Kentucky Kingdom

[jcgoble3]

The bridge was not confusing in itself. The confusing part was trying to get from the gate to the bridge.

[bkroz]

It could be worse in the "un-navigable map" department.

[The Interpreter]

The bridge was not confusing in itself. The confusing part was trying to get from the gate to the bridge.

I'm not talking confusion. I'm talking about how long it is, and how inconvenient it is for the disabled and for everyone, for that matter. That thing is at least three times longer than it has to be.

When the park is busy, it's a major source of frustration and aggravation. It's also too small for the park.

[Kumar123]

Kentucky Kingdom had a few mistakes, its the first year the park been open in five years. From what history tells us Ed Hart made Kentucky Kingdom a success making it Kentucky's number one attraction..... If hes done it once he can do it again its only the first year there has been a few flaws but there Improving day by day.

[bkroz]

Kentucky Kingdom had a few mistakes, its the first year the park been open in five years. From what history tells us Ed Hart made Kentucky Kingdom a success making it Kentucky's number one attraction..... If hes done it once he can do it again its only the first year there has been a few flaws but there Improving day by day.

Certainly! But don't let this be your "rose colored glasses" moment that you look back on later.

Ed Hart is a shrewd businessman. The second he saw the opportunity to sell Kentucky Kingdom at massive personal profit, he did. He floated down from the purchase on a golden parachute as a very wealthy man. His passion is business, not amusement parks. Ever seen a house flipping program on HGTV? Ed Hart today is very wealthy, and maneuvered very specifically to own and operate Kentucky Kingdom with very, very, very little personal risk. If the park fails, Mr. Hart will still be a very wealthy man. The taxpayers won't be.

The prodigal son. He bailed once.

Like you said... " If hes done it once he can do it again its only the first year."

I can't think of a single amusement park I don't like, even on principle. Should I find myself within reasonable proximity, I will absolutely go out of my way to visit the park (even if at least one member here has revoked my invitation) and I don't doubt that I'll have an enjoyable experience. Alls I'm saying is, no one here is blindly bashing the park, nor is anyone being overly optimistic about its current operation or its future. We're having a realistic back-and-forth – a discussion.

EDIT: My advice to new members is ALWAYS to hang back. Read more than you write. Listen to way we talk here. Look at the way we talk. It's like starting a new school. You'll do much better for the next four years if you take a week to listen. Coming in here saying we're dissing a park and that we should have better things to do wasn't a great impression, right? So learn from it and look at the realistic way we discuss things. It'll help if you (hopefully) stick around for a very long time!

Edited July 26, 2014 by goodyellowkorn182

[The Interpreter]

I've never said this before here.

I read this forum and its predecessors for years before I joined. And that's true of most of the other forums I belong to as well.

Terp...just sayin'.

[bkroz]

I bet doing so smoothed your transition into participating here. It probably gave you some sense of the style and substance of these parts, which was in turn evident even in your first post. At least, we'd hope so! Any memory of what your first post was about? Or is that a topic best saved for later?

[Kumar123]

Yeah okay he seen the opportunity to sell the park to a known Theme park Organization which is Premier Parks had a agreement with them were they were to still add a major attraction unfortunately they thought Greezed Lighting was one. I came on here with my opionion is that not aloud. Etc Need No Glasses

[The Interpreter]

I bet doing so smoothed your transition into participating here. It probably gave you some sense of the style and substance of these parts, which was in turn evident even in your first post. At least, we'd hope so! Any memory of what your first post was about? Or is that a topic best saved for later?

It may well have been about a park I adored and went to 33 times in 1998.

A big year for that park.

Conversion year.

What park?

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

It had these new wood coasters I adored, and miss still.

Twisted Sisters. I still remember the excitement of June 20, 1998.

It was a three and a half hour drive each way. I was even known to go to Kings Island for opening, then leave to ride Thunder Run, Twisted Sisters, Chang...and the Dragsters!

Yeah okay he seen the opportunity to sell the park to a known Theme park Organization which is Six Flags and had a agreement with them were they were to still add a major attraction unfortunately they thought Greezed Lighting was one. I came on here with my opionion is that not aloud. Etc Need No Glasses

Never heard that one before. Especially since Hart did not sell to Six Flags.

