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Gratuity required?Is the HoFG going to charge a gratuity % for all/ any service like other restaurants do with tables of 8 or more? I ask because this "requirement" would be a major shift in table service policies for CF. I typically overtip for good service because of my past being in the food service industry, but "requiring" a tip leaves a bad taste in my mouth as bad service should not be encouraged.

Maybe Jungle Jim's will now have JIM Perks.

Just a little over a week until I make my 5th annual trip to HW's opening day. I sincerely hope that I see Pat at the entrance, as I have almost every year. There was only one year that she wasn't at the gate on opening day. When I saw her a month later, I asked her where she had been, and she told me that she had been visiting her family in Florida. I'll try to remember to report back if she was there. Even though she is what many on here may consider "old", she is very active. I imagine constantly walking up and down those hills and around the entire park would keep you good shape!

I bet when something has reached the end of its life at KI Jeff Gramke has Jungle Jim on his cellphone contacts. For the pathway, I doubt they will make one, thats challenging land, there is a ravine that seperates the old Animal Habitat from the park. Parts were culverted over for SOB. If Firehawk wasn't a relocate they could have left the terrain alone, but they had to have a level pad to get the supports the same elevations. Now just think 5 years ago this month we got our first pictures of the "mystery swan lake construction"

Watch it there, Tiger.

He does have one just lion around.

Word on the street is that there is a construction fence surrounding the area that once housed Son of Beast. New for 2014, anybody? We'll keep you posted.

If you could care less then you do care some...

I already know what I'm getting for lunch on Saturday. The rib meal and chocolate cake. I'm not blowing smoke... it was amazing. I'm already excited.

Bazinga for Terpy!

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130425/NEWS01/304250060/Kentucky-Kingdom-deal-revision-will-get-more-developer-money-into-project The bank is requiring Hart & Co. to put 50 percent more equity up, while reducing the amount it will lend by 25 percent. This tells us the bank did not think it had a good enough collateral interest in the original proposal. Put another way, it thought its risk of loss was too great. In addition, Hart has gotten at least some concessions from the Commonwealth. There is no way to spin these recent developments as positives for the park's future outlook.

Hence the "Dang.... too late!"

So we have to wait sixty more days for Ed Hart to say "Nevermind, lol."

Spring is here! You know what that means: Kings Island will be opening for the 2013 season on Saturday, April 27th! The next big thing has arrived at Kings Island! The Reds Hall of Fame Grille in Rivertown brings the level of dining at Kings Island to new heights. This full table-service restaurant is a MUST for any Reds fan. You could spend hours in there just gazing at the historical photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts from the Reds organization history that can trace its roots back to 1869. Oh yeah, and the food? Amazing. Not even just "theme park amazing" but AMAZING amazing. They serve an eclectic menu of burgers, wings, wraps, chips and deserts. The dish that seemed to impress members of the media the most at Thursday's preview was the incredible fall-off-the-bone tender ribs. The Reds Hall of Fame Grille opens with the park on Saturday, April 27th. Check it out for the first time on Saturday and you'll be hooked for the rest of the season!! Speaking of big things, how about the world's tallest animatronic dinosaur being added to Dinosaurs Alive!? This towering beast can be seen above the tree line throughout the park! You must see this one for yourself! To see a sneak peak of the Reds Hall of Fame Grille and Dinosaurs Alive, follow the link below! http://KICentral.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=344

Neither. My money's on the National Weather Service.

It doesn`t take much deducing to realize that is where the next big expansion would be at Kings Island. They aren`t going to just tear out the go kart tracks and plant grass. They clearly have something planned for that area. Remember, things take time to plan and design...

Why must opening day be so far away!? I have to wait till then to see if this rumor is true...

I am a cheesecake kind of guy myself. I like chocolate cake, but I love cheesecake with all the toppings.

Finally the flat media stumbled across the Falfas story. The Morning Journal reports Jack "is ready, willing and able to return to work." http://morningjournal.com/articles/2013/04/26/news/doc5179f5fd5daf1612661309.txt

I'm really surprised at how the price of the food is relatively cheap for a sit down restaurant. It seems to match up with places such as Chilis and Applebees. I just had it in my mind that it would cost 15 bucks for a hamburger and fries, I'm very relieved that's not the case.

Thanks for the great thread guys!

I plan on taking my 90 year old father to the Reds Hall of Fame Grille when we go to Kings Island this summer. I can just taste the Montgomery Inn ribs right now, along with an ice cold beer.

You have to watch out when dogs sit on top of things... Number 1, kind of like the flume... Number 2 could be even worse... Terp, who had best dry up for now...

