The Aussie developer Flat Earth Games announced today it has released the crafting-building-exploration game TownCraft for iPhone and Mac. TownCraft offers players the chance to satisfy their building urges, crafting a variety of unusual tools and constructing entirely new towns from the ground up. Originally released on the iPad last year, TownCraft for iPhone and Mac adds a whole new level of polish, content, depth, and replay value highlighted by four new levels, 30 new resources, new building types and structures, 44 new quests and much more, all without any in-app purchases ever.
“We’re so glad to finally see TownCraft out on iPhone and Mac today,” said Leigh Harris, Lead Designer. “We put a lot of effort into making the game the best it can be for both new platforms. Our hope is that new players and the community see our dedication and love of TownCraft now and well into the future.”
TownCraft is a simple yet addictive building and crafting game that’s easy to get into, non-violent, and engages one’s desire to discover, create and explore. Set in medieval times, players are alone in the wilderness and must start a new town to become the toast of the kingdoms. Gamers begin by crafting the most basic of tools, tying a sharpened stone to a small piece of wood as a hatchet and, before long, their town will be teeming with travellers from all across the land. They’ll buy wares at the local shops, come to check out the sights, have some food, and drink at the tavern players build. Fish, farm, forage, mine, mill, and explore the bizarre and distinctive world of TownCraft.
Key Features in TownCraft
Play a new world every time – no two worlds will ever be the same thanks to procedurally generated maps.
Test your skills at crafting, with hundreds of different objects to create, shape, and construct.
Build bridges, jetties, workshops and windmills in the effort to create a fully functioning and self-sufficient town.
Order around muck-ridden peasants, who will manage one’s gold mines, stone quarries, crop fields, lakes, shops and taverns.
Play in a world with a real-time day and night cycle – workers will wake up, go to work, hit the tavern to meet some passing travelers later at night, and then get some shut-eye again.
Explore each new world and unearth countless resources, from cotton to canary eggs, gold to grapes, wheat to wax and stone to silver.
Follow an off-beat story as kingdoms vie for control.
TownCraft is produced with the support of Screen Australia, and is currently available for the iPad and iPhone on the APP Store for $4.99 (with no in-app purchases); the Mac version is available HERE (itunes.apple.com/us/app/towncraft/id846559976?ls=1&mt=12) for $9.99. For more information, keep in touch with Flat Earth Games on its Website www.flatearthgames.com.au, like it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @fegames.
Skynet is returning, and it’s brining Arnold with them. Filming has officially begun on Terminator: Genesis, the fifth film in the long running Terminator series that started with James Cameron’s 1984 film. The first image from the set was posted on Skydance Pictures’ facebook page, along with the accompanying text:
While not much known about the film at this time, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been hinting at the way the way the film would work:
The director wants me to be exactly the same as I was in 1984. Because the person — I have human flesh, underneath is a metal skeleton — but the human flesh ages just like everyone else does. The skeleton doesn’t change. So it has to be the same body, physically the same thing, even though you may have show a little grey and all those things… So it’s very important that now I step it up with the workout.
The way that the character is written, it’s a machine underneath. It’s this metal skeleton. But above that is human flesh. And the Terminator’s flesh ages, just like any other human being’s flesh. Maybe not as fast. But it definitely ages… Terminator deals a lot with time travel, so there will be a younger T-800, and then what that model does later on when it gets reprogrammed, and who gets ahold of him. So it will be all kinds of interesting twists in the movie, but I feel so good.
We also know that the film will play with the timelines, much like Back to the Future Part II, showing events from the first two films over again, but in new ways, with the possibility of creating an alternate timeline. All the mystery surrounding the project certainly has me very excited, and I can’t wait to see where the film goes. While Paramount hasn’t released an official press release announcing the rest of the cast, we know that Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, and Dayo Okeniyi are all set to start opposite Arnold in the film, which will be directed by Alan Taylor, who directed Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World. Terminator: Genesis is set for release on July 1, 2015.
