Of Dragons, And Unicorns, And Days To Be Forgotten

Shattered Glass. Kronos Turn. What is now rotted and Ruin was in distant days past, a castle so fair beyond words that a sorcerer of great renown settled here to pass in peace the twilight of his years. Unitl they came. Descending like a winged curse, a twin plague of demonic dragons. The kings army quickly fell. In a plea of desperation the entire kingdom turned to the sorcerer. Alas, he was too old to conquer such fiends so fierce and powerful. And so the castle fell. Its riches plundered. Its land scorched. And its people scattered like bats upon the wind. To this day the dragons remain, and so to the Sorcerer to discourage foolish naves such as yourself from a chivalrous challenge such as a ride on a dueling dragon! How do I come to tell this tale? My name....is Merlin....

Actually, its not...but...while you're at it....Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Thank you for stopping by my little sliver of the internet. Don’t be shy, just step right up and gather round. The tale I’m going to weave for you today is one for the ages, and not to be missed. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Erik, keeper of the kept, and master of the inept.

The bridge is open. Walls are up. Its official. Lost Continent at Universal's Islands of Adventure is dying. The people with the rose colored glasses will tell you "It's not dying, its undergoing a transformation! It's going to be better!"
How can you be so sure? Do you know for a fact that it will be better?
"Sure, Harry Potter will bring magic back to Islands!"
See, and its there that I have the problem. Its honesty time. Hi, my name is Erik, and I'm a Universal nut. It all started about 5 or so years ago. My son was about 5 or 6, and the first Spider-Man movie was HUGE! It captivated him in a way that no other movie has since. Everything was Spider-man, and we could not take a picture without him giving the signature web-blasting fingers. So, my dad, always eager to please the young man saw an ad on T.V. advertising the Spider-man ride at IOA. After asking if we thought my son would like to go, he bought us all Annual Passes....after all, it was cheaper, and if we went more than once.....we'd pay for the tickets in no time.
At the time I was a casual theme park fan. I liked Disney, and Sea World. They were pretty good, and I was satisfied going once or twice a year. I had been to Kings Island many times as a kid, and though I liked coasters they weren't amazing to me by any stretch. We walked into Islands of Adventure that first morning in October....actually, let me stop right there also...I went to the front gate the night before to get the tickets so we didnt have to wait in line. It was a late weekend in October, and though I had heard of Halloween Horror Nights, I had never been...and wasnt all that impressed with it. We walked across the bridge and were immediately greeted by screams, fog and a man with a bullhorn telling us how we needed to run away because of the evil inside this place. A guy was on the ground crying, yelling at God to deliver us from the evil within, and let us all survive the end. My son clutched my hand tightly. I was enthralled...I wanted more. I could feel something mysterious stirring, something that had been there all along......but I wasnt sure what.
So fast forward to the morning after. My family and I went walking through the front gate, and they were all amazed. Rides everywhere, scenery popping out of every direction...I liked it, but it wasnt special....again, something deep inside me rumbled, stretching its claws and unfolding its wings....again, I was unaware. We went through the rides, and hit Spider-Man, which was...well, amazing. That something was wakening louder now, getting curious. Each new ride and new land made that something inside me stir about a little more. Jurassic Park brought a tear to my eye as the doors opened and that familiar voice said "Welcome to Jurassic Park" and I saw Dinosaurs rise above me.

Onward we pressed. We crossed a wooden bridge with a statue at the end, a little fire billowing out the top. I was there. I was in the Lost Continent. That little something was dancing frantically, wanting to see what was happening. Flying Unicorn, though a small coaster, was huge in our minds simply because of the layout and theming. Little voices echoed out and ringed through. I walked through the queue of Dueling Dragons and watched as thing danced to life around me, as voices rang out through the halls, and when we came to the station I was genuinely disappointed that there was a coaster there, and not a real live dragon. We walked around the corner, and saw Poseidon battle Darkenon for supremacy, ate lunch at Mythos. I stood at that great glass window with a single tear falling down my cheek. The creature inside me was born. I was the proud father of a bouncing new addiction.
We made pilgrimages to Orlando once every two weeks, each time going further and further into oblivion and the fantasy that was the Lost Continent. I was simply infatuated. I experienced my first HHN, and though it was seen as a bad year, it was amazing. The second year saw the entire park transformed into a twisted Lost Continent, and the senses simply tingled. I joined a few websites to get as much information as I could about it. I eventually started a podcast about the place, and though I faltered, I always pushed on with something in the theme park world because in the back of my mind, I knew...I always knew, I'd come home to the Lost Continent.
The wonders I've seen there. The lone wizard that bound the place, and forever kept it safe from prying eyes....Merlin...had his presence everywhere. This was magic. This was where I belonged.
But before I lose myself in sentimental ramblings, lets talk a little about Lost Continent.

It was the last, so legend says, to come to IOA. It's roots are steeped in lore. A little place called Animal Kingdom was to have a land called Beastly Kingdom. In it they would have a dragon coaster, that went through a castle, and a Unicorn attraction.....but budget cuts sent Imagineers looking for work, and with them went their ideas. Here comes Universal, looking for a new land. They were trying for a mythical place, but there wasnt so much they could do with mythology on a smaller scale. Then came the Imagineers. Their ideas were amazing, and so, Lost Continent was broken up into three seperate areas of Mythology: Greek/Roman Mythology (Posiedons Fury and Mythos) the Arabian Mythology (Sindbad, and the surrounding bazarr) and Aurthurian Lore...all things dragon and Merlin. Dueling Dragons was there centerpiece, two inverted coasters that gave near misses, but that wasnt enough. They filled the line and surrounding area with a life all its own, along with a soundtrack. The eateries were even immersive, with the Enchanted Oak providing a snarling old oak and carved animals inside.

Fate stepped in a year ago and it was announced that the land would be rethemed to make room for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The art showed the area and it was drastically different from what we've come to love, and in a lot of ways...better. That split a lot of people. On one hand you had an all new area, new rides, and you'd bring in a huge crowd which would hopefully make the rest of the park have to grow and add more rides. On the other, what would happen to our beloved Lost Continent?

The higher ups were so tight lipped that they had permanent tooth indents on their upper lips. That didnt stop people from talking. Kuka arms with flying cars, Quidditch matches, Triwizard Tournaments, and even wizard duels in the streets were all on the rumor list. The only thing that we now know for sure, they're closing off Flying Unicorn for retheming, and a big castle is being built. Thats it. What will happen is anyone's guess. But will it be as great as what we had before? Probably not....and that will chase a lot of people away. Will it be as good as the concept art? It never is. Aquatica anyone?

But regardless of what I think about it, and what millions of fans think...its happening. The harsh realization has just been confirmed. The Lost Continent is dying.
So back to the sentimentality. I cant say enough about my love for "The LC". It brought so much inspiration to my life, as said before, it inspired me to go from just a casual fan to a full blown theme park maniac. It spurred 2 podcasts and a website, and during my journey through all that it made me some amazing friends, and fiendish foes. It brought a sense of imagination back to me, and yes....I even started a FanFiction about it...how dorky can you get?
So, when the boy wizard comes to town, it will be a bittersweet event, joyous and happy to see one so young come in with fresh new looks and ideas, but sorrowful all the same. And no...you cant read the fanfic.
Until next time....keep your ear to the Hawthorne Tree.
Speak quietly amongst yourselves.