Keeping an eye on new Fun Spot coaster

After watching the Storm slide at Wet ‘n Wild tumble to the ground last week, it was good for my theme-park soul to observe another attraction rise up and take shape. Currently under construction at Fun Spot’s Kissimmee location is Mine Blower, a wooden roller coaster.

Unlike projects at the giant attractions, the thrill ride is growing up in broad daylight, not hidden by construction walls or tarps. You might stand there all day and marvel at the piece-by-piece assembly. Workers dangle between the planks and walk up the rails, positions they obviously won’t take after the ride starts operating.

An American flag flaps high on the lift hill, symbolizing that the construction has topped out. The addition of the coaster will enhance the Fun Spot skyline, providing middle ground between the park’s 300-foot-high SkyCoaster contraption and its lowto-ground, carnival-style offerings.

At 83 feet, Mine Blower is going to be a little taller that White Lightning, its sister coaster at the Fun Spot in Orlando. The track will be a little longer (2,290 feet compared with 2,032), and Mine Blower will be a little faster: 48.5 mph versus 44.3, according to Roller Coaster Data Base.

More interesting will be the unusual barrel roll performed without shoulder harness. The ride vehicles, called Timberliners and developed by the Gravity Group, also intrigue because the company touts their agility.

“Timberliners articulate more, allowing wood track to twist into bold new shapes that were previously impossible,” says the Gravity Group website. “Timberliners can make tighter turns in a smaller area, allowing wooden roller coasters to now fit into locations that were previously too small for a ride.”

Hang on, everybody. Mine Blower is scheduled to open this summer.

If you buy a wristband at Fun Spot in Kissimmee, you also get access to a few rides at neighboring Old Town, including the newish Ferris wheel that fronts the shopping and entertainment center.

The 84-foot wheel, accented with pastel colors and a flashy LED lighting package, is not a thrill ride, of course, although the urchins in the next gondola screamed bloody murder through our first rotation. We went around three times, enough to see the surrounding area, the Highway 192 traffic and the coaster construction next door.

The gondolas have clear, plastic sides that extend beyond head level. They’re great for safety … and trapping heat. I’d suggest a nighttime goround. On these hot days, we need not be closer to the sun anyway.