Here are today’s 9 verified theme park & live event stories, covering Theme Parks & Roller Coasters, Stadiums & Arenas and Live Music & Venues.
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Theme Parks & Roller Coasters: Former Disney Cast Member Faces Grand Theft Charges Over Disney Springs Incident
- Stadiums & Arenas: Wrigley Field to Host Coliseum Summit US
- Live Music & Venues: Fuerza Regida Adds Second Leg to Record-Setting Tour
Theme Parks & Roller Coasters
Former Disney Cast Member Faces Grand Theft Charges Over Disney Springs Incident
A former Disney’s Animal Kingdom retail cast member, Cynthia Elizabeth Molina, 28, has pleaded not guilty to grand theft and robbery charges stemming from an alleged incident at Disney Springs’ World of Disney store. According to an Orange County Sheriff’s incident report cited by WDW News Today, she is accused of taking roughly 100 items worth about $2,193 and changing shirts before being caught. Molina denies the charges, and the case remains pending in court.
Cedar Point & Kings Dominion Unveil DIABLO Haunted Maze
Cedar Point and Kings Dominion will debut DIABLO: The Infernal Path this Halloween season, a haunted maze built around the demonic world of the Diablo video game franchise. Guests will walk through environments themed to villains including The Butcher, Duriel, Baal, Mephisto, Lilith and Diablo himself, according to Amusement Today. The maze is included with a Haunted Attractions Pass at both parks, which enthusiasts also know for record-chasing roller coasters like the ones featured in our ranking of the world’s longest roller coasters.
Some Disney Springs Stores Stop Accepting Disney Gift Cards
Several third-party retailers at Disney Springs, including Zara and Vera Bradley, have stopped accepting Disney Gift Cards after changes to their contracts with Disney. Other third-party shops, such as Sephora, still take the cards, and every Disney-owned store continues to honor them, WDW News Today reports.
Lake Compounce Closes Out Summer With Drone Shows and Fireworks
Lake Compounce is wrapping its summer season with two drone shows on August 21 and 22, featuring more than 300 drones flying designs chosen by guest vote. The park’s final fireworks show of the year follows on September 6, and its Crocodile Cove water park stays open through Labor Day weekend, according to Amusement Today.
Stadiums & Arenas
Wrigley Field to Host Coliseum Summit US
Wrigley Field will host the 11th Coliseum Summit US on August 26-27, bringing more than 55 speakers from across the stadium and arena industry to Chicago for two days of panels and networking. Only a limited number of delegate passes remained as registration neared its close, according to Coliseum.
Scheffler and McIlroy Close In on Tiger Woods’s Earnings Record
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are nearing Tiger Woods’s PGA Tour career earnings record of roughly $121 million, with both golfers sitting within about $4.5 million of the mark. Multi-million-dollar purses at the upcoming FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and Tour Championship could let either player pass Woods before the season ends, according to Front Office Sports.
Live Music & Venues
Fuerza Regida Adds Second Leg to Record-Setting Tour
Fuerza Regida has announced a second leg of its “This Is Our Dream Tour,” adding ten amphitheater and arena dates from October 3 to November 2, including stops at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and venues in Atlanta, Charlotte and Birmingham. The new leg follows a sold-out nine-city stadium run that grossed more than $47 million, playing venues in the same amphitheater tradition as Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, per Pollstar. Presales begin August 11, with general onsale following August 14 through Live Nation.
The Chicks Add Tour Dates and Expanded Album for ‘Taking the Long Way’ Anniversary
The Chicks have added Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles stops to their 20th-anniversary tour for Taking the Long Way, with the Los Angeles date at the Dolby Theatre on November 3 closing out the run. An expanded 3LP anniversary edition of the Grammy-winning album, featuring three unreleased demos and two rarities, arrives October 2, according to Pollstar. The tour will feature the full album performed live for the first time.
Laufey Opens Up About Her Onstage Fear of Eye Contact
Laufey says that even after years of touring arenas, she’s still uneasy making direct eye contact with fans onstage, a habit she traces to a classical-training teacher who once told her it looked “creepy.” “I’m so scared of freaking people out! I’m always thinking about it,” she said, according to Billboard. She makes an exception during her set closer, “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self,” when she looks for young fans in the crowd.
Explore more: ranking of the world’s longest roller coasters, Ameris Bank Amphitheatre.
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Photo: Floppykart / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.