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^Hendrick, thanks again for doing these! (It gives ME something to look forward to! ) Cory, it's nice to see you pop in here! Today’s pictures are 2 of my favorites...for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that I have always loved the floral calendar. (I wish it were nearer to the front...I think it would be used as a photo op more than the park can imagine.) The second reason is because I had such a great day the day that I took the 2011 shot. When I was working on the logistics of taking the 2011 shots I thought to myself how cool it would be to get a shot of the calendar on the same exact day as the original. The problem with this idea was that my family already had a trip to the park scheduled for the week before July 24th which couldn’t be switched...and at that point I didn’t think there was ANY way I would be willing to drive all the way to the park just to take this shot...then came the announcement for this years’ “Coasting For Kids” event on July 24th! I had already wanted to do this...but when I saw the date I thought it was fate that I attend the event! SO, back I drove the following week. Not only did I get the shot I needed, I helped a great charity, had a great time riding The Racer...and of course had a great time talking to fellow KIC members that day! (Win, win, win & win!) 1974 2011 As for where I would rather be standing today...is there ANYONE here who can look at both pictures and not choose 1974? The landscaping department were certainly at the top of their game back then! Today’s version looks nice but it pales in comparison to the 1974 version. And here’s a side note, after studying these 2 photos I have an ever deeper appreciation of the floral calendar...and it has nothing to do with the actual calendar. When I walk through the park sometimes and notice something I will wonder to myself, “I wonder if that’s still the original...”. Some things appear to be original...but you never know for sure if they had to replace parts of something because they rotted or broke. (Re-paints are easy to spot.) Anyway, I was AMAZED that the stones in the wall are the same ones after all these years! One stone has broken in two...but other than that there is no doubt that these are still the same ones since 1974...and probably since 1972. How many other things in the park can you think of that have remained mostly unchanged? I like knowing that something like this has survived all these years!

I have not yet seen any raccon fur coats. Is it popular out west?

So since you won't be spending your time spreading "unheard rumors" this winter, will you be learning some basic grammar?

