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You could also write a PhD thesis about the fear of science.

I would bet it's the same reason some people enjoy standing at the top of a cliff and some enjoying jumping off of it. Some enjoy flying in an airplane and some enjoy skydiving.... Some of us don't want to be near any sort of fake/real situation where a life may be in danger, and some love it. Psychologically speaking, it's a moment (any of the previous examples) of stepping out of the safe into a, perceived, unsafe zone. While subconsciously you know you are 100% safe, it still rises your fear bits. Gets the endorphins pumping, etcetera. Some enjoy rides with inversions and some enjoy the antique cars. You could write a PhD thesis on the science behind fear....

The all-you-care-to-eat wings are the traditional bone-in wings.

Well I guess southern would apply. My mom is from Somerset KY., and my dad is from Jackson. I myself was born in a tiny little place called Ary, Ky. Though I was only there for about 2 days, I guess I still qualify, lol. To clarify though, in this instance it does indeed mean " I don't wanna"

In case anyone hasn't seen it in the Random Photo of The Day thread, here is a picture of just how wonderful the new paint job is. The orange looks outstanding and even pops out at night. I caught myself staring at it for quite some time actually! Great job by the painters!

That kinda bugs me, glad I've not been there.

^ I see what you did there!

Expect some extended downtime on Banshee that evening as crews work to keep the ride clean. ;-)

And The Bat is proof that some TLC can actually change the experience of a steel coaster pretty substantially. Seriously, on media day, that ride was running so smooth it was amazing. Not that it's rough by any stretch, but it was smoothER. Top Bat Gun Deck has, on the worst days that I can recall, always been a much more smooth ride than the other two Arrow Suspendeds I've ridden. Granted, my experience with it only goes back to 2010, so I could certainly be wrong.

Oooh... I'll take a ride on Antique Cars over a coaster doing inversions anyday I miss the Antique Cars...

We need to make this happen.

Not....yet. 2015 is an important year....

Terp, this thread bump of yours reminds me of one you did on an old IJST thread in the summer of '13. I'm sure you recall. Has enough time passed to where you can decrypt that?

Perhaps one can be arranged on Friday, October 10.

I think it's a good thing that they removed these displays. Just one less act of violence to have to look at. If you've read my posts on here, there really is no question of how I feel about most Halloween displays. Most make my stomach turn. I don't mind some - cats, bats, owls, spiders, spider-webs, skeletons, pumpkins, scarecrows, (some) monsters, etc. I think that's plenty enough to have great Halloween theming AND and it can be acceptable/appropriate for anyone. What I don't understand is this morbid fascination with blood, guts, severed limbs, decapitation, mutilations, torture, excessive violence, human sacrifice, and just about every other inhumane act you can think of being put on display for anyone and everyone to see. What I don't like is even when I go to KI during the day and see some of these displays up during the "family" event going on in the park. I'm sorry, but I've never been entertained by such displays in all my life. If I want to see inhumane, violent acts, I'll just turn on the news. It's not funny, it's not fun, and it's no where near entertaining. I don't care if it's fake or not. This type of stuff is real. This type of stuff goes on all over the world. We don't like to see it in the news, so why do we want to see it at an amusement park? It's not really amusing. And that, folks, is why I don't step foot in "Haunt" and yes, that is my decision and my decision alone. If you enjoy this type of thing, then good for. I'm not condemning anyone, I'm just trying to understand why this type of stuff excites and amuses you. For me, well, just give me a good ol' Fall festival any day of the week and I'll be happy. A nice hayride, corn maze, pumpkin patch, apple cider, hot coffee, scarecrows and the like are just the types of things I need in order to have a great Fall season. Add to that some crisp, cool air and it's even better!

^ All mazes are indoors except CornStalkers and Tombstone Terror-Tory. There are also outdoor scare zones located on park midways. Outdoor attractions do close for inclement weather, but they reopen when conditions allow. Rainy & cold days can be great days to visit, as crowds are greatly influenced by weather. Just make sure you're dressed to be comfortable tonight when it's in the lower 40°s with a chance of rain - there's no re-entry into the park.

I don't think dizzy is accurate, but Invertigo brings me close to nausea, with the added bonus of about a 2 hour headache. It's on my short list of rides I don't care to ride.

^I'm so excited for The Walking Dead! Stephen King wrote an essay a few years ago about why we like going to horror movies. I think it can be applied to things like Haunt and Halloween Horror Nights. "We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality; the horror movie is innately conservative, even reactionary. Freda Jackson as the horrible melting woman in Die, Monster, Die! confirms for us that no matter how far we may be removed from the beauty of a Robert Redford or a Diana Ross, we are still light-years from true ugliness. And we go to have fun. Ah, but this is where the ground starts to slope away, isn’t it? Because this is a very peculiar sort of fun, indeed. The fun comes from seeing others menaced – sometimes killed. One critic has suggested that if pro football has become the voyeur’s version of combat, then the horror film has become the modern version of the public lynching." Full Essay can be read here:http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/Lowell/whywecravehorrormovies.pdf I didn't find Universal's show over the top. Is it for everybody? Of course not, but neither are the Call of Duty video games and plenty of people enjoy them. The key to me is that it wasn't real. Everyone knows that guy isn't really dead. And that is the problem with KI's display. Those people in the display were real and they are really dead. That, in my opinion, is when it is too much.

Hmm...the question of how much longer the 3 Arrow coasters @ Kings Island will last is an interesting one. My thoughts are based on looking at other coasters that are either still around or have been demolished. I'll start with Vortex... Vortex The ride is still reliable, popular, and high-capacity- these 3 factors are clearly in Vortex's favor. However, several of its kin have bit the dust, but not all- the Loch Ness Monster at BGW is nearly a decade older, is also very large and fast, and it's still running well. However, once metal fatigue starts to set in (will probably happen to an older ride like LNM first before Vortex though) I don't think Vortex has a chance. Vortex will probably reach its 30th anniversary in 2017. 35th is possible. 40th is a large stretch. But I'm 90% sure Vortex won't be able to hit 50, sadly. The Bat Big Bad Wolf gives us a timetable here- that ride lasted 25 years before kicking the bucket. According to that timetable, The Bat will end its run in 2018. Though Iron Dragon @ Cedar Point has already reached 25 as well, that's a much tamer coaster, and being aggressive does wear a coaster down faster. And Vortex @ Canada's Wonderland is very popular, so it's also possible The Bat could be scrapped simply to help that ride last longer. However, the ride was just re-named and re-painted...but King Cobra was repainted in 1999. In 2002, it was gone. So that doesn't help as much as I'd originally think. The Bat will probably outlive Vortex, but I'd guess it would too be gone not too long after. Adventure Express Of the 3, this one will probably be the last Arrow in the park when all is said and done. Mine Train Coasters in general seem to have insanely long lifespans for steel coasters, with many from the mid-1960's still running strong today (AE opened in 1991- 25 years after the 1st mine train opened and that one is STILL running today to boot). This is probably also due to, as suggested above, the fact Mine Trains are family coasters and thus don't have crazy g-forces. The wooden supports also likely help as those would be easy enough to fix/replace. I could actually see this ride still running in the year 2040 or later, so long as its popularity doesn't drop off or the park decides it's in the way of some huge new coaster or something. If it can do that, it could actually likely outlive rides like BLSC or Firehawk. Then again, dumb management has likely killed good coasters that still had plenty of life in them before...though ATM AE should be safe since Cedar Fair seems to know what they're doing. And that's about how long I'd estimate all 3 Arrows have to go. My advice: ride Vortex & The Bat as much as possible in the next few years, they could be going soon. Ride AE too, though that's more because it's a great ride of its type and not so much that it's going anywhere anytime soon.

So long as there are Montgomery Inn ribs on the menu, I'll never know anything about the wings. Nor will I care to. The mouth waters just thinking of those scrumptious delights.

