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Standing within' 3 feet of 1974


standbyme
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This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. I have been at KI every summer (except the 2 I live in Fla) since the park opened and have had seasons passes every year they offered them (except the 2 in Fla) and one other year. These pics bring back so many memories.

I, like you, really miss that tunnel walk way. I always thought of it as a time tunnel where we went from the modern world of Hanna Barbera Land and went back to the frontier. The Indians running out of the woods at the train completed this illusion.

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Guest TombraiderTy

I'd agree that the '11 picture should've probably been angled up a hair, although I'm not too certain about the the location... looking at one old overview of the clock, it feels as though the camera should face Planet Snoopy a tad more. The other overview, however, looks as though you got the picture right. Either way, thanks for taking and uploading it :)

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Good morning! First off I would like to say I am sorry that yesterday’s photos were so boring. (I should have trusted my gut instinct and just skipped them.)

Today’s photo is another one from the former Lion Country Safari. (The person who took this batch of photos must have been impressed with that area. :P )

1974

cubsa.jpg

This photo was easy to duplicate. 2 obvious landmarks in this photo still exist, the Eiffel Tower and the Kafe Kilimanjaro Restaurant building. (Which is currently Stunt Crew Grill.)

2011

cubsb.jpg

Here is my working shot if you want to get a feel for where I was standing.

cubsc.jpg

And here is a shot of The Stunt Crew Grill if you just wanna compare it to the old Kafe Kilimanjaro.

cubsd.jpg

Where would I rather be today? Since I not only love Congo Falls...and hate the thought of those poor little lion cubs stuck on that dinky little island, I will say that 2011 wins for my choice today. (Anyone know if the park brought the cubs in nightly?)

Once again, a BIG THANKS to Hendrick’s continuing devotion to making the fades for me/us! :)

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Standbyme, I've been on vacation at Disney for the past couple weeks (which, BTW, gives me a greater appreciation for KI). Had I been home I would have been a daily poster, responding to what is certainly the best thread I've seen on this, or any related forum, in a long, long time. Nice work, and much appreciated! This sure helps pass the offseason blues.

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Standbyme, I've been on vacation at Disney for the past couple weeks (which, BTW, gives me a greater appreciation for KI). Had I been home I would have been a daily poster, responding to what is certainly the best thread I've seen on this, or any related forum, in a long, long time. Nice work, and much appreciated! This sure helps pass the offseason blues.

You mean this thread is better than the flavor of the month "insert ride here*" thread?

*Names and places are left out to protect the integrity of the thread.

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While I miss the Safari and Monorail, I have to admit it is one of the areas that I do understand the park replacing - I can't imagine that owning and maintaining the lands for the animals was economical. My only wish is that they could have kept some of the theme from the area as they changed and grew as it was very well themed and I think lacks significantly in that area now.

JD - thanks for the ongoing thread. It is one that makes me check KIC daily (and forces me to use the computer versus mobile skin) :D

Also thanks to Hendrick for the fades, they add to the thread very nicely - I love reviewing the pictures first, then checking the fade.

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Guest TombraiderTy
On another note, was TimberWolf alive back then?

TimberWolf opened in 1982, so this was still nearly a decade before its existence.

[Picture]

One of the few remnants of Wild Animal Safari :)

I've never noticed that before, thanks for sharing :P

People complain about the lack of trees in Action Zone, but based off that photo, the area looks more like a jungle now than it ever did in '74 (pardon the lions, anyway) :P

I especially like, in the '74 photos, how you can see all the themed trash cans and light posts, alongside the area's entrance (the bridge).

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J.D.- None of these pictures have been boring, including yesterdays! It's a treat everytime I get to see them!

Thank-you again for all of your hard work!!!

This. Again, cool pictures! I really like the look of Adventure Village, even though it apparently deteriorated later. If it stuck around, it would have been a cool place to put Tomb Raider/The Crypt.

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One of the few remnants of Wild Animal Safari :)

I wonder if it still remains because someone thinks it's a nice nod to the past...or if for some odd reason it is too much of a pain in the butt to replace?

And sans a few that live in India, what we think of as lions do not actually live in a "Jungle" They live in plains and grasslands :)

That can't be true...because whenever I used to watch an old Tarzan movie with Johnny Weissmuller could hardly take 2 steps before he had to fight a lion! :rolleyes:

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Oh how the park has changed for better and the worse. But really the park, needs better landscaping the tiques and the flying eagles need to return, in some shape or form. That was a true loss. Really the amount of rides removed has been huge, but others have came in to replace.

KI needs to cater to the past while shaping to the future for riders, families, thrill seakers, non riders, and people that remember KI for the great landscaping, a truly great park all the way around......

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I haven't been on here for a while, but you're enticing me to become active again.

Chase...nice hearing from you! :)

The start of a new week! Today’s photo is the one that you could see in the “working photo” in my very first post of this thread. (In hindsight I probably should have started out with this one. :lol: )

1974flowerbeda.jpg

VERY nice landscaping! :)

2011

flowerbedb.jpg

This photo was pretty easy to duplicate…and it is VERY close to being exact. While taking these photos I learned something that I hadn’t thought of before…but makes sense…it appears that when the park remodeled an area, they tried to not have to move things that were underground if they didn’t have to. (Things like power & water lines.) In this shot, even though the “pillars” on the corner of the building almost line up perfectly in both shots, the lamp post is not quite in the same location. I wonder if they moved it a little or if I had moved 2 feet towards the fountain if the photo would have been a perfect match?

Live and learn!

And now the (like you even care) comment about “where I would rather be standing” statement!

This one was a tough one for me. I love the landscaping in the 1974 shot…but my family has had at least 6 caricatures drawn at this spot over the years…something that might not have happened if the park hadn’t placed them at that spot.

(It just seems to be a good spot there for our family. In our case it seemed to work out that one adult would hang back with the kid who was getting a caricature done…and everyone else would head to Nickelodeon Universe/Planet Snoopy to ride rides…that way not everyone was standing around doing nothing and it was a quick walk to where they were.)

SO, I guess, even though I love the landscaping while I am at the park…as I sit and type these I can look up onto the wall at one of the caricatures…which always brings a smile to my face...I will say that I choose to be standing in 2011 today!

I’ve skipped saying it for a couple of days so that it doesn’t lose it’s meaning…but it truly does make this all worthwhile when I know exactly who is enjoying these. Thanks for the responses! :)

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Great shots, thanks again for your efforts!

With CP being my home park, I am extra-sensitive to the concept of removing vegetation and replacing it with concrete, or rides surrounded by concrete. I've watched my park turn into, what feels like, an airport runway over the last 30 years (by comparison). Having said that, no trees were removed here, and I too like the caricatures. So I think I'm with you on this one.

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I wonder if they moved it a little or if I had moved 2 feet towards the fountain if the photo would have been a perfect match?

Live and learn!

Your work on matching these shots is very impressive!! Another thing to keep in mind is that you didn't know what millimeter the lens size was on the original photos. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but not having that information definitely would make it more difficult to duplicate. A 100mm lens fifty feet away from the lamp post will give a different perspective than a 50mm lens twenty five feet away.

You did some hard work very well. Thank you for sharing.

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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!)

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awesome. No doubt I'd rather be in the old picture, though I've always wondered how many of those pictures were made. Angle looks good, they would have had to move the power pole anyways to dig up the gardens and put down the pavers. Moving it 2 foot wouldn't have been much of an "upcharge" as they redeveloped this area.

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I had the most amazing dream last night. It was a version of a favorite and somewhat forgotten memory from my childhood. The thing I remember most about our first trip to KI was walking through the covered walkway and words cannot describe how magical it was.

J.D. you brought back parts of one of my most cherished memories. Very cool and very much appreciated. I had lunch with dad today and it was a neat thing to have on my mind, especially considering the topics of discussion...

Mant Thanks

DAvid

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