PKI96

It is a deal, but the fact that people invest their day, their time and their $$ to go to KI, then spend hours waiting for food (looking at you, Panda Express, among others)....that is mind boggling to me. I mean you have 8, maybe 10 hours to be there...?! Grab a pizza slice and ride The Racer 4 or 5 times instead

This wasn't just for closing day. Maybe it's just me, but I noticed this throughout the spring and summer at there were usually some empty seats or areas. We'd use this as a bit of a "park hack" if you will. Step in on a hot day and relax in a vacant area, maybe watch an inning or two of a Reds game...get recharged so to speak, then marathon some more coasters. They could care less and it was nice to get some a/c.

The park about the largest smoking area in the midwest is hilariously true and sad at the same time. What a waste of a cool space. Make that a KI historical walk through exhibit!

Wow...talk about a brain fart. That's some funny stuff, dictat...I mean chugh43

Rivertown is going to be packed as is, as Dictator mentioned. Train + MT + Beast + DB + Snoopy next to it...madness!

Visually stunning, and as many already said, it is a go to when the park is too busy. My biggest annoyance is I seem to almost black out for a second after the 2nd loop. And my kids say the same thing. That's uncomfortable. I can handle it being a little rough but the blackout feeling is not fun. Plus, the park has tons of free space. No need to remove it unless it becomes a maintenance hassle.

The original seller of these first sold them at the Burlington Antique Show a few years back. He has LOTS if them circa 2014 (+/-). Reaching out to them might help in seeing if the original seller still has any. https://www.facebook.com/burlingtonantiqueshow/?fref=ts

A random thing I remember from this ride was that during DOT (it may have changed during other incarnations), the seat cushion was velcrod on to the seat, so after each ride, you could peel it off and find a small pile of loose change. The 16 year old me love "making money" by checking this after each ride.

I'm no expert (but the more I hit this site that might change, lol), but I just can't imagine how Paramount can make the decision to remove something so popular as the antique cars for a coaster that has such a terrible capacity. Great ride, but to wait 30+ minutes most of the season for it isn't worth it. I'd love to see a locker system for Diamondback. And the more I think of it, Rivertown is going to be packed this season...more than what it usually is.

Anything to shorten lines is a positive. I am all for it. Now, how can we add a couple cars to BLSC and make Firehawk loading quicker?

I'm also really appreciative of your FB page (as well as this one!). The fact that we have one of the best parks in the country, with such a rich local history and memories for anyone local, is a privilege. I'm surprised at just how much it continues to evolve and change over the years. Looking at pictures and reading about it's history is awesome. This site and contributors like you have really enhanced my knowledge and turned me into a KI junkie! It would be nice if the park embraced its history more and had a "museum" type of attraction some day. Like what the Paramount Theater tried to do with it's films back during the PKI days. A history / walk though of KI, enhanced with pictures, maybe pieces of older attractions, etc. History and local tradition can go a long way, and something like this would be cheap to do.

Looking at that google image really shows there is a *ton* of space for expansion back there if they ever wanted to. Building a path back there to another area, thus opening up the closed-off X-Base area, would be nice.

Working there in '96, not a big Nascar guy but always dug that Days of Thunder ride (hence the profile image). And rarely a line IIRC.

You'd think it would get some more love for it's 30! Anything 30 years old is nostalgia, and nostalgia SELLS! I expect to see more 1987 themed Votex logos on shirts, etc, this season.

Wow, it has changed big time. A few up close seconds of King Cobra at the end was nice. In this age of youtube and smart phones, it is crazy to this that footage like this was hard to come by in 1999. 1999 was darn near 20 years ago. 20 years! Insane.

I love the nostalgia that Peanuts brings, but to be honest, it seems like it's not a very relevant franchise to kids right now. No future movie opportunities since it tanked (putting it's release near SW TFA just killed it), no ties to Disney / Universal...not a good sign.

Wow, thanks for sharing. Liked the page and look forward to following it.

I wonder what the capacity on MT will be? I sure hope it's more like Banshee and less like, say BLSC. The shed will determine a lot of that I suppose. I'm not expert...but this site is getting me closer to that, lol...

LOVE that video, just awesome... I'd love to see some more videos or podcasts that have in-depth historical info on KI from 72-current. I know there is a fantastic one that's about an hour long that explains it's genesis in detail, but is pretty short on 80's to current information. Is there anything out there like that?

The only way realistically to avoid this being spoiled is to avoid all press, sites, news on the week of KI opening. And even then you aren't guaranteed anything. And I doubt the GP isn't going to look at this as "spoiling" something the same way they would, say, a movie.

I must be a Congo Falls apologist, lol. It doesn't really fit Action Zone, that area as a whole is a bit of a train wreck, but I do enjoy having it there. A good way to cool off in the summer.

2 things kids can't get enough of...dinosaurs and trains! Cool idea.

#1 - Only working there one year as a teen. What a fun summer. #2 - Not doing a Beast night ride with my kids last summer in 9-10 trips. That is top priority in 2017!

As a personal preference, I won't set foot in Soak City. Way too busy, too much hassle changing clothes, rather spend time on coasters, etc. That being said, I may be a real minority here, but I value a ride like Congo Falls. On say a hot and busy July day, you can ride that within 5 minutes, and get wet and refreshed. It gives me a burst of energy. Plus hiding your feet underneath the lower seating area (there is a recession you can put your feet in) will avoid wet shoes all day. And on a hot day, you don't stay soaked, you dry off relatively quickly.

In my somewhat similar post about best and worst moments, I had the initial walk into the park as a top moment. That moment you enter the park, see the fountain, smell the fresh air, see the tower...and knowing the rest of the day will be pure awesome. That initial entrance is the start of what I like best about the park: that you are sort of "cut off" from the real world, and you are about to be a kid for the rest of the day. To soak in memories, nostalgia, fun and thrills, while being away from the burdens of a normal day.