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If the timeline is similar to last year, we should be within a few weeks of finding out when Kings Island opens for the season! I am seriously looking forward to Kings Island opening back up, maybe more than ever.

I'm biased since I've only ever known the tower with the current color, but I really, really like the teal. I'm not saying other colors couldn't look as good or better, but the current shade of teal is a color I instantly associate with Kings Island in all the forms I've known it. And I think it's just a pretty color, too.

I'm going to say the Eiffel Tower. Above any other attraction, I feel this is the icon of Kings Island. When people come to the park, they leave with that beautiful sight of the tower soaring high above the fountains. Its up there with Cinderella Castle at the Disney parks, Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, the globe and main entrance gate at Universal Studios Florida, and so on. When people think of Kings Island, they think of the Eiffel Tower.

Well, since we are talking a 20-year section of the park's history here (1972-1992) there is a LOT to choose from. Racer saved the wooden coaster from certain death and gave the park a signature thrill ride in its early years. The Eiffel Tower is iconic to the park. The Enchanted Voyage was iconic in the park's early years. The Wild Animal Safari Monorail was an awesome idea. Screamin' Demon- while not the longest lived ride- did help "launch" the launch coaster. The Original Bat was flawed but opened the door for the suspended and inverted coasters of the future. King Cobra was the first stand-up looping coaster. Vortex broke records and sent riders upside down 6 times and still runs strong today. Adventure Express ended up being a darn good mine train. Phantom Theatre has a strong following today years after its removal. But...compared to one ride, these are all just very honorable mentions. The Beast- the legendary wooden monster. Racer saved the wooden coaster from death, but then it was Beast that took not only wooden coasters but coasters in general to another level, showing how good marketing and hype could sell a ride. Breaking nearly every world record helped too of course. And 35 years later, it still holds a world record as the world's longest wooden coaster. It is STILL beloved by millions. It even got a sequel. HOW MANY RIDES GET SEQUELS!?!? And so it gets my vote as not just the most iconic addition of the Taft/KECO/Lindner years...it even beats out FOF, Diamondback, and Banshee as my pick of KI's best ride addition of all time.

"All I want for Christmas is my two front seats..." http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2014/12/22/want-christmas-two-front-seats/

You mean from hunter green. Hunter green is a darker than olive drab shade of green. For many years, Sherwin Williams sponsored the tower and subsidized the painting.

Mod Edit: Added the 2014 year to the topic title to avoid confusion with the 2015 Opening Day. The 2015 calendar has not yet been released.

But: A. Not using public facilities is not typically possible on day long excursions, especially witl little ones. B. Home bathrooms are not typically used by hundreds in a day. Families and roommates already typically swap germs routinely. I've thought a lot about these issues since i began routinely using MARTA and Metro.

This is why you wait until you have home field advantage. I only use public restrooms if it is an emergency.

That's what I had assumed too. What year did they make the change from hunter green to the current color?

The other options were looking a little lonely, so I voted orange just to be different. In reality, hunter green would rock.

I like it as is but as long as it had a natural color look to it like it's original green or a brownish/red color like the one in Paris I'd be fine with it. Think the green/blue looks better for in a park though. Anything bright like yellow or orange or really vibrant like purple would be strange looking

TheCryptCrusader and I have been working on a drawing of the Kings Island map in chalk on a 9 ft wall! Here it is! Took about 2 hours, and a lot of hand cramps. We are now covered in chalk.

Alright, here is the last video from July 24, 1980. I put together all the random scenes. You'll see the entrance, shops, singers singing "YMCA", brief views of Zodiac and Tumble Bug, day and night views of the fountain, and even a person selling those neon glowing strips at dusk that were so cool. I am glad this website exists, and I am glad so many people have enjoyed my dad's video. Time to put this tape back on the shelf. George

I remember sitting on Santa’s lap in the Florence Mall when I was a kid growing up. I only half-heartedly believed in Jolly ‘Ol St Nick for one main reason: if he had such a complex system of knowing which kids were naughty or nice then why wouldn’t he also already know what I wanted for Christmas? It baffled me that his magical powers of observation could be so astounding in one area, but lacking in another. Plus, how many people did you have to kill to be on the naughty list? I wasn’t a bad kid, but I knew a lot of other kids that I considered to be bad to my standards. They always got presents – no lump of coal – just like me. Life wasn’t fair. I digress. Anyway, despite the creepiness of sitting on an old man’s lap that I didn’t know, I was still always excited to go to the mall. It wasn’t about meeting the big man, it was able the experience of standing in line. You waited through a winter village full of reindeer, Santa’s elves, candy canes, and snow. It fully encapsulated the spirit of the season and really hyped my excitement to unending heights. I remember looking on the calendar and seeing that Christmas was over two weeks away. It felt like a lifetime in those days. I don’t know if it has to do with budget cuts, liability, or just a lack of return on investment, but this whole experience has been scaled down greatly in the past twenty years. What was once a journey through a Christmas village is now replaced by Santa in his plywood sleigh surrounded by a few Christmas trees and holiday props. Some are nicer than others, but never as good as it was in the 1990’s when I was a kid growing up. Zip ahead a few decades and enter EnterTRAINment Junction. If you’ve been on KIC for any amount of time then you know what this place is all about. It’s the world largest indoor train display featuring incredible detail, interactive parts, and some great educational value. But I’m not here to talk about trains. Every year, EnterTRAINment Junction celebrates the Christmas season with Christmas at EnterTRAINment Junction. I have to admit, as often as I had been to this place over the past five years, I had never experienced Christmas there. Boy was I missing out. The Main Street section of EJ is decked out for the holidays. This area has the look and feel of a late 1800’s or early 1900’s railroad town. You know that I don’t like to compare things to Disney because it’s never a fair comparison, but I’d imagine that if they wanted to theme an area to the same time period it wouldn't look much different than this. The Exposition Center has its own setup and is totally free if you just want to check that out. It has several “winter wonderland” displays that are neatly crafted as well as thousands of Christmas lights. The true star of the show is the Journey to the North Pole. Remember the mall Christmas display that I told you about? Imagine that, but 1000x better. It really brought out some nostalgic feelings. It looks as though Santa's reindeer are stabled up and getting ready for their annual trip around the world. Santa's elves are putting some last minute touches on toys for the girls and boys on the "nice" list this year. Enter the Arctic Tundra and see penguins playing, lights flickering, and yes - it even snows in there! Check out these three handsome old men! At the end of your journey you meet Jolly 'Ol St. Nick. Don't worry - there are photos available for purchase so you don't have to have a selfie fail like I did. If you haven’t visited EnterTRAINment Junction yet then you’re really missing out. It takes about three hours to do the whole experience, and you’ll never get bored in the process. Christmas at EnterTRAINment Junction runs through January 5, but Santa returns to the North Pole after Christmas. Don’t forget that 2014 and 2015 Kings Island Gold and Platinum Season Pass holders get a $4 discount on the Do It All ticket. The Do It All ticket includes the world’s largest indoor train display, Funhouse Junction, and Christmas at EntertTRAINment Junction. The display in the Expo Center is free. There is no charge for parking. www.EnterTRAINmentJunction.com

If you think QSL is overpriced now... just wait until it's on Cedar Point property.

Quaker Stake is great and I highly recommend it! I used to go a lot with the college youth group at my church; good times!

I always thought it was weird that there were two TGI Fridays so close together. Glad this is replacing one of them.

Glad you guys had fun. I wanted to stop by again but other commitments kept me away this year. There's always next year!

https://www.cedarpoint.com/article/media-center/NEW-WINGS-COMING-TO-CEDAR-POINT?mobile=0 Official press release. Quaker Steak has decent food, but it's more about the atmosphere. It is a motor head's dream with cars and car parts on walls, suspended on ceilings and even cars on lifts over tables. People do enjoy their wings, including the ultra spicy atomic wings. QSL website http://thelube.com/

I'd definitely have to say The Beast. It's a legendary ride, and a great ride that really put the park on map (well, The Racer did that a few years prior, but still...). It's managed to keep its status as the longest wooden roller coaster for all these years and is an all-around fantastic ride. Long live The Beast!

