Now that the State Fair of Virginia has concluded its 11-day run at its new location in Caroline County, organizers are looking at ways to improve the event for next year—especially the parking. At times, the entrance to The Meadow Event Park in Doswell was a scene of gridlock and hourlong waits. Access to the parking areas at the State Fair site was from one entrance off state Route 30.

Virginia’s two theme parks will be hiring about 650 part-time workers for this fall’s Halloween attractions. Kings Dominion will hold a job fair at the amusement park in Doswell tomorrow to hire more than 400 part-time employees. Busch Gardens near Williamsburg has openings for 250 people “looking to offset the effects of the economy while having fun this fall,“ the park said.

Move over, SpongeBob and Dora. Make way for Snoopy. Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. says it’s putting Charlie Brown, Snoopy and other Peanuts characters into five more of its parks, including Kings Dominion in Hanover County. The Peanuts gang will replace the Nickelodeon characters and rides next year at Kings Dominion, Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto, Kings Island near Cincinnati, Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., and Great America near San Francisco.

Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens amusement parks are hiring part-time workers for the fall season.
  Kings Dominion: Job fair 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow at Kings Dominion’s Human Resource Office in the park at Doswell
Applications should be filled out online at KingsDominion.com before job-fair interviews.
For details, call (804) 876-5145.

Taylor Earnhardt has never been frightened on a roller coaster. “I’m still looking for the one that scares me,“ said the 20-year-old daughter of the late race-car driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., the original intimidator. However, she said at Kings Dominion yesterday, “this might be the one to do it.“ The Hanover County amusement park unveiled plans for its $25 million Intimidator 305, the “biggest, baddest and meanest” roller coaster on the East Coast.

Height: 305 feet
  First drop angle: 85 degrees
  Length: 5,100 feet
  Top speed: 92 mph-plus
  Airtime humps: 6
  High-speed turns: 3
  Ride time: 3 minutes
  Cost: $25 million

The $25 million price tag for the Dale Earnhardt-themed Intimidator 305 coaster will be Kings Dominion’s biggest single capital investment in its 35-year history.

Hanover County supervisors unanimously approved special exception permits last night for five assisted-living facilities that officials say were violating county zoning policies. The Haven Assisted Living Inc. operates seven facilities that provide care for the elderly in single-family homes. Typically, residents don’t need constant supervision by a nurse but may have impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Richmond no longer boasts the volume of summer months entertainment options that could be found in the area back in the not-too-distant day. The R-Braves have deserted us. Friday Cheers is a shadow of its former self and central Virginia newcomers likely have no idea that the Classic Amphitheater was once the site of a steady diet of big-time May through August concert offerings.

Six years ago, Switchfoot’s radio presence was ubiquitous.  The band’s fourth album, “The Beautiful Letdown,“ provided the breakthrough for the San Diego-based quintet, and its Top 20 alt-rock hits, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move,“ moonlighted as favorite targets of music coordinators for such gooey shows as “Dawson’s Creek” and “Felicity.“

A broom and sweeping pan lean up against a corner of Pat Jones’ office at Kings Dominion. She takes them on her afternoon rounds, part of her attention to detail in running one of the region’s tourism magnets.

Your mother wouldn’t approve. Neither would your doctor. But that’s the whole point of a contest to see who can eat the most funnel cake in 10 minutes. It’s a guilty pleasure taken to the extreme. In yesterday’s contest at Kings Dominion, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., and Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago tied for a world record of 5.9 pounds of funnel cake consumed in 10 minutes, breaking Chestnut’s record of eating 5.44 pounds of funnel cake April 11 at California’s Great America park.

Your mother wouldn’t approve. Neither would your doctor. But that’s the whole point of a contest to see who can eat the most funnel cake in 10 minutes. It’s a guilty pleasure taken to the extreme. In yesterday’s contest at Kings Dominion, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., and Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago tied for a world record of 5.9 pounds of funnel cake consumed in 10 minutes, breaking Chestnut’s record of eating 5.44 pounds of funnel cake April 11 at California’s Great America park.

At Kings Dominion, the 161-foot-tall Dominator will shoot you down a 148-foot drop, accelerate you to 65 mph, turn you upside down five times, and sling you through the world’s tallest vertical roller-coaster loop. All in 2 minutes and 6 seconds. So, of course, “it was a lot of fun,“ said 14-year-old Rebecca McDevitt, fresh off the swooping, thundering thrill ride.

With company after company announcing layoffs, Kings Dominion is hiring. And applicants are flocking—often from long distances—to put their names in for a job at the 400-acre theme park in Hanover County. Corky Donnelly and Jennifer Bondurant drove two hours last week from Berryville near Northern Virginia to apply for work at the park.