More than 100 feet of solid steel is set to go down the hatch – hopefully without a scratch.

World Sword Swallowers Day was founded by the Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) and is co-sponsored by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations around the world.

Why World Sword Swallower’s Day? “We sword swallowers risk our lives every time we swallow swords, but many people don’t believe it’s real, or they think the art has died out,” explains Dan Meyer, a sword swallower who has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. “We established World Sword Swallower’s Day to raise awareness of the medical contributions sword swallowers have made to the fields of medicine and science, to honor veteran performers, to raise funds for esophageal cancer research and the Injured Sword Swallower’s Relief Fund (with donations matched by Ripley’s), and to correct myths by putting on sword swallowing demonstrations for the public and media around the world.”

Why is Ripley co-sponsoring it? “Because it’s great entertainment,” said Tim O’Brien, VP of Communications for Ripley Entertainment. “Sword swallowers and Ripley go way back to the very first Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, set up at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. There, three performers, two of whom were ladies, mesmerized the huge crowds. Ripley’s has been home to sword swallowers around the world ever since.”

SSAI sword swallowers will be performing at more than a dozen Believe It or Not! Odditoriums including Orlando and St. Augustine.

Guests in Orlando will see Captain Olav swallow a sword that is actually shot down his throat by a rifle. He’ll also swallow a sword as he rides on his girlfriend’s shoulders – as she walks on broken glass.

Highlights at other Believe It or Not! locations will include:
• Red Stewart will attempt to swallow a world record 52 swords at one time in Atlantic City.
• Dai Andrews will attempt to swallow a very dangerous 120-degree curved Sword at Ocean City.
• Dan Meyer will swallow hedge clippers and a giant straight razor in Grand Prairie, Texas.
• Erik Kloeker, the youngest professional sword swallower in the world will perform in Gatlinburg.
• Travis Fessler will swallow a sword with his mouth full of live cockroaches in Gatlinburg.
• George The Giant, the world’s tallest sword swallower, will attempt to swallow a giant 33-inch long sword in Hollywood.
• A bevy of swallowers, led by legendary Todd Robbins, will perform at New York City’s Ripley’s.

“It’s a huge honor for us to carry on the great tradition of sword swallowers who have performed at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums over the years!” Meyer explains. “In light of this, SSAI is sending out an open invitation to all sword swallowers around the world to contact us and join us in swallowing swords at Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums and other locations on the 27th!”

Sword Swallowing Facts:
• The average person swallows about 600 times per day – 350 while awake, 200 while eating, and about 50 times while asleep.
• The average swallow uses 50 pairs of muscles and can take from three to 23 seconds to complete.
• Sword swallowers use mind-over-matter techniques to repress the natural gag reflex in the back of the mouth, the peristalsis reflex in the throat, and the retch reflex in the stomach to “swallow” solid steel sword blades from 15 to 30 inches in length.
• Sword swallowing can take from two to seven years to learn, and even after years of practice, some people never learn to master it.
• The longest sword swallowed on record was 33 inches long swallowed by George the Giant.
• The most swords swallowed at once was 47 swords swallowed by Red Stuart in 2008.
• SSAI reports that there are on average between four and six serious sword swallowing related injuries reported around the world each year that require medical attention and hospitalization, with dozens more that go unreported each year.
• Treatment of sword swallowing injuries can cost from $25,000-$75,000 per injury.

The art of sword swallowing began more than 4,000 years ago in India, and requires the practitioner to use mind-over-matter techniques to control the body and repress natural reflexes to insert solid steel blades from 15 to 25 inches down the esophagus and into the stomach. With the demise of the traveling circus sideshow over the past several decades, there are currently less than a few dozen full-time professional sword swallowers actively performing the deadly art around the world today.

By Kevin Yee

Welcome to Insider Top Tips. This column proposes to amalgamate some of the best “insider” tips for visiting Orlando and its world-famous attractions. Think of it as “tips from a local.”

