The West Side of the Kingdom
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Love Truly Is All Around
Happy February, everyone! To those that celebrate, a very romantic and Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well!
First and foremost, I want to take a few minutes and thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love and support that has been shown here on LaughingPlace.com for Alice Davis in the wake of the loss of her beloved husband, Marc. It’s been a very difficult few weeks and all the posts and memorials online have meant a great deal to her. Those messages posted here as well as those sent to me via E-mail have been compiled into a booklet that will be printed once and presented to Alice at the Celebration of Life for Marc, to be held April 28, 2000. If you still would like to get your thoughts included in this tribute booklet, it is not at all too late to get them to us --just post your comments here on LaughingPlace.com (in our Marc Davis Tribute) or send them to me (at [email protected]) directly. They will reach Alice and will mean a great deal to her.
Marc Davis will be remembered in a Celebration of Life service to be held April 28, 2000 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Southern California at 8 P.M. The Celebration will be open to the public, but only on a first-come basis. The theater seats approximately 800 guests. Alice wanted me to make sure that everyone knows that it’s open to the fans and those who admired Marc’s work. I have a feeling that it will be standing room only. As we get closer to the date, LaughingPlace.com will keep everyone updated as to how to get to the Academy, etc. It is going to be a moving, memorable evening that is only fitting for a legend like Marc.
Kudos to Doobie and Rebekah for a job very nicely done with the discussion boards here at LaughingPlace.com! This site has become quite the distraction; I wonder how many of you are at work right now reading this when you’re supposed to be working! That’s okay; we won’t tell anyone! The growth here at LP has surprised me and thrilled me to no end. I am quite certain that this is the best Disney site on the Web (although I have felt that way for a long time now); the addition of the boards just furthers that point. Just think where this site will be a year from now! Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!
Last week I was down in Southern California to attend the opening of Six Flags Magic Mountain’s newest metal terror, Goliath. Standing a staggering 23 stories, this beast throws riders down its 255-foot first drop and into a 120 foot-long tunnel before the train zooms upward in preparation for the second drop (which is 100 feet taller than Colossus - an amazing view looking down). Shortly after the second drop, coaster nuts are going to love the insane airtime as the train flies over a bunny hop - toward the rear of the train this is incredible. The final blow is a very sharp helix that pushes 4.5 G-forces on riders; sitting near the back of the train, many people tend to even black out a bit with extreme tunnel vision. How’s that for sick fun!?
Goliath is a wonderful accomplishment and the good people at Six Flags Magic Mountain are to be applauded for this giant. This brings the competition back to Southern California as Goliath now is going to go head-to-head with Knott’s Berry Farm’s newest attractions, GhostRider (the best woodie in the world, according to most enthusiasts) and this summer’s Perilous Plunge water ride. Disneyland celebrates its 45th Anniversary, so the heat is definitely on for Summer 2000 bucks!
Now I have to make a shameless plug. Theme Park Adventure Magazine is close to finishing its next issue, which is a detailed look at the creation of Tarzan’s Treehouse at Disneyland. The issue features exclusive interviews with Tony Baxter and Bob Baranick, two of the guiding forces behind the project and includes many incredible pictures of the Treehouse, from concept art to the opening ceremony. Look for this issue within the next several weeks!
In addition to the Tarzan’s Treehouse issue, I am excited to announce that the official website for Theme Park Adventure Magazine (www.themeparkadventure.com) is being re-designed as you read this to include many new and exciting sections as well as an Online Feature portion that will cover news and articles from all corners of the themed entertainment industry. We’re also going to offer for the first time many back issues of TPA (then newsletter-format called “The Brake Zone”) while supplies last. Lots of new and cool things coming for our readers both in print and online - get ready for the ride!
Enjoy the rest of the month - and again, thank you all for being so wonderfully human regarding the passing of Marc Davis last month. Alice extends her gratitude; the thoughts and prayers are much appreciated. Cupid or no Cupid - love truly is all around.
-- Rick West (February 16, 2000)
Rick West is the publisher/editor-in-chief of Theme Park Adventure Magazine. Through his involvement with that he has been able to meet and interview some of the biggest names - past and present - in Walt Disney Imagineering. Rick draws on those experiences, and his experience in the theme park industry, for The West Side of the Kingdom.
The West Side of the Kingdom is published the third Wednesday of each month.
The opinions expressed by Rick West, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
©2000 Theme Park Adventure Magazine and LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved.