Six Flags Great Adventure's 2027 Coaster and more with Ryan Eldredge

[Music] You're listening to another episode of the Coaster 101 podcast and if you've been following along with Theme Park Internet this week, you will notice that Six Flags Great Adventure has put out some huge news, huge. And fortunately for us, I'm going to give you a little bit of inside baseball. We booked this podcast interview several weeks ago and you know we scheduled it and it just so happened that yesterday Six Flags Great Adventure, Peroke Theme Park Internet. And fortunately with that interview we scheduled it a couple of weeks ago. I'm able to bring in Ryan Eldridge who is the PR manager, Regional PR manager for Six Flags Great Adventure, also Dornie Park. But Ryan, welcome back to the Coaster 101 podcast. Thank you, man. It's great to be on with you. Good to see you again. I don't know if your audience will be able to see us, but I got to see you at Great Adventure. Flash. So we're seeing each other in 126 and it's good to be on, man. So this is one of those things like we talk to these people on this podcast and given the nature of how like Internet friendships and like things like that work, you don't know necessarily when you're going to meet somebody in person for the first time. And you know we had you back on, it was probably a couple years ago at this point to talk all things Iron Menace at Dornie Park. But fortunately, yeah, like you mentioned you and I, we got to actually meet face to face shake hands, be in each other's like physical non zoom room presence, which is pretty cool. And you know, you were so kind when I was at the park, I was there. I was talking to Park Park manager, Mike Fano. He was like, Hey, you want to go ride flash? I've not ridden flash. And you were like, Yeah, I've ridden flash. I'll hold your bag. So you were so long. You were, you were, you were so kind to be the, the quote unquote, bag lady for us. And that was, that was a great time at great, great time, a great adventure. So I'm glad we got to make that happen. Before we kind of get talking into all things great adventure though, let's talk about you. I mean, in the last, you know, again, since Dornie Park opened Iron Menace, you've taken on a new park, a new role kind of what's what's going on in the world of Ryan Eldridge right now? What's going on with your role? So I mean, it's pretty incredible. So, you know, 2024 was a huge year for Dornie Park. It was a really big year for me personally and professionally. And so you get to October of 2024. And you're like, Man, I can get through Haunt. And we can kind of like kick back on this year, celebrate, look back on and say, Man, what a job because we had, we had a historic year at Dornie Park. Not just because of Iron Menace, but we had a fantastic team. So you're just like, Man, this has been a great year. So, in 2024, and then we get the news of the merger. And over the next two months, there's a lot of conversation about like, what's happening and who's going where and what's the structure going to look like and all these different things. And it turns out over the course of those two months, I find out that I've been promoted into a regional role, where I get to look after not just Dornie Park, but also great adventure. And while Safari and Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey and Savannah Sunset Resort. And then we'll get to contribute on some other projects happening around the East region at that time. Quantum Accelerator was one of those kicked in and helped out a little bit on the rap tear. So it was just like, whoa, a big shock. I obviously grew up around the Philadelphia region. So getting great adventure was something that was special in that I had great memories of the park growing up. I'm a huge Batman fan. It's a great adventure. Batman go together. And so I'm just thinking, okay, what am I going to do? And of course, as everyone knows, who's in the coaster industry, a legacy ride was scheduled to be demolished at that time. So my first effective date on property really was around January 7th of 2025. At that point, cats out the bag. Any chances for last rise or over all of that stuff, it's off the rails. I mean, we're going 130 miles an hour. I had about a month on the job before King the Caw came down. And then I had maybe another month before we had to open the flash vertical velocity. So talk about like hitting the ground running. I'd say like hitting the ground rolling across the pavement getting dragged by an 18 wheeler. But survive those first two months at full speed and really got to dig into the park a lot last year. Like you said, it's a great park. So many great memories have been made here, not just by me, but also people from the region, people from across the world. Because it has that type of reach at great adventure. And as we kind of got into the summer, you know, you finally start to get your feet under you. You start to implement some things. And by the end of the year, we had a really brilliant fright fest here at great adventure. And I thought that was great. And at the same time, you're just trying to hold on at Dornie Park. You know, it's like we had a great year in 2024. We want to maintain that energy. We had a big water park project last year. And so you're trying to figure out how do I do public relations for both. Is a unique challenge. But as we're getting into this year, feeling really good about it. And we've got some exciting things happening at great adventure and exciting things happening at Dornie Park. And just kind of finally getting structures in place where we can tell our story effectively. I think that's what you're going to see this year out of great adventure. It's something you've seen from Dornie with me. I'm going all the way back to 2022. But I'm excited. I think more than anything to have the connections in place to actually be able to effectively tell stories of great adventure. And you know, bless the company. They're giving me that discretion and that ability to do that this year, which I think is really exciting. That's awesome. I