u/GauntletVSLC

Virtually everything used here is dumpster dived, curb picked, thrifted, or otherwise secondhand. It’s mostly pallet boards and scrap 2x4s from construction dumpsters. The railings and sail cross members are made from a ridiculous number of trashed bed frames. The sails were table cloths pulled from a dumpster at a Macy’s that was shutting down. The tentacles were 6’ strips of spray foam that I pulled from a dumpster nearly two years ago with this project in mind. The chandelier, table, and decorative bits on the stern all came from dumpsters. The dishes, cannon, statue, and most of the screws came from free piles. The costumes are a mix of items scavenged from attic clean outs and Goodwill. The flag and one flintlock were purchased from an auction for $3 total. The lanterns and some of the paneling were purchased from a liquidation auction from an axe throwing place back in 2024. I accidentally purchased a 70’ long wall and had to remove it or be charged disposal. Glad I held onto those panels!

This is only my 4th year decorating for Halloween. My dumpster displays have gotten more intense each year!

On Labor Day we took our first visit to a Six Flags park since SFA closed. We have two kids that really wanted to visit the waterpark, so we didn’t do too much on the dry side. It was our first visit to their waterpark. It’s definitely much larger than SFA’s was, but also far more confusing. It was crazy that slides that shared a tower had entrances on opposite sides of the park. The kids had fun there. While they were splashing around in one of the kiddie pools I got to run off and get a ride on their Shoot the Chutes ride. While much bigger than SFA’s it felt like a less intense splash. The only coaster I rode ended up being Iron Menace. It was new to me as my last visit to Dorney was 2018. I told my wife it was a decent half of a coaster. I found it the smoothest of the most recent B&M coasters I’ve ridden.

Looking forward to getting to visit again and getting back on Talon. It was closed most of our visit and got a long line when it reopened. I definitely miss having my DE-VIP pass with dining. Individual trips feel far more expensive now. (Though thanks to Pre-k passes, I didn’t have to purchase passes for the kids this year.)

It flashes non-stop when turned on. I contacted the power supply company and they recommended trying a replacement power supply. If the tube has lost pressure, what are my best bets for keeping it running?

This girl is in rough shape. Her feet have sores, her wings have scabs on the top, and she’s missing a lot of feathers under her belly and around her tail. We have minimal experience with any kind of chickens as the only other chicken around is a free range leghorn hen that spends about half her time in our yard and half in an unknown roosting area. How can I best help this lady out?

Found a bunch of little crows in a dumpster a couple months ago. I decided to add some eyes to them. 😆

Took the family to Lake Winnie for the first time today. I had never been to this park, but had seen signs for it on previous trips down south. We had an absolutely fantastic time. We loved the charm of the lakefront. The historic carousel was a definite highlight. I found it very cool how the horses were in various stages of restoration. My daughter rode a beautifully painted purple horse, while I chose a crusty steed. “Crusty horses need love too.” I told her.

The Wacky Factory - An odd attraction. Far from the best “haunted attraction” I’ve been on, but it has some interesting features that make it unique. It felt like at one point there was a theme of odd vaguely spooky items. Now it feels like they shoved random Halloween decor in a couple places. I really liked how they used the fact the building is built over the lake. Open floors to glowing green lake water made for a memorable experience.

Boat Chute - A classic attraction from a different time. My 5 year old found the long dark tunnel creepy and was thrilled when we came back into the light. The splashdown was refreshing without soaking us, though I got some lake water in my mouth and I can’t recommend that.

Tour Train - Who doesn’t love a miniature railroad? Especially when it is a functional transportation ride that has a stop at the waterpark?

Wacky Worm - It’s a Wacky Worm, nothing really spectacular, but it will be special to us because it was my nearly 3 year old’s first roller coaster! She has loved looking at rides since she was a baby, but up to this point she has (understandably) always chickened out. She really found her courage this trip!

Cannon Ball - This was my biggest draw for the park. Wooden coasters are always a favorite for me, and as Wild One is SBNO I really wanted a classic out-and-back coaster fix. I got the non-wheel seat in the back car and enjoyed my ride. It was no Wild One, as the train crawled over some of the “airtime” hills. However, any wooden coaster I feel like I could ride for hours without needing immediate chiropractic care is a win.

Soak ‘ya Waterpark - 10/10 name. The water park really saved the day, as by noon we were melting in the Georgia sun and humidity. We spent a decent portion of our day in the lazy river, which was great. I had my first experience with a mat racer waterslide and why do they make anything else? Those were faster and more fun than 90% of waterslides I’ve ridden in my life.
Sadly their midsized splash pad wasn’t operating today.

And finally, the highlight of the trip: The Alpine Way skyride. Despite melting heat yards away leaving the waterpark, there was a nice breeze and enough shade from the ride to make the ride experience quite pleasant. The views were spectacular, and we enjoyed looking at the monster carp(?) below. Especially seeing them in comparison to the paddle boats.

Gift Shop - Great shirts, hoodies, and pins. We ended up with a pin, a couple postcards, a t-shirt with a retro style graphic and skyline, a 100th anniversary pin, a couple 3D printed animals that the girls picked out, and a bumper sticker. I also liked looking at some of the signs and vintage items they had displayed for their 100th anniversary last year.

Overall, we had a blast. Fun park, some unique experiences, and pleasant atmosphere.

Cons: For as hot as it was there were maybe two water fountains in the park, and the food stands said they couldn’t give us cups of water. So your options were basically heat stroke, or $3/bottle water/powerade. Souvenir Cups - $10, but refills are still $4.
New Ride for 2026 - the track is complete, but the entry area is mostly dirt with no signage yet. No sign of a train yet. I highly doubt this is opening in 2026.
Confusing Ride schedules - Several rides were just closed today, that happens. The weird thing was the number of rides that had weird opening times. Like the Wacky Worm said it was open 10-12 and 2-4, and the drop tower had the same sign. I never saw the drop ride open until around 3 and missed out on that one. Somehow we rode the Wacky Worm at 1:30. 😂

Definitely worth a visit, just because it’s different.

I found this album in a dumpster a few years ago. About a year after I found it I finally noticed a name on one of the pages - turns out it belonged to Major General William J Witte. I posted about it on r/wwiipics and somehow a family member saw the post! I’m on vacation this week and took the album with me, because on my way home Saturday I will be meeting with his grandson (who is named after William) to return the album to those who will appreciate it most! I’m super stoked about this! Apparently the album was with an uncle and when he passed his items were all thrown out without this family branch being aware.

It never came to my area, but I found it at Kroger in Farragut TN while on vacation!

Copper, aluminum, a good sized motor, and heavy steel scrap today.