It seems like I was just writing about Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and their season ending Holiday in the Park event just yesterday.  After a brief month and a half closure,  SFDK is back in action, and ready to kick off it’s 2009 operating season.  Click HERE to check out all of the latest happenings during our visit, and make sure to bookmark us for your 2009 fix of Northern California theme parks & beyond!

Do You Twitter?

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at SM2 between updates? You can keep tabs on work progress, trip schedules, and other general info by visiting SM2’s Twitter feed. Make sure to add us to your followers list please!

Let me start off by wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year!

SM2 has finally posted a new update from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s closing weekend 2008. You can view the latest image gallery by clicking here.  As always, thanks for visiting and make sure to bookmark us folks.

Recently Added Image Galleries:

-Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Fright Fest 2008
-Gilroy Gardens: End of Season Update 2008

After a month of fires, thick smoke, and extremely hot weather here in California, we’re back with a brand new photo update. Kelly and I took a trip down to Santa Cruz, to enjoy a Friday night by the beach with great music and classic thrill rides.  Click here for all the happenings during our visit to the Boardwalk last weekend. Thanks as always for reading! Make sure to bookmark us for future additions.

A Friendly Reminder:

SM2 is on Twitter.com! You can now keep tabs on the latest SM2 projects, site updates, trip schedules, and other general info by visiting our Twitter page.

SM2 was invited to check out Great America’s 2008 Media Day & VIP event this last Saturday. Click here for all the latest happenings at the park during our visit. I also wanted to take the time to send a special thank you to Great America’s wonderful staff, and Al Garcia of Marketing Communications for the great tour of the park.

Last but not least: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at SM2 between updates? You can keep tabs on work progress, trip schedules, and other general info by visiting SM2’s NEW Twitter blog. Make sure to add us to your followers list please!

SM2 is back with brand new photos of Great America’s Firefall in action.  We also have coverage of the parks new show ” Endless Summer on Ice,” that has taken over the Great American Theater for 2008.  Click here for the full photo gallery, and make sure to bookmark us for future additions to the site. Thanks for reading!

Do you have questions or comments on how we can improve SM2? Feel free to send email here and let us know how we’re doing.

To kick off the 2008 Memorial Day Weekend, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom officially opened their 8th roller coaster installment, Tony Hawk’s Big Spin.  SM2 was on hand to shoot photos of the new ride and score a few laps as well.  You can view the update by clicking here. I also wanted to give a special thank you to the Public Relations group at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.  Your continued support and access to the park is very much appreciated.

That should pretty much do it for this week folks!  Make sure to bookmark our feed for future updates and gallery additions.  See you at CGA this weekend!

Update: SM2 in the Vallejo Times Herald? Yup! (May 11th, 2008 Edition)

After a brief two month off-season, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom opened for their 40th season on Saturday. Check out our latest update covering all of the Opening Day 2008 festivities and general park improvements, including the construction of the park’s 8th roller coaster, Tony Hawk’s Big Spin. Click HERE for the update, and make sure to bookmark SM2 for future site additions.

SM2 is finally back with our first website addition of 2008. We have a few updates planned over the month of February, not to mention our Northern California parks open in almost a month from now. Things should be really active around here in no time folks. Until then……

Want to watch Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain be built? After a ton of requests I finally got around to uploading another copy of Discovery Channel’s “Mega Builders” series. Download both parts below and see how Tatsu “took flight” for the very first time in 2006.

Download below:

Mega Builders – Building Tatsu Part. 1
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YQUVQGZ1

Mega Builders – Building Tatsu Part. 2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z1AGHIXI

Each file will play on its own, so you can download one while you watch the other.

Both downloads are .AVI files, so if you have any problems playing them download VLC’s free video player. Send me an email and let me know if any of the links go down and I’ll be sure to reload them ASAP. Thanks for reading and make sure to bookmark SM2 for future additions.

SM2 is back with another holiday themed update. Although Christmas isn’t for a few more days, we wanted to give you guys 140+ photos from all of the Holiday festivities going on at the Disneyland Resort. Click the banners above for both parts of our new update, and stay tuned for future gallery additions.

Questions or Comments? Email SM2 and let us know how we’re doing.

Happy Holidays folks!

SM2’s latest update comes from Dovewood Court’s annual Parade of Lights event here in the Sacramento area. Click here for the latest photos of opening night 2007, and read below to learn more about Dovewood Court’s charity event.

The residents of Dovewood Court in Orangevale, CA invite you to come enjoy our Christmas Lights and other holiday decorations. We are expecting record crowds this year, so come early and often! Celebrate the Christmas season with us by walking down the court and enjoying the displays. Many people stroll down the street sipping hot coffee or coco and soak in the holiday spirit.

Aside from the fact that we have fun doing it, our primary motivation for decorating our homes is to bring people to the court and encourage them to donate to the Food for Families charity. There are many families in the Sacramento area who struggle to make ends meet. Those families depend on local area food banks throughout the year to fill in the gaps and the Food for Families organization works to keep the food banks stocked. Last year, the public contributed many thousands of dollars to Food for Families and donated many tons of food to the local food banks. This year we are hopeful that your contributions and donations will surpass the best years on record and help bring food to the tables of many more needy families.

