Side Friction: Roller Coasters and the Parks They Live In

Side Friction - Episode 95 - "Show Me the Weather” September 6th, 2025 Another week means another episode of Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic talking about the dumpster fire that just consumes theme park news, how Disney has it's own problems, and a bunch of other stuff. Who is shocked by this one? Six flags extends their MVP Sale What’s next for Six Flags? Cedar Point parent faces park sell-off, possible bankruptcy Six Flags bankruptcy fears mount as brand eyes sale after abruptly shuttering two parks and suffering $500 million blow  Disney theme parks quietly abandon middle-class travelers  Man speaks out after rescuing boy walking on Hersheypark monorail Austin’s first tilt roller coaster nears finish line High Stakes, High Speed: What You Need To Know About F1's Return to Vegas  Trial begins in lawsuit against Colorado theme park after 6-year-old's fall to her death  Busch Gardens closing Stanley Falls Flume after 52 years Kennywood cancels 21-plus nights due to fights, reiterates "Zero-Tolerance" policy The Legacy of Schwarzkopf  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 94 - "Electric Mayhem” August 30th, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic go a lot lighter on Six Flags (well, relatively) this week with one of the more varied assortment of news stories with some mile rabbit trails thrown in as a bonus. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: What to Expect Kings Island announces revival of beloved ride with modern upgrades The Legacy of Schwarzkopf Knott’s Berry Farm Locks Up Your Wallet Boy, 10, hospitalized after electric shock on bumper car at Israeli amusement park Flying Turns: Chicago’s Riverview Park ride is reborn at Knoebels Amusement Resort Appetronix robot arm might make your food in a theme park soon X2 coaster gets a little TLC at Six Flags Magic Mountain Downed trees cut power to Knoebels  Disneyland ends early access privilege and introduces Lightning Lane Waldameer’s Original Endless River Closing; New Water Rides Coming in 2026 - Erie News Now  Multiple women banned from Kennywood Park after fight breaks out on adults-only night  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 93 - "Unhitched” August 23rd, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic (as well as the entire community) can't get away from Six Flags so join them for another dive into the mess that circles the chain.  Even if Six Flags isn't your thing this episodes doesn't forget about you. Dragon wagon loses part on the track   Kings Island Teaser  Six Flags to Cut 2026 Capital Spending on New Rides in the US at Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Other Parks Amid Attendance Decline  Big changes coming this year to Cedar Point's Halloweekends: What to know before you go  Six Flags is under investigation for fraud as it tries to reel in more visitors Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Lawsuit  Iconic roller coaster opens for the first time this season Lagoon's legacy: 3 generations of family business Lagoon’s 2026 Attraction? Kennywood hosting two 21-plus nights  British man rides 55 different roller coasters in one week  Bubba from 100.7 Star breaks record on Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 92 - "Closed for Litigation” August 16th, 2025 Yes, more Six Flags talk from Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic but entertaining and a shorter duration this week. If you are tired of Six Flags, don't worry, plenty of other stuff besides Six Flags gets addressed as well. Carowinds Guests Blindsided as Entire Park Suddenly Closes—Here’s What We Know JOANN Fabrics, Party City, Toys R Us, Red Lobster — private equity drove all of them to the ground  Did sirens curse Cedar Point? Power Tower breaks, roller coasters shut down, evacuated After Cedar Point coaster breakdowns, Ohio legislator pushes for change. See the proposal  Final days of beloved TX amusement park brings a 'roller coaster of emotions’ The Construction of Six Flags Great Adventure's New Roller Coaster Is Interesting Thirteen children hurt in pleasure park ride accident and police issue update Wacky worm gets hooked Coney Beach Pleasure Park in Porthcawl  Tropical Americas News Update: Construction, Permits, and Rumors for Animal Kingdom Shaquille O’Neal roller coaster overlay coming to Hersheypark Lagoon test roller coaster collides with HVAC technician allegedly causing ‘permanent disfigurement,’ park denies claims Rip Ride Rockit rollercoaster will permanently close next week - WFTV  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 91 - "Six Flags Fatigue” August 9th, 2025 A few little things happened at Six Flags this week so Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic dive in with just a small helping of the complete wasteland that the chain has seemingly become almost overnight. If you stick through all the bad news (presented in a hopefully entertaining way) you'll get to hear all about Greg's trip to Japan. Six Flags Mexico Unveils Speedway Stunt Coaster for 2026 - Coaster101 Six Flags out Six Flagged themselves Six Flags calls off Fright Fest during Bowie park’s final season No Christmas spirit: Six Flags Over Georgia cancels Holiday in the Park Six Flags Great Adventure cancels Holiday in the Park and delays Kingda Ka coaster replacement Six Flags CEO Richard Zimmerman stepping down Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Reports 2025 Second Quarter Results Shareholders Elect Four Independent Directors to the Six Flags Board Police release review after child drowns at Hersheypark  '360 Degree' amusement park ride breaks in half in Saudi Arabia Universal Orlando and WWE team up for Halloween Horror Nights Haunt based on the Wyatt Sicks Lake Compounce set to retire Holiday Lights event after 2025 season Herschend sells three parks to bowling alley company following Palace acquisition ええじゃないかってどんなアトラクション?  Bye-bye Snoopy? 

