Archive from June 2008

5:01 PM - Iowa's newest "water park" - Kokomove Kove opens at Adventureland (posted by Allen )
Yesterday, Sunday June 22nd, Iowa's Adventureland Park opened Kokomove Kove, the new water play area. There are plans for expansion in the future to make it more of a full-fledged water park, but right now it's just a very large and elaborate water play area like the ones in the indoor water parks.

It's very nicely done (though still under construction; the food stand is not open yet, and there are still things to do on the entrance/souvenir shop).

Good job, Adventureland! (They were set back weeks due to all the rains we've been having, but at least they have the important part open in time for summer enjoyment.)

Oh, and of course, photos are being added to the gallery right now... and a video will follow, to be posted on YouTube later.

4:44 PM - A song I did is being used in a vending/game machine! (posted by Allen )
Last night, I was eating at a local fast food place - Iowa Castle - when all of the sudden I hear an electronic tune of "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirates Life for Me!" I turn around and notice one of those prize/claw machines, labeled "Pirate's Chest" or something like that. It was playing a version of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. I thought, at first, it was someone's cell phone, since I previously used a MIDI file I created as the ringer on my old Treo 650 (before I got an iPhone about a year ago).

The music sounded real familiar, and I jumped up to get closer to the machine. As I listened, I heard that the vocal line was represented by a steel drum (which, of course, there are no steel drums in the original ride soundtrack version). I also heard the accordion line and pulsing "strumming" ... just like the version I had done about ten years ago (YOHO.MID, in the Audio Section of this site). It sure sounded like my MIDI file!

A bit later, the machine kicked off again and I listened more closely and sure enough, the machine is using MY arrangement of YOHO. When I got home to listen to the MIDI file, I confirmed it. I believe, though, they are using YOHO.MID (my original, faster version, missing a bass line) and not my later updated YOHO2.MID.

So, if you see this game out there, take a listen to the music. It's my MIDI file (or at least a digital recording). It doesn't play the full 60 second version - just about half of that.

Kinda neat.

10:56 PM - Adventureland again... (posted by Allen )
A few more photos from Adventureland were added to the gallery from today.

4:29 PM - Flood status here at DisneyFans HQ (Des Moines, Iowa) (posted by Allen )
Apparently, the flood is actually worse than expected. I have set up a photo blog of photos I am taking of the event. I will even try to post some "live" photos over this evening and this weekend as I see stuff happening:

http://web.mac.com/allenhuffman/Flood2008

6:33 AM - Yet more Iowa Adventureland photos.. (posted by Allen )
Another 138 photos added to the Adventureland section of the Theme Parks gallery. Nothing specific (though I did take a picture of the hand scanners they are using this year to read the season passes at the front gate). Kokomo Kove doesn't look like it's progressed too much since last week, but with all the rains and storms we've been having, that's not much of a shocker. The park still hopes to have it open this month.

6:10 PM - Photo Gallery Update in progress... (posted by Allen )
I am cleaning up all the photo galleries, so if you encounter any broken links or missing folders, please let me know so I can fix them. Thanks!

6:51 AM - A few more Adventureland photos... (posted by Allen )
A few new Adventureland Park photos have been added, including further construction on Kokomove Kove (opening mid-June) and the new location for the Circus this year.

Adventureland 2008 photos