Where do you think they get all there "fog", for their fog machines? And amazing job on That! Has my vote for 2015 park map!

But is your home bathroom any cleaner? And how often do you wash your hand towels?

Which is probably a good thing. Poo odor plus perfume still reeks.

Then you are a part of the problem...

I love sharing everyone's contributions and KI art work! Keep 'em coming!

The half size replica at Paris Casino in Las Vegas is bronze colored... Some would call it gold.

I assumed the current color was meant to suggest the color when bronze or copper "rusts" (verdigris). It's the color many outdoor statues take on naturally (see Liberty in NYNY).

I wouldn't consider the current color blue, exactly.

Kings Island's: As it was when it opened, hunter green. I despise the teal.

If you could change Kings Island's Eiffel Tower another color what would it be? Or if you would like to keep it the same color teal? Not many people know that the one in Paris, France has changed colors a few times, it has been painted red, yellow and orange. before its new shade Eiffel Tower brown in 1968.

Personally, I do my best not to touch my face when at the park (or anywhere for that matter) and wash my hands before eating. As for any table outside my home, there are plates, napkins and other food wrappers that are between my food and the table. If my food touches the table, I don't eat it. Overly cautious? Yes, but I'm going to try to limit my intake of germs without involving anti-bacterial solutions. What is a different solution than the hand air dryer? There are pros and cons for paper towels, air dryers, and even the "wipe my hands on my clothes.". Which option is the lesser of the 2-3 evils? Edited to ask question and add some missing letters.

I had some vacation time coming and I wanted to do something fun on budget. I decided that Kennywood's Holiday Lights would be fun to do since I have already been to Columbus Zoo's lights. My mom who loves the holidays decided to tag along with me so we packed the car and we were off to Kennywood. Its about 3 1/2 Hour drive to West Mifflin from my house in Dublin. Our hotel for this trip was the Double tree Monroreville Convention center. The hotel is about 20 Min away. It was a very nice hotel and even better it was EMPTY. While we waited for check in we went to the Monroeville mall. Where I got to see a crazy guy buck ass naked in a bathroom. After checking in and grabbing a quick lunch at TGI Fridays we headed to Giant Eagle to pickup our discount tickets. Then Waze in its infinite wisdom sent me the most backwards way possible to the park. I went up hills and down hills. I am pretty sure I went back in time for a bit too. We arrived shortly after 5PM and enjoyed the free parking and had a spot 2 rows from the gate. Bag check and metal detectors were quick and soon we were walking under Kennywood BLVD Sky Rocket is the 1st thing you see. Sadly It wasn't open. I will have to come back and take that on! There is also a tunnel of lights as you walk in. Sadly my DSLR decided its battery wanted to completly die even though i charged it the night before so i switched to my galaxy s4 Once your in there are lights everywhere and anywhere The Paratrooper,Train,Carose, Ghostly manor and turtle were up. Those being the only rides the lines were long. I only partook in The Carousel and train as I have the other credits from my previous trip. You can see santa in The Racers Station I was able to catch father Christmas walking around After seeing santa we walked around kiddie land and took in the sights. There is a synchronized light show that runs every 15 mins or so . Its very similar to the Columbus Zoo's with its music selection but the lights twinkled off the water very nicely. Phantom Jr was running as was the ferris wheel and other assorted rides. We then made our way to the holiday train. Mom decided to steal my hat as we boarded and road around a gingerbread house.. It was cute There are easter eggs everywhere. Santa was going up the Thunderbolts lift I introduced my mother after this to Potato Patch Frys. We went with Cheese and bacon covered. She wondered why I made her queue up for 20 mins waiting on spuds but once she tried them she was hooked As we were waiting there was a magic show and a telling of The Night Before Christmas. It was very cute. After the frys were head we started making our way back around and up. We stopped at the gift shop where I added a Kennywood Holiday shot glass to my collection and we picked up t shirts for my niece and nephew. We grabbed 2 hot chocolates in collector cups $5.99 with 99 cent refills ( a steal) and headed to the Carousel The line was short and we were able to get a ride quick. My ears were cold after this so I replaced by stolen cap 9 hit before we knew it and it was time to say goodnight So for 16.99 I got a great event and my money's worth. The park was busy and everyone was in good spirits. I wonder why It can never work at our park in Ohio?

How many notice the non-working automatic air freshener devices attached up on the wall? I don't think they have even put new refills in them in years.

Or...you know, be patient wait for a confirmation from the park. I'm kind of hoping Gwazi opens next season. Its hilarious to see how many sites are jumping on unconfirmed reports about this.

We encounter enough dirt in the world without recklessly adding to it.

Which you have because of said Germy People and the millions of other ways you come into contact with Germs every second of your life. Absolutely! But I've also seen the devastating effects of "normal" germs to someone with no immune system. We have to be smart, and sometimes seemingly cautious, about our interactions with the world and people around us.

And now, the sad thing. The reality is the whole hand dryer thing started largely because of what a few pathetic souls do with paper towels: * Waste great scads of them. * Steal them. * Throw them in toilets and stop them up. Add in the screaming environmentalists who would claim at first that dryers were less bad for the environment. And the dryer company studies that show a cost savings. There is hope. Years ago, there were machines that dispensed in a loop a roll towel made of cloth, which waa allegedly cleaned at an industrial launderer such as CINTAS. There is a reason many were an off-blue. The machines were often empty of new towel, with two or three feet of old towel hanging forlornly. A few sad souls hung themselves in the loop. And, you used the cloth which was hanging out of the machine OR pulled on the soiled towel to dispense new. Nothing sanitary about it. One by one, the things disappeared. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a cloth roll towel machine. Before XCelerator and Dyson hand dryers, the old World dryers were rapidly disappearing. Then came the newcomers.

Which you have because of said Germy People and the millions of other ways you come into contact with Germs every second of your life.

I thought about thread earlier tonight after drying my hands after seeing Part 1 of Mockingjay. After washing my hands, there was an Xcelerator dryer that I started to use and I thought "ohhhh..." (the bad kind of "oh") and then looked for some paper towels, for which there was none.

If you never want to go in a public restroom again, there have been a few studies about the industrial toilets, their spray and C. diff. It frustrates me that so many hospitals still have hand sanitizer out when most prohibit their staff from using it. In anyone wants to travel further down the germ rabbit hole, read on. I find it interesting what some hospitals will do to prevent the spread of germs from one patient to another. I like seeing doctors either with no tie or a bow tie - think about all their patients and surfaces that their tie has touched in a day. Doctors and nurses washing their hands as the first and last thing they do in a patient's room. Keeping sets of equipment in the patient room so it doesn't get moved from room to room - such as the stethoscope, pressure cuffs, thermometer, and computer station. Even something as simple as having one patient per room can make a huge difference in the patient's health, both physical and mental. So can sending them home as soon as they are stable enough to recover at home. The amount of infections patients can get while IN the hospital is staggering. Thanks to the presence of legionella in some water systems, patients can't use tap water for anything and are given sterile water to brush their teeth and rinse their toothbrush. People are germy. Very very germy. I'm very grateful for a healthy immune system.

It was between Drop Zone and the Son of Beast. I voted for Drop Zone! I love going up there and in a few seconds I'm headed back down to earth!

That looks like it was alot of work! pretty neat.

Hey, what'd I do? Or Goble? Terp, who sometimes comes running when his name is called (and who adored the purty picture!)

As I said to the grammar fiend, "There, their, they're."

You have some great artist skills there!

That looks amazing! I really like the work you did of Diamondback and WindSeeker on the top left!

Awesome! That is a great job.

That is really good! I think it's cool that you all drew some of the rides around the map as well as placed them on the map.

That's so cool! Great job you two.