^^ What makes you say that? I think over the past few years of ownership under Cedar Fair, the park has moved from the "remove a ride, and replace it" method to "make use of the land we have and add a new a ride." I don't count removing Son of Beast for Banshee, because that is an extraordinary situation, that hopefully the park won't have to deal with again (and Days of Thunder/Thunder Alley was an extremely minor pay-to-play attraction). But since 2007, we've seen Firehawk go in on unused land, Diamondback, while I'm not a huge fan of the location of its station, extended into unused land behind TR:TR/The Crypt, Dinosaurs Alive extended unused land, and The Soak City renovation made use of even more. I think the park is expanding more in recent years, than it has since Action Zone in 1999/2000, they have been making great use of their land. And I think it will continue in that direction in the near future. Cedar Fair has been smart in realizing that a ride doesn't need to go in order to add a new one, that is one of my favorite things about the current management. It seemed in the later years of Paramount Parks that everytime something new was added, that something had to go: 2002: Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal for Tomb Raider 2003: King Cobra/Phantom Theater for Delirium/Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle 2005: Antique Cars/Flying Eagles for Italian Job I'm glad they've gotten away from that. As for Vortex and Adventure Express being retired, I'd be very sad to see either one go. Vortex was my first looping coaster and I've always had a soft spot for Adventure Express because I love themed rides. I'd love to see Adventure Express get a revamp in theming similar to the Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain log ride at Knott's, but I also know we don't have Disneyland right down the street so that is unlikely... Sorry for the rant, I may have gotten a little off-topic... Edit: Looks like Terp beat me to a response, he undoubtedly knows more about Kings Island's developable land than I do, but I still think the park has been expanding in recent years.

I imagine folks probably said such things about Great American Scream Machine, too. Rides have service lives, whether we want them to or not. Things can be done to extend or renew them, like rebuilding Florida's (Space Mountain?) with new track and supports, but truthfully, I think Disney's the only one who would ever spend that kind of money. For the rest of the world, which has far less iconic rides (would anyone in New York City know what Vortex is by name alone? How about Space Mountain?), it's just a better business decision to bring in a new ride. There isn't an ROI on a seasonal park replacing steel on their Arrow looper that's been around for 25 years. There is, however, an ROI on taking down the coaster and replacing it with something new that can be put on TV commercials and radio commercials and flyers and discount coupons at the local Wendy's. I wish it wasn't that way, because I know that, when Vortex goes, Adventure Express probably won't be far behind. But that's the nature of our hobby. Enjoy the rides you've got while you've got them.

How many chicken wings can you eat and still handle seven stomach-churning inversions on the Banshee roller coaster? If you ever wanted to know the answer to that question, Kings Island can help you figure it out. Kings Island is offering a $14.99 (plus tax) all-you-care-to-eat wing deal every Friday night at Halloween Haunt in the Reds Hall of Fame Grille from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. through November 1. In addition to all the jumbo wings you care to eat, the menu for this deal also includes tossed Caesar salad, fries, pickle chips, fresh celery and dipping sauces. Park admission to Halloween Haunt is required.

Set it up for next Friday, I will gladly participate. My record is 50+ in half an hour. Never felt so bad in my entire life, but was it worth it!

2015 is, unless I'm mistaken, the 10th anniversary season of Backlot Stunt Coaster, am I correct? As of the beginning of the 2013 season, 40,649,743. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/media-center/ride-record-book At that time, it had completed 26 seasons, averaging 1,563,481 rides a year. So at the end of this season, it will likely be between 43 and 44 million.

That would be correct and also it is Board to Death. (tho it is rather tame...but yeah)

Yes awesome video! brought back many memories. At 0:10 ticket booths & at 0:36 tram loading and unload area, both are long gone. When I worked there in 2005 most of the music on International Street was from Paramount movie's, Top Gun Anthem, Raider of the last ark, James Bond 007. At Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle, only remember seeing Scooby Doo outside for the meet and greet. Don't remember seeing Shaggy and Velma that much, on the last weekend of the year they had the Flintstones out with Scooby Doo together. While on break during Winterfest, got a picture of me with Scooby Doo.

^ I believe you mean "driven by SafeAuto" but okay....

