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From 2017 and 2018 I had the privilege of working as a Park Ambassador. It was a job that was a dream come true for me. I basically had the opportunity to do what was needed to make a guests day, get to explore the park and hope not just guests but associates were doing well and if they needed help with anything. In 2017, Our last day of the season, I was back by Dinosaurs Alive talking to some guests when a lady approached me asking if I was able to help her with something. I was delighted to help her and it was even more awesome was, her daughter just hit 48in height requirement. However, her mom was scared/not a fan of rollercoasters. She wanted someone to ride with her daughter, which at the time I was able to. I tried to help make it one of the best memories they ever had. I told the mom and the girl that they could choose up to 3 rides, and ill take her to the front of the line and she can choose any row to sit in (granted the park was dead to begin with so not much benefit in skipping lines) she decided on doing Adventure Express, Mystic Timbers and The Beast to ride. She really liked Adventure Express and at the time she did not like Mystic Timbers as unfortunately it was rather chilly and the cool air kinda took her breath away and it scared her a bit (although I her she loves riding it now) The Beast she really liked too. Well as we got off Mystic Timbers her mom was so ecstatic and happy, she wanted a picture of me and her daughter together (both with her phone and from the ride) well I went ahead and got the photo taken care for her and she was almost in tears with just joy and excitement. Actually as we went towards The Beast, she had to Facetime a family member and had to tell them how much of a great time she was having and told me to say hi. Everytime I worked and they saw me out in the park, the girl always had to run up and give me a hug. I loved getting the privilege of doing stuff like that. The excitment kids got from a gesture like that all way down to just a "I love Kings Island" sticker always helped me feel better knowing they are enjoying there visit. Granted not everyone did, but I would try as hard as possible to make sure they did.

Here's a funny... that wasnt funny at the time... When you work rides, one of the most frustrating things you deal with is guests that insist you look for their lost item. Whether its glasses, wallet, keys, phone etc - it seemed as though it was a never ending parade of people that were constantly holding up ride cycles due to negligence in securing items. As a member of The Beast crew, we were obligated to do a quick "sweep" of the seats & car on behalf of the guests. (Many times the lost item had simply fallen between padding or occasionally under the seat and we'd find it. - It was actually rare that an item in someone's pocket flew out of the train.) The problem was, with literally THOUSANDS of people riding in those seats - not only do they get greasy, grimy, sticky, wet, dirty, smelly and just generally gross - they also collect lots of trash (park maps, refill cups etc.) We had a "pattern" we'd follow where we'd run our hands in a certain direction around the seat edge, in between the pads then under the seats. If we felt any trash as a part of that check - we'd pull it out and toss it. If the item wasn't found, we'd ask the guest to check back later or with guest services. The ride ops HATED doing it, and we griped about it to each other all the time away from guests... but it was "part of the gig" so we had to literally grin and bear it. Well, one particular hot Sunday afternoon I was working unload on Beast. Now mind you, this was 1999 so smart phones - even just plain 'ol cell phones - were not a common thing. But pagers were. (For you youngins - pagers were a cellular device that would text you a simple message or a number to call.) Well if memory serves me, a train came in and of course some man got out and freaked because he was missing (I think) his pager. Soooooo... As the load-side gates were held, I did the quick sweep of the seats, then around the padding, then across the floor under the seat. Well, when I reached under the seat, I felt something damp and squishy and proceeded to pull it out thinking it was just like a wet park map or something to throw in the trash. I stood up, opened my hand, looked at it and realized... I was holding poop. Well, not really... but we'll get to that in a bit. Of course there was a station full of waiting guests that were all watching me intently during the checking routine... and ultimately saw me holding a "turd" in my hand. There was literally a collective "GASP" from the guests when they realized what I had found. I even saw one lady mouth to her husband "He's holding $^#@!" I was simultaneously: A: Shocked B: Grossed out C: Utterly embarrassed D: completely baffled at how _ _ _ _ got under a seat. So what did I do? Well, I threw it away of course! I then immediately freaked out to the crew lead about needing to go sterilize my hands. We were on minimal crew - so I couldn't go anywhere until a relief area manager could come to Beast to fill in. I actually used water from the water cooler to wash my hands as best I could (No hand sanitizer then) and I think we had some general ride cleaner on hand that I doused my hands with. When certain "ecological" issues arose - we'd sometimes call ecology to clean it up or we'd make an "incident report" or such. I cant exactly remember what we did in this particular situation. But I do know the end result was that after being closely analyzed, the determination was made that what I had picked up was indeed - NOT poop. You see, at that time in the park - several of the midway games had prizes that included "Bugs Bunny" stuffed animals. (Not Six Flags - go figure.?) And it turns out the "poop" was actually a very wet, very dirty stuffed "carrot" that had fallen off the hand of a Bugs Bunny stuffed animal. It had simply turned into a very wet, mis-shapen and dark brown blob. (Don't ask me how... it probably had been there for months....) So there you have it... the day I pulled poop out of The Beast, which wasn't poop after all, much to the horror of myself and everyone else in The Beast's station. P.S. - Yes - the guys pager was found... on the floor behind his row.

Have you guys ever thought that posters could just be theming elements and not a hint at a new attraction? And that Steel Vengeance reference on MT's poster was placed after SV was announced.

And the above post is why I love Kings Island. Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

When I worked in Ride Operations(2000-2005), I would stash all the left over plush animals at the end of the day in a trash bag in a closet and then distribute them to kids I had to turn away because they were too short to ride. Specifically, the kids who were too short to ride and they were left alone while everyone else in their party rode.

In 2014 we had to help in moving all the front gate "KI Kicks Cancer" mini soccer balls to Action Theater to dry once the event was over. Once they all dried out we put them on the bottom level of the theater and had a good time

I remember this like it was yesterday. I was sent to the Demon because they were short handed and needed the help. So, I volunteer because I’m stuck in Octoberfest and I will do anything to get out of wearing that dam lederhosen. I stroll over thinking this should be cool and low and behold they give me the lovely job of sitting muenchen, which is basically telling people your to dam small to ride. After 2 AWESOME Hrs of that I’m sent up top to the platform to make sure everyone is buckled and ready to go. We get everyone off and I turn around to let the next batch of riders on when I see this rather large chesty woman walk over and try to get into the car. I know instantly that this isn’t going to go well. She strolls over and tries to get into the car and miraculously she manages to squeeze herself in. Now you have to close the top bar for the train to depart, but we have a slight problem. Her rather large chest prevents the bar from closing. I get the great job of telling her that if the bar does not close she will not be able to go. Well, she starts *****ing up a storm telling me that she’s not leaving until she gets to ride the &@$#ride. I have no clue as to what to do and I notice that my great co- workers are looking at me basically saying let’s go. So, I tell her once again the top bar won’t close and there’s nothing I can do make it close. She the proceeds to grab her chest and lift them up and yells close the bar. I calmly pull the bar down and the dam thing still won’t close because she’s to big!!! So everyone is starting to yell get out or let’s go. I have no clue on how to handle this so I yell take a deep breath and suck in your stomach. She does and I push on the top bar locking it into place and give the thumbs up and away they go. I can still remember the shade of blue on her face as the train came back into the station!

I currently work in landscape at the park, been there a year now. My favorite weekly ritual with another good coworker is to mow the tower legs every Friday. It usually takes us around 1.5-2 hours to mow, weed eat and blow clippings. But the satisfaction I get from putting in the nice straight burnt in lines, making the tower legs look pretty is definitely something I am proud of. It’s something I enjoy while working and also as a guest in the park.

I worked in Guest Services from 2015-2018. I think my favorite memory was when a young woman and her mom came in to the office looking for some information on KI's accessibility policy for guests with disabilities. I was going through the process with them, and one of the questions we ask when doing our assessments is "is there anything else I need to know to keep you safe today". The teenage girl mumbled something, so I asked if she could say that again because I missed it. Her mom said "Oh nothing, she was at the campgrounds with her friends yesterday, and they were being mean to her and she is having a bad day today because of that." So I went and filled out the paperwork needed for her to safely ride, and when I came back, I also printed out 15 dollars worth of in park credit called "Beagle Bucks" to give to the girl to help make her day a little better. I handed the sheet to the mom and went over the information, and then handed them the beagle bucks and explained what they were and said "I hope this can help make your day here the best day ever". The mom welled up and could not get words out. She simply reached her arms out as an embrace, so we all had a mini "group hug" as she kept saying "thank you so much" over and over. It was such a small gesture. 15 dollars to buy a stuffed animal or a couple of blue ice cream cones, but it changed their whole attitude and day. I loved days like that in the office. There were so many times were you would get wore down by tough situations, but then you helped someone solve a problem, and you could feel their gratitude, and it you remember why you love the job and the park. (more stories to come!)

With The Beast celebrating its 40th anniversary in the 2019 season, why don't we celebrate by starting a thread to share your stories on the legendary ride! Please share your favorite Beast memories, Beast pictures, and tell us what The Beast means to you! IndyGuy4KI's Story: The Beast is one of the first coaster that made me realize that I could not get enough of them. It started my love of coasters, and my quest to find that next one that could come close to the day and night time experience you can only get on The Beast. Here are a few pictures I have taken of The Beast over the last few years.

Favorite story as an employee in rides at Adventure Express: a few years ago, on a very stormy day, the ride closed down for maybe 2-3 hours or so. One group of friends hung out in the queue, waiting out the storm. My entire crew ended up playing games with them, getting to know everything about them, and giving them tips and tricks on how to make their visit to Kings Island the best possible. They all took selfies with us and posted about us on all their social media. They came back a few times over the next 2 years, and every time they did, they remembered us - or, who was remaining. I have a lot of stories like that, ranging from kids marathoning the ride at 9:00pm to some guests asking me all about the ride and trivia. Then, I have stories about stupid guests, like the time I chased someone around the lockout fence as he attempted to retrieve his hat from the ride area... But I don't want to be negative.

I worked in the Rides department in 2017 and 2018. They're as strict now as ever. He's just scratching the surface, too. Off-hand, I don't know that I have any specific stories to share. I do have to just generally put it out there that working in the Rides department was one of the best jobs I've ever had. People aren't exaggerating when they say that you can become family with your crew. That might not be everyone at every ride's experience, but it definitely was mine. Even at the Ship Which Shall Not Be Named. It was definitely fun (and occasionally groan-worthy) to get to know your "regulars." Some of them were great. Some of them were very excited and talkative 12 year-olds whose energy you could appreciate but maybe not return after being at work all day, so you become maybe a little less excited to see them reach their twentieth lap in a row while continuing the story they've been telling you for the previous nineteen laps. But even then, that's a fun problem to have.

Not a specific memory but there's a group of 9 women who worked together in Games between 1987 and 1993 (ish) and we still get together every few months! We are all so thankful that we worked at Kings Island and met each other.

We jumped into them like any normal person would ha... (it was like 4 feet deep)

Alright, I'll chime in. As it says in my About Me section, I've worked at the park for 10 seasons, both in Food and in Park Services. While Food was a good start (as it was my first real job), I enjoyed Park Services much, much more. One story that comes to mind is this: I was cleaning up Coney Mall (specifically on the pathway near Shake, Rattle and Roll/Jukebox Diner) after it had recently rained and was having trouble trying to figure out where all the rainwater was supposed to go. So, the guy who was (at the time) over all of Park Services came and helped me correctly get the water into the nearest drain (IIRC). I thought this was a really cool example of servant leadership. Also, every once in a while, I was taken behind the scenes and got to see some really cool stuff, including some Wild Animal Safari remnants. EDIT: I also got to be in an employee training video, cleaning up ice cream in Action Zone.

I've attached some of the MT posters that I saw during Winterfest in 2017. @Hawaiian Coasters 325 4th picture down is the one you are referring to.

I worked Rivertown Potato Works in 2004. Sadly, I had to watch the original Tiques get removed for Backlot, and during that part, the demo crew hit a sewer line. The smell flooded the entire back end of the park, I-Street around the Eiffel Tower, and a good chunk of Coney Mall. We had a lot of trays from other nearby food outlets, like Rivertown LaRosa's, what was the WINGS, and even some Skyline (this was after they removed the Rivertown Skyline foot long location, the next nearest one is Coney Mall). We always got very busy after the water park closed, particularly after the train rolled in, plus Tomb Raider was still new and there was a lot of activity in RT due to that. I would love to catch up with some of my co-workers from back then. It was a pretty smooth work environment. We got along really well and it translated to how we worked.

I was reading the former employee Q&A topic posted recently, and thought about something. Former park employee stories are some of my favorite things to read about. This board has always been ripe for discussion about visiting the park, but something I've always thought was missing was a dedicated thread for former employees to post their best stories and memories from working at the park. No matter what department you were in or at what time, I'd love to hear some interesting, funny, heartwarming, or scary stories from those of us who spent our summers in the blistering heat to keep the park going.

The stories I'm thinking about have mostly to do with guests I've encountered. I remember a lot of fun moments with guests at Vortex, but some stick out to me more than others, such as this one from early 2017: We had just opened for the day, and we had a couple of families come to the exit to have their kids' heights checked to see if they had reached 48". Since we had no one else in line yet, we were able to give that matter our full attention for the time being. One of those kids in particular I still remember fondly. I and two of my crewmates were measuring her on the height scale (the metal platform with the triangle - the bottom of the triangle is at the required height and must move the rider's head) and she was just tall enough - the triangle on the height scale moved her head just barely, but enough for me to notice. "It hit her head! She's tall enough!" I exclaimed, and as soon as we gave her the purple 48" wristband, she ran to her family who were waiting at the exit and showed them her new wristband, all while jumping up and down with excitement. She was ecstatic that she was tall enough and it made for a most wonderful start to my day! She of course rode afterward and had fun. Thanks to Vortex's fairly low height requirement, I see a lot of kids who are riding for the first time. Some are in tears because they are so nervous, and usually we talk to them and ensure that they will be okay and that they may enjoy it. I often say, "I love this ride, and maybe you'll like it too!" Most of those nervous/scared kids end up enjoying the ride after seeing that going upside down isn't as bad as they feared. I make sure to ask them afterward if they enjoyed the ride. I remember one day last year when I met a little girl who was scared, but chose to ride. When her train came back and I asked how her ride was, she answered with an awed "That was amazing!" as I helped her lift her restraint so she could get out. A few other young riders on the same train ran up to me after they got off and told me how much they enjoyed their rides. I say that I'm not that great when it comes to interacting with kids, but moments like that are proof that I may have to reconsider that thought. It always makes my day seeing a kid get off the ride with a huge smile on their face and asking their parents if they can ride again! On Build-A-Bear's "Pay Your Age" fiasco day last year, I was working when during the last hour of the day I met a young boy who had gotten his own Toothless plush from Build-A-Bear, and now he and his parents were riding Vortex. Of course I had to point out that I too was a How to Train Your Dragon fan and that I also had my own Toothless plush (which, yes, was there with me, in my backpack nearby!) and I told him that if he wanted, his Toothless plush could ride with him if he held onto it tightly (which I do too, #shamelessplug!) and I even mentioned that we could even ride together with our Toothless plushies! He loved the idea, and so after his first ride, he came back around and we were able to ride together a few times, with both of us holding on tightly to our Toothless plushies for the whole ride. Vortex is his favorite ride too, so it is needless to say that both of us had a blast that night. What a memorable few rides for both of us, on our favorite ride! There was also one day last year when I was helping someone with their Ride Admission Policy sheet, and he told me that he was the first person in line to ride Vortex on its opening day in 1987. I replied with "Wow, it's so cool that you got to be one of its first public riders!" He kept insisting (politely) that he was THE first public rider, so I took his word for it. I felt a little star-struck, as I had just met and helped the same person who was reportedly Vortex's first EVER public rider in 1987, and he was still riding it 31 years later! That is so cool!

I've got some pretty great stories from Haunt that I can talk about. Would anyone be interested in that?

WCPO's John Matarese has a story on the 2019 season. https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/kings-island-sneak-peek-we-get-inside-for-a-2019-preview

We use 48” walk behind mowers that get lifted into/out of each tower leg using a beefed up forklift, which we call the ‘moon buggy.’ The forks lift, then extend out and over the wall and railings. Not in the too distant past, it was push mowed, with a cut width of 24”.

I've seen a fight occur in the first switchback section which resulted in security running down one of the instigators. My 2 favorite night rides both involved a storm. One was when a storm was rolling in and you could see lightning in the distance (which adds that mysterious element to the ride's theming) and it poured rain as I was making my way back to the entrance. The 2nd was during a day when it was raining all evening, and there was just enough of a break in the rain during the ride where it stopped on the approach to the first lift and as soon as the train rolled into the final brakes, the skies opened up, and I got a rain soaked night ride to boot. The best night rides to me are either during a full moon where the tracks are soaked in white light, in the fall (I like it a little brisk), and right after it rains and the overcast is still looming. My first ride was right when I got passed the 48" mark, but I wasn't quite warmed up to coasters yet and I got scared pretty bad. My 2nd time, which was my first night ride, was the year after and just after I got my first Vortex ride (also at night, this was during a 11 pm close in the Paramount era). It felt so good to conquer that fear. As good as the helix is, my favorite section is after it blasts out of the 2nd tunnel and makes those series of drops before it pulls up to the 2nd lift. I like how it keeps accelerating while it feels like you're fighting from rolling down the valley and its a great, vicious turn with great lateral g's to line it up for the lift. I do miss the paw prints from the Eiffel Tower and the Cool Zone in the queue. Also, before they closed it for the fireworks, if you were lucky enough to get a fireworks ride, they would often stop the trains at the top of the lifts to let riders watch them.

At least they really take safety really seriously. I’d assume there as strict now a days?

If I remember correctly, Mystic Timbers has the word Steel Vengeance mentioned in one of it's posters and it has been there since MT opened which was before Steel Vengeance was even announced and no one knew that SV was the name of RMC Mean Streak.

First rule of working on Demon: We don’t talk about what happened on Demon.

I'll throw in an incredibly cringeworthy story that I think about often. It's funny now, but at the time it was brutal. I was working Zephyr in 2012. One day a kid told me hello after looking at my name tag. The name wasn't correct except for the first letter. I was having pretty rough day and I replied half-heartedly, without even really thinking, "Can ya read, man?". His mother, clearly angry, proceeded to tell me the kid was blind in one eye. I meant to apologize, but instead asked "Oh, he is?" It was a girl.

Preach on! Preach on! I tell everyone that was the hardest work, and most thankless job I have ever done. Its soooooo much more than operating the attraction. On Beast we worked our @$$ off all the time... and we did so in blazing hot temps. Its been 20 years since I was on crew... but I have the bad back to proove I did it. I'll give you an example of something I didnt expect when I signed on as a ride op at KI... there was a season pass holder with a severe mental and physical handicap restriction. However, his favorite ride was Beast... so he'd come often. Because of his affliction, crew members had to secure a special seat in a train, then hold trains while we lifted him from his wheelchair into the ride. We then had a special harness that strapped around his chest and belted into clasps on the back of the car. Once he was secure, we'd load the train, secure lap bars - do a final check of his restraint and send him (the train) on his way. We'd allow him 2, maybe 3 consecutive rides - all the time pacifying the folks waiting for that seat. When his "turns" were done, we'd unstrap him and lift him out and back into his wheelchair. The first time I came upon this experience I was completely taken aback. But we got it down to a science and after a while we got to know him. Frankly, I reached the point where I looked forward to him coming - because what I saw was pure joy. He LOVED riding The Beast... and seeing him get so excited and having fun is one of my best memories. Oh, and guess what... the guests actually often loved watching it and would compliment and thank us for helping him. It really restored my faith in humanity... a little bit ;-)

When the park closes, each segment of the park is closed as guests file out. Security does an initial sweep for guests, then closes off the area while ride ops finish their nightly tasks. There is also overnight security and the KI police which patrols basically 24/7 while the park is operational. I think the biggest asset though are the cameras around the park. The KI communications team is top notch, and often consist of former police dispatchers, security professionals, etc. They monitor the parks activities before the park opens, and until after the last associate leaves the park, which can be very late. Not to mention trespassing laws etc. If someone really wanted to hide out all night, it could probably done on occasion, but most people would get caught.

Banshee and Diamondback had obvious signs of work being done the year before they both opened and it was obvious what both were going to be on day 1. Mystic Timbers had some signs early, but it was more up in the air on what it was going to be due to it being smaller and they were slower in site prep.

In past years when the park was open on Easter, it was a ghost town, which is likely why they will not be open on Easter this year.

The park is indeed closed on Easter Sunday. It's also closed the following Sunday (for a private event).

RPW was also 'fun' during rain. Due to the trees surrounding the stand, the drains often get clogged, and when it rained, there'd often be a bit of water in the store. It was similar at WINGS as well (back before all the trees around that building were removed), though, not as bad. I also recall the back/storage areas of WINGS and LaRosa's in RT to be pretty messy (we often got relocated to those 2 in the event that PW was overstaffed or to help close, on rare occasions, we even got sent to the restaurant across from Vortex, I forget what it was called before Happy Days [*calling KIC historians]). Also, closing WINGS was a chore, mostly with cleaning the floor. I shudder to think what closing Festhaus must be like. PW was easy to close. Barring rain, we usually left within an hour after the parked closed. One of the bad parts was the fact that the receipts wouldn't print unless a purchase was made with a credit card, so bigger orders were tough to manage (you'd be surprised how problematic that is despite how few menu items are at PW). I eventually just brought my own writing implements to work on weekends if I thought I'd be working register. It also surprised me that people under 19 (serving age) were allowed to work register if the stand (like PW) served alcohol.

If you ever think anything smells bad, try cleaning underneath one of the park dumpsters. Caught a kid in the act of defecating on the floor in the Rivertown restrooms near Larosa's. The most thrilling ride in the park is Top Thrill Astrovan, but you have to be in the select few who have been lucky enough to do so.

@Katie P @KI_Landscaper83 @Ted Christian @Alicia Welcome to KICentral!

What are you getting at here? The seats are designed to fit a majority of people, but there are certainly going to be outliers, such as yourself. It's the best way for them to accommodate a 75 lb child who just hit 54" as well as someone who is 6'4 and 275 lbs. B&M is by far more accommodating than the Intamin rides at Cedar Point.

Ok Just call the new coaster " Giga 2020" haha

The past few days I've been working on updating and detailing the openstreetmap of KI. What ya think so far? KI on OpenStreetMap https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/39.3427/-84.2667

This is another example of why I love Kings Island so much, it is not just about the rides, it's also the atmosphere. Thanks to everyone that made this happen! (As for the inside, I am perfectly happy with the decor and the level of the lighting... I do wish they would turn down the volume on the shows to make it a little more tolerable...it's not the quality of the shows, it's the volume that drives us away sometimes.)

Now all we need is the Coney Mall signs back. That would be extremely inexpensive & make all kinds of people happy. Keep up the great work KI

I'm glad to see this returning as well. Now if we could only get some decent German food to go in there instead of pizza, burgers and Chinese food.

Mr Koontz is doing an amazing job! In addition, it seems as though this new emphasis on theming, atmosphere, and restoration may be more chain wide. Worlds of Fun just announced similar changes, including theming enhancements across the park, which I’m guessing will help take guests back into the classic Jules Verne story it was originally themed after: https://www.worldsoffun.com/blog/2019/cotton-blossom-bbq-new-2019 Amazing things are happening with Cedar Fair.

Now if they announce these for 2020 I’m going to lose it with happy tears. (Photo courtesy of Kings Island: 50 Years of Memories) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its little improvements/restorations like this that make Kings Island special. Hopefully they continue to update things like this. I am excited that they have spent the time, money and energy to make this happen! Truly a wise investment that will help create memories for scores of Cincinnatians and tourists alike!

My Lord they are not only knocking the ball out of the park... they are hitting the moon. I cannot tell you how much the restorative effort they are putting into the park means to me, us, all. I am so glad to know KI is finally in the hands of those that cherish, respect and honor it's past as much as its future. APPLAUSE!!!

Here is another view of the clock. It is really exciting to see all the detail work this season! If you have not read the whole blog post, please do so and see the rest of the pics.

Things like this matter in park quality. Without a doubt, current mgmt is sending the Taft parks back to the top after they bottomed out during the Paramount years.

I find it really interesting that after Mike Koontz became GM/VP of KI we're getting all these awesome renovations. Truly feels as if we've got someone in leadership that really cares about the park, the history and the like.

I love the renovations that we are seeing this off season. A big ride is nice, but these little things make a big impact as well. To me they are just as appreciated!

Hmm...it's as if someone reads these message boards, listens, and implements... Winterfest, IS restoration, themed music, glockenspiel...all things we have discussed here. Dare we discuss a Racer renovation? Lol. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk