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Tiger Woods pic still hangs in ESPN WWOS

Tiger Woods pic still hangs in ESPN WWOS Even Gatorade has dropped Tiger Woods, but his pic still hangs at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in first floor of the Milk House. Woods is also featured in the American Experience film. I don’t expect… Read More »Tiger Woods pic still hangs in ESPN WWOS

‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ Program Reaches 600,000 Volunteer Sign-Ups – and Counting!

It was a huge day at EPCOT today. A world record setting canned-food sculpture, a new duet with Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato (more on that late tonight), and Chef Robert Irvine’s Dinner Impossible filming (again more on that later tonight). But the day was really about Disney’s amazing new promotion for its Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion for 2010.

Against the backdrop of a world-record sculpture of canned goods destined for food banks, Disney Parks officials on Thursday announced a major milestone with the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program, a first-of-its-kind effort to help inspire 1 million people to perform volunteer service.

Since the program’s launch only six weeks ago, more than 600,000 people in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada have volunteered or signed up for volunteer projects in their communities, announced Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

“With the launch of our ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ program, we hoped to spark something truly special,” Staggs said. “But even we have been overwhelmed with the response.”

Disney originally announced that they would try to give away around 1 million tickets to volunteers. I don’t know if that means you need to sign up for a shift soon, or if they’ll extend the promotion throughout the year.

Canned-Food Structure Unveiled, Verified Largest-Ever by Guinness World Records®

As part of the event celebrating family volunteers and to dramatize the spirit of giving, Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday unveiled a mammoth structure of canned goods – food that will be donated to food banks in Orlando, Miami and Atlanta.

The canned food sculpture – titled “Celebrate Volunteers” – was revealed for media and guests at Epcot. Disney VoluntEARS shaped the sculpture with a larger-than-life Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto – all sculpted out of cans. Goofy’s trademark hat consisted of cans of bread crumbs, for instance. Mickey’s famous head was shaped from cans of black olives, and cans of sliced pineapple made up Pluto’s eyes.

The cans represent approximately 70,000 meals, according to Dave Krepcho, president/CEO of Second Harvest of Central Florida. “Each can makes a difference in someone’s life who cannot afford this food,” he said. “Much of this food goes to children in need, working moms trying to provide, senior citizens coping on fixed incomes and people whose disabilities keep them from working.”

The spectacular, character-themed structure – consisting officially of 115,527 cans – was also a world record, according to Guinness World Records, the internationally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement. Guinness World Records Thursday authenticated the achievement as the Largest Canned Food Structure ever created, easily eclipsing the previous record of 54,527 cans set in June 2009 in New Zealand. More fun facts at the bottom of this post

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Walt Disney World announces “Summer Nightastic!”

Tonight at the “What’s New, What’s Next” presentation for the media, Walt Disney World resort made some exciting announcements about what will be coming to the resort this summer. The big news is that Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” will light up the streets of… Read More »Walt Disney World announces “Summer Nightastic!”

Smoke reported on Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

The local Fox news station is reporting that Reedy Creek Fire was dispatched to a report of smoke on Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. All guests were evacuated without incident and repairs were even under way by the time the fire crew got there. The cause,… Read More »Smoke reported on Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

Drew Brees visits Walt Disney World, dreams “Drew” come true

Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees joins Mickey Mouse Feb. 8, 2010 in a celebratory parade in the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fl. Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, is the latest celebrity to star in the “I’m Going to Disney… Read More »Drew Brees visits Walt Disney World, dreams “Drew” come true

Wizarding World of Harry Potter website expands

Universal Orlando has expanded the offerings on their preview website for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter land set to open its first stage this spring. It includes a new interactive map along with descriptions of all the rides and attractions. There’s also a first-person… Read More »Wizarding World of Harry Potter website expands

New Theme Park Attractions Opening in 2010

IAPPA has updated their list of major attractions opening at theme parks around the world in 2010. It’s quite a banner year. If the list looks thin when it comes to Disney Parks, that’s because most of Disney’s new stuff will be opening between 2011 and 2013.

“Each year parks and attractions look for new and innovative ways to entertain guests and provide unique opportunities for friends and families to spend quality time together,” said Charlie Bray, president and CEO for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. “2010 is shaping up to be an exciting year as several multi-million dollar, record-breaking investments have already been announced.”

Here’s a preview of some of the new developments already announced throughout the world for 2010:
North America:

  • In spring 2010, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay, Fla., will welcome families to an all-new, Sesame Street-themed playland featuring Elmo, Big Bird, and all their friends. “Sesame Street Safari of Fun” will feature rides, shows, and adventures that celebrate the spirit of Africa, including a new “Air Grover” family roller coaster. www.buschgardens.com
  • Canada’s largest themed waterpark, Calypso Waterpark, is scheduled to open in June 2010 in Limoges, Ontario. The park will span more than 100 acres and feature 35 waterslides and a 50,000-square-foot wave pool. www.calypsopark.com
  • Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., will introduce a new roller coaster inspired by racing legend, Dale Earnhardt. The 232-foot-tall “Intimidator” will send riders plummeting down a 211-foot first drop, then race at 75 miles per hour through more than a mile of high-speed twists, turns, and seven more extreme drops. www.carowinds.com

  • Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, will open a new 2,100-foot-long water thrill ride, “Shoot the Rapids,” which simulates white-water rapids. The three-minute ride will take guests on 10-passenger boats through a ride complete with an 85-foot drop and meandering rivers along the Frontier Trail and Millennium Island. www.cedarpoint.com
  • A $1 million water slide is planned for Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Adventure Park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Modeled after one of Dolly Parton’s favorite childhood activities, the “Slick Rock Racer” will span 300 feet and feature four side-by-side lanes with riders belly down on mats sliding downhill head first. http://www.dollywoodssplashcountry.com/

  • Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., will open the second-largest ride addition in the park’s history in 2010. Touted as the world’s longest water coaster, “Wildebeest” is one-third of a mile long and will cover more than two acres. The new water coaster will feature four-person rafts in which guests will experience a 38-foot drop at a 45-degree angle and travel up and down seven additional hills, three tunnels, and around a helix. http://www.holidayworld.com/
  • Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pa., will introduce a new roller coaster for 2010. The new launch coaster “Sky Rocket” will take riders from zero to 50 miles per hour in less than three seconds. The ride will feature a 95-foot vertical climb, a 90-degree plummet, three inversions, and a corkscrew. www.kennywood.com
  • Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va., will also introduce a Dale Earnhardt-themed coaster, the “Intimidator 305.” This 305-foot-tall gravity-driven roller coaster takes riders along 5,100 feet of steel track at 92 miles per hour. www.intimidator305.com

  • “Flying Turns” will open for the 2010 season at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, Pa. The thrill ride features a train that rides in a trough guided by the curved walls surrounding it. The cars are allowed to freewheel with the centripetal force creating the effect of a bobsled ride. www.knoebels.com

  • La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, will introduce a suspended roller coaster. The ride features five inversions, more than 2,200 feet of track, and two 20-passenger trains. www.laronde.com
  • LEGOLAND California Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., will open the world’s first LEGOLAND Waterpark this June. The park will include a lazy river, several water slides, a splash tower, spray LEGO models, and two beach areas. www.legolandwaterpark.com
  • Nashville Shores in Nashville, Tenn., will expand this year with new attractions including a 25,000-square-foot wave pool and a 1,000-foot-long lazy river. www.nashvilleshores.com

  • Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., will open a 10-story-high looping tube waterslide, “Scorpion’s Tail.” Riders of America’s first looping water slide will zip through the 45-degree-angle loop-de-loop at speeds up to 40 mph. www.noahsarkwaterpark.com
  • Quassy Amusement Park will open “Free Fall ‘N,” a family-friendly drop-tower ride. With a circular seating arrangement, the ride will lift 12 riders to the top of the tower before releasing the ring of seats for a series of thrilling drops. www.quassy.com
  • Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, N.Y., will open “Revolution 360°.” Guests will face outward aboard a giant disk which rotates 360 degrees in both directions five stories high. www.seabreeze.com
  • Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., kicks off its year long 50th Anniversary celebration with the opening of “Tom & Huck’s RiverBlast.” Raft riders and spectators, armed with water soakers, battle each other raft-to-raft and raft-to-shore. http://www.bransonsilverdollarcity.com
  • Opening Memorial Day at Six Flags Great America near Chicago, Ill., is the new “Glow in the Park Parade,” featuring state-of-the-art floats, intricate light design, and Cirque-style music. The “Glow in the Park” nighttime parade will start in Hometown Square and will take approximately 30 minutes to wind through four themed sections, including Carousel Plaza, Orleans Place, and Mardi Gras. www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica
  • Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, N.J., will open “Tornado,” a seven-story water ride that will send passengers plummeting down a tunnel into a 60-footwide funnel.  www.sixflags.com/HurricaneHarborNJ

  • Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter a multimillion-dollar project at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla., will provide visitors with an immersive experience. Opening in spring 2010, the new world within the park will transcend generations and bring the wonder and magic of the amazingly detailed Harry Potter books and films to life. www.universalorlandoresort.com/harrypotter

Europe:

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IBM makes a Smarter Planet at EPCOT

Went to EPCOT this weekend to check out the latest version of the IBM play center at Innoventions. It was quite good and my six year old went back to play it a couple more times later in the day. I was actually, a bit surprised that it was just being officially debuted this weekend as I played a version of the game online about six months ago.

The game itself is a bit of a trip through the history of computing, which IBM and you as the star, of course. Across from the game is a learning center where guess discover the possibilities of building a smarter planet. The exhibit is powered by a news Smarter Data Center, providing a real-life demonstration of optimized computing that reduces energy costs by up to 25 percent.

SmarterPlanet presented by IBM offers visitors to the park a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of how technology is helping solve the world’s most complex problems – from reducing road traffic and city crime to improving food safety and local water supplies.

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