Five stories that have North Texas talking: Schlitterbahn outdoes itself with MASSIV ride; Dallas’ Reunion Tower has historical connections to a short-lived, European socialist movement; more than 900 pounds of pot was found buried in South Padre sand dunes; and more.
The water park on Galveston Island already claims the longest river ride, longest torrent river ride and the tallest waterslide, and it will add another superior thrill to the list this summer. The new “water coaster” is called MASSIV, the German word for...well, massive. In addition to being outrageously tall — the exact height will be disclosed later this spring — the ride will have other neat features like a translucent section of the ride, four uphill sections with six blaster jets and a triple-drop ending into a landing pool, according to the announcement.
Even though the exact height of MASSIV is currently confidential, it will be 123 stairs to the top; 246 total if you get scared. MASSIV will be twice as long as any waterslide in the park, too.
Read more FAQ’s about the new water coaster, such as “What is a water coaster?”
Listen to this podcast, “In The Loop,’ with Winter Prosapio, the Corporate Director of Communications for Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts.
- Reunion Tower, a fixture of the Dallas skyline since 1978, was named after a failed socialist utopian colony started by Europeans in the 1850s. John Scovell, President and CEO of Woodbine Development Corporation in Dallas, dug through a bit of Dallas history four decades ago, settling on the name after reading about the La Réunion colony, according to a story from The World public radio program. “The La Réunion socialists were among those caught up a wave of political revolutions that had swept Europe, starting in Paris in 1848. If you think of Texas as one edge of the wave, the other shore is in Siberia. That’s how big it was.” The peak of the movement, which involved influential figures such as Marx and Wagner over in Germany, Victor Hugo in France and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Russia, was short lived. The Europeans’ dream was defeated by the harsh realities of the state: “Texas heat, the lack of a navigable river, slavery, and the violent politics around it, and lots and lots of snakes.” Read more. [The World]
- A New York-based architect with computer science expertise will present a public lecture as a part of Dallas Architecture Forum’s ongoing series. Founder of THEVERYMANY and award-winning architect Marc Fornes will talk about his several proficiencies: art, architecture, computation, digital fabrication and education at 7 p.m. at the Magnolia Theater in the West Village. Fornes created the Spineway in San Antonio, and he is currently working on the Texas State pavilion in San Marcos and a swimming pool canopy in El Paso. Tickets are $20 per lecture for general admission and $5 for students with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the door before the lecture. For more information, call 214-764-2406.
- What was the last present you gave your grandparents? A Houston surprised his with money to pay off their mortgage and travel to The Bahamas. According to his family, generosity has been one of Stefun Wyatt’s traits since he was a little kid. Wyatt lived frugally in order to save the bulk of his money for his grandparents, who had four more years of mortgage payments ahead of them. WFAA quoted Wyatt saying, “I don’t do this for accolades. To see tears of joy, to experience that in a lifetime, it’s like how many people can say that?” Also, how many people can say they’re full-time college students, managing a full-time job and running two small nonprofits? Read more. [WFAA]
- Texas game wardens found more than 900 pounds of marijuana hidden in the sand dunes of South Padre Island. KBMT reported: “Game Warden officials said they were patrolling the coastline between beach access points 5 and 6 when game wardens noticed heavy foot traffic leading from the water’s edge to the dunes. Game wardens, along with the Maritime Tactical Operations Group, searched the area and found several partially buried, plastic-wrapped packages. Inside: marijuana. Nine hundred and forty-six pounds of it!” Needless to say, it was one of the bigger hauls this year for authorities, who turned the confiscated pot over to the Department of Homeland Security. [KBMT]