Side Friction - Episode 90 - "Six Flags 2: The Search for More Money” July 26th, 2025 Bob and Ryan the Ride Mechanic take control of the show since Greg decided coasters in Japan were more important (ok, we would too).  Various news stories get discussed with a couple bombshells, especially one you wouldn't expect Bob to say. Roller Coaster Glitches For Fourth Time in Just Weeks Six Flags America up for sale in August Too expensive to ride: Readers say Kings Island is no longer for the middle class  Kings Dominion announces unprecedented benefit with 2026 Season Pass  Possible measles exposure reported at Albuquerque amusement park Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express Derails  Get Ready To Catch 'Em All At PokéPark Kanto, Opening Soon At Japan's Yomiuriland I Transported Kingda Ka. Here’s Everything You Need to Know  B&M’s are like babies: they always have a rattle!  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 89 - "Where Are We?” July 19th, 2025 Join Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic as they visit the news and somehow end up wandering through the woods.  If you are a fan of episodes that feature rabbit trails you'll love this stream of consciousness. Kennywood inspects Steel Curtain after guest hit by flying foam pad  Maurer Rides brings world-first interactive indoor roller coaster to HI SPACE  FULL TOUR of the National Roller Coaster Museum!  ZDT's Amusement Park Closes August 17th LMPD says 2 reports of shootings at Expo Center were false Blast off! Legoland Florida announces details for new indoor roller coaster ParkFans reports upcharges coming for Six Flag's Haunt Major changes coming to Cedar Point causeway Ride Roller Coasters At Home With A Seated Motion Simulator & Haptics Play Disney Coaster (DOS Game)   Fire Runner Debuts 7/18/2025  West Virginia’s First Mountain Coaster Now Open in Mercer County  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 88 - "Blades of Fury” July 12th, 2025 Join Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic as they talk about a collection of news stories that happened over the last couple of weeks.  Wind turbine blade gets stuck between 2 Pennsylvania homes  Canada's Wonderland set to debut AlpenFury this weekend Siren’s Curse, new ride at Cedar Point, gets stuck again Top Thrill 2 Average Downtime   Grizzly Escape  Kingda Ka train put to rest in Schrödinger's warehouse Rocky Mountain Construction Powered “Coaster” Popular Dollywood roller coaster Blazing Fury rides again on 4th of July: See what's new  Panel: Standard Amusements can't terminate contract with Westchester County to manage Playland Amusement Park Jenkins Calls Playland Ruling 'Significant Victory For The People Of Westchester' An iconic theme park chain announced another closure  Legacy of Schwarzkopf release status  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 87 - "I Know What You Did” July 5th, 2025 Join Greg, Bob, Ryan the Ride Mechanic and Pam in a backwards episode where the news is merely an intro to stories from park visits and events that we all had experienced in our time off last week. Guest struck by cellphone on Kennywood’s Phantom’s Revenge roller coaster Six Flags New England’s “Quantum Accelerator” debut pushed to 2026  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 86 - "Dark Money” June 21st, 2025 Join Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic as they talk about the news with rabbit trails and even a Bob rant on the side. Dollywood is quietly building its 'largest new attraction' ever. Kennywood's new sister park Dollywood shares vision after acquisition Every Time Someone Buys A Ticket To A Universal Theme Park, Steven Spielberg Makes $2.38 (In Perpetuity) Orlando's US ThrillRides wins $3.5M lawsuit against major ride manufacturer Intamin Orlando's US ThrillRides sues major ride company Intamin over Dubai project Niagara Falls amusement park Marineland begins selling its rides Opening of Six Flags New England’s “Quantum Accelerator” coaster delayed Survey Reveals More Attraction Concepts – BGWFans  Cincinnati child goes viral after bringing 'pet' cicada on Kings Island Ride Futuroscope announces details on semi-dark ride Mission Bermudes – DRdb  Mission Bermudes (YouTube) MACK Rides presents: The Rocking Boat Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 85 - "Lice, Lice Baby" June 14th, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic are even more all over the place than last week but lots of interesting stuff gets talked about and, as always, a fun episode. Spaceballs 2: The Announcement  Angry Voicemail We Got From an Alamo Drafthouse Customer  Canada's Wonderland shares first ride-through video of AlpenFury coaster Top Thrill 2 closes for 'mechanical reasons.' When will Cedar Point roller coaster reopen? Current Cedar Point Ride Mechanic, AMA [other] Kennywood's Steel Curtain stalls, stranding riders on hill Kings Island visitors joined by thousands of cicadas Shipment to Kentucky Kingdom from Vekoma  TEMU Tracking Tool (TEMU1776400)  Introducing Coaster in a Box! Coaster In A Box — Magictecture Future Expansion Plans for Disneyland Resort Disney announces new details for 'Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring the Muppets Shocked parent discovers how Disney World subtly checks kids for lice: ‘That’s a creative way to disguise it’ Disney World Announces Closing Dates For Three Iconic Attractions  Save Leap the Dips petition 'The old stuff tells a story:' Amusement Preservation Museum hosts open house Former Blue Bayou Water Park will have a new name and new operator Lake Winnie continues 100-year celebration with private ceremony on June 17 Universal Studios reveals ride vehicle for ‘Fast & Furious’ coaster Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 84 - "Knott Gonna Happen” June 7th, 2025 Join Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic for an episode that is all over the place when it comes to news which starts off with some interesting Six Flags discussion and ends with us reporting the hard hitting news that deeply affects CoasterBro from Coaster Cuzzies Siren’s Curse opening at Cedar Point in late June and you could ride it early Ohio’s first tilt coaster gets opening date Human windshield: Cedar Point roller coaster slams riders into midges Six Flags plans to double attendance at Magic Mountain – Orange County Register  New England’s first dual-launch straddle coaster to open at Six Flags New England  Universal Epic Universe Ticket Availability | Thrill Data Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Closing in August Universal's Rip Ride Rockit Secret Song List 2023 Florida man sues Walt Disney World over "permanent catastrophic injuries" from water park ride  Iowa amusement park's former owner settles lawsuit over 11-year-old's drowning  How does a rapids ride work? Citing Persistent Supply Chain Disruptions in Global Market, Chance Rides Resumes Making Portable Rides After Eight Year Hiatus Save Iconic Coney Island!  Baton Rouge's Dixie Landin' Theme Park closes. It was open for about a week.  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 83 - "Cinnamon Tah-heemie Fries” May 31st, 2025 Ryan is back! After a few weeks of guests and specials the guys are back to normal (well, normal for them) covering the news and whatever else comes up.  Join Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic for a fun filled episode. Six Flags to cut 135 jobs at Knott's, Magic Mountain and other California parks  PortAventura Unveils the First Mixed Reality Roller Coaster Experience 'It's back, better than ever': Steel Curtain reopens at Kennywood Park after 13-month closure Kennywood now officially acquired by owners of Dollywood Graeter’s rolls out new flavor inspired by legendary Kings Island roller coaster Cotaland Races into Amusement Park Fun RCDB Cotaland National Amusement Park Historical Association Best List RCDB Olympia Looping - Wiener Prater Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 82 - "When It's Ready” May 24th, 2025 Bob and Greg welcome Rick and Brian Knoebel from Knoebels Amusement Resort on the show this week to talk about what's going on at the park. It's a great time with some great stories and an episode you won't want to miss. Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com    