Way back in April I teased that I had purchased a set of photos of the park from 1974. (Random Photo Thread) A lot of the photos are the “same old, same old”…it’s amusing to me that I have seen several different sets of photos that people have taken at the park over the years and it seems like you can count on quite a few people taking the same exact shots. (I wish I could run across someone who liked to take more pictures of the rides back then! ) Anyway, as I was scanning these photos and looking at them I kept thinking to myself just how much the park has changed. (duh) I was also just as amazed of how many of the things that existed all those years ago are still there. This got me thinking…what would these photos look like today if I were standing in the same spot as the person who took them 37 years ago. (Light bulb goes off in head!) I decided to see if I could recreate each of the photos that I had. I could tell that MOST of them would be easy…especially whenever I could use the Eiffel Tower in the background as a point of reference. There were 3 photos that I knew would be impossible for me to recreate…these were taken from The Lion Country Safari monorail. I shared those in TombraiderTy’s (excellent) “Lion Country Safari Spotlight” thread. Due to the fact that EVERYTHING has changed in some of the photos, it became a challenge to figure out exactly where the original photographer would have been standing. (Especially in the Lion Country Safari shots.) To figure this out I poured through old park photos that I have saved up over the years to try and pinpoint each location. As I stated, the Lion Country ones were the toughest…here is how I went about figuring out where to stand to take the new photo: If, after looking at the original photo there was no current visible landmark I would figure out from an old aerial photo of that area where the person was standing when they took the photo….then I would find an exact aerial of the photo of that area today. (Once again, it’s amazing how so many people take the same exact shots year after year.) I would then size match the 2 photos, then layer them, and then make the current photo almost invisible and mark where the person would have been standing and in what direction the camera would have been aimed. After making the top layer visible again I would then be able to see a current landmark to go by. Here is an example of my work in progress: After I had done all of my research, “all” I had to do was take the new photos when I went to the park. In order to do this I came armed with both the copies of my 1974 photos and also my “work” photos of where to stand to get the same shot. In the past I remember a park employee posting on here that security is watching guests a lot more than they think they are. If that truly is the case I would say that the park’s security was not on their toes the day I was taking these photos! I KNOW I had to have looked suspicious while I was completing my mission. I would stop in front of something, start looking at my photos, every now and then holding one up to make sure I was getting everything I needed in the shot. I would then take several shots at varying angles just in case. THEN, since I didn’t want to have to remember if I had or hadn’t taken a certain picture I would walk over to the nearest trash can and throw away any of the photos connected with the one that I had just taken. Tell me this whole scenario wouldn’t have seemed suspicious! I am very proud of how well some of these photos turned out…as you will see some of them are almost an exact match. There are 31 photos in the series. I would say that with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 I really am within’ 3 feet of where the original photo was taken. There is room for error on some of the shots…even though I could pinpoint where to stand…in some of the photos where there was no remaining landmark from 1974 I had to make my “best guess” on the direction of the photo…where even tilting the camera a few inches gives you a different photo altogether. (I will point out the couple of times when this came up.) I PLAN on posting one comparison shot set a day. (Not counting weekends.) BUT, there are 2 conditions! #1. If you feel that I have made an error by all means point it out. (Even though I THINK I have done my homework I do not for one second feel that I am infallible.) BUT if you do think/know that I have made a mistake…PLEASE point it out in a NICE way. And #2, which is a BIG condition! (And some may say selfish.) When I started this project I was excited about sharing these with this community…I must admit that that excitement level has dropped CONSIDERABLY since then…so much that I was REALLY close to bypassing posting them here and just sharing these photos directly to a select few. The reason I say this is because SO many of the viewer’s remind me of that old line from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”…”Here we are now, entertain us”. Many members seem to have lost what made this site so special “back in the day”…courtesy to their fellow members. Over the last year I have seen a disgusting lack of consideration for the posters who have went to a lot of effort to put together either special features or trip reports. These posters spent quite a bit of time putting these together for our benefit and what do they usually get out of it, almost nothing. (I long ago gave up making trip reports.) Here are screen-grabs from the latest trip reports: Look at the difference between the views and the replies! Those numbers just scream inconsiderate…or lazy…take your pick. If a member has the time to punch on a topic, that member should also have enough time to post a simple “Thanks”…or at the VERY least hit the “Like” button to show that the author’s effort was appreciated. SO, here’s where I stand…after spending a nice sum of money to purchase these original photos, then spending time scanning them, digging up old research photos, using a few hours of my (limited) time at the park to take the new shots…and finally putting this whole thing together…J.D. (that’s me) is NOT playing the “Here we are now, entertain us” game. For all of the above reasons I feel like I should be able to rate a little consideration and know that my efforts were not in vain. I DEMAND interaction…and here is how it will work. I will keep posting a new set of photos each day as long as I get a certain amount of either comments OR “Likes” each day. (And just like the park won’t disclose the maximum amount of Fast Lane passes it will sell…I won’t say what my minimum is…but it’s not much.) I am NOT asking for, nor do I want any condescending “Oh this is just the greatest thing ever…” type comments. I am simply looking for a little proof that someone is out there enjoying my work…or else why do I need to bother to keep posting them? I would be happiest to see a little interaction with comments about how someone feels about the changes in the park…but I will settle for a simple click of the Like button. So…will all that said and done…here are today’s shots: 1974 I STILL miss the tunnel walkway…it is one of the few things that I can still remember from my first trip to the park way back in the 70’s. 2011 I thought it was amazing how many structures had survived after all these years. As I looked at each set of photos I would sit back and think…where would I rather be standing…back in 1974 or 2011. With this set of pictures it was pretty easy. 1974 wins easily, to me the area looks serene…and a more consistent theme throughout the area. I HOPE that everyone enjoys the (hopefully) upcoming photos…and just like the Son of Beast posts…I am going to beat this horse one last time: P.S. Looking at a lot of these photos as a "fade in, fade out" type of slide show was (in my opinion) neat...some of the photos are so close you can see key structures change before your eyes. I TRIED to come up with a way also throw on a slide show version but I couldn't figure that out...so if someone else knows how feel free. EDIT: Hendrick was nice enough to slideshow these photos for me/us! Thanks!!!

I believe in what PETA does. Protecting animals. But they have turned themselves into freaks. I do not like animals being tortured, caged, or abused. But to be mad over: 1. Starting fire over the Cooking Mama video game because it had no vegan - friendly food in it!??! 2. Suing Sea World because "they practice animal slavery". 3. (the worst one)-because Mario wears a fur coat in the game?!? WHAT?

You know you worked at KI when you know the exact time to leave your house, so you beat the left turn crowd.

