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Could that be the all new, Sir Pretzel?

Can you imagine the amount of power they could provide if they covered the parking lot in panels like the Cincy Zoo.

All that sounds great! I hope your are correct.

Some things I expect to see happen with John Reilly as CEO are ticket and season pass prices being raised, a stronger focus on customer service, and less regionalization with departments. It will eventually get back to the way it was and should be with more boots on the ground at the park level.

So, I do know John—I worked with him at SEA both when he was COO under Joel Manby and as acting CEO after Manby was forced out. He was not CEO when Blackfish came out (I believe he was still park president at San Diego when that occurred)—Jim Atchison & the remaining old guard at BEC were still in place when Blackfish dropped. Joel was brought in as CEO (from Herschend) to try to reverse the mistakes that had been made after Blackfish—if I recall correctly, he then promoted John to COO from the San Diego park. Personally, I like John—I thought he should have been named CEO after Joel and before they hired Gus from Carnival (who I was not a fan of). John started his career as a popcorn seller in college at BGW (he enjoyed telling that story ) so he grew up in park operations when SeaWorld/Busch were at their best. I’m a little biased probably, but I think this is a good choice.

I am going to put the menu in this thread for easy reference. French Corner: Café du Père Noël White Chicken Chili: Chef’s own recipe of Stewed Tender Chicken, White Beans, Bell Peppers, Herbs and Spices served in a Bread Bowl. Shepherd’s Pie: A hearty filling of tender Beef and Vegetables simmered in a Rich Stock, topped with creamy Mashed Potatoes and served with a Baguette. Pull-A-Part Bread: Our famous Kings Island Cinnamon Treat, topped with Cream Cheese Frosting. Rivertown Potato Works: Old St. Nick’s Potato Factory Holiday Dinner Fries: Turkey, Roasted Mushrooms, White Gravy, Gruyere Cheese, Cranberry Sauce and Crispy Fries. Honey Ham Fries: Our Fresh Cut Fries topped with Honey Glazed Ham, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Cheese Sauce, Mustard Glaze and Green Onions. Coney Bar-B-Que – Smokehouse Christmas Country Christmas Platter: Roasted Turkey Breast, Honey Pork Loin, Holiday Sausage, Cranberry BBQ Sauce, Corn Souffle, Green Beans, Sweet Potato Fries, Drop Biscuits and a featured Hot Holiday Dessert. Other: Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders and House-Made Smoked Pulled Pork. Wishbone Grill It’s a Wonderful Chop: Grilled Pork Chop, Caramelized Onion, Apple Compote and House Chips served on a Bun. Broccoli Cheddar Chowder: Stewed Tender Broccoli, Potatoes, Shredded Chicken, Cream and Cheddar Cheese in a Bread Bowl. Enrique’s Cantina: Enrique’s Christmas Café “You Mac Me So Happy”: Build your own Mac & Cheese! Choose from over 25 toppings selections. Miami River Brewhouse: Blitzen’s Brewhouse Christmas Turkey Sandwich: Crispy Turkey Sandwich, Lettuce, Tomatoes and Cranberry Aioli on a Toasted Bun. Coney Treats: Candy Cane Concoctions Pull-A-Part Bread: Our famous Kings Island Cinnamon Treat, topped with Cream Cheese frosting. Festhaus: Tannenbaumhaus Grandma’s Holiday Meatball Hoagie: House-Made Meatball, Marinara, Provolone and Parmesan Cheese. Grain & Grill International Kitchen: Scrooge’s Sausage Haus Turkey Dinner Ball: Served with Sage Turkey Gravy, Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Holiday Cranberry Sausage, Classic Smoked Sausage, Crunchy Chicken Tenders, Macaroni & Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Garlic Potatoes, Winter Salad and Greek Salad. World’s Greatest Funnel Cakes (International Street) & Rivertown Funnel Cake (Rivertown) – Sugar’s Cake Factory & Claus Confectionary Gingerbread Funnel Cake (Sugar’s Cake Factory only): Spiced Gingerbread Funnel Cake topped with Gum Drops and a Mini Gingerbread Cookie. Cherry Cordial Funnel Cake (Sugar’s Cake Factory only): Chocolate Funnel Cake topped with Cherry Filling, Whip Cream, Powdered Sugar and Chocolate Curls. Eggnog Funnel Cake (both locations): Crispy Funnel Cake topped with Eggnog Frosting, White Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar. Crème Brûlée Funnel (Claus Confectionary only): Crispy Funnel Cake topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, Brûléed Caramel, Cinnamon and Powdered Sugar. Pull-A-Part Bread (Claus Confectionary only): Our famous Kings Island Cinnamon Treat, topped with Cream Cheese frosting. Chicken Shack: Dasher’s Diner Naughty List Chicken Tenders: Spicy dusted crispy Chicken Tenders. Jukebox Diner: Tinsel Town Diner Holiday Meatloaf Burger: Our blend of Spices, Muenster Cheese, Sweet Ketchup, Bacon Jam, Shaved Red Onion on a Toasted Bun. Sweet Spot Giant Gingerbread Man Coconut Raspberry Snowballs Eggnog Tres Leches Peppermint Bark Brownie What are you wanting to try first? Source: https://www.sixflags.com/blog/kings-island-winterfest-food-guide

It appears the stock was on an upward trajectory anyway, but at least it didn't nose dive like recent announcements caused.

