arcade. (games have been removed)
One detail we found is that many of the food locations, even though there are a plethora of them, had extremely long lines. The old Snoopy Arcade (Uncle Sam’s Skeeball Hall) had a small snack stand and relaxation area with picnic tables, and was virtually deserted, it is sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club and if you are looking simply for a snack or something to drink, or simply a place to sit that’s warm, it’s a great place to stop.
Originally our plan was to ride the train and then come back and see the Moulin Rouge show “Tinker’s Toy Factory”, when we took note of the crowd in front of the theater we decided to wait for the show instead which was 30 minutes away. Tinker’s is definitely a unique live entertainment option, since it's not your normal song and dance revue show as is typical of the Moulin Rouge. Instead, it tells more of a story, in the form of a comedy/musical styling. The story is, and I am greatly simplifying here, that one of Santa’s Elves has lost the Christmas Spirit necessary to drive Santa’s Sleigh, and that the story is in helping the elf get his Christmas Spirit back and by doing so realizing that “Old-Style, Classic Christmas” is still relevant. It’s cute, funny (RUFFLES!), and entertaining, and definitely unique, the costuming is fabulous and its worth your time, but realize it is definitely different than any of the other shows available at the park during Winterfest.
I don’t think any discussion on Winterfest is complete without also mentioning all the roaming characters. What we found is that some tend to stay in a particular place (such as the Snow Queen) and some tend to roam, such as Holly, Jolly, Jack Frost, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Gingerbread Man. We ran into Gingerbread Man in Europa, and they are all available for photos, in addition to being a wonderful addition to entertainment.
Fire pit area in Africa. "Fill a Stocking" stocking selection area at Snoopy's Stocking Stuffers (Moroccan Merchant)
Moving down to Africa, we found a few fire pits set up across from Casbah Games and Moroccan Merchant (now renamed Snoopy’s Stocking Stuffers) complete with about a dozen Adirondack chairs, just perfect for keeping warm on the cold days I am sure that are ahead. Across from the fire pits is the Snoopy’s Stocking Stuffers, (Moroccan Merchant), which is easy to bypass but offers a pretty creative shopping experience. Yes, it's your typical clearance store BUT guests can fill either a normal size stocking for $15 or an extra large stocking for $100, with ANYTHING in the store. If only I had had more time….
Around the corner from Snoopy’s Stocking Stuffers, begins Africa Season of Lights, and along with the Orient, the African lights and theming are one of the highlights of Winterfest. The first thing that stands out is the lit Giraffe, and this isn’t your three-foot Walmart variety, no this is more like a 20 foot, life-size lit version, surrounded by a Rhino and an Elephant on the other side of the Africa bridge. A dozen stars, to signify “the reason for the season”, light the bridge itself. Prior to Winterfest opening, there were some arguments being made on Worlds of Fun’s official Facebook stating that Worlds of Fun was strategically avoiding using the word “Christmas” in its celebration of Winterfest. The argument was that Worlds of Fun was going a completely secular route and avoiding the entire reason for the holiday. Well… They didn’t.
First, yes they did include a lit Menorah and Kwanzaa bundle, which I thought was a wonderfully inclusive touch (and I was sure I took a photo of the Kwanzaa bundle but can't find it now!). Second, almost half of the African section of the park is dedicated to the Nativity, with a life-size nativity located in the Zulu station, as well as nativity animals such as goats, sheep, donkeys and even a camel, are available for petting and feeding in pens surrounding the Nativity area. The show “Sounds of the Nativity” is performed every hour on the half hour and involves live vocalists performing traditional Christmas carols that celebrate the nativity scene. It's quite beautiful, and quite lengthy allowing guests to experience it at their leisure.
The petting zoo/animal menagerie also takes up the old Big Game Hunt, and pretty much spells the end to that attraction, which isn’t entirely a surprise, and isn’t really a terrible loss, as especially in the last decade it had gone from virtually never played obsolete, to a more of a dinosaur than Dinosaurs Alive. It was time to go. I did mention on Facebook that I love the location they chose for the Nativity since though historically/biblically it actually occurred in the Middle East… Africa at Worlds of Fun is about as close a representation as the park gets, the surrounding architecture lends itself well to the depiction.
