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We drove by the park today and took some pictures from behind Great Wolf Lodge. Here are a few of the ones I took.

Pictures from the park today:

Yep, a very frequent lurker. Really enjoy the site, thought it was time to give a little back.

Great pictures, Beastie 1980! In my mind I see Robbie Knievel PhotoShopped over the gap...

I voted "other" for an International Street overhaul. Instead of updating it with new stuff though, they should update it to how it looked and was treated back in the early days of KI. More detailed landscaping, emphasis on the theming of the different countries represented down the street, roaming performers and live bands. I think that would make IS an attraction in itself, a truly enchanted entry into Kings Island (comparable to Main Street at Disneyland) and not just a path to other parts of the park.

Last night was probly the best night so far. I've never seen the park so dead (pun intended). Every coaster was a a walk on the entire night except for Dragster which was only a couple feet out of the station and Millennium which was at the end of the unload station. I walked right onto Maverick before closing. I rode Skyhawk and maXair several times without getting off. The haunt attractions were about 15 minutes all night. The weather was perfect too. No wind at all so the fog stayed in its location all night and it was perfect hoodie and jeans weather without feeling too warm or cold.

Going to KI right now. I plan to take some pictures for you guys from the eifle tower. If it is open.

The closest thing to it in a seasonal park is Monster Mansion at SFOG. I recommend it highly.

Park officials were on the last train.

Nowdays, Whenever I hear the name "The Racer", the word "Paint-Job" also comes to mind......

Thank you Beastie1980. Your Awesome!!!!

Flying Eagles should be on that list. KCKC, too. Bayern Curve. Bavarian Beetle. Rotor. Zodiac. I could go on and on....

As a survivor of the 1986 Miamisburg Train Disaster (white phosphorus, anyone?) I'd have to say that toxic smoke can be fun! Sar︠ ●cas●m (SAHR-caz-um); n It’s a word. What did you expect, a definition? It’s not like anyone ever picks up this dictionary to look up words anyway, so why bother. Etymology: it comes from a bunch of old words from languages that really survived the test of time, didn’t they? Usage: Pfft. Usage. people really care about this word, don't they? Ooh, big word! That really ought to sharpen everyone's vocabulary...

I went last night as well. Very good weather for it. Arrived with my wife and friend around 8:30 and met up with my sister and her boyfriend. We hit CarnEvil first. A little underwhelming this year. I usually find it to be the most fun of them all with cool gimmicks, but perhaps it's just getting a little older or too familiar, but it wasn't quite as fun this year for me. Then we did Madame Fatale's which turned out to be the best house of the night for us. I'll give a little spoiler below (freakiest thing of the night), but right here I'll just say that it's got a great theme and inventive set ups. Then we went to Urgent Scare, which was kinda meh. As has been said before, mostly people just yelling "Ah!" at you you through countless rooms with people on hospital beds. There was a dude in a bloody hallway who only spoke in high pitch screeches though, and he was amusing so props to him for doing something different. Next was Wolf Pack. It was my first time through this one ever and it had a cool theme and a neat set up. Seems hard to believe that they fit all of it in the SOB station. Probably my second favorite of the night. While we were in that area we hit Slaughter House. Have to say, a little disappointed this year. Wasn't quite as scary as before. Not sure what it was, or wasn't about it, but it was a little "off" this year for me. Maybe I'll try it again in October. It's definitely missing something at the end where a certain someone used to be waiting just outside the exit. I tried to pick out Sam the Butcher, but couldn't so I didn't shout out. At that point (around 11) we were done with houses and went and rode Diamondback. It was my sister and her bf's first ride on it. Of course, they loved it. Then we rode The Beast which gave another great ride. We ended up leaving the park around 12:10 or so. Overall a great night. Can't wait to go back ***MILD SPOILER!*** My favorite thing of the night was in the queue for Madame Fatale. I'm not a TR/Crypt expert since I hated the ride, but when we got to the area inside the queue where it opens up and there's statues and whatnot; to the right there's a figure holding, I believe, a watering can that just keeps pouring water (like a fountain). But it was so dark over there I couldn't see exactly what it was. So I turn the flashlight on on my phone and flash it over and it is a statue-looking person (mask and all) and she (I believe it was a she) was staring right at me. I couldn't quite tell if it was a real person or a mannequin. I lowered the light then shined it back and the eyes were closed. I was like "sweet!". So I showed my group and I kept raising and lowering the light. Each time I'd put it up the eyes alternated between being open or closed, no matter how fast I did it, and always staring straight at me. That was very funny and very creepy. Then we walked a little further up the queue and I shined the light back at her one more time and she was still staring me down. At that point I stopped because she was freaking me out, lol. I'm assuming that's the whole purpose of her character since she's so far away from the line and it's so dark over where she is. So cool. Made my night.

The answer to the question is Ed Alonzo.

What site do you think this is? TPR? (the closest thing we have to TPR is Terpy, but that's a whole other ballgame) Ouch! Now, that hurt. Terp, who thought he was better than that.

Despite everything that's transpired in the last few years (including reading the threads on here), I am still shocked when I see pictures of SoB being torn down. It doesn't seem very long ago at all when it was new, and I was riding it for the first time (June of 2000).

Actually, she still is there. It's the angle you look at her that determines how well you can see her. When you're underneath, it's almost impossible to see anything but the columns, but she becomes more visible about halfway into the house and beyond. It's great to hear so many reviews of the Haunts from so many members. I enjoy hearing other people's reactions to the houses and trails. Keep them coming!

Nostalgia sure sounds better

FUN doesn't manage, own or operate it either. FUN is NOT a company. It is a limited partnership. Few understand that. The master partner has far more power than the unitholders in the limited partnership.

Well, Boomerang Bay and Hanna Babera Land are technically still here...

I live in a cul de sac like TheCrypt and we do the same thing. We all get a big fire pit and sit in the street and give out candy. Our street is in the back of the neighborhood so not many people come. We don't really decorate our house for that reason. Just fall stuff, like pumpkins, cornstalks, and scarecrows.

Thank you for the photo update. If I lived closer I would be by there every day to look at the progress of the demo.

Probably a lot sooner than a certain website will.

Do yourself a favor.Look up the definition of sarcasm.

I don't think you realize how expensive this business is. Dolly should have stayed with her long time, highly supportive business partner, Herschend Entertainment. If they were not interested in this project, that should have told her something. Hopefully, this frustrated foray has not seriously damaged that relationship. (See also the Koch family relationships and Bluegrass Boardwalk...these aborted efforts can cause serious longterm damage).

Why another Flight of Fear?

So. I finally went to the Haunt for the 2012 season. I will give a brief breakdown of my trip below... -Boo Blasters on Boo Hill had 1 actor during the ride, and one at the exit. Both were trying their hardest to scare, and it worked on many people. The actor during the ride, however, had a harness he was attached to so the actor wouldn't get too close to the ride vehicles. -Holiday Horror seems to have declined in scares and scenery this year. It didn't have too much scaring to begin with, but most of the actors just stood, watching us like a stalker. -CarnEVIL seemed shorter to me this year, but I doubt that was the case. The mirror "maze" always gets me, and the actors do a great job scaring in there. My only complaint is that the actors that blend in with the surrounding set pieces didn't do as good a job blending in--they were noticeably moving, slaughtering the effect. -Nightmare Alley was...weird. I am not sure what the premise of the scareless zone was, as there were only a scarce few of sliders, who weren't even scaring or sliding, but talking with park patrons. The eyeballs along the side of the walkway seem pointless. There needs to be a better theme put into it, and with the huge positive feedback from Cavern of Terror, it is apparent they could do better. -New banners have been put up in Action Zone--can't believe nobody's mentioned this! -There is a portable "Slaughterhouse Grill" outside Slaughterhouse. Is that new? -I will not give out any spoilers-- Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror was insane. Words cannot describe how incredibly happy I was with the turnout of this Haunt. Definitely the highlight of my night. A few things to be noted about Cavern of Terror: •As far as ADA goes, there are stairs leading up and down to the floor of the ride chamber. For the folks who cannot use stairs, an elevator is situated in between the sets of stairs. •Durga appears to be covered up or removed. When I looked for her, I saw empty space. •The columns that used to surround Durga are still in tact, although not highlighted at any point of the maze. •Theatrical lighting is not utilized from the Crypt/TR:TR days. •Queue seems altered a bit--more things have been removed than have they added.

My son was diagnosed with a peanut allergy earlier this month and I was pretty bummed about it... UNTIL NOW! (Still pretty bummed, but I can drown my sadness with chocolate covered peanut buttery goodness.)

People afraid of clowns must be freaked out by your house. Got that big inflatable one right there in your yard. HEYOOOOOOOOOO!

Substantial work was required in order to reverse the trains, much of it involved the braking. It was not just a matter of reversing the direction of travel. Rolling Thunder at Great Adventure, American Eagle at Six Flags Great America and other coasters also ran with reversed trains for a while. It's not just the effect on the trains or maintenance that resulted in PTC's forward only operation recommendation. John Allen designed Racer to be ridden in a forward direction....

The thrilling part for me when riding the backwards Racer was that I always felt like the train, when going down a hill, was going to flip end over end, like the back of the train was just going to come off the tracks.

Is it too soon to ask for the Son to rise again?

Aren't you in Dawg country? Better keep the cats locked away, unless of course you are Brave.

I would welcome you to KIC but I can't bring myself to welcome UK fans.

^ Best pictures IVe seen yet! Thats amazing! I thought that there was more torn down than that, but still thats a lot for 2 weeks.

I've never noticed Bavarian Beatle's return to the park having any real effect on the crowds. Maybe I will pay closer attention tomorrow when we head over there, see if a group of people follow us around. I kid, I kid. Really though, I have to agree with Elkman. The typical park-goer doesn't remember or care when used to be there, they just want to ride the biggest, fastest, etc. New attractions will bring in far more people than bringing back the old.

^I would too, but 4 hours is a long way.

Great, very in-depth pictures!!! They really do show how far into demolition they have gotten....

I will be at the park tomorrow and this will be very interesting to see. As will Haunt. And I had a terp once. I used it to cover my lawnmower. Wait. That's a tarp. Never mind.

Reese Cups, Sweet Tarts and anything sour. I also LOVE the thing that most everyone despises.....Candy Corn. They also made great Road Cones for HotWheels. My least favorite is Tootsie Rolls.

I thought per chance he meant the Losantiville train....

They can do both. Really? Source please? (it would certainly defeat the purpose of the "restraints.")

I didn't know Don owned KI.

I doubt pelting the ride with marshmallows will make it fall any faster.

What was later called Nick U was called rural vacant land when I was a kid. And yes, I liked The Racer going backwards or forwards. It was not my first big coaster. Some would say it was Kingda Ka! As for "real" coasters, I thought they all are. I've not ridden a false coaster, though Ninja at SFOG comes close.

Proof positive that working at the park is NOT all fun & games.

There will always (my opinioin) be somthing new at KI every year. Even if its just a new cup design, or new prizes at the games, I'm pretty sure KI will come up with somthing with the off seson time.

To be honest, I'm very happy to see it go. When in line for AE, a kid was asking an adult about "That ride", pointing to SOB. Regular patrons know all the facts, but it looked like a dad and his kids on vacation. The adult says, no, that ride's not open, people got hurt, they shut it down. That's a bum deal for a kid to hear. Part of the thrill of KI is the safety. Once you've seen workmen walk The Beast, that reputation is cemented. Then to hear "People got hurt." That's not good. The look on that kid's face after hearing that wasn't something I'd like to see on a ride goer. The idea of rides not being safe is not an image the park wants to convey. I'll be very happy to see that blemish leave, and hopefully fun, safe things to take it's place. The park employees work to hard on KI's reputation to have that big old fat thing blotch it.

Invertigo. Amazon Falls. Flight Deck. Delirium. Drop Tower. That's quite a bit more than nothing.