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And if Kings Island were to lose business and close, those same people would complain that they lost a place to have fun at (and a babysitter for some...).

I would like to see Kings Island the themepark return.

Part 3: Back to Universal... Disclaimer: I was giddy for most of the events in this post. I'm giddy reliving them as I type. This post may cause you to roll your eyes. You've been warned. I joined a large group of IAAPA folks at the meeting place, where we boarded several nicer Greyhound-style buses and headed (back) to Universal. (I really don't think I've ever appreciated sitting down more than I did in those blissful moments, and I don't think I'll ever enjoy it quite as much again.) Our buses entered via some backstage entrance behind Hulk, traveled around the perimeter of IOA (let me tell you, they hide the backstage areas incredibly well--they're RIGHT behind most rides around the edge of IOA), and stopped at the end of a path that let you enter USF very close to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Employees welcomed us to the park as we headed for Diagon Alley and informed us that food and drink would be available in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Transformers: The Ride 3D would also be available, though I never made it that way that evening. As it turns out, food and drink being available meant that there were actual tables set up in the pathways throughout both areas with food on them that you could pick up at your leisure. It looked very delicious, but, to be honest, I had other things on my mind. Namely... Stop 1: Ollivander's, Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC There was NO way I was going to come all the way to Orlando and not stop at Ollivander's to see a wand pick a wizard and get one for myself. There was just no way. I had seen videos of the process and had somewhat hoped I might get picked myself, but just watching it happen once was more than enough for me. Entering down a long hallway whose walls were filled from top to bottom with wand boxes, I was stopped by one of Ollivander's "assistants," who asked me to wait until Ollivander was prepared. He then noticed my Ravenclaw attire and high-fived me for being part of the best house. (I attempted to conceal squealing.) More people entered and joined me in the hallway. Ollivander's assistant began asking us about Muggle life (e.g. how did we travel to Diagon Alley, etc.) and asking if we were all there to get a wand. He then turned to me and asked if I was, too--and I was, so I said so. He then questioned why I would need a wand if I was already in Ravenclaw, so I told him I'd had an incident in Potions that was kind of a long story. He "understood." I really loved the fact that general shop employees were "in" on the theme of the area and acted appropriately--that's really a neat touch that I could appreciate out of any themed area, let alone one that's themed to some of my favorite movies and books. Being somewhat alone in my Harry Potter fan-ness in my day-to-day life also made standing in a room of grown adults who were just as excited as I was somewhat surreal. Putting the details for the Ollivander's show in spoiler tags, just in case: Our group then exited to the shop part of Ollivander's Wand Shop, where one of the assistants helped me pick an "unclaimed" wand (as opposed to one of the Harry Potter characters' wands) that correlated to my birthday. It actually ended up being a wand made of Elder, though it is not the same Elder Wand from the final book/movies. It's actually got a skull "carved" in the handle, which is by far the creepiest of the wand designs. I bought my wand, never having been so eager to drop $50 in any amusement park in my life, and within a few minutes was looking for one of the spell locations throughout Diagon Alley. Check out Inside the Magic's video of some of the spell locations throughout Diagon Alley: I will put aside my nerddom for a moment to say that I think the entire "interactive spell location" idea is really an amazing idea, and I think the idea behind it could easily be used in other parks. While I can see some comparisons to adding guns to dark rides (and the negative points people have made about that invention), making theming interactive in the same vein as the spell locations at Universal adds a whole level of fun that can be accessed by many more people than rides. I LOVE the fact that just finding these locations and interacting with them can be as fun for families as the rides themselves, as I witnessed several times throughout my time in Orlando. I'm not sure how crazy I am about the required initial investment (i.e., buying a $50 interactive wand) but can see how you wouldn't want these areas to become so crowded that the quality of the experience is lessened. I think the employees that stand at some of the spell locations will let you use their wand, but they aren't stationed at each location, so you're limited if you don't buy one... Hm. I just thought this was such a neat idea. But I digress. Several spells later, I remembered that it was probably in my best interest hit up some rides instead of repeatedly causing fountains to spray water all night. Since many people had headed straight for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, I figured my time was better spent in Hogsmeade (rather, in Islands of Adventure.) A quick ride on the Hogwarts Express later (in a cabin full of British people, no less!)... Stop 2: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey WOW. I don't know where to start with this. The entire queue is a seamless, immersive walk through the grounds and halls of Hogwarts, complete with moving paintings and employees dressed as students from all houses. [still typing--just wanted to get this much saved!]