My head hurts.

EDIT: so, now you go back, without acknowledgment, and edit your facts. My quote is what you had. You said Hart sold to Six Flags, which is patently untrue. In fact, Six Flags had NO connection whatsoever to the company he sold to. None,

Premier Parks did not own Six Flags yet.

Changing your post after your error is noted,

and not acknowledging it, is not proper. And by the way, Six Flags had NO unfulfilled obligation to Ed Hart at all. None. And you forgot Roadrunner Express.

When Premier Parks bought Kentucky Kingdom it was a very small park operation, owning Geauga Lake, Frontier City and Darien Lake as its perhaps most prominent assets. It had no national destination parks. It was not "a theme park organization."

Buying Kentucky Kingdom didn't change that. It was only later that Premier Parks bought the much larger than it Six Flags.

And I quoted you to start with as I feared you were the type to edit the facts to fit your fancy. For that reason, my next post, to keep you from editing it back again, is your edited post. The

mods have all this now. Do this again, and you won't be posting here. To quote you, that's not "aloud."

My head hurts.

[The Interpreter]

And THIS is how you edited your post after it was pointed out that you were incorrect. Edited with no acknowledgement of what you said before.

(See the two posts before this one. This needs read in context).

Yeah okay he seen the opportunity to sell the park to a known Theme park Organization which is Premier Parks had a agreement with them were they were to still add a major attraction unfortunately they thought Greezed Lighting was one. I came on here with my opionion is that not aloud. Etc Need No Glasses

[shark6495]

So I learned that Geauga Lake and KK were both owned by the same group before they were flagged. Never knew that till now.

Why did PP break it's mold to buy a national park chain?

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[The Interpreter]

Because that chain was available for what Gary Story thought was a very good price, because Gary Story had a huge ego and thought he could run it better than Time Warner had, because cheap borrowed capital was readily available at the time and because Gary Story wanted Six Flags really, really bad.

Most also don't know that Six Flags, then and now, did not fully control Six Flags Over Texas or Six Flags Over Georgia, the so-called partnership parks.

[shark6495]

So Texas and Georgia are considered THE Flag parks, but are not controlled by the company?

Are Texas and Georgia owned by the same group?

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[The Interpreter]

The company controls both, but fully owns neither. The partners are different for each park.

And most see THE flagship parks as Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great Adventure. Company headquarters is now at Grand Prairie, Texas, near Arlington, home of Six Flags Over Texas.

[MDMC01]

(in response to goodyellowkorn's pictures of maps) That Alton Towers map looks like a bit like a picture from one of those I Spy books! That being said, I'd still love to go there sometime... Also, I noticed the map must be from a few years back because their current map looks a bit better: http://www.altontowers.com/useful-info/theme-park-maps/

[bkroz]

(in response to goodyellowkorn's pictures of maps) That Alton Towers map looks like a bit like a picture from one of those I Spy books! That being said, I'd still love to go there sometime... Also, I noticed the map must be from a few years back because their current map looks a bit better: http://www.altontowers.com/useful-info/theme-park-maps/

You're right, yep! Surprisngly, it's only from 2011 though! That overblown cartoon style seems distinctly earlier. That park's got a crazy layout, and some of the styles they've tried over the years have only made it worse. The gallery linked to below has many of their park maps, which change style every few years!

http://old.towerstimes.co.uk/history/maps/oldmaps.htm

The map from 2010 was the best at showing the actual pathways for navigating. But 2007's was REALLY cool.

Maps are an art. That's why so many people collect them... A balance between something beautiful and something useful. Sometimes design overwhelms usefulness like in the maps above. Sometimes the opposite is true, and maps sacrifice beauty for practicality. That's not good either.

*cough*

*cough*

[jcgoble3]

Last thoughts (for now, at least) on my KK visit:

Interesting to see KK encouraging people to fill personal bottles at the water fountains, even providing special dispensers to make it easier, instead of pushing the sale of bottled water. The display at the top right keeps a count of how many bottles have been filled there. Good way to be environmentally friendly.

Plummet Summit? On a water slide? I wonder if Disney knows about this. Something about "potential for confusion" or something like that....

[The Interpreter]

I wondered how long it would take before someone noticed that!