I’m a local now, of course, though like most Floridians, I was a transplant from somewhere else (in my case, from Southern California and Disneyland, with stops in the Midwest and North Carolina along the way). I’ve been in Orlando since early 2004, and an East-coaster since 2002. Moving into the area has its advantages, since I got to experience the confusion, and sometimes frustration, of being new to just about everything.

There’s no shortage of information out there about visiting Orlando. You can find Web sites with volumes of data and ideas, and entire books (some the size of encyclopedias) chock full of things to see and do. I propose to do something a little different. First, this blog will be more selective; these are only the “top” tips. Second, I’m going to try to keep a broader focus than just rides and shows. You’ll find ideas here about effective planning, saving time, saving money, ensuring as smooth an experience as possible, and other such wide-ranging topics.

We’ll kick things off with a look at navigating around Orlando. Today’s article will be helpful only if you’re not using Disney’s shuttle service, Disney’s Magical Express, offered for free to guests of their hotels. If you have that service, you’re likely not traveling beyond Walt Disney World and have no need to navigate the streets at all. This is also true if you’re using the Mears shuttle service, the main source of transportation from Orlando International Airport to hotels.

For visitors wanting a more free-form experience, you’ll want to rent a car. This frees you up to visit different parks, and gives you enormous flexibility with timetables. (Expect a lot of waiting for buses and shuttles if you don’t have your own car, especially in peak moments such as closing time.). Some visitors may opt to rent a car once away from the airport (Disney’s Car Care Center offers Alamo rentals from the Magic Kingdom parking lot, for instance.), but it’s most common to arrange for car rentals from the airport directly. There’s even an entire floor in the terminal dedicated to these rental car counters.

But do you really know your way around Orlando? You probably know about Interstate 4, the main artery diagonally bisecting the city. (I-4 gives rise to a pun on Magic Kingdom’s Main Street, where one window honors the “Ayefour Corporation”.) And if you rented a car from the airport, you probably also encountered State route 528 (aka, the Beachline, formerly Bee Line). It’s an east-west toll road that passes right by the airport and is the conduit most visitors use to get to I-4 and the theme parks.

It’s possible you followed the signs from the airport, which prompt you to either head south away from SR-528, or even head on SR-528 “away” from I-4. What’s behind the ploy is to get more clueless tourists using an alternate route to Disney World, another toll road called Sate route 417. The SR-417 is longer and involves more tolls than the SR-528, hence the misleading signs.

All the major theme parks line up along I-4. You’ve got Disney in the south, SeaWorld in the middle, and Universal at the top. Some visitors know that a side-street connecting all of them, parallel to I-4, is International Drive (I-Drive). Indeed, this has become such an important conduit for tourists that countless hotels and restaurants have set up shop on I-Drive.

The trouble is, that level of activity translates into enormous traffic problems, sometimes even honest to goodness gridlock. Find yourself on I-Drive on a Friday night, for instance, and you could be in for a long wait to make it a few miles. As a result, you’ll want to bone up on alternate routes.

Your first choice as an alternate to I-Drive should be Universal Boulevard, which is a bit misleading since it doesn’t actually intersect with the Universal parks. It’s also parallel to I-4, and is “one street over” from I-Drive, further from I-4. Driving speeds here are unimpeded, and it’s a life-saver to skip past all the I-Drive traffic. Frequent cross-roads here all lead from I-Drive to Universal Boulevard; simply head away from the freeway to find the next stoplight and you should locate it.

Your second choice is Turkey Lake Road, which also parallels I-4, but on the other side from I-Drive. I’ve found drivers on Turkey Lake Road to be a touch more impatient, perhaps implying a higher percentage of locals. This may make the drive over here a bit more stressful, plus it’s a little easier to get lost as you approach Walt Disney World from the north. (Short version: It turns into Palm Parkway, then you’ll want to turn left at Apopka Vineland Road, also known as State route 535, before rejoining I-4 or simply turning into Downtown Disney via Hotel Plaza Boulevard.) There’s even a way to connect the dots between Turkey Lake, Universal Boulevard, Sand Lake Road and Apopka-Vineland Road, but that’s probably more than you need to know.

