7 Strange Summer Vacation Stories
Summertime is leisure time. From gardening to hitting the beach, check out these 10 tales of everyday summer activities that have an unusual twist.1 - The world's most dangerous amusement park reopens
1 - The world's most dangerous amusement park reopens
Action Park in Vernon, NJ is back after an almost 20 year hiatus and is hoping to live down it's reputation as the world's most dangerous amusement park.
The park was first open between 1978-1996 and quickly gained a reputation as "Traction Park" or "Class Action Park" due to the sheer number of injuries over that period. There were 110 reported injuries in just one year, including 45 head injuries and 10 fractures, even though it was fined just once between 1979 and 1986 for not following procedure. Six people also died at Action Park – three in the wave pool alone.
While the park's owners enjoy the "anything goes" reputation, they have now made the safety of the park's patrons their number one priority. Action Park reopened in June 2014.
Check out the mini-doc on The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever:
2 - A rare lightning strike kills 1 and injures 13 on Venice Beach
2 - A rare lightning strike kills 1 and injures 13 on Venice Beach
When a thunderstorm storm rolled in, skies darkened quickly and lightning strikes hit near the water's edge along the popular boardwalk and pier.
Two teen witness say they were in the ocean when they heard a vast explosion and the water stared churning. They ran out just in time to see a lifeless man on the shore break.
Nick Fagnano, 21, died at the scene.
A 57-year-old man on a golf course on nearby Santa Catalina island was also struck earlier in the day, but survived.
Lightening strikes in the Southern California area are exceptionally rare – the odds of being hit are 1 in 7.5 million in California compared to 1 in 600,000 in Florida. Experts say the storm materialized over the beach so rapidly and was so isolated that there was no way to predict it.
3 - The summer song of the lonely toadfish keeps residents of a small town awake
3 - The summer song of the lonely toadfish keeps residents of a small town awake
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the low humming is, in fact, the mating call of the plainfin midshipman, or toadfish.
The toadfish mates from May to September and produces the humming sound to attract passing females by pressing its muscles against its bladder, at about 6,000 times a minute. The hum can last for up to an hour at a time.
For an example of the hum, which pretty much sounds like a cell phone on vibrate, check out the video below:
4 - A disabled dog loses at the Wiener Dog Races, but wins hearts online
4 - A disabled dog loses at the Wiener Dog Races, but wins hearts online
It wasn't as much about winning or losing as much it was about playing the game for paraplegic dachshund Anderson Pooper, who won hearts around the world after a video surfaced on YouTube of her participation in the Wiener Dog Races in Seattle.
Dave and Brenda Sizer are proud parents of 7-year-old Pooper, who injured her spine in an accident. They adopted her from rescue group Animals With Disabilities four years ago.
Regardless of her limitations, she ran the course of the race, even beating other dogs that veered off track. “She loves running. Any chance she gets she's all in for it,” Dave Sizer said.
(Source)
Someone is flamingo bombing the neighborhood of Richmond Heights, Missouri.
The pranks began when a couple who actually own the tacky yard ornament moved into Richmond Heights. Soon, flamingos started appearing everywhere in neighboring yards.
No one has yet copped to the flourish of free flamingos.
(Source | Photo)
Kids, never hesitate on a diving board. What can happen can be extremely disastrous.
Check out this video of a woman who can't commit. She makes the decision to jump, then tries to stop herself by catching the safety rail, only to plummet and hit the diving board below. Luckily, she escaped with nothing but an injured finger and bruised ego.
(Source)
Dave and Brenda Sizer are proud parents of 7-year-old Pooper, who injured her spine in an accident. They adopted her from rescue group Animals With Disabilities four years ago.
Regardless of her limitations, she ran the course of the race, even beating other dogs that veered off track. “She loves running. Any chance she gets she's all in for it,” Dave Sizer said.
5 - Summer mystery surrounds pink flamingos
5 - Summer mystery surrounds pink flamingos
The pranks began when a couple who actually own the tacky yard ornament moved into Richmond Heights. Soon, flamingos started appearing everywhere in neighboring yards.
No one has yet copped to the flourish of free flamingos.
6 - An inexperienced diver attempts a high dive and fails
6 - An inexperienced diver attempts a high dive and fails
Check out this video of a woman who can't commit. She makes the decision to jump, then tries to stop herself by catching the safety rail, only to plummet and hit the diving board below. Luckily, she escaped with nothing but an injured finger and bruised ego.
7 - A 17-story waterslide opens in Kansas City
7 - A 17-story waterslide opens in Kansas City
The world's tallest water slide is now located in Kansas City at Schlitterbahn Water Park. Called the Verrückt, German for "insane," the 17-story water park ride clocks in at a speed of up to 65 mph during the first 50 foot drop.
Netting was added around the slide after sandbags and a raft were launched into the air during ride testing. (Nice to know park patrons are now protected.)
Checkout the harrowing ride below:(Source | Photo)
Netting was added around the slide after sandbags and a raft were launched into the air during ride testing. (Nice to know park patrons are now protected.)
Checkout the harrowing ride below:
