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The former SOB station will be used for a Haunt attraction this year and beyond.

Just thought I would share some recent photos from the plant in Bativia. Photo Credit to Ben Gehring

I'd imagine it would since it is at a B&M plant. There is just no link to KI here. Here is a link https://www.visitkingsisland.com/

^ Well, according to Jr For Birdy, you can't trust what Don says. Plus I think Don pushed him and took his lunch money. So, there's that.

Don't listen to these guys telling you that fanny packs are ok. Fanny packs are NEVER ok.

Don has said that over, and over, and over... Yet, you still get those who insist differently. Just in looking at the overhead photos, and the design of other B&M coasters, there is no way to use the existing station. When you think logically about it, lay of the land aside, there is no exit for that station into a gift shop, which is how it is done in 2013. But, sometimes folks want to be contrarians just to be contrarians.

This sounds rather familiar......

Why my gut leans toward a Giga is because I'm always asking what KI needs, but this perception of need is only my opinion of course, and compared to some of you it's an outsider's gut speaking. That is, little truth here, while CP is my home park and I've been there countless times, I've only been to KI about 6 times (gasp, I know), I just kinda sorta fell in love with the place. Here's where my mind wanders. First, if there is a ride that is the statement ride at KI, I would argue that it is still The Beast. Diamondback is glorious in its own right, but I would argue that Kings Island has been riding the coat-tails of The Beast for three decades. Granted, they have not been trying to be a coaster-centric park like Cedar Point, but in terms of coaster line-up there is a bit to be desired in my opinion (and I say that with all due respect to the history and lineup it does have). Let me be clear; I'm not knocking the current line-up...it's good, but even with Diamondback, something feels missing. The Beast was a home run, Diamondback was a home run...but where's the Grand Slam? Of course, they tried to fill this gap with Son of Beast. Indeed, they groomed this ride to be the next "it" in the coaster world, but we all know that story. . From where I sit, Kings Island is in prime position to grab the coaster world by the throat and not let go. It has the land...it has the opportunity...a new CEO that loves the park...well, you get the idea. To replace the world's biggest bomb, you need to go big. Now personally, I think a Maverick-esque or inverted coaster would be wonderful, but I think something "grander" is in store. When I was growing up, Kings Island was truly the King in the coaster world. The Beast...Vortex...King Cobra...and Cedar Point was always in the rear-view mirror...until Magnum happened. I'm not saying KI is set to start dueling with CP, which makes no sense in today's world, but they have a golden opportunity to reposition themselves as a coaster-destination. So that's why I'm thinking Giga.

I was out of town all week. My perfect timing I guess! I'm pretty sure Don didn't know we were getting a coaster(if we are, I haven't read anything but the two above posts!) at the time he told me we wouldn't for a few years. I enjoy sarcasm so let me just say if we do get a coaster it will be the best lie I ever heard!