love it. We got to go back and we got to talk flash a little bit just because that was of all the roller coasters. I didn't write a ton of new roller coasters new to me roller coasters last year. But flash that experience blew me away. I think the hang time on that stall was something I've never really experienced or not not even to an extent. You know, how was how was guest feedback for the flash and then everything. I mean, we're going to stick mainly to the flash because you know, I feel like they're there could have been some, you know, maybe not so positive sentiment because King Decah was knocked down as you said. It starts the year. Absolutely. Absolutely. And but you know, coming off of that, how was you know, guest reception for the flash and you know, what was it like to kind of get that coaster open? It was interesting again, because you go back to, you know, 2024, certainly not our best. And then the flash was originally supposed to open for the 50th and it didn't so I think that kind of heard the universal acceptance of the ride and the excitement for the ride. And then you had kind of like all the things happening around the park with ride removal. So it was just a tough start. But what I will say when guests came and they did ride it, I think like the overall consensus is like, geez, that's underrated. And I think experience that I did not anticipate and we heard that from from coaster fans and folks who like theme parks are regional community audience. So I think the ride itself is dynamic and it's unique and it's a great ride. I think if you start to look at it as like it's a replacement for one thing or the other, like it's not. It wasn't. And if you feel that way, then I think you'd feel some type of way about flash. But I think overall like the experience is crazy. I mean, I got to do it 27 times in a 24 hour window. So I like to think I'm somewhat of an expert of riding on it. But just the reverse to when you're going in reverse and you've got the acceleration going backward through some of those inversions is crazy. The stall dive is incredible. And then the onboard audio had some hiccups at the beginning. But once we got that role and that just has another dynamic. So yeah, just a dynamic ride. It's unlike anything in the Northeast here. And so I was telling people last year like dude, it was worth coming to great adventure just to ride that one time if you like roller coasters in my opinion. And now looking forward to 26 and 27. It's like we're going to give you more reasons to come back. So I think the flashes of must ride. I don't know if you want to ride at 27 times and 24 hours. I don't know if I suggested myself. It's definitely worth coming out and getting two or three good rides in it because it's a blast. It's a lot of fun. It really is. I promise you and Ryan. I feel like he is right. It is underrated. I wouldn't say he's short selling it again because he's he's not. It is a fantastic experience. So if you get up to the New Jersey area, make time go to six flags. Great venture. Ride this amazing. Giant inverted boomerang. No, giant giant boomerang. I don't know what the super boomerang super boomerang. Thank you. That's a great stumble into it. So I was going to let you go. That's a great job with it. I mean, really that was genuinely surprised when I wrote it because when you look at it and you see the footprint, you're like, okay. And then you get on it and you're like, woof. Because you know guys like us like we've we've had the pleasure of I mean, you're a carer with sky, right? So you got a jury and so there's rides across the country that are bigger and more dynamic. But this thing is like tight compact and fun. Exactly. And it doesn't not every coaster has to be the EST, the biggest and baddest tallest fast as long as I agree. Sorry. But it's perfect. All right. We got it, we got to get into it. And you know, like I mentioned at the very top of the show, there was some really, really big news came out of six flags great eventually yesterday. But I really think it's going to, it's going to shape the theme park landscape for years to come. And I'm talking about the regional park access. Yes, we're going to get to the other stuff later. But you know, we got to talk regional park access to, you know, this is, this is kind of a new program that six flags has rolled out with these four regions. Great adventure and oddly enough, caroens in the same region. So my caroens gold pass is going to get some miles on it this year, hopefully. But you know, what can you tell the audience about the regional park access and how that's going to work this year? Look, before anybody throws a rocket, they're listening device. This is your idea that was about the regional pass. And I agree with you, though, it's a big deal. And you know, we just talked about how I have doarning and great adventure. And I'm also partial to New England and King's Dominion, because grew up going about those parks as well. Like, it's funny when you're in a Northeast, everybody's like, man, Virginia, like that's far away, right? It's like, no, just a couple short hours you can drive there in a day and do King's Dominion. I've done it before. Same thing with New England. So yeah, to think that what would have in 2024 with Iron Menace got you access to Dornie and the events now get you access to Dornie and the events or great adventure and the events and Hurricane Harbor and the wild safari also get you to Dornie Park and Wild Water Kingdom also get you to care when it's also get you to King's Dominion also it's New England. It's crazy to think that you get all that for your pass. To me, it's it's unprecedented. And then you even go back to the MVP sale last year. There's some people that got a gold pass and they're going to be able to go to every park. And if you're a theme park fan, I wouldn't even say if you're a coaster fan, if you're a theme park fan, it's incredible value growing up and having Dornie as a home park. For me, it's like, dude, we used to go to great adventure once or twice a year to do some type of DC theme