Cyclonic
Posts: 2636
Registered: 7/19/2002
Rank: Experiment 626
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 6/4/2003 9:37:00 PM
Holiday World
Stark Raven Mad
May 30 - 31
Friday, May 30
This is likely the most difficult report I have ever had to write. I really don't know where to start, particularly considering the tragic way in which Stark Raven Mad ended. I have been contemplating for several days now just how I am going to write it, or even if I should write about it at all. I have decided that it is important to write about Tamar Fellner's death, and even offer my own speculation, in light of the most recent news reports. But first, I will start at the beginning of the trip.
My good friend Matt and I have been planning this trip for some time, and very much looking forward to it. While I love coasters, Matt is much more into the water park side of things, and could not pass up an opportunity for ERT (Extended Ride Time) on Holiday World's newest waterslide, Zinga. I, on the other hand, have ridden the coasters of Holiday World, but had not gotten the legendary (pun intended) night rides through the pitch black darkness of Ravenswood, and was looking forward to that.
We set out from Philadelphia at about 3 AM, expecting about a 12 hour drive if we made minimal stops. We took our time, making a few longer stops for breakfast and to stop at Wal-Mart for some last minute items, and made it to the Santa Claus post office at about 3 PM CT. Why the post office? Well, being the procrastinator I am, I had yet to send out my photos for ACE's CoasterCon contest, so I decided to send them on the last day from Santa Claus, IN. We next headed over to the campground, set up in our RV, and grabbed a bit to eat.
At about 5:30 we headed over to the park, got our registration materials, and headed in. Before the park closed we got a quick ride on both the Raven and the Legend, which were running great, and then sat down in the amphitheater, where we were treated to a hoaky but fun opening routine put on by the Holiday World management, which include Pat Koch tap dancing. She was actually pretty good. They next reviewed to rules of the event, explaining that lap bars were allowed to be loose, but were not to be held up by any foreign objects, and that seatbelts must be worn. Finally, the auction proceeded, with several wheels and other assorted Holiday World paraphernalia being auctioned off, including signs for the now defunct Banshee (this auction included a good Cedar Point joke that now eludes me), and a cast with Nick Foaly's (no, I have no idea how to spell it) signature on it, which Mat, who is a huge wrestling fan, won for $55. I tried for a wheel set, but gave it up when a woman who wanted badly dug through her pockets bidding everything she had ($93 and some odd change).
Matt headed for the restroom, I headed for the Hallowswings. The ride is the same as any other wave swing, but these swings have a great look to them, decked out in orange and black, with trick or treaters painted on the sides, they fit right into the Halloween section of the park. The lighting package looks fantastic too.
Meeting up with Matt, we again hit each of the coasters before getting another bit to eat (something Matt likes to do quite a bit). We then hit Legend once again, before Matt called it a night. I was not too far behind, being that I had essentially been up since 4 AM Thursday, but I needed those night rides, I was craving them, and I was not disappointed by them.
I thought the Beast had one heck of a run through the dark, but the Raven is a whole different story. Not only does it have the speed, not only does it have the tunnels and laterals, it has some amazing airtime that the Beast simply cannot match, and it all adds up to an incredible, if not a bit scary, of a night ride. I, for one, was very impressed, and it lived up to all of my expectations.
After a few more rides, I headed back to the RV to find Matt crashed on the couch, put to sleep by the umpteenth remake on the Three Musketeers (this was the Disney version), and I crashed mysel
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