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Hmm, what else did they do in 2009 other than Diamondback... Oh yeah, they remodeled Rivertown.

I was at CP and had a meeting with Mr. Ouimet about a potential job in their offices, and I left my résumé at home and he laughed at me. Worst. Dream. Ever.

As somebody who has had the privilege to work backstage for not only Spirit Song but numerous other concerts with these same bands headlining, if you have never went, or haven't been in a while, I STRONGLY recommend checking it out this year. Though I've never seen Newsboys live, I've heard nothing but great things about their concerts and their great energy on stage. TobyMac stole the night away last season with his amazing concert and I'm sure this year will be just as great, plus he will be coming fresh out of Winter Jam a couple months prior so it is definitely going to be fun to watch I can't say enough about the production that Skillet puts on for each and every concert as they are always top notch, plus there may even be a chance they will be rolling out a new production and set this touring season but we will have to wait and see. Just a guess I have seen Tenth Avenue North, Matthew West, We As Human, RED, and Newsong previously in concert at Winter Jam and all had amazing sets. My church had the privilege of hosting Building 429 in concert back in August and words can't describe how great that concert turned out! That whole band and crew, just like all the others listed, are some of the greatest people you will ever meet, when it looks like they thrive off of crowd energy, it's because they really do because they care so much about their audiences. All other bands, besides Petra, I have heard great things about all of their productions though I have never seen them live. Like I said I strongly recommend checking it out this season after seeing this artist lineup. Spirit Song has become the highlight of the past two summers for me and it is something I always look forward to every year so if there is ever a year to go, this season is definitely one of them, and I know each and every band member and crew member, as well as everybody at KI would greatly appreciate seeing a packed house all three days!

My answer would be yes. It was then and still is. Both. Family run businesses usually make decisions by consensus. Now, most know consensus probably wasn't the name of the game at that time. Interestingly, when Bluegrass Boardwalk fell apart, it was Natalie Koch making most statements on behalf of the family. Now such does not seem to be the case.

Join the club.

I had a dream last night that I went to visit my grandparents and I could see a train going up the lift hill on DB from their backyard.It was snowing and I ran over to the park and it was opened for 4 hours for just that night. I remember seeing a line for Vortex and telling myself in my dream that I must be dreaming! I think this is just my second KI dream as an adult,and I usually forget my dreams,but not this one,it was crazy seeing the rides open in the snow,and somehow Top Thrill mades its way to the Island?

Taking KI questions Wednesday from 7:00pm to 7:30pm on Twitter (@KingsIslandPR). Questions such as "Red Racer or Blue Racer" acceptable.

I thought that it was odd that Natalie Koch was making the statements. I had kinda forgotten about that.

Pay close attention to numbers 10 and 11. I wouldn't start holding my breath just yet. Oh well, if all works according to plan this year, my family will have plenty of parks to choose from come 2014.

wow. didn't know Petra was still a band.

I think it was around October 28 2012.

Photo #23 - Flying Dutchman I wonder if it would be a "good" marketing strategy to "bring back the classics" in lets say bringing Flying Dutchman back from Kentucky Kingdom and Flying Eagles back from Carowinds.

Photo #22 This is when Coney had it!

Much of the line-up for this year's Spirit Song festival has been released, and it seems this year is going to be one of the best yet! 6/27/13 Skillet Tenth Avenue North Matthew West Petra We As Human Speaker: Matthew West 6/28/13 TobyMac RED Building 429 NewSong The City Harmonic 6/29/13 Newsboys Lecrae David Crowder Thousand Foot Krutch Speaker: Nick Hall Emcee all three days will be comedian Bone Hampton. Tickets are on sale now. See http://www.spiritsongfest.com/tickets for complete details (too much info to post here). Their FB page also says more artists are going to be announced soon. These will likely be the smaller, lesser-known acts that play before or in between the main acts. I was really surprised to see Petra in that lineup. Apparently they're doing a 40th anniversary tour this year with Bob Hartman (guitar, 1972-1994; 2003-present), John Schlitt (vocals, 1986-present), Greg Bailey (bass, 2003-present) and Chistian Borneo (drums, just joined for this tour?). The ironic thing is, many people likely wouldn't recognize the band's early work, especially as they had a much different sound back then. (Go look up "Wake Up" on YouTube if you're curious). Now I seriously need to get a working record player again so I can break out This Means War!

The same thing happens on all the other Cedar Fair sites. Thrills Connect!

Tillikum was out of shows for several months following the 2010 incident and again for awhile in 2012 but started again during the Xmas season. So in other words he's kinda been in and out, seemingly by choice on his part more recently. Can't force an animal of this size to do anything he/she doesn't want to so...yeah. And I've seen these guys refuse to perform (primarily the dominant females..and especially the gals of San Diego) and the trainers just work around them if they refuse to go to the back pools. IMO, he needs the stimulation the shows provide for him mentally and physically. All of them do. But that's a topic for another place.

