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  1. Kings Island Central came into existence in 2003. Dane Thomas, who started the website, just wanted a place to host pictures of the park. Kings Island Central quickly grew in popularity faster than anyone could have imagined. Over the years, Kings Island Central has grown exponentially and has become one of the very few dedicated fan and forum websites left in the industry. Kings Island Central continues to thrive even with the increased use of social media. Media Director Brad Perdue continues to keep Kings Island Central's content relevant. He keeps the main website updated by adding park history in real time and adding hundreds of photos every year to our vast collection of photo galleries. As Brad continued to add more photos, and the forums continued to grow, we started to max out our space on the current server. Brad ran the server out of space multiple times during the documentation of Adventure Port and the 2023 season. At that point, Brad and Matthew Middleton, the KIC Website Director, knew they had to do something to keep the website going. In late 2023, we started with a fresh web server and picked out a new theme to build out our main website. We have been working since then to rebuild the current website pages into the new website and give them a modern look. Our original graphic designer, Lee, also took our vision for the website and created the new logos. https://kicentral.com/ The Kings Island Central Admin Team hopes you enjoy the new website and find it easier to navigate and find the vast information contained on our website. The Kings Island Central Admin
    23 points
  2. While eating some pancakes this morning at a restaurant in Pigeon Forge, I wrote a construction update based on the information the Kings Island Team has been willing to share with park fans. “While the Soap Box Racers are gearing up for action, we’re thrilled to share the latest on the makeover happening around the new Camp Snoopy-themed kids’ area. Drumroll, please! This spring, we say hello to Woodstock’s Air Rail, formerly known as Flying Ace Aerial Chase. Picture this: Woodstock’s in charge of delivering all the important Camp Snoopy mail, and the roller coaster is getting a nature-inspired facelift to fit the theme. Imagine a ride through a tree—the track is being painted green to represent leaves and the structure brown for the trunk and branches. It’s going to be a literal thrill for kids and their parents through the heart of nature! But what about the ride itself? Woodstock’s Air Rail, an inverted roller coaster by Vekoma (the same manufacturer for Soap Box Racers), will take you on a wild journey. The adventure kicks off with a 90-degree turn, then it’s off to conquer a double helix to the left. Hold on tight as you zoom under the lift hill and soar over the station like you could touch the sky with your feet. A couple more twists and turns later, and you’re coasting into the brakes and back into the station. Oh, and for those roller coaster enthusiasts who love details: it’s single train, 10 cars, with riders seated 2 across in a single row, making it a total joyride for 20 excited thrill-seekers. Our award-winning kids’ area just got a whole lot more exhilarating — Woodstock style! BTW — For those who like to keep track, Woodstock’s Air Rail is not a new credit.”
    11 points
  3. So the park just reached out to me. They have confirmed that the pass should work for parking at Knott's. The park also called Knott's Berry Farm, they confirmed with the IT department of Cedar Fair, and talked with the GM of Knott's of the situation. Cedar Fair wants to make sure this is working correctly for all parties.
    10 points
  4. From the Kings Island website: Franklin's Flyers You can fly! Riders take flight in one of the unique carriages that spin outward like a swing and then rise above the ground. Once in the air, riders can take matters in their own hands by operating the carriage’s paddle in order to control the gliders flight, from mild to wild. Fly the way your heart desires, as all eight gliders have a unique route that only the rider can determine. Go for a fun and thrilling ride 28 feet in the air, weaving in and out of the clouds, maneuvering your way through the Camp Snoopy midway. Whether you choose to explore the high altitudes or cruise at a lower elevation, the choice is up to you. Woodstock Gliders is a ride that appeals to guests of all ages and something everyone in the family can enjoy together. It’s so much fun! You’ll want to ride this attraction more than once. Kings Island Team, you're welcome... again!
    10 points
  5. Looks amazing! So glad to be a part of the Kings Island fan community. We have something there that no other amusement park has to my knowledge. A strong fan base that loves this park and loves the attractions both current and defunct that have operated here over the many years. KICentral is a way not only to learn about and discuss the park but also to connect with fellow amusement park fans who all have one thing in common - we love Kings Island and the amusement park industry!
    9 points
  6. It’s important when you’re in a communications and storytelling position that you have an understanding of who your audience is, and what they want and need to succeed in the role.
    8 points
  7. Luckily, the Kings Island GM saw this Thread. They reached out to Knott's. They talked to the GM at Knotts to rectify the situation. Hopefully this covers the training issues at the parking tolls at Knott's and other CF parks as well.
    7 points
  8. It's offically March which means KI will open in just over one month! Here's to the last full month of no KI!
    7 points
  9. I'm happy to say that Top Gun is still here in 2024!
    7 points
  10. An 87 word paragraph accompanied by a 0.14 megapixel picture of ~8 feet of track is an absolutely embarrassing excuse for a construction update.
    6 points
  11. I mean, it’s probably way more hassle than it’s worth. Both of those structures probably require additional infrastructure where if you’re going to put a new pool/plumbing in — why not just spend the money on new attractions at that point? And we’re talking about two attractions that, while great for Coney, would be relatively unnoticed among the swath of KI offerings. Also, yeah it would be a good PR move in the sense that a few local tv news stations might use it as feel-good-fodder for the older crowd still watching the news and spreading Facebook nonsense, but how much is that really worth? It’s tragic what happened to Sunlite Pool and hopefully MEMI preserves Moonlight Gardens/some history, but the park truly died in 1971, not 2023.
    6 points
  12. There's some green track and a dark support!
    6 points
  13. There are more than 400 amusement/theme parks in North America. All but one would have shared the news within an hour of the last piece of track being installed on a new coaster. Some would have streamed it live. The park has had a lot of really good PR people throughout its history. Thomas Olds. Ruth Voss. Bill Mefford. Carolyn Boos. Jeffrey Siebert. David Mandt. Susan Lomax. Dan Cahill. Steve Edwards. Maureen Richmond. Karen Hunt. Susan McDonald. None of them would have waited until the next day to share the news that the final piece of track on a new coaster had been installed.
    6 points
  14. New construction update from yesterday, looks like the coaster will start going vertical next week!
    6 points
  15. I attended Dorney Park's Winter Chill Out yesterday and got to see Iron Menace in person. I am very excited for this ride! As has been noted many times before, this is something very unique compared to Dorney's competition and will definitely allow them to stand out. It looks a lot taller in person, and the colors really pop. It is shocking that they were able to fit such a huge ride into a piece of property formerly occupied by a Vekoma Boomerang! I am very excited to see the final thematic package for Iron Menace as well as for the surrounding Steel Yard land. The level of detail of what they have done so far is very impressive, especially for a park like Dorney. Kingdom Productions is doing the scenic fabrication; they did the fabrication/paintwork for Adventure Port last year. Everyone there seems very committed to the McTavish Steel backstory, and it's so awesome that the corporate XDS team developed this authentic, regional story to reflect in the park. I also have to note their Ghost in the Machine haunted maze, which we walked through with the lights on. I was absolutely blown away by it! Everyone at Dorney is so excited for this ride. I got the chance to speak to both their Communications Director and their General Manager, and they were so enthusiastic about Iron Menace, Dorney Park, and hosting this event for the first time. It really seems like this project has injected so much new life into the park. I attended Dorney twice in 2022, while I was completing an internship at Hersheypark, and thought it was very "meh." After yesterday, I walked away very impressed and excited for Dorney's future. I can't wait for Iron Menace to open and see where they go from here!
    5 points
  16. 5 points
  17. Even if they can't easily produce video that often (it's easier said than done), it would be trivially easy to add a few extra pictures and provide some basic accompanying context in the update. "Here are some footers. This is the station platform, where guests will load. Here's where the queue will be." Instead they share a single picture that looks like it may have been shot with a Razr V3. It's not that hard. We're enthusiasts, we're easily entertained.
