Free Republic

PETA got on its high horse this week, calling on the country’s largest manufacturer of amusement rides to stop selling animal-themed carousels. The animal rights organization sent a letter to Kansas-based Chance Rides on Tuesday arguing that using designs of horses and other animals for the merry-go-round “unintentionally celebrates the exploitation” of animals that are “thinking, feeling, affectionate, playful, and social beings.” By eliminating animal-themed amusement rides, it would be a blow against industries that still use real animals for entertainment like camel rides or dolphin shows, PETA insisted. Those live animals can face abuse or horrid conditions, the group...

New Jersey's Action Park was a place of extremes: The dangerous rides and water slides, the alcohol that flowed freely even, it seems, for the underage, the young staff more interested in partying than enforcing safety rules, and an owner who balked at being insured so he made up a fictional insurance company. The injuries were so frequent at Action Park that it had its own ambulance. Six people died either at the park or after taking one of its rides. A new documentary, Class Action Park, examines the nostalgia for those in New Jersey and New York who remember...

Tennessee announced Friday it would lift capacity restrictions on restaurants and shops as it moves to focus on reopening larger attractions such as amusement parks, water parks and theaters starting next week. Tennessee's Economic Recovery Group said 89 out of 95 counties in the state could lift capacity restrictions on businesses, adding that the next reopening phase begins May 22 for reopening larger noncontact attractions, according to Nashville, Tenn., NBC affiliate WSMV. Included in the next phase of reopening are race tracks and auditoriums as well as recreational parks and large museums, although restrictions on gatherings of more than 10...

SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) — Cedar Point on Tuesday gave an update on the latest as it prepares to open the amusement park “as soon as it is safe to do so.” The park released information on how it will manage 2020 season passholder benefits: 2020 Season Passes and purchased 2020 Season Pass Add-On Products (if applicable) will be valid for the remainder of 2020 when our park is able to reopen. Additionally, we will extend the validity dates for current 2020 Season Passes* (as well as purchased 2020 Season Pass Add-On Products) through the 2021 Season according to pass type....

A German theme park quickly shut down a new ride -- not due to safety reasons, but because critics said it resembled "flying swastikas." The "Eagle Fly" ride at Tatzmania, an amusement park in Löffingen, a city roughly 60 miles northwest of Zurich, Switzerland, was widely criticized after a video of it in motion reportedly circulated online.

One must guard against being seduced by the ghosts of Action Park, the gone-but-definitely-not-forgotten adventure oasis in Vernon, N.J., that offered thrills, chills and broken bones in equal measure. Those ghosts, many of them in casts or bandages, will gather you in and tell tales (mostly true) about the bloody noses and the chipped teeth you got on the enclosed water slide called the Cannonball Loop. They'll try to explain the rush of adrenaline you felt when you flew off the Alpine Slide. They'll chuckle as they relate how many moons were flashed on the Tarzan Swing, how many bathing...

It's going to cost a bit more to park or be a passholder at Disney's (NYSE: DIS) sprawling theme park resort in Florida. Disney World is boosting the parking lot prices at its four theme parks by at least 11%, with the biggest percentage move coming for standard parking -- up 14% to $25 for cars and motorcycles. Parking has always been included for passholders, but those annual ransoms also went up on Tuesday. Annual passes for the four different tiers are now 3% to 9% higher than they were earlier in the week, with the largest percentage increase for...

Fans of Walt Disney World have been waiting to see exactly what was going to happen to the Hall of Presidents attraction at Magic Kingdom, and now, they’ll have to wait a bit longer. It is originally scheduled to reopen this upcoming week, but there has been a great concern as it appeared as if Donald Trump was not working the company to get it going, but now, there is a new reopening date and an update on whether the president is going to say a few words. The Hall of Presidents is a historical attraction at Magic Kingdom which...

Walt Disney World has spent more than a year rolling out a $1 billion system that changes how visitors do everything from enter their hotel rooms to ride Space Mountain. But a few weeks ago a front desk agent at one of Disney’s marquee hotels was still wrestling with the technology. “Behave, you naughty thing,” a Wilderness Lodge reservations clerk muttered at the malfunctioning management system. Scolding didn’t work, but a computer reboot finally did. So it has gone with MyMagic+, an ambitious effort to make Disney World more profitable by making its 30 million annual visitors happier. The multifaceted...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Fabulous FRiday FAVORITES Tell us about your favorite LABOR DAY TRADITION Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September, that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually...