I hope they rip it out and put a large area of trees and grass in the center of the walkway.

Three words... Thousand. Foot. Krutch. When I heard the news this morning, I was so excited. They put on an awesome live show that's sure to RAWK! Oh, and Skillet, Newsboys and TobyMac are awesome too. EDIT: Crowder's cool too.

This article is quite biased in favor of the filmmaker; that the documentary stands a "good chance" of putting the chain "out of business" is far-fetched at best. Also, the chain has not gone public; they have merely announced their intent for an IPO. Fatalities are certainly tragic, and all reasonable efforts should be made to prevent them from reoccurring, but ending human interaction with orcas would be a huge overreaction. I do see orca shows being phased out over time, as parks and zoos move towards more natural and immersive exhibits. See SeaWorld Orlando's Antarctica renovation as an example. However, ending them now probably isn't best for the animals currently in captivity. These shows drastically increased public awareness of whales, and much of the resources spent to protect them in the wild can be attributed to this. As our understanding of whales improves, phasing out their use in shows is probably a good idea in the long term. As SeaWorld evolves, ending orca performances certainly won't end the parks.

Oddly enough the water tower never really bugged me but I guess its because I always hoped maybe they would do something with it. I guess in my mind I was imagining tranforming it into some cool looking fountain to make it look like the tower busted and water was leaking from it into a pool below. Seeing it go will be interesting though. Its going to look so empty this year with everything disappearing, but makes me excited to see what will be coming. I like how Jungle Jim seems to enjoy collecting random KI stuff.

So, in other words, when Hart goes in and inspects everything CLOSELY and realizes his figures for refurbs were WAAAYYYYYYYY too low, He can run for the hills.

The renovation to Rivertown cost a lot. They added in a lot of new fencing, and those pavers aren`t cheap. They do not need to do much to the buildings to retheme them. And it wouldn`t be that expensive either. I don`t know why you think that a new headliner attraction and a spruce up of Action Zone can`t be done in the same year. I for one am really excited to see what is in store for the Action Zone. I wonder what it will look like this season, and if we will see a construction site taking shape in Son of Beast`s old area. It will certainly look different without Thunder Alley there. It will be interesting to see if Jungle Jim`s does take the water tower, how the incorporate it into the store (whichever one it finds a home in).

I wish I had time to get a burrito last year, I will have to get one this year after all the good reviews I'm hearing!

Yes you get in an extra hour early.

Kentucky Kingdom to Reopen May 2014. News conference is at 2:30pm

I like the early announcement...so I know which weekend to avoid the park. Nothing against Jeebusfest, but the crowds are a bit much for me to handle. The real question is, will this be the last year that Timberwolf is used in it's current dilapidated state?

Its a diversion!

And if you asked B&M to identify their own hypercoaster at Kings Island, they may only be able to do so by process of elimination.

Thanks for the answers, Don! I'm archiving the questions and answers here, since old tweets can be hard to find. (Even harder when people delete their questions, which at least 2 people have already done.) Q. Why did you retire from riding The Racer? (ohiocolts) A. Love the ride! First roller coaster I rode. Will ride again at some point. Q. Can you share any teasers about new shows, new food, or other additions this season? (myself) A. Ed Alonzo will be back with a new show. New Peanuts show, legends of rock type show in Festhaus and live band on the Bandstand. A2. Some more Soak City enhancements, lots of special events being planned. Q. when are you guys making an new roller coaster ? (@noahharsh1) A. Down the road. Q. how many park maps are distributed throughout the year? And how could one obtain old park maps? (@rollercoastinRO) A. Literally thousands but not as many as before with the launch of the mobile app. Old maps hard to come by. Q. Do bigger people have any issues fitting on the Diamondback or Skyhawk? I've had issues with coasters at Cedar Point before. (@UnderZenith) A. It depends on how ones body is proportioned. It varies from ride to ride. Q. when will details of Coasting for Kids 2013 be finalized? (@jporta2) A. Mid February to early March. A lot involved in putting the event on at all Cedar Fair parks. Q. What is favorite ride of all time, past or present? (@tismeansbeans) A. Favorite is The Racer. First roller coaster I ever rode. Q. any ride improvements this off season? What do you count as hidden gems at KI. How come there are trim brakes on The Beast?TY (stashua123) A. Work is done on all rides during the off-season. Racer has has had work done bottom of first drop and other places. A2. Brakes have been in place on The Beast in the same spots where the trims are since the ride opened. Just different type. Q. What is the "hot stuff" being cooked up in the marketing dept? (@Nathan90210) A. Working on series of special events that our guests will be excited about. Q. what's going on right now during the off season? (@KDFreak925) A. The off-season exists only for guests. Beehive of activity at the park in all depts. Rides get stripped down and rebuilt. Q. What is your favorite snack to eat while in the park? (ohiocolts) A. Fresh-cut thick fries in Rivertown. Q. What was ever done with the crate that sat by Son of Beast's entrance? (@TheSpeedDemon__) A. Dismantled. Q. If anything new is coming for 2014, when will we see teasers and signs for it? (coastergeek101) A. Sometimes late summer, sometimes winter like Dinosaurs Alive!, and sometimes like WindSeeker not at all. Q. If we were trying to think of a random meaningless number between 300 and 309, what number would that be? (‏@gahannaman) A. 308 Q. Any chance of The Racer running backwards again in the future? I miss it (@SteveSnowmn) A. No plans to run one side backwards again, at least for the foreseeable future. Q. will a winterfest ever come back? (@lynchc20) A. No plans to bring the event back at this time. Q. what is new in dinosaur adventure? (@the_chop) A. There will be some additions for 2013. Details will be announced in the spring. Q. how early do rides usually start testing before opening day? (@elizwal01) A. Depends on the ride but some 4-6 weeks before the park opens. Q. Will any consideration be given to increasing early ride time back to 1 hour? (@ssskellogg) A. Early rides for Gold and Platinum passholders will be 30 minutes before park opening as they were previously prior to last year.