    5 points
  18. I'll be honest, there was a part of me that wondered if the two years of the Phantom Theater show would culminate in an announcement about the ride returning in some form. Boo Blasters getting old and could use some TLC. And with KI really leaning into nostalgia in recent years, it didn't seem too far fetched. My fear is if they did it, it would just be a reskin of Boo Blasters, using similar animatronics and reusing as much of the sets as possible (maybe calling it Phantom Manor instead of Phantom Theatre). And I don't like BB, so I wouldn't want to see that. I think that location is the most obvious place, but it's not where I'd like to see them put it. I'd rather they take the existing Tomb Raider building (or tear it down) and build a stately old, frontier-themed theater in Rivertown and install a completely new dark ride. Give it some real attention, use animatronics and some decent effects, and treat it as a big deal (maybe even call it Phantom Theatre: Encore, in an nod to the show). KI could use a really good dark ride instead of the one that's just kind of languishing.
    5 points
  19. Keep in mind, we are very early in the year. Knott's is the only park dealing with the new passes so far. I understand the hesitation with what we have seen with the Prestige pass. When the park saw this thread, they reached out and made sure things were right. The acknowledgment and willingness to verify with other parks and their IT department that all should be working as advertised, really does speak highly of the KI GM. No mater the decisions that corporate might be making (most likely not under their control) the local parks do want to do what they can to make things right.
    5 points
  20. I think that if the merger doesn`t go through, they have to pay Cedar Fair a termination fee. They also have to get the deal approved by the regulators, which given the scrutiny that current mergers are going through (Re: Kroger and Albertson`s), that is far from a done deal. I just wish we would stop seeing Cedar Fair cutting budgets/hours/experiences. Eventually, the park guests will realize how many things are being cut. It is akin to shrinkflation in the consumer packaged goods arena.. Keeping prices the same, but getting less product for the same price.
    5 points
  21. Because, as far as I can tell, the list appears to be the coasters the ACE President happens to be personally looking forward to, which is a pretty meaningless and arbitrary metric. Obviously it's better to be on the list than not, but I think trying to figure out "why" SSBR is not on the list is silly, given how completely subjective the list appears to be. Ask 10 enthusiasts what their most anticipated rides are, and you'll likely get 10 unique lists. See above. That it's not on this list appears to simply mean that Elizabeth Ringas isn't personally looking forward to it. As the President of ACE, she is, no doubt, aware of the ride, so I don't see how marketing would have much, if any, effect on whether or not she is personally excited for the ride. HW adding their first family coaster is bigger news than KI expanding their already well-rounded family-friendly offerings. Then again, if one's preconceived notion is that poor marketing is the reason for all things bad, then of course that's the lens through which everything will be viewed. Objectivity is hard, I guess. They don't build rides for "awareness" of the ACE President, they build rides to entertain guests. And so long as the ride's operating cost per rider metric is met, then it is "fulfilling the plan for the funds".
    5 points
  22. The new parking tolls had news placements across the country, including The New York Times. Woodstock Gliders and Snoopy’s Space Buggies made it out of the park’s backyard too, including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Orlando Sentinel, and a couple hundred others. When The Beast turned 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, news placements were garnered in outlets across the country. It was the cover story on magazines for the 30th and 35th anniversary. The 40th? Pretty much just the Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus markets with the story placements. It turns 45 this year. You won’t see Google alerts popping up in your email about the anniversary in many places. It’s all about how the story is pitched and selling why it matters to the news outlets’ audience. You can sell snow to an Eskimo if the story is compelling enough.
    5 points
  23. I believe the park announced awhile back it is just undergoing annual maintineance.
    5 points
  24. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2024/january/camp-snoopy-construction-update The park blog said that it was completed at 1:08 p.m. on Monday. I don’t get why this wasn’t shared yesterday.
    5 points
  25. Woodstock's Air Rail (FKA: Flying Ace) is currently being power washed. Looks like painting will start soon!
    5 points
  26. Looking at the cameras this morning (as I do every morning) noticing the landscaping around surf dog and behind it is being redone.