ELYSBURG - The Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort was given a birthday bash Thursday for its 100th year. The anniversary arrived about the same time the Travel Channel named the park No. 2 in its Top 10 amusement parks across the country, topping such heavies as Walt Disney World, Six Flags and Hershey Park. The affordable prices, family friendly atmosphere and old-fashioned ambiance won it the distinction. Hundreds of park-goers stopped to watch a small parade make its way to the carousel, led by Buddy and Dick Knoebel and their sister, Leanna Knoebel Muscato, with mainstay mascot Kozmo and...

The world’s tallest tower swing ride, which sends those foolhardy enough to get on-board a whopping 400 feet up in the air, was officially opened on Saturday at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington. The Texas SkyScreamer allows up to twenty-four riders to sit in open-air swings while spinning in a 124-foot circle at speeds up to 35 mph. At its 40 story peak - and if the riders still have their eyes open - they can see not only Arlington, but also Dallas and Fort Worth. ‘We are thrilled to add the tallest swing ride in...

They are 1 percenters who are 100 percent despicable. Some wealthy Manhattan moms have figured out a way to cut the long lines at Disney World —by hiring disabled people to pose as family members so they and their kids can jump to the front, The Post has learned. ... “black-market Disney guides” run $130 an hour, or $1,040 for an eight-hour day. “My daughter waited one minute to get on ‘It’s a Small World’ —the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours,” crowed one mom, who hired a disabled guide through Dream Tours Florida. “You can’t go to...

The 125th annual State Fair of Texas has several options for saving money on admittance fees so more money can be spent on food, rides and with vendors. The fair will run from Friday, September 28 thru Sunday, October 21 at the historic grounds of Fair Park just east of downtown Dallas. This article will give you everything needed to know which days have admission specials and if it's okay to carry a gun on the annual pilgrimage to visit Big Tex. Here is a break down of how to get into the fair with a special promotion or, in...

Abortion centers are not nice places. How many more horror stories need to be uncovered before America wakes up to this harsh truth? Philadelphia and federal authorities who raided a doctor’s office after allegations a woman died during an abortion made a shocking discovery: more than two dozen frozen fetuses. For the second time in four days, Philadelphia Police, along with State Licensing officials and DEA agents, searched the West Philadelphia office of Dr. Kermit Gosnell on Monday. Sources tell Eyewitness News that the search came after a patient reportedly died during an abortion on November 20. Sources say the...

Iraqi Police officers and their families from Kirkuk province, and 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers ride the rollercoaster together at the Iraqi Police Kids Night at the Kirkuk Amusement Park, Aug. 18. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. FOB WARRIOR — The high-pitched sound of children laughing and a rollercoaster's rumble were heard at the Kirkuk Amusement Park on the outskirts of Kirkuk City, Aug. 18. Iraqi Police (IP), their children, and U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, traveled in groups, wandering the park looking for the best rides.Weeks...

I have closely researched the constitution and bylaws of the Republican State Committee, and nowhere do I find a provision for designating registered Republicans as RINOs (Republicans in name only). So who is it that has the authority to make such a designation? The RINO designation is being bandied about by certain self-appointed Reagan Republicans as though they have the sole claim to be real Republicans. Was it not Ronald Reagan who popularized the phrase "the big tent," under which all Republicans to the left or right were welcome? Now we have this shrinking minority of so-called Reagan Republicans claiming...

Attention will be riveted on the Olympic torch Friday during the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad, but in cyberspace, another torch relay is under way to promote visibility of a “sport” not yet ready for prime time in Beijing. It is the digital torch of the World Cyber Games, being passed from country to country, ultimately to land in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 11. World Cyber Games? That’s right: pro video-game play. Before anyone snickers, remember that sports channel ESPN routinely showcases poker tournaments, which arguably involve even less athleticism than video-gaming. Indeed, competitive video-game leagues have contracts with...

WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark of California apologized Tuesday for comments he made last week suggesting President Bush was sending troops to Iraq to get their "heads blown off for his amusement." The apology came after the House voted 196-173 with eight members voting present to table a resolution introduced by House Minority Leader John Boehner censuring Stark.

I came across the word "freeper" in the Urban Dictionary. The definitions that some people posted are hilarious. If you need a chuckle for the day, this should do it for you. Follow the link.