It's a boy at Disney's Animal Kingdom!

Male giraffe born at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

A male giraffe named Bonsu was born at Disney's Animal Kingdom Sept. 28.

The calf weighed more than 150 pounds and measured more than 6 feet tall, which is a little larger than the average size of a newborn giraffe.

Bonsu is the second calf born to adult female Nikki. Her first calf was Rori, who resides at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Bonsu is expected to join Rori there in the coming months.

Bonsu is the latest animal birth celebrated at the theme park. Earlier this year, the park welcomed a male elephant named Tsavo in June.

"We are very excited and extremely fortunate for the success of our giraffe breeding program," said Giraffe Keeper Amy Schulz.

Source: Walt Disney World Company

Posted by: Michael Crandell

Old Town 2008

Tim and Mike (two KGS employees) braved the Leap Frog ride at Kissimmee's Old Town.

Although the kids loved it....

Mike and Tim?

Not so Much!

It's a girl!

DISCOVERY COVE’S FIRST BABY ANTEATER THRIVES WITH HUMAN CARE 

It's a girl! Discovery Cove's lesser anteater, Cypress, is now a proud mom to the first baby anteater born at the park. The new bundle of joy was born September 16, via the first c-section our vets have ever done on an anteater. Since then, the little girl has been doing well under the intensive care of our animal training staff. 

When the new mom initially showed little interest in the newborn, our animal trainers quickly stepped in to help. They provided the tiny baby additional supplemental bottle feedings around the clock (every four hours) and slowly began introducing the two together. Now nursing full-time, the baby is “tipping the scales” at less than one pound and is more than 5 inches long. She now spends her days nursing, resting and bonding with mom.

To view a video of the new baby and mom, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIfLK3r4Hs

Tickets for Discovery Cove can be purchased by going to www.kgstickets.com

 

Howl-O-Scream 2008 Proves That
Evil Has a New Face… Two to be Exact

Florida’s top-rated Halloween event debuts
a new kind of nightmare with launch of RavenTwins.com

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay kicks off its ninth season of gut-wrenching scares with the launch of the Howl-O-Scream 2008 website, RavenTwins.com, and the introduction of exciting new VIP Fear Tour packages, horrifying new haunted houses, and the new faces of evil itself – the lovely Raven Twins. For 17 select nights, Howl-O-Scream 2008 will prove that not all nightmares happen while you sleep. 

Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticketed night event, priced at $64.95. The event runs select Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during October: Oct. 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Operating hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thursday nights. Friday and Saturday hours are 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

NEW THIS YEAR!  Howl-O-Scream 2008’s new haunted houses will tease your deepest, darkest fears like never before…

NEW!  Reconstruction: The Doctor Is In – A mad reconstructive surgeon has set up shop, putting human parts back together with mechanical pieces and combining flesh, bone and steel in the most hideous ways.
NEW!  Death Row Vengeance – The inmates at Grey Echo Penitentiary are slated for execution, and they blame you. With their last breath, they curse those who do nothing to save them from the electric chair or lethal injection and vow to haunt those who watched them suffer. Will you make it out alive when they come back to make good on their dying promise?

Some of the most demented houses ever are back by popular demand with some horrible new twists… 13: Eat Your Heart Out, Taste of Blood, Trapped in the Walls, and After Hours – Last Call.

Scare Zones – Eternal Midnight, Zonbie Junction, Wicked Woods

NEW in 2008, you never know where your next scare is preparing to pounce. Just when you thought you were safe, Howl-O-Scream doubles the horror with roaming hordes of clowns, zombies, monsters and more taking their terror to the streets and sneaking up on unsuspecting victims. Who’s watching your back?

After braving bone-chilling coasters in the dark such as SheiKra, Montu, Gwazi and Kumba, you can catch your breath at three twisted live shows:

NEW!  One Wild Night – When a young couple breaks into an abandoned wax museum to steal the perfect costumes, they find themselves at the mercy of the true spirits of Halloween. With “Trick” and “Treat” as their witching-hour escorts, the couple soon learns that it only takes one wild night to change your life forever.  

NEW!  Killer Klownz – All the world loves a clown, but these bloodthirsty bozos are a different breed…  and they want you to join them. Just try to escape as the Killer Klownz reach out into the audience to draw you into their sinister spectacle and turn you into one of their own.

Fiends – Is there a doctor in the house?  These captivating creatures of the night will infect you with dance fever and keep your pulse pounding with their deranged dance party. But when Dr. Freakenstein’s naughty nurses start operating, the diagnosis is always “code pink."

Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticketed night event. No costumes are allowed. For guest information, visit RavenTwins.com or call 1-888-800-5447.

 

Howl-O-Scream is intended for a mature audience. This year's event contains intense adult content such as violence, gore and blood.

Purchase tickets for your day at Busch Gardens at www.kgstickets.com

Halloween Spooktacular!

Seaworld’s Underwater “Fantasea” COMES TO LIFE

for Four Weekends in October

From pumpkin fishes to friendly sea witches, Halloween meets the sea this October during SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular, carving an underwater “fantasea” where children can dance with an ice DJ, learn from a school of fish, and play with a sea fairy.  Offering more than 2 million pieces of trick-or-treat sweets, SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular uniquely brings children’s “fantaseas” to life with enchanted pathways and charming sea creatures, providing the utmost in family-friendly trick-or-treating.   

Dates: October 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 24-26 and 31, and is included in a single day’s park admission. The event begins each day at 11 a.m.

Spooktacular Highlights Include:

Trick-or-Treat Sea Sweets – Using their Spooktacular maps, costumed youngsters can search for hidden “fantasea” treasures at more than a dozen different stations, all featuring an array of sweet treats.  New for this year is a healthy choice: Chiquita® Mini’s ™ - a sweeter tasting banana that's just the right size! 

Frozen Fun Zone – An ice DJ will melt the ice during a Spooktacular celebration sure to heat up the area with interactive games and activities.

Strolling Entertainment – Gummy Worm Wanda, Salt Water Taffy, and Swedish Fish Suzy are among the 35 fanciful sea creatures that will once again join the “Spook-tastic” fun, welcoming trick-or-treaters as they stroll through colorful, playful schools of pumpkin fish.

Tickets for SeaWorld and other great Orlando area attractions can be purchased at www.kgstickets.com

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit –
Spring of 2009

LIGHTS . . . CAMERA . . . COASTER!

Universal Orlando Resort Announces Brand-New Roller Coaster That Features Total Immersion Entertainment and Puts Guests In The Director’s Seat!

Adrenaline pumping and music thumping, you find yourself heading straight toward the sky. Suddenly, you are doing 65 mph, 17 stories over Universal Studios. Gasping with excitement, you rock out to a song you picked before strapping in. And, it’s all on video. Once the adventure is over, you edit the video to send to your friends via “YOUTUBE.”

This is true high-tech, customizable, multi-sensory entertainment. Scheduled to open in spring 2009, “Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit” will stake its claim as the most technologically advanced roller coaster in the world. The Universal Creative team is combining audio and special effects engineering, sophisticated on- and off-board video and one-of-a-kind guest personalization to create a roller coaster experience unlike any other.

“Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit” touts six near-miss moments and first-ever thrills including a record-breaking loop. Ride vehicles feature the brightest and most innovative color changing LEDs in the world. High-energy visual displays fill the queue line. With up to four ride vehicles on the tracks at any given time, and with concert lighting and special effects mixed in, “Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit” will be a true high-intensity, multi-sensory experience that is unmatched.

Guests can customize their ride experience by choosing what song will play while they’re on the roller coaster. LED boards in the queue lines will display song options from five genres (classic rock, rap, country, pop and soundtracks). Once on-board, guests can choose their song or let the coaster’s digital sound system choose for them. When the ride is over, guests will be able to customize footage from their experience and compile it into a take-home music video.

“Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit” will be located near the Jimmy Neutron attraction traveling the southern perimeter of the Universal Studios theme park, over to the CityWalk lagoon and back.

Tickets are available for Universal Orlando and other great attractions by going to http://www.kgstickets.com/

Source: Universal Orlando Resort
Posted and edited by: Michael Crandell

13th Annual EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival
September 26, 2008 – November 9, 2008


Embark on an epicurean adventure as the 13th Annual Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival showcases the flavors of the world. Explore marketplaces featuring regional foods, wines, and beers. Learn from renowned chefs and winemakers at special programs and demonstrations, and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe. Savor the sizzling sounds of the Eat to the Beat (see below for schedule) concert series, presenting a stellar line-up of popular musical acts.

For more information, visit the hub at the Festival Welcome Center, where you'll also find the Festival Wine Shop, the Wonders Bar for champagne and wine, and the official book-signing location for celebrity chefs and authors. Venture inside the Stockpot shop and check out its marvelous merchandise, including the marketplace cookbook and a special festival edition of the Disney Gift Card, which provides a handy way to pay for so much fun at the Festival!

The 13th Annual Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival is included with your EPCOT admisson ticket. Don’t have your tickets yet? Go to http://www.kgstickets.com/ and purchase them now.

*EAT TO THE BEAT CONCERT SERIES SCHEDULE:

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Sept. 26 – 27, 2008

Sheena Easton
Sept. 28 – 30, 2008

Starship starring Mickey Thomas
October 1 – 4, 2008

En Vogue
October 5 – 7, 2008

Jonny Lang
October 8 – 9, 2008

The Smithereens
October 10 – 12, 2008

Sister Hazel
October 13 – 14, 2008

David Sanborn
October 15 – 16, 2008

Jon Secada
October 17 – 18, 2008

Spyro Gyra
October 19 – 21, 2008

Otis Day & the Knights
October 22 – 23, 2008

Expose′
October 24 – 26, 2008

Kool & the Gang
October 27 – 28, 2008

Boyz II Men
October 29 – 30, 2008

Atlanta Rhythm Section
October 31 – Nov. 2, 2008

David Cassidy
November 3 – 5, 2008

Night Ranger
November 6 – 7, 2008

Los Lobos
November 8 – 9, 2008

Showtimes are 5:15pm, 6:30pm and 7:45pm

*Entertainment is subject to change without notice.


Source: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida

Posted and edited by: Michael Crandell