Six Flags Darien Lake
Encyclopedia
Darien Lake is a theme park
resort located between Buffalo
and Rochester
in Corfu, New York
, United States
, south of the New York State Thruway
(I-90
) on State Highway 77
. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
. It has campgrounds and an on-site, themed hotel.
In 1979 and into the early 1980s, he added more attractions, creating an amusement park named Darien Lake Fun Country. Paul made a deal with HUSS Maschinenfabrik, turning Darien Lake into the North American showcase for the German manufacturer's new rides. Through this deal the park acquired rides such as the Pirate, Ranger, Thirllbilly and the Corn Popper, usually prototype models, for use in the park and to give HUSS a location to display the rides to other potential US and Canadian buyers. In 1982, a joint venture by Huss and Arrow Dynamics
built and opened the park's first roller coaster
, The Viper.
and Wyandot Lake Park. The Fun Country was dropped from the name, and Funtime brought in some major improvements.
Funtime's first purchase was the Vekoma
-built Giant Wheel Ferris wheel
, the showcase of the 1982 World's Fair
in Knoxville, Tennessee
and the largest Ferris wheel in the world at that time, which was permanently installed in the center of the park. It still stands and was the icon of the park for many years. Entertainment was also added to the park, with the construction of the Tops
Jubilee Theater (now the Wegmans Grande Theatre) and the Lakeside Amphitheater, a large-scale concert stage on the south side of the main lake, presenting big name acts including The Who
, Alice Cooper
, and Black Sabbath
.
The improvements continued throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with the addition of a themed kids area, Adventure Land for Kids in 1988, and Grizzly Run in 1989. In 1990, the Barracuda Bay waterpark and the wooden roller coaster The Predator
were installed. Around this time, Paul Snyder, who up to now still had a say in the park's operation, sold his remaining share of the park to Funtime, turning over all control to them.
In 1992, a new style of entertainment was demoed on the midway between Barracuda Bay and the Giant Wheel, a laser light show called Laser Light Fantasy ( now called Laser Blast), which included laser graphics and fireworks
. The show first premiered on the mid-way in front of Barracuda Bay in 1992.The show was permanently installed in the Lakeside Amphitheater in 1993, while concert events were moved to the newly constructed Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, which could hold nearly 4 times as many guests. In 1994 the old Rainbow Mountain water slides were replaced with a new set of water slides, Cuda Falls.
From 1996 to 1999, Premier would also install a new roller coaster each year, Nightmare at Phantom Cave in 1996, Mind Eraser
in 1997, Boomerang: Coast to Coaster
in 1998, and Superman Ride of Steel (the world's first Intamin Hypercoaster
) in 1999. Nightmare was removed in 1998, however, relocated The Great Escape
.
In 1998, Premier purchased Six Flags Theme Parks
, and began to rebrand its own parks as Six Flags. In May 1999, Six Flags Darien Lake opened under its new name, with a few major changes. Premier brought Six Flags' own character base, Looney Tunes
and DC Comics
, into the parks, renaming Popeye's Seaport to Looney Tunes Seaport, added a new show in the vacant former Nightmare at Phantom Cave building called the Batman Thrill Spectacular in the Gotham City Theathre, and also Hydro Force, Pipeline Plunge, Riptide Run, and Torpedo Rapids were removed from Barracuda Bay.
2000 brought the reforming of Premier Parks, assuming their new name, Six Flags Inc. and a drop in the addition of new attractions. The next major attractions installed was Shipwreck Falls in 2002, replacing the old Cascade Canyon water slides on the east side of Barracuda Bay; and the Tornado in 2005.
to Darien Lake and also moved the Batman: The Escape
roller coaster from Astroworld into storage at Darien Lake, with possible plans to build it in the future. They also added an opportunity to meet with the entire Justice League
at the park.
Only a month into Darien Lake's season, however, Six Flags began pulling back the Justice League from Darien Lake, and announced that Darien Lake, along with 8 other parks, was being considered for sale. Many parks throughout the chain, not just those for sale, also experienced other numerous changes and cutbacks throughout the summer.
