Head to our new blog at www.buschgardensvablog.com and explore all of its new features. Take our poll, read our Facebook updates, read about the latest news and more. Do all of this while still reading your favorite blogs from our park bloggers. We’ve stepped it up a notch, and we want you to check it out.

This old blog will be disappearing soon, so make the switch today. We’ll see you there.

We’re going to keep our secret until the announcement, but feel free to take your best guess right now. Send us an e-mail with your guess of what we’re announcing. Be specific, and you could win a pair of tickets to Busch Gardens for our regular 2011 season (excluding Christmas Town).

• E-mail us at SocialMedia@BuschGardens.com
• Make sure the subject line reads: My Guess is Big News
• Only make one guess and be specific.
• Include your name, e-mail address, phone number and age.
• You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
• Full rules can be found here.
• Must enter by noon ET, Sept. 17.

Here’s our only hint … good luck!

Here we are, struggling with the heat, and there are still cyclamen in the park. They’ve made it through. No, they aren’t blooming, but I think you’d agree that the foliage is worth keeping them around.

The ones that are surviving in the park now are in containers, in shady locations, enjoying moist soil conditions. They may not survive to bloom again, but it’s nice to know that, somehow, they’ve been able to bring a smile to summer as well.

Shelia
Landscaper at Busch Gardens

We’re re-imagining the look and feel of some of the most recognizable areas of Busch Gardens, and we’re revitalizing both parks with new attractions for your enjoyment. Here’s a video to whet your appetite …

We’ll share all of the details on Sept. 18 during our Pass Member Appreciation Weekend, on this blog and on our website – www.BuschGardens.com/BigNews.

Work will begin soon after the announcement. Construction will take place when the park is closed, but observant guests will see evidence of the work when they visit during Howl-O-Scream and Christmas Town.

Mark your calendars for Sept. 18. We can’t wait to share the details with you.

John Reilly
Park President
Busch Gardens and Water Country USA

Harnessed 190 feet above the ground, workers complete construction on the roller coaster's lift.

Those are the words you will hear while waiting in the queue at Alpengeist.  The video playing overhead tells the story of the legendary snow beast rumored to terrorize the Swiss mountains.  Alpengeist, German for ‘Ghost of the Alps,’ has thrilled guests for more than 13 years, since opening on March 22, 1997.   

Alpengeist was designed by Bolliger and Mabillard, commonly referred to as B&M.  B&M has designed some of the top roller coasters around the world, and they are highly respected for their remarkable design and precision when it comes to these high-speed thrill machines.

Alpengeist, themed as a run-away ski lift, was designed specifically for Busch Gardens.  The lift supports at Alpengeist that resemble a ski lift, are also unique to this ride. The structure has a specific purpose other than theming.  Because traditional coaster supports would not fit into the area, support beams would have been scattered throughout the village of Germany.  As a result, B&M altered the plans and designed the tower-like structures that support the lift. 

Sparks fly at Southern Ohio Fabricators in Batavia, Ohio as a craftsman puts the finishing touches on a section of the coaster track.

In my last blog, History of the Loch Ness Monster, I mentioned that technology has improved over the years.  Engineers have upgraded from slide rules to computers, and coaster track is now cut by lasers and bolted together rather than welding. All of these elements speed up the construction process, increase the accuracy of the design, and improve the ride experience.

Engineers were off by 6 feet when the last piece of track came together at the Loch Ness Monster in 1978.  Nineteen years later at Alpengeist, the difference was only 1/16^th of an inch.  However, engineers did have one issue during the design of Alpengeist; the train was too light to maintain speed and make it back to the station. That is why Alpengeist is one of only two coasters in the world to have a ‘zero car.’  The zero car, located at the front of the train, weighs 1500 lbs. and allows the train to maintain the speed needed to complete the ride circuit.

Zero car

Alpengeist has always been my favorite ride at the park.  Not only is it a thrilling ride, but it is where my career at Busch Gardens started.   What do you like most about Alpengeist?

Rob
Park Operations Manager at Busch Gardens

Thanks for sending in all of your questions for Emily Osment. It was an amazing concert weekend; we hope you were all there. In between shows, she took some time to answer some of the most popular questions. Hopefully she answered one of yours.

Do you have a favorite “Hannah Montana” episode?
You know there’s been 101, so it’s kind of difficult to pick just one. There’s been definitely a lot of memorable ones. We’ve had a lot of really cool guest stars in the past. Anytime there is anyone out of the ordinary is always really fun and it brings a lot of color on set. But I don’t know if I could pick a favorite. This last season, season four, we had some of the best episodes we’ve ever had. The writers really kicked it up a few notches. It really came out super well. I think the second and third episodes of season four are probably my favorite.

What are your future plans after “Hannah Montana?”
Well I have a lot of future plans actually. I’m doing some of them right now. I’m here at Busch Gardens and I’m about to do a show. I went on tour immediately after Hannah Montana ended, and I have plans to go on tour again. I’m going to Europe in two days, and I’m traveling a whole lot. Just a lot of moving around. That’s always nice.

