Leaderboard

Kinda shocked that I didn’t get around to making this before, but here’s my first speculation map (to steal horror nights terminology) of what I think we could see in Opening Nightmare. I hope it’s clear which most of the scenes are but I’ll highlight my base thoughts before anything major is shared about the ride so that it’s impressive if I get anything right: - One of the areas that I’m 50/50 split about is if the Boo Blasters bridge entrance will be reused, or if a new short outdoor section will be built to enter the attraction. I’m not sure if this is feasible or a priority, but it would be cool to make the queue wheelchair accessible so that everyone can enjoy (what I’m very much assuming) will be theming in the queue. -I’m also pretty split on what the actual queue ‘preshow’ will look like. I’m really hoping there’s a Maestro animatronic on organ like the original. Only two maestro animatronics being on the sheet from the construction teaser worries me, but this could also be a more advanced figure so who knows. Also I’m assuming the lightning affects return to this space. -I think the statue busts are repainted and reused, but I also have a gut feeling there will be a tv screen placed at the end of the hallway to explain the game mechanics by Larry. - I’m fairly confident that the ride track won’t be changed in anyway, include the path the car’s face. I’m also reallly hoping at the first scene with Maestro holding the curtain stays with “So you wanted to see the theater did ya?” because that’s just one of those iconic scenes (even being featured on the made to thrill poster they put out). -I think either in the spot for Scooby Doo or the portrait hallway, there’s going to be a flash of lightning that disguises an onride photo. I don’t think it’ll be something they sell, but I think the scoreboard at the end will show photos of each guest and there score. -I don’t have many thoughts on the rest of the scenes individually because they’re hard to guess. I think where ever they put Garbonzo firing out of a canon, it’ll be in a spot where the cars make a 180 spin to see his feet dangling out of a wall or something. -I think Arpeggio (the cat character) could be a thing where he’s hidden in each scene somewhere. -I think the part where the original peppers ghost scene was is going to be the section with the most new scenes, and I’m very confident on the stage section being used in the final room. I think pepper’s ghost is going to be used in someway within the ride, either at the ending stage scene using screens, or with No Legs Larry at some point in the ride. Overall I’m very excited, I’m basically just using two photos and a press release to go off on, so if I got any of this correct I’ll be impressed lol.

They’re working on clearing out the props from the building and work is being completed in Florida I assume for Phantom, don’t worry. I think there’s just going to be a week where guests return on a random Friday during haunt and the outside entrance of Boo Blasters is just completely gone. It also is an indoor ride that’s technically a retheme vs brand new ride, so it could be a thing were everything’s taken out of boo blasters over a week (which I’m 80% sure has happened by now), Phantom props are brought in a Winterfest or off season week, and the ride can still be ready for like April. Personal speculation, but I think on October 31 (or maybe October 13 because spooky number and it’s not on a weekend day) we’ll see some major teasers hopefully showing off the designs for the characters we haven’t seen yet properly because I need proper references to draw them!

I was working in tech services in 2002 when phantom theater closed, we (tech services, ride mechanics and electricians) cleared out most of phantom ourselves. We took out all the animatronics, props, scenes, sound equipment etc. we initially moved all the animatronics to the “schoolhouse” which was located at the employee entrance on western row rd. Picture attached of the old school house and they stayed in that building until they started using them as props for haunt. after we cleared everything is when sally came in to install SDATHM, we worked along side of them installing all the controls, audio equipment etc but they did most of the installation.

I was also there last night! I think it might be safe to say that Thursday nights will be THEE go to nights for an actual good Haunt experience. The low crowds made for a much better experience. The vibes were absolutely vibin'. Lines were essentially non-existent for the rides unless of course you wanted to wait for a specific seat. Even then, seriously wouldn't even count that as hardly anything. Staff seemed in good spirits. I will say my only negative interaction last night was upon entering the park. I had an older lady at the scan in who did not seem to understand two very simple things. One-I still have and use my old Platinum pass card because the QR code is valid due to me renewing my pass each year and their system just recycling that same code for current day. She very rudely told me that they "no longer used those" and I had to explain to her that what the actual pass card said didn't matter, it was the QR code that was still valid and renewed for 2026. She was so rude and simultaneously confused about it I had to take my cell phone out and open the app to show her that I indeed DID have a 2026 gold pass and that it did not matter which QR code I used from whichever source since they were both the same thing. She kept asking me if I "upgraded" to a gold pass from prestige? Common lady... This all became an issue because I wanted to use my free BAF ticket (which is the second and primary reason for this snafu to begin with...) that was invisible to me but supposedly visible to them as I had my partner with me and she has not yet gotten her pass for next season. I explained to her that I bought my 2026 pass during the initial sale for next year's passes and it was to include a BAF ticket that wasn't visible to me, but should be on their side. The lady had to call over a supervisor and thankfully he was really nice about it and didn't make a stink over it and let us proceed. I wish I had gotten both of their names because the woman scanning tickets/passes clearly needs more education on her job as well as a massive attitude adjustment ( rudest person I have dealt with at KI to date honestly...everyone else has always been helpful or at the very least not rude while trying to understand something ) and the supervisor's name for not making the process any more challenging than it needed to be and letting us in to enjoy our night. We caught the pre-closing fountain show too and that really was such a fun and enjoyable display! I see what you all meant now about the use of the pyrotechnics being excellent and the overall use of the fountains and lights themselves was very well done. I look forward to catching at least one or two more Haunts on a Thursday night. It's worth going to bed a little later for the low crowds, low stress and all fun kind of night. Not to mention the weather was absolutely perfect.

Today marks the anniversary of Kings Island’s 2019 announcement that Vortex would be retired, and I’ve published a piece on TPBD reflecting on the ride’s legacy. https://themeparksbydon.com/remember-the-grip-Vortex-kings-island/

Here's a midway point check in on my Medieval Faire redesign of Action Zone! I'll go through my changes below in case anything isn't clear. It's kind of like the Medieval Faire area at Canada's Wonderland in terms of initial vibes, but it could be a little more Ren Faire village than castle village. Chicken Shack gets renamed to Court of Crowns; keeps a similar menu with a new presentation style. The seating areas are enclosed like at KD. Drop Tower is renamed to Giant Drop. A new RMC hybrid coaster called Demon Slayer is built to span I wanted to incorporate an element that would resemble a 40 degree loop (I can't remember the name, but its like halfway between a vertical loop and a helix), but couldn't figure out where to put it. It has a lift hill structure like Iron Gwazi, some nice inversions, and a Son of Beast station pass-through similar to the Yeti scare on Expedition Everest. The track would be black and could have one section with red, orange, and yellow track to call back to the Screamin' Demon. Three new flat rides are added, including an S&S Scream n' Swing that goes over the lake left over from Congo Falls. Knights of Fire (a callback to the nighttime show at some Cedar Fair parks) and Wild Dragons aren't specified because I can't figure out what they could be. Delirium is "moved" to be a part of Oktoberfest and renamed. A small part of Timberwolf is retained and turned into a permanent stunt show amphitheater. Banshee's lockers are integrated into the line under the station. The ride photo booth is put in a new building near the exit (like Orion has). A new building containing a ride photo booth and a new store, Merlin's Lair, is constructed and includes a covered pass-through. A new restaurant (this iteration is based off of Coney Bar-B-Que) is built near Chimera and Wild Dragons. I'd like to also see The Bat's entrance moved in this iteration to go between Demon Slayer's entrance and the new amphitheater entrance. I tried to lay out the pathways a little differently than they currently are. Personally, I'd be fine with losing the center path and turning it into a ring path. The trees would also get saved as much as possible. Take the names and exact locations with a grain of salt. I hope you enjoy!

There's an hourly show with probably the most pyrotechnics I've ever seen in a theme park. Lots of fire, cool music and lights. Would highly recommend anyone at Haunt to try and be on I-Street at the top of the hour. Strange the park has said anything and you can't find anything about it on the app.

Dollywood isn’t decorated RELIGIOUSLY, just with care and attention to detail.

That's how we become DOLLYwood LOL

Out of all the removed rides at Kings Island... the removal of Vortex hit me the hardest and I still miss it to this day

I have my own version of what it could look like with a new facade. (Also I've changed the placement and included an actual pre-show room, similar to Haunted Mansions around the Disney Park (Minus the elevators.) So that anyone will know what they're getting ourselves into this mess.)

Something tells me that Herschend doesn't like to deal with too many external IPs in their properties... This might've been the plan from the point when the Palace acquisition was completed. I wonder how long Herschend is planning to keep the Palace Entertainment brand around now that they've acquired it. It'll also be interesting to see what's still under the HFE/Palace banner after a few years and how it'll compare to the parks that have been with HFE for a while.

That is a bit of a stretch. They would need to put it together and test it a certain amount of times, get it certified by the state, then train the supervisors/managers, THEN get the crew trained which would honestly be a bit of a hassle as half of Coney Mall crew wise was completely changed up. For those who don't know ride ops at Monster were paired with Scrambler and Dodgem and both of those rides were on different crews this year so undoing all that and getting the ride ops cross trained with just a few weekends to go would be a bit of a task.

They are working around the base as well as 6 square black pieces of metal. You can see it from the Orion webcam. Plus there was a trick and a van parked there this am. My guess is they may have it ready for next weekend (Columbus day weekend) since it will be the busiest days of the fall seaon.

For the most part rides and attractions were open though. Outside of The Racer only running one side, the park was better staffed than I was expecting. Also the experience in the mazes and scare zones was top notch. With so few people in the park, I'm pretty sure every single actor interacted with me at least once, if not more. The emptiness with the fog added to a spooky feeling I don't think I've ever felt in a Haunt before. Would highly recommend anyone to try and make a Haunt Thursday work (also so they don't take them away).

I went last night and stayed till almost 9pm and had walk-ons or really short lines on Diamondback, Beast, Orion and Mystic. What a great evening! I got a ton of rides on those coasters and other rides and didn't miss going to any of the haunted attractions at all. The atmosphere with a ton of fog, scare actors roaming the park and world class rides, plus some good food worked for me.

But is it on the meal plan?

I suspect the current phase of the renovation is dedicated to changing the sets over. Then it will be the animatronics, then it will be the props. If the castle facade is changed, I think that will happen during the off-season. I'd love to see some (legally obtained) photos from inside the building during this phase!

When it comes to theme park storytelling, Dollywood is a master. From rides like FireChaser Express and Big Bear Mountain to their latest announcement, NightFlight Expedition, they immerse guests in a narrative long before the ride even starts. Now… imagine if Kings Island embraced that same approach.

The crowd is indeed small but it has been a beautiful night to be at the park. The Conjuring had no line whatsoever around 9PM but that might have been due to the new access pass procedure.

A guest pointed to Flight of Fear and said "Yeah they moved Disaster Transport from Cedar Point to Kings Island!"

I’ve been thinking about some of the old props that we still see from time to time. Garbonzo’s canon, the sarcophagus, and the organ were used in the stage show. The furnace is used in Slsughterhouse. I wonder if any will return?

Activity around the Monster this morning. No sight of the arms back yet, but movement none the less.

I won't even watch it....what's the point? 7 minute video of a park that I likely won't visit for the haunt season? Instead of paying for the production of these videos, why not pay for a promo campaign with multiple levels featuring the Halloween event in the markets surrounding the parks?

Apparently the contract between Palace Entertainment and Cartoon Network has ended and isn't being renewed, so they're retheming the hotel to Dutch Wonderland Inn instead: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/the-cartoon-network-hotel-to-become-dutch-wonderland-inn/article_547e3068-f210-4aaa-bfda-f9a2f76e4304.html

Traditionally neither legacy Six Flags nor Cedar Fair relocated water slides. The refurbishment and expense to carefully take down and move water slides has typically outweighed any savings. Water slides are pretty cheap, and it’s typically better to just buy new. My expectation is Ragin Cagun, maybe great chase, some flat rides, and parts and trains to be all gets relocated from SFA.

