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Kings Island and Cedar Fair in general have a lot of other things to worry about besides Son of Beast. Notice that in the period Son of Beast has been closed, Kings Island alone has gotten an overhaul of the childrens area, an overhaul of Coney Mall, a 300 foot tower ride, a walkthrough attraction and now an overhaul of the waterpark. It's rather clear that the fate of Son of Beast is not as urgent a priority as other things. I believe that when the time comes that a lack of action begins to hurt finances or guest and employee morale more than they can afford, it will become a higher priority than new additions. Someone along the way must have figured that the new additions can better serve those three groups than action on Son of Beast would, hense why we have seen no activity there for two and a half years. The question remains is that when does inactivity become harmful? I can't pretend to know any type of information like that, but I would like to think that management either in Mason or Sandusky has at least a general idea. Maybe a decision has been made and they are waiting to act. Maybe no decision has been made since it's not a high enough priority yet. Time will tell. In the mean time, I look forward to seeing all else that Kings Island and our new CEO has to offer. And it will be interesting to look back and see how, if at all, new management has affected this multi-million dollar decision.

Do I smell more dark rides coming? I hope so.

Should old SoB be forgotten, And never brought to mind? Should old SoB be forgotten, And days of long ago ! We two have run about the helices And pulled the loop out, But we have wandered many a weary foot For old long ago. We two have rolled (crashed) into the station From April until Fall time, But enthusiasts among us have roared Since old long ago. And there is a hand, a neck, a broken sternum my trusty friend, And give us no support, And we will take a goodwill Aleve (for pain) For old long ago! And surely you will pay for that pain, And surely I will smile as you come down! And we will take the vision of a great coaster yet For old long ago!

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/d8d6a3a019554f8a8551ded440ab9a87/US--Amusement-Park-Boss/ Short, yet interesting.

Just returned from a 3 day quick trip to Virginia. Goal was to help a friend who works at Busch Gardens to move back here temporarily. Left 6 a.m. Wednesday, 12/28 and drove straight to Busch. After waiting for her to meet us at a local fast food joint, she got us into the park with complimentary tickets (Saving $37.95 x 4). She had to work until 6:30 p.m., so we took off to explore. We rode "Air over Europe" with is a moving seat to give the effect of flying over European landmarks. Next, we purchased a round of hot chocolate and stood in line for "Ice Palace--a Penguin Paradise." Featured were several live penguins on loan from the Columbus Zoo. Unfortunately, They had just finished swimming and were drying off for the night. Not much action. By this time, our friend was off work (She has been working since June in the makeup/costumes--being in charge of the Busch Santa for Christmas Town. We met at the Festhaus (Germany) and saw the singing/dancing show "Deck the Halls." which was very entertaining and featured great talent. Following the show, we ate at the Festhaus. Selections included Prime Rib Sandwiches (lean on the size of prime rib), pizza, fries, chocolate cake, eggnog cheesecake, etc. Her employee discount got us $30 off the total bill. Next she took us to meet Santa (his greeting "ya'all" amused my granddaughter (11 y.o.). After that, we went to Ireland for the "Gloria" show--a gospel rendition of the story of Christ's birth--the real reason for Christmas. It was wonderful. Great effects and beautiful voices. She took us backstage to meet the performers after. Next we headed for Italy to see "Miracles" a dazzling show featuring magnificant singers, ballet dancers and more special effects. On the way, we passed "Alpengeist". Thinking we did not have time to ride and make the show, I made the "adult" decision not to ride and still regret it. Turns out, there was no wait (was the 40 degree weather a factor?) My 17 y.o. daughter and our friend rode while we went to the show. Turns out they made the show as well. It was then closing time. Not mentioned previously was the glorious lights. Apparently, they bumped it up from 3 million lights last year to 5 million this year. The lights were fantastic. I now have a plan to order some gold strings for my yard next year. According to our frend, the tree at the Festhaus has it's own crew just to keep it going. It had a dancing lights to music show of it's own. Polar Pathway had a water ride building litterally blanketed in white lights, with blue lights covering the water ways. It was beautiful and apparently, visible from Skylab in outerspace. After a few souvenir purchases, we left for the evening. PLEASE Cedar Fair--BRING BACK WINTERFEST. On a side note: the flowers were still blooming. They had beds of petunias, pansies and flowering shrubs. Seemed kind of strange for December (almost January). Turns out we were there on the coldest night so far for the area--probably in the low 40s but dropped lower that night.. On Thursday afternoon (it took all morning to get an 11 y.o. and 17 y.o up and fed at the local IHOP) we visited Colonial Williamsburg. We were pretty much dragging the kids, but I think they secretly enjoyed it. You have to purchase a ticket to get into the buildings. We were short on time, but got our money's worth. We were participants in the courthouse reinactment. Husband stayed to watch the "Tavern Lighting" I had to get the kids back to civilization (visitor center with shopping). We then met up with our friend, packed up the back of our minivan with her belongs that won't fit in her car when she drives back tonight after Christmas Town closes. We ordered pizza and drove through the Newport News Christmas Light display at a local park. It was pretty, but I was disappointed it was 100% secular--no nativity. Drove back to Dayton on Friday. Had beautiful weather both directions to enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains. Happy New Year.

