Talk:Six Flags New England

Employee Treatment

I would just like to comment on the content of this article, specifically the portion about employee treatment. The article is based mainly on rumor and hearsay, and I for one would like to see a source. I've been a season pass holder for two years to SFNE, and the vast majority of employees I've spoken to at SFNE enjoy their jobs and like working there. This was the first I ever heard of any such employee mistreatment at SFNE. There were the mechanics who went on strike last February, but that was for more pay and benefits, not due to mistreatment from management. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.0.224.10 (talk) 05:05, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

You're right, that paragraph needs a source. I've removed it for now.. if someone wants to rewrite it with sources and without the opinion, feel free. Rhobite 05:14, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

I don't know the paragraph, but I DO know people who used to work there that were highly disgruntled by their treatment there. 207.159.176.253 (talk) 14:59, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

I worked there myself as a college student in the mid 80's. Treatment wasn't bad, but we were expected to work very long hours (often 10 AM to 1 AM) which, for a 16 or 17 year old just out of high school, is a lot. There was also very much a class-system in place, whereby a "pecking order" was established based on what department you worked in. This was easily noted by the color of shirt you wore - employees all wore collared polo-style shirts with the Riverside Logo, and the color indicated your department. Red was Food Services (the largest of all the departments), light blue was Rides, dark green was Grounds, yellow was Games, and pink was Retail. Managers usually wore white shirts. The pecking order, from high to low, ran thus: Pink, Yellow, Blue, Red, and Green. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Redascent (talk • contribs) 19:51, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I worked at SFNE for five years starting as a part time summer job, working my way up to being a year round employee. I can tell you first hand that their treatment of employees is terrible. Often times employees will work long hours without reasonable availability to take a bathroom break, or water to drink. I first hand have seen/been a part of making up times on timecards, not giving breaks to employees and trying to convince/bribe them to sign off on slips. At least twice a group of international workers were left at the bus station in boston to sleep on the floor overnight because management forgot about them. If any labor relations board ever looked into the practices, I am sure SFNE would face severe consequences.
I can recall being sworn at, screamed at, humiliated on a daily basis by an abusive boss who had a reputation for cruelty.
I have seen 14 year old kids working machines and hours that would get the place shut down if it was ever seen from the outside.
Aldults can take the abuse from the employer, but for children or people from another land to have to work in such an environment is disgusting. They bring in international workers, but take back nearly all their pay for rent in the ghetto housing they are put up in in Springfield.
I would be willing to go on record with someone to get this properly sourced and reported...any time you want. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.60.84.2 (talk) 16:51, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Since we have no proof of your identity or veracity, I'm afraid this comes across as more of a forum post, which is not what this page is for. If it is as bad as you say it is, sounds like you need to be talking to local media instead of to volunteers at an online encyclopedia project. --McDoobAU93 16:55, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

The Rides Section

Should the rides section be removed? It was horribly written and have unconfirmed information in the section as well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.56.134.173 (talk) 21:49, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

I rewrote it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.0.194.213 (talk) 07:07, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

I recently made a major overhaul to the section, it is not the most well written section so please add to it if you could Spidlock 20:47, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

I was on the wooden rollercoaster Big Dip as late as about 1968 to 1970 I rode it with my father. I know that I was on it at least a couple of years before Epcot center was opened. We used to go to a lot of places like that. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.17.116.58 (talk) 03:27, August 20, 2007 (UTC)

Nevermind, I'm an idiot. It was obviously teh Thunderbolt I rode. Just figured that out. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.17.116.58 (talk) 13:27, August 20, 2007 (UTC)

six flags new england is an AWESOME park pandemonium is very very nice! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.192.3.188 (talk) 04:10, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

There was a fourth roller coaster, the Wildcat, that existed up into the 80's. This roller coaster was a steel coaster with small, 4-passenger cars, that was near the southwest corner of the park; I believe it was demolished to add additional parking. The statement about the Cyclone being the third coaster is incorrect; at the time the Cyclone was added, there were already 3 coasters operating in the park: The Thunderbolt, the Black Widow, and the Wildcat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Redascent (talk • contribs) 19:54, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

What, no listing for the Monorail? LReyome254 (talk) 21:52, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

Opinions

The shows and entertainment section contains opinions that seem to violate Neutral Point Of View. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.109.50.135 (talk) 17:15, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

20 Acres?

Is this park really only 20 acres? That seems a bit small for a major amusement park. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Coasterman1234 (talk • contribs) 01:32, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

FlashPass

This section isn't well written in my opinion- I don't understand it. I would rewrite it myself...but I don't understand it! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.195.26.20 (talk) 17:39, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Overall Page

There are several typograpchical errors on this page. Needs major work. Also much content is outdated as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Getoffmycloudrs (talk • contribs) 13:36, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

No History Section?

I'm shocked that there is no mention of the park's previous history as Riverside/Agawam Park, not even a separate article about it.

70.88.213.74 (talk) 19:47, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, some vandal deleted it. I brought it back and updated a bit. StarfoxRoy 23:39, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Need to find a ref

I brought the history back up, some vandal deleted it and nobody seemed to notice. I updated the news on The Dark Knight, but it lacks a reference, and I was hoping someone could help me find one. StarfoxRoy 23:38, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Reference Project

I will now be adding numerous citations to this article to make it more reliable. But I can't do it alone! If you find a source, please feel free to to use the reference tag to add references. I am a local to this theme park and feel it's too notable not to have proper reference citations. StarfoxRoy 20:22, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

I see reference numbers but the numbers are not at the key points in the article LReyome254 (talk) 21:48, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

Joker's Wild Card

Added information that Joker's Wild Card will be coming back to the park for the 2009 season. Added refrence.(SFNE 2009 park map) Superscout22 (talk) 18:55, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

History

I've been to Riverside Park many times starting in about 1973. They had a "pay one price" system in effect at that time - no individual tickets were sold - long before the 1980's as stated. As a matter of fact, that's what attracted most people to the park at that time. It was $3.50. Just went yesterday (October 9, 2011) and it was $46.99 to get in. Actually, I also had to go through a metal detector and submit to a hand-search of my backpack. This disgusts me.71.234.180.182 (talk) 02:14, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Your opinion has been noted. However, this is not the place to discuss your feelings about how things are done. --McDoobAU93 02:22, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Flags

Appropriately enough six flags fly in front of the park. Does anyone know what the six flags are? I know that the name 'six flags' refers to the flags flown over Texas, but that's obviously not appropriate in New England. I'd assume that the flags are for Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know for certain and can they add it to the article? 71.232.25.76 (talk) 02:50, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The name "Six Flags" doesn't make sense for most of the parks in the chain. It is simply a catchy title so it was used in multiple parks. When they were naming Six Flags New England they may have noticed the connection between the amount of states in New England and the title, but we have no way of knowing. 72.192.2.198 (talk) 01:20, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

The Six Flags corporation originated in Texas. The name refers to the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of what is present-day Texas. It is already mentioned in the Six Flags article where it belongs (you can see it here). --GoneIn60 (talk) 19:01, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

Past Rides Chart

A long time ago this page had a 'past rides' chart. Does anyone know why it was removed? Does anyone think that we should we add it back in? 72.192.2.198 (talk) 21:16, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

Operating Season/Edit Request 6/16/15

How long does Six Flags New England operate? Is it May to October? Could someone please find the operation date for the amusement park? --75.68.122.13 (talk) 19:56, 16 June 2015 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

 Done – This year it's April through November, but typically it's April through October. I simplified it in the infobox by stating spring through fall. --GoneIn60 (talk) 20:28, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the info, GoneIN60! :) I'm surprised that Six Flags New England is operating until November this year! November is a pretty cool month in New England. It sometimes snows that time of year. Maybe it is early November after Halloween. --75.68.122.13 (talk) 17:55, 17 June 2015 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

Yes, you can find the exact dates at the park's website. It's actually just November 1 this year, so not really much beyond October. --GoneIn60 (talk) 19:27, 17 June 2015 (UTC)

Fireball New For 2016/Edit Request 2/18/2016

Should Fireball be added to the article under the attractions section? I know it's a new ride for the 2016 season and it is a Larson Super Loop. However, I don't know if it is a roller coaster or a flat ride. --75.68.122.13 (talk) 15:05, 18 February 2016 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

Flat ride. The park can call it whatever they want, but as a primary source intent on promoting their product, they'll use the more "attractive" roller coaster term instead of calling it what it is. --McDoobAU93 15:28, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for the information, McDoobAU93! Could you please add the info regarding Fireball to the attractions section? That was my other main reason for making this comment. I also heard that several other Six Flags parks are also getting the Fireball coaster/ride, whenever it is called Fireball or a different name. --75.68.122.13 (talk) 13:00, 19 February 2016 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

I believe four got them for 2015, so it makes sense that they'd add a few more. They are fun, but they are not coasters by any definition. The only people that refer to them as coasters are the manufacturer itself (they describe it as a "compact coaster") and Six Flags, and both are PRIMARY sources with a conflict of interest in promoting it a certain way. --McDoobAU93 15:23, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

I asked for the info about Fireball to be added to the attractions section on the article and it hasn't been done yet even though I asked for it twice before! This was my main reason for this comment. Someone please answer the main part of my request ASAP! --75.68.122.13 (talk) 18:00, 21 February 2016 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

Added to flat rides section—JlACEer (talk) 16:34, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Thank you, JlACEer! Oddly enough, the Six Flags website says that Fireball is going to be Six Flags New England's twelfth roller coaster. Even though it's just a loop. Thanks for adding it to the article, anyways. --75.68.122.13 (talk) 20:50, 22 February 2016 (UTC)Jacob Chesley the Alternate Historian

Yes, as McDoobAU93 pointed out above, it's self-serve marketing. We would need a significant amount of third-party sources (commonly known as secondary sources on Wikipedia) that support the claim before we would change it in the article. Primary sources, like the park's website, wouldn't count. Here are two secondary sources that disagree with the "coaster" billing: RCDB.com and Behind the Thrills. The former doesn't list Fireball, and the latter clearly calls it a flat ride. --GoneIn60 (talk) 21:03, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Flat ride designation for Fireball

Pinging other involved editor: @JlACEer:

How exactly does it qualify as a flat ride in the same category as carousels? If you want a source that lists it as a roller coaster there is this one from Massachusetts Local News. I just want to make sure I understand why this is categorized like it is. Thanks. --Majora (talk) 19:06, 22 May 2016 (UTC)

References

Thank you for asking before editing. See the talk in the section right above this. The term flat ride is all-encompassing for anything that stands on a flat piece of ground. That includes mild rides like carousels, but also large thrilling rides like giant swinging pendulums. The local Massachusetts news calling this a roller coaster is just repeating what the marketing department is churning out. According to the sources mentioned above, the primary two being Roller Coaster Database and the American Coaster Enthusiasts online census, these rides are not roller coasters.—JlACEer (talk) 19:24, 22 May 2016 (UTC)

History section

I am considering making huge cuts to the History section. Ideally, this section of the article shouldn't read like a year-by-year documentation of every small detail change. Ride relocations shouldn't even be in the article at all. Way too much of the content is excessive, un-constructive detail. I'd like to hear some input before I decide to get to work on this article. MichaelIvan 07:16, 13 February 2017 (UTC)

Why is Six Flags Over New England considered the first Six Flags?

It is clear that Six Flags opened in Arlington Texas in the 1960s and has been in constant operation since then. It seems the amusement parks in New England lost favor and then when Six Flags became a famous brand, New England renamed their parks "Six Flags" under that name. Arlington is the original home of Six Flags. Dangerkeith3000 (talk) 05:23, 25 May 2019 (UTC)

Dark Knight Coaster

Should The Dark Knight Coaster be listed under Former Attractions since it never operated? Maybe a new section should be added specifically for this ride. Eye4ThemeParks (talk) 20:22, 23 November 2020 (UTC)