Amusement Park

About two dozen people -- at times nostalgic, angry and enthusiastic -- attended the first meeting of the Friends of the Enchanted Forest last night at Cafe Bagel in the Lynwood Square shopping center in Ellicott City.The group wants to find ways to revive the abandoned amusement park on U.S. 40 in Ellicott City.The meeting last night gave some who attended an opportunity to share memories of trips to the park as children or parents."It was like coming out to the country to come to a park made for us," recalled Lori Pearson, an Ellicott City resident whose parents drove her to Enchanted Forest from Washington about 30 years ago. "It was special."

Even as an experienced sailor, Peter McChesney said that racing the J/70 gives him a different kind of thrill. The 223/4-foot boat, the newest design of Rhode Island-based J/Boats, which began building its line in the late 1970s, will be the most popular entry in the prestigious Annapolis National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) Regatta Series, which will be held Friday through next Sunday. The third leg of the six-race series is expected to attract an estimated 1,000 sailors, with the top prize being a trip to the Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship in the British Virgin Islands in November.

A Randallstown man was sentenced Thursday to serve 15 years for three hold-ups with a sawed-off shotgun in Glen Burnie, one of which he told a friend he would commit so he'd have cash to go to the Kings Dominion amusement park. However, Daniel Hunter Howard, 23, has similar cases pending in Baltimore, Howard and Prince George's counties -- multiple-count indictments stemming from armed robberies last summer, said Anne Arundel County Assistant State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

For many Carroll residents, a visit to the Pleasant Valley Christmas Train Garden is a touchstone of the holiday season that brings them back year after year. And each year for the past 30 years, there have been others who discover the garden's magic for the first time and make plans to return to the Pleasant Valley Community Fire Company station in pastoral hamlet of Pleasant Valley for a visit the following December as well. Mike Chrest, of Union Mills, a long-time volunteer firefighter, has been the principal curator and keeper of the roughly 18- by 18-foot HO-gauge train garden, which casts a warm glow in the dimly lit gallery-sized room where it is housed.

Six Flags America, an amusement park in Upper Marlboro, said Thursday it would introduce its 14 t h major attraction in its water park — a set of six tubes more than six stories tall that can accommodate six riders simultaneously, the company said. The attraction, called Bonzai Pipelines, will open next season within the Hurricane Harbor water section of the park. Visitors will free fall through clear tubing for 50 feet and then slide an additional 200 feet in darkness, the company said.

The eerie sound of a pipe organ fills the air on Ocean City 's boardwalk as families, couples and solitary fans enter the seaside ride filled with severed heads, torture chambers and other ghoulish delights. Trimper's Haunted House is a vacation staple that has stood in the same location since 1964. But this boardwalk icon is far more than a nostalgic reminder of summers past. The house is an important part of the legacy of Bill Tracy, master of dark rides, those amusement park staples that ferry patrons through interiors where lighting, sound and creative displays are designed to amuse - or terrify.

SOME ADVICE for visitors to the new Six Flags America Amusement Park in Largo: Make the trip on a weekday.Those who dare visit on weekends should be prepared to sit through traffic jams on roads that lead to Maryland's only big-league amusement park and then to scout for scarce parking. Many visitors defy caution and park on the shoulders and grass along Route 214.So while the new Joker's Jinx roller coaster is not dangerous, getting to it could be.The $40 million expansion of the former Adventure World -- off Central Avenue (Route 214)

You can tell Glen Echo Park is alive in the glint of the carousel lion's eye, the shrieking laughter of children at a puppet show, the whirling gracefulness of couples waltzing in the ballroom.But the peeling paint, rotting wooden pillars and boarded-up windows remind you that the century-old park on the Potomac River Palisades in Montgomery County is dying, too.And that's the quandary for the owner, the National Park Service: too expensive to save, too beloved to bulldoze.Glen Echo Park is part of the social fabric of the Washington suburbs and beyond.

There once was an enchanted forest along the Magothy River, where children rode a Ferris wheel and played arcade games, families picnicked by the water, the faithful were baptized in the river and James Brown performed for Saturday night revelers in the dance pavilion. Beechwood Park was a short-lived summer sanctuary in Pasadena that catered to black residents in the Baltimore area and beyond who wanted to spend a day by the water - a simple pleasure often denied them in a segregated society in which many local beaches served whites only.