Circling back to this now that we're almost in October As of September 29, 2025 here is what the capital investments currently planned for the 2026 operating season look like: Carowinds will introduce a record-breaking water ride WORK STALLED Canada’s Wonderland will add a new record-breaking water attraction UNOFFICIALLY CANCELLED Kings Island will introduce a new family thrill attraction ANNOUNCED; "Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare" Knott’s Soak City will receive a water park refresh and aesthetic enhancements UNKNOWN Six Flags Magic Mountain will debut a first-of-its-kind coaster in North America WORK STALLED Six Flags Great America will celebrate its 50th anniversary, debuting a new kids’ area, commemorative events and park enhancements UNKNOWN Six Flags Great Adventure will unveil a record-breaking launch coaster WORK CONTINUING; PROJECT DELAYED Six Flags Over Texas will unleash a record-breaking dive coaster ANNOUNCED; "Tormenta: Rampaging Run Six Flags Mexico will introduce a family thrill boomerang coaster ANNOUNCED; "Speedway Stunt Coaster" Valleyfair TEASED; "Superior Shores Waterpark" So, currently we have 4/40 parks confirmed to be receiving capital investments for 2026... Carowinds and Magic Mountain's additions seem to be canceled, Canada's Wonderland could go either way, and nothing has been released for Knott's Soak City or SF Great America. Great Adventure's new coaster is still steaming ahead, so I'm curious as to if their "beyond 2026" statement was meant to mean something other than it opening in 2027. SFOT said they'd like to finish their work by early 2026. I wouldn't be shocked to see Knott's open Montezooma's Revenge as a New for 2026 attraction either. The Six Flags/Peanuts license agreement was renewed so we likely won't see a massive changing of the guard for that in 2026. Am I missing anything? It doesn't look like Cedar Point will get anything ride-wise for 2026 so far. There could be a bunch of relocations from Six Flags America (Valleyfair is probably getting slides from them), so it'll be interesting to find out about those. We might see the new websites and mobile apps in November as well as the new CEO being named around then. The future of Six Flags is definitely looks interesting right now.

Kings Island Trading Company - in a small display box at the checkout register. My biggest gripe about KI this year is, there have been literally only a handful of items added to the KI Online store all season. For those that cant get to the park - let alone on a routine basis - its utterly frustrating. Its never been this bad in years past. These should have been posted for sale immediately. How difficult would that have been?

It feels like it shouldn't be too hard to add a free BAF ticket to each renewed pass on the app considering they added my one-night Haunted Attractions Pass to my app without ever asking for my pass number. Hopefully these issues might be resolved if they ever release those new mobile apps and websites that were supposed to be published in July, but knowing this company I wouldn't expect them until mid-2026.

Cedar Fair ALWAYS had issues with promotions being totally unclear and not particularly caring if the guest has any clue what is available to them. My favorite was the "voucher" for a Fast Lane wristband you would get for renewing early, but they actually only needed the pass and not the voucher, so people would give them to a friend or whatever and send them to the park, and they were out of luck. Six Flags generally was very clear about what you were entitled to and how you could use it. They really did combine the worst of both companies, didn't they?

