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Not a specific memory but there's a group of 9 women who worked together in Games between 1987 and 1993 (ish) and we still get together every few months! We are all so thankful that we worked at Kings Island and met each other.

I worked in Guest Services from 2015-2018. I think my favorite memory was when a young woman and her mom came in to the office looking for some information on KI's accessibility policy for guests with disabilities. I was going through the process with them, and one of the questions we ask when doing our assessments is "is there anything else I need to know to keep you safe today". The teenage girl mumbled something, so I asked if she could say that again because I missed it. Her mom said "Oh nothing, she was at the campgrounds with her friends yesterday, and they were being mean to her and she is having a bad day today because of that." So I went and filled out the paperwork needed for her to safely ride, and when I came back, I also printed out 15 dollars worth of in park credit called "Beagle Bucks" to give to the girl to help make her day a little better. I handed the sheet to the mom and went over the information, and then handed them the beagle bucks and explained what they were and said "I hope this can help make your day here the best day ever". The mom welled up and could not get words out. She simply reached her arms out as an embrace, so we all had a mini "group hug" as she kept saying "thank you so much" over and over. It was such a small gesture. 15 dollars to buy a stuffed animal or a couple of blue ice cream cones, but it changed their whole attitude and day. I loved days like that in the office. There were so many times were you would get wore down by tough situations, but then you helped someone solve a problem, and you could feel their gratitude, and it you remember why you love the job and the park. (more stories to come!)

I'll throw in an incredibly cringeworthy story that I think about often. It's funny now, but at the time it was brutal. I was working Zephyr in 2012. One day a kid told me hello after looking at my name tag. The name wasn't correct except for the first letter. I was having pretty rough day and I replied half-heartedly, without even really thinking, "Can ya read, man?". His mother, clearly angry, proceeded to tell me the kid was blind in one eye. I meant to apologize, but instead asked "Oh, he is?" It was a girl.

Preach on! Preach on! I tell everyone that was the hardest work, and most thankless job I have ever done. Its soooooo much more than operating the attraction. On Beast we worked our @$$ off all the time... and we did so in blazing hot temps. Its been 20 years since I was on crew... but I have the bad back to proove I did it. I'll give you an example of something I didnt expect when I signed on as a ride op at KI... there was a season pass holder with a severe mental and physical handicap restriction. However, his favorite ride was Beast... so he'd come often. Because of his affliction, crew members had to secure a special seat in a train, then hold trains while we lifted him from his wheelchair into the ride. We then had a special harness that strapped around his chest and belted into clasps on the back of the car. Once he was secure, we'd load the train, secure lap bars - do a final check of his restraint and send him (the train) on his way. We'd allow him 2, maybe 3 consecutive rides - all the time pacifying the folks waiting for that seat. When his "turns" were done, we'd unstrap him and lift him out and back into his wheelchair. The first time I came upon this experience I was completely taken aback. But we got it down to a science and after a while we got to know him. Frankly, I reached the point where I looked forward to him coming - because what I saw was pure joy. He LOVED riding The Beast... and seeing him get so excited and having fun is one of my best memories. Oh, and guess what... the guests actually often loved watching it and would compliment and thank us for helping him. It really restored my faith in humanity... a little bit ;-)

I was reading the former employee Q&A topic posted recently, and thought about something. Former park employee stories are some of my favorite things to read about. This board has always been ripe for discussion about visiting the park, but something I've always thought was missing was a dedicated thread for former employees to post their best stories and memories from working at the park. No matter what department you were in or at what time, I'd love to hear some interesting, funny, heartwarming, or scary stories from those of us who spent our summers in the blistering heat to keep the park going.

I currently work in landscape at the park, been there a year now. My favorite weekly ritual with another good coworker is to mow the tower legs every Friday. It usually takes us around 1.5-2 hours to mow, weed eat and blow clippings. But the satisfaction I get from putting in the nice straight burnt in lines, making the tower legs look pretty is definitely something I am proud of. It’s something I enjoy while working and also as a guest in the park.

First rule of working on Demon: We don’t talk about what happened on Demon.