Side Friction - Episode 81 - "Barnyard Breakout” May 17th, 2025 This week we have CoasterBro filling in for Ryan joining Bob and Greg in a very farmland centric episode. Cedar Point animals escape from petting zoo for 3rd time in 1 year  Hellcat is getting tamed Proof that Top Thrill is Toothless Herschend launches $1.1bn loan to fund acquisition of theme parks Universal’s Epic Universe will drive more guests to Disney World, says parks boss NRCMA: Four historic roller coaster cars saved and preserved Six Flags Darien Lake reopens for the season Friday Close Up look at new trains for Mind Eraser This beloved southern Indiana amusement park was just featured on Jeopardy! Baton Rouge's Blue Bayou Water Park won't open this summer Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 80 - "Bearly There” May 10th, 2025 Airtime Myke fills in for Ryan and joins Bob and Greg to discuss the news and.... well, of course Bob and Myke throw opinions around all over the place.  It's a long one but a ton of fun. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Reports 2025 First Quarter Results  Millennium Force Valley Top Thrill 2 rollback trouble? What happened to the Cedar Point roller coaster opening dayl Can you find Bob  Montezooma’s Revenge reimagining progresses with new track delivery Disney announces an Abu Dhabi theme park and resort From the rollercoasters community on Reddit: National Roller Coaster Museum is the Roller Coaster Museum a SCAM?  Kennywood announces reopening date for Steel Curtain Woman Rides Rollercoaster Through Smoky Mountains, Then the Bears Appear Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 79 - "Shipping Not Included” May 3rd, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic might give you some whiplash with this episode but with all there is to talk about this week it's hard not to. The Zimm Reaper strikes again while Zamperla saves history and a certain museum is so poor they can't even ship stuff -- and that's just a few of the things you'll find out about. Six Flags Announces Plan to Close Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor After 2025 Season Back from the Eej Westchester issues emergency order to hire firm to fix Playland rides, expedite opening Cedar Point set to reopen May 3 with revamped Top Thrill 2 Epic Universe Preview Tickets Now Open to Everyone Iron Dragon Height Requirement Ferrari World Abu Dhabi to get new 'record-breaking' ride as more e attractions planned at Yas Island NRCMA wants you to pay for shipping World's largest rubber duck returning to western Pennsylvania in June Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 78 - "Just Add Paint” April 26th, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic have a ton of fun with this episode.  Covering the news and a healthy dose of rabbit trails for some reason this episode just seems to have brought a lot more laughs than normal. 2 new stores open at Hersheypark  Quantum Accelerator Train Reveal - Six Flags New England Kings Island honors Cincinnati with renamed roller coaster for 2025 season Six Flags Gets 'Serious About Fun.' In the Silliest Way Six Flags Darien Lake Unveils Highlights of the 2025 Season Tennessee Tornado sees red Knoebels set to open for 99th season Coast2Coaster is alive Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 77 - "Augmented Timbers” April 19th, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic go on a roller coaster of news with happy, sad, and frustrating news all making an appearance. Also plenty of fun stories and thoughts to be heard as well. Fyre Festival 2 ‘Does Not Exist’ According To Isla Mujeres Tourism Board, Organizer Still Claims It’s 'Real’  Superman Ride of Steel SFA gets New Trains Shivering Timbers Track?  Camp Snoopy Bird Watchers Club AlpenFury Drone Shots Vekoma coming to America Grand National Scenic Rollercoaster at risk Waldameer's plans include new rides and a new name for an old attraction Houston residents want a new theme park, UH poll finds Story Land New Hampshire Expands 21+ 'Nostalgia Nights' in 2025  GREAT SCOTT! Is This a CLUE About What's Coming to Universal UK  Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com

Side Friction - Episode 76 - "Sequential Parks” April 12th, 2025 Greg, Bob, and Ryan the Ride Mechanic don't have a lot of news but they talk about what they do have and find plenty of rabbit trails to play around with. Movie based on popular global chocolate company to make stop in Pittsburgh Epic Universe Annual Pass Preview Tickets for Sale – Apr 17 to May 8 Cedar Point's Top Thrill 2 gets inspected this week. When will it open? What we know Universal theme park for Bedfordshire confirmed by Starmer James Bond and Paddington could star at Universal UK Technician says Florida thrill ride operator ignored his safety concerns before teen's fatal fall Mastodon: https://worldkey.io/@sidefriction Web: https://sidefriction.com