9:20 lights out

So, out of boredom I am watching the web cams. I see The Gatekeeper trains have barely any working lights anymore. The Giant Wheel is having problems with its lights. I guess this crown jewel park with its world class coaster collection doesn't need to sweat the small stuff. But it can lower pay for workers and raise prices for guests.

Well that's a sad way to spend a Friday night.
But at least Sky Ride was running.

Oh boy if my favorite park were this bad I probably wouldn’t even talk about it anymore. I would just ignore it and move on with my life.

I broadly recall this same sort pattern of "neglect upkeep of certain small items and then use said neglect as an excuse to get rid of said items" being a common accusation during the Kinzel era, particularly in regards to theming. I feel like I heard this at some point or another in regards to everything from Fascination to Disaster Transport to the character height signs.

That being said, I think comparing the general upkeep and pride in the park's appearance both before and after the Ouimet years only serves to further highlight just how excellent things were during that period.

We were at the park this past weekend, and it was the first time I've been in the park after dark for a few years (usually end up going in the spring during 8pm closes). I was excited for my kids to get to experience the park after dark with everything lit up. I always loved being in the park after dark when I was younger and seeing everything lit up.

But man.. I was really disappointed. The midway lighting especially is a shell of its former self, and some of the ride lighting isn't far behind.

• All of the colored lights that used to hang on the trusses along the main midway are gone
• The maXair games used to have a ton of lights lighting up the facade in different patterns, but it was completely dark save for just a couple random light strips on the vertical "GAMES" signs.
• Giant Wheel had multiple sections of lights out, and a lot of stuck pixels
• Only the overhead string lights were working on the Gemini midway, none of the colored floodlights.
• None of the floodlights installed for Starlight Experience on the Frontier Trail were on, it was pretty dark except for a few of the standard orange area floodlights.
• Millennium Force's lift hill was completely dark Saturday, and just solid blue Sunday.
• One of the Sirens Curse trains already had a section of lights out of sync with the rest of the train.

I'll admit, I probably pay way more attention to this stuff than the average park guest. I've always been a lighting nerd. It just seems crazy to spend the money and effort installing all of this lighting infrastructure and then not maintaining any of it. I can't imagine maintaining these lighting systems would be that expensive in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time the number of days the park is actually open after dark is a lot smaller now too.. clearly lighting isn't a priority.

This was the first time I've been in the boardwalk area after dark though, and that area is beautiful with the lights on Matterhorn and the other flats and Giant Wheel and Windseeker.

The floods you saw on Gemini Midway and the trail are just used for haunt these days. I'm not certain, but I don't think the ones on Gemini Midway are left up all year, they get installed a couple weeks before Halloweekends.

I believe they are referencing the LED floods on the Gemini midway that are on the white poles. Which ARE installed all season.