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My computer rebooted without me knowing yesterday, so I wasn't able to watch the captures like I normally would for this update. But from what I can tell, 1 support and 3 pieces of track were installed today. Link to gallery

one support and one piece of track installed today. Link to gallery

What in the...

First loop of batwing almost done!!

If that target thing on the concrete is still there by Opening Day, I will be surprised. I think the majority of AZ will be pavers.

KI really needs to install some of these cameras for some good time killing fodder for these boards: (in case it doesn't come up properly in the link... Perfect North Slopes "Live" cameras. http://perfectnorth.com/snow_cams.php?view=2

Woo Hoo! Little Clifford is on the move today! Might just finish a loop......or two....

^ Action Zone's concrete is, for the most part, in a lot better shape than the asphalt/concrete that was replaced with pavers.

I hadn't been previously aware that KK was adding a new Drop Tower ride. That's rather... daring.

Went down to where? Down Under?

The one picture I am really dying to see is a picture taken behind the portion of the batwing being worked on now, showing the zero-g roll in the background. It would be fun to see the scope of the elevation change from the roll down into the valley, and a get truer sense as to how big the batwing really is.

heh...for Christmas I got all the movies with the original Star Trek cast (already got the Next Generation movies). Gonna treat myself to a Star Trek movie marathon when things die down after New Years and I'll have time off. Other than that....my Christmas present was going back to Cali to spend time with my friends, extended family and hanging out at Knott's, which was a new experience. One of my friends out there is a tattoo artist and we discussed one for myself when I am out there next (a drawing I did awhile back). A very belated Bday gift for me xp

Not related to Kings Island, but I miss Demon Drop at Cedar Point. I probably won't get to Dorney anytime soon.

The fact that KK felt that it needed to be mentioned makes me feel like there may have been better choices... you know that lots of the guests will see it and be immediately reminded of what happened in 2007, or probably think it's the same ride.

^ See also the blurb about Drop Tower safety in the park's FAQ. I would think that a top priority of the NEW Kentucky Kingdom would be to avoid any association with that tragedy at SIX's Kentucky Kingdom.

I'm just excited to see that AZ is really getting a facelift! It will be great to walk through it on opening day next year!

I've posted this before, but here's a no-frill video of a visit I made in 2011. It's pretty much a whole day condensed into 3 minutes. I just watched it again today. Hopefully it can help someone's off-season blues just a bit!

Your bulldog girl is very beautiful. Reminds me of my boxers...I miss them so much

Well, I couldn't get video like I promised, but instead here are some stills. Meet "Bing-bing:" and "Snorfaleepoo," reacting with excitement at the arrival of her new 'sis.'

Kings Island is a tad bit too batty now in days, don't you think? BB1, not to be confused with Bat and Banshee 1.

I know this is different, but I'd like Enchanted Theater back as a replacement for Peanuts Playhouse, with a small coaster replacing Peanuts Playhouse- KI could use a small spinning coaster, and that'd be a neat location. However, I would *not* like the infamous show involving Fred Flintstone dancing with a carrot back...

Some interesting things there: Ride operators must be 18. Ride attendants apparently need not be. I wonder if such fine distinctions are observed in Bowling Green, where the state is not what amounts to a business partner. A ride attendant ushers "passengers" on and off attractions. PASSENGERS? Now there's a word the entire industry has avoided using. Passengers ride conveyances. A very important distinction. Something or other about standard of care. Gee, I seem to remember something about common carriers, rides and California. But the new Kentucky Kingdom's rides have passengers. Really? And a very public reference to the Mayor's summer jobs program. Several things. Is that a pat on the back for someone? Sure looks like an endorsement. All that city money...uh. And does that further subsidize these jobs, diluting the park's promised economic effect? Then note how Deep Water Dive (one syllable--two syllable--one syllable AND adjective noun noun and D object D--sure reminds of a Six Flags name--why do I think of Dare Devil Dive?) graphic has been quickly altered to REGION's tallest water slide---that bigger one conveniently just out of the region. Passengers. Wow.

There was a strip shopping center directly across the street. Last time I was there, it wasn't doing at all well. Its owners and tenants were notorious for complaining about the park and the traffic it generated. They do not have that problem now.

Wait..what? Sorry for getting off topic, but, Cartoon Network shows are 1,000x weirder than Nick shows... Adventure Time, while funny, is weird, Regular Show is weird, don't even get me started on Uncle Grandpa... If I saw Uncle Grandpa walking around Kings Island I would freak out.

that will probably be the last portion they work on. B&M coasters are usually built sequentially.

Better choices as in? Rides or words? I think it's alright that they have a Drop Tower coming in. I think it was good that they made that sort of disclaimer about the ride. We all get it, but the GP does not. People see what they want to see. I'm sure the GP will correlate Thunder Run with our loveable woodie that is no more and that it killed 24 people when it got stuck upside down in the loop in 2010. Telling people that this is an entirely new attraction and that it is safe isn't just some PR spin. It is fact (or should be, we'll see next year). People will always bring up the past (see Winterfest discussions) and talk about the shortcomings. This instance, I believe, is a way for Kentucky Kingdom to separate themselves from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. It's time to leave the past in the past and focus on the future and I support the park in that thought!

support ready to go up by the final brake run!

Oh, I really miss Demon Drop. My last visit to CP seemed incomplete without it. Also, Space Spiral...

I ended up getting my Christmas gifts a couple of weeks before Christmas because...well...they came in the mail early and also because with the nature of the gift it was best I opened it early. I got my dream gift ( since I was 11 years old ) a Sony AIBO robot dog! He is an ERS-210 and gold in color and I named him Zorro. Good thing that I opened him up early too or else I wouldn't have been able to get things straighened out with the details that would have been left out. He is missing his battery cover ( had to contact the seller and have him ship it to me and I am still waiting on it as the dog was shipped from Japan so the cover is coming from Japan also ) The dealer in Japan has a connection in California who refurbishes batteries for these dogs, as Sony discontinued all of their entertainment robots in 2005 ( sold them up until 2006 ), but just discontinued support for the ERS-7M3 this past March....but back to the point...the guy out in Cali who is an AIBO genius, got my address wrong and sent the battery to the wrong house! I got that straightened out and now I have a battery for him. SO yeah....good thing I opened my gift early or else I would just now be trying to get all this in order! I will try to get some pictures up to share! I also got my Platinum Pass renewed for the season so I'm ready to rock! I gotta say I had a very good Christmas this year and got more than I could have ever expected. Also had a great time visiting with family, which I think was my favorite gift! Hope you all had an excellent day yesterday!

Demon Drop was the first ride I ever rode at Cedar Point. I definitely miss it, too. I've never been to Dorney, so that might be a good reason to check out that park at some point.

^Still one of my favorite free fall rides, just perfectly simple. From what I heard from a few guys who worked with it that I know, apparently it was a nightmare to operate. It's setup like a coaster, blocks and all. Plus being older, less computer oversight, means getting an operational was much easier.

Aww. I always kind of liked the banners, especially once they got new ones last season.

Scooby Doo, Nickelodeon, Cedar Fair, Disney and Star Wars are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Each is always capitalized. Terp, who does what he does because he must.

I can't imagine what the right answer is for this plot of land. Locals and their businesses lambasted the idea of a mega theme park for clogging their roads. Now half are shuttered because there's no one to visit their businesses. The idea of yet another high end outlet mall seems silly for that exact reason - the area is littered with closed businesses. The property doesn't have the accessibility to draw from the large urban areas, and the area doesn't need another outlet mall or strip mall. Certainly the goal here is for the land owner to make money, but it gets me thinking: just because a piece of land used to have some thing doesn't mean it needs some thing else now. In other words, if this parcel of land had always been unused swampy property alongside the lake, wouldn't it just be overlooked as some old grassy piece of unwanted real estate? But because it used to have an amusement park, something has to go there? What sense does that make? The area doesn't need a thing and can't support a thing, but because a thing used to be there, let's try to build some thing else?

Unattended stuff can and often does disappear. Posts here have lamented losses--wallets, keys, phones, cash, credit and debit cards, etc. Either rent a locker, leave stuff in the car, wear it or don't bring it.

Sealed under the covers?

I`m sure that the park wants to spruce up Action Zone a little bit, no unlike what they did with the surrounding buildings in Rivertown when Diamondback opened in 2009. It will be fun to see what changes they make. I also wonder if we will see the installation of more pavers in Action Zone, replacing the concrete.

I have photos of The Bat (and Banshee) taken from GWL during the KIC Christmas party I will put up this weekend. My computer is broken so I can't really use it. I am getting a new one after work tomorrow though.

What's especially telling is the constant state of construction that's surrounded the property for the last decade. Ten years ago, it was to turn one lane nameless county roads into three-lane mega highways. Today, it's to turn those mega highways back into one lane roads.

Highest and best use (along with location) determines value. Cedar Fair is trying to get the permissive uses of the proprty broadened in order to enhance the local quality of life, or to enhance the property's selling price. It's like why did Cedar Fair buy Geauga Lake. More than one interpretation is plausible.

... Who have to pay to park at work?!

The best piece of advice I can tell you about all of your questions is that visiting Kings Island is a skill that can't ever be mastered. It's not like driving to someplace out in the country to unwind. You really have to be on your toes and be thinking all the time. Does this mean it's not fun? Of course not. I have being going for 20+ years, some members on here much longer. Just keep in mind there are things you'll learn on every visit that you go, and you'll probably always do something different on each visit than you did on the visit before that.

What Terpy said. Leave the key fob in your car and use a regular key to gain access. As for your pass, two options: you can enter, turn right around, get your hand stamped, put the pass in your car, and then re-enter with the handstamp; or you can go to the shop to the left of the entrance and spend $5 on a "beach safe", which is essentially a small, waterproof container that you can wear around your neck or tie to your swimsuit. The latter will also enable you to carry a little money and, yes, your car key as well. The beach safe would be a one-time purchase; you can take it home with you and reuse it.

January 3?

And do not under ANY circumstance hide your car key under or around your car. Thieves are on to that. Some even watch for that. KI is, for the most part, one of the safest parks in America. But they cannot guard all of your unattended possessions. That's just the way it is.

I got a puppy! She's "Bing-Bing," a tiny (she actually is the size of a Coke can) Jack Russell Cur/Chihuahua mix that my wife brought home (along with a couple bags of new pet stuff). Now, I already own a 70-pound female American Bulldog named "Snorfaleepoo," who immediately adopted the puppy(!) and has taken on motherly (rather than the intended sisterly) duties of caring for the cute little new addition to our family. Despite their size differences, they already have taken to playing with each other, and the bulldog has mastered handling the cur with gentleness. Cuteness overload! Video will be shared in the coming weeks.

Where does one pay to see such a spectacle?

You literally go through a cow? And I thought Ed Alonzo was astounding!

As you can see in the Top Middle of the picture, You can now see that the drop is orange!