BOWLING GREEN, KY----The region's most twisted wooden coaster was announced this afternoon at Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon. "The yet-to-be named coaster will be the only coaster in the world to feature three exciting station fly-bys, built right into the station walls! You'll get plenty of up-close views of the high-speed train as it whizzes around the track," says park owner, Dallas Jones. "The coaster's first drop was inspired by the classic, but now extinct, Rye Aeroplane, considered to be one of the best wooden coasters ever built."
The coaster is being built by Great Coasters International, Inc. (their last project was Thunderhead at Dollywood). Great Coasters is known for building very smooth and very twisted coasters. The coaster's track length will be 2,827 feet long with a maximum elevation difference of 96 feet. It will feature a record 30 crossovers (anywhere the track crosses over or under another track) and will make riders feel weightless a total of 12 times. The coaster's top speed will be 70 feet per second, almost 50 miles per hour. The coaster's train will be a 24 passenger "Millennium Flyer" modeled after the classic coasters of the 20's and 30's.
"The "sculpted" ride structure will be one-of-a-kind and will be immediately recognizable in any photograph," says Jones. "This will be the single, largest ride expansion ever in the park's history." "We added the Wild Mouse Spinning Coaster this year which will make a total of four coasters for 2006." "We need help from coaster enthusiasts to name the new wooden coaster."
The park is sponsoring a "Name That Coaster" contest. Park goers can submit proposed names in the park's main gift shop or can email names via the park's website at beechbend.com. All entries must be dated and include the name, address, phone number and email address of the submitter. If the ultimate name of the coaster is chosen from one of the contest entrants, the winner will receive two season passes to the park for 2006 and will get to be the first riders on the coaster when it opens on May 6, 2006.
Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon is open daily through August 14, followed by selected weekend days through September 24th. For more information, log on to www.beechbend.com or call 270-781-7634.