Sorry, super long, but here’s a narrative treatment I wrote to reinvigorate and unify RiverTown a few years ago. Rivertown thematic realignment and unifying story: In the early part of 1872, in the quiet riverside town of King’s Landing, the Mason family sold most of their farm to the industrialist G.W. Koeney, who was looking to expand his manufacturing operations beyond his existing factory on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. They retained ownership of the slaughterhouse, and the butchering business that had brought them their fame and wealth. Everyone knew “The BEST beast is butchered at Mason’s”. Things all went according to plan as the new factory was built by the lake, and the town began to grow with all the workers and their families… Everyone existed peacefully for years. A new rail line connected passengers and supplies with the farther reaches of the area, and new factories began to pop up along the roaring rapids of the White Water river. An ancient legend of a giant snake that slithered through the woods devouring children was shared around campfires by mischievous youth, but few gave it much heed. All was peaceful and productive in KingsLanding, the thriving RiverTown. That was until the summer of 1922 - 50 years after the sale of the property. One summer day, a mysterious pig farmer dropped off a herd to be butchered at the slaughterhouse. Amongst the herd he delivered was a crate. A strange snarling noise emanated form the crate as it violently shook. The mysterious farmer plead with the Masons to just take the creature off his hands and do with it what they would, as it was violent and “not of this world” Mr Mason carefully opened the crate, and - legend has it - the creature spring from the crate - killing all of those at the slaughterhouse, and fled into the woods. Late that night - howls could be heard from deep in the woods, and in the early morning light, an eerie quiet blanketed the formerly bustling town of Kings Landing. No one showed up to work at the factory that day - in fact no one showed up in town at all. It was as if The Beast that escaped from the slaughterhouse wreaked its revenge on the entire town. No one was seen again, and soon the factories were boarded up by the banks and left to ruin. 25 Years later in the 1947 the lost town was rediscovered as a group of young entrepreneurs opened the Miami Valley Lumber company on land out past the old creek by the new highway. Around the lumber mill, activity returned to the once bustling town. The past was forgotten as new businesses began to pop up. A farmers market opened at the old D.B.Ryder farm. One creative showman even tried to capitalize on the old legend of the giant snake, and opened a roadside attraction there complete with a “snake museum and emporium” to catch tourists passing through on the new highway going to the campground just beyond. Once again, the area prospered for many years, but once again a mysterious tragedy struck. One morning in the early 1980s, the security guard’s truck was found crashed though the front gate to the lumber yard. No one could find him, and as the morning crew looked around the shop - his radio came to life broadcasting the tragic events of the night before as he issued a dire warning to stay out of the shed out back. No one really knows why this RiverTown is cursed. Was it The Beast that was unleashed that day long ago? Was the legend of the giant snake true after all? Was the area angered each time people tried to earn a profit by exploiting it? Was their something truly evil lurking in the woods, or was it simply bad luck? Today, RiverTown brims with life as developers have rediscovered the old industrial spaces and reclaimed them as creative food halls and entertainment venues. Urban explorers have rediscovered the old lumber mill and raging white waters, and are now offering adventure tours of the beautiful woods surrounding Kings Landing. Life has returned to this RiverTown, but if the legends are true… how long will it last? New entrance experience where the old path to antique cars is. New rock work and waterfall fed by the town water tower. "Welcome to Kings Landing: is a ghost sign on the water tower with "RiverTown" in new lettering overlaid. Wafter flows from spout down to rocks. Restroom building is redressed with minimal theming (area appropriate signage) The pizza building and arcade building are replaced with large, multi level "factory structure" with smokestack with a large K on it. The Kings (food) Design and Manufacturing is a food hall with LaRosa's, (dear GOD do we need this pizza in 14 locations, but whatever) Fried chicken, Country Style sandwiches, Burritos etc with large windows looking out onto Diamondback and out the back onto the new lake where Vortex. was. Terraced outdoor seating and an indoor and outdoor small stage for live music add to the overall ambience. On the upper level, Club72 - the Prestige pass members lounge provides indoor and outdoor seating as well as a dedicated pay bar and complimentary snacks. Beast and TRTR become the "coal fired power plant" for the factory. Beast loading is reworked to use the drink stand as the "plant office" that the line moves through. Water feature is reintroduced to this area and ties into the new lake in the old Vortex location. Exit is rerouted back through the original exit path to free up FastLane entry. Coal mine car is reactivated as water feature or at least cleaned up to become more visible and labeled as "MineShaft 01" Slaughter house is given exterior upgrade as it is now key to the overall story of the area. It is better "shrouded" by landscaping. Possibly open on weekend nights or short runs during the summer as a "limited time haunt". TRTR is redressed as the coal processing facility - renamed "The Furnace" in reference to Phantom Theatre boiler room. The exterior of the metal building are given faux brick panels on the lower areas and themed rust with faux factory windows. labeled "MineShaft02" (TRTR opening year) The existing queue is slightly redressed to be a coal mine. The first separator room (monkey room) is