Last Sunday, I, my mom, and my sister headed to Kings Island for Brady Bunch Day. It was foggy and cool at the start of the day. We got there at about 9, a half hour before ERT, and I was shocked to see a long line for the entrance. So, after about 20 minutes, the gates opened up. A line formed for Gold Pass entrance, which opened in about 5 minutes. ERT started, and we headed off to Diamondback. We waited just about a cycle to get on. The ride was tons of fun, as always. When we got off, I was surprised that there was already a line for Diamondback during ERT, which told me it was going to be a busy day. After this, we decided to head to the world’s longest wooden roller coaster. We waited a couple of cycles before getting on. It was a nice, awesome, fast ride. When exiting, we could hear the national anthem playing over the loudspeakers. So, we decided to head over to Flight of Fear. Of course, it was closed. They didn’t want to ride Firehawk, so we headed to The Racer. We passed a few news trucks (Channels 9 and 19) on the way. We rode on the only open Red side. We waited about a cycle and got a fun airtime filled ride on The Racer! We thought about then heading to Adventure Express, but that was closed too. We ended up going to Delirium, and waiting about 5 minutes. A good ride to check out construction for a few seconds, before being forced back down. Next, my sister and I headed for Drop Tower. I thought we would get on the next cycle, but the Fast Laners proved me wrong, and we were just short. We got on the cycle after that, and had a fun ride. Another good ride to check out construction on. I stopped by the construction site for a split second. We decided to get 1 more ride in before heading to The Brady Bunch show, and Lucy wanted to do Viking Fury. We walked onto Viking Fury and had a good ride. We then decided to head to The Brady Bunch show. There was a huge line that had already formed for the show. I didn’t expect to see this big of a line a whole hour before the show started. The line stretched passed the KI Hall of Fame. We waited for my dad to come, and he did in a little bit. At about 11:45, the line started to move. We found 4 seats in the very back row to sit in. It was a really good show, with lots of singing by Barry Williams (Greg), lots of old clips, and more. It was hard for me to get a good picture. Here’s a video with some clips from the show. Dad then wanted to head to Adventure Express, so we headed there. The wait was about 15 minutes, and almost had the whole queue filled up. The ride was lots of fun! After that, my dad headed home, as he was to have a rough day of coaster riding the next day. We decided to get a little something to eat. I wasn’t that hungry and we ended up going to Coca-Cola Marketplace. I got some watermelon. While it wasn’t’ the best, it was nice to eat considering it was hot outside now. When we were walking we ran into one of Lucy’s friends. They talked a bit, before we decided to drop Lucy off with them for a while. This was a big plus, cause as usual, she was being very rude and cranky. We decided to try to meet up with Beastie1980, and found her in line for Delirium. During this time, I decided to check out the construction site for a bit. We also got some water. We met Beastie1980, her friend, her mom, and her dad. We wanted to do Invertigo, but they didn’t want to wait in the line. We decided to head towards Flight of Fear. On the way, we stopped for a ride on the Blue Racer due to its short 5 minute wait. It was a great ride. When we got to Flight of Fear, and estimated wait time of 1 hour was posted. I didn’t mind waiting for it, but Melissa decided not to. She wouldn’t wait in it. But, my mom kind of thought the way the crowds were that the routine would be heading to a ride but backing out because of the long line, so my mom and I decided to ride. All of the outdoor switchbacks were filled. I was happy to see when I entered no extra queue indoors being used. We watched the movie and continues thru the line. There seemed to be a new routine, I’m not sure if it’s new for this year or just for today. But we were stopped when we got to the top of the steps in the flying saucer, and that’s were Fast Lane line and standby line merged together. At least with this routine, I walked right on to the ride after this. The total wait was about 45 minutes. It was an epic ride on Flight of Fear! My mom and I were getting hungry, so we stopped at Potato Works in Coney Mall for some chicken tenders. We decided to take them to the Festhaus due to the hot temps. When we walked into the Festhaus, Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets was playing. They were singing short bits of Michael Jackson songs. It was a nice show, for the 5 minutes of it we saw. Just as the show finished and we finished our chicken, XGatorHead8904 showed up. We talked for a short bit about the day and how he liked Gatekeeper and stuff. We were going to leave soon, so we suggested heading up the Eiffel Tower, so we all headed there. We walked right on to Eiffel Tower when it was filling up. We got to the top, and I took a few pictures. So, after about 5 minutes of looking around, we headed down. We said goodbye to Gary and met up with Lucy at the front gate. We headed home to meet my dad and his friend, who is blind, and was heading to Kings Island the next day. Here’s a video from the day. I was to be in school most of the next day, but I still got to the park for about an hour or so in the evening, which brings me to… Part 2: Monday, June 20th, 2013 I got to the park around 3:30ish, and was with my mom and sister, while my dad was with his friend who is blind, Jed, in the festhaus. They already changed the Brady Bunch poster thing. We found them finishing up ice cream. Jed talked about some of his favorite coasters from the day and stuff. We headed to Diamondback, one of his favorites from the day. The line was a total of about 10 minutes, and there was no separator in the station, which made it crowded. Jed rode with me, and he had to have his hand on my shoulder so he could know where he was, and not run into anything. It was a really FUN ride! We then decided to head to The Beast, if the line wasn’t too long (sounding familiar?). We stopped by the Reds hall of fame Grille, because when we visited on Opening Day, we took the wrong receipt or something, and were not able to give the waiter a tip. Apparently, the waiter wasn’t here, so we decided we might pay when we come back next time. There was a lot of people getting into line for The Beast, but we realized there wasn’t really a line though, and it was just a station wait. It was a great ride! Then, my dad had to head out to meet up with Jed’s friend, who was going to take him back home, as I had a baseball game soon. So, I was Jed’s guide. Sure, I wasn’t the best guide, I actually ran him into a recycling bin on the way to Dodgems. But I could’ve been way worse. Dodgems was a literal walk on, and something Jed hasn’t rode today. Think about it, a blind guy, on Dodgems. When I was riding, I saw him going in a lot of circles. It was funny. It was a good ride. We then had time for one more ride, which ended up being the Red Racer. It was just a station wait, and a fun ride as well! I also… uhh… ran him into a couple poles in The Racer line. So, we then headed out of the park and I headed to my game. (Which was a thrilling finish, we won 9-8) Here’s a video from Monday. A couple of notes: *I didn’t notice anything down for long-term during one of the days. *It’s different navigating somebody who is blind. *Sorry for the delay in reports, as soon as schools out they should come quicker after trips. Thanks for reading!

Looks like Don has been visiting the site a little bit.....

To save you a LOT of reading, we still don't know if we're getting a coaster, but there are pages and pages of speculation. Welcome back!

Any word on Holiday Fest returning? I really wanna ride a cheap sled down an old waterslide.

You only get one first post, so I'm going to make mine freaking insane. Let's say, just for fun, we get a B&M Giga. B&M's all seem to follow similar storylines, lots of airtime and fun in the first half, then the midcourse brakes, and then a lackluster finale. They're always a bit boring in the second half. I have a solution to fix this problem: Make the last bit of the coaster out of wood. Think about it... Diamondback for the first half, The Beast for the finale. It would be the first of it's kind, it would get King's Island back to it's old ways of creating outside-of-the-box rides, and it would be a great way to pay homage to the monster that previously stood in it's place. Will never, ever, ever, EVER happen. But wouldn't it be cool if it did?

Mr. Helbig has discussed the 2014 project and what will or will not be used as part of it? Really?

I think you missed my point. When I worked on Diamondback doesn't mean that I currently work on Diamondback so I have no idea why I was the one to cause the trains to stack. I also have no idea why Firehawk had practically (not a guarantee) a safety every day for an entire month last season. I didn't work on Firehawk last season or at the park last season so I have no leverage on the reasons why. Sadly I don't think you realize that until you earn your credibility here on KIC that people are going to question and try to figure out where you are coming from. How are we to know if you were a "nazi" when you worked at the park if you haven't even introduced yourself? What's your name? Where did you work? When? I'm pretty sure you didn't "down" rides, in fact you probably stacked the trains if you were on a roller coaster unless you were on Invertigo or Woodstock Express. As for who the park hires, leave that to the park. If the park didn't think that minors couldn't handle it they wouldn't hire them to operate the rides. This has been the case for many years. And I'm sorry as a few others have pointed out, no Beast and Diamondback could not operate with more trains unless more blocks were added. Diamondback has 6 blocks. A) Lift Hill, Mid-Course, C) Main Brake (After splashdown), D) Transfer Brake, E) Waiting Breaks and F) Station Brake. The blocks are set up so that if Blocks C is not clear, meaning blocks D and E are not clear, the train will not release from Block B. As long as the ride is in operation and the lift has been started the trains will automatically advance to the next block if it is open unless it is at Block E or F. To proceed to block A from block F, block A must be cleared. If block B is not clear with a train stopped in the Mid-course the train on block A (Lift Hill) will stop on the lift until block B is cleared (when the train has entered block C). To have a train proceed from block B to C, block C must be cleared (that would send it through Blocks D and E suggesting that a train is in block F) Block A has to have block B open to proceed, Block B has to have block C open to proceed and block C has to have blocks D and E open to proceed. All the above is based on a 3 train operation by which the manufacturer and park had determined to be appropriate. Thus making it impossible for another train to be added. The block system for The Beast is also very similar and hosts 6 blocks total. Also, I can't compare my mic use to yours. If you would please submit us a sample of your work, that way I and other members here can compare my mic use from 3 years ago to yours currently (do you work at the park? If so it's not very wise to be posting as you are on here). You may be hearing more spieling on the way up the lift hill on The Beast than you do in the station because there are different factors. One being rotations, two being that the ride ops didn't know what to say, three the people on the train coming into the station were more enthusiastic about the ride than criticizing on how the operations of the ride went, four the ride ops may know someone on that train, five all of the other reasons.

I hope you all will not be disappointed when it turns out to be a friction launch terrain hugging (no more than 5ft off the ground) kiddie coaster that takes you to the new X-Base restrooms. They can call it Rugrats, All Growed Up. Oh wait, never mind.