    5 points
  27. New logo and Website, great job out there!
    5 points
  28. New Kings Island Camp Snoopy blog post from yesterday, some new pictures of the area. Camp Snoopy Construction Update (visitkingsisland.com)
    5 points
  29. I haven't seen the Dollywood show so I'll have to go look it up on YouTube. I miss the Cirque shows though and wish they'd bring those back
    5 points
  30. Waiting for someone to count the number of bubbles in the show and complain about a bait and switch
    5 points
  31. It looks like the Rivertown side of the restrooms have been painted brown. Taken in January: From today:
    4 points
  32. We now got a modern Vekoma in the park now! Now can we have a Madhouse next year please?
    4 points
  33. Good grief! How is this "breaking news?" It has been released by the park on their channels and discussed here. I mean, let's call the OG iPhone "breaking news" in your channel's next segment!
    4 points
  34. As a Graphic Designer and site designer too, I know the hard work and decisions that went into all this. Great job and I'm so happy to be part of this group that enjoys this site on a daily basis and loves King's Island like a second home.
    4 points
  35. Fantastic refresh. As a programmer myself I admire the effort and the (reasonably) smooth rollout!
    4 points
  36. 4 points
  37. Looks like trackwork is almost complete
    4 points
  38. I was wondering why there's not really any merch for Top Gun/Flight Deck/The Bat? Found pictures of this shirt online but don't see it for sale anywhere unfortunately. Flight Deck is what it always was when I was a kid and that is a really cool T-shirt design!
    4 points
  39. DOUBLE POST: We have another lift piece in place! Honestly this thing will probably be complete in 2 weeks max at this rate. I'm guessing they want it testing by opening day.
    4 points
  40. Regardless of the show, we hear the same arguments every time it is a new show LOL. Some loved Ed Alonzo and saw it lots of times, while others saw it once and was done or decided not to watch it at all because it was just magic. Same for the Cirque's, Phantom Theatre Encore, and any other show the park does. Same will happen to this show - some will love it and watch it lots of times, and others will watch it once and be done or decide not to watch it at all because it is just bubbles. Whether it is budget related or not, just be glad we are getting something and something other than an all new music review LOL. Meanwhile the Kings Dominion Theater has sat vacant since covid. That could be the other option...
    4 points
  41. Looked at the camera, looks like we have support and track in place.
    4 points
  42. Looks like a crane is up at the construction site. We could be going vertical at any moment now:
    4 points
  43. And we got Firehawk which was relocated from Geauga Lake and lasted 11 years and now a giga stands in its place lol.
    4 points
  44. I think it also holds nostalgia in general for a lot of people seeing as it opened at the dawn of the Millennium. Parks were trying new things and pushing the limits. Everything felt new and exciting. During this time we had a powerhouse of parks in the state of Ohio with Kings Island, Cedar Point, Geauga Lake/Sea World ( Later Six Flags Ohio/Six Flags Worlds of Adventure ). SoB just evokes a lot of what the beginning of the Millennium brought in. On that note, I was much younger and able to take the beating this ride gave and even in my teens/early 20's could only muster about one ride on it per visit. It was like putting your head in a paint shaker. I will agree with @IndyGuy4KI about it having one of the best drops on a wooden coaster of all time though. Not sure if it was because of the shear size of the ride and knowing you were sitting atop a struction made entirely out of wood vs steel, the picturesque view of Action Zone and the now Adventure Port being what you fly past on your way down, the intense build up while climbing that insanely loud lift hill, the little pre-drop before you dove straight into your fate. Honestly it was magic until it wasn't The ride was anything but graceful or refined. But I will say that my best memory has to be the last year of it's operation. I rode it a week before they shut it down for good. Probably the best ride I ever had on it. It's almost like he knew he was on borrowed time.
    4 points
  45. What about the first drop? Still might be my favorite first drop on a wood coaster ever. After that though.... ouch!
    4 points
  46. Hope this isn’t true. The show’s run has to come to an end eventually, but I was hoping for something of the same caliber to replace it. This sounds kinda lame.
    4 points
  47. Racer getting more track work is also nice.
    4 points
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