Only you would bump something 2 years in advance and say "How quickly they forget". The Interpreter... is that a misnomer or what? He's more like The Encrypter. I mean he mentioned in that thread carrion, which is purifeying flesh! Huh??? I enjoy his "diversions" a lot though. The thread I was referring to: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/1078-the-italian-job-stunt-track/page-7 **POST 100!**

^^ Between people, or just with Don? Terp, amused by the thought. Does that mean Don has accepted the challenge?

Between people, or just with Don? Terp, amused by the thought.

I was born and raised in southwest Ohio and have lived here my whole life, and my father is from southwest Ohio as well and my mother is from *ichigan. "I don't care to" has always meant "I don't want to" to me. This thread on StackExchange has some discussion about it, though the OP there (along with several other sites I looked at) lists the reverse of what Terpy said (that in the South, it means "I don't mind doing it", and in the North, "I don't want to").

We have a problem in this country of not seeing celebrities as real people. Society tends to see them as mere figures for their entertainment. Although I understand a certain amount of flack coming with the territory, at the end of the day they are just human beings like you and me. I really doubt whoever green-lighted these displays would do the same if Steve McNair was his brother or Farrah Fawcett his sister.

Open through November 6th. Wow.

Hmm... that original paint job reminds me of the coasters I used to make when I played RCT 1 as a small 5 year old boy. However, if the new trains will have restraints like the picture posted above, maybe this will be my first enjoyable experience on a Vekoma SLC. Not T2, nor Mind Eraser at Darien Lake were very kind to my head. Both look and sound deceptively smooth, really smooth, from a 3rd person standpoint. *I'll never learn.

The running rails can be replaced pretty easily however. I know the some of the rails on both Vortex and The Bat have been replaced. The Bat just had a section of running rail replaced before the beginning of the season.

I don't know about supports, but I know that some rails on Vortex have been replaced. Magnum too, I think. If roller coaster are designed like bridges, the number of loading cycles to which the structure is subjected will be taken into consideration. It is possible to design a structure in such a way that, theoretically, it can be subjected to an infinite number of cycles without fatigue becoming a problem. But, as others have said, there's really no incentive for parks to pay for a ride that will literally last a lifetime. Vortex will be replaced at some point, but not because of poor design. Either the ride will come to the end of its design life, or its marketable life. In the end, it comes down to money, and the point at which it no longer makes sense for the park to maintain the ride.

To clarify, I wasn't saying that certain rides never need to go, or that there isn't ever a good reason to remove a ride. There are reasons. In fact I could name a couple that I'd like to see go/be replaced in the near future. Wasn't saying that no rides should be removed. I thought removing Disaster Transport and Space Spiral was a good decision... (mostly Disaster Transport).

There are reasons for that. Ironically, Cedar Point has far more easily developable space than does Kings Island. Yet, every few months, someone shows up here and tells us (incorrectly) that Cedar Point is running out of room.

As red as the 2014 season profit/loss figures?

...and restrooms. No X-Base work will be complete without public restrooms.

You're joking, right? You seriously believe Boo Blasters is an improvement over Scooby-Doo?

Yes.

Challenge accepted! (Not really, but if I wasn't otherwise occupied on Friday nights...)

Vortex may be my favorite ride. It is certainly the most picturesque at KI (of what I have seen i would say anywhere). I will be so very depressed if it is retired.

The people I'd be most concerned with at SFA are NOT under 18. An 18 and over rule would accomplish little or nothing. It might even make things worse. I...avoid that park after dark. It may be over-reacting, but I don't intentionally needlessly go places that make me fear for my personal safety. I seldom go there during daylight. There's not enough money to get me to that park's Fright "Fest." Too little fest, too much fright for me.

Boo Blasters as the name of an attraction at Kings Island (more properly Boo Blasters On Boo Hill) is always capitalized here.

Legal analysis of Ohio Supreme Court ruling: http://www.exemplify.com/employment-agreement-dispute Legal eagles will enjoy this read.

Welcome to Cedar Fair's efforts to get with 2014 tech. Sad, really.

Cool article. I guess someone has to be professional roller coaster painters. Not a bad job.