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Cool article. via The State http://www.thestate.com/2014/12/04/3852602/carowinds-tops-off-new-fury-325.html?sp=/99/205/&ihp=1

Fury 325 has been topped off.

Image via Carowinds' Webcam at ( https://www.carowinds.com/online-fun/webcams )

That looks amazing!

Well, what do you know!.... Here is one for sale in Florida.... http://usedrides.com/ViewAd.aspx?Ad=23551&view=I and there is still plenty of room in Octoberfest for one...

Alright, I'm ready, let's go, right now.

Due to inclement weather yesterday, according to Mike Fehnel, the topping off of Fury325 was delayed until today. Today the ride should be topped off somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00. Stay Tuned! 325 ft.......

@CarowindsPark on Twitter: "And it's up! #Fury325 #epic #wow" Photo : Carowinds via Twitter

Ah, maybe one of these days. I feel fortunate enough to get to go where I'm going next year. It would be nice to get to go to one of the Busch Gardens, or a Six Flags, If it never happens, Then I still have my CF pass. And that's just fine with me. But, really, I was talking about the 3 B&M's up on the big lake, I should've been more specific. Gotta love rookies.

Richard Branson plans to "disrupt" the cruise industry by launching a new Virgin cruise line: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/richard-bransons-virgin-empire-to-offer-cruises-on-the-high-seas/ Be watching for some negative impacts on Sea World Entertainment.

I want to answer this, but each year has a lot to process.

^Forgot about that. A ride like Ricochet would be a nice addition in OktoberFest.

Cedar Point - Rougarou Fact Video

But, see Kings Dominion. Backlot? Check. Ricochet? Check. They are VERY different rides. Backlot is not a mousey.

^ Yes it was. it was right around the area the festhaus is currently.

I absolutly love the theming for this ride, was this in OktoberFest?

Very good price! Well for an amusement park like Kings Island.

Also, the Kingdom isn't really in a position to be getting them back.

They have released a new hard hat chronicles video. They state that there are going to be new near miss elements added to the ride. I am hoping that they extend the last barn element with the in line roll for the right side. That side is really missing the near miss element. Also they are moving a ride to the plaza of Thunderbird. They will announce that move next week. Things just keep getting better and better for this ride! I cannot wait for Holiwood Nights next year!

I have a natural distrust of anyone in important positions of business and leadership that go by silly fratboy nicknames. i.e. "Rip"

I have a btter picture of the mouse at Coney that I'll have to look for, however in the meantime here's a pic of it. Now bear in mind this is a pic of the flooding at Coney Island in the early 1960s... but if you look sitting in front of the shooting Star, the wild mouse track can be seen. Notice how the cars were stored on the brakes at a high point on the track in order to avoid the flood waters.

For those of you old enough to remember KI from the beginning!

Hello, I just posted the complete Salt Water Circus Dolphin show from July 24, 1980. Question, does anyone know who the host is? He says his name is Mike. I would like to send him a link to the video.

Hmmm...............I see..........

Actually, I just found this. S&S-Sansei Technologies breathes new life into the tried and true Arrow Mine Train Coaster popularized by Disney in the ‘60s and ‘70s with a new body style that is lighter in weight and an exciting layout the entire family can enjoy. From the first drop over the hill, the Mine Train delivers belly-tickling drops and hills, speedy curves and exciting banked turns. Link: http://www.engineeringexcitement.com/product/mine-train/ Wow- OK, since S&S did buy Arrow, this would make this the true "successor" to the old Arrow Mine Trains. Also from that page, it seems one of these would fit perfectly with my Holiday World Mine Train idea. And they are moving a ride to the Thunderbird plaza? Makes some sense, since if they built it all as-is Thunderbird would be the ONLY ride back there and it looks like it'd be a bit of a walk from the current Thanksgiving Plaza section where Giraffica was to it. So putting something else back there to help populate the area a bit more makes some sense and could possibly open up something elsewhere in the park for a future new attraction. My only question is...what will go back there? Revolution? Liberty Launch? Hallowswings? The possibilities are seemingly endless...

Fun perks. Oops. Discounts at certain other local attractions and on oil changes at a specified local Chevrolet dealer.

I guess it's better than I can do............What are these "perks" they speak of?

The In-Line-Roll on Thunderbird should be very interesting considering the close proximity between it and the brake run..... To be honest though, I guess it does sound pretty fun to spiral into the brake run! The 2015 park season just can't come fast enough! What a year '15 will be in the amusement industry!

If I would've created something this bad for work (which I have before), my boss would've called me into his office and yelled at me (which he has before) lol. I learned real early to step up my game and not to take shortcuts - which looks like what happened here. Something like this would not pass at my work, and I work for a small, locally-owned, family company. The standards for KI should be MUCH higher than were I work.

Don't forget Tommy Boy! The whole model car scene about the "other guy's" brake pads (there are quotes for a reason as Chris Farley's character used air quotes in the movie) used to crack me up when I was little. "You're driving along, you're driving along..." Good times!

Actually, I just found this. S&S-Sansei Technologies breathes new life into the tried and true Arrow Mine Train Coaster popularized by Disney in the ‘60s and ‘70s with a new body style that is lighter in weight and an exciting layout the entire family can enjoy. From the first drop over the hill, the Mine Train delivers belly-tickling drops and hills, speedy curves and exciting banked turns. Link: http://www.engineeringexcitement.com/product/mine-train/

The Flintstones was an early evening show geared towards adults. It was also a cartoon parody of the sitcom, The Honeymooners. It was sort of like the Simpsons of the '60s, therefore it had better scripting and was more off the wall in it's commentary.

Thank you for posting this. my dad loved this show.

Welcome to KICentral, I hope you have an awesome experience.

Welcome to KIC!

Huh? Most state fairs were UP this year, many of them dramatically. To blame the Kentucky State Fair's problems on fairs in general is disingenuous, to say the least. There was every reason the Kentucky State Fair should have had a banner year. It didn't. There is even an investigation going on. And if Kentucky Kingdom, at $9.99 if bought at Kroger, wasn't part of the solution then it IS part of the problem. The fates of the Fsir Board and the New Kentucky Kingdom are intertwined. What affects one affects the other. The single most important day to the Kingdom's forseeable future is the first Tuesday in November, less than a year away. Its impotence cannot be exaggerated.

Facebook is a registered trademark. As such, it is always capitalized here. I would have thought the fair would have had a banner year in 2014, what with the new setup, the new rides and the new $9.99 attraction (when purchased at Kroger), The New Kentucky Kingdom.

KFEC is quickly turning into a dump. Needs upgrades and renovations. Some of the previous draw like military display and Huey rides don't happen anymore. I remember when I was a kid....the place was packed and had a huge midway of every ride imaginable. Not anymore. Send it back to its roots, or cancel it altogether.

I don't know if any of you have noticed these newly uploaded videos on Youtube, but they are some interesting nuggets of KI history! The videos were uploaded by Youtube user VideoByGeorge. It's very cool to see a few of the now defunct rides and attractions in motion, as opposed to a photo still image. Check them out! Enchanted Voyage full ride through with quality sound and video: Coney Mall with Bat construction:

