"We don't know where the summer went, either -- but suddenly it's back-to-school time here in southern Indiana.

Because of the early school-year launch, we will be in "weekends-only" mode starting August 14. The only 2010 weekday we'll be open after that is Labor Day Monday. Otherwise, it's Saturdays and Sundays only for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, there are still lots of rides to be enjoyed in both parks! Splashin' Safari is open weekends through September 18, and Holiday World is open weekends through October 10. Please note both parks will be closed for private outings on September 11, 12 and 19. For the full schedule, please...

“Our huge new water coaster is called Wildebeest,” says park president Will Koch. “Wildebeest is a record one-third of a mile long. Riders get two-and-a-half minutes of very wet hills, drops, twists, tunnels and turns.”

Located in a wooded area north of Bahari wave pool, the Wildebeest experience begins with a conveyor ride up the water coaster’s lifthill. Following the 38-foot drop at a 45-degree angle, linear induction motors (LIMs) will the four-person boats up seven additional hills, through two tunnels and around a helix. Wildebeest covers more than two acres, increasing the water park’s size to 27 acres.

“The LIM technology for shooting the boats up the hills is fascinating,” says Koch, who earned an electrical engineering degree at Notre Dame. “An alternating magnetic field beneath the slide surface propels the rafts, pushing them rapidly and smoothly uphill. LIM technology is a popular feature in some steel roller coasters; it’s cool to see it applied to water coasters, too.”

Wildebeest’s tallest elevation is...