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Park News - (3/31/08) A Screamscape reader has sent in a bunch of photos (see sidebar) taken all over Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the park still looks to be in great condition and is holding up well after receiving lots of love and care for last year’s 100th Anniversary. One thing they noticed was that despite the fact that the park has permits to turn Haunted Castle into a new ride, they have still reopened it as the same old ride once again this season, confirming that if the new ride is still on the way, we wont see it until 2009 now.
  (9/11/07) The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk website confirms that the Facination game as well as the park’s Typhoon flat ride (Ranger) are on the way out and will be replaced with something new next season.

2008 - Sea Swings & Desperados - (5/7/08) The new Desperados interactive upcharge attraction is now open at SCBB, and from what I’ve been told they are starting things off with the discounted price of $3 (normally $5). I’ve also heard that despite the fact that construction on the new Sea Swings really hasn’t progressed very far, the ride is expected to open by the end of the month.
  (1/24/08) According to the LA Times, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will replace the old Facination game area with a 16 player Desperados Sheriff Academy game. Attendees at the last IAAPA show may remember Desperados are one of the hidden gems of the entire show floor. Desperados is an interactive upcharge game attraction experience built into a very compact space. At the IAAPA demo unit, small groups of about 6 were let into a small tiered level theater where you mounted your “horse” saddle unit that contained a grip to hang on to and a holster for your pistol.
  The graphics in the game are very kid friendly as you are soon introduced to the Sheriff, who looks like one of those human-form artist models, who trains you in how to use your weapon in an arcade style shooting gallery before your sent on a missing to capture some real bad guys, all done very cartoon style. In addition to the shooting aspect, your saddle actually moves around quite a bit giving you the true feeling of just how impossible it is to actually shoot anything at all from horseback. The setup features interactive lighting systems to light up the best and worst players (along with some verbal jabs from the Sheriff) and even had a camera unit to print out pictures of the players in action poses after the game was over, along with custom overlay graphics on the pictures to point out who was the “Best Sheriff” in the group. (It was me…)
  Point Blank… I loved this little game. It was a blast to play and far more fun than previous interactive multi-player upcharge “games” I’ve seen elsewhere. You can get all the details and actually see some in game video footage of Desperados in action at the official website.
  (1/16/08) The LA Times has confirmed that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will add the Sea Swings for the 2008 season on the former site of the Typhoon ride. The Sea Swings will feature 32 individual chairs and 16 double-chairs so parents can ride with their kids.
  (1/7/08) I’ve been told that Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk may be adding a Bertazzon Swing Carousel this season. Our source tells us that the new Swing ride will likely take the place of the Typhoon (Ranger). They also mention that Hurricane windstorm coaster may also be planned for removal, but I’ve been hearing that rumor for a few years now on and off, so don’t count on it happening right away. For the midway game purists, just a reminded that the Fascination game is going to be removed to make way for a new restroom facility since they will have to remove one to make way for the new Haunted Castle project.

2009 - New Haunted Castle - Planning - (5/7/08) Our sources tell us that the official word is spreading that this will indeed be the last year to experience Haunted Castle. From the sound of things they expect to demolish the current building by the end of the year to begin work on the brand new two-story (basement level will go down below the boardwalk) version of Haunted Castle. 
  (3/31/08) With SCBB open for the season, they’ve also reopened the old Haunted Castle, so it looks like the new Haunted Castle is on hold until 2009 now.
  (1/9/08) With the information posted yesterday about a new flat ride coming to the Boardwalk, we’ve got to wonder what the status of the new Haunted Castle is. From what we’ve been told the ride has yet to be touched so far and given the limited time left this year, we’ve got to wonder if Haunted Castle will run for one more season this year, bumping back the new ride to 2009. Anyone know more?
  (8/20/07) A reader visiting Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk came across a building permit sign posted at the park that mentions the demolition of the existing Haunted Castle building to construct a new Haunted Castle dark ride in the same location. The new building will have a basement, first and second stories, with the basement extending under the boardwalk itself. The load and unload area will be on the ground level with the remainder of the ride going into the basement level. The rest of the ground level space will be used for games, concessions, first aid and office space while the second floor will be used for office and employee areas.
  (2/21/07) A Screamscape source claims that with all the other work taking place around the SCBB for the big 100th Anniversary, plans to add a new dark ride to replace the Haunted Castle may have been bumped back a year. The new ride system was described as being a classic dark ride style without any sort of guns to shoot at targets, which seems to indicate they may be shooting for a true scare ride. We have heard something about it using roundish cars, which is either just a design choice or perhaps this ride may allow for spinning. We've also heard that the attraction is expected to be two stories tall, starting on the boardwalk level and dropping down a floor underground to the beach level.
  (1/25/07) We’ve got some new rumors from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk of interest to dark ride fans. We’ve been told that this will be the last season for the Haunted Castle and the plan is to replace it with a new and improved dark ride next season.
  (3/2/06) Screamscape has dug up another interesting rumor about a proposed dark ride. We still don’t know a thing about the theme, size or exactly what kind of ride it may be, but we have heard that it will feature some kind of spinning cars.
  (1/26/06) Screamscape has heard a rumor that the park may be developing some kind of new dark ride. So far the park has been very quiet this year. Anyone know more?

200? - New Coaster - Rumor - (2/22/06) I’m not exactly sure of the timeline, but we’ve heard that the park eventually add a new Wild Mouse coaster to replace the Whirlwind.