Really haven't done much so far? Are we ignoring the 218-foot wooden roller coaster they tore down that formerly sat in this space?

How does that confirm a giga? whoosh

The PRIMARY responsibility of ANY amusement park ride operator and management is NOT capacity or hustling or being nice. It's Safety. Safety first. Safety all ways. Safety always. Safety is Job 1. Period.

Please explain to me your obsession about the color of the coaster.

Claims made in a lawsuit tell only one side of a story. Many defenses would appear to be available to the zoo, from comparative\contributory negligence to obvious hazard to wild animal doctrines. The sad thing is that even when a recreational facility wins this type of action, it still loses--from bad PR, to litigation expenses to distraction from the organization's mission\business. And the public loses, too; from increased costs to more barriers put between them and exhibits (to more and more draconian restraints\lessened ride forces in amusement parks\on fair rides). There is no legal advice intended for a particular client or situation contained herein. Consult a competent attorney in your jurisdiction if you have, or think you may have, a legal problem. The author is not engaged in the private practice of law in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia or any United State. Legalzoom.com is not a substitute for legal representation and is not engaged in the practice of law, nor is it a name for a waterpark attraction at your friendly, local law school.

I finally got to ride Gatekeeper on 5/24/13. It was really windy and cold! High temperature was going to be 44oF! Was this Memorial Day weekend? Most of the rides were not open during early ride hour due to wind. It was not until 10:30 AM before any test trains were dispatched on Gatekeeper. As soon as testing began, the line started to form. The ride opened around 11:00 AM. By this time, the line was around 1 hour long. CP was running 2 trains. I rode on back left seat. The initial flip, drop and loop were somewhat like Tatsu. Rest of the ride was quite a bit like Wild Eagle at Dollywood. This was slightly more intense than Wild Eagle or X-Flight (SFGAm) although that is not saying much. These B&M wing coasters really lack intensity. There were some airtime areas that are similar to flying coasters with less intensity Gatekeeper is a nice addition to CP. Without question, this is the best B&M wing coaster in the US. However, this is not a must ride at CP for me unless the wait is not long.

The LAST original ride. At least they intend to display a restored part of the ride.

And thereafter, either by his own choice or with some help, said poster disappeared. At least for now. A lesson for us all?

Universal is seriously committed. I'm astounded by their expansion. Really, really impressive.

From the man himself. So the debate is over. lol

^ I know, it was a joke..."oh noez they has drop towah protecting the construction site! " Also, that cheap? Only $50-100? Well, it would probably be more from Indianapolis-Mason, OH and back... Oh...and to expand on my joke... AT Kings Island HQ Don Helbig: Drop Tower, we have learned of your failure, and can no longer accept you here at Kings Island. You have been traded. Drop Tower: FUDGE! Where did you trade me to? Don Helbig: Holiday World. Drop Tower: OK, what was I traded for? Don't tell me you traded me for Liberty Launch... Don Helbig: ...no...we traded you for their set of Flying Scooters! Drop Tower: WHAT!?!?!?!

I don't see it moving. Anything worth moving was taken by Six and what was left has been rotting. Emotional investment, yes. Monetary investment, no. Money trumps emotions.

And all of its footings?

How does that confirm a giga? I beleve you have seen a response involving sarcasm.

My wife and I were at the park yesterday with my four year old niece (who barely reached the 44" line!). She was a real trooper- we rode The Scrambler first, then walked through Dinosaurs Alive! She loved every minute of it, and when the first growl and movement came she stepped back a bit. After that, as we made every turn she got more and more excited. She really enjoyed it and I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to do it again. After that, we headed to the Reds Hall of Fame Grille. Food was great, service was slow....not sure if its staffing or what, but generally when you order drinks at a sit down restaurant you receive them within a few minutes. We waited at least 10. The server was friendly. The food took about 25-30 minutes, but it wasn't a big deal because at least it was FRESH. My wife and I both got the Red Leg burger with fries and my niece ordered chicken tenders with applesauce. On a side note, my wife really likes sweet potato fries. They're stil listed on the menu, but apparently they don't serve them anymore. From there we (or she) rode the train, Race For Your Life Charlie Brown (2x), The Kite Eating Tree (2x), Character Carousel (2x), Woodstock Whirlybirds, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (2x), Boo Blasters (2x), The Great Pumpkin Coaster (2x), Peanuts 500 (2x), Woodstock Express (4x). We started making our way back the way we came and rode Linus Launcher and Race for Your Life Charlie Brown. She had a blast, and so did we. It was the first trip I've taken where I wasn't running from Diamondback to The Beast to FOF...etc...but it was so much fun seeing her have a blast and take in all these new experiences and thrills. The look on her face at the top of Woodstock Express was PRICELESS. We weren't really sure how "high" she would go, but she was so excited to ride Woodstock Express. She laughed and screamed the entire time. Such a joy... EDIT: Lines were nonexistent. It was the slowest day at the park I've seen in a while. Next trip, Sunday! I'm thinking it will be busy with this weekend's Tribute to the Armed Forces. It will be my wife and I with a couple of friends- one of which has never been to Kings Island.