First, thanks to the OP for sharing our article related to the Heinz change. FYI, we have confirmed Prairie Farms has actually been an official partner with Kings Island since the beginning of the 2012 season.

Still really hoping Kings Island and Cedar Fair do something about this (at least what they can), or at least make their opinion heard. I hate to think of the effect these apartments could have on the park. From whining, complaining neighbors to an increase in unwanted clientele. I'm surprised I haven't seen more opposition to this as of yet, from the park or from the residents of Mason. ... Admittedly though, I haven't been to any council meetings so I may not be completely up to date.

That certainly was NOT the case at Kennywood, where the park was forced to buy out the constantly complaining, whining neighbors. That certainly was NOT the case at Dorney Park, where the whining, complaining neighbors were finally bought out, to allow more development. That certainly was NOT the case at Bell's in Oklahoma, where the whining, complaining neighbors got a court order requiring the Zingo roller coaster to close no later than 9 PM. That certainly was NOT the case at The Great Escape, where the whining, complaining neighbors were able to force The Comet to close at dusk. So, although I am not engaged in the private practice of law in Ohio, the District of Columbia, or any United State, I'd not be inclined to rely on Dalefan's understanding of the rights as between Kings Island and its neighbors. I'd advise the park to use competent legal counsel licensed to practice in the appropriate jurisdiction, should it have, or think it may have, a legal problem. No legal advice for any particular client is intended herein, nor a legal representation created hereby. Situations in other jurisdictions may or may not be analagous. This is a disclaimer.

Movin' right along, they are. REALLY looking foreward to my first trip there. KD, too.

I'm not a huge fan of Ken Hamm for a few reasons, but I don't think he is ignorant or intolerant. He is actually a relatively intelligent man, and he believes fiercely in his beliefs. I wish I could fight with as much conviction about what I believe as he does. I have covered his talks a few times. Interviewed people attending his talks, but never him. He has a tendency to take science and apply it to the bible instead of applying the bible to science. Depending on how you were taught the Bible is either a collection of stories about God's people chronicling their lives and the path God has set down for us or it is the 100% absolute truth and word of God, any distrust to what is said is blasphemy and punishable by a long warm stay when your life has come to an end. The battle between Ken Hamm and the world is no different that the Protestants and the Catholics or the Christians and Jews or Christians and Muslims. It is part of a belief system. As for me, I tend to believe that science can explain anything but it wasn't done by accident. When learning human anatomy our bodies develop in a very linear progression. If one thing goes wrong or is delayed (even by minutes) everything else can and is thrown off. There is a perfectly useful and easy to understand reason that science provides. However, knowing the reason does not diminish the miracle of the process and make me believe that there is a higher power guiding this. You can choose to believe that God is leading the scientist to unlock the secrets of the universe He has created or you can believe that scientists are trying to prove God wrong. I choose that God is working through the scientific community ...

What, no honorable mention for the Noodle? (-Tb, Krafting to be cheesy )

The Flying Scooters were removed by Six Flags after the 1999 season, it is unknown where they went.

In the 90's, Kings Island drive felt like you were entering a vacation/resort area. I can only imagine what it was like in the 70s and 80s. Parcel by parcel it is slowly moving away from that, even as Kings Island continues to prosper. Even the McDonald's down the road had a neat feel to it, only to be replaced by what looks like a 1950s office building (which is a whole other topic!). I have to say one of the bright spots for the area is GWL opening, but, of course, it did replace the campground.

have they started to demolish yet? I would think it would be a great location for a marquee, true, flagship Kings Island Resort location. And before it gets shot down, I know that GWL is the "official" hotel...

The park does wel for the Mason economy, so I would hate to see it go downhill because of this. Like most have said, it's already bad enough that they have complaining neighbors to worry about.

Except he is. Hamm is a profoundly ignorant and intolerant man. He's doing more damage than good. I keep coming back to this.... these are broad and vague statements. I'm going to call you out on this: If you're going to label someone that you do not know in any context to that level- provide an example of how: - he is profoundly ignorant - he is intolerant - doing more damage than good. . I am on break at work so I will expand on thos later but as for ignorance...his arguments against evolution and for a young earth consisted mostly of referring to the bible. Not exactly a peer reviewed and reliable source of scientific insight. Add to this his belief that dinosaurs lived with humans...so on and so forth. He is free to believe as he likes, as is anyone else, but in my opinion perpetuating this kind of thinking and stating it as absolute fact is harmful. I am paraphrasing here, but I believe he said no amount of evidence would change his mind. So, by your definition, he's ignorant. What are your qualifications for judgment? Don't get me wrong, I've been the museum once- not my thing. I think he's right on a number of things- not so sure on others; he takes a very conservative and literal approach to the Bible. Whether or not you take the view that the earth is "young" or billions of years old, the "peer-reviewed" source of scientific insight "technology" is less than 50 years old. Hardly time-tested. Either way, no matter of scientific review can convince me that the earth, people, dinosaurs, stars, other galaxies, etc... are accidents of nature. So, before we go on how ignorant he is- what qualifications are on the other side to determine this. I am not a scientist on any level; I'm not claiming him to be a genius at all; merely someone with a more informed opinion that I. I'm not likely to bend to your slant of thinking unless there are some scientific credentials to back up your label. Interested to hear (read) of how he is intolerant. That all said, I don't have a clue who you are and this is an argument that I'm not willing to split hairs on. I don't care if people think Ken Hamm is an old coot off his rocker... not going to make my day any longer or shorter. Just, across the board, tired of people labeling another person as ignorant, intolerant, etc... that really don't understand what the other person is about just because they have an opinion different than their own.

I've only heard rumblings of what they're planning for Coaster Stock. You're all in for a treat.

Welcome to KIC! And don't be a stranger!

When does fundraising start? Mid-late jan or what? I would like to start to fundraise sometime soon so that i could get even more for CFK. Also this is just on my mind that i want to put out there: This is not just a chance to go pay some money and ride coasters; nor is this event a right, but a privledge. It irked me last night thinking about it and i just wanted to say that this goes out to the kids who have had a terrible time and to the families for all their hard work. When you actually see these kids, it breaks your heart and makes you just want to thank the parents for all that they do for them. I truly think that this event is one of the things that an enthusiast should do to give back and help those who have been struck with hard times. Im sorry for ranting but it has been on my chest.

That boy could eat during just about anything.

Have you been to Dollar Days? Can you eat during it? lol

A pretty good lineup Ryan. It's a good demonstration of how Cedar Fair is trying to bring more fun to the park by using what resources they already have. I am looking forward to what future seasons have in store! The one question that I would like to know (which I realize I might not get an answer.) Where do the ideas come from? Example: Dynos after dark. Did an individual park come up with it? Someone at corporate? Questions like that are ones that intrigue me.

I live in the liberty township area which is about a 15-20 min drive. However I'm not sure what the apartment rates are currently running but you can pretty much baseball back roads to get to the park if you choose so which is what I did when I used to work there

I remember the vine tunnel quite well. I always called it the choo choo train tunnel.cause mom and dad would always go through it when we were headed for the train. From what I was told one of my favorite rides growing up was the smurfs enchanted voyage although I don't remember it at all. I do however remember when phantom theater went in and being scared to death of it. I suppose it was because all of the ghosts we're blue and I thought they killed the smurfs

Indeed. And caused such stringent zoning requirements that park development on the Busch side was severely restricted...

And IIRC didn't a lot of neighbors of Geauga Lake complain about noise and traffic from the park? Not saying that park wasn't going to close anyway, but...

I would never qualify morning news/entertainment shows as breaking news. They are not designed to be that way. They are targeted at a certain demo. That demo does not care for breaking news. They want a little bit of national news with a plethora of field good stories and interesting life stories. That is who how the morning shows are organized. If you want news check the evening news which is made for a demo that wants harder hitting news. It makes sense for a multitude of reasons that the mornings shows have a sense of self promotion. For the stations it's easier to get "our" guys to interview. Not to mention that it's a "free" 2-4 minute commercial. Honestly, it's no different than ABC broadcasting the Disney Parade (free programming) l...

They also did a piece on Banshee on GMA soon after it opened.

Interesting article, Terpy. It's all the "Decoder Ring" from "A Christmas Story." Everybody's trying to sell something. To be fair, Disney's Good Morning America did do a story in which Diamondback's announcement was mentioned (with the off-ride animation on the screen) in August of 2008.

