OhioChris

I'd love to see the box go and something more Rivertown-ish go back in there. Of course, with that big red-and-yellow-and-tan (almost forgot the tan part) rollercoaster prowling through there, it will be impossible to get the feel back completely. Something water-based might be nice since there is so very little "river" left in the "town." BUT Cedar Fair will do what Cedar Fair wants, we'll just have to wait and see.

Love the video of Top Gun, looks so much nicer without that huge pile of firewood beside it And I miss King Cobra, though I don't miss the restraints. They were hard on broad-shouldered guys... And a big THANK YOU for all the great pictures and videos...

I know! Someone at Kings Island just decided a few days ago to re-paint Invertigo! So they ran down to the local Lowe's and bought some paint and started painting it. Kings Island (and Cedar Fair) has a long-term plan they use, and a short-term plan as well. Sometimes things in the long-term plan will change to short-term, if necessary. This was not a spur-of-the-moment decison by any stretch of the imagination. It was planned. No doubt, it was a company plan to bring cohesion to the park chain by making this certain ride's colors match the other similar rides at other parks. I expect to see more of this in the future. They will want visitors to multiple Cedar Fair parks to know they are in a Cedar Fair park. Similar rides with matching color schemes is one simple way to help accomplish this. As I stated before, I am happy to see anything that takes us further away from the Paramount days, lol.

LOL and I just realized there is a topic for this, my bad. Delete this topic if you like....

Well there it goes... On Twitter.... Kings Island @KingsIslandPR The Crypt has reached the end of its service life. Will be replaced by an all-new Halloween Haunt experience.

AZ needs a lot of work, like all that concrete ripped up and some grass put back in. Of course, that's not too realistic, but one can dream of how nice it would be to have it more like it was before Paramount paved over it all...

I love it! Anything to put the Paramount days behind us, LOL.

An earlier tweet by John Hildebrandt: "Driving into CP this morning saw 2 beautiful bald eagles flying toward Millennium Force. I hope they enjoy the view." Hmmm.. both tweets mention views of Millenium Force, one mentions eagles... GASP!!! Flying Eagles in view of Millenium Force!! A joke, of course.

McSalsa- I grew up with Kings Island, being born the November before they opened. While I obviously can't remember anything from the first 4-5 years of operation, I can honestly say the park used to be much more beautiful with great lanscaping throughout and nicely themed rides. Paramount ruined the area now known as Action Zone. I will admit they did OK at theming rides, but neglected much of the park and many other rides to promote their new rides. Kings Island lost a lot of its magic during the Paramount years. SOB was not a Cedar Fair addition, though they inherited that headache. And Crypt? Never seemed to have any riders. I think if they were to tear down the building, they could have an all-new experience for people and stretch the life of it a few more years. And personally, I LOVE the Peanuts gang being at Kings Island. Only other group of characters I'd choose over them would be the Hannah Barbera characters, lol. The thing that annoyed me most about people complaining about the Peanuts was their claim that the Peanuts are "outdated." If you looked at the rides offered in NuckU, almost every single one of them was based on a show that was no longer aired at the time of the change to PS, so kids would still be asking who the characters are. And my 2-year (almost 3) old daughter, while enjoying Nick shows, has fallen in love with the Peanuts crew. She also really enjoys the Peanuts specials. I also agree with you on Fast Lane, it doesn't bother me any, and can't see how it could severly affect wait times. I hope Ouimet brings back some of the charm the park once had, though I know it also rests in the hands of KI's general manager and crew. Small things can make a big difference...

I REALLY miss that tunnel, loved it as a kid! I couldn't agree more! And I am really am looking forward to seeing how Mr. Ouimet will attract multigenerational families.

It ran just fine, just poor design. Lack of banking on the turns caused the shock absorbers to wear out prematurely, causing more wear-and-tear than was financially desirable. I really wish I had rode it. I was old enough at the time but had not yet become a coaster rider. That didn't happen til after The Bat was long gone. BTW, the ride that made me love coasters was the Double Loop at Geauga Lake, lol. I hated coasters til I rode that.

For you, standbyme:

I know I read somewhere that Crypt will be SBNO this year. Now if I could just find where I read that... I'll see if I can find it and post a link...

Ok, like I said, not the best quality, but check out the station wagon! That thing screams early '80s! LOL. I like how bright the firework is in this one, really lit up the area! Had to include one that had the Eiffel Tower in it for proof these are Kings Island, lol!

I remember a time when FearFest (as it was once called) WAS a separate entry fee. If I recall correctly, IF you had a day ticket, it was an add-on price, (maybe $9.99, maybe $14.99?), if no day ticket, you paid full price (either $19.99 or $24.99). And no, season pass holders did NOT get the add-on price. Now, this is from my foggy memory, so don't rip me to shreds if I am wrong on details, but I do very clearly recall having to pay a separate fee for FearFest, back in the beginning days. And, judging from what I recall, I think the logistical nightmare of getting everyone out of the park by 6 so the people wanting to go to FearFest could get in at 7 (or 8) probably led, in part, to the combined entry fee.

Hey, I have some pictures from the campground. My dad was taking pictures of the fireworks from our campsite. They aren't the best pictures, but hey, they're still pics from the campground! I am currently uploading them to Photobucket, and will post a couple shortly. My best guess at the year is 1982, and that is because other pics I found with these have the Festhaus in it... under construction. And since the Festhaus opened in '83... Well, you get the idea.

My little girl will be three on February 4th. Last summer she hit the 36" mark and had a TON of fun. That being said, my goal is to lose some weight so I can fit with her on whatever she can ride that allows adults as well. We didn't do Great Pumpkin Coaster last summer because there is no way I would have fit. This summer, I WILL get on it and ride it with her. Gator, I can not wait until my girl hits the 48" mark! You will have a lot of fun with your GatorGirl! My girl hasn't been scared of a single thing so far and I am loving it. Getting her on her first coaster will be a blast! Also, we have passes so I resolve to go as often as possible, and to visit SC as much as possible because my girl loves the water!

Tunnel was added in 1979 with the opening of The Beast and the ride changing names from The Scooby Doo to The Beastie. The tunnel was removed whatever year Paramount changed it to The Fairly OddCoaster. I always thought the tunnel would have made a great entry to Fairy World, put up a big POOF! over the tunnel, and there ya go... Oh well, we're not the big decision makers. And still loving the pictures, standbyme! I'll get the ones from the time of the Festhaus construction up soon. As for me, '74 wins in most pictures. The park had a MUCH more magical, "escape-from-daily-life" feel back then. Again, I miss the sidewalks and curbs on International Street, it looked so open and easy to walk down then. But I know they had to make everything more easily accomodated. It's just that now it always feels so cramped walking down IS, especially on the righ-hand side heading toward the Tower. I miss the theming and landscaping from back then, as well. I do have to say the landscaping seems to be getting better since CF took over... Paramount killed a lot of the charm of the park, in my opinion.

Standbyme-- AWESOME work! I've been going to the park since I was too young to really remember, and even though my dad was a photographer, he rarely brough his camera into the park because he wanted to RIDE... Plus for a family of 5 it was a once-a-year trip, so he wanted to enjoy every moment he could when we went. So I have very few photos of "old" Kings Island and I am loving these! One thing I've noticed in older pictures that I wish would return: The "sidewalks" in front of the shops on International Street. They gave it a definite "street" feel compared to today, and offered more landscaping opportunities as your most recent photos show. I did stumble upon some photos my dad took from the Eiffel Tower looking towards Timberwolf (The Beach Boys were playing there the day we were at the park), and you can see Viking Fury plain as day, and... Festhaus was under construction! I was amazed, always thought it was always there! But, consulting the maps here at KIC, I realized it wasn't! I'll have to share the photos I have managed to save, scanning off of negatives. Again, great work and thanks for sharing! (I've been a member awhile but am rarely on here and never sign in, but HAD to so I could voice my appreciation!)