You know you worked at KI when you've made left turns long after the light turned red.

No no, it's management's secrets you're supposed to be stealing, not money...

Thank you so much for these photos. Truly takes me back to the times that once was. I've been showing my mother and father these photos and they love it. Considering they both visited, worked, and met at the park back in the 80's.

Wow... now they're taking on video games! How does PETA know that Mario's Tanooki suit is made from a real raccoon and isn't a faux raccoon suit? What next? Are they going to raise a fuss over including Dry Bones in Mario games? Dry Bones is a turtle skeleton, which means a turtle died! And then there's all those poor live turtles that Mario jumps on then throws their shells... Mario is one evil plumber! Of course, it's all Donkey Kong's fault for starting this whole mess. Mario didn't ask for Donkey Kong to steal the girl and start throwing barrels at him! If Donkey Kong hadn't of done that, Mario & Luigi would most likely lived there lives as normal plumbers, oblivious to the existence of all those other worlds and galaxies. So forget person-on-animal cruelty, it all started with animal-on-person cruelty! And don't even get me started on that evil giant turtle Bowser and his atrocities against humanity!

I love the fact that there are still things like those stones that haven't changed since opening. It seems like KI's history is constantly being ignored, which is a shame. Can't wait for the next pictures!

I find this post very ironic and sort of hypocritical, or a slight case of two faced, maybe a mood swing? A change of plans? I can never tell with people these days. What if Cedar Fair already made an announcement and we never knew? No, that's impossible, no one here "doesn't know" about announcements that may change our lives forever. Oh the possibilities are endless.

^ Good point. I honestly think this rides days are numbered. Maybe not next year, maybe not the year after that, but it's certainly on its way out. As far as removing the building, very doubtful. KI still has the old lion's den from the safari and the monkey cages on property. They will find a use for that building, whether it be used for a future Haunt attraction, or merely storage. Unfortunately it's quite the eye sore in Rivertown.

My favorite part.... mattresses were supposed to slow the decent. Drop Tower, brought to you by Serta.

This is exactly where issues arise. When Kings Island does not get a giga-coaster for 2013 (or for 2012, as some doubtlessly suspect that construction truly has been occurring somewhere secretly inside the park), we will say Kings Island overhyped it. Yes, it seems that Kings Island saying absolutely positively nothing about a giga-coaster at Kings Island indicates that "Cedar Fair wants us to thing that a giga is coming to [Kings Island] but actually there isn't." Really. That's the place we've arrived at in off-season speculation. So many of us just beg for disappointment. And mark my words, people here WILL complain when Kings Island doesn't receive a giga-coaster in 2013; they will say exactly what is said here: That Cedar Fair intentionally misled us (how?) into thinking there would be a giga-coaster (why?) by never saying there would be one (yep!) when really there wasn't (huh?) exactly as they had not said there would be. What a marketing ploy that is! Brilliant beyond our meager mortal understanding, I guess.

PETA is certainly fighting a battle with SeaWorld that will only make them look even worse than they already do. SeaWorld (and all formerly owned Busch parks) have been, and still are, very animal friendly. Not only do they have conservation funds set-up, they are among the Worldwide leaders in animal preservation & education. It is too bad PETA uses the media to make a fantastic organization look bad for publicity. If anything, PETA should be praising SeaWorld for they have accomplished & learned through ther years.

Good morning everyone! Once again, I appreciate the feedback. It does make a difference to me that I can see who is enjoying these photos. Today is another shot from the tower. When the antique cars were still there I never failed to take a picture of that area when I was up in the tower. It was a close tie of my favorite area to look down upon…that and of course the fountain area. It was fun watching the cars go along the track from up there…plus all that glorious grass & those wonderful trees! 1974 2011 Today, it doesn’t get much “colder” than this area of the park. It is like night and day compared to its previous self. I miss the antique cars SO much…but at least I have my memories. As for where I would rather be standing in today’s photos…need I answer?!! P.S. As I mentioned in my 1st post...I will be skipping posting these on the weekends...so my next one SHOULD be on Monday. Once again, Hendrick was kind enough to put these 2 photos together!

What about putting down adults for human population control? 'Cause I've got quite a list of folks we could do without to thin the herd, such as, but not limited to: The Kardashians Justin Bieber Paris Hilton the cast of Jersey Shore the many casts of The Real Housewives K-dollar sign-HA the creator of Autotune