In October 2006, after shortened operating hours and seasons, Six Flags officially announced that the parks were in fact being offered for sale as a package. Paul Snyder stated in a radio interview that he would have considered purchasing only Darien Lake back from Six Flags if they had allowed the parks to be sold individually.
In January 2007, Six Flags announced a potential sale of 7 of the parks to a new company, PARC 7F (officially called PARC Management
). Six Flags chose to retain two of the parks it had originally considered for sale.
In April 2007, Six Flags
completed the sale of Darien Lake and 6 other parks to PARC Management
. Upon completion of the sale, PARC entered into a 50 year contract with CNL Income Properties
, under which CNL would purchase the properties from and lease them back to PARC for operation.
Because of the timing of the final sale with respect to the park's opening, PARC was unable to make many major changes for the 2007 season. The biggest changes for the season were the addition of an all new show, Le Grande Cirque, which replaced the Batman Thrill Spectacular, and the removal of all Six Flags/Warner Bros/DC Comics related signage and references.
In January 2008, it was announced that Darien Lake will debut its first launched roller coaster, a Zamperla
Motocoaster, in the 2008 season, called the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster
. The coaster installed was the prototype that was running outside Zamperla's factory in Italy. PARC has also pledged to lower prices for admission in to the park which had escalated when the park was owned by Six Flags.
In March 2010, it was announced that Darien Lake is to expand their current waterpark to become Splashtown at Darien Lake
. By expanding into a current parking lot SplashTown at Darien Lake will features three all-new attractions and a repaint of Cuda Falls water slide complex in Barracuda Bay, a new 16 feet (4.9 m) lazy river called Floatation Station, Swirl City slide complex with four new slides, and a small wave pool Lazy Days Lagoon.
On November 24, 2010, CNL announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Darien Lake and up to 17 other locations. The move came after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations on the properties. Five of the original six parks originally purchased from Six Flags are also involved in the lease termination.
. HFE also own Dollywood
and two other theme parks.
A general store, two restaurants, a gift shop, and an arcade are conveniently located near the Lakeside Amphitheatre and the Boomerang for campground guests, though they are open to all park patrons. Added in 2010, Cabins along the lake were RVs used to be. In 2011, 18 new cabins were added in a form of a "village style" with a common play area. As of 2011, there are now 42 cabins in Darien Lake.
with the rest of the park, is operated by Live Nation
, not by the park itself. Major concerts are held here periodically throughout the summer, occasionally including a concert that takes place when the park is not open. Tickets for these events can be upgraded to Park Combo Passes, or just bought as standard concert tickets with no park admission. The amphitheater has a full capacity of 21,600, making the venue the third-largest event venue in western New York (only University at Buffalo Stadium
and Ralph Wilson Stadium
seat more).
42.92851°N 78.38488°W
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
resort located between Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in Corfu, New York
Corfu, New York
Corfu is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 795 at the 2000 census. It is named after the Island of Corfu....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south of the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
(I-90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
) on State Highway 77
New York State Route 77
New York State Route 77 is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway runs for across mostly rural areas from an intersection with NY 78 and NY 98 in the Wyoming County town of Java to a junction with NY 31 near the city of...
. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States....
. It has campgrounds and an on-site, themed hotel.
Darien Lake Fun Country
In 1954, investor Paul Snyder opened a small campground and picnic area around a small lake, which would come to be named Darien Lake. Encompassing only a small fraction of what is now the amusement park, there were no rides, simply camping and picnic areas, a small baseball diamond, and other things you might find in a typical town or village park. In the late 1970s, Paul began to add an attraction base, the first of which was a pair of water slides over the lake called Hydro Force.Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
built and opened the park's first roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, The Viper.
Funtime Parks
In 1983, Snyder sold 50% of the park to Funtime Parks, which also owned Geauga LakeGeauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom
Wildwater Kingdom is a waterpark located in Aurora, Ohio, United States, originally founded in 1888 as Geauga Lake.Geauga Lake had operated primarily as an amusement park...
and Wyandot Lake Park. The Fun Country was dropped from the name, and Funtime brought in some major improvements.
