Knott’s Rolling Out New Attractions Too

Construction is also in full swing over at Knott’s Berry Farm, where the Ghost Rider wooden roller coaster is rising near the entrance and the 30-story Supreme Scream ride looms inside.

The Ghost Rider isn’t scheduled to open until next year. But Supreme Scream--which drops riders into a four-second free-fall, then bounces them up like a bungee cord--is to debut July 1, three days earlier than originally planned.

A nightly laser and sound show, originally called Nightburst Spectacular, debuts this weekend. The show has been renamed Edison International Electric Nights, reflecting sponsorship by the newly deregulated company that also has its name on the former Big A stadium in Anaheim.

Scaffolding is also up for renovation of Independence Hall, Knott’s replica of the Pennsylvania statehouse where the Declaration of Independence was signed. All the work comes courtesy of the park’s new owners, Cedar Fair LLP of Sandusky, Ohio, which acquired Knott’s in December.

Jack Falfas, the Cedar Fair executive running the park, seems pleased with the progress--though not with all aspects of his move to California. His house in Huntington Beach cost three or four times as much as a comparable one in Ohio, with far less land, he complains.

Falfas says he wound up selling much of his stock portfolio to swing the home purchase, but he held onto his Cedar Fair shares. Now there’s a vote of confidence in your employer.