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For Immediate Release September 10, 2009 Contacts:
ARLINGTON, Texas, Sept. 10, 2009 – Who has the best amusement park food? What about the friendliest staff or how about the best kids’ area in an amusement park? The ballots have been tallied, and in an awards’ show hosted this evening by LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad, Calif., Amusement Today announced the winners of its prestigious 2009 Golden Ticket Awards. The Golden Ticket Awards are presented to the “Best of the Best” in the amusement industry calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today. Surveys were sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world – in balanced geographical regions – asking them to rate the “bests” in 25 categories such as “amusement parks,” “roller coasters,” “shows,” “friendliest staff” and “water rides.” The 2009 winners are … Best
Amusement Park Best
Seaside Park
“Congratulations to all of the Golden Ticket Award winners and the finalists on their well-deserved honors,” says Gary Slade, publisher and editor-in-chief of Amusement Today. “The competition is friendly, but the voting is becoming tighter every year. It’s fun to see parks and attractions the world over vying for a Golden Ticket Award, which truly recognizes superior quality in all facets of the amusement industry.” Personally chosen by Slade, the Publisher’s Pick Awards are presented in three categories: Park, Individual and Supplier. Respectively, the 2009 recipients are Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas, for its dedication, drive and patience as a family-owned park; Dick and Barbara Knoebel of Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa., for their professional and personal passion, challenges and journeys; and Gary Goddard Entertainment in North Hollywood, Calif., for its creativity, innovation and excellence in thematics. New this year, the Legends Series will annually highlight an amusement legend who has touched the industry in a unique way. The first honoree of this series is the late Jack Krantz of Adventureland Park in Des Moines, Iowa, for the incredible vision, enthusiasm and business sense he instilled throughout his venerable career. For the fifth consecutive year, Amusement Today recognized college students who plan to pursue a career in the amusement industry and are employed by the ceremony’s host park of LEGOLAND California and area parks Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., San Diego Zoo and San Diego Coaster Co. as Ms. and Mr. Golden Tickets. These individuals exemplify the spirit and integrity of the amusement park industry by promoting the cornerstones of safety, service, courtesy and cleanliness at the highest level, while consistently exceeding job expectations. This is an annual designation by Amusement Today to promote education in the field of hospitality and amusement. Amusement Today newspaper covers international amusement and water park news and trends and in its 13-year history is a five-time winner of various awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. For a detailed outline of the 2009 winners and survey results, please log on to amusementtoday.com. View
the complete list of winners! |
BEST BEST BEST NUMBER
ONE NUMBER
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Our panel of experts
Since Amusement Today introduced the Golden Ticket Awards
in 1998, we continue to strive to find the most experienced enthusiasts
to participate in our survey and AT follows a fair and balanced
protocol of dividing our ballots between four geographical regions
of the United States. In addition to the hundreds of surveys sent
to American enthusiasts, international amusement park fans are
also sought out and we invite such fans to contact us for participation
in future years. AT thanks the hundreds of voters who helped make
the 2009 Golden Tickets a reality.
2010 - A look ahead
With what has been announced for next year already, 2010 could be a big year with a lot of our categories seeing significant new contenders. Major new steel coasters, innovative dark rides, outdoor night productions, waterpark attractions and water rides are all seeing major installations being introduced. Our panel of experts should have a tremendous amount of fun discovering the “Best of the Best” for 2010. It should prove to be one of our most exciting years ever.
View
the complete list of winners!
Click
here to download
2009 Golden Ticket Awards Bonus Section PDF
file (13.6 mb)
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