Are you excited to see the Terminator franchise? Sound off in the usual place below!
Every Disney Princess has had their best moment ever. Merida changed her fate. Tiana opened her dream restaurant. Rapunzel finally saw the lights. Share YOUR best moment ever and enter for a chance to win a Disney Parks vacation and participate in the Disney Royal Family 5K in The Best Moment Ever sweepstakes, running through May 14, 2014.
To enter, submit a photo that portrays a moment of achievement in any activity whether it be recreational, educational or a significant moment in time. With your photo, submit a caption that best describes your moment (less than 140 characters). Check out examples in the Best Moment Ever Photo Gallery and for more detailed instructions, visit Disney.com/BestMomentEver and read the official rules.
Prizes include:
· 1 GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a 4 days/3 nights Disney Parks Vacation for 4 to The Walt Disney World® Resort:
o Roundtrip coach Airfare*
o 2 Nights at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel
o 1 Night at the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom® Park at Walt Disney Worldc Resort
o 4 Day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper® Option
o 4 Tickets to the runDisney “Royal Family 5K” as part of the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World® Resort on February 20, 2015
*If winner resides more than 250 miles from Orlando International Airport
· 1 FIRST PRIZE WINNER will receive a $1,000 Disney Store shop card
· 3 SECOND PRIZE WINNERS will receive a $100 Disney Store shop card
Just a few weeks ago, it sounded like David Fincher and Christian Bale would be teaming up for the first time for the new Steve Jobs biopic, written by The Social Network scribe, Aaron Sorkin. It would be a re-teaming for the director and screenwriter, and it made many fans, myself included, giddy at the thought of those two working together again, and with Christian Bale to boot? It sounded like it had a lot of potential. But last week, Fincher departed the project over an issue with controlling the marketing, and over a dispute on his salary. Sony Pictures, now daunted with the task to replace someone as big as Fincher for the project, has turned to none other than Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, with Leonardo DiCaprio circling the role of Steve Jobs.
THR was the first to report on the possible new team up. As much as the idea of Fincher and Sorkin teaming together again, I find the idea of Boyle and Sorkin working together just as interesting. Boyle is a very visual director, and the idea of him tackling a film like this has me intrigued. His last biopic, 127 Hours, about the rock climber, Aron Ralston, who was forced to sever his own arm off to save his life, starred James Franco, and had a very interesting and unique style. It’s something that Boyle has had since his early work on films like Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, so I’m curious to see how he would handle a film like this. The film is rumored to not be a straight forward biopic, but to be three separate moments in Job’s life, each spanning thirty minutes in real time, right before the launch of three separate Apple products. The first being in 1984, at the launch of the first Macintosh; the second would be in 1988 with the launch of Jobs’ first post-Apple product the NeXT; and finally ending in 2001 for the debut of the iPod. Those reports first surfaced in 2012, so who knows what could change by then.
Of course, the other component of the story is the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio is circling the project to star as Steve Jobs. DiCaprio is a great actor, and one who has been tackling so many great roles the last few years, most recently with his Oscar nominated turn in Wolf of Wall Street. I think DiCaprio is more than capable of turning out a great performance as the late Jobs, and I’m sure it’ll be another Oscar worthy performance. In fact, with Boyle, Sorkin, and DiCaprio all set for the film, this film is definitely one with huge Oscar potential, which I’m sure is what Sony Pictures is hoping for. It’s important to note that no deals are locked in place yet, but it sounds like all parties are hoping to make this a reality sooner rather than later.
What do you think of the idea of Boyle and DiCaprio taking over the Sorkin written project? Will you miss Bale and Fincher, or is this a good fit? Sound off in the comments below.
This Earth Day, even the littlest green thumbs can join in on the celebration! From exploring the outdoors to starting a garden, there are so many ways parents can show kids how to appreciate and care for our planet. But it all starts with you. To help make Earth Day a family affair, parenting platform Babble.com is hosting a Twitter chat with celebrated scientist and mom, Stephanie Wear, on April 22 at 2pm EST / 11am PST .
Stephanie is a lead scientist for coral reef conservation at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental organization. She also happened to be named one of Babble’s “Moms Who are Changing the World” in 2011. When she isn’t saving the world, this supermom of two enjoys exploring coastal North Carolina with her family. And her family is the reason why she loves what she does.
“I don’t work to protect the environment for the environment’s sake,” Stephanie told Babble in 2011. “I work to protect it for the billions of people that require clean air, clean water, and a healthy ocean to survive. It sounds cliché, but I do it for my children and their children, too.”
This is why Earth Day is so important and worth celebrating: it’s not just for us — it’s for the future generations of the world.
So join our Twitter chat with Wear this Earth Day, April 22, at 2pm EST / 11am PST to be part of the conversation! Just follow @BabbleEditors to send your questions and thoughts on all things nature using the hashtag #BabbleEarthChat.
Disney and First Book will provide for the donation of up to one million books to U.S. communities in need and will present families with free digital books from Disney Publishing Worldwide, through a new program announced today, Disney Junior’s Give a Book, Get a Book. Storytelling is the foundation of the initiative designed to inspire parents and caregivers to spend time each day sharing stories that help develop the critical thinking, vocabulary and language skills a preschooler needs. The program includes a redemption code offering a free Disney Digital book and a way for families to experience giving back by donating books to the community of their choice. Disney Junior’s Give a Book, Get a Book, also includes public service announcements, free storytime events at Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Disney Store locations, and interactive Radio Disney events.
The program was announced by Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide and First Book Board Member, Dr. Martha Bernadett during the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at the Disneyland Resort.
Ms. Kanter said, “With each and every one of our Disney Junior series, we let a child experience the magic and learning that comes with a story well told, and deepen the emotional connection and sense of wonder and adventure that have defined storytelling at the Disney company for generations.” She continued, “The Give a Book, Get a Book program is a way for families to share stories and enter the world of giving in a simple yet effective way.”
Coinciding with the program announcement today, lifelong children’s literacy advocate LeVar Burton, Cofounder and Curator-in-Chief of the award-winning Reading Rainbow app, spoke about the importance of building literacy and of storytelling in the digital age. Disney Junior stars Ariel Winter and Tim Gunn (of “Sofia the First”) and David Arquette (of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”) also participated in a storybook reading for event attendees and their families. Genevieve Goings (of Disney Junior’s “Choo Choo Soul”), who hosts the Give a Book, Get a Book public service announcements on Disney Channel, emceed the event.
“There are few things more powerful than stories to connect children to the world and help them imagine what they can become,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Yet, books and stories are in short supply for kids in need. That’s why we’re proud to be joining forces with our friends at Disney to put brand new books into the hands of children who so desperately need them.”
“Through the donation of 30 million books over the last 15 years, Disney Publishing Worldwide’s collaboration with First Book has brought the magic of reading and storytelling to millions of children, unleashing their imaginations and opening their worlds,” said Andrew B. Sugerman, Executive Vice President, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We’re thrilled to expand this program with Disney Junior’s Give a Book, Get a Book.”
Families can now take advantage of an all-new website, GiveaBookGetaBook.com, featuring tools and resources for parents and caregivers that promote the value of storytelling and offer interactive activities. Beginning April 21 in Disney Store locations and later this summer at other nationwide retailers, there are two ways to Give a Book, Get a Book. For a limited time, with the purchase of any specially-marked Disney Junior book or product, receipts or packaging will include a redemption code allowing kids and families to direct the donation of a book to First Book in the region of their choice and to access a free Disney Digital Book to share as a family. Additionally, Give a Book, Get a Book bookmarks with redemption codes will be distributed to visitors at participating public libraries and Radio Disney events throughout the summer. With the help of families across the United States, Disney and First Book will donate up to one million books through this program.
Also starting April 21, Disney Store locations will provide an enhanced interactive “Storytime Powered by Give a Book, Get a Book” featuring two new stories from Disney Junior favorites, “Sofia the First” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” In addition to the in-store readings, Disney Store locations will host special storytime events at Boys & Girls Clubs of America in multiple markets across the U.S. Children at these events will be given a free book along with a redemption code bookmark.
Now through September 15, Adults can enjoy the new Epcot After-Hours Wind Down following the nightly Illuminations: Reflections of Earth show. Choose from one of four spots in World Showcase for end-of-day relaxation with appetizers and beverages. Choose either La Cava Del Tequila at the Mexico Pavilion; Spice Road Table in the Morocco Pavilion; Tutto Gusto in the Italy Pavilion, or Rose & Crown Pub in the United Kingdom Pavilion. Each location will have small bites paired with a beverage flight (additional beverages can be purchased) from 9:20 – 11 p.m. It’s a magical time as the park quiets down.
The cost for the Epcot After-Hours Wind Down is $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Epcot park admission is required. This is a great way to not only extend your day at Epcot but also to avoid the rush to exit the park after Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.
When Heather isn’t busy sharing Planning tips about Walt Disney World, the Disneyland Resort, Universal Orlando, and more, you can find her planning Disney and Universal Orlando vacations. Contact her on Facebook at Heather Abbott-Agent with Destinations in Florida. For more info and to book your travel, use the Price Your Vacation Form in the Sidebar or click here. You can also call 877-918-8941 and ask for Heather to book. Make sure to mention that you were referred by Socalthrills.com! Safe travels everyone!
On Thursday April 17, we were invited to Knott’s Berry Farm for an Exclusive event to see what plans are underway for enhancement to Camp Snoopy and the Calico Mine Ride. The creative teams are working tirelessly to have Camp Snoopy more themed to fit the High Sierras. Some of the favorite attractions will get a new paint scheme to tie into the wilderness. For example Lucy’s Tugboat that looked like a steam boat had now been transformed into a Raft. Another attraction that will be getting a makeover soon is the Rocky Road Truckin’ Company, instead of having the trucks look like just regular semis, they will get a new skin with a logging company theme. In addition new Peanuts fun will be coming to Grand Sierra Railroad. Linus Van Pelt will narrate the eight minute journey, pointing out the rustic sights and halarious Peanuts’ camping adventures along the way.
Video: Camp Snoopy Sneak Peak
Artist rendering of the new attractions coming in 2014 at Knott’s Berry Farm’s Camp Snoopy.
In addition they are adding in three new attractions; Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies, Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer and Linus Launcher. Finally Snoopy and the Peanuts gang will have their very own permanent meet and greet location where the former Joe Cool’s GR8 SK8 attraction was. Now guests can meet the loveable Snoopy, Charlie Brown and his friends there.
Now what every miner has been waiting for is to strike it rich at the Calico Mine Ride. Soon the mountain full of prospectors will be running into the mine to see if they can strike it rich. Are you brave enough to go inside and see what’s in store? I have been looking forward to seeing this classic attraction brought back to life. I am pleased to confirm that Garner Holt Productions (GHP) has been working hard on bringing the miners and other surprises to life. Once completed there will be about 40 animatronics inside the mountain. GHP was also the ones that brought new life to the Timber Mountain Log Ride.
We were lucky enough to get a quick tour of a very small portion of the attraction. Crews were everywhere working hard refurbishing this classic ride. We also were able to take a sneak peak into the base of the “glory hole” this is the large open cavern in the attraction where you will see most of the animations. Updates to Camp Snoopy and Calico Mine Ride will open Summer 2014!
Check-out our Extensive Photo Gallery below of our Exclusive Construction tour.
Watch the new “Legacy” featurette (below), from MALEFICENT, featuring a behind-the-scenes interview with Angelina Jolie.
Also, starting today, fans can enter for a chance to win a trip to the world premiere of the film in the Maleficent “Embrace Your Inner Evil” Sweepstakes. Fans can enter by recreating Maleficent’s laugh and posting the video to Instagram using #MaleficentLaughSweeps. Official Rules: http://di.sn/MaleficentLaugh
“Maleficent,” the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty,” reveals the events that hardened Maleficent’s heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora, only to later realize that the child may hold the key to peace in the land.
“Maleficent” is produced by Joe Roth and directed by Robert Stromberg, with Angelina Jolie, Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith and Sarah Bradshaw serving as executive producers. Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. “Maleficent” opens in U.S. theaters on May 30, 2014.
Even with Christopher Nolan’s Producer credit stamped in the lower left hand corner of Transcendence, it could not have saved itself from a lackluster performance from some of the most well-known names in Hollywood right now.
Among them are Johnny Depp, who plays Will Caster, the world’s most prominent research on Artificial Intelligence. His goal throughout the film is to create a god-like computer that could access all the information on the planet while harnessing human emotions and becoming a sentient self-aware super computer. What a mouth-full that was!
So here’s the thing; the directorial debut of Will Pfister (who can typically be found amidst the credits of Christopher Nolan films as the Cinematographer) falls short of pretty much all angles. The performances were dull at best, even with the likes of Depp, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, the list of stupendous acting talent goes on and on. But even with all that Hollywood star-power, it can’t save itself from poor writing, a hacked plot that took several downward spirals into the downright silly, most notably when Cillian Murphy’s character, Agent Buchanan claims the only way to stop Depp’s Frankenstein internet monster is to “Shut down the Internet”.
****SPOILER ALERT***
With Will Caster being targeted by anti-technology extremist groups nation-wide known as RIFT, he falls victim to an attack that leaves him with under a month to live. His wife Evelyn (played by Rebecca Hall) believes that through her husband’s accumulated research over the years, she could download his subconscious into a massive hard drive to save his brilliant mind.
Of course this turns out to be successful, but with unexpected chaotic results that lead Caster and his wife to a small town in the middle of nowhere to which they use Caster’s internet smarts to play Wall Street, make millions, and build an underground facility designed to take human evolution to a whole new level. Sounds a little like Mad Libs does it not?
From here the story takes an outrageous turn when a construction worker is mugged outside the facility and Caster takes him in to “heal” him. It is there that Caster miraculously uses the tech at their disposal to bring the near-death construction worker back to tip-top shape. But that is not all. In an effort to make him better than he was before, the construction worker is given super-human speed, strength and intelligence through a network created by Caster that links him to those he saves. When word gets around that the construction worker is by far better than before, people come from all over the world to be saved, believing that Will Caster has god-like healing powers.
It is at this point that the FBI and RIFT team together to take them all down and stop Caster before he gains control over the whole world by sending out nanobots into the earths atmosphere and infecting the entire planet.
All-in-all, Transcendence is a movie with a great cast, marginal performances at best from each of the big names you recognize, a plot that makes little sense plagued by constant left turns into “what the heck is happening right now” territory that leaves the audience confused and wondering just what kind of movie Transcendence was trying to be. A preposterous plot, boring performances, a director who should stick to cinematography and nothing more, and a score that sounds all too familiar to most other films with Christopher Nolan’s name attached to it.
Transcendence falls flat and ends up being one of those movies you are better off forgetting you heard about and curiously stumbling upon it on your Netflix subscription long after the dollar movie theaters have emptied their closets of copies of Transcendence 10 months from now. But even then, you may just want to skip over this one entirely and save your two hours doing something more entertaining such as watching paint dry.
Disney Club Penguin players can now experience the #1 virtual world for kids on iPhone and iPod Touch. The virtual world was brought to iPad as a playable experience in December, and today’s update brings the playable world to iPhone and iPod Touch. The Club Penguin app has reached nearly 5 million downloads and is available in six different languages.
The update coincides with one of Club Penguin’s most popular events in the virtual world, the Puffle Party. Features from the Puffle Party event will be included in the app, such as:
Members can now adopt up to 40 pet puffles, including the new dog and cat puffle
Members can walk puffles in the world and play and dig for cool clothing or coins
Players can roleplay in six new rooms like the Puffle Park, Hotel Rooftop and Pet Shop
It’s spring time and that must mean one thing, it’s Knott’s Berry Bloom event at Knott’s Berry Farm as well as their Annual Boysenberry Festival now through April 27th. This is their second year doing this event, and it’s a lot of fun for the entire family. At the main entrance you can take a photo with a display of overgrown flowers and butterflies. Step back in time into the old west in Ghost Town, there you can find a shack selling individual pots of strawberry, blackberry and of course boysenberry that you can take home and plant in your own garden.
For more info and to book your travel, use the Price Your Vacation Form in the Sidebar or click here. You can also call 877-918-8941 and ask for Heather to book. Make sure to mention that you were referred by Socalthrills.com! Safe travels everyone!
Also here you can try what the chefs have concocted for this spring event like the Jalapeno stuffed pepper with Boysenberry Cream Cheese coated in chocolate at The Calico Saloon or Alligator bites with Boysenberry Aioli at Calico Fry Co. just to tease you with a few. (Please see below for my personal review of the foods that I was able to try.) At certain dinning locations in Ghost Town and Calico Square you can purchase a punch card for $20.00 that will give you 6 unique menu offerings. I think this card is worth the $20 since if you bought the items a la carte they would range from $7.00 to $10.00 each, which it will cost you a whole lot more. If you have some little Peanuts in your family make sure to visit Camp Snoopy, there your little ones can meet with some of the world famous Peanuts characters take pictures and also go on the Search for the Easter Beagle. Children ages (3-11) can participate in the search that will send you around Camp snoopy, Fiesta Village, the Boardwalk. Throughout the entire park there were little interactive pop up spring egg and flower displays, such as a frog shooting water, or a ladybug roller coaster. Most had employees at each station encouraging children and ‘children at heart’ like myself to press the button and watch the scene come to life, while at the end of the little show Snoopy would pop out of a hiding place. From the different children activities that I did see my favorite was the talking Mayan like god statue with the bird on top that lays an egg at a push of a button.
Now for the adults Knott’s is offering wine tasting at the Towering Topiary Tasting Garden at the Wilderness Dance Hall. Here you can find different wineries offering tasting stations. It cost $15.00 and includes a punch card for up to 6 samples and a plate of cheese, crackers, fruits and nuts that will compliment the wines during the tasting. There are about 12 different wine vineyard stations that offer 3 wines to choose from. Just outside the dance hall is a beer tasting station as well if you do not fancy wine. Your children can partake as well with the punch card; they can use one of your punches to get lemonade or boysenberry punch. Wow time sure flies when you’re eating and drinking. Thankfully for this punch card you can come and go as you please, you can do a taste or two leave go watch a show or go on a ride and then come back and keep tasting. As the sun sets in the evening, the stage is set at the Boardwalk Circle Fountain for Bloomination Dance Party. Here a DJ spins the latest and greatest hits. Dancers take to the stage in white spandex like costumes and dance the night away while stilt walkers roam the stage area taking pictures with guests.
Calico Saloon: The Jalapeno Stuffed Pepper with Cream Cheese does sound like a very strange combination to me but for this instance it was a match made in heaven, a perfect balance of sweet and spicy. At first I was really hesitant of trying this offering. The jalapeno had a crunch like a crisp bell pepper and they boysenberry cream cheese was light and sweet. The apple smoked wood bacon was cooked to a crisp, covered in white chocolate and festive sprinkles; it made for a sweet and salty balance. They also did offer the bacon also covered in milk and dark chocolate as well, I do recommend to try it with the white chocolate its better. Later in the evening I did go back to eat another piece and they only had the milk or dark chocolate, I opted for the milk and it was way too sweet. I do have a sweet tooth but I tasted more chocolate than bacon, I was a little disappointed.
Little pop up stand with a grill (Left of the candy store): The Flank Steak with Boysenberry BBQ sauce on a stick. It was freshly grilled in front of me. The employee was very nice and made small talk as I waited for the meat to be cooked. At the first bite it was tender and the BBQ sauce was not overpowering the steak. Also the BBQ sauce had a hint of the boysenberry not like some food items that when an element is highlighted it becomes too overpowering.
Calico Fry Co.: Alligator with Boysenberry aioli was worth the wait. You get three bite size pieces of alligator that is battered and deep fried. It is served in a cone shaped carrier with a bed of french fries and a generous scoop of fresh boysenberry aioli that is nestled in a little cup at the top of the cone. It is hard to get good alligator here on the west coast. I know a lot of readers will be hesitant in trying this but it does taste a lot like chicken but it’s just a little chewier. I think once you do try it, it grows on you. I hope that this food offering will stay.
Little pop up stand with a grill (Left of Sutter’s): This little stand has a sign posted for Chicken Wings and the Alligator bites. It was a little frustrating to stand in the line and reach the employee to tell me that they offer the wings and corn on the cob instead. If I wanted the alligator bites I had to go around the corner to Calico Fry Co. to wait in another line get that. As for the hot wings they are precooked in the Sutter’s kitchen building and then walked over to the pop up stand in each boat you get about 4 or 5 chicken wings. Then they are placed on the grill to heat them up once again then tossed into a bowl with the boysenberry BBQ sauce. This sauce utilizes the same base from the flank steak but this one seems to have a few more spices so it had a really nice kick.
Ghost Town Bakery: Offers the sweet treat of Waffle on a Stick and Waffle Tacos. The concept is good but sadly this one fell flat. Waiting about 45 to 50 minutes before I was able to order and when I did I was informed that the regular waffle iron that makes the tacos was malfunctioning and if I wanted that, I could check back later. They only have one waffle iron that makes four waffles on a stick per batch and they only had one iron. The employees seem to have a hard time keeping up with the demand of this unique treat. A few guests a head was a lady and her children they were waiting for more than 30 minutes for the order that they already placed, it seemed like the cooks accidentally lost her order. Either utilize another waffle iron or do not offer this because they can not seem to keep up with the demand.
Little pop up stand with grill (Next to the train tracks): Sweet potato with boysenberry butter, this sounds strange but quite delicious and light. I just wished that when they pull out the sweet potato out of the smoke box that they would open up the foil and cut a slit down the middle like a baked potato. Also here you can pick up your turkey leg with a boysenberry glaze over the leg. Sadly my turkey leg was very dry on the outside and a little chewy, but love the boysenberry BBQ sauce.
Gourmet Churro Factory: The Churros are freshly made and fried and can be plain with just cinnamon and sugar or you can be adventurous and try it filled with boysenberry, custard or I think strawberry. I tried the regular cinnamon and sugar churro at the end of the night as Knott’s was closing. It was still warm and tasty.
On a slightly frustrated note, I was not able to try the deep fried boysenberry ice cream at the Ghost Town Grub. Sadly they did not appear to be prepared for a large turnout on an opening day. I do hope that they see this as a good sign and hopefully they can keep this permanently, I would love to go and try it soon, I hope. Overall Knott’s Berry Bloom is EGGcellent. The spring time decor of the over sized flowers and animals are amazing.
In an exciting new collaboration with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, the Winchester Mystery House is launching "Festival Fright Nights." This all-new Halloween event will...
Disney and First Book will provide for the donation of up to one million books to U.S. communities in need and will present families with free digital books from Disney Publishing Worldwide, through a new program announced today, Disney Junior’s Give a Book, Get a Book. Storytelling is the foundation of the initiative designed to inspire parents and caregivers to spend time each day sharing stories that help develop the critical thinking, vocabulary and language skills a preschooler needs. The program includes a redemption code offering a free Disney Digital book and a way for families to experience giving back by donating books to the community of their choice. Disney Junior’s Give a Book, Get a Book, also includes public service announcements, free storytime events at Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Disney Store locations, and interactive Radio Disney events.
