Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food at Universal Citywalk

Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food
Opens tonight at Universal Citywalk!

Antojitos is the Next Venue to Debut as Part of Universal Orlando’s Historic Expansion to its CityWalk Entertainment Complex

ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2014) – Universal CityWalk’s newest restaurant, Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food, officially opens tonight – becoming the second eatery to debut as part of this year’s historic expansion to Universal’s entertainment complex. Featuring colorful décor, fresh, authentic cuisine, more than 200 different tequilas, and authentic Mexican folk art, Antojitos takes diners on a journey through the cantinas, street carts and markets of Mexico City for craveable Mexican fare that is unlike any other.

Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food is located in the heart of Universal CityWalk, right next to the groove nightclub. Visitors to the vibrant, two-story restaurant can enjoy two unique dining experiences, both featuring a delicious menu that combines authentic, traditional Mexican fare with all-new flavors – all made from scratch using the freshest ingredients.

Guests can choose to dine downstairs and enjoy a more casual dining experience that includes items like carnitas al pastor tacos (made with beer and chile braised pork, grilled pineapple and guajillo salsa) and oaxaca enchiladas (chicken tinga and house made mole sauce, queso fresco and lime crema). Upstairs, guests can enjoy a more refined dining experience that includes menu options like carne asada brava (coffee crusted ribeye with fire roasted vegetables) and menonita shrimp (bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed with menonita cheese, manchego corn pudding and a poblano chorizo sauce). Diners can also watch as their fresh guacamole is prepared tableside, enjoy nightly entertainment in the restaurant, and sample a variety of specialty beverages – including authentic Mexican soda, beers, regional wines and an extensive selection of tequila and mezcal.

Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food is now open nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight. Antojitos is the next venue to debut as part of Universal CityWalk’s historic expansion, which will include the addition of eight new venues to the complex’s already popular collection of national brands. Other venues to join Antojitos this year include Hot Dog Hall of Fame, VIVO Italian Kitchen, Cold Stone Creamery, Menchie’s, and The CowFish. For more information about Universal CityWalk, visit: www.universalorlando.com.

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Ovarian Cycle Atlanta Ride to Change the Future®

Atlanta’s 10th Anniversary OCRF Ovarian Cycle Fundraiser Set for March 22 at Midtown Athletic Club

Indoor cycling event raises money for ovarian cancer research

ATLANTA, Feb. 03, 2014 – Ovarian Cancer Research Fund’s (OCRF) Ovarian Cycle Ride to Change the Future® this March will mark its 10th anniversary in the city where this nationally growing fundraising event all started.

Individuals and teams are encouraged to sign up now for the 10th anniversary Ovarian Cycle Atlanta Ride to Change the Future, a six-hour indoor cycling event raising money for much-needed ovarian cancer research.

This year’s ride will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 22nd, at Midtown Athletic Club, located at 135 Interstate North Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Participants in OCRF’s Ovarian Cycle Ride to Change the Future pedal toward a healthier body while simultaneously raising money for this worthy cause. When they register for the event, participants also qualify for six weeks of optional, free endurance training, culminating in the final March 22nd ride of 100 virtual miles on stationary indoor cycling equipment at Midtown Athletic Club.

Ovarian Cycle was launched in Atlanta in 2004 and in 2012 became a signature event of OCRF, the oldest and largest charity in the U.S. funding ovarian cancer research. With annual cycling fundraisers now scheduled in at least 10 major U.S. cities, to date Ovarian Cycle has raised more than $2.1 million to fund scientific research on ovarian cancer.

Participants in last year’s Ovarian Cycle event in Atlanta raised more than $162,000. The Atlanta goal for the 10th anniversary ride this March is $200,000.

Ovarian Cycle is sponsored nationally by Health magazine, Coca-Cola and LUNA energy bars. Local sponsors adding their support to the Atlanta event include Midtown Athletic Club (the Host Sponsor) and The Butin Group, of St. Simons Island, Ga.

In addition, some of Atlanta’s most-popular fitness clubs are providing stationary bicycles for the Ovarian Cycle Atlanta ride. They include the Host Sponsor Midtown Athletic Club, Total Fitness Revolution, Urban Body Fitness, and Attitude Fitness.

“As this exhilarating fundraising event continually expands and gets stronger, it helps bring us closer to the day women will no longer need to be worried about ovarian cancer,” says Bethany Diamond, founder of Ovarian Cycle. “Since day one, Atlantans have set an example with their outstanding dedication to this cause, which is helping fund some remarkable research in the fight against this dreadful disease.”

For the March 22nd Ride to Change the Future event, riders may cycle solo the full six hours or they may form teams to split time on their stationary bikes, with each team member riding for any increment of one or more hours. A break is scheduled for every hour.

Registration Website

To register for the 2014 OCRF Ovarian Cycle Atlanta Ride to Change the Future®, visit ovariancycle.kintera.org/Atlanta. The registration fee is $50 per person. (The fee is waived for ovarian cancer survivors.) In addition, prior to participating in the final ride March 22nd, all riders individually must meet a fundraising minimum based on the number of hours they plan to ride. The fundraising minimums are $600 if a participant is planning to ride all six hours on March 22nd (solo or as a team member) or $400 if an individual is planning to participate on a bike for less than six hours.

Ovarian cancer survivors do not have to pay the $50 registration fee to ride in the event, but must meet one of the fundraising minimums prescribed for all participants. Please review the registration website for more details.

Once registered, participants are given their own online page to personalize and use for fundraising, as well as the opportunity to enroll in the free endurance training, which is offered at Midtown Athletic Club.

During the Ovarian Cycle event, riders may spin at their own pace. With upbeat music setting the tone, instructors will be on hand to motivate all riders and ensure a fun and exciting experience. Snacks and refreshments will be served to participants in the event and prizes and commemorative gift bags will be given away. Participating riders also will receive commemorative performance T-shirts.

Free Training Help

Participants need not have prior cycling experience or be in good shape, but can expect to reap rewards in both areas if they start training now. The registration fee covers the six weeks of optional, free endurance training at Midtown Athletic Club, beginning Feb. 8th.

In addition, whether participants are riding for one hour or six, they can prepare for the March 22nd indoor cycling event by using the tools provided in the online Ovarian Cycle™ Fit Kit. This training guide, with tips and tricks to help get in shape for the final ride, can be downloaded from the registration website for the 2014 OCRF Ovarian Cycle Atlanta Ride to Change the Future®.

“Virtual Riders” Invited to Join Effort

People unable to attend or ride on March 22nd can participate as “virtual riders” to support the ovarian cancer research cause. There is no registration fee and no fundraising minimum for virtual riders. To sign up in this manner, be sure to indicate "Virtual Rider" during online registration.

About Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF)

Founded in 1994, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is the oldest and largest charity in the United States funding ovarian cancer research and ranks third in overall ovarian cancer research funding. Our mission is to fund scientific research that leads to more effective identification, treatment, and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers. There are an estimated 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States each year and, annually, about 15,500 women die of the disease. Currently, there are no effective means of early detection.

Since 1998, OCRF has invested more than $57 million in ovarian cancer research through grants to scientists at 65 leading medical centers in the United States. Thanks to the generosity of our individual donors, our investigators are developing innovative strategies for early detection; exploring the genetics that increase risk for ovarian cancer; understanding the underlying molecular biology of the disease; identifying new and better targets for treatment; and deciphering how and why ovarian cancer spreads, and how to stop it.

Eighty-six percent of every dollar raised for OCRF directly supports our programs earning OCRF a coveted four-star ranking from the independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator. In 2012 and again in 2013, OCRF received a record-setting number of grant applications.

Visit www.ocrf.org to learn more and join the fight.

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Kings Island announces Banshee!

As you know, I am an amusement park enthusiast!  I try to visit all the parks that I can and ride as many of their rides as possible.  Luckily, my kids also love amusement parks and rides.  The nearest amusement park is Kings Island - so we usually try to purchase season passes and visit often.

Today I am thrilled because Kings Island has announced plans for a screaming new world record-breaking inverted roller coaster coaster to open in 2014!  Banshee!




Also, I want whatever program they used to create this virtual Kings Island! I have Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 - and can't create anything as amazing as the park in this birds-eye view.





So, who wants to ride this terrifyingly awesome looking coaster with me?

KINGS ISLAND, Ohio – The longest inverted steel roller coaster in the world, “Banshee,” will make its debut at Kings Island in April of 2014.

The first female-inspired thrill ride at a Cedar Fair Entertainment Company amusement park, Banshee will send riders screaming through 4,124.1 feet of track and seven mind-bending inversions at speeds up to 68 miles per hour during the 2-minute, 40-second ride.

Built over hilly terrain and incorporating the most exciting features of the very best inverted roller coasters in the world, Banshee will feature several unique elements that distinguish the ride from others.

The ride begins with a lift taking riders up to the maximum height of 167 feet. After plunging down 150 feet, riders will go through a dive loop, followed by a vertical loop, zero gravity roller, two batwing inversions, a second vertical loop and a 170-foot long heartline finale.

Two of the most unique features about Banshee are the massive size of every loop, and unlike other roller coasters, the top speed isn’t reached until halfway through the ride’s course.

Since Banshee’s lift hill is on a higher elevation of terrain than the other side of the ride that goes down into a valley, the total elevation change is 208 feet from the highest point at the top of the lift hill to the lowest point, which is the bottom of the batwing between loops four and five.

Passengers will be seated in cars four across. A total of three trains, each containing eight cars, will enable Banshee to accommodate approximately 1,650 riders per hour.

“Banshee reflects our commitment to providing the best in world-class thrills and value for our guests and is an investment in the Ohio tourism industry,” Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “People from around the world will plan a visit to Ohio next summer specifically to experience this ride."

Banshee will be the 15th roller coaster at Kings Island, which is home to some of the top-ranked roller coasters in annual industry and enthusiast polls including The Beast and Diamondback, and represents the biggest new product investment in the park’s 41-year history at $24 million.

Banshee was designed by Bolliger and Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, one of the premier leaders in roller coaster development. Since 1990, B&M have designed a number of ground-breaking and critically acclaimed roller coasters. In fact, B&M features 14 of the top 25 roller coasters on the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards Top Steel Roller Coasters list for 2012, five of which are listed in the top 10. They have more top-ranked steel roller coasters than any other ride manufacturer on the list.

B&M roller coasters are renowned for their smooth ride, comfortable seats and restraints, reliability, low maintenance, impeccable safety record and ride capacity.

As of 2013, B&M has more than 85 roller coasters operating worldwide, including Diamondback at Kings Island and this year’s sensation, GateKeeper at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

The construction of Banshee is currently underway in the Action Zone area of Kings Island. Park visitors can see the ride being built from the ground up with great aerial views and photo opportunities available from the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower on International Street. Those who cannot wait until 2014 may take a virtual ride on Banshee at visitkingsisland.com/banshee.

Visitors to visitkingsisland.com/banshee may also access exclusive Banshee updates, virtual videos and renderings, ride statistics and more.

Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Kings Island, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, four water parks, an indoor water park, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.

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Kings Island - Free Admission for Military Personnel

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                      Contact: Don Helbig

May 18, 2012                                                                                                                                         (513) 754-5797 

                                   

KINGS ISLAND TO OFFER FREE ADMISSION TO MILITARY PERSONNEL MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND FOURTH OF JULY

Offer valid for any active or retired members of the military

 

KINGS ISLAND, Ohio – Kings Island prides itself on providing world-class thrills, fun and entertainment for guests of all ages.   The 364-acre amusement and water park is also proud of the brave men and women who serve in the U.S. military and is pleased to announce plans for its Tribute to the Armed Forces program during the 2012 season.

 

Kings Island’s Tribute to the Armed Forces program will offer a free regular admission ticket to any active or retired military personnel Memorial Day weekend and over the Fourth of July.  Along with free admission, active and retired members of the military will be able to purchase discount admission tickets for members of their immediate family (maximum of six) at a special military discount price of $29.99.  A valid military ID must be presented at the Kings Island ticket window May 25-28 and July 3-5 to receive this offer.

 

Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.”  In addition to Kings Island , Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort and five hotels.  Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy , Calif. under a management contract.

 

www.twitter.com/kingsislandpr

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The Racer roller coaster at Kings Island to celebrate four decades of thrills!

 

                                   

THE RACER TO CELEBRATE FOUR DECADES OF THRILLS IN 2012

Kings Island roller coaster was the star attraction when the park opened in 1972

 

KINGS ISLAND, Ohio – “It rides like a baby coach.”

 

That was the opinion of the renowned late John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, who’s “baby” was the Racer roller coaster at Kings Island .

 

The Racer – really its twin racers – has been the focal point of the Coney Mall sector of the park for the past four decades, and with good reason.  The Racer is credited for re-igniting the roller coaster building boom in the early 1970’s, thus beginning the second golden age of the roller coaster.  More than 96 million guests have taken a ride on the Racer since it opened April 29, 1972 – the most in park history.  Its record year was 1976, when a park record 3,681,338 rides were given. 

 

In addition to being considered an important part of the roller coaster renaissance of the 1970’s, the Racer was the site of several world-record riding attempts and is notable for its appearance in the “Cincinnati Kids” episode of The Brady Bunch, filmed at the park in 1973.   On May 28, 1982, one side of the Racer became the world’s first full-length, backwards travelling roller coaster (both sides now face forward). 

 

Kings Island officials coaxed Allen out of semi-retirement for the task of designing and building the Racer.  He started to design the ride’s blueprints in 1969.  Actual construction began in September, 1970.  The first trial run came in September, 1971.  It worked perfectly the first time as Allen predicted it would. 

 

The Racer was the first roller coaster built structurally on the ground with prefabricated sections lifted into position and bolted.  It was one of the largest roller coasters ever built at the time, and the largest that Allen had built.  He considered the Racer to be the finest roller coaster he ever built. 

 

There’s more than 600,000 board feet of lumber in the ride.  Nobody knows how many nails.  The construction crew started with 6,000 tons of nails which lasted only 60 days. 

 

Kings Island opens for its 40th anniversary season April 28.  Daily operation begins May 11.

 

Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.”  In addition to Kings Island , Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort and five hotels.  Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy , Calif. under a management contract.

 

www.twitter.com/kingsislandpr

 

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