Candy Cane Lane near Scrambler and Sea Dragon.
Moving upwards from Africa back into Scandinavia we entered Candy Cane Lane (lower Scandinavia), Scrambler was in operation and had a rather minimal line. Sea Dragon’s entrance was turned into a miniature gingerbread village, and we found Jack Frost there, and I have no idea who they found to play the character but he was quite entertaining! Really fit Jack’s frosty shoes well. The surrounding plaza area encompassing Scrambler and Sea Dragon is themed to “Candy Canes” with each tree wrapped in appropriately colored lights and projected candy canes dance across the pavement. Right up the steps is Ms. Candy Cane who has her own “throne” and like all the roaming characters is absolutely worth a stop for a photo.
Now, who have we been missing this entire time? (Six pages in!), well how about the big guy himself, Santa Claus! Of course, he is at Worlds of Fun’s Winterfest! And he has his own set up right at the North Pole… well…. Scandinavia, which admittedly is close! Kids can stop and both write and mail their letter to Santa at the North Pole Post Office (The Lift/Norseman’s Niceties), but you can also meet the head elf himself at St. Nick’s Pics located at Tivoli East just up the hill from the Tivoli Music Hall. Photo packages are available at an additional cost.
One of our last stops was to see “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Spectacular”. I wasn’t sure what to think of a Tivoli show that featured Peanut’s Characters, but it was the highlighted, big blockbuster show, so I went in with an open mind. It was very good, the talent was great, the characters fit into the show perfectly, the costume changes were amazing, and I loved the little storyline that went along with it all. It really is a perfect show for the entire family something for everyone of every age to enjoy!
Sugar Plum Fairy! (She seems familiar...) and Holly and Jingle.
One thing I haven’t mentioned and it deserves to be mentioned is the costumes. All of them, from the Gingerbread Man to Tinker’s to Charlie Brown Christmas Spectacular, and everything in between are dazzling. As many know the head of costuming at Worlds of Fun, Dawna Welborn has been costuming ambassadors and live entertainment performers now for over forty years, since before the park even opened in 1973. Dawna is retiring at the end of this year and deserves each and every accolade she receives, she honestly doesn’t get enough credit for being a Worlds of Fun classic all by herself. Not only that, she and her band of elves, in their own cramped workshop created not only the costumes for all of Worlds of Fun but also the four other parks in the Cedar Fair chain celebrating Winterfest too. Just amazing, and we all will miss her so much.
Union Depot area with line for the train, there is a line but its very organized.
About this time my mom and I headed back to Das Eishaus for some ice skating, we had zero problems getting our skates, and I loved the ice-skating helpers (kind of like walkers?) they had to help less able skaters, turned out I was better than I remembered. We also caught the tail end of “Cool Yule Christmas” performed at the International Plaza stage, and it provided a wonderful backdrop to a great evening.
Walkway out towards C & D lots.
Overall, we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to do. I really tried to chase down the Holly Jolly Trolley, which I have heard from numerous people is one of the best shows at Winterfest, maybe next time right? With everything I missed, I am amazed how much we got around to seeing and doing. One piece of advice I can give, decide ahead of time what you really want to do. If shows are important pick two or three you really want to see. If you want to do any rides such as Taxis or the Train, by all means, get in line early. Shopping both in Artisan Alley and in the various other shops are worth checking out too but are open with no lines all night. Really, the only criticism I have and it’s not really even “criticism” is also one that has been echoed by others… five hours just isn’t enough. I would strongly recommend if you have a season pass to make plans to go more than once. Literally the day afterward… I was already looking at my schedule trying to find a way to come back and I live right down the road from Disney World! I am most definitely looking forward to next year, and am excited to have Winterfest become a new Worlds of Fun tradition.