IIRC, those were donated to the zoo so it was little to no cost for them. An ambitious ask, but I couldn’t imagine how much it would cost Six Flags to install panels in any of their lots without significant incentive. As someone who advocates for solar energy, there’s something cool about seeing the whole park unobstructed as you approach from the parking lot.

So this clearly isn’t Houdelini like I originally thought, so I wonder who this is

Something to note: Kings Island will not offer the Winter Wonderland Dinner in the International Restaurant for Winterfest 2025. The park confirmed this change in a comment on their Facebook page.

I agree with Don because since the new Six Flags CEO John Reilly has joined Six Flags today....As a matter of fact, yes there is a need to less regionalization and be more focused on local like Kings Island's and I do believe that John Reilly will do great things and be more successful.....moreover, it's obvious to me that some of the holiday events were cancelled at other Six Flags parks including Kings Dominion.... Fortunately, there are Holiday in The Park at Six Flags Over Texas and Fiesta Texas are still there so is Winterfest at Carowinds, Kings Island & Canada's Wonderland. It's sad that many people in Virginia were upset that Winterfest at Kings Dominion got taken away due to losing money....and some had to make tough choices to go with Busch Gardens Williamsburg or move to another state like Florida and Texas where it has more entertainment opportunities especially that where holiday events at theme parks are offered..... I could foresee Kings Island will keep Winterfest for years to come....

The operations have always been among the best in the industry since Kings Island opened its gates in 1972, but it’s not as good as the Taft days.

Just gotta ask a question here ... Cedar Fair operations, in general, at Kings Island, were typically top notch, until budget cuts reduced labor. ( Let's be honest, staffing issues didn't hold water after 2022, it was an excuse). I would pit CF KI ops again Taft ops any day. But, to be transparent, my lense is marred by the fact that I'm an adult now, and understand logistics better than when I was a child/teen and didn't. So they might have been better back then.

I would also like to see KI operations go back to the pre-Paramount era. It's unfortunate many today did not experience KI in the 80's. It should be noted Reilly was president of Busch Gardens December 2007 (prior to Blackstone purchase) to November 2010. He had a direct influence in bringing the Busch Gardens Williamsburg name back from Busch Gardens Europe.

FWIW—the posts I’m seeing from all my former colleagues at SeaWorld (and a few that had jumped to Palace at some point) on LinkedIn have all been overwhelming positive on the news. I think it’s always telling when people you used to work with say good things about you and congratulate your new place of employment for getting you . During my career I’ve had a mixed bag of executives I’ve worked for I’d say that about—but John would be one of the positive ones. Regardless, he’s going to have a tough road in front of him at SF—a perception of failing customer service and crushing debt would be a huge challenge for anyone.

Sorry, I should have looked into this more but was at work. I saw Parques Reunidos and jumped the gun. It looks like John Reily was only at Palace (Parques Reunidos) at the very end of their time in the USA so he can't really be blamed for how bad that group was. I went to Lake Compounce in its last year of Palace ownership and it was the worst operated park that I have seen. Kennywood fared a little better as their crown jewel, but they did not make a lot of positive changes during their ownership period (2007 to 2025). The turnpike was removed, Garfield's Nightmare went on way too long, and they added just two new coasters in 18 seasons of ownership – one with very low capacity and another very good, but highly unreliable. It's good to know that Reilly was not responsible for almost all of that. @Browntggrrin an ideal scenario... anyone who would operate Kings Island like a Busch Park. I see those parks as the spiritual successor of the original intent of Kings Island. Meaning that it was an elevated experience not quite at a Disney level but more special in its presentation, theming, and overall feel than a typical amusement park. Kings Island has done quite well on the coasters over the last 15 years, but the premium feel and aesthetics of the park from its early days has not come back. If Reilly can operate the parks like Busch at their peak, assuming they let him do it, then this could be a very good and effective hire.

Did I hear correctly that he was also SeaWorld Parks CEO after the release of the Blackfish documentary? If he does an awful job right out of the gate then at least the Board is still there and functioning. It's entirely possible that he was chosen in case the company is led into bankruptcy. A smaller name who could help bring the company up from the edge or guide it through Chapter 11 proceedings. I'm am personally convinced that his resemblance to Mr. Six also factored into his selection

This is such a bad take. You might want to do some research on John Reilly and what he accomplished while he was at SeaWorld Parks and Resorts and Palace Entertainment/Parques Reunidos.

Unmitigated disaster is an interesting take. While no CEO/ COO record is perfect, his leadership with Parques/ Palace did provide a positive trend for customer service- one opinion many have been clamoring for when it comes to SF prior to the CF merger. He also made shareholders happy at the same time. I'm encouraged the decision was not just a "money" person. Who do you believe would be better suited for the job?

I don’t know John Reilly, so before sharing my thoughts and opinions on Tower Topics I’ll need to talk to some people who do. I will have a piece published tomorrow on TPBD on what I’m looking for on the new CEO.

Mr. Six is that you?

A full re-route and separation would probably be the best option for it. Widening the path would still require a new bridge and might not solve the separation issue. I'm hoping the parks can take some time over the next few years to build dedicated Fast Lane paths for any ride that's still missing one. The Beast is the first that comes to mind, but I think there are a few other rides (especially at other parks) that still have Fast Lane going up the Exit path (which should be exclusively reserved for Accessibility and exiting purposes).

The app is showing Songs of the Nativity near the carousel pavilion, which might explain the rigging that appeared there near the end of Haunt: