Today is opening day for Six Flags Great America. At least that's what it's been listed as on their website. Now to most of you, that might not mean a whole lot. The reason I brought this up is I found it strange since SFGAm doesn't open usually until the first weekend of May or perhaps the last weekend in April. Even then, the weather can often be cold.

I've gone a few times opening weekend and everytime, it was quite chilly out. Jimmy B can tell you all about how cold it was when he visited three years ago for opening day at SFGAm and spent the weekend in Chicago. As I said before, this was a late April opening day. This is more than a good three weeks earlier than it was then.

We just had snow in Chicago a few days ago and the temperature today is only in the forties with a strong very cold wind blowing. I don't think it gets considerably warmer anytime in the next week. I'm just curious what led them to decide to open so much earlier this year compared to most other years.

Are any other parks opening up earlier than normal? Is it part of the bad economy and parks trying to have a longer season? I can't imagine the attendance would be much at all today at SFGAm. If anything, I think they would lose money today.

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I'd think a northern park would only open this early if they had a new ride that would draw people in regardless of the weather. Kings Island opening on April 18th is a bit of a gamble, because April in Ohio can be anywhere from 80° to 30° and snowing, but the park is going to be busy no matter what because of Diamondback.

I'm hoping the weather does improve by the 18th. I don't want my first ride on Diamondback to be one that creates a Katcicle.

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05.16, 05.17, 05.18, 06.05, 06.06: Cedar Point
05.25.09-06.01.09: KD, SFA, BGE, SFGAdv, Morey's & More!
06.18.09: Holiday World
2009 Diamondback laps: 41

I think it's just Six Flags. They seem to be on this kick about opening their parks earlier this year and it has come back to bite them in the butt. SFoG tried and opening weekend they had snow and some really bad storms which closed the park all weekend. They also had very bad weather the 2nd weekend as well.

All i could do is laugh. Guess they won't try that again next year but hey, their used to loseing money.

Carowinds opened 2 weeks later than normal this year.

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
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Not to mention the fact the ACE event at SFOG got rained out for the third year in a row.

I'm holding off on visiting any out-of-state parks until May. I'm a little bummed that Cedar Point is opening so late this year (a full month after Kings Island) but I'm wondering how much of that is to direct the in-state traffic down to Kings Island to try and draw in extra money there because of Diamondback. I doubt that plan would work well (people who would drive that far will go there anyway), but it's a thought, at least. One thing's for sure - with CP opening in mid-May, they should have good weather! Though Ohio's weather is never certain - I built a snowman in my front yard the second week of May a couple years ago, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

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05.16, 05.17, 05.18, 06.05, 06.06: Cedar Point
05.25.09-06.01.09: KD, SFA, BGE, SFGAdv, Morey's & More!
06.18.09: Holiday World
2009 Diamondback laps: 41

I could understand that but SFGAm's new ride is a water ride....

Besides, it doesn't open until sometime in May.

I'm sure after a few disasterous weekends, they'll have second thoughts about next year. I haven't even many ads for the new ride or the park opening for the season in general.

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YOUR HATRED AMUSES ME

Kings Island traditionally opens around this time every year. Cedar Point does seem to be opening a tad late, but only by a weekend or two. I'll also note that Kings Island opened a weekend before SFKK.

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New number 1: Diamondback, my apologies Millenium Force

My home park, Lagoon, opened two weeks ago and their new ride was a roundabout ride (although a very cool one). Two problems with this- one, I live in Utah and so it was a high of 42 degrees and was, 2, raining every single day it was open (Saturday and Sunday). But now the weather is getting nice and by next week, it will be in the high 70's here!

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It was quite the opposite in the opening weekend for both my home parks (Sea World Texas and Fiesta Texas). On February 27th, San Antonio recorded low 90s....they are normally around 70 degrees in late February. So a really nice weather to begin another long season. This weekend they are right around normal in the mid 80s.

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