Here's a funny... that wasnt funny at the time... When you work rides, one of the most frustrating things you deal with is guests that insist you look for their lost item. Whether its glasses, wallet, keys, phone etc - it seemed as though it was a never ending parade of people that were constantly holding up ride cycles due to negligence in securing items. As a member of The Beast crew, we were obligated to do a quick "sweep" of the seats & car on behalf of the guests. (Many times the lost item had simply fallen between padding or occasionally under the seat and we'd find it. - It was actually rare that an item in someone's pocket flew out of the train.) The problem was, with literally THOUSANDS of people riding in those seats - not only do they get greasy, grimy, sticky, wet, dirty, smelly and just generally gross - they also collect lots of trash (park maps, refill cups etc.) We had a "pattern" we'd follow where we'd run our hands in a certain direction around the seat edge, in between the pads then under the seats. If we felt any trash as a part of that check - we'd pull it out and toss it. If the item wasn't found, we'd ask the guest to check back later or with guest services. The ride ops HATED doing it, and we griped about it to each other all the time away from guests... but it was "part of the gig" so we had to literally grin and bear it. Well, one particular hot Sunday afternoon I was working unload on Beast. Now mind you, this was 1999 so smart phones - even just plain 'ol cell phones - were not a common thing. But pagers were. (For you youngins - pagers were a cellular device that would text you a simple message or a number to call.) Well if memory serves me, a train came in and of course some man got out and freaked because he was missing (I think) his pager. Soooooo... As the load-side gates were held, I did the quick sweep of the seats, then around the padding, then across the floor under the seat. Well, when I reached under the seat, I felt something damp and squishy and proceeded to pull it out thinking it was just like a wet park map or something to throw in the trash. I stood up, opened my hand, looked at it and realized... I was holding poop. Well, not really... but we'll get to that in a bit. Of course there was a station full of waiting guests that were all watching me intently during the checking routine... and ultimately saw me holding a "turd" in my hand. There was literally a collective "GASP" from the guests when they realized what I had found. I even saw one lady mouth to her husband "He's holding $^#@!" I was simultaneously: A: Shocked B: Grossed out C: Utterly embarrassed D: completely baffled at how _ _ _ _ got under a seat. So what did I do? Well, I threw it away of course! I then immediately freaked out to the crew lead about needing to go sterilize my hands. We were on minimal crew - so I couldn't go anywhere until a relief area manager could come to Beast to fill in. I actually used water from the water cooler to wash my hands as best I could (No hand sanitizer then) and I think we had some general ride cleaner on hand that I doused my hands with. When certain "ecological" issues arose - we'd sometimes call ecology to clean it up or we'd make an "incident report" or such. I cant exactly remember what we did in this particular situation. But I do know the end result was that after being closely analyzed, the determination was made that what I had picked up was indeed - NOT poop. You see, at that time in the park - several of the midway games had prizes that included "Bugs Bunny" stuffed animals. (Not Six Flags - go figure.?) And it turns out the "poop" was actually a very wet, very dirty stuffed "carrot" that had fallen off the hand of a Bugs Bunny stuffed animal. It had simply turned into a very wet, mis-shapen and dark brown blob. (Don't ask me how... it probably had been there for months....) So there you have it... the day I pulled poop out of The Beast, which wasn't poop after all, much to the horror of myself and everyone else in The Beast's station. P.S. - Yes - the guys pager was found... on the floor behind his row.

Personally, I'm glad that the large trees were removed. They ruined the forced perspective of the buildings. One thing that has always struck me looking at old photos of International Street is how wide, open, and grandiose it looked. I'm very happy that we're getting that feeling and look back.

One record I know it will have is The First Giga Coaster to come to Kings Island.

I worked at one of the gift shops, the Nickelodeon shop, the year the Son of Beast came out. Every day I had to explain to some very annoyed guest why the Son of Beast was down. That ride never did work right.

When the park closes, each segment of the park is closed as guests file out. Security does an initial sweep for guests, then closes off the area while ride ops finish their nightly tasks. There is also overnight security and the KI police which patrols basically 24/7 while the park is operational. I think the biggest asset though are the cameras around the park. The KI communications team is top notch, and often consist of former police dispatchers, security professionals, etc. They monitor the parks activities before the park opens, and until after the last associate leaves the park, which can be very late. Not to mention trespassing laws etc. If someone really wanted to hide out all night, it could probably done on occasion, but most people would get caught.

I would say that maybe 1-5 out of 100 are "unrealistic". I learned that even those people who are ranting about something that seems irrelevant are only doing so because they feel like they didn't get the help they needed at some point through out the day. As someone else said earlier, even a complaint that seems minor has some value as its something that can make a customer who is on the fence about coming back be more likely to do so if they feel listened to. And most of the time that is what most people wanted, an ally on the inside. Now, that being said, there were guests who came in simply just to try to "get something". The most absurd thing I ever heard, and I kid you not, was a guy who complained that there "were not enough Asians working at Panda Express". It felt like I had to gather my thoughts for an hour in my mind before I knew how to respond. So there are those times where the complaints are absurd, but 99 out of 100 guests, even when upset, are valid.