Every year, new restaurants, stores and other attractions pop up on the Delaware shore. This year is no exception. The list below is a sampling of some of the more interesting places that have recently opened their doors, as wel as some beach standbys. Rehoboth Beach What's new Little Egg Harbor Soap, 129 Rehoboth Ave., lehsoap.com. This is the third location and the first in Delaware for the New Jersey-based fancy-soap retailer, founded in 1997. The shop sells blocks of house-made soaps in attractive colors and scents, as well as sugar scrubs, lip balms and lotions, all made with all-natural, nonanimal ingredients.

The eerie sound of a pipe organ fills the air on Ocean City 's boardwalk as families, couples and solitary fans enter the seaside ride filled with severed heads, torture chambers and other ghoulish delights. Trimper's Haunted House is a vacation staple that has stood in the same location since 1964. But this boardwalk icon is far more than a nostalgic reminder of summers past. The house is an important part of the legacy of Bill Tracy, master of dark rides, those amusement park staples that ferry patrons through interiors where lighting, sound and creative displays are designed to amuse - or terrify.

Six Flags America, an amusement park in Upper Marlboro, said Thursday it would introduce its 14 t h major attraction in its water park — a set of six tubes more than six stories tall that can accommodate six riders simultaneously, the company said. The attraction, called Bonzai Pipelines, will open next season within the Hurricane Harbor water section of the park. Visitors will free fall through clear tubing for 50 feet and then slide an additional 200 feet in darkness, the company said.

Daniel Ewald says he's ready when and if zombies ever take over. His Hampden home is fitted with solar panels to provide power in case he needs to be locked away. His partner is a former Eagle Scout with survival skills galore. And the two have honed their "Zombie Apocalypse" training with video games such as "Zombies Ate My Neighbors," "Dead Island" and the "Resident Evil" series. "We could survive the first wave," the 28-year-old said with a chuckle. Should the zombie apocalypse strike, self-described zombiephiles such as Ewald are ready.

Every year, new restaurants, stores and other attractions pop up on the Delaware shore. This year is no exception. The list below is a sampling of some of the more interesting places that have recently opened their doors, as wel as some beach standbys. Rehoboth Beach What's new Little Egg Harbor Soap, 129 Rehoboth Ave., lehsoap.com. This is the third location and the first in Delaware for the New Jersey-based fancy-soap retailer, founded in 1997. The shop sells blocks of house-made soaps in attractive colors and scents, as well as sugar scrubs, lip balms and lotions, all made with all-natural, nonanimal ingredients.

Atlantic City, N.J. Borgata Spa Experience It's important to take time to pamper yourself. For an ultimate week of relaxation, head to Atlantic City for the Borgata Spa Experience. Hailed as one of the best spa destinations in the world, the Borgata is offering discounted treatments, hotel packages and events at Spa Toccare and Immersion Spa at the Water Club. The spa offers free seminars and demonstrations all week, as well as massages by Spa Toccore, skin consultations by G.M. Collin and Epicuren and make-up lessons by Jane Iredale.

More than 600 students left William Paca Elementary on the city's east side Thursday and marched to Patterson Park for a field day. While they played, about 300 volunteers descended on their school to paint, carpet, tile and landscape. Those not assigned a renovation task organized kids' activities in the park. The student lounge underwent a makeover that turned its dark walls pale blue. Volunteers cleaned the library shelves and recataloged the books. They refurbished the stage in the assembly room, replaced ceiling tiles, repaired the scoreboard in the gym and planted flowers in the outdoor gardens.

A Trimper's amusement park roller coaster on the Ocean City boardwalk injured three people Thursday, a spokesman said. Ocean City Fire Department crews were called to the "Tidal Wave" ride, located at South 1st Street and South Baltimore Avenue for reports of a fire and people trapped at about 9:30 p.m., Steve Price, spokesman with the fire department. But after arriving to the scene, he said there was no fire and the ride was not stuck, but three people had suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Think amusement parks are just for kids? Think again. There's nothing like screaming aboard a careening roller coaster, gorging on funnel cake and popcorn, or splashing in a spray of water to bring out your inner child. The advent of spring means parks across the region are now open for business, albeit with abridged, seasonal hours. That gives early birds ample time to catch a sneak preview before the summer crowds descend. Many parks are launching new rides, shows and attractions aimed at all ages.

A Trimper's amusement park roller coaster on the Ocean City boardwalk injured three people Thursday, a spokesman said. Ocean City Fire Department crews were called to the "Tidal Wave" ride, located at South 1st Street and South Baltimore Avenue for reports of a fire and people trapped at about 9:30 p.m., Steve Price, spokesman with the fire department. But after arriving to the scene, he said there was no fire and the ride was not stuck, but three people had suffered non-life-threatening injuries.