With Fury 325 and a new Slingshot attraction rising above the Carowinds horizon, not to mention a calendar full of new and exciting events for this season, Carowinds needed someone to cover all these momentous occasions. Enter Chris Cullen, who...
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Q&A With Matt Eckert, President and CEO of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
This offseason, Coaster101 wants to take you behind the scenes of the theme park industry and talk to some key personnel at various parks around the country, not only to find out a little more about their respective parks, but about them...
Continue reading...How to make a Great Coaster – Q&A with Adam House of Great Coasters International, Inc.
I’ve long been a fan of Great Coasters International Inc. (GCII), known for their twisting, fast, wooden coasters. I considered myself incredibly lucky when they built Gold Striker in 2013 at California’s Great America, one of my local parks, and that...
Continue reading...Q&A With Mike Fehnel, GM and VP of Carowinds
This offseason, Coaster101 wants to take you behind the scenes of the theme park industry and talk to some key personnel at various parks around the country, not only to find out a little more about their respective parks, but about them...
Continue reading...Q&A With Devin Olson, Theme Park Documentarian
Devin Olson has always loved the theme park industry. The founder and former owner of COASTER-net.com, Olson and his media company, Devin Olson Media, now produce the “From Dreams to Screams” roller coaster documentary series, with his next installment focusing...
Continue reading...TWINterns: An Interview with Dollywood Interns Evan and Landon Sherwood
Recently Coaster101 traveled to Dollywood, and sat down with summer interns Evan and Landon Sherwood, who are rising seniors at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Evan and Landon took some time out of their busy schedules to talk to...
Continue reading...Interview: “The Dark Side of Disney” Creators Philip B. Swift and Leonard Kinsey
Originally released in 2011, Leonard Kinsey’s book, “The Dark Side of Disney,” provided a unique alternative to the typical Walt Disney World guidebook. Instead of giving you attraction summaries or telling you to visit Toy Story: Midway Mania early in the day, Kinsey talks...
Continue reading...Q&A With Jeff Hornick, Director of Design and Engineering at Busch Gardens Tampa
Recently, I traveled to Busch Gardens Tampa, and had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff Hornick, Director of Design and Engineering at Busch Gardens, to talk with him about the new Pantopia area, as well as the new Falcon’s Fury drop tower attraction. C101:...
Continue reading...Gift Guide for Coaster Enthusiasts 2013
The holiday shopping season is upon us once again and if you’re on the hunt for that special gift for a friend or family member who happens to be a roller coaster enthusiast, you’ve come to the right place! The...
Continue reading...Recreating the Rye Airplane Coaster
We recently had the opportunity to talk to Tim Cole, a roller coaster enthusiast who is currently building a model of the infamous Airplane Coaster that thrilled riders at Rye Playland from 1928 to 1957. We discuss the coaster’s history,...
Continue reading...Alex East’s Mission: Reopen Joyland
Often after the announcement of the closure of an amusement park, it’s normal for some backlash from the community, perhaps even a grassroots effort to reopen said amusement park. However, it’s not common for a high school student to head...
Continue reading...Brad Sherman’s Amusement Ride Models
Welcome to our first interview feature of 2012! Brad Sherman is a builder of amusement ride models. Thanks to Brad for taking the time to answering a few of our questions about model building. 101: Could you tell us a...
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