used for additional switchbacks. The preshow room becomes the coal loading (load area) room with the cars coming back empty from unload. A large crane overhead with a load bucket and giant furnace add kinetic energy to the area and take advantage of the height. The cars dispatch into an indoor wild mouse ride with minimal set pieces such as an ore crusher overhead on the lift hill and mirrors to reflect the car to give the illusion of imminent crashes with oncoming mine cars. The The ride unloads in a newly added building on the backside of the main show building after passing through the furnace (tunnel with heat and light effects) . The exit would flow to the left toward the Beat/Slaughterhouse area instead of to the right toward the train. White Water Canyon - Renamed “Kings River Rapids” to tie into the story. Signs at the entrance and along the path advertise Rivertown Adventure Tours, the new business that has set up shop along the river offering white water rapids tours. In the wave pool area, a factory style tower labeled as “water pump 85” (opening year) is added to hide the wave machine. This ties into a sign pointing to the “Thomas Nathaniel Turner Explosives and Munitions Factory - 1.4 miles” (referencing Peters Cartridge) so the actual building would not need to be shown or built. In the former pay geyser area, TNT crates and barrels line the shoreline and a few float in the water as new geysers “explode’ like dynamite around the boat, providing a much more dramatic finale. The overlook of this area also houses a new beer stand (relocated form the midway) to bring additional revenue and activation to this area. This bar stand/food location is themed to the check-in stand for the adventure tours. Additional minimal theming is added to the final lift area such as “Kings Mills Water Works” signs. Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad - New narration tracks are recorded to play during the ride referencing the story and the landmarks as they are passed. The live spiel is eliminated for a more consistent message. The horse is moved - and additional horse added to the open area by the fort along with signage advertising “Kings Landing horseback riding” to tie into the outdoor outfitters storyline and get away from trying to make the “old town” section feel like a period recreation. The old town area is aged and overgrown. Narration in this section speaks to the fact that this is part of the original Kings Landing that “disappeared” that fateful day. The food concession areas in the train area (funnel cakes, potato works) are given a slight cosmetic makeover. The out-of-theme giant SPRITE umbrellas are removed and replaced with smaller solid color shade structures on the funnel cake side. By the train depot, a larger covered seating area is constructed with different flooring to look like an old building. To allow for promotional opportunities, crates with Coke or Sprite logos and vintage bottles are stacked in the rafters and around the area. A small permanent stage area is added to this area to allow for small local performers. This ends the section “Old River Town” themed to the factory and mining associated with it rooted in the early 1900-1920s. Once the bridge over the stream is passed, you are in the lumber mill section which is rooted in the 1940 - 1980s. The D.B.Ryder Farm From the bridge to the entrance by the Log Ride, the pavement is changed to look like a road with tan - earth look concrete on the sides. Landscaping in this area ****s to lots of grasses and wildflowers to look more like farmland. With the exception being around Mystic Timers where it is kept wooded Brewhouse is converted into FarmStead Market. The interior is given a lightening up with a country-modern look. The menu switches to either a family style or buffet style, homestyle “farm to table” restaurant to the left. The bar is removed for additional seating and additional windows added to bring light into the space. That area is dressed as the old market with tables made from produce shipping crates and farmers market graphics. There are a few 1950’s era vintage cars parked out front. The bar moves to a new, three sided “open air” barn that backs up to the existing restroom building. That building is redressed to be part of the barn with opening on both side still for the restrooms. The Gazebo and existing FreeStyle location are removed for this. The sides of this are roll up during the summer, but can roll down to look like windows during the cooler days. Additional seating is added where the Christmas tree lot goes TomChe stand is possibly removed for additional seating, or stays as small snack/beverage Diamondback- No major changes. Thematically this becomes the D.B.Ryder Farm homestead that was converted into the Diamondback Snake Emporium and Museum in the 1950s. Graphics and posters are added in the queue telling the “Legend of the Diamondback - the giant snake the terrorized the woods of Kings Landing years ago. This area become like a “big foot roadside attraction” theme. The old farm house had been converted into the museum about the Legend of Diamondback, but is now a shop. The support buildings are redressed to look like barns and farm buildings. The ride is a “roadside attraction” that was built along with the Snake Emporium. Mystic Timbers - no major changes - tv’s and the “modern security guard” story is dropped and this is supported by the backstory that in the 80’s the site was abandoned and we are hearing the old security tapes from way back then. Narration might need to be tweaked a bit. The Log Ride is stripped of the Charlie Brown theming and repainted to a rustic look. This becomes an extension of the Miami Valley Lumber Company. There is a giant rotating saw blade added above the trough at the top of the first lift hill. Linus Launchers is replaced by Zamperla Nubulaz dressed to look like giant spinning windmills. The area around it has spinning windmills - this marks the transition zine between RiverTown and a revamped Camp Snoopy. The “road” in the pavement leads to this area so it is the main path of travel for guests

