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Front car, back row, right side.
And of course my beloved Drachen Fire...I loved how rough you were. :p
College trip in 1997 on Alpie's opening weekend.
 
Photos acquired in 2006. Source and year unknown.

 

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I wish I could recall where those came from. Here are some others acquired in 2006. Apologies if these are already on here somewhere. Courtesy of CoasterGallery, Adam Sandy, Allyn Fratkin (1998) and other sources I don't recall.

 

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CastleOSullivan said:
Those are gorgeous photos! What is that thing on the top of the track in the sixth picture? It looks like a large bird nest.

I've seen this on a variety of pictures from when it opened, too. My best guess is that it's a small walkway to allow mechanics and inspectors to inspect that section of the ride. Here's a complete version on Great American Scream Machine, which is basically a more elaborate ladder:
cg4go0480035dgc0g00401.jpg
 
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Yes, Zachary, that's exactly what I meant. That is very interesting though, b.mac. I have always thought that Arrow Dynamics makes some very weird supports for their roller coasters. I guess maybe there was a method to their madness after all.
 
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Which can be seen on this picture as well:

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EDIT: With that in mind I can confirm that is a hawk's nest. They like openness and height. It's also near (in fact on top of) a large open area which makes for catching food easy, especially for the young.

Source: I've had hawks nest on my roof in New Jersey every year for the last 8 years. I'm very familiar with their nesting habits and preferences.
 
Mike541x said:
I just wonder if anything will ever go in DF's spot, or will it just stay as a HOS attraction.

I am sure that they will always try to plan something for that area; however, until they can successfully manage large-scale plans I doubt anything notable will be going back there for a while. That area isn't so small that you can just simply add a flat or coaster. You could add a single coaster but my fear is that it is not as obvious to the public where the entrance is, so it will ultimately fail. That is why they would have to put something major back there along the lines of resort, new hamlet, etc. They have the space, they just apparently don't have the funds or at least they don't have faith that a big thing like that would bring so many more people to the park.

So until they get their things together, I think that the Festhaus Park will remain a Howl-o-Scream area only as a long-term substitute attraction.
 
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Party Rocker said:
Mike541x said:
I just wonder if anything will ever go in DF's spot, or will it just stay as a HOS attraction.
You could add a single coaster but my fear is that it is not as obvious to the public where the entrance is, so it will ultimately fail.

You do realize that Oktoberfest is the busiest section of the park now right? Sure maybe before the "renovation" of Oktoberfest that would be the case. But there is so much foot traffic through there that it'd be pretty hard to miss a new coaster.

Also, Bitten has 3 hour lines on Saturday nights... So apparently people dont have a problem finding that area of the park.
 
David said:
You do realize that Oktoberfest is the busiest section of the park now right? Sure maybe before the "renovation" of Oktoberfest that would be the case. But there is so much foot traffic through there that it'd be pretty hard to miss a new coaster.

Also, Bitten has 3 hour lines on Saturday nights... So apparently people dont have a problem finding that area of the park.

Don't you start talking reason here, Ricky Bobby! Don't you put that evil on these boards.
 
Yes because it's not like people stand right in front of coaster right out in the open and ask where the coaster is. All I'm saying is, it would be smart to have a much more clear and wider opening to a coaster.
 
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You know, Intimidator 305 is located roughly in the same spot at Kings Dominion as Drachen Fire was located at BGW: an obscure, out-of-the-way spot in the corner of the park. And somehow I still see people riding it.

Funny, huh?
 
Hang on a moment, I'm seeing a lot of logic in these last few posts.

Are you all forgetting that we're talking about the GP here? The same group that has provided us with golden lines like:

-What time is the 3:00 parade?
-Does this ride go upside-down?

And many more!

We could provide these guests with a step-by-step satellite navigation system, like a GPS (General Public Service), and some special people still wouldn't find a certain ride.

It's still a stupid reason not to utilize a large area of land, though. Those same people wouldn't be able to find the entrance to Apollo's Chariot if you dropped them off in Da Vinci's Garden.
 
Exactly my feelings. It isn't the park's fault that many people are too stupid to follow signs, pick up a map, or simply turn on even the slightest part of their brain to find their way around.

At the very least they could include some signs pointing to the attraction in Festhaus Park. Like David said, plenty of people find their way over to Festhaus Park without a problem for Bitten.

It's the same "issue" for Le Scoot. Try telling me people have trouble finding that one on a hot day.
 
Franco said:
Hang on a moment, I'm seeing a lot of logic in these last few posts.

Are you all forgetting that we're talking about the GP here? The same group that has provided us with golden lines like:

-What time is the 3:00 parade?
-Does this ride go upside-down?

And many more!

We could provide these guests with a step-by-step satellite navigation system, like a GPS (General Public Service), and some special people still wouldn't find a certain ride.

It's still a stupid reason not to utilize a large area of land, though. Those same people wouldn't be able to find the entrance to Apollo's Chariot if you dropped them off in Da Vinci's Garden.

Exactly. I am still as to how there can be photos with people on DF when apparently it was hidden.
 
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