64-1092: Riverside Amusement Park may refer to: Riverside Amusement Park (Massachusetts) , former name (1840–2000) of Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts Riverside Amusement Park (Austin) , Texas Riverside Amusement Park (Binghamton) , New York Riverside Amusement Park (Chicago) , Illinois Riverside Amusement Park (Estes Park) , Colorado (1923–1970) Riverside Amusement Park (Hutchinson) , Kansas (1908–early 1930s) Riverside Amusement Park (Indianapolis) , Indiana (1903–1970) Riverside Amusement Park (Joplin) , Missouri Riverside Amusement Park (La Crosse) , Wisconsin (1990–present) Riverside Amusement Park (Louisville) , Kentucky Riverside Amusement Park (Medicine Hat) , Alberta Riverside Amusement Park (Phoenix) , Arizona Riverside Amusement Park (Stourport-on-Severn) , Worcestershire (2000–present) See also [ edit ] Riverside Park (disambiguation) Riverview Park (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
128-523: A DC Comics character portrayed as the antithesis of Superman . In accordance with the theme change, the coaster's track and supports were repainted with a purple and dark blue color scheme, and other special effects were added. In 2016, the Six Flags reverted to the original theme, but instead of restoring the name, it was changed to Superman The Ride. A virtual reality feature was added the same year, which created an optional 3D experience for passengers, but
192-500: A 4D FreeFly coaster, was installed on the former site of SplashWater Falls, which closed in 2016. MindEraser, the park's SLC received new trains with an updated restraint style. Also during the 2017 season, Superman: The Ride had a limited run of offering Oculus Rift goggles to enhance the ride experience. Buzzsaw closed at the end of 2017. Harley Quinn Spinsanity was installed for the 2018 season, opening in May of that year. To make room for it,
256-636: A number of family-oriented rides as well as thrill rides. The most recent addition is Bonzai Pipelines added in 2013. For the 2020 season, Bonzai Beach is being expanded and renamed to Buccaneer Beach. This area is to include a larger bathhouse facility and a new pool. During the park's branding as a Six Flags in 2000, the Looney Tunes characters were added to the park. The line-up of Looney Tunes characters includes: Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck , Tweety Bird , Sylvester , Foghorn Leghorn , Porky Pig , Petunia Pig , Pepé Le Pew , Roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote , Marvin
320-407: A steel hybrid coaster, which would include three inversions and a steeper drop. Wicked Cyclone opened in May 2015. The 2016 season saw the addition of two new attractions: Fireball and Superman: The Ride. Fireball, a Larson Loop attraction, was installed in the former location of Twister. Bizarro was transformed back into Superman, including a new red track color and other effects. In 2017, The Joker,
384-493: A top speed of 77 mph (124 km/h). It is considered one of the best steel roller coasters in the world according to the trade magazine Amusement Today , which awarded it the prestigious Golden Ticket award in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Hurricane Harbor is a water park located within Six Flags New England. The waterpark opened in 1997 as Island Kingdom and was rebranded Hurricane Harbor in 2003. It features
448-464: A white-water rafting ride called the Lost River Water Ride. Plagued with problems, the attraction never opened and was subsequently abandoned. A majority of the ride was demolished in 1989 to make way for Wild River Falls, a waterslide complex consisting of three sets of slides: Riptide, Blue Lightning and Pipeline. A popular attraction, Wild River Falls remained in operation until the opening of
512-448: Is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England in Agawam , Massachusetts . Built by Liechtensteiner manufacturer Intamin , the hypercoaster opened to the public as Superman – Ride of Steel in 2000. It features a 208-foot (63 m) lift hill , a 221-foot (67 m) drop, and a maximum speed of 77 mph (124 km/h). In 2009, the park changed the name to Bizarro , named after
576-557: Is credited with rescuing Riverside and turning it into the largest theme park in New England. He purchased the plans and cars of the 1939 New York World's Fair Cyclone Roller Coaster and opened a new coaster in 1941. That coaster, now known as Thunderbolt, is operating at the park and is the oldest coaster — in its original location — within the entire Six Flags chain of theme parks. The park continued to add new rides and removed some older ones. The theater and bowling alley were removed in
640-401: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Riverside Amusement Park (Massachusetts) Six Flags New England , formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–1999), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts . Opening in
704-411: The upcoming film of the same name. The park's other Batman-based attraction had its name briefly changed from Batman – The Dark Knight to Batman: The Ride to avoid confusion. However, due to apparent permit issues, the ride was canceled and dismantled, being sent to Six Flags Mexico, which built it in their park. The ride would have cost the park $ 7.5 million in exchange for bringing $ 280,000 in taxes for
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#1733093867099768-453: The "Mr. Six's" portion of Mr. Six's Splash Island was dropped, effectively renaming the area to Splash Island. In late August 2011, it was announced that Goliath would be coming for the 2012 season. Simultaneously, it was announced that Shipwreck Falls, a water ride located in the North End of the park, would be closing to make way for this attraction. The 2012 season saw the opening of Goliath in
832-486: The "T-bar" restraint, encasing the rider's legs. Shin restraints were added to the lower portion of the restraint, preventing riders' feet from leaving the car. In addition, all of the seat belts on both 36-passenger trains were replaced with ones at a consistent length, as well as a " go or no go " belt for each seat and T-bar restraint. The "go or no-go" belt ensured the T-bar restraint was in an effective position before leaving
896-505: The $ 40 million expansion, the park built Superman: Ride of Steel. A year before the Speedway's demolition, Six Flags had worked with Swiss manufacturer Intamin to build and design the ride. The final track piece of Superman was installed on March 27, 2000, about 40 days before opening day. The ride officially opened on May 5, 2000 as the tallest and longest roller coaster on the East Coast of
960-469: The 2000 season, Six Flags New England was known as Riverside Park. Six Flags purchased the park and added their own DC Comics theming. The site on which Superman The Ride operates is the former site of the Riverside Park Speedway . The Speedway was closed and demolished after the 1999 season to make room for a new themed area, DC Universe (known as DC Superhero Adventure until 2020). As part of
1024-466: The 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Supergirl Sky Flyer opened in May 2021 in the newly rethemed DC Universe area of the park, which features newly installed superhero statues and freshly painted buildings. Additionally, Goliath was left standing but not operating for the 2021 season and was removed from the park map. In July 2021, a tree fell onto Fireball during a thunderstorm, extensively damaging
1088-628: The CrackAxle Canyon section of the park as well as a new restaurant in the same area known as JB's Smokehouse. A month before opening day in 2013, Catapult was unexpectedly removed and scrapped. In May of that same year, a new water ride opened in Hurricane Harbor known as Bonzai Pipelines. At the conclusion of the 2013 season, Taz's DareDevil Dive was closed to make room for New England SkyScreamer, and Twister, an inverting ride located in Rockville,
1152-581: The Island Kingdom Waterpark in 1997. In 1994, Riverside partnered with Lady Luck Gaming in a proposal to build a hotel and dockside casino complex at the park, one of several competing casino proposals in the state. The plan died after Agawam voters rejected a non-binding referendum in support of casino gambling in November. During the 1996 season, the track on the Musik Express was damaged and
1216-657: The Martian , Taz, Granny, Lola Bunny , Elmer Fudd , Speedy Gonzales , Yosemite Sam and Gossamer. In 2006, the park underwent a massive expansion in the entertainment department when Mark Shapiro took control of Six Flags. With this expansion, Six Flags New England has added Justice League characters, along with the Hall of Justice. In 2007, enemies of the Justice League known as the Legion of Doom came to Six Flags. This addition brought
1280-557: The Tea Cups were moved to the former location of Buzzsaw and is now classified as an attraction in Rockville. The South End was transformed into Gotham City, also seeing the transformation of Mind Eraser into The Riddler Revenge (which received a new green and yellow paint job). For the 2019 season, Cyborg: Hyper Drive, a spinning flat ride, was installed inside the former Hall of Justice building in DC Superheroes Adventures area of
1344-630: The United States . The entrance and station were themed to Superman with Superman logos and a picture of him located above the entrance. The second tunnel also had a mist effect. Superman: Ride of Steel was re-themed as Bizarro at the start of the 2009 season. Six Flags had to work with the Zoning Board of Appeals to file a permit for the new effects because the ride sits on the Connecticut River floodplain . Although no changes were made to
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#17330938670991408-539: The Virtual Reality experience was offered during the afternoons. VR was removed for the 2017 season. After departing from the station , the train climbs the 208-foot (63 m)-tall chain lift hill . To the left of the lift hill is the Connecticut River , which is parallel to much of the coaster. After reaching the top, the train drops 221 feet (67 m) into a fogged headchopper tunnel . The ride reaches its top speed of 77 miles per hour (124 km/h). After
1472-687: The Wildcat was removed and moved to the late Rocky Point Park in Rhode Island. In 1983, Riverside Park added its third roller coaster, which was also the park's second wooden coaster. The owners originally wanted a coaster exactly like the Coney Island Cyclone , but space was limited, so the coaster would need to take up less space and would have sharper twists and turns. It became known as the Riverside Cyclone . In 1987, Riverside attempted to build
1536-495: The addition of Halloween decorations to several of its midway areas (making them Haunt Zones with roaming characters monsters), several shows and five premium haunted attractions: Nightmares, Terror Tales, The Aftermath: Zombies Revenge, Slasher Circus 3D and Midnight Mansion. In early 2009, Six Flags New England received an award within the chain for the best Fright Fest of 2008. Superman The Ride Superman The Ride (formerly known as Bizarro and Superman – Ride of Steel )
1600-501: The addition of a new children's area: Mr. Six's Splash Island located in Hurricane Harbor. This increased the number of children's areas in the park to four. In 2011, Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape From Arkham Asylum opened up in the DC Superhero Adventure section of the park. This ride replaced the football field and was placed on the same plot of land that the canceled Dark Knight Coaster was supposed to be built on. The same year,
1664-406: The attraction and leaving it closed for the rest of the season. Goliath was dismantled and sent to a scrap yard prior to the 2022 season. Before the start of the 2024 season, Kontiki was removed from the park. Six Flags New England is home to many rides and attractions, including Superman: The Ride. Superman: The Ride is 208 feet (63 m) tall and drops 221 feet (67 m) into a tunnel, reaching
1728-511: The attraction remained closed for a portion of the year. A Chance Chaos was ordered and was scheduled to open for the 1997 season. In December of 1996, the Carroll family agreed to sell the park to Premier Parks of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In the Spring of 1997, Premier Parks renamed the park to Riverside: The Great Escape. Under Premier Parks, various changes were made to the park. For the 1997 season,
1792-479: The audio track was switched to a compilation of clips from different rock songs, although the ending portion of the audio loop was kept due to popular demand. While on the final brake run waiting to return to the loading station, riders hear Bizarro chanting his name and "Bizarro #1". The new trains paint scheme was changed from blue and red to purple. Each seat originally had an individual hydraulic T-shaped lap bar restraints, but after several safety modifications,
1856-646: The characters and pose for pictures. However, the Hall of Justice building has recently become the home of Cyborg: Hyper Drive. The park also has some of the characters from Mystery Inc including Scooby-Doo , his best friend Shaggy Rogers and his nephew Scrappy-Doo . In the 2008 season, the Glow in the Park Parade was introduced. It was the unique brainchild of world-renowned creative director Gary Goddard and featured five custom-designed floats, 65 performers, and more than 35 support staff members and technicians. Each float
1920-459: The family that had owned the place for much of its history. The park added a new front gate plaza. On the former site of the racetrack, a new DC Comics -themed section of the park was installed. The area featured several new rides, including Superman – Ride of Steel, a hypercoaster designed by Intamin . And the park added a third coaster called flashback which replaced the Black Widow and Rotor in
1984-467: The federal Americans with Disabilities Act forbids them from denying rides to persons with disabilities if the person is able to board without assistance. Superman The Ride has undergone numerous safety upgrades. After the 2001 incident, the PVC airlines were replaced with steel reinforced air hoses to prevent a similar accident from occurring. After the 2004 incident, metal bars were installed on both sides of
Riverside Amusement Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
2048-512: The following characters to the park: Batman , Robin, Aquaman , Wonder Woman , Hawkgirl , Green Lantern , The Flash , The Joker , The Riddler , Sinestro , Cheetah, Lex Luthor and Captain Cold . The Hall of Justice is located in the building where the Jokers Wild Card flat ride used to be, transforming it into a secret lair. Times are posted outside indicating when guests will be able to meet
2112-403: The last turn and was killed. An investigation later showed that the ride attendant failed to properly check and secure the rider's seat restraint, as the rider's large girth size was a factor in the T-bar restraint's ability to close. The victim's family claimed that due to his various medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy , he shouldn't have been allowed to ride. The park responded by saying
2176-514: The late 1950s, making Riverside Park a seasonal attraction. Carroll took a liking to auto racing , a sport that was gaining popularity in the Northeast after World War II , and added it to his slate of attractions at Riverside, building the Riverside Park Speedway in 1948, replacing an open-air bandstand. The 1960s was a popular period for stock car racing at Riverside Park. NASCAR began to hold events at Riverside Park Speedway in 1976. In 1968
2240-399: The late 19th century, it is the oldest amusement park in the Six Flags chain, acquired by Premier Parks in 1996 and rebranded Six Flags New England in 2000. Superman The Ride is among the park's most notable rides, having appeared as a highly ranked roller coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today since the ride opened in 2000. Throughout much of the 20th century,
2304-554: The new owners invested more than $ 20 million on general improvements and several new attractions. Attractions included the Island Kingdom Waterpark, which featured a children's water play area, various slides and a wave pool. Other attractions included Mind Eraser (later renamed to The Riddler Revenge) and Shipwreck Falls. In the process of renovation, some older rides such as the Bayern Kurve and The Monorail were removed. Main Street U.S.A.
2368-468: The newly themed ride. Bizarro opened on May 22, 2009, at the start of Memorial Day weekend. Since the transformation, some of the effects have been removed. The fire effects were relocated to the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas . On September 3, 2015, it was announced that Bizarro's theme would be restored to Superman The Ride for the 2016 season. On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that
2432-413: The north end. Flashback was actually built on the site of the kiddie coaster rolling thunder. Rolling thunder now named great chase replaced the aging Rickie little twister coaster. In 2000. The Poland Spring Plunge log flume ride was removed in 2005 and replaced with Splashwater Falls in 2006. In 2008, Six Flags New England was to open The Dark Knight Coaster , an indoor MACK Wild Mouse coaster based on
2496-417: The park added its first steel coaster called the Wildcat and in 1977, Riverside Park added its first looping roller coaster, The Loop Coaster, later known as Black Widow. After a new roller rink was built in 1978, the former roller rink building, opened in 1916, was demolished in 1979 to expand the park. In 1998, the rink was closed and is now the human resources building. Edward J. Carrol Sr died in 1979, but
2560-502: The park and by 1931 it had gone into foreclosure. For the 1932 season, the park operated only Wednesday through Sunday, and in 1933 it closed. Several attempts to reopen the park failed and it remained closed through 1939, although the grounds were occasionally used for company picnics. A drive-in movie theater operated in the parking lot from 1937 to 1939. Edward Carroll Sr. purchased the abandoned park in 1939 and after making improvements, reopened Riverside Park on May 29, 1940. Carroll
2624-399: The park continued to be successful throughout the 1970s and the 1980s. In 1979 the park invested in an Arrow Development log flume known as Red River Rapids. It became the park's first water ride. It was later renamed Poland Spring Plunge. By the 1980s, the park stopped selling individual ride tickets and began charging a "pay one price" admission. Six years after the opening of Black Widow,
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2688-483: The park was known as Riverside Park. It began as a picnic grove in 1870 named Gallup's Grove . It was briefly changed to Riverside Grove , and then eventually Riverside Park in 1912. Prior to 1900, most of the park's patrons arrived via steamship. The Springfield Street Railway extended its line to the park in 1900 and, although Riverside was at the end of the Springfield Street Railway, it was not owned by
2752-410: The park. This ride is the first to include the fictional character Grid, a sentient cybernetic system and the arch-nemesis of Cyborg, in Six Flags' DC character roster. For the 2020 season, the park announced the addition of Supergirl Sky Flyer, a Zamperla Endeavour located on the site of the former Kryptonite Kollider, which closed at the end of the 2019 season. As a result of the park not opening in
2816-420: The railway and is, therefore, not considered a trolley park , contrary to published reports. In the early 1900s, a few mechanical rides and a carousel were added. The park was purchased in 1911 by Henry J. Perkins who transformed the park from a picnic grove to an amusement park. He built the park's first roller coaster , The Giant Dip, in 1912, which proved to be so popular that another coaster, The Greyhound,
2880-407: The restraints now consist of two metal bars on each side. The steel track is 5,400 feet (1,600 m) in length and the height of the lift is approximately 208 feet (63 m). The track was originally painted red with blue supports, to fit the theme of Superman. In 2009, after the re-theme to Bizarro, the track was repainted purple while the supports were painted a darker shade of blue. In 2016,
2944-574: The ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This theming also came to the Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman - Ride of Steel at Six Flags America . Starting July 25, 2016,
3008-484: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Riverside Amusement Park . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riverside_Amusement_Park&oldid=1187899526 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
3072-405: The spaghetti bowl. It then jumps over a bunny hill into a counter-clockwise helix. The train makes a right turn drop into a fogged tunnel followed by three bunny hills before banking right into the station. The roller coaster features two fiberglass trains with stadium-style seating. Each train has nine cars with two rows of paired seats per car. When the ride was re-themed in 2009, onboard audio
3136-467: The state of Massachusetts. The cancellation angered the city of Agawam, which stated that issues with the ride were not evident. The park then announced the new " Glow in the Park Parade ". On November 8, 2008, the Town of Agawam allowed Six Flags the right to build roller coasters up to 200 feet (61 m) in height. This paved the way for many future roller coasters in the park. The 2010 season brought about
3200-489: The station. During the 2009 rebranding , new trains were deployed with new restraints added. The new lap bars eliminated the center pole, leaving only the exterior poles. New seat belts provided more strength and were less likely to come undone unintentionally. Superman The Ride, along with Millennium Force , have held the top two spots in the Golden Ticket Awards poll every year from 2001 to 2015. Superman The Ride
3264-399: The street. In 2001, a bridge was constructed over the public road, Main Street, to take guests to the main gates. In 1998, the park added several attractions including a lazy river, another children's play structure called Hook's Lagoon, a speed slide tower called Cannonball, a family raft slide called Swiss Family Toboggan, and a multi-slide tower called Big Kahuna. The water park expansion
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#17330938670993328-404: The track and supports were repainted to their original colors but using more vibrant shades. On August 6, 2001, one of the trains failed to stop at the ride's brake run , colliding with the other train in the loading station. 22 people were sent to hospitals, without any major injuries. The ride reopened on August 18, 2001. On May 1, 2004, a 55-year-old man was thrown from the coaster during
3392-490: The track layout, a new theme highlighting Superman 's evil clone, Bizarro , was added. The track was repainted purple with dark blue supports, and multiple special effects were added; including building structures that give riders the impression of speeding through a city, rings in the shape of Bizarro's S shield that the train passes through, and flame effects. The two trains were repainted purple with new on-board audio. Six Flags introduced an "alternate reality game" to market
3456-411: The train exits the tunnel, it climbs a second hill before dropping down into a 120 degree overbanked turn to the right. Riders then ride through cutouts of buildings and climb the third and fourth major hills. The third hill is where the on-ride photo is taken. After the fourth hill, the train drops through Superman's S shields . Riders crest a small hill, turning right into a clockwise helix, known as
3520-495: Was added in 1915. Under Perkins' ownership, the park continued to prosper and additional amusements were added, including a 300-foot-diameter pool that became known as Lake Takadip. The original Giant Dip coaster was replaced in 1920 by a new, more thrilling coaster that was twice the size of the Giant and was eventually named Lightning. A third coaster, Whirlwind Racer, was added in 1928. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 took its toll on
3584-426: Was added to the south end of the park next to the park's log flume. The park also added The Hellevator, an S&S Worldwide Turbo Drop tower measuring 21 stories tall, which was originally painted red. On April 1, 1998, Premier Parks acquired the larger Six Flags chain of parks from Time Warner . The park continued to be known as "Riverside" until the end of the 1999 season. In 1999, the Riverside Park Speedway
3648-404: Was added to the trains. On each one, the two rear seats of the fifth car have speakers mounted in the headrests of the seats that play a soundtrack. This reduced the capacity of the trains from 36 to 34. Upon reopening following the change, a recording of various film quotes played while the train was in motion, ending with a loop of Bizarro and several other people chanting his name. Eventually,
3712-411: Was adorned with vibrant-multicolor lights that illuminate the park and surrounded the streets with custom-composed cirque-inspired music. The parade featured drummers, puppeteers, singers, dancers, and kinetic stilt walkers to create an unparalleled nighttime spectacular. The parade did not return in the 2009 season, but it did return in 2010. The parade never got to complete its full-season run in 2010. It
3776-467: Was also removed. At the time of its opening in 2014, New England SkyScreamer was the world's largest swing ride at 408 feet in height. The SkyWay attraction closed forever at the conclusion of the 2014 season. On July 20, 2014, Cyclone closed forever. Construction signs were quickly put up, and during August of the same year, it was announced that Rocky Mountain Construction would transform the ride into
3840-591: Was canceled in July after new management took over the Six Flags Corporate office. From 2001 to 2014, Six Flags New England hosted a series of outdoor summer concerts. Additionally, from 2006 to 2013, WKSS hosted their annual Kiss 95.7 Summer Kickoff Concert at the park, and from 2010 to 2013, WKCI-FM hosted KC 101's Ticket to Ride concert. During the month of October, the park gets transformed for its annual Halloween festival, Fright Fest. This transformation include
3904-410: Was never changed when the park was allowed to use characters from DC Comics on their rides. A new western area called Crack Axle Canyon was added and included four rides, three of which were new to the park. In 2000, Riverside was rebranded "Six Flags New England", reflecting similar changes made at other Six Flags properties. The main street running through the park was renamed "Carroll Drive" in honor of
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#17330938670993968-500: Was removed and the waterpark was doubled in size. Additions included a new slide tower named Shark Attack and a second wave pool called Hurricane Bay. The park added a Hopkins river raft ride named Blizzard River to the North End, replacing a set of dry slides and the old Bumper Cars. Blizzard River was themed to incorporate the Penguin character from the Batman franchise, but the name of the ride
4032-474: Was removed prior to the 2017 season. Superman The Ride has been well received, consistently holding a high ranking among steel roller coasters in the annual Golden Ticket Awards published by Amusement Today . The ride has topped the list five times since its debut. It has also weathered criticism from two serious accidents that occurred early in its tenure with one resulting in a passenger's death. Several safety modifications were made in their wake. Prior to
4096-463: Was substantially redesigned, and the Southern Center midway was themed to a 1950s city and renamed Rockville. Other improvements included a new entrance plaza and the carousel being renovated and relocated to the front gate. In February 1997, the original entrance where guests would both drive to the parking lots and walk into the park was closed off and demolished to make way for new parking across
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