2006 News Roundup - Part 3

(Our apologies – Much of our news was lost back in 2006 due to server issues! Here is a summary of what happened throughout the peak of 2006)

JUNE 30TH 2006 : CHANGE OF RUNNING TIMES FOR CORKSCREW AND OTHER RIDES
Corkscrew, Hex, Ug Swinger and Submission’s operating hours will shortly be amended, as the park prepares for the opening of both the Peugeot 207 Driving School and a children’s play area in the Big Top.
JULY 11TH 2006 : ARE YOU A GAYDARDAYS EARLY BIRD?
GAYDARDAYS at Thorpe Park on 9th September & Alton Towers on 30th September.
JULY 12TH 2006 : THE ALTON TOWERS NATURIST WEEKEND
An Alton Towers Naturist Weekend is set to go ahead on 17-19th November 2006. Taking place at both the Alton Towers and Splash Landings Hotels, the theme park itself will be closed for maintenance and Alton Towers have therefore offered the resort to members of British Naturism for this one weekend.
JULY 15TH 2006 : WIN ALTON TOWERS FOR A DAY!
An exciting competition has been lauched by Alton Towers, with a first prize not to be missed – the chance to win Alton Towers itself for an exclusive day out with fifty guests.
JULY 15TH 2006 : ALTON TOWERS HOTELS’ SMOKING GOES UP IN SMOKE
Towers Times has learnt that the Alton Towers and Splash Landings Hotels will be smoke-free from July 22nd 2006 – nearly a year ahead of forthcoming government legislation.
JULY 20TH 2006 : ACCIDENT AT ALTON TOWERS
Six people have been taken to hospital and 26 others treated for cuts and bruises following an accident on the Runaway Mine Train ride at Alton Towers
JULY 21ST 2006 : DRIVING SCHOOL OPENS/’GREAT BRITISH’ EVENT ALMOST READY
TowersTimes is pleased to report that the new Peugeot Driving School finally opened to the public earlier this week and that, with the ‘Great British Bucket and Spade Event’ due to get into full swing tomorrow, construction of the Towers Street beach is well underway.
JULY 28TH 2006 : CANCELLATION OF MUSLIM FUN DAY
Due to a lower than expected volume of ticket sales, Islamic Leisure have backed out of hiring the park for the planned Muslim Fun Day on September 17th. The park will now open as usual on the day instead.
JULY 28TH 2006 : ELECTRIC TOWERS
Alton Towers have released details of the 2006 firework spectacular, with a unique event based on the theme of ‘Electric Towers’.
AUGUST 28TH 2006 : WOMAN FOUND DEAD AT ALTON TOWERS HOTEL
A dream hen night turned into tragedy at the Alton Towers Hotel on Monday, when a young woman was found dead in the hotel. Her death was not being treated as suspicious.
AUGUST 28TH 2006 : RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN TO RE-OPEN THIS SEASON
Alton Towers’ Mechanical Engineering Manager has stated that the Runaway Mine Train will definitely be re-open this season, following an accident on July 20th, caused by the failure of a component in the coupling mechanism.
AUGUST 28TH 2006 : ALTON TOWERS THEME PARK – 2007/08 AND BEYOND
Alton Towers have confirmed that 2007 will see no major new attraction at the park, instead investment will be seen throughout the park in areas such as improving the queue line experiences.
SEPTEMBER 2ND 2006 : ALTON TOWERS HOTEL HALLOWEEN
Details of the Alton Towers Hotel Halloween event have been announced – including a maze and other surprises. Initially thought to have been cancelled, it now seems that a smaller event is taking place at the hotels.
SEPTEMBER 2ND 2006 : AT ROALD DAHL DAY – SEPT 16TH 2006
September 16th 2006 sees the latest Alton Towers promotional offer – in celebration of ‘Roald Dahl Day’, which falls three days earlier on September 13th.
SEPTEMBER 4TH 2006 : HOTEL EXTENSION PLANS
TowersTimes can exclusively reveal that a planning application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for a “Hotel Extension” of 6,906 sq metres.
SEPTEMBER 4TH 2006 : RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN RE-OPENING DATE
TowersTimes can exclusively reveal that Alton Towers aim to reopen the Runaway Mine Train on or around the 4th October.
SEPTEMBER 8TH 2006 : RIDE OPERATIONAL CHANGES
Alton Towers have slashed the opening times of major rides and attractions considerably for the remainder of the 2006 season.
SEPTEMBER 16TH 2006 : ADRENALINE WEEK RETURNS
Alton Towers have announced that last year’s successful ‘Adrenaline week’ will make a welcome return for this season.
SEPTEMBER 16TH 2006 : FIRE HITS MERRIE ENGLAND
A road sweeper caught fire just after 05.00 this morning in Merrie England, causing minor damage to the Merry Mayhem building.
SEPTEMBER 22ND 2006 : ALTON TOWERS WEDDING GOES OFF WITHOUT A HITCH
A couple whose wedding plans were threatened following the booking of Alton Towers by Islamic Leisure have finally tied the knot at Alton Towers.
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2006 : FINAL PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR GAYDARDAYS WEEKENDER
Final preparations are underway for this weekend’s GaydarDays event at Alton Towers. The park will be open as usual to other guests, with a ride close time of 9.30pm – the latest ever.
OCTOBER 3RD 2006 : PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR HOG’S HEAD BAR/RESTAURANT AND ELECTRICITY SUBSTATION SUBMITTED
Alton Towers have applied for planning permission for an alteration to the Hog’s Head bar/restaurant in Fountain Square, an electricity Substation and the installation of two dishes and three antennas onto the Flag Tower.
OCTOBER 5TH 2006 : ALTON TOWERS NATURIST WEEKEND – FURTHER DETAILS
The Alton Towers Naturist Weekend, first reported by TowersTimes back in July, has now been confirmed for 17-19th November 2006, after fears that the event would not prove popular enough.
OCTOBER 6TH 2006 : WORLD’S LARGEST PARAPSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT TO TAKE PLACE AT ALTON TOWERS
Fright Nights are hoping to break the Guinness World Records by staging the World’s Biggest Ghost Hunt on 31 October from 7:00pm – 12:00pm. The ghost hunt, which is to be held at the Alton Towers gothic ruins, allegedly haunted by 15 different ghosts, is expected to attract more than 2,200 people.
OCTOBER 6TH 2006 : NO ACTION TO BE TAKEN IN ALTON TOWERS RAPE INQUIRY
Detectives investigating the alleged rape of a 15 year old girl on a school trip to Alton Towers on July 8, 2005 have announced they have completed their inquiry into the alleged attack and that no further action is to be taken.
OCTOBER 10TH 2006 : PLANS FOR 2008 WOODEN COASTER ANNOUNCED
Alton Towers have announced that they have what are described as ‘serious plans’ for a long-awaited ‘Megafobia style’ wooden rollercoaster to be built at the park in 2008.
OCTOBER 20TH 2006 : RITA CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
As final preparations get underway for the 2006 fireworks spectacular, Electric Towers, three of Alton Towers’ key attractions are closed – including 2005’s Rita – Queen of Speed, plus the Skyride* and Runaway Mine Train – which has been unavailable since an accident closed the ride on 20th July.
OCTOBER 23RD 2006 : LOG CABIN ACCOMMODATION FOR ALTON TOWERS?
Towerstimes has learnt that Alton Towers are considering the installation of ‘Log Cabin’ style accommodation, to complement the park’s existing hotels and possible extension.
OCTOBER 24TH 2006 : ACCESS TO ‘ROOM 13’ FOR ALL PARK GUESTS
TowersTimes can reveal that the Alton Towers Hotels’ ‘Room 13’ attraction will be open to all park guests from 5pm throughout both the Electric Towers event and Adrenaline week. Entry will cost £5, which will include a beer, glass of wine or a soft drink, plus the chance to watch the ‘Dance with the Devil’ show and can be booked at the Alton Towers hotel reception, between 5 and 11pm.
OCTOBER 24TH 2006 : RITA RE-OPENS IN TIME FOR ELECTRIC TOWERS EVENT
TowersTimes is pleased to report that Rita – Queen of Speed has re-opened in time for the forthcoming Electric Towers event.
OCTOBER 24TH 2006 : FURTHER PLANNING APPLICATION: ADVENTURE GOLF
The recent wave of Alton Towers planning applications has continued with yet another application – this time for an Adventure Golf attraction.
OCTOBER 25TH 2006 : 2008 WOODEN ROLLERCOASTER – UPDATE
Further to the news story of 10th October, more information has now come to light about the proposed 2008 wooden rollercoaster, which shows that the location would be the site behind the towers/Cred Street – also formerly known as ‘coaster corner’.
OCTOBER 27TH 2006 : TOWERS, TREATS AND TRAILS
2007’s February half-term week will see a special event – ‘Towers, Treats and Trails’, which will include paintballing, archery, a number of treasure hunts and the opening of old MacDonald’s Farmyard.
NOVEMBER 1ST 2006 : ‘SOUND OF MUSIC’ RETURNS TO ALTON TOWERS
After a successful ‘Sound of Music’ event in the theme park during the 2005 season, you will now be able to experience the classic Julie Andrews film again at the Resort hotels this month.
NOVEMBER 4TH 2006 : NEW FOOD OUTLET FOR FORBIDDEN VALLEY
Further to the news article of October 3rd, detailing a planning application for the demolition of the Hog’s Head Bar/Restaurant and erection of a whole new restaurant building, TowersTimes can reveal that further changes are afoot – this time in Forbidden Valley.
NOVEMBER 7TH 2006 : YOURDAY DVD; NEW FOR 2007
Further details are now available regarding the 2007 season’s introduction of an exciting new souvenir option at Alton Towers – ‘YourDay’; a high quality, professionally produced 30 minute DVD of, er, your day at the park.
NOVEMBER 18TH 2006 : JOB CUTS AT ALTON TOWERS
It’s no secret that 2006 has not been a good year for Alton Towers and this has now been further reflected with the axing of at least 20 members of staff.