{"id":1133,"date":"2026-08-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/?p=1133"},"modified":"2026-08-25T00:53:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:53:32","slug":"high-stakes-fun-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/2026\/08\/25\/high-stakes-fun-games\/","title":{"rendered":"High Stakes; Fun & Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Another week of having company at the park, this time consisting of Meghan (my girlfriend), Julia (Meghan\u2019s sister), and Aiden (Julia\u2019s fianc\u00e9). We went on a few rides, played some games, and then left fairly early. It was a short four hour visit which was fine by me since I still hadn\u2019t fully recovered from my cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wooden<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I got to the park a little before them so I took the opportunity to check on Time Warp\u2019s land. There have been some major updates to the site just over the past couple weeks, with a brand new solid wooden fence replacing the chain link with scrim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wooden<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, I took a peek over the fence to spot some orange stakes in the ground all over the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Time<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You all should know by now that I prefer to stay out of pure speculation, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stakes with orange paint have historically been used to mark where support columns will end up, or more specifically where the footings for those supports need to be installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These stakes have codes on them, all of which start with the letter C, implying they stand for column numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stakes<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some of them are placed outside the fence line so they\u2019re close enough to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I noticed a faded C16<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

and a clear C18<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

C17, C17A, and C17B are appropriately placed in between, which suggests this could be a tripod support. I think it\u2019s odd they didn\u2019t use A, B, and C instead of having one without a letter at the end, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Orange<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And right after C18, we have\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

C134A? Very curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flags<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The park seems to be using flags between the pavers in this area since wooden stakes wouldn\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flags<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This one right after C134A appears to be labelled C145. Again, very curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll try to get a better look at these stakes by the Kingswood building next time I have my big camera, but they seem to go in a more or less straight line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flags<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heading back toward the former Fightertown Funnel Cakes, I\u2019m shocked by how close some of these stakes are to The DareDeviler\u2019s lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From The DareDeviler\u2019s queue, I spotted six or more stakes on the hill between the queue and Kingswood\u2019s external gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stakes<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately I couldn\u2019t get a good enough look to read any codes on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stakes<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And while going up the lift hill, I noticed several stakes lining Time Warp\u2019s former queue. But I don\u2019t have a way to get footage while riding so you\u2019ll have to take a look next time you ride The DareDeviler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Speculation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t want to speculate too much, but it seems like an obvious assumption these markings are for a new ride set to begin construction in the coming months. Based on the most recent survey from the park featuring three potential new attractions, I\u2019d say a MACK Xtreme Spinning Coaster is the most likely. I feel the codes on the stakes and the grouping\/spacing of them don\u2019t imply a log flume, nor a wooden support structure. However the park could be pursuing some other ride type not mentioned in that survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Time<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although I couldn\u2019t see a C1 stake, the placement of other stakes has me thinking Time Warp\u2019s former station will likely be at least part of the new ride\u2019s station. I couldn\u2019t see any markings on Kingswood\u2019s land itself which makes me wonder if the ride may head towards the parking lot and use very little of the former concert venue. It\u2019s also possible the park simply needs to do some earthmoving before more flags\/stakes are put in place. 145 columns sounds like a lot, but seeing how close 16-18 are to each other, it may just be from a manufacturer which uses a lot of support columns. (So I\u2019m guessing this will not be a Bolliger & Mabillard coaster.) The proximity of C145 and C134A to C18 is very curious though, and my guess would be track passing under\/around the lift hill from the east to perform an element or two before returning under the lift hill very soon after. This may be toward the end of the ride\u2019s layout, or it may be somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The currently visible stakes suggest this new attraction won\u2019t impact The DareDeviler\u2019s queue too much, but they are very close by so we may have a decent view of the construction once it starts in full force. (Or at least once it goes vertical since I imagine there will be a wooden fence or scrim blocking our view of the groundwork.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Time<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With The DareDeviler reigniting The Grande World Exposition of 1890, I expect this next new attraction will continue to build out the area\u2019s theme. But there are a lot of potential avenues the park could approach for this new era of the Expo so it\u2019s tough to speculate with any degree of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may be wrong about any of these claims, but that\u2019s the fun of speculation. I know there are other theories out there, and I\u2019m glad people are enjoying this stage of development! Just please remember to take everything (including what I think) with a grain of salt. In my opinion, it\u2019s simply too early to say anything definitive and we\u2019re all just guessing at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ICEE stand on International Street has updated its menu to a screen inside the building. If it looks hard to read in this photo, that’s because it’s hard to see in person too. If we’re going to have screen-based menus, they really have to be done on the outside of the building like Cookie Cafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ICEE<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sledge Hammer has reopened for guests!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sledge<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Christmas in July Sale sign has been taken down, though Castle Trader is still keeping the sale going for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Castle<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rides<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we met up, I took some solo rides on The DareDeviler and Dragon Fyre. I was in the back row of The DareDeviler\u2019s orange train and it was the roughest ride I\u2019ve had on it this year. Dragon Fyre was only running one train with the other seemingly being serviced in the station\u2019s basement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meghan and them went on Wonder Mountain\u2019s Guardian and Yukon Striker before we met up. I would have liked to witness Julia and Aiden\u2019s shock at Guardian\u2019s finale, but I\u2019m glad they experienced it regardless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together we went on Behemoth, Backlot Stunt Coaster, and Thunder Run. Julia and Aiden had considered going on AlpenFury, but I think it was a bit too intimidating. Plus they were pretty much done with rides by this point, not wanting to wait for anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together we played Schlag Zeit, which is essentially Whack-A-Mole updated to be\u2026 bopping the fire and ice elements for some reason? Aiden won, but he gave the Psyduck prize to Julia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Schlag<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We headed to Arcadium and spent about an hour playing games. It was $50 for the four of us to share which worked out well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Games<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are some great games at the park!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Ghostbusters<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Odin's<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And some I still find questionable, but I guess it\u2019s eye-catching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stinky<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I find the ICEE game funny as it’s essentially an employee training simulator. But I have to admit, it’s a fun and addictive game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ICEE<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I usually don\u2019t pay much attention to the games in Arcadium (nor Crystal Palace Arcade) so this was a fun experience of seeing the park through a different lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until Next Time\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past four visits, I\u2019ve experienced a lot of variety by visiting with others, each group\/individual having their own preferences of what most interested them about Canada\u2019s Wonderland. Phil, Anna, and Emma experienced KidZfest including some live entertainment; Amanda and David mainly wanted to visit Splash Works; Nathan wanted to get on as many rides as possible; and now Julia and Aiden wanted to play games. It\u2019s a testament to the variety of the park\u2019s lineup that everyone found something they wanted to do, all with a single price for admission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another week of having company at the park, this time consisting of Meghan (my girlfriend), Julia (Meghan\u2019s sister), and Aiden (Julia\u2019s fianc\u00e9). We went on a few rides, played some games, and then left fairly early. It was a short four hour visit which was fine by me since I still hadn\u2019t fully recovered from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,27],"tags":[18,33,28,8],"class_list":["post-1133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reactions-analysis","category-trip-reports","tag-18","tag-construction","tag-trip-report","tag-world-expo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1184,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions\/1184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}