Especially since no less than Mr. Hart adores making fun of Six Flags over the Twisted Sisters/Twins thing.

[RollerColt]

I've never said this before here.

I read this forum and its predecessors for years before I joined. And that's true of most of the other forums I belong to as well.

Terp...just sayin'.

I spent 7 years reading the discussions on KICentral, before finally making an account and joining in on the conversations last year. I really have Banshee to thank for bringing me back to this wonderful group of people!

[WMAJrKY]

I bet doing so smoothed your transition into participating here. It probably gave you some sense of the style and substance of these parts, which was in turn evident even in your first post. At least, we'd hope so! Any memory of what your first post was about? Or is that a topic best saved for later?

It may well have been about a park I adored and went to 33 times in 1998.

A big year for that park.

Conversion year.

What park?

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

It had these new wood coasters I adored, and miss still.

Twisted Sisters. I still remember the excitement of June 20, 1998.

It was a three and a half hour drive each way. I was even known to go to Kings Island for opening, then leave to ride Thunder Run, Twisted Sisters, Chang...and the Dragsters!

I love this! Kentucky Kingdom was the closest park to me growing up (Western KY), so I have fond memories of the early years. I remember lots of good TV ads etc. that played in the Owensboro/Evansville market, particularly the T2 ads. I remember the T2 ad playing some sort of lullaby music that showed images of inverted riders and said something like "Put your feet up, lay your head back, close your eyes....and PRAY!"

For a small park it had some firsts that I was always proud of. Maybe knowing what I know now some of it wasn't so impressive, but the marketing machine made it seem like it. The first SLC in North America, the first Giant Drop (the Hellevator name and graphics I always loved), Thunder Run was/is spectacular, and I remember being absolutely blown away that our little local park pulled off an installation as big as CHANG. I always found it to be rideable and fun, and I'm SO happy I went to the State Fair in 2009 and got my last ride on it. The park had some fun flats in the early years too: HUSS Ranger, Enterprise, Giant Wheel, and my personal favorite the Vekoma Waikiki Wave (The Quake). Not a particularly exciting ride, but an interesting experience. It was probably more fun to watch and listen to than anything (when it wasn't down).

I've yet to visit the New Kentucky Kingdom, and I don't like what I've heard so far. I was hopeful that Mr. Hart could pull off what he did in the 90's, but times have changed and I'm not so sure. I'll get there before the end of the season for sure though to check out Lightning Run and revisit Thunder Run.

Thanks for the fun trip down memory lane!

[WMAJrKY]

After my post this morning I was just feeling it, so I made the roughly 10 minute trek from my house down I-264 West to Kentucky Kingdom. The weather was very overcast after the morning rain so I figured the crowds would be light - I was correct!

Overall, the park was very clean and I saw plenty of security personnel as I made my way around. I even strolled through Hurricane Bay to check it out, because I had acutally not physically been in the water park since 1998. Hurricane Bay looks great! The old flows into the new nicely. I watched a few brave souls tackle Deep Water Dive, which looks like a lot of fun!

Lightning Run: This little coaster really packs a punch. I rode twice, once in front and once in back (with only a 1-2 train wait). There is a reason these restraints staple you in. I've never experienced so much up and down, forceful air time. The bunny hops at the end are a riot. Larger riders will definitely have difficulties with these restraints. There is a test seat though with an illuminating light to let you know if you will fit. I wouldn't be surprised to see these installed at other smaller parks.

Got several laps in on Thunder Run, too. They did an AMAZING job with the rehab. I cannot believe how great it is running. This is undoubtedly the best it has ever felt to me.

It was nice to see Mile High Falls up and running too, I didn't ride but stood in the glass enclosure and watched a few boats go.

Overall I had a fun little visit. They have a lot more to do with the dry side to keep drawing crowds. I hope it survives long enough to see the return of T3, Twisted Twins, and the river raft ride (can't recall the proposed name).

[The Interpreter]

The raft ride was Blizzard River...once Penguin's Blizzard River.

[jcgoble3]

The raft ride was Blizzard River...once Penguin's Blizzard River.

...now listed on the park map as Raging Rapids: Coming in 2015!