It may sound complicated (and on your first drive, it probably is), but trust me, when bottleneck sets in, you’ll do just about anything to avoid the very long delay you risk facing on I-4 or I-Drive. My advice is to print a copy of this story and keep it in your rental car, just in case.

• Kevin Yee is a theme park enthusiast and author. He’s written seven books about Disney theme parks, including his most recent work, an interactive children’s book called “Your Day at the Magic Kingdom“. He visits at least two Central Florida theme parks per week, and is now working on an upcoming book compiling all the best tips for a trip to Orlando. You can find out more about Kevin at his Web site, ultimateorlando.com.

CoCo Key Water Resorts are adding Orlando to their portfolio of water resorts and hotels. Set to open in March at 7400 International Drive (near the convention center) [Editor's Note: It's actually not that close to the Convention Center. It's closer to Sand Lake Road.], the 58,000 square-foot canopy covered water park will be the company’s first outdoor water park. Other locations include Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Boston and more.

The water resort with a Key West feel will feature three water slides – the Boomerango, Surfer Splash and Over the Falls. The Coconut Grove lazy river, Palm Paradise spa, and Parrot’s Perch interactive play island will offer water park fun for families looking for a quieter experience. Other attractions will include Minnow Lagoon toddler pool, CoCo’s Beach and a teen pool, Coral Reef Cove. Also look for Key Quest Arcade and Parakeet’s Playhouse, a multi-function space for parties and events.

The hotel part of the resort will include 391 completely renovated guest rooms and family suites, the new Gator Grab and Go coffee and convenience shop, fitness center and a new restaurant/food court. Guests 21 and older will be able to enjoy a beverage in the tropical bar along the wharf.

Look for “CoCo”, the resort’s parrot mascot, to make special appearances and pose for pictures.

For more information on CoCo Key Water Resort properties, visit CoCoKeyWaterResort.com.

From orlando.bizjournals.com:

The new Improv Comedy Club and Dinner Theater, slated to open in spring 2010 on the second story of the lifestyle center, will feature 400 seats and resurrects a concept that was on Church Street in downtown Orlando several years ago, said Susan Godorov, vice president of marketing, mall and lifestyle retail for landlord Centro Properties Group.

The 300-seat restaurant, dubbed Fat Fish Blue, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based concept that features a New Orleans-themed menu.

The club/restaurant will be in the location formerly occupied by the Matrix and Metropolis clubs, which closed in 2006. You can read more about the current Fat Fish Blue restaurants in Ohio on their Web site at fatfishblue.com

Concluding our series of posts surrounding the 2009 Spooky Empire “Ultimate Horror Weekend” is an overall summary video of the events that took place on Oct. 9.

Seen here are celebrity meet-and-greets, including director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), actors Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210, Charmed), Tippi Hedren (The Birds), Jason Mewes (Clerks, Mallrats), Bill Moseley (House of 1,000 Corpses), and many more. Also included is a look at the convention’s exhibition hall filled with collectibles, artwork, props, and other goodies.

Don’t miss our other posts including celebrity interviews, a “Thriller” reenactment, and this year’s zombie walk up and down International Drive.

As part of the Spooky Empire “Ultimate Horror Weekend” 2009, hundreds of zombies and other ghoulish creatures walked up and down International Drive on October 9. The zombie walk and opening ceremonies were put on by the Deadite Empire.

Special guests at the event included John Landis, director of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, and original Night of the Living Dead zombie Bill Hinzman leading the hoard.

Here’s a look at this year’s Spooky Empire zombie walk from makeup to completion:

Don’t miss our extensive photo gallery of the event and our other posts from Spooky Empire 2009 including interviews with horror film celebrities.

As part of Spooky Empire’s “Ultimate Horror Weekend” 2009 in Orlando, two impressive reenactments of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” took place in the parking lot of Friday’s Front Row on International Drive.

Enjoy the full first performance here:

The above show was performed by the Rich Weirdoes and Cheryl Sington’s Dance Warehouse. Sington is one of the original dancers from the “Thriller” music video. The opening ceremonies were put on by the Deadite Empire.

A little while later, “Thriller” music video director John Landis showed up to watch the second performance featuring more of the children from The Dance Warehouse:

Director John Landis takes photos of the “Thriller” performance.

Landis poses with the “Thriller” performers, Cheryl Sington’s Dance Warehouse and the Rich Weirdos.

You can find plenty more photos from the Spooky Empire “Thriller” reenactment and zombie walk in our photo gallery.

Zombies invaded Orlando today – International Drive to be exact. Today’s Zombie Walk and Thriller Dance kicked off Spooky Empire’s “Ultimate Horror Weekend.” The event runs through Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Wyndam Orlando Resort. The zombie walk and opening ceremonies were put on by the Deadite Empire.

If you missed the walk, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with the photos below and some upcoming videos. Plus there’s still time to see the next two days of movie screenings, exhibitors and lots of big and not-so-big name celebrities. For more information visit Spooky Empire’s Web site.

Here are some featured photos from the event. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see all 100 in our Photo Gallery.

The event started out at Fridays Front Row with a gathering of various zombies, such as Shrek and Fiona. Poor Donkey.

First, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, stars of the SyFy Channel series, “Ghost Hunters,” will be at Halloween Horror Nights to experience the event and sign autographs for guests on Thursday, Oct. 8. Gonsalves and Tango are both members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and star in the reality show that follows the group of real-life paranormal researchers as they investigate hauntings across the nation. For autographs, they will appear in Battery Park in the New York area of Universal Studios from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and 10 to 11:30 p.m.

The following day, Friday, Oct. 9, marks the beginning of this year’s Spooky Empire “Ultimate Horror Weekend” which runs through Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Wyndam Orlando Resort. On Friday, sometime between 1 and 4 p.m., The Rich Wierdoes will lead a re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” featuring an amazing lineup of special guests that includes Ola Ray, who was Jackson’s date in the “Thriller” music video, Cheryl Sington, who was one of Jackson’s backup dancers in the video, and director John Landis, who directed the video. That will take place at at the T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row across the street from the Wyndham.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, the 2009 Zombie Walk will take place, bringing together hundreds of fans-turned-zombies as they stumble and creep their way down the road from T.G.I. Friday’s to the Wyndam. Here’s a photo gallery from last year’s Zombie Walk filled with creative costumes.

In addition to these events, the Spooky Empire weekend is filled with movie screenings, an exhibitor hall and plenty of celebrities. The list includes plenty of big names from horror films past and present (and a few non-horror actors as well). In attendance will be Fairuza Balk (The Craft), Tippi Hedren (The Birds), Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Bill Moseley (House of 1,000 Corpses), Jason Mewes (Clerks), Shannen Doherty (Charmed), Danielle Harris (several Halloween movies), as well as ghost hunters Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, and many more. See a full list of guests here.

A complete event schedule can be found on Spooky Empire’s web site.

It’s our first quarterly issue and the first of our new and improved editions featuring nearly 20% more pages, thicker paper, more high-quality photography, and more articles than ever before.

Feature articles in this issue include:
• COVER STORY: Hitch a Ride on a Giant Stingray
with SeaWorld’s Manta, Florida’s First Flying Roller Coaster.

• Slip Slide Away at Disney’s Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach offer cool retreats year-round.

• Skipper Ben’s Top 10 Ways to Beat the Heat

• Magical Memories
Contest winner looks back at his year as Disney’s Chief Magic Official.

• Africa, Animals and Art
Kidani Village expands upon the culture found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

• Africa meets India at Sanaa
Disney’s newest restaurant dishes up African cuisine with Indian flavors.

• Stitch invades Tomorrowland in Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration.

And if you subscribe now at our new low price of $19.99, you’ll be among the first to receive the new Summer 2009 issue when it begins to mail out next week. But hurry or you’ll miss it!

Again, you can preview and pre-order the Summer 2009 issue here.