experience or to go into the wild safari. So how crazy is it to think that kids now will have a shot to say, hey, Dornie's my own park, but I get to go to great adventure whenever I want. And it doesn't cost us anything as a family, right? So that's pretty sweet. I think that to me is a huge selling feature, especially in the Philadelphia, New York region, where you can get to both dude, like an hour and a half. Exactly. It's it's it's pretty great. And we ran the numbers on coaster 101. I mean, the East region alone, you get access to seven dry parks. You get eight water parks. There's 78. I don't know. Let's go over Georgia, but that's also another like that's crazy. It is in white water. Right. It's, you know, 78 roller coasters, among, you know, across these parks, which we are roller coaster counting website podcasts, bunch of nerds. That's what we do. But there is something in that that East region that I feel like is very unique. And you guys are right now you're in the 10 best awards for the best Safari Park. And that is the great, great adventure Safari Park. So, you know, again, we we focus a lot on the amusement park and the roller coaster side of things. But at great adventure, you've got this unique property. Not only do you have an animal with Safari, you've got the this sunset Savannah resort. I probably want to say that. The sunset resort. Lexia is going to kill me one day. But that did not mean I thought I know. I know. So what's, you know, let's let's talk about the Safari and how we can help great adventure win a 10 dust award. So the one thing that I will say about the wild Safari outside of the typical pitch, which is you got 1200 animals, over 350 acres in a unique experience in a Safari truck. The other thing that I always tell people that you don't really understand as a guest is that team is incredible. And they care so much about the animals and that property. I would put that wild Safari team up against anyone for their passion. They love what they do. And they have supported me every step of the way. It's why they had a really great year last year because of their willingness to help me storytell. And with those stories on top of the Safari, just all the experience. I mean, if you want to see Tigers, lions, bears, oh my, had had that. There's no better place in our region because you're getting to see them in large spaces where they're comfortable, where they're happy. A lot of them have babes every year. Last year we had a media star, Coral the giraffe. Her story blew up. She had a physical disability when she was born. Our team was able to rehab her, get her to have a successful and healthy life. And because she was hand fed and raised by our team, she loves people. So she's big on like getting in front of the camera and coming over to people. And so we've got a lot of other stars like that too, two bear cubs last year, a handful of zebra foals, other giraffes on the way. Baby can't go to the baby season right now. Baby black buck. And so we're just, we like love this time here, but the Safari is incredible. And I think for me coming over here, you think about all the thrills. I honestly didn't really put a whole lot of thought into like, okay, cool. Now you have this job. And now you get to talk about the Safari. But then once you start, you're like almost like you're addicted to it because it's so cool. And the space is so incredible. Like, you know, there's some days where I get to take my car through it in order to get to Savannah Sunset Resort, which is tucked in the middle. Another great experience if people get a chance, I would encourage them to check it out. You know, there's, there's a litany of things to do. Once you're up there, they feed you. You're in a glamping style tent, which is made by Bush Tech. And they actually set up safaris in Africa. So it's a very unique experience. You're literally in the middle of the Safari. And you can see animals from your back deck or your room. You can hear the lions in the morning. Part of the reason why it's called Savannah Sunset is because the sunsets are incredible. We've got a fire pit. There's different games. We have live bands up there. So just overall, that part of the property to me is special, incredible, and worth a visit. For sure. And I'm looking, looking online, you know, you think, like great adventure itself. It's a 160 acres thereabouts, the park itself. Yeah, part huge too. The park is huge. The Safari portion of Six Flies Great Adventure, the wild Safari adventure, is more than double the size of Great Adventure. It's like it is absurd how much land that is out there in the Jackson Township of New Jersey where all of this is happening. Yeah. And so this is-- we'll put the link to the 10 best awards. Yeah, be great. The folks are vote, man, because it's not about me. And it's not even really about Six Flies. For me, I just wanted for the team because of all the work that they put into it and the work that I get to see day to day. I mean, they did a procedure. It was a hernia, but it was a little more severe than that. I'm underselling it. But it was on one of our larger hoofstock animals. And they saved its life. And they were so emotionally proud of that. And it's just like those little things. That's, for me, if you've got no other sales pitch, for that team alone, it's-- It's worth the vote. We would appreciate it. I know. I love it. Yeah, absolutely. So 10Best.com-- If you're Google 10 Best Safari Park, you'll find it. We'll link it in the show notes. All that good stuff. We're toward the bottom. Third up from the bottom. Alphabet. Alphabet is growing. Yeah, yeah. All right. We're 19 minutes in. We've got to talk about it. OK? This is-- we've put it off enough. I've allowed you to get the sales pitch for the 10 best awards. We've talked about the flash. We've talked about the regional park access. We've hit the PR highlights. Yesterday, on social media, you guys opened a really big create or really big shipping create and inside that create. If I can use a line from the movie "Elf," there was a piece of roller coaster track. And it was a very nice purple piece of roller coaster track. It was-- Will Ferrell would call it very purpley. Purpley. Purpley. And this is for what-- I'm pulling this information from a Six Flags press release that-- 2004. 24. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know what it is. This is a record-breaking launch coaster that is coming to Six Flags Great Adventure. Yes. All right. There's all sorts of cool things that go into content creation. And I work marketing in my full-time job. So it's like, OK, when you find out that there's a big shipping container and somebody's got to be there to cut the lock off this thing, that's the point of the content. And sure, you're creating this. When did you know that this crate was going to be at the park? How much advanced notice did you have? So I had a really good idea last week. But you're always-- Leary, because things have to go through a variety of processes. I feel like if I say the two that they are, then people know even more about it than they already do, there. You know a lot, but it's got to go through some processes once it's on US soil. And so you're just kind of waiting so that they release it. And then you're like, okay, now they released it. What order is it coming? Because there's columns in some of them. There's components in some of these crates. So or shipping containers. And so you're just saying, all right, well, which which one is it going to be in? What day is it going to get here? What time? So effectively, we knew within 100% margin of error about 24 hours in advance. So at that, which dude I live for that, by the way, I know it's stressful, but I kind of live for the stress. But I mean, don't talk to me right after because I probably need a, you know, a die of coke and and a nice lawn chair after. But I kind of live for it. So once we find out it's 24 hours in advance, then it's like, okay, we, now we've already had conversations whether it's like, you know, I always try to pull in. I'm a creative at heart. And I love videography, cinematography and photography. So I'm always like, I'm not, I know I'm not the best. So I like to try to pull in people who I know are better as good or offer a really unique perspective for these things because I know that the kind of content they're going to get will only make mine look better. So then it's put, I mean, we've already kind of put those wheels in motion a little bit, but it's making those calls and confirming and saying, dude, can you be off work? Because most of them work other jobs. So can you be off work tomorrow? I think it's going to get here at, you know, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, a.m. Whatever it is. And it's like, and then when it gets here, I don't know how long it's going to take for the crew to actually unload it because you know, we've got a massive crane that has to do this work. And you got the operator and you got the maintenance team. You got all these different things. So you're just like, oh, dude, what is this going to take? So 24 hours out, you're doing all these conversations, having all these conversations, having conversations with Mike about, you know, to see what it'd be there. What does he need talking to safety and security about, okay, how do we get them in gate access? Because, you know, a lot of the guys coming to help me aren't employees. Heart hats, do we need boots, all these different things, right? Can we slide drone? Can we not fly drone? What do we need? What permissions do we need? So all that happens in 24 hours. And then you get there the morning of and you're just, man, I hope, like I hope this, I hope it comes today because you really don't know because you're usually working with a logistics company. So all that work goes into it. And to pay off yesterday, man, I was like spot on. So shout out to my maintenance team, Stephen, our manager is a guy who has been like my point of contact like every day. We're talking like, what do we do? When's it coming? What's the next step? What are our milestones look like? Those relationships are critical when you're talking about doing something like this and making sure that you've got it captured. I also like to think of the park. I think there's, there's kind of like this deviation between like we're a business and a brand. And this is how we run social media. And this is how we storytell or I'm a content creator. And this is how I run businesses. This is how I storytell the way I've always seen it. And I did this with Dornie with Iron Manus. We're a content creator. We're not a business. I know we're a business. But I like it when our content reflects more of a storytelling or more of a reflection of as a creator. And when we share, we're not just sharing with legacy media or businesses. We're sharing with content creators. So I think that change for my parks has been huge. And so then when we get to the day of and we film it, you know, because everybody that's a process. That's a two, two and a half, three hour process to film it and make sure we're getting all the shots we want. And what's the selection look like? And then we had partners there. So did they get everything they needed? You get done. And then just right to my office and three, three, four hours of just door closed quiet. I need to edit the B-roll. We're going to pick through the video. We have selects for the photos. If the photos mine, I'm going to treat it. If it's theirs, we're going to talk about them treating it. Are we taking it through Lightroom? What does it look like? What aesthetic do we need? Because it was cloudy yesterday, which isn't always optimal, but it kind of worked for this purple track. Because then it popped, I thought, on the gray. And then it's like, okay, so then you've got an advisory. And is it, I mean, for me, it was already pre-written because I knew we were going to do it, right? So the advisory, making sure we've got that buttoned up, you're putting it out, making sure that your asset kit is correct. And then the same thing was social media reviewing all that content. It's just, it's a lot of work. But then you get done end of the night, like I said, man, crack up. Crack a cold diet coke, grab a lawn chair, and and then sit back and watch the show. Listen, and then you get to come on a podcast on next-day where you get to like relive it. And you're like, I'm re-living it. You're basking it. You're wearing a little bit. It's great. It's fresh right now. All right. And I know, listen, if you're listening to this podcast, you know the drill. I'm a, I'm a content creator. I am a quote sometimes media member. I'm going to ask the questions. Ryan's going to give me answers that are not really answers, but better with us because I am going to ask the questions. Hey, now. No, no, that's, that's the name of the game. I'm like, I get it. I totally get it. You get it. And people are like, well, why can't you tell me every detail about this? Because, Ryan has a, you know, business that's also doubling as a content creator. You've got a story and a narrative that you want to tell. And you want to do that at your speed. I get that. There's that. There's also the one thing I tell people to is it's in the title. So the title says public relations. In order to disseminate information to the public, I need a hundred percent alignment. 99%, not 98%, not 50%, 100%. So if we're 99% locked in and there's still a 1% about any of the things that someone's asked about, it makes it hard to go 120 miles an hour, 100% into something like an announcement, a teaser campaign. So any little thing that you could possibly think of, if it's not 100% locked in, it makes it a little bit slower to get off the start. So I think that's the misnomer is that like, I just come out as soon as I find something out and I can just spill it. I need to make sure that all of our stakeholders are bought in. You know, there's a lot of different parties that go into it. Maintenance and operations are probably two people think of. There's also the greater marketing team. Everybody does something a little bit different. Everybody has to be ready. And then also the website, you know, you've got all those folks there too, they have to be ready to receive the increased traffic and where are we pushing them? Where are they going? So there's a lot of work that goes into it. Yeah, if you did it the other way, you'd just be a somebody on Reddit or a coaster blog. That's how that works. So it's dunking on myself a little bit. It's fun. Yeah, you want to avoid, I mean, it's different when you're an individual. For sure. Well, when you're a business, you know, chaos isn't necessarily a selling feature. 100%. Yeah. So this is, I believe Evan on our team. He visited the park last year. I know. Yep. Evan visited the park. You kind of, you let him behind defense, allegedly, I think, you're with him. You didn't let him back there by himself. He can't. Yeah. He needs adult supervision. So this is, this is kind of back in the vicinity of the park kind of over there near Superman. You can kind of see it from the parking lot. Yep. This big giant field. That's going to be where this coaster is located. Yeah. That much we can talk about. Yep. It's a, it's adjacent to where King DeCalle was adjacent to where if you're coming out of the boardwalk area through all the game section and you looked to your right and there was an entrance to the Golden Kingdom and that's how you would have gone to King DeCalle. Then there was Poster and Green Lantern. It's right there. So it's, it's almost more in Green Lantern's plot. Okay. Anything else. All right. So I'm going to hit you with some, some yes or no type questions. Cool. This, this coaster when it opens, it will open in 2027. That is, that is, that is the opening year. Yes. Because that was one of the questions on, you know, we've got some questions. I mean, it was, it was fluid until pretty recent, but it was. 27. Okay. There has been a recent kind of uptick in the six foot, you know, legacy seat affair of now six flags and now six flags as a whole story telling when it comes to coasters. Yeah. Iron Menace was a great example of this. Well, this coaster when it opens, will it have some sort of backstory and theme? Yes. Yes. It will. And I think you're, you're spot on, it's critical for us. I mean, it's critical for me. I'm a storyteller. So I push really hard to make sure that we've got some type of story, but it kind of goes back to what you said. So for, procedure fair and now six flags, we are tying, theming for these big new marvelous attractions into the area in which they inhabit so that the experience spreads beyond the track. So that's not just a ride for those of us who can ride. It's an experience for the whole family. So with Iron Menace, you saw that intentionality with sightlines and where's mom going to sit? Why, she's holding your bags, right? Or where can dad be if he is physically unable to ride, but he can still watch you on the drop right from the midway right next to the ride? And what's the theming like? Are they getting the same experience even if they're not on the ride? And if you're in the queue, are you feeling the vibes of an old steel mill? So you're going to see that stuff here with this ride as well. And I think a vast majority of rides coming across the portfolio over the next several years. I mean, they did it too with the gold rusher over Georgia. there's a very intentional theming behind that. And I know just from being in New England, Quantum Accelerator has some of that too. So we'll just kind of, I mean, it might just be that it gets put in an existing space and it's accepting that as it's leaning into that already. But I think you'll see a lot more of that. - Okay. Well, you mentioned the, and again, I'm not trying to break news. I'm not trying to get you to leak anything. You don't wanna leak. We need, get me anyway, go for it. Here, you're right. (laughing) The area that it's in, are we going to see a re-theme of that area or is it going to, as you said, kind of accentuate the area that it's currently in? - Yeah, there's nothing that I'm ready to announce on that just yet, but we are very, very close to disseminating