I'll tell you what. I was pretty skeptical of how the park would execute a full service restaurant, but truthfully I was blown away. Seriously, they nailed this. The whole theme and motif of the place is indicative of the hall of fame downtown. There's a full service bar, the patio is great and there's no shortage of televisions. One of the best parts is that each table has a historical Reds photo on the table. I thought this one was a nice touch, note the Coney Island advertisement on the outfield wall: All in all, the best part about the place isn't just that its a new dining option or that it's a really good dining option - it's local. I love that the park this year has focused on its Cincinnati roots. Out of town visitors can really see the tradition and pride that people put in the Reds organization. The historical items are n attraction in their own. Also, yeah... those ribs... I still have a stomach ache.

On no, here we go again....

They won't be if they don't have Flash. Sigh.

You`ll probably be better suited to scope out the area from the Eiffel Tower. There won`t be much action in Action Zone. Poor Flight Deck will be out there all by itself. It will be interesting to see if there is just a fence and nothing else or if there are survey marks or anything. Keep in mind, that Cedar Point didn`t start pouring footings until well in the summer...

I'm sure I will spend a good amount of time in that area tomorrow.

I had a dream that I was riding Diamondback with Firehawk's trains. But when the trains lied down, my feet were facing towards the lift hill so when I crested the top hill, I fell strait down. Then I woke up disappointed...

^^ You can't wait 11 hours?

According to Accuweather's hourly forecast: Low to mid 40s and mostly clear skies for the start of the Color Me Pink 5K Around 50° with mostly cloudy skies by the finish Mid 50s at park opening 60° by 11am Mid 60s with first realistic chance of rain (44%) around 2pm Approx. 50% chance of rain at any particular moment persists through park closing and into Sunday High of 67° around 3pm 60s persist through 7pm Temperatures drop to mid 50s by park closing

bring your pass from last year, pay at the ticket office, and I don't think you have to process anything in the season pass processing center. At least I didn't when I renewed at the park last season.

Maybe Hart should hire Matt Eckert, Im sure he could find a way to make it a positive spin. Jus' sayin'.

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/i-team-roller-coaster-inspectors-keeping-you-safe

Most of the coaster is inspected daily by visual track and vehicle inspection, but there are tell tail signs of issues with the track that is inaccessable from catwalk. Typically abnormal wear on the track, bolt witness mark movement. The tracks will also have a full inspection in the off season via crane or man lift to get to every inch of the track. They will look for any weld issues, also check each witness mark on every bolt. Due to new guidelines they also typically keep those same inspection lifts / cranes near the coaster for evac purposes. If a track needs more inspection they can use a track ball, that will self propel on the track. These are costly, so often companies like Cedar Fair may have 1-2 around the country that can be moved via truck if needed. When I worked at IOA we had 1 that could be used on all 3 B&M coasters. It was stored in the Dragons shop since Hulk had no room due to location and the motor generators. Most steel coaster maintance employees know the sound of the rides by heart, heck most full time employees do too. You hear a rattle here, bang here somethings not right, could be the vehicle could be track. The main point of maintance on the steel coasters is the vehicles, they are subject to so much wear and tear. Between guest riding them, and ride cycles they see plenty of damage. If you want to know what happens daily here is a link to the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials Recent Education session on Steel Coaster Inspections - http://www.naarso.com/Mass%20School%20Handouts/SteelCoasterInspectionMA_2013.pdf

You get me.....You really get me.

It happened last year, but this year they cut it back to 30 mins.

I know. That's why I jump on them with such great ease. I used to go visit someone who worked there, get a cup of coffee, and walk around the park, way early, to watch the workers. That's the only thing that can get me on DB, Scary as heck, but it's Ben checked.

I wonder if you can go in and just get drinks.

As far as I remember, there has never been a Snoopy on top. That's one of the things I kind of missed about that ride. I loved the big Aang on top. It really added to the theming of ride. How cool would it be to have a big Snoopy? From a distance you could see him surfing along the track!

Did you say fall off the bone ribs?? I'm sold!

"Hey Jim? Can we have our monorail back please?"

I'm sure Hart and Co. would also say yes. But they have said that the investors will foot the additional cost. It is clear there is a possibility in the investors' minds that they will in fact walk away, otherwise there would be no need for the extension.

Financing NOT in Place; Is Expected; 60 Day Extension Of Walkaway Period Requested: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130424/NEWS01/304240088/Kentucky-Kingdom-New-operators-seek-more-time-raise-money As I surmised earlier, bank will NOT lend full amount requested for this deal...

Beast slowed down MUCH less going into the tunnel yesterday, hope it stays that way.

As opposed to the right amount of excessive detail? Terp, who likes to ask questions.

By or on April 27. And then what you may hear is the time for financing has been extended. If things were as certain as Hart indicated earlier, crowing would be going on now, from the politicians to the deal makers to Hart and Co. That it isn't speaks much louder than Hart's earlier words. Even if the deal completes, there is much to be done before the gates open to the riding/sliding public.

I really didn't appreciate this comment, also what do you mean by west ender? Teens? or Black People? Tell me. Also tell me when has Ed been a failure at operating Kentucky Kingdom? I will be proud to send this complaint to Ed Hart. I am sure this will motivate him even more to prove YOU wrong. I meant troublemakers.... be it teens, blacks, whites, hispanics whatever. Kentucky Kingdom was an inner city park with inner city problems. That's not going to change. It's past speaks for itself... simply google things like "Kentucky Kingdom rape", or "Fight at Kentucky Kingdom", or "Kentucky Kingdom molestation." Hart has neglected to obtain the thing the park needs the most - the support and backing of Louisville citizens. He can score every loan or tax incentive he wants. He can promise large rides, a bigger waterpark, blah blah blah. But all of it is moot if the public isn't on baord. If he wants the support of Louisville - then he has to promise a park clean of the trouble that existed before. But as Terp said - Ed Hart is in it for money. He's a businessman, and wants to turn a profit. To think he's in it for the "heart" would be naive. Every one of my statements and sentiments are things that I stand behind. What I typed is no different than what I'd say to Mr Hart directly. Bottom line, I don't think my taxes should be used to grant the park another turn at bat. Folks can sugarcoat all they want.... I wont. The reality with KK was, and is: the upper income families in Louisville and surrounding areas avoided the park because it was considered a hangout for hoods. People looked down their noses at the park because it has a perception of being a gathering place for riff-raff. These same people are willing to drive a longer distance for a perceived safe, wholesome family experience - hence HW's immense success. Had this been a project to relocate KK, then I'd be all over it. The area Southest of Louisville, on I-64 towards Lexington is on the verge of booming. Within the next 5 years, the Simpsonville exit will have been developed much like that of Monroe Ohio. (A large Outlet Mall and travel destination project is in beginning stages.) The state spent millions expanding I-64 and the Simpsonville exit/overpass for the future growth. This, IMO, would be a defining location for a park in Kentucky and I would have been carrying a banner in support. But no... instead we get to look forward to a refurb of a land-locked, (historically) under-performing and trouble-layden park. From this article: http://www.wave3.com/story/21945539/changes-made-to-budget-to-get-kentucky-kingdom-open-on-time Now Shaggy, question... you said this: What was the reputation in the 1990s? Was it a baby sitter for uncontrollable west-enders on the busline? Was it heavily attended by troublemakers? I've never been to KK, but I find it hard to believe it was always like how you perceived it to be. Times were different back when Hart operated the park previously....times changed with the operators. To say that a park that was ran by the most recent operater (SIX) is how the proposed new park will run is a bit pre-mature. Different operators have different security policies and codes of conduct. I highly doubt that Hart would allow for any activies that "happened" (I use quotations because I don't remember hearing about any of them until recently and/or ever) with his business frame of mind (bad publicity = bad business). Here is the kicker though...Kings Island, Cedar Point and other parks are hands-off babysitters, sometimes for uncontrollable kids, and trouble makers. Think about it, how many times at the park do you see a group of kids between the ages of 10-15 by themselves? I saw it a ton while working at the park. I've seen numerous kids trying to start fights because someone "line-jumped them." I've seen a ton of kids placing graffiti at the parks by carving into fence posts, queue line rails and decorations, sticking their gum on walls, etc. When someone tries to stop them, generally late teens, employees, adults, the kids run their mouths trying to cause trouble, trying to act like the big man of their group, etc. The kids do not have any respect, anywhere no matter the park, so I wouldn't say it's an isolated thing at KK. If the things are true, that is truely tragic and should not have been that way, but as I said, the operator of the park is at fault....not the park itself. I truly believe the success of parks comes from various resources..but one resource is the consumers/visitors/guests/etc. When they take pride in their park, how it's operated instead of harping on how things used to be and when they start looking at how the park can grow by what they do while at the park, things are going to be a bit better. When it comes to reopening KK, if there is constant doubt and negativeness from the get-go, those people will only see the bad. It's all about perspective. Read it again... "The incentives will be paid out over ten years and are based on performance. Hart is adamant that when the park is running again it will go over as well as when he operated it in the early 1990s. "We ran a very successful facility," Hart said. "We built over 1.3 million in attendance, bringing hundreds of thousands of people, visitors, in for overnight stays." He said he ran a successful facility - referring to money (Imagine that!) he didn't speak of the guests experience. ...and experience is everything. Public perception is everything. Postive word of mouth is crucial to the success of any business. KK has a long way to go before the tarnished public opinion can be swayed... no matter how much "biggah, bettah or wettah" it is.

I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Uncle Tom's Cabin: '"Father," said one of the rising generation to his paternal progenitor, "if I should call this cow's tail a leg, how many legs would she have?" "Why five, to be sure." "Why, no, father; would calling it a leg make it one?" Kings Island can call its rides anything it wants, but they are what they are...whatever that is....