Are you doing any projects with your brother in the future?
We’re both very busy actually. We’re both working on our own careers right now, and both have some work lined up for awhile. Of course I would love to work with him. We’ve done some voice-over work in the past, but we haven’t done anything really on-screen together. I think that would be very interesting. I would love to do that. We always have.

If you weren’t a singer or actress, what career would you choose?
That’s always an interesting question. I get that one a lot and I can never really say. I’m 18 years old. I’m going to college but I would just be doing that right now. I wouldn’t have to really make that mature decision for a career until a few years from now, so my thinking might change. Right now, I’m very happy with the career that I’ve chosen.

The leadership team at Water Country USA was amazing and I enjoyed learning along side them this summer. I continue to be impressed with their commitment to guest safety. The goal for our team is that you, our guests, get to enjoy your day without worry. We take care in making sure you are safe.

One of my favorite things to do in the park is just stand back and watch the children play at the children’s areas or ride water slides. Their faces light up with so much excitement. It makes me love my job.

This summer was a scorcher and the park was busy. We are looking forward to the rest of this year and planning for next summer.

I’d love to know, what was your favorite memory of Water Country USA this summer?

Cynthia
Park Operations Manager at Water Country USA

Not only have we invited our famous friend, Julie Scardina, to do some shows in the Globe Theatre, but we’ve invited some of our friends from Busch Gardens in Tampa, too. One of the trainers coming from Tampa used to work in Williamsburg and although we are really excited to see her, what we really want to know is what animals she is bringing with her.

Guests will be able see all of their favorite animals with some fun additions for the weekend. The wolf trainers will be doing some special talks in Wolf Valley, the team at the Highland Stables will be doing some braiding demonstrations with the Clydesdales, animal shows with Julie Scardina in the Globe Theatre, as well as all over the park, with animals, all weekend long.

Although most of us can’t wait for Wild Days weekend, the week leading up to the event is a ton of work. Think about all of the extra cleaning you do when the in-laws come to visit and you can imagine our week. We also have rehearsals for trainers and animals to prepare them for the event.

Come see us for Wild Days. It is always my favorite weekend of the season.

For more information about the event, check out our website: http://bit.ly/WildDaysBGW

Kendell
Animal Trainer at Busch Gardens

I went on stage with Sikko during one of our Wolf Training Spotlight Tours to show him these new logs. Wolves can be super cautious of new things. So instead of asking for the leap, I was going to give him a “follow” signal up and over the logs. When I guided my hand up and over the logs, instead of leaping, Sikko climbed right on top. The old logs are smaller and too wobbly for a wolf to do this. But these new logs are big and sturdy. So there he stood “perched” atop these new logs. It was so neat and unexpected, and he looked so magnificent standing up there, I decided to start capturing the behavior.

Capturing a behavior simply means that we see a behavior happen and we reinforce it. We are “capturing” the exact instant that we see something we like. It’s a method of training we can use if we see a wolf exhibit a cool behavior. We don’t actually have to teach them how to do the behavior, like when we “shape” a behavior through the use of operant conditioning. We just have to reinforce them for doing it on their own. Sometimes this is a science, as the wolf might not always do that behavior again. You might not ever get another opportunity to reinforce the behavior again. But if you reinforce it the first time, and you’re lucky, you just might see it again and again.

Sikko hasn’t fully learned “perch” yet, but he knows how to climb up on those logs and look handsome. So hopefully within the next couple of sessions he’ll have it all figured out.

Next time you come to Wolf Haven, look for Sikko in a show or a tour, and see if you can capture his new behavior in a lovely photo. I’d like to personally thank Sikko for his creativity; I’m not sure I would have come up with that behavior on my own. I’d also like to thank our observant tour photographer for being in the right place at the right time.

Megan
Wolf Trainer at Busch Gardens

The process in choosing their name can vary. Even before a new animal arrives, we begin learning about their natural history. This research usually leads to some bright ideas about possible names. Most of the time, we will submit the names to our Zoological Manager and he helps to make the final decision. Last summer we even had a contest posted for our guests to help choose names for our new Gray Wolf pups. Below are just some examples of animals you might meet at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

Patrick the Scottish Blackface sheep

Patrick was born on St. Patrick’s Day this year. We really didn’t have a choice, did we?

Otus the Eastern Screech Owl

When Otus came to live at Busch Gardens the scientific name for the Eastern Screech Owl was Otus asio. It has since changed to Megascops asio.

Carumbe the Red-footed Tortoise

The word carumbe is the Amazonian Tupí word for male tortoises. This is the native language where you would find the red-footed tortoise.

Roca the Cuban Rock Iguana

Roca is a Spanish word meaning rock. These iguanas are commonly found on rocky coastal areas on Cuba.

Next time you visit us at Busch Gardens come introduce yourselves to the animals.

Kendell
Animal Trainer at Busch Gardens