Six Flags’s Zumanjaro Is Progress, and Progress Cannot be Stopped


There will always be those among us who stand against progress, hoping to prevent the next great technological or social leap in favor of conserving some memory of a past they find comforting. The world of amusement park rides, apparently, is no different.

Since Six Flags Great Adventure announced the construction of Zumanjaro, New Jersey resident and longtime Six Flags attendee Kara Silverman hasn’t taken too kindly to the idea. That’s mainly because the park plans to demolish its classic “Rolling Thunder” roller coaster in order to make room for what will be the largest drop ride in the world once its completed.

Silverman has subsequently launched a campaign to save Rolling Thunder, which opened in 1979, netting, as of Sunday afternoon, around 540 signatures on a petition to save the ride. Six Flags, meanwhile, has already started giving away pieces of Rolling Thunder’s tracks to members of a national roller coaster group.

The ride itself, though, was not among Six Flags most popular, with park guests ranking it lowest among all the parks attractions. For park president John Fitzgerald, though, the future will offer brighter horizons for bummed-out Rolling Thunder Supporters:

“I do sympathize with them,” said Fitzgerald. “We do need to have more things for people to ride together and that’s what we plan on putting into the Rolling Thunder area.”

If the Silverman camp can see that, we’ll be dropping our faces off come next summer. It’s about progress. [APP]