Funtime's first purchase was the Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
-built Giant Wheel Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, the showcase of the 1982 World's Fair
1982 World's Fair
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
and the largest Ferris wheel in the world at that time, which was permanently installed in the center of the park. It still stands and was the icon of the park for many years. Entertainment was also added to the park, with the construction of the Tops
Tops Markets LLC
Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Williamsville, New York, with stores in the western and central regions of that state and in northern Pennsylvania-Early years:...
Jubilee Theater (now the Wegmans Grande Theatre) and the Lakeside Amphitheater, a large-scale concert stage on the south side of the main lake, presenting big name acts including The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
.
The improvements continued throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with the addition of a themed kids area, Adventure Land for Kids in 1988, and Grizzly Run in 1989. In 1990, the Barracuda Bay waterpark and the wooden roller coaster The Predator
The Predator (roller coaster)
The Predator is one of the largest wooden roller coasters in New York State, located at Darien Lake. The custom design takes advantage of the traditional wooden coaster element of large amounts of "air" time while also giving a modern twist by additions of sharp banking turns during the...
were installed. Around this time, Paul Snyder, who up to now still had a say in the park's operation, sold his remaining share of the park to Funtime, turning over all control to them.
In 1992, a new style of entertainment was demoed on the midway between Barracuda Bay and the Giant Wheel, a laser light show called Laser Light Fantasy ( now called Laser Blast), which included laser graphics and fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
. The show first premiered on the mid-way in front of Barracuda Bay in 1992.The show was permanently installed in the Lakeside Amphitheater in 1993, while concert events were moved to the newly constructed Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, which could hold nearly 4 times as many guests. In 1994 the old Rainbow Mountain water slides were replaced with a new set of water slides, Cuda Falls.
Premier Parks/Six Flags
In 1995, growing regional park chain Premier Parks bought Funtime and its three owned parks. Premier dove right into changes and additions. In 1996, Adventure Land was replaced by Popeye's Seaport with all new kiddie rides and a ship themed play place (removed in 2003) in a different area of the park also a waterpark expansion with new attractions took place in 1996 and 1997 with Hook's Lagoon (opened in 1996)the Crocodile Isle wave pool (opened in 1997) took over Adventure Lands old location by Elk Lake,new changing rooms were built, and a bridge was built to connect Barracuda Bay with the then new water park area.From 1996 to 1999, Premier would also install a new roller coaster each year, Nightmare at Phantom Cave in 1996, Mind Eraser
Mind Eraser
Mind Eraser may refer to:*The Mind Eraser, a roller coaster*Mind Eraser, a song by DJ HeavyGrinder*Mind Eraser, a song by Neanderthal*Mind Eraser, a hardcore punk group*Mind Eraser, cocktail usually made of vodka and Kahlúa...
in 1997, Boomerang: Coast to Coaster
Boomerang: Coast to Coaster
Boomerang: Coast to Coaster is a steel roller coaster of shuttle design currently in use at five different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. The ride was designed and manufactured by Vekoma, and is considered as one of its boomerang models. Each coaster has one train with a capacity of 28, two across...
in 1998, and Superman Ride of Steel (the world's first Intamin Hypercoaster
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
) in 1999. Nightmare was removed in 1998, however, relocated The Great Escape
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom is an amusement and waterpark located in Queensbury, New York. It is advertised as being located in Lake George, New York...
.
In 1998, Premier purchased Six Flags Theme Parks
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, and began to rebrand its own parks as Six Flags. In May 1999, Six Flags Darien Lake opened under its new name, with a few major changes. Premier brought Six Flags' own character base, Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, into the parks, renaming Popeye's Seaport to Looney Tunes Seaport, added a new show in the vacant former Nightmare at Phantom Cave building called the Batman Thrill Spectacular in the Gotham City Theathre, and also Hydro Force, Pipeline Plunge, Riptide Run, and Torpedo Rapids were removed from Barracuda Bay.