information related to theming in that area. So you're probably about two weeks too fast, but we're extremely close to letting people know. And I think part of the reason maybe we haven't spilled the beans on that yet is because we've got some exciting things coming for 2026 that we are getting aligned on. And that will be announcing along with that very soon. So, I'd say stay tuned. It's gonna happen here shortly. - Yes, and we are gonna talk 2026 as well. Like that's, that will be one further thing. Again, when you break the internet with the combination of regional park access and big shiny, purple piece of roller coaster track, we gotta get the highlights out of the way. - No, no, I feel like I've had something every week for the last three weeks and we're not even in the heart of it yet. We've got more here for March. - I love it, well. And then, I'm sure you will point me in a direction of the internet that is not maybe officially sanctioned information. This roller coaster is it is manufactured by what I'm gonna refer to as a German manufacturer who most Americans can't figure out how to pronounce the name. Is that correct? - So, yeah, we did talk about this a little bit off the pod. What I'll say is that if they are seeing it online, it's a good chance they've already confirmed it themselves. I think it's one of those like worst kept secrets. But, you know, I think for me, it's like, I don't necessarily like to iterate it or put it out there until we're ready to make the full announcement. But we are, we're working with an incredible team that I think is very recognizable. We've already had communications with them about how to better story tell around this thing. So, I'm excited to work with them. But yeah, there's stuff out there, even as it pertained to the track. I know people who love roller coasters already know just by looking at it. And that's great. I mean, I'm glad they know. And hopefully they're excited about it. - Yeah. And if that organization who you've been talking to is the organization that we all know or know with air quotes, they've been on a heater recently. So, you guys are working with a good one. - Yeah, I love that you're fully bought into the bit of not even saying it. - No, listen. - I appreciate it. - Yeah, man, I know the game. I know that you, because there's nothing that bothers me more in this hobby. If I can be frank and to our listening audience, you's like, "Why don't you guys leak things?" And it's like, I like being part of the marketing and the teasers. It's like, everybody knew in this age of, town hall meetings and government clearance and people filing freedom of information after requests. Everybody's gotta know everything now. It's like, let us play the game, dude. Like, come on, just have some fun. That's the case, not just with you guys. I mean, there's things we can talk about off the podcast that happened to your other park that didn't see a light of day but made it to a town hall meeting. - It happens. - It does. All right. All right, here's, is there anything that you can tell us about this launch coaster? Other than it's a record breaking launch coaster, it's purple and where it's gonna be. Other than guests are gonna love it. Anything you wanna tell us? - Yeah, I think we hit on a couple of them. The one I wanna start with actually, it was funny. I just talked to people today, which is, you know, a moral online that used to be a magazine when we were younger. You could people magazines a big deal. But the one thing that I will say is you keep saying record breaking launch. And it sounds like one record. It's multiple. So I think that's an important note about this ride. I think the second thing, which is obvious, is there's nothing else like it. And I think we love that here at Creative Venture. We like to be like the leaders in innovation and sorry, I looked at Nitro-Y, I said it 'cause it's behind me. But leaders of innovation and we like to do things that have never been done before. The one thing that I did mention in a walkthrough, I did a construction walkthrough not too long ago, is that it is longer and larger than King de Cah, which sat adjacent to it at one point. So I think some people will, you know, I guess what your definition of larger is, is, you know, subject to what your interpretation of that word actually is. But in terms of surface area, and then overall track length, it will be larger. So I think that's a good note. I don't know if it, you know, here's the thing. It's not gonna make some people feel better 'cause some people had an emotional connection to King de Cah, which I understand, which is why I'm very careful, not to say that it's the replacement for King de Cah. Because reality is, if you love something, you've ever had anything you've loved. You know, usually for me, it's dogs. It's what I think of when someone says, if you love something and you lost something, you don't ever really replace, you know, one of your best friends, right? So it's the same thing with an experience or a car. If you've ever had a car that you really love, you know what that's like. So it's not a replacement, but I think it will replace some of the thrills that came along with King de Cah. And I do think that it is an exciting change for our park to be moving forward boldly like we have it in quite some time. So I'm excited for the ride, quite frankly. And I think there'll be a lot coming out over the next few months here that's a little more informative for folks. Like I said, when we announce the theme, which will be soonish, I think they'll get some more information and we'll just keep letting it fall drip by drip here. - Hey, we'll have the faucet near us. We'll keep an eye on it. So I know everybody can only pay attention for 10 seconds and I'm certainly in that category because we're all on social media so much. So I'm just trying to hold it. You know, just trying to think of, you know, what fits into 10 seconds. And so we only, we release about 10 seconds worth of information every week. - Yeah. - I know, my brain works. So listen, right there with you. And