Mutant dream alert! Secure all Posts!

I think the walk back to Flight Deck only seems as long as it is (about two minutes from midway to station with a quick stride) because there's really nothing to look at during the walk, so all you notice is putting one foot in front of the other. So here's an idea I just had: Now that SOB is out of the way, take out half to two-thirds of the queue and exit for Flight Deck and extend the AZ midway back that way. Then put in several rides along the new stretch of midway (I'm thinking small flats here like Flying Eagles, a Tilt-A-Whirl, etc.). A major coaster to replace SOB (if they go that route) could have it's entrance/exit back here also, or up where Thunder Alley used to be. You could also put a food or snack stand back here as well. Now the walk back to Flight Deck probably won't seem as long because you can stop and look at the flats, grab a thimble-sized cup of ice water, maybe be distracted when a train on the brand-spanking-new record-breaking coaster that replaced SOB (yeah, right ) roars overhead, and by the time you reach what's left of the Flight Deck queue, you've barely noticed the length of the walk. This would also have benefit of simplifying the queues for Club Blood, Wolf Pack, and Flight Deck during Haunt, as it would no longer be necessary to reconfigure the FD exit to serve as the entrance for all three. Anybody else like this, or am I missing something obvious (other than cost) as to why this wouldn't work?

Photo #24 - Phantom Theater

CP early entry is open to a platinum pass from any CF park or any guest of a CP resort. The usual rides are MF, Raptor, Maverick, ID, Ocean Motion, Midway Carousel, Planet Snoopy, WindSeeker and new for 2013 Gatekeeper. Early entry operates one hour before the park opens every public operating day.

Must mean they are resurrecting Son of Beast behind closed doors underground and don't want us to see.

Just ignore that post... I hate posting from my phone.

Looking over their website, it looks promising. They're keeping some of the "extras" the park previously had (the Tuesday night teen dance club, dive-in movies, the "dog day" in September), plus things seem reasonably priced. Will definitely consider making at least one trip up there this summer. I'm not surprised that they kept the "Come to the Beach" jingle - it's very familiar to people in this area, so why come up with something new when they can use something most people will remember?

Indeed. And then...

^Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Petra and Stryper were big time bands when I was young,among Christians and the non-believers.If they can add Stryper,Im there!

Sad Switchfoot isn't playing this year, but I'd like to see Skillet.

Hmm... Looks like Action Zone will be next in line for a re-vamp. Along with a possible attraction?

RPW rules! Thats my snack spot too,I also put down a cheesesteak for a little snack before DB sometimes! Jr for Birdy loves to grub!

I tried a burrito there last year and it was pretty good. I am fine with Hanks keeping its current theme but please KI, do something about the Festhaus...I would love to enjoy some German food and entertainment in there. Maybe even make it a nice sit down restaurant or buffet. There is so much potential there...

Personally, I like the haul back to Flight Deck. It creates a sort of ambiance and separation from the rest of the park. With SOB finally gone, I think it will be even more. It gives it character.

Don, I got quite a laugh out of the title. Very clever!

That's a wonderful....interpretation.

You mean to make much of Flight Deck's current queue an Action Zone?

My latest KI dream was awesome. It was the final night of Haunt and everyone, guests, employees, and actors, were all on roller skates. It was pretty epic.

SoB is down and the station is being used. Vortex has stopped sinking. TR is no more, and the building is being used. There is no new ride for 2013 & FD will be here for it's 20th. It seems to be time for the Tower Johnny talk to start up.

- are there any plans to rejuvenate some of the theming of the park that went neutral in the Paramount Days and continues on in the Cedar Fair ownership? (i know, i know it said one... i have three) - is there any hope of the player organ being fixed on the carousel? - any chance Cedar Fair would do a feasibility study to look at bringing back Winterfest?