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Hoping one day you do bud! Will you allow fans to take legal photos from outside the park and not make an unnecessary uproar on fansites? There are no issues whatsoever with taking photos and videos of the ride testing from off-property locations. Soon the passenger pickup area will open up for you to take photos and videos of the ride testing once the work that is being done with the marquee has been completed and the trucks and cranes are gone. We'll let you know what that opportunity becomes available. We have asked that unauthorized photos and videos of the ride testing not be embedded on the site at this time. In the interim, we have shared photos of the ride testing on our social media platforms for you to enjoy.

From Kings Island Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/visitkingsisland In this photo, a train plummets down the 150-foot curved first drop of the new record-breaking Banshee roller coaster during a test run. The world's longest inverted steel roller coaster at 4,124 feet makes its highly-anticipated public debut April 18 when Kings Island opens for the 2014 season.

From Kings Island Twitter page https://twitter.com/KingsIslandPR

Hoping one day you do bud! Will you allow fans to take legal photos from outside the park and not make an unnecessary uproar on fansites?

Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. So far. O'Terpy...featured in Mr. Terpy Goes To Washington, coming soon to a park near you.

This might be better suited under the "People say the darnest things Outside the Park" thread, but since it relates to Banshee... I just showed my son the Banshee cam and he said that they had trashed the place. I said how is that, he said look at all that mess and trash on the ground and then I realized he saw all the vehicles and other big things that looked little on the cam on the ground in the path ways and thought they were just throwing stuff on the ground and making it all messy. I then told him those were trucks and workers tools and some of the landscape boxes that he was seeing, and that the camera was up on the ET, and everything on the ground looked really small. I assured him they would have it all cleaned up before the park opened. His response was OK they better. HA! I guess CF has done an excellent job to set the standards high for him on how he remembers the park being clean and clear of mess and trash!

It'll be interesting to see what kind of content will be featured on FUN TV. It'll be a great way to communicate with the guests too. Lots of potential for ad revenue as well as augment sponsorship packages. How's about a weekly talk show? The BoddaH and Terpy Show, anyone?

Ummm, Banshee has disappeared from the webcam. Edit: Actually, all of Kings Island has disappeared. Selling my season pass.

So as you may know the Eastern Kentucky Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference this year an earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament. They were paired with the two seeded Kansas Jayhawks. This was the first time since I joined the Colonel family that they had made the NCAA tourney so my wife and I decided to make the journey from Richmond, KY to St. Louis, Mo. Let's start with the photos. View of the Arch from a few blocks away. The ticket. View from my seat. Stanford Cardinal. EKU has taken the court. The starting line-ups. Busch Stadium

I thought O'Suhr and O'Terpy where already dead .

Hoping we don't have Wimterfest on Media Day or opening day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I must admit, this off-season has been both exciting and depressing for me at the same time. I cannot wait for Kings Island to open this year, but I am getting a serious case of the winter blues. This trip came at just the right time. There was more my wife zombiejane and I have done in Las Vegas, but that would require a rather large trip report... and some things are best left in Vegas. If you ever visit, don't forget Fremont Street! It is well worth the cab fare. The first roller coaster we've rode for the year was The Roller Coaster, at New York-New York Hotel. I felt sorry I did this to myself later. It is the bumpiest, roughest, most awkward moving steel coaster I have ever been on. Only the most curious or masochistic roller coaster enthusiast should ride it. This is the third most painful ride experience I have ever had, with The Hurler and Berserker at Kings Dominion being the first two. Even if the ride was much more bearable, the track layout still seems strange to me. Not to mention a very awkward twist-then-dive maneuver. The next day we spent some time in the Adventuredome theme park at Circus Circus. Adventuredome is much bigger than you might expect, and turned out to be much nicer than my expectations. The staff there are very friendly and it is kept pretty clean. I thought the canyon theme would make it cheesy, but that is far from the truth. The hilly terrain inside adds nicely to the experience and gives it a good sense of exploration - much needed and welcome for a park this size. I always wanted to ride one of these, and I finally got my wish. It was a very good ride experience There are two fantastic roller coasters in Adventuredome. The better of them, in my opinion, is Canyon Blaster. Like many smaller coasters, pictures and video do not do it justice! This is one of the best coasters you will ever ride. Canyon Blaster is much, much more than your standard looping Arrow coaster. It has an insane sense of speed, tight turns, a corkscrew that doesn't make you feel like you're just hanging upside-down, and two really good pops of airtime. If you ever travel to Las Vegas do not miss it! Canyon Blaster makes very good use of the terrain. You might be astonished. ....and some things that seem the same - really aren't. Even more unique than Canyon Blaster, El Loco also delivered thrills well beyond what I had anticipated. It packs a huge punch in a very compact size, and moves in an almost acrobatic fashion along the track. When you ride it, you will experience gravity in ways you wouldn't normally associate with a roller coaster. The outward banked turn and two moments of hang-time were the most memorable for me. The seats are among the most comfortable of any ride. There is on-board audio, as well, but it is appropriately done and fits the ride experience. I love this part. It leans left, then twists 180 degrees the other way into hang-time and drops onto the brakes. El Loco draws a lot of spectators. Most choose not to ride I also took a ridiculous amount of pictures of High Roller while I was in Las Vegas. Perhaps no other object has ever gained so much attention from me in such a short amount of time. The sheer size and amount of steel in front of you is mesmerizing. I wonder if my wife counted the minutes lost to me staring at it.... "Wow, that's a big Ferris whe.... oh that's right, we're getting our picture taken." Another reason to ride the monorail.

Something we haven't seen for 171 long days. The record low for Cincinnati on April 18 is 18°F, and the record snowfall is 3.3". Everyone should be very glad that ohiocolts already has the day off from school.

I think the last Easter I went, I was able to ride the Flying Eagles repeatedly with no wait. That won't be possible this year.

I will be doing media day and the Scream for a Kid Again event just to turn around and be at work at 7am the next morning. I live 45 minutes from the park. It will be fun and well worth how tired ill be the next day.

Okay, what if we do the show in British accents. Then will you watch it? I'm trying to work with you here....

Oh ok....well, im from Phoenix, Arizona and snow is something I am pretty ignorant about....... I just call it white fluffy rain....haha

It'll be successful no matter the weather. They'll make it work. Might be a little cold or rainy for the riders, but the media will get their shots regardless... Do you underestimate the power of the riders? You think a little pneumonia will stop me from riding Banshee if it's open? HAH!

I love the way the colors of The Bat contrast with the snow. It makes the orange seem a lot bolder. The Bat cam can be found here: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/online-fun/webcams

^i have good hair now! I can't lose it because of an old female spirit! Or maybe I can. She looks pretty in purple.

When you random blurt out different park spiels that you have heard so many times that you have them memorized. "Alright Stunt Crew now listen up, as with any driving stunt safety first so stay seated with your head against the head rest and your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Secure any loose articles are leave them with the crew before we roll."

The Beast was “unchained” in a steady downpour on Friday, April 13, 1979, for hundreds of media representatives from around the U.S. and Great Britain.

Ciabatta. Maybe BB1's French is rubbing off? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm holding onto to what I have already stated - white reflects color and a blue and purple gel will really pop at night! I will be very surprised if this is not their plan.

They really should add the color lights back to it. It used to looks so nice at night with the arch and the arms changing colors at night. And now that its not rusted anymore it would really show up.

You know, You dont have to keep put "Probably typed with my thumbs" On most of your posts. Just write the post. Dont need anything extra. Who cares?

It's snow - we've been getting on and off heavy snowfalls here. Kind of crazy for late March, but who knows with Ohio weather.

Good afternoon Don, I totally understand and respect your request. I am just happy that you have the time to share pics and talk with us at all. I am sure you are a pretty busy guy...especially with just such a short time till opening day. Wow, I just noticed the fog around Banshee looking at the webcam right now.....this would be a real cool time to take a ride on it......with all that fog...cool effect. Don any chance you could go take a quick ride on her with the fog so thick and give us a review?

Just a couple of days before the announcement, something appeared up on Kings Island's website. It showed The Bat, the tallest, fastest winged roller coaster in the world. But what was off was how poorly the page was designed. Colored pictures of Gatekeeper, and a random Diamondback picture appeared. So, was it just one last diversion? (I can't really think of any good thing to post considered that The Bat page is long gone... But someone can post something if they find something good.) Just 23 more days until Banshee Media Day and Scream for A Kid Again, and 24 more days until Opening Day 2014!