this is, I mean, I want to, nobody can see this behind me because we're not on video yet, probably for good reason. I got Fury 325 in the background. And you know, when great adventures park manager, Mike Fennel back in the day, and he and I first became acquainted, it was around the construction of Fury 325, record breaker at its own point. You know, you and I were talking a little bit before we started recording about, you know, Mike's involvement and how he's just, he's kind of gone ho. And I've, it's a goal of mine to eventually get Mike on the podcast. So I'm going to have to either twist his arm, twist your arm to make that happen. - We make that happen. - I love it. You know, what's it like having him kind of on board as someone who has, you know, opened one of these record breakers before. And you know, he's all in on the content and wanting to be kind of present edge and part of it. - Yeah, it's, so I know a lot of people in the industry know this, but Mike actually hired me at Dornie Park. So talk about like a full circle moment when I was here already. And then next thing I know a couple months later, Mike's my park manager. We didn't really get to work with each other a whole lot of Dornie. I think maybe I'd been there for two or three months before Mike went on to a corporate role. So it's been fun working with him again. Like I said, Mike is enthusiastic about the industry. He brings a lot of positive energy to the park, which I think has been needed. He's got a very keen eye for things that are important but often overlooked. Things like paint and landscaping and, you know, the guest experience when you're getting your food and you're getting your drinks. And Mike's very diligent watching that stuff. But I think what stood out to me yesterday, because you gotta remember, this is my first time opening something large with Mike. I think the thing I opened with Mike was Al Fundo's house at Dornie. This is my first time opening a roller coaster with Mike and he was intentional about getting here early in the morning and being with us on the site and being present to help us cut the lock and being present to stand there and talk about the content we're getting. He's genuinely interested in like what we're doing, the story that I'm telling him and I talk every day. And so to me, that's leadership. And Mike's just a good human and he's fun to work with. Like he said, he kind of, he knows the game and he's enthusiastic about theme parks. So I'm having a great time working with him and it's reminiscent when we did Iron Menace, Jessica, who is now the East Regions General Manager. You know, we do the same thing. We'd be out there late at night, chopping it up, shooting video, and I did media training with Jess and she did some of her first interviews on camera as a GM. And so it reminds me of that again, just kind of like that camaraderie you build with your park leader and how important your relationship is and how that kind of can trickle down through the park when you start telling stories well in their part of it. So it's been exciting to do that with Mike and get started. I was impressed yesterday with him being out there at 6 a.m. because like yeah I heard she got to wake up at you know 430 to get out here and get ready and I mean we all would do it because we're all coaster people. But he does I mean he's here all the time. So I love it. That was special. That's fantastic. All right we've talked about 2027 but you know before we wrap this up you know we're firmly in 2026 like we are barreling ahead towards opening day at 6 flags grade adventure which you're gonna have to remind me I know we've got the big list on coaster 101 but what is opening day? So our opening day is March 28th but we are preparing for a season passholder preview on March 27th. So I'm really excited for that. The first time we've done a passholder preview in a while. So we're just about a month out and you know recently you were at I believe it was the ace east coaster event there was there was an ace and you uh as you've done on this podcast you were talking a little bit you were saying you know hey here's some cool things to look forward to in 2026. Let's dive into those a little bit. I know there was some news about 6 flags grade adventures log flume that's coming back right? Yes you have to be back online. They're doing some work with it right now just another you know kind of really not routine but just bringing it up to modernization and standardizing some of the things that make it such a fantastic ride so that it can run well past 2026 so it will be ready not on opening day in day when it's not you know 50 degrees in New Jersey but on top of that some great events returning so october fest will be back which I'm really excited about. I mean chef Jeremy kind of did food last year but it didn't really have much more than that so to bring it back fully I think will be really exciting that will accompany a fountain stage which which will be offering programming throughout the season so we've kind of got this um enhanced entertainment throughout the park for the whole season and really excited about that heroes and villains will be back that was a really successful event with um DC characters and heroes and so as far as events and entertainment there's going to be a lot this year I should mention Safari Spring Break celebration will be new to run through um March 28th through April 12th and that will be kind of like an activation of the safari in the theme park so in an area by oscoaster coffee but you're headed towards you can either make you come down dream street you can make the left toward altora or you can make the right towards the runaway mind train and it would there's going to be a big stage right there it's going to be activated there will be animal meet and greets there will be performers there will be live music um so we're excited to to do that and it kind of coincides with us bringing back Safari off road adventure as a ride leaving the theme park and taking you for free taking you to the safari so we'll still have base camp or folks that have kind of gotten accustomed to that where you just you drive in your park and you go right into base camp which takes you to the safari now you can go to the theme park and then you'll leave from there so that that's an important thing um altora is completed with phase one of its retracting I can say that because I'm talking to coaster folks um and so that will provide for a smoother uh upgraded experience for altora hopefully generates a little more speed as well and just offers a more comfortable ride so we're excited about that uh updating effects on a number of different attractions throughout the park the one I would maybe this is my fault because I went into like the dark night because I'm a Batman guy and people are like would the poop dark night it's like though the reality is if the effect doesn't work we're going to try to fix the effect and that's what we should be doing um I just went into dark night because like last year when you wrote it majority of the effects didn't work and it was kind of like wow what was that um so we're working on that just like little things throughout the park um in terms of rides and then we also have um some food and beverage upgrades coming this year which I don't know if people went to park last year we did grannies and yum yum um so kind of has that um we call a cruiser of a cafeteria style service and so we're gonna do that as well uh best of the west will be best of the west smokehouse not saddling smoke barbecue we hear the people the people was also me so the smokehouse uh we'll offer some unique barbecue flavors and that's also right by Safari Offroad Adventures launch point from the theme park into wild safari and um then we also are redoing main street pub and we are redoing paradise pizza and grill which is in hurricane harbor new jersey so there is a lot of work happening in the park and I will also mention and we're working on another big project for 2026 which is in and around the footprint of the brand new roller coaster and we anticipate that some of the exciting things happening there will be ready for the 2026 season so that's when I said there's more information coming here very shortly that will be a part of that um so there will be new experiences and new things to do a great adventure uh in 2026 and 2027 and that is good news and we are 36 days away I just looked it up for our grad that season has I don't believe you sorry I have to do it to you I have to do it to you let's go time's running out it is but you know what you guys got a great team there you're doing all the right things you know changes on the horizon and for a lot of people you know sometimes change can be a good thing so yeah I remember um when they uh we're talking about you know promoting me into this role I think I had a conversation with Kristen Fitzgerald who some people probably know but she is our corporate director public relations and John Taylor at the time who worked for our company and I remember just saying you know like like what's coming down the pike and we kind of talked about the vision for the park and I always tell people like I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't believe in these two properties specifically right like for me yes in some aspects it's about the company but it's always more about the parks for me it's about it's about the parks and the direction we're going and the futures for each um and Dordy and and great adventure both have bright futures and I think they can really help each other with this new regional model that we're working with this year so I'm excited for both parks I love it and then you know last question I mean best way for people to follow along with all things is Six Flags Great America's social media channels website please tell the people of Great America today Six Flags Great Adventures website but I mean if they should go to Six Flags calm we're all tied in we're all tethered together now so whether it's the app or Six Flags.com social media we have our own corporate channel and then we also have our own channels on social media so like follow subscribe as the content creators to set would say and or um you know go to six likes.com you got plenty of information the one thing I love too is we have this new blog tool and we'll you'll see a lot of PR people and great writers with the company filling that up with stories um that we hope to tell throughout the season I love it love a good Tea Park blog feature glad those are back me too yeah I love it I mean as a storyteller um you know the press releases are fine but they're so like corporatey and the the blogs are more intentional and they feel more like a love letter so I'm digging it I've already done three probably gonna see a lot from from me because that's where I get to let my hair down. Speaking of content creation as a love letter to theme parks also visit coaster101.com making sure you're following us on social media website social media we've got merchandise coaster101.com/merch and if you're listening make sure you're liking subscribing smashing that follow button if you will tell all your friends to listen leave us reviews because the more audience we continue to build up the more times we're gonna get great guests like Ryan who are gonna answer questions but not really answer questions but that's okay. Wait no he really did that's the that's the point you know they're going back in a month. I will absolutely you're welcome anytime last question I've got for you. This uh this uh this came from a listener of ours uh Patrick who you know he goes why is Josh early candy is the best candy shop in the world. It's the best candy because it is I mean you could probably bike there from Dornie Park but uh it's just melt melt your mouth good stuff and if if I can advocate for anything it's that if you do go to Dornie Park just find your way over there put it in your GPS and nav your way over there and uh the white chocolate for me second and none so you gotta check it out. This is Muffin sponsored content for cash roll. Uh that's gonna do it for this week's episode.