My (limited) understanding is that they are not the same. HFCS would be listed as glucose-fructose on the ingredients list.

Liquid sugar may be just another term for HFCS.

I just looked at the ingredient list on my bottle of Heinz up here in the Great White North. Interestingly, it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup but liquid sugar instead. Now I'm curious to taste test both the American and Canadians Heinz ketchups to see if there is any discernible difference.

After going to coaster-count.com, and filling in my rides, I noticed an omission of a spinning wild mouse I had ridden at Miracle Strip Amusement Park. I contacted coaster-count, and they initially e-mailed me back saying I had most likely confused it with another park. After adding more details, they e-mailed me again, and now acknowledge it's existence. It is now listed on both coaster-count.com, and rcdb.com. Sadly, it is listed as unknown, on both sites. Does anyone else remember this ride? If so a name would be grand, and better yet some photos. They asked if I had any photos, unfortunately, I do not. Any help would be appreciated.

Good find, that site seems very hard to navigate. Thanks!!

I found some pictures here: http://www.themeparksonline.org/tpoRides.asp?ID=5174&selYear=2002&sec=20000&ParkID=104 Click on the Additional Photos page for more.

The owner of the park probably made a fortune selling that land though. According to Wikipedia, many of the rides have since been sold and moved to other locations, and a smaller amusement park opened nearby in 2010 (see http://www.ms-pp.com). It sounds like what happened is they waited too long to clear the land, and by 2010, the country was in a recession so people weren't as interested in buying beachfront condos. Things might turn around now that the recession seems to be ending to some extent, but still, luxury housing isn't as lucrative as it once was.

Sorry to double post, but what a sad article. "As we move up to modern times and into the cyber age. We had witnessed the explosion of the Internet and our nation was rapidly expanding with real-estate sales of all types. Real Estate Sales were basically on steroids and America was in transformation and taking on a new shape. The locals and municipalities of P.C.B. desperately wanted to shed the image of the Redneck Riviera. The City wanted to begin to earn what they felt these properties were truly worth and what they felt they should be making since this was in fact Premium Beachfront Property. It was decided to loose the Miracle Mile Image also known in slang as the The Redneck Riviera. The transformation would be marketed as The Emerald Coast" due to the Blue/Green color of the waters depending upon the time of day. The pressure began to mount on current business operators of the day and unfortunately this park along with others in the area's days of operation would be limited." And here we are, 10 years later, and it sits as an eye sore, an overgrown lot with abandoned buildings that used to house rides and attractions. That is unless something has changed since the 2010 photos included on page 2 of the article. I think there may be a lesson to be learned here. EDIT: I misread, as of 2010 it was completely leveled, the pictures were taken before.

Outstanding! Thank you kind sir. I think I even looked at that page before and missed it. I knew this site would come through.

Cinci rent prices soaring. See #8: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/business/top-10-cities-where-rent-prices-are-soaring.html/?a=viewall

Crazy Mouse (2002)? In the right pane, about 3 pages down: http://www.miraclestripamusementpark.panamacitysun.com/

Enjoy your fireworks this season, folks! Progress.

Perhaps the entire "plan" is a ruse to try to force Cedar Fair to buy the property at an inflated price?

I just hope it isn't unstoppable. And people were worried about being on WindSeeker for 3 hours, imagine 3 days on this thing

I hope that the banking on the turnaround turns out to be as fun of an element as it looks like in the renderings.

Wild that the turnaround is that tall. This is going to be a truly unstoppable coaster.

Carowinds just finished the turnaround just now. Looks amazing!

Storage?? I know a park in Mason that could use a turnpike....

Diamondback trains were unique. I really don't like them. They hurt capacity in many ways; the even numbered rows rattle more and isolate riders. I see the staggered seating as a gimmick. One that doesn't work very well. Think how much more capacity the ride would/could have if the trains were the same length but each row seated four.

That is a sad day when it comes...it's also hard when you have a slightly older one that knows "the truth" and a younger one that doesn't. It's hard to keep the magic going as long as the older one enjoyed for the younger one because the older one wants to spill the beans.

EDIT: Never mind, misread the post I was replying to.

That's because they're gigantic to a little kid...you don't expect Scooby Doo to be the size of a forklift!

Do you guys remember the little trains that you sat in and there was the little wheel thing in front of you that you turned with your hands and made the little train go around the track? I loved that thing!