Waldameer's Ravine Flyer II ranks 4th among best coasters in US
Waldameer & Water World's Ravine Flyer II has been ranked the #4 roller coaster in the country, according to USA Today's 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards.
Splash Lagoon offering free admission for firefighters on May 4
Thrill seekers and coaster fanatics were able to vote on coasters based on nominations from a panel of amusement park experts.
According to voters, Ravine Flyer II's combination of modern and classic features contributed to its high placement on the list. Fans also enjoyed the coaster's fast-paced thrills and one-of-a-kind bridge.
Poverty Knob hosts celebrity bartending night for Autism Society of NWPA
Ravine Flyer II is no stranger to awards. The coaster won Amusement Today magazine's Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride in a Park for 2008, the year of the coaster's inception. It is also consistently listed among their top wooden coasters.
'We are incredibly honored to have our premier coaster named one of the top roller coasters in the country,' said Steve Gorman, CEO of Waldameer.
For more information about park hours, tickets, and attractions, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Conan O'Brien says late-night TV will 'disappear' after Colbert cancellation
Conan O'Brien isn't optimistic about the future of late-night TV as we know it. During a speech at the Television Academy Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 16, the comedian predicted the current late-night television format will go away, but stressed that the comics who host those shows still have a bright future in the industry. "Late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear," O'Brien said. "But those voices are not going anywhere. People like Stephen Colbert are too talented, and too essential, to go away. It's not going to happen. He's not going anywhere. Stephen is going to evolve and shine brighter than ever in a new format that he controls completely." Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox O'Brien's comments came about a month after CBS announced its shock cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," which the network described as "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." The move sparked speculation that Colbert's fellow late-night hosts could also be on the chopping block, though no other network has followed CBS' lead since then. After the "Late Show" cancellation, some suggested Colbert could move into podcasting, pointing to O'Brien as a successful example of that pivot. After almost three decades hosting various late-night shows, O'Brien left the format in 2021 with the end of TBS' "Conan" but has stayed active as host of his podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend." He also stars in the HBO Max travel show "Conan O'Brien Must Go" and hosted the Academy Awards in 2025, with plans to return in the role in 2026. Stephen Colbert is out at CBS. Is all of late-night TV officially doomed? While being inducted into the Hall of Fame, O'Brien joked in his speech, "For those of you under 40, late-night television was a service designed to distract college students until science could perfect the internet and online pornography." Joking aside, the former "Late Night" host shared a positive message in the face of changes in the television landscape. "We're having this event now in a time when there's a lot of fear about the future of television, and rightfully so," he said. "The life we've all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change. But, this might just be my nature, I choose not to mourn what is lost because I think, in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all." He added, "Streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes? I think it's as potent as ever." 'I would worry about myself': Seth Meyers reveals concern about his show being canceled "Late Night" host Seth Meyers recently shared his concerns about the future of late-night TV in an interview on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, which was recorded before the Colbert cancellation. "I shifted from fearing that I wouldn't be good enough, and now, my fear is weirdly more outside of my control, which is at some point, the ecosystem might not support it," Meyers said. "I guess that's better than thinking it's your fault, but it is weird to not feel any control over it."
Indianapolis Star
4 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. 'Lifelong' Trekkie commands Star Trek toy-making mission Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Star Trek action figures: Wave One Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek action figures: Wave Two Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek: The Original Series action figures in Wave Three Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek action figures: Wave Four Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