You are right, they are missing an opportunity to turn I-Street into an attraction all on their own. Replace all those shabby old trees with new palm trees, rife with coconuts. Begin your KI Best Day with a sprint down I-Street dodging coconuts that fall from the trees from a height entirely possible to hospitalize you!

I have so much I want to say on this topic, but I'm going to wait until the first time I walk through those gates this year and see the finished product for myself before I make a judgement.

I worked Rivertown Potato Works in 2004. Sadly, I had to watch the original Tiques get removed for Backlot, and during that part, the demo crew hit a sewer line. The smell flooded the entire back end of the park, I-Street around the Eiffel Tower, and a good chunk of Coney Mall. We had a lot of trays from other nearby food outlets, like Rivertown LaRosa's, what was the WINGS, and even some Skyline (this was after they removed the Rivertown Skyline foot long location, the next nearest one is Coney Mall). We always got very busy after the water park closed, particularly after the train rolled in, plus Tomb Raider was still new and there was a lot of activity in RT due to that. I would love to catch up with some of my co-workers from back then. It was a pretty smooth work environment. We got along really well and it translated to how we worked.

When my wife was 6 months pregnant we went to Tweetsie Railroad and the local County Fair, she rode anything and everything she wanted. The Zipper, Round-Up, Tornado, Musik Express, Chairlift, Skycoaster. 11 years later and the only side effects was the child is a coaster enthusiast and isn’t scared of any ride at Carowinds.

There's lots of work going on at the park overnight - so I think its just a matter of the night shift crews keeping their eyes peeled and notifying security (who patrols the park) of any oddities. I know when I was on Beast crew, there was at least a couple times we reported a "guest in park" after the ride had gone 2-9 (Shut down for night.) We were sometimes there until 1 - 1:30 am... on really busy nights cleaning/storing trains after the line had been run out. (The Beast was typically the last ride to be put to bed.) We'd then walk through Rivertown as a crew and that's when, on rare occasion, we'd spot people. Frankly - some of those late nights were my favorite memories. We had a lot of laughs.

Even the most unrealistic complaints are useful because at some point in that guest's experience, there was something the park could have done better. No matter how small an impact, every piece of feedback can be valuable in some way.

Well you are in an extreme minority then.

Assuming there is a new coaster coming in 2020, yes I expect there to be teaser signs for it (ala “watch for falling trees” with Mystic Timbers) by preview night, and yes, signs of construction as the season progresses.

Frank 1 is able to sign off on the nightly permit due to a special agreement with the city. Both Mason and KIFD also inspect the site regularly. -Ryan Who totally gets that fyrfyter is probably the one person who understands my post.

I personally have not kicked anyone out, but I have seen it happen. The most common reason is that someone is tries to come in to the park without paying (lots of ways people try; I won't go in to them though. I don't want others getting ideas). People have also been removed for the usual things you would expect. Shoplifting, not listening to employee requests, etc, etc. I will say that KI security/KI police do not get near enough credit. KI acts as its own functioning city essentially, and to have a city of at times 50,000 people and they are able to keep control the way they do is impressive. They do a great job handling the public and dealing with them in a fair way that still keeps the park safe.

I’m happy to see those large trees go. I love the way that international street looked when the park first opened. The openness of the area seemed like, grand I guess? KDs trees ruin their international street for me. Just imagine what Main Street at Disney would look like with big trees like KD has. It would not look good at all.

I like a nice storyline to go along with a coaster, which we have seen with Twisted Timbers, Copperhead Strike, and Mystic Timbers, and to a lesser extent, Steel Vengeance. (I can't speak to RailBlazer). But once the train leaves the lift hill, I'm not concerned about visual themes, but it is nice to pick that up once you get to the brake run. In the overall cost of the coaster, I would think the cost of theming wouldn't be a huge percentage.

Most have watched the Youtube video of "Beast Unleashed", a non official Giga concept making its way across the internet. This spawned a wave of excitement on social media, the enthusiast community, and even made local news. Kings Island fans believed, and some still believe, the park will be getting "Beast Unleashed" in the next season or two. This of course, was just an excellent fan made concept that was not associated with the park. In this latest podcast we talk with KIC Member RuthlessAirtime who was the creator of "Beast Unleashed". Before listening to the podcast, please watch the video if you have not already done so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV5UyTOezvY https://kicentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/KIC-Podcast-5.mp3

I have arrived to the park early enough to see the fountains turn on, which from my experience was at quarter til 9, give or take a few minutes. Though my shift wouldn't start until 9:20, I always wanted to get to the park early (usually 8:40ish) not just to get a better parking spot but also to see the fountains turn on! I found (and still find) that intriguing.

@DonkeyKong I agree. Even though I have seen some of the work from the air, it's all still going to be a nice surprise.

I've attached some of the MT posters that I saw during Winterfest in 2017. @Hawaiian Coasters 325 4th picture down is the one you are referring to.

Thanks for the review! My friends and I are heading out to Carowinds in about a week and a half. Looks like it'll be a fantastic park!

@Katie P @KI_Landscaper83 @Ted Christian @Alicia Welcome to KICentral!

Definitely seems like a satisfying job! Thanks for keeping the park beautiful.

Please tell us how you the mower into those 4 areas? With the concrete and iron fence, getting a mower in there could not be fun.

The last piece revealed! Link to CPBlog post: https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog/the-third-map-reveal

That is so cool, @Katie P.

Beast way.

I'm no arborist, but it could be that the trees lining iStreet had reached height maturity and once that happens their main growth would come from "regeneration"- meaning shedding branches and limbs to facilitate new growth. Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a park with thousands of daily guests can't have trees lining a busy thoroughfare that are regularly shedding 100lb limbs. In that respect, the only option is to clear the slate and start over.

Once when I was coming back in through the front security check, one of the security guards had been talking on the walkie-talkie to someone else about someone who had just been apprehended inside the park, after jumping off the train to run off into the woods. He made a comment afterwards to the effect of “oh, now we aren’t kicking people out for that?” I suspect the “guest” ultimately was kicked out though.

I am really exited for you guys to listen to this podcast. Here are a few more pictures from the video that you might not have seen while watching. We would love your feedback of the podcast!

I think this is a nice addition to Sunlite Water Adventure. I actually had known for a while that this was coming. Last year, they had the diving boards closed all year, due to state regulations, and there were many people sad that they were closed. At one point in time, I think that they did have high diving boards, but those have long since been gone. This will replace the Pipeline Plunge water slide, which has been problematic the last few years. It was closed for several weeks last season. This new attraction will be popular across a wider demographic, and allows diving boards to return to Coney. Not many water parks at the major chains have diving boards, so it is definitely unique, and gives it more of a community swimming pool feel.

Working Games in 04 there were three things of note. I busted a group passing fake bills. That was fun had to do an actual police report and everything. I watched two groups get into a fight. Pretty sure I saw one group flash a gang sign at the other and it was a rival. started with water bottles getting thrown and went into a full on brawl. I will never forget an old guy coming out of no where and grabbing two of the kids involved and holding them up screaming at them. I just sat back and enjoyed it. Security was over to get them fairly quick. Some random tween girl thought it would be funny to throw a softball at my face at one ball milk can. I think it is a quarter game now right by Racer. I had her and her two friends thrown out with a quickness while they pleaded with me. I have no remorse your actions have punishments.

My personal favorites are the ones that say “look, now you made them cry” like I made up the rules or designed the ride. All I can think is who would be the one crying if their kid got thrown out of a thrill ride. A few minutes is not worth a life!

That person was technically breaking the law by spitting over the side, which is why they were likely being removed from the platform, and potentially the park. It is against Ohio Revised Code to disobey any written or verbal rule on amusement rides in the state (Section 1711.551). At Coney, I have had security remove people from the park after they have threatened to beat up one of our operators for not letting their kid on the ride who was too short.

When you make a master plan to lose more weight before the next season to make sure you can ride the new coaster (and get more air time!) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When someone makes a topic called "You Know It's the Off Season When...".

When you argue over the spacing of Banshee's loop.

When you start dreaming about the park.

when you watch pov's to every ride in Kings Island. even Flight of Fear.

...when we're all talking about Banshee and watching the webcams closely.

Yes, repeat trouble makers have been banned before, and season passes have been revoked. I've been involved in several situations of that sort in the past (not as the person being kicked out, but as one of the people involved in the situation on behalf of the park). And people have tried to re-enter while banned. I had one situation where I clearly remembered the person, and he tried to come back a few months after he was banned. I just happened to be out near the turnstiles, he saw me and left the rest of his group to go back out to the car. I followed him, got park police and he was escorted off park property again. And the funny thing was, the park police officer that responded was the one involved in his ban the first time. When he pulled up to us in the park police car, he got out and said to the guy, "What?!?!?! You again?!?!?" I had to stop myself from laughing when he said that!