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Theme park news: Julie Andrews; Aquatica & Jungala; Monorail

Disneyland honors Julie Andrews with carousel horse

Disneyland dedicates lead carousel horse Jingles to movie star Julie Andrews.Hand-painted features on the saddle include Andrews’ initials and a flying silhouette of her “Mary Poppins” character.Fans lined up the night before outside the gates of the Anaheim theme park for the chance to meet Andrews, according to Laughing Place.

Aquatica and Jungala open in Florida

About.com Theme Parks provides the lowdown on the opening of the new Aquatica water park in Orlando, while Screamscape offers a review and photo gallery of the new Jungala-themed land at Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa.

Monorail Blue arrives at Disneyland

MiceAge’s Dateline Disneyland column gets the scoop on the arrival of the new Monorail Blue with photos of the still shrink-wrapped train on several flatbed trucks.

Knott’s Pony Express makes on-track debut

After a long journey from Italy, the Pony Express roller-horses make their first on-track appearance at Knott’s Berry Farm in advance of a May 22 debut.

Knott’s kicks off Fiesta Mexicana festival

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Fiesta Mexicana features strolling mariachis, folklórico concerts and salsa-making demonstrations during the last three weekends in April.
Roller coaster video contest under way

Theme Park Review kicks off its fourth annual Coaster Video Contest with 30 entries ranging from the United Kingdom to the American Midwest. Online voters pick the best video.
Find the latest amusement and theme park news at theLos Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland.