By Robert Niles: Rumors are flying all over the industry that there's a deal emerging for InBev to sell the Busch theme parks. And it's not to Merlin, Universal or an investment bank.

It's... to the Busch family.

The reasoning goes that the Busch family will make enough from the sale of its shares in Anheuser-Busch to InBev that family members will be able to buy, or at least finance, the purchase of Busch Entertainment Corp. from InBev. And BEC wouldn't even have to change its name! Saves a few bucks on letterhead, at least. ;-)

The move would allow the Busch "brand name" to continue in the marketplace, something that is said to be very important to some family members. And it would ensure that the current management team would stay in place, though there might have to be some title-shuffling to accommodate Busch family members who do not now have titles within BEC.

Done deal, or wishful thinking? I don't know, but, wow, what a thought to wish....

By Robert Niles: So which is the top dog at the world's theme parks? (Apologies for the wretched pun.) Today, we match up the Corn Dogs from Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A. with an Asian twist on the same concept, the Gyoza Dogs from Tokyo DisneySea.

Campaign for your favorite (or, at least, explain to Westerners what a "Gyoza Dog" is) in the comments.

Yesterday, the Cheddar Cheese soup from Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot's Canada pavilion eliminated the Buffalo BBQ Fried Chicken Wrap from Mythos at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Links to all tournament match-ups

By Robert Niles: Today's matchup features a battle between signature items at the top two restaurants from the most recent Theme Park Insider Awards, Islands of Adventure's Mythos and Epcot's Le Cellier Steakhouse.

Yesterday, Epcot's School Bread from the Norway pavilion defeated Grapefruit Cake from the Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios, 55% to 45%.

Here is the rest of the, uh, menu:

Wednesday:
6. Corn Dog, Main Street U.S.A., Disneyland
11. Gyoza Dogs, Tokyo DisneySea

Thursday:
5. Banana Chocolate Gooey Cake, Mythos, Universal's Islands of Adventure
12. Hot Dog, Casey's Corner, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

Friday:
4. Barbecue Ribs, Trapper's Smokehouse, Busch Gardens Europe
13. Free Beer, Busch theme parks

Saturday:
3. Monte Cristo Sandwich, Blue Bayou, Disneyland
14. Boysenberry-topped Funnel Cake, Knott's Berry Farm

Sunday:
2. Turkey Leg, Frontierland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
15. Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Dinner, Knott's Berry Farm

Monday, July 28
1. Dole Whip, Adventureland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland
16. Pot Roast, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

By Robert Niles: What's the single best thing to eat at a theme park? Everyone has a personal favorite, but let's find out what Theme Park Insider readers, together, think is the best bite at a theme park.

So we, today, are starting another reader tournament. Based upon your nominations, I've seeded 16 snacks, desserts and entrees in a single-elimination tournament, starting with a couple of desserts from Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Pick your favorite below:

Brown Derby's Grapefruit Cake vs. Norway's School Bread?

Here is the rest of the tournament schedule...

Tuesday:
10. Cheddar Cheese Soup, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Epcot def.
7. Buffalo BBQ Fried Chicken Wrap, Mythos, Universal's Islands of Adventure

Wednesday:
6. Corn Dog, Main Street U.S.A., Disneyland
11. Gyoza Dogs, Tokyo DisneySea

Thursday:
5. Banana Chocolate Gooey Cake, Mythos, Universal's Islands of Adventure
12. Hot Dog, Casey's Corner, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

Friday:
4. Barbecue Ribs, Trapper's Smokehouse, Busch Gardens Europe
13. Free Beer, Busch theme parks

Saturday:
3. Monte Cristo Sandwich, Blue Bayou, Disneyland
14. Boysenberry-topped Funnel Cake, Knott's Berry Farm

Sunday:
2. Turkey Leg, Frontierland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
15. Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Dinner, Knott's Berry Farm

Monday, July 28
1. Dole Whip, Adventureland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland
16. Pot Roast, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney's Hollywood Studios

We'll start the quarterfinals on Tuesday, July 29. Campaign in the comments, please.

By Robert Niles: Theme parks, of course, are in the business of making money. In addition to the regular admission ticket, souvenirs, etc., many parks offer VIP tours and backstage experiences, for an additional fee. From escorted tours through Disneyland to a day with a SeaWorld trainer, plenty of options are available.

Have you ever been on one? That is our vote of the week. For the purpose of this question, we are not counting paid "front of the line" passes, like Universal Express Plus and Flash Pass, where the park just sells you an extra ticket and points you on your way. We're talking about employee-escorted tours and the like.

If you have gone on one of these experiences, tell us about it (including how much you paid), in the comments. Was it worth it?

By Anthony Murphy: On September 6th and 7th, twelve Six Flags Parks will be hosting Walk in the Park to help raise money for Pediatric Cancer. Six Flags Friends will team up with Cure Kids Cancer to raise $1,000,000. This event will take place in the morning and then continue when the parks open for the rest of the day. For more information visit: walkintheparks.org

[Editor's note: Here's the direct link to sponsor Anthony in the Six Flags Great America walk.]

By Brian Emery: I received an e-mail response about the Busch parks from AB.
I will cut and paste the e-mail I sent and the response I received….

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 10:21 PM
To: Vogt, Terri
Subject:

I am part of a web site called theme park insider and many of us are wondering what is going to happen to the AB owned theme parks...

Thanks
Brian Emery

Brian,

Good morning. Terri Vogt sent me your e-mail. I'm the head of PR for Busch Entertainment Corp.

We don't have an answer to your question right now. All of our parks are open and operating normally. We remain a division of Anheuser-Busch and nothing about our commitment to guest service and quality has changed. If anything does change we'll make sure the readers of ThemeParkInsider.com are the first to hear. Thanks for contacting us.

Fred Jacobs

[Editor's Update: I've got something to say about this. Check out the first post in the comments. - Robert]

By Robert Niles: There are some great discussions going on now on Theme Park Insider's discussion board. I should point Blog Flume readers over there more frequently: I too often forget that there are Theme Park Insider front-page or RSS readers who don't find their way over to the boards.

We have a post on the Blog Flume where readers are talking about the sale of Busch Gardens and SeaWorld's corporate parent to Belgian brewer InBev. But there's a hot thread on the discussion board, too: InBev Closing AB Parks?

TPI reader Scottland Jacobson visited Canada's most popular theme park and has filed a Canada's Wonderland Trip Report.

Just for fun, Adrian Walker offers Theme Park Scenarios We’d Like To See: Part Nine, asking readers to submit things that they would never hear me say.

In addition, I'd like to remind Theme Park Insider readers that I also blog about non-theme park news and events over on SensibleTalk.com. A couple recent posts over there you might find of interest: Algebra can be easy and Don't blame depositors for IndyMac's failure.

By Robert Niles: It's summer, and time for another Theme Park Insider reader tournament!

This time, we're voting on food -- not on restaurants, but on individual items. What is the single best thing to eat or drink at a theme park -- the best snack, appetizer, entree or beverage? We need you to submit your favorites, then I'll sum up the picks, seed the top nominees in brackets and open up the voting.

Please try to be specific when submit a pick -- if you can tell us the place and park where you get it, that would be helpful to me in setting up the brackets. Don't just submit "churros," tell us where the best churros are to be found, if that's what you want to nominate.

Start the campaigning in the comments, if you'd like, or feel free to ask any questions about this tournament. And let the tastiest treat win!

Update: Duh. The timing: Get your nominations in by this Friday. I want to announce the brackets and start voting Monday.

By Robert Niles: The BBC is reporting that at least 36 people have been hurt, and at least 20 seriously, in a collapse of The Rainbow ride at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden. [Update: CNN now reports the number of injured down to 18. Update 2: The consensus now seems to be 20 injured.]

"The ride is composed of a spinning arm with a compartment at one end which carries passengers," the BBC reported. It's a Huss model, kinda like a large version of the "Camp Bus" at Camp Snoopy at Knott's Berry Farm. There appears to be a Huss Rainbow at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Any others? [Update: Kentucky Kingdom's shut its Rainbow, pending the Swedish investigation.]