KANSAS CITY, MO – Deep in the woods of Worlds of Fun a dangerous predator lurks, ready to shred those fighting to escape the claws of the new PROWLER roller coaster. Beginning in spring 2009, guests at Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, become prey to PROWLER, a beast of a wooden coaster tangled within the park's forested terrain.
The two-and-a-half minute high speed chase begins with the ride's only feature above the trees' cover, a swooping 85 foot plummet into a ravine. After the spiral plunge, the train rips through a seemingly endless amount of high speed hills and sharply banked turns that hug the wooded land below. With a top speed of 51 MPH, riders grasped in the clutches of PROWLER carve a path with powerful but smooth changes of direction, speed, and elevation.
Prowler is an $8 million investment and is located in the Africa section of the park near the Zulu thrill ride. The classic wood structure blends through a forest of unique terrain, creating a total elevation change of 102 feet throughout the course of the 3,074 foot ride.
"PROWLER reinforces our dedication to being the region's leading thrill park and family entertainment destination," said Frank Wilburn, Vice President and General Manager at Worlds of Fun. "This wild roller coaster will attract both families and thrill-seekers when it opens this spring."
PROWLER is custom designed and built for the topography of Worlds of Fun by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. The adventure begins when riders board one of two custom 12 row, 24 passenger GCI Millennium Flyer trains. These extremely comfortable trains feature a metallic blue, green, and copper color scheme with black seats and accommodate approximately 850 riders per hour.
PROWLER is the seventh roller coaster at Worlds of Fun and is scheduled to open spring 2009. Construction is currently underway, but those who cannot wait until spring may take a virtual ride on PROWLER at worldsoffun.com. Visitors to worldsoffun.com may also access exclusive PROWLER updates and features, like a live construction Web cam, virtual renderings, ride statistics, construction photos, blog, and online fun.
Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun are owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FUN." In addition to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, Cedar Fair owns and operates 10 other amusement parks, five other waterparks, one indoor waterpark resort, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and operates Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, California, under a management contract.