AND then you can tie product back to the experience like “midnight desert party with exclusive viewing of the finale” from the I street restaurant from 10:30-12. I like the idea of “surprise and delight” with unadvertised things, but they need everything they do now to drive attendance and visibility to reinvigorate this post- merger brand.

I wish they would theme up Diamondback. I like the name, it fits, but it's an oddity. Ironically, the species of rattlesnake that lives in the area is the Timber rattlesnake. Eastern Diamondbacks live in the Southeast, and western Diamondbacks ( which I think our coaster is themed to) live in the desert southwest.

I loved this segment and the idea, but I kind of have mixed feelings about this. The Racer without a theme or a story is ironically a theme itself part of Coney Mall; it was meant to pay homage to and sort of be the replacement for the Shooting Star at Coney Island. The whole Coney Mall midway is meant to be an homage to classic traditional amusement parks, specifically Old Coney. The concept is really cool, but when sticking with the theme of Coney Mall, a classic wooden coaster themed to something other than a classic wooden coaster would feel out of place, even if "The Racer" name remains. In my opinion, The Beast and Diamondback would benefit greatly from a story telling standpoint. The Beast had a theme to an old mining company, but Diamondback could be themed to an old farm being terrorized by a large oversized Diamondback rattlesnake that's taking over Rivertown. They could enclose the queue and make it look like a wood barn with tools and other props lining the walls.

They’d have to have people on the marketing side that would know the fountain show would be of more interest to audiences across all communication channels than pushing products like season pass, dining plans, drink plans, and maze access passes. It would inspire more people to plan a visit if the focus of their content was on experiences like the fountain show over products. It’s easier to get people to buy the products when they’re interested in checking out the experiences the park has to offer. They’ll post something soon on the fountain show because they’ll see people are talking about it on KIC and Tower Topics. But the event will be halfway over by then.

I have to agree with this! While I'd love more theming at Kings Island, I don't know that The Racer needs much more than itself. Thunder Road at Carowinds was originally themed to directly correlate with the titular film and had fiberglass train fronts to match. Racer fits into Coney Mall because it is a classic wooden coaster in an area themed to a classic amusement park of the early 20th century. I love the thinking that went into that Tower Topics retheme though! If we need to find a coaster to retroactively add theming to, I'd vote for Diamondback. The park could enclose the upper queue line inside a building and theme it similar to the queue Snake River Expedition had up at Cedar Point. The side that faces the pathway could even be used as a facade to bring some of that "town" feeling back to Rivertown — something that Diamondback's construction notably interrupted.

Stories are great for rides like Mystic, Beast, Banshee, Orion, and even Diamondback- and while I’m sure KI could make up one for Racer- I don’t think that a made up story would be the right fit for it. Actually, I argue that the best way to tell Racer’s story is with its history– how it sparked the second roller coaster renaissance, how The Brady Bunch rode it, how it ran backwards for a while, how it’s as old as the park itself, etc. Sometimes a ride’s history is its greatest story

Be at HAUNT - fountain at 9 (7,8,10 11 and 12) and you’ll see.

If you are hungry, hit up Coney BBQ tonight. They are doling out heaps of chicken strips and the roast chicken is huge. Like the good old days!

Really unfortunate what happened. But I think Stardust being classified as "intense" is a bit much. It's one of the best rides I've ever been on, but I wouldn't put it into even the top 10 of most intense roller coasters I've ridden... I've received headaches from plenty of rides in the past, including Invertigo and Vortex. But it never crossed my mind to sue the park... Not even sure how that woman is going to be able to prove her injury with how long ago it happened.

There is so much myth and lore in the mountains though, that I feel like they could add 1-2 experiences that push into the “spooky and supernatural” real a bit more. Not sure where exactly to keep them separated from the family friendly aspects, but the area around Mystery mine, possibly the old queue path for Slidewinder, the place where Rudolph used to be… there are places it could definitely work.

As Boo Blasters is officially no more, construction is set to begin on the transformation into Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare set to debut in Spring 2026. This thread will be used to document the construction progress of this exciting "rebirth" of a former beloved dark ride. As a reminder to keep the terms of service in mind when posting on here and to only get pics in authorized areas. To view the terms of service, view here: https://KICentral.com/forums/topic/4128-terms-of-service/ Here's to another season of construction! To get things started here's the advertisement of this new ride outside of what once was Boo Blasters shared by @Losantiville Mining Co. in the announcement thread!

That's fine! Many people prefer Chipotle to McDonalds! It doesn't mean I want a burrito when I'm craving a Big Mac.

I’m excited because it will truly be a surprise the first time I ride. I don't remember the last time that we haven’t been able to see construction photos for a ride at all and where it is not out in the open like most of the recent additions!

You got it!

@IndyGuy4KI can this thread be pinned to replace the Soak City 2025 Construction Progress thread? The one in the KIC Newsroom might work for general discussion, but I'm wondering if this one would still be good to pin. It was really nice to see the park post the picture of the heads today because I think it shows that there may be a higher willingness to share updates for this than there has been for the past few years' additions. I'll be very curious to see how everything looks as people get back into the park during the park buyouts and when 9/19 rolls around. Will the castle be gone yet? Will we see nothing yet? Who knows

I'm excited and sceptical at the same time. I get they want interactivity on the ride kids get to feel they are participating. But honestly, I'd prefer an I-Spy ride. Make the ride about how much stuff you can secret into the experience. Granted they could do both, and I hope they do. Make each ride a little different by unlocking things you missed with the flashlight. But don't make the ride generic blast everything and nothing new happens

I'm super excited to see how construction progresses and how visible it will be! There's not a lot of it visible from the park's webcams, and they have tended to make sure construction cannot be seen from those in the past few years. I wonder if any of the other spaces in the building will also be renovated alongside PT:ON. It would be nice to have a better layout for the Peanuts Showplace (and a better name IMO), and I'm sure the other spaces in the building might be in need of a little TLC. I've stated in other threads how much I hope the park doesn't just put up their "Exciting New Offerings" chain link fences, and I'm sticking to that. Any hiding that can be done using a wooden fence would be great! Some of the first things I think we'll see outside is the removal of the signage and the demolition of the "BH" crests that can be seen from the pathway. I'd assume the castle won't come down until the park has time to properly demolish it. That way it's not as visible that there used to be a facade there. Any of the indoor stuff will probably come out through the garage doors closest to International Street.

Too soon?