That looks just incredible. So beautiful. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes. They cut the expansion joints in the concrete area that will form the queue. They likely won`t install the queue rails until next week once the concrete has cured some.

Off topic, but a quick little story... This topic is actually how I found this site... A little over 10 years ago I was looking up ghost stories for places in this area and this thread came up in my Google search. Being a huge fan of Kings Island, I found this topic a fun read and started clicking through other topics, I read the forums and browsed the site as a guest for several months as a guest before registering as a user. The new attraction that year was Boomerang Bay, I remember coming home from school and being really excited to check out all the photos from its grand opening. I was just in 7th grade then, hard to believe it's been 10 years since I found this website!

Please capitalize the third and seventh Buffalo, as they refer to the city.

I always thought of have a Beast "extension" - after the shed's brake run, go straight instead of turning....go down the hill, adding about 4,000 more feet of track, then back to the turn, through the first tunnel and onward. It's just a thought.

hts Source: Kings Island Webcam Definitely vertical! It definitely breaks up the concrete slab look that Action Zone had.

^^Sorry but I think it's actually... "Ok stunt team, listen up. As with any driving stunt, safety first. So stay seated, keep your head against the headrest, and your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times. Secure all loose articles, or leave them, with the crew, before we roll." But you got almost all of that anyway.

Hey, I liked it too. But one question to ask is, at what point does it stop being enjoyable to a large enough chunk of people that it's not worth the cost to operate it (keeping in mind that Son of Beast had an unusually high cost)? And the more important question is, at what point is it irresponsible or unreasonable to allow people to ride it? What kind of warning can you give? Do announcements in the station that it is a "highly aggressive" thrill ride really portray the ride experience for as intense as it is? What about the fact that Son of Beast and Backlot Stunt Coaster are both "5 / 5" in a Rider Safety Guide? Some people like ultra-intense things but Son of Beast was an unusual case.

Antique cars were also open during WinterFest at least during the 1991 WinterFest, I remember the had the Smurf props scattered along the course. I want to say Dodgem was open as well. In 2005 they also had Top Cat's Taxi Jam open.

Love me some St. Louie....one of my favorite cities. Can't wait to check out Ballpark Village, So many fun attractions in that area.

Are you sure it was fog, or could it have been a quick snow squall? These snow squalls moving through today are producing blink-and-you'll-miss-it white-out conditions.

81? What is that?

Just for fun, here are observations from ten years of Cincinnati weather on April 18. Let's hope this trend continues! 2013: Hi 81° Lo 61° (dry) 2012: Hi 69° Lo 44° (dry) 2011: Hi 74° Lo 50° (trace rain) 2010: Hi 61° Lo 35° (dry) 2009: Hi 75° Lo 43° (dry) 2008: Hi 75° Lo 48° (dry) 2007: Hi 63° Lo 47° (0.02" rain) 2006: Hi 71° Lo 45° (dry) 2005: Hi 79° Lo 51° (dry) 2004: Hi 81° Lo 58° (dry)

^^Pretty often, when Corkscrew got repainted and during off season NDT, a few whole supports were replace/welded/sand blasted. brake run even got some new platforming..bright new and shiny with a fresh coat of paint. Older steel coasters show their age..Like Maggie my year had alot of rail work done on the final hills, pulled the whole rail off of the cross ties .

Yes. I think before the removed it, The rail was rusted. Boooooooo for rusty rails! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes. I think before they removed it, The rail was rusted.

Hey, look just behind Slingshot. It looks like a concrete slab was made that goes from Delirium all the way over behind the fence. Could this be an observation area? or maybe a queue overflow? or walk through graveyard? or what?

I think you may be right. Looks like they're marking the area for the queue. The webcam can be found https://www.visitkingsisland.com/online-fun/webcams there.

Please capitalize the third and seventh Buffalo, as they refer to the city. I'm glad you know what's going on here. I still have no clue what that's about Edit: Wikipedia sheds some light on the confusion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

I want to know why they haven't produced a show called Phantom's Theater. A show based off the ride doesn't seem like unreasonable thing to create.

Canyon Blaster certainly earned its special spot with me. It's such a fun little Arrow!