First off…rumor has it I may—or may not—have been working on a special project that will knock your socks off. But I got that from a source working on the inside with the Dippin’ Dots dude, so you know how that is. (Surely this whole Dippin’ Dots thing originated from some marketing genius at the company. Any of you run to the stand every time you hear park rumors?) I also was told on the sly that the corporate lawyers got busy figuring out what to do with it…but they waved their magic wand, blessed it, and now we’re waiting for the final stage. More soon…

Anyway, I saw the announcement awhile back that Six Flags Great America was going to convert the Yankee Harbor section of the park into DC UNIVERSE. (I suppose ALL-CAPS makes it even more super-hero-awesome-like). My first reaction? Oh my, another original design intent lost forever. I spent an entire chapter in my book discussing how all of the regional theme parks lost their theme over the years. Six Flags was the worst culprit, turning all their properties into McDonalds, where you wouldn’t even know which park you’re standing in.

And yet in that same book I admitted that some change is not only tolerable, but necessary. Even exciting in some cases. Lots of fans lament the Paramount years at Kings Island and her sister parks. (I still remember what you did to the Carolina Queen riverboat…) And yet the park thrived with continued investment. Admit it…some of that stuff was pretty good, after all. Different from what we grew up with? Of course. And that’s sad. But if nothing changed the parks would grow stale, out of touch with new generations of people and entertainment.

Randall Duell and his team did a really nice job on the two Great America parks. They were the pinnacle of regional design, resulting from years of learning as they went. Should Six Flags hold on to that forever? At what point does it stop being “Great America”? Does it matter, as long as the design is well-done? Let me know your thoughts. Meantime I’ll sit here waiting to hear about that super-secret, is-it-real-or-not bit of frozen delights.