Keep checking back all month for more holiday themed updates. I’ll be on the road later this week shooting new photographs from Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Stay tuned and make sure to bookmark the site.

The dreaded theme park off-season is upon us yet again here in Northern California. SM2 had one last chance to head down to Santa Clara, to snag some closing weekend photos of California’s Great America. Special thanks goes out to Ryan Davies from the Group Sales Department for the wonderful tour of Great America, and the much appreciated CarnEvil VIP access. CLICK HERE for the latest update to see all the spooky and Nick friendly offerings Great America had up their sleeves this year.

Thanks again for visiting this site, please make sure to bookmark us for future gallery additions. Last but not least, SM2 is looking to partner up with a few other coaster related websites. Please drop me an email at sean@sm2designs.com for more details.

SM2 is back with a brand new 100 photo update from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s 2007 Fright Fest event. Click HERE for all the latest happenings inside the park including the Twilight Funeral Procession parade, Coffin of Fear, Thriller, Super Spooky Sea Lion Show, and more. As always, thanks for visiting SM2, and make sure to bookmark the site for future gallery additions.

Tony Hawk’s Big Spin will debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom this coming spring. Here are all the details folks:

Exciting new roller coaster allows guests the opportunity to experience the “Sky” like never before!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is once again adding to its stellar lineup of Land, Sea and Sky experiences by offering guests a unique “Sky” adventure in 2008 with the addition of Tony Hawk’s Big Spin, a one-of-a-kind spinning coaster the entire family can enjoy.

Themed to resemble an authentic skate park, Tony Hawk’s Big Spin promises to put a new twist on the traditional coaster experience. With the opportunity to defy gravity just like professional skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, up to four riders will sit facing each other in a car that simulates tricks and maneuvers, traveling through banked fan turns, quick hairpin curves and steep, low-to-the-ground drops, all while freely spinning in circles! The spinning coaster cars, designed to resemble one of Tony Hawk’s authentic skateboards, spin independently throughout the ride course so that no two ride experiences are alike.

“For the 2007 season, we received rave reviews from guests about our park’s successful makeover to offer even more diverse entertainment and family-friendly thrills,” said Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s Park President, Martin Lathrop. “The addition of Tony Hawk’s Big Spin promises to offer enjoyment for kids, teens and adults alike. It is an excellent compliment to our unique ability to offer a wide variety of Land, Sea and Sky experiences.”

Designed exclusively for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom by Gerstlauer GmbH of Germany, Tony Hawk’s Big Spin will stand 53 feet tall, travel at speeds exceeding 35 m.p.h. and feature more than 1,351 feet of twisted steel track. At a cost of $6.5 million, the ride will be the first major all-ages attraction to be introduced at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom since 2003 and will be the Park’s eighth roller coaster.
“Tony Hawk’s Big Spin is just one of the many exciting attractions that await our guests for the 2008 season,” Lathrop said. “We’re confident this exciting new addition will further solidify Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s position as the top entertainment destination for families in Northern California.”

Now is the best time to become part of the adventure with a 2008 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Season Pass. For just $69.99 each, guests can enjoy the best entertainment value around. Those who purchase a 2008 Season Pass not only get the chance to be among the first to experience Tony Hawk’s Big Spin next spring, but also enjoy the rest of the 2007 season with events such as Fright Fest and the all-new Holiday in the Park. To order a Season Pass or to get more information regarding the Park’s exciting 2008 season, visit sixflags.com/discoverykingdom or call 707-643-ORCA.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom offers 135 acres of fun and interactive Land, Sea and Sky experiences for guests of all ages to enjoy. From more than 35 interactive and educational animal attractions, sensational shows from Shouka the killer whale to Odin the white Bengal tiger, 44 rides that range from the best roller coasters in Northern California to the most family-friendly rides and the opportunity to meet the JUSTICE LEAGUE Super Heroes and the loveable LOONEY TUNES characters, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is the ultimate family-entertainment destination!

Ride Renderings:

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Click the link HERE for the official Six Flags Big Spin page, and stay tuned as SM2 brings you all the latest construction progress of Tony Hawk’s Big Spin at Discovery Kingdom.

SM2 is finally back with a brand new update. I had a chance to make it out to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Sunday, to shoot all the latest Fright Fest 2007 construction progress. Check out the recent happenings at the park by clicking HERE. Make sure to bookmark my RSS feed for future California Fright Fest & Haunt coverage. Thanks for visiting the site!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom soft opened the new Thomas Town area for the general public, early last weekend. HERE are the photos from SFDK’s latest addition to its growing family entertainment collection, plus even more general shots of the park! Thanks for visiting the site, make sure to bookmark SM2 for future galleries.

Here is a brand new update from Holiday World, in Santa Clause, Indiana. I made up for the lack of shots I took of the park last year, and posted a new image archive from last weeks voyage HERE. Thanks for checking out my photos, more stuff coming soon.