How did I miss this story from October?

"Dallas is getting a LEGOLAND Discovery Centre".

The Discovery Centres are mini-LEGOLANDs, usually in malls. There's one in Chicago and two in Germany, with a few more in construction. But I didn't know that Dallas was getting one.

Weird.

Labels: 2011, LEGO, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Texas

To the surprise of, well, nobody, Merlin Entertainments today revealed that they're turning the former Cypress Gardens into a LEGOLAND park.
Here's the Orlando Sentinel article: "Legoland Florida: Merlin Entertainments reveals details of new Winter Haven park".

The park will be their second in the states - LEGOLAND California opened in Carlsbad, CA just over a decade ago.

Labels: 2011, Cypress Gardens, Florida, LEGO, LEGOLAND Florida

So we were told that the 2008 Great State of Maine Air Show was the final installment. That was back when we were living in Harpswell (see the very brief Air Show).

At the time the Navy was busy preparing to leave Brunswick Naval Air Station and apparently folks thought the money would be better spent elsewhere.

But now we see this in the Times-Record: "Navy gives 2011 Brunswick air show high priority".

Yes, three months after the Navy leaves Brunswick, there'll be another final Great State of Maine Air Show.

For more information, don't go to the Great State of Maine Air Show official site, it appears it hasn't been updated since 2007. Apparently the people who update that website were the first to ship out of BNAS.

Labels: 2011, Brunswick, Great State of Maine Air Show, Navy

Two stories coming out of Hawaii today, both having to do with Disney.

First we have an official name for the new non-theme park resort Disney is building in Ko Olina - it's now "Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa".

"Disney Names Ko Olina Resort 'Aulani'".


Aulani is obviously a Hawaiian word - in English it means "the place that speaks for the great ones" or "the place that speaks with deep messages".

The resort opens in the fall of 2011.

Next we have more news about Pirates 4 - apparently it'll shoot in Hawaii this summer for a May 2011 release date: "'Pirates of the Caribbean' to shoot in Hawaii".

Wonder if they'll use any locations from ABC's Lost? Jack Sparrow in the Hatch? Creepy.

Although the Black Rock would make some sense ...

Labels: 2011, Aulani, Disney, Hawaii, Lost, Pirates

In case you missed it on Wednesday night, Disney announced a release date for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - clear your calendar on May 20, 2011.

Labels: 2011, Disney, Pirates