[bkroz]

One weird thing that I have yet to sit down and really think about is the whole "2 parks for the price of 1" strategy. It works so well for these smaller, more local parks. The drawback is that it seems that the operators have to almost force themselves to maintain the dry side.

Water parks are (comparatively) easy and cheap to run (it seems) and generate a lot more return on investment (in my understanding). You have to build less often, and can rely on season passes to generate profit. Just maintain the water park with occasional expansion and your park continues to accumulate season pass holders with far less investment than a new coaster.

Visit Worlds of Fun on a summer day and you know where the people will be. Same with Michigan's Adventure. Same at Dorney Park. And since slides are low-cost investments compared to the alternative, it's easy to give Michigan's Adventure new slides every few years and never a flat ride or a coaster. Which is fine. I'm not saying that's wrong. Just that that's the weird thing about the "2 for the price of 1" parks. Given Kentucky Kingdom's promise of $1.5 - 2 million in new investment every season beginning in 2016, it's looking like water park additions will be the law of the land, year after year. Maybe it should be a mostly-water park with a small family amusement park attached.

Sort of like the plan they seemed to have for Geauga Lake... Except with capital investment.

[thedevariouseffect]

Hmm..Geauga Lake..anything new since..oh they closed the..oh..we don't talk about that do we

[Outdoor Man]

Speaking of the Geauga Lake image a few posts ago.. I just noticed this- and wonder if it has been commented on before. Anyone notice what 2 things are ominously missing from the drawing???

1) floating bridge to the dry side (though the ferry boats are depicted)

2) evidence of a walk path to the dry side

Unintentional oversight or shill foretell of things to come???

[The Interpreter]

One weird thing that I have yet to sit down and really think about is the whole "2 parks for the price of 1" strategy. It works so well for these smaller, more local parks. The drawback is that it seems that the operators have to almost force themselves to maintain the dry side.

Water parks are (comparatively) easy and cheap to run (it seems) and generate a lot more return on investment (in my understanding). You have to build less often, and can rely on season passes to generate profit. Just maintain the water park with occasional expansion and your park continues to accumulate season pass holders with far less investment than a new coaster.

Visit Worlds of Fun on a summer day and you know where the people will be. Same with Michigan's Adventure. Same at Dorney Park. And since slides are low-cost investments compared to the alternative, it's easy to give Michigan's Adventure new slides every few years and never a flat ride or a coaster. Which is fine. I'm not saying that's wrong. Just that that's the weird thing about the "2 for the price of 1" parks. Given Kentucky Kingdom's promise of $1.5 - 2 million in new investment every season beginning in 2016, it's looking like water park additions will be the law of the land, year after year. Maybe it should be a mostly-water park with a small family amusement park attached.

Sort of like the plan they seemed to have for Geauga Lake... Except with capital investment.

<image deleted>

Assuming all that arguendo, please explain why Cedar Fair sold off their other standalone water parks.

Curious Terpy

[shark6495]

Or see the Beach, Surf Cincinnati...

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[bkroz]

Speaking of the Geauga Lake image a few posts ago.. I just noticed this- and wonder if it has been commented on before. Anyone notice what 2 things are ominously missing from the drawing???

1) floating bridge to the dry side (though the ferry boats are depicted)

2) evidence of a walk path to the dry side

Unintentional oversight or shill foretell of things to come???

True! The are does show the ferries, though... And a water ski show, the old aviary theater, and folks mingling around the former aquarium. A couple of little animal experiences that would've left it a well-rounded park.

I'm STILL not sure why they closed down the former "Happy Harbor" area full of climbing nets and brand spanking new family flats (swinging ship, YoYo swings, arcade games, slides, etc) and the simulator / 4D theater. Seems to me that the existing Wildwater Kingdom would be a MUCH stronger park with those half-dozen family rides, climbing nets, a simulator, a 4D movie, and a ski-show.

Ah well. I guess that would probably triple the park's current staffing. Instead, the area is fenced off and demolished with a "Little Tykes Town" of hot plastic houses (on gravel... at a water park!) and a "family beach" area (touted as NEW! a few years ago) with an oversized chess board.

Edited July 29, 2014 by goodyellowkorn182

[The Interpreter]

YoYo is a registered trademark for that ride. As such, it is always capitalized here.