Ed Hart and Bruce Lunsford could easily self fund this project with not one dime of outside financing. The fact that they haven't and in fact asked for this extension of the walkaway period speaks volumes. The fact a bank wouldn't lend the requested amount on this also speaks volumes. The fact there were no other bidders, likewise. The crickets? That's the loudest scary factor of all.

They better go get their track back from China then!

and I was really hoping for a wooden winged coaster! Sh*t!

Anyone else have the thought that the water tower was removed to allow the presumed coaster to go OVER the center of AZ? (ala Gatekeeper over the entrance to the park). Or was it removed for some other stated reason?

2 or 3 years ago I put velcro on the pockets of a couple pairs of shorts (now dubbed my "park shorts") and I have never had a problem with losing anything out of them. Individual results may vary, and past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

From what I understood through several friends who worked there, Holiday Fest was always a toss up. They'd usually end the season on solid fiscal ground and then Holiday Fest would either be a cash cow or failure depending on weather, turnout and other factors. Who knows though if they'll bring it back. It doesn't seem to line up with their current brand image or plan, just my opinion though.

Classy move. They didn't have to do a thing, but have gone above & beyond with that decision. Customer service "things" like that encourage me to go, but, I am now bummed now that our trip in a few weeks will not include The Beach.

I agree with a few posts on here. The more and more I look at it, The more I think that SOB's station will be Utilized with this new Ride. Don May have said that is the Home for WolfPack, but he did not say thats ALL They are going to use it for. Its too nice a Building and Set up in a Very Unique way.. Not to Metion the Reuse of Vortex/The Bats Station, Granted that was quite a while back, but it shows it can be done.. Plus it would save a Little bit of Money. Granted not much, But every little bit helps.. Well The Bat/Vortex station was reused by the SAME company.

Just stating that safety is "a given" is poor attitude. Safety is never "a given". I do find it interesting that it's the ride ops not busting their ass at KI, except when it comes down to you "downing" rides for safety issues. Unless you are on the platform the whole time any ride is open, there is no way to know why trains are stacking. Assuming it must be the ride ops not busting their ass is just trolling. I do have to bring up Mantis at CP into the stacking discussion. Mantis has 3 trains, and used 3 trains for a handful of years. When it became obvious that trains would be stacked no matter the effort, the decision to only use two was made.

I think it will make Action Zone look kind of tacky to have two buildings sitting there empty the whole year except for during Haunt. Club Blood is okay, since it's mostly hidden from view during the normal operating season, but the Son of Beast station just looks really crappy. So does a huge metal box in Rivertown....

The grass and trees under Top Gun look fantastic. I would really love to see some trees and landscaping brought in on this project.

I went to SFGAM this past weekend and suffered through one train operation on X-Flight and Superman. Beast is awesome with three! If the coasters ran 4 or 5 trains that would hurt Fast Lane sales. Which I believe is why SFGAm was running several coasters below full capacity, to increase Flash Pass sales. On a positive note I hit my 60th coaster, the classic Little Dipper!

^Why would you remember my seventh birthday?

We just need a fast paced, relentless, steel coaster. That also pacts a punch. Enough with the airtime machines.

Nobody was there when it happened. I wonder if it made a noise?

Haha I was irrationally excited when my gf started recognizing coaster manufacturers as well. Thanks for the TR!

I've been surprised that the state has been as cooperative as they have been. There's sure no love lost between Lunsford and the governor, and I've always had the feeling Beshear would like nothing more than to see the site turned into a casino (like that will ever happen). Personally, I would like to see the park move somewhere on the outskirts of the Ville so it would have more room to expand, and the traffic wouldn't be as bad.