Yes it has been! I like the surprises that guests could find in store for them. Secretly, I`m still hoping for the return of the Kings Island Clown band. One can hope.

That was an encouraging article - just imagine, KI with more rides a family can enjoy and maybe even a campground

I am not certain, but I believe it was rented.

I am not hinting at anything in this post, but I'd feel very remiss if I did not point out three things: 1. Many restaurants close, often putting out a sign that says: CLOSED FOR REMODELING. After a time, some re-open after remodeling; some re-open with very few, if any changes; some sit idle for many years while the owner decides what to do; some sit idle while the owner tries to find the money to tear down the structure for some other use; some sit empty while the owner tries to sell or rent the structure; and some even get condemned as unsafe by local or state governments and end up being razed. In each case, only absolutely required maintenance is usually done in the interim. Anything that can be deferred in the interim usually is, and sometimes even critical maintenance is deferred. Why fix something if you are not sure you are going to use it? 2. All along, Kings Island's spokespeople have said no decision has been made about Son of Beast. There are certainly more options possible than one or even two. 3. Kings Island has obviously not had a plan that from the beginning decided the ride would be re-opened. This is a very complex decision, involving factors from safety to costs to land use planning to marketing to legal considerations. Depending on what final decision is made, one or two factors could trump, or may have already trumped, all others. If Kings Island, or more properly, Cedar Fair, knew what the decision was to be when the ride closed, they would not have done the things they have done over time. Bonus thought: Even if a decision was made/has been made, it is quite possible that an announcement, or even a disclosure thereof to KI's management, has been delayed in order to give new management the opportunity to revisit it. If the same decision is again made, then new management can proceed, or go a different route, as it sees fit

I think that would have to be money well spent... Moons ago, when I still thought of parks as wonderful places to work, I decided after my tenure at pki to mosey up to the land of Sandusky... I was shocked to see how different things were... And with regards to housing, I stayed two nights there and that's all. The only reason it was that long was because it took that long to find my own apartment in downtown Sandusky. On a side note, if you ever get a chance, you should spend a few hours walking through downtown Sandusky, it really is quite beautiful. It's like stepping back in time, back when things were simpler. Also of note, the library is possibly one of the most beautiful ive been in. Anyway... Housing at Cedar Point leaves a lot to be desired. University housing would have been preferable over CP. Old hotel furniture populates the dorms, with bunk beds stacked in the bedrooms. I'm not naive enough to think its not supposed to be a hotel, and considering how cp works their employees likes indentured servants, you're barely in the dorm, however, dilapidation would be the best term to associate with housing at cp. I guess you could make the same argument many guests make with regards to ki's parking lot... If you are paying all this money for parking, you expect a decent lot in which to park your car, the same for housing, you pay all this money for housing, you expect something relatively habitable. (habitable: see also - antithesis of cedars dormitories) Don't forget that old expression... Happy wife happy life... The same could be used for employees anywhere... And when your rely on thousands upon thousands of employees to ensure guests have a safe, fun experience, you want those employees to be happy ones... (I shudder to think of how may times I'm going to hear, welcome back riders... In an infinite disingenuous loop all summer... :-/ )

Smooth. Very smooth.

Oh they antique cars. I miss them very much too. The train and the cars are the only rides I can remember my Dad would ride with me. I wish I was able to ride them with my two boys now.

I still remember how fascinated and grateful I was when TopGun did this several years back. Threads like these take lots of painstaking work and attention to detail. Thanks so very much. Having watched KI develop and grow over the years has been a fascinating process. Seeing it beautifully documented is fantastic, indeed.

Awesome idea. Can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve! It's amazing on how much the trees have gotten so much bigger in your first photo, it's like litterally watching the park grow right before your eyes!