2000 brought the reforming of Premier Parks, assuming their new name, Six Flags Inc. and a drop in the addition of new attractions. The next major attractions installed was Shipwreck Falls in 2002, replacing the old Cascade Canyon water slides on the east side of Barracuda Bay; and the Tornado in 2005.
Troubled times
2006 was a year of turmoil for Six Flags and its parks. For the 2006 season, Six Flags moved the Big Kahuna, a family-sized waterslide, from Six Flags AstroworldSix Flags Astroworld
AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...
to Darien Lake and also moved the Batman: The Escape
Batman: The Escape
Batman The Escape is a steel stand-up roller coaster in storage at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort. Previously it was located at Six Flags Magic Mountain from 1986 until January 1989 ; Six Flags Great Adventure from 1990 until the Labor Day Weekend of 1992 ; and Six Flags AstroWorld from 1994 until...
roller coaster from Astroworld into storage at Darien Lake, with possible plans to build it in the future. They also added an opportunity to meet with the entire Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
at the park.
Only a month into Darien Lake's season, however, Six Flags began pulling back the Justice League from Darien Lake, and announced that Darien Lake, along with 8 other parks, was being considered for sale. Many parks throughout the chain, not just those for sale, also experienced other numerous changes and cutbacks throughout the summer.
In October 2006, after shortened operating hours and seasons, Six Flags officially announced that the parks were in fact being offered for sale as a package. Paul Snyder stated in a radio interview that he would have considered purchasing only Darien Lake back from Six Flags if they had allowed the parks to be sold individually.
In January 2007, Six Flags announced a potential sale of 7 of the parks to a new company, PARC 7F (officially called PARC Management
PARC Management
PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. which operates various parks, attractions, recreation and entertainment venues throughout North America.-History:...
). Six Flags chose to retain two of the parks it had originally considered for sale.
PARC Management
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
completed the sale of Darien Lake and 6 other parks to PARC Management
PARC Management
PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. which operates various parks, attractions, recreation and entertainment venues throughout North America.-History:...
. Upon completion of the sale, PARC entered into a 50 year contract with CNL Income Properties
CNL Income Properties
CNL Lifestyle Properties is an unlisted Real Estate Investment Trust . The Trust is managed by CNL Financial Group. The company buys resort properties across the nation, but has no day-to-day management involvement in the properties it owns.-Properties:...
, under which CNL would purchase the properties from and lease them back to PARC for operation.
Because of the timing of the final sale with respect to the park's opening, PARC was unable to make many major changes for the 2007 season. The biggest changes for the season were the addition of an all new show, Le Grande Cirque, which replaced the Batman Thrill Spectacular, and the removal of all Six Flags/Warner Bros/DC Comics related signage and references.
In January 2008, it was announced that Darien Lake will debut its first launched roller coaster, a Zamperla
Zamperla
Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls....
Motocoaster, in the 2008 season, called the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster
Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster
Darien Lake partnered with Orange County Choppers for naming rights for the coaster, along with a promotional giveaway of a custom painted OCC motorcycle, and a custom built bike to remain at the park....
. The coaster installed was the prototype that was running outside Zamperla's factory in Italy. PARC has also pledged to lower prices for admission in to the park which had escalated when the park was owned by Six Flags.
In March 2010, it was announced that Darien Lake is to expand their current waterpark to become Splashtown at Darien Lake
Splashtown at Darien Lake
Splashtown is a water park coinciding with Darien Lake Resort located in Darien, New York. It encompasses areas formerly included in the main park, but was spun off as a separate admission in 2010, with the addition of new attractions and a repaint of the Barracuda Bay slides, 'Cuda Falls...
. By expanding into a current parking lot SplashTown at Darien Lake will features three all-new attractions and a repaint of Cuda Falls water slide complex in Barracuda Bay, a new 16 feet (4.9 m) lazy river called Floatation Station, Swirl City slide complex with four new slides, and a small wave pool Lazy Days Lagoon.
On November 24, 2010, CNL announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Darien Lake and up to 17 other locations. The move came after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations on the properties. Five of the original six parks originally purchased from Six Flags are also involved in the lease termination.
Herschend Family Entertainment
On January 25, 2011 CNL announced that Herschend Family Entertainment would assume the day-to-day operation and management of Darien Lake and Elitch GardensElitch Gardens Theme Park
Elitch Gardens Theme Park, locally known as "Elitch's", is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation...
. HFE also own Dollywood
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....
and two other theme parks.
Lodge on the Lake Hotel
The Lodge on the Lake Hotel opened in 1998 with 160 hotel rooms, considered luxury rooms. PARC Management has mentioned a possible expansion in the future to create an indoor water park around the hotel, to attempt a year-round attraction. No official plans have been announced yet.Campgrounds
The park started as a campground and picnic area. While access to the original picnic area is no longer allowed to the general public, the campground still occupies its original area and has since expanded many times over. It currently consists of over 1200 campsites, roughly half of which are park-owned RV's that guests can rent, the rest are available for either guest-owned RV's or tent sites. By staying in the campgrounds, guests are allowed daily access to the park for the duration of their stay.A general store, two restaurants, a gift shop, and an arcade are conveniently located near the Lakeside Amphitheatre and the Boomerang for campground guests, though they are open to all park patrons. Added in 2010, Cabins along the lake were RVs used to be. In 2011, 18 new cabins were added in a form of a "village style" with a common play area. As of 2011, there are now 42 cabins in Darien Lake.
Performing Arts Center
The Darien Lake Performing Arts Center was opened in 1993 as a replacement for the Lakeside Amphitheater, where concerts had previously been held. The PAC, as it is commonly referred to, while owned by CNLCNL Income Properties
CNL Lifestyle Properties is an unlisted Real Estate Investment Trust . The Trust is managed by CNL Financial Group. The company buys resort properties across the nation, but has no day-to-day management involvement in the properties it owns.-Properties:...
with the rest of the park, is operated by Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
, not by the park itself. Major concerts are held here periodically throughout the summer, occasionally including a concert that takes place when the park is not open. Tickets for these events can be upgraded to Park Combo Passes, or just bought as standard concert tickets with no park admission. The amphitheater has a full capacity of 21,600, making the venue the third-largest event venue in western New York (only University at Buffalo Stadium
University at Buffalo Stadium
University at Buffalo Stadium is a stadium in Amherst, New York. It is primarily used for football and track and field events, and is the home field of the Buffalo Bulls. It opened on September 4, 1993 with a game against the University of Maine...
and Ralph Wilson Stadium
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL...
seat more).
Laser Stage
Beginning in 2009, the park began holding concerts in the park, at the renamed Laser Stage, also still known as the Lakeside Amphitheater. These concerts are free to guests in the park.Incidents
- On May 16, 1999, a 365 lb (165 kg) guest was unable to close his lap bar properly and was ejected and fell approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) from the Superman - Ride of SteelSuperman - Ride of SteelSuperman – Ride of Steel is a steel hyper roller coaster that exists at Six Flags America. A roller coaster with a mirror image layout of Superman – Ride of Steel exists at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort called the Ride of Steel Additionally, a similar coaster with a somewhat different layout...
roller coaster as the ride went over a "camel hump" hill, suffering serious injuries. He sued the park and the ride manufacturer for negligence, and was awarded US$3.95 million. - On September 6, 2009, the body of a Pennsylvania man, William Sutherland, who had been reported missing the day before was found in one of the small lakes inside the parking lot. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
- On July 8, 2011, an Iraq War veteran, Army Sgt. James Hackemer, 29, who had lost both legs in a roadside bomb attack in 2008 fell to his death from the Ride of SteelSuperman - Ride of SteelSuperman – Ride of Steel is a steel hyper roller coaster that exists at Six Flags America. A roller coaster with a mirror image layout of Superman – Ride of Steel exists at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort called the Ride of Steel Additionally, a similar coaster with a somewhat different layout...
. The ride was closed, but reopened after the death was deemed operator error. James Hackemer should not have been allowed on the roller coaster due to his physical condition.
External links
42.92851°N 78.38488°W