I've been studying animation since I was around 5 or 6 (I'm 34 now), and had originally planned to be an animator. I read every article I can get my hands on and watch all the documentaries I can find. Lately I've been reading a lot about what's going on in the industry right now and it's not all good. The whole business of animation is in an interesting state right now. I somewhat feel sorry for current animation students who are hoping to have a long career in animation here in the US. Let me explain a little bit for those of you who might be interested. See, 20-30 years ago, animation was an art form that could only be created by artists. You had to have special skills. Not only did you have to know the techniques of animation, but you also had to be classically trained in fine art. You studied anatomy and physiology. You studied nature, and animals. You really knew how to capture every little detail. It was quite painstaking. Of course, this was for 2D animation - Think Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, and Lion King. These guys were masters at their craft and it took special talent and a lot of hard work to become one of these guys. Fast forward a few years and along comes Toy Story. Now, most of the people who worked on this film came from the 2D animation background. These guys were artists who were now using a different medium. They were trading their pencils for a mouse and screen. Let's move forward a decade or two and now we're busting at the seams with 3D animated films. They're everywhere and new studios are constantly popping up trying to get in the game. But where are all these animators coming from? Well, you no longer have to be an "artist" anymore. As long as you know the techniques of animation and know how to use the software, anyone can animate. You no longer have to have that special talent of "fine artist" anymore. Now obviously it helps, but it's not required. In an interview for the movie Tangled, Glen Keane (an ex-Disney animator), was talking about the guy who animated the opening scene in which we first meet Rapunzel. He stated that the particular animator couldn't draw a stick figure to save his life, but he was especially skilled at understanding movement so he was able to animate Rapunzel with believability. Had this guy wanted to animate 10-20 years prior, he would not have been able to because he was unable to draw. This was no doubt a huge hindrance for many, many people. Now with computers, this opens up the door for many new people to become animators, even those that can't draw! Is this a problem? Yes. Because of this, the industry is much more crowded. There are tons of people trying to break into the industry, so each studio has to be more selective and there aren't as many jobs as there are animators wanting those jobs. This also create new problems. Since we have such an abundance of animators, new studios are opening up and getting into the business. Remember when is was just Disney? Then Disney and Pixar? And then Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks? Do you know how many studios have entered the animation business? Quite a few. Now, everyone's competing for that top spot and there are many more selections of quality animated family films to choose from at the theater. This splits up revenues and each studio is struggling to recoup their budgets. This creates another problem. Dreamworks has been struggling the past couple of years to make a profit, or a big enough profit to keep their shareholders satisfied. Because of this, they laid off a TON of animators and announced that they would be moving a good chunk of their animation department overseas. Kung Fu Panda 3 will be largely animated in China. Is this fair? Well, not to American animators, but to the company, it's quality animation done cheaper. Cheaper animation = higher profits. See, animation is a business now, not strictly an art form. So what's happening over at Pixar? Well, now they higher animators on per job. What does that mean? Well, you want to work for Pixar? They higher you on to do animation for a particular film. At the end of the film you either stay on for another film, or they can let you go. Think of it as "temp" work. This isn't good for anyone wanting a career in animation. So what's up with the Disney Animation Studios? Well, they might be worse. Just earlier this year they booted a bunch of big named 2D animators out the door. They've decided that no one wants 2D anymore so they don't want 2D animators hanging around. Not even to train the new guys. Many of the 2D animators who were there in what some people would call the Disney Renaissance era back in the late 80s and early 90s have moved on to do their own projects and are doing some great things in animation. I highly recommend doing a Google search for "Glen Keane" and "Duet." So since it's easier to animate and a lot more people can do it, it's making animation as an industry more crowded and less profitable (for some). Someone told me the other night that it's never too late to become an animator. I looked at them and said, not now. Not in this climate. And that's the truth. Now there are some areas that still require some fine artists, but more than likely that won't be as an animator. It will most likely be in pre-production stuff, designing backdrops and layouts and that kind of thing. These are really talented people that sometimes get forgotten. You can still have a career as a fine artist in animation, but it's not like it used to be. I look forward to the day that 2D animation is revived and animation becomes more of an art form like it was at one time. We can only hope!

Same here. I took a vacation with friends the summer of 97, prior to my senior year of high school, and visited Nickelodeon Studios for the first and only time. We actually witnessed filming taking place that day, but for the life of me I cannot remember which shows those were. Below is a video of Adamthewoo shooting a video of the interior.

Banshee!!! http://www.trademarkia.com/Banshee-85913369.html

I'd be happy if all that replaces SOB is a flying scooters ride.

Ah. A diversion....

Oh, let the speculation begin...

If I'm asked to do something that I don't know how to do, I do some research or hire a capable person to do it. If I was responsible for finding someone to reopen an amusement park I was responsible for, I'd make sure I was maintaining it to assist reopening.

But does the Fair Board understand what type of maintenance is required on amusement rides? Perhaps they thought they were maintaining it, but did not perform several necessary steps that they were not aware that they needed to do.

Something tells me that the toilets were filled by those that visited the park after it was abandoned. Same thing goes for some missing things.

Holiday World is not an urban park. Its guest base, costs (both fixed and variable) and risks are very, very different. And, most of all, Holiday World is ONE park ran by one family. And the two people most involved in its recent success are not involved in Bluegrass Boardwalk. One of them chose not to be. That speaks volumes.

Please, tell us what you really think.