Shaggy

The fence is where Fearfall was originally located. Front of park.

Let the speculation commence… (Photo credit - Brunner on FB)

I received my items today - via Fed Ex. I'll not spoil it, but it made my day. The T-shirt is my fav design to date! There's another surprise in there too ;-)

I completely disagree. I'd be all-for a refurb/update of WWC including some animatronics. Knotts very successfully updated their rapids roughly five or six years ago - and its breathed a brand new life into it. It has various animal animatronics peppered throughout the course with some are visible to those waiting in line. Its quite fun to be on the lookout for them. When I was last there, it had one of the longest waits in the park due to renewed popularity. I typically avoid rapids rides (I dont like having squishy shoes.) But I anxiously hopped in line for Calico River Rapids at Knotts because I wanted to see all the theming... not because I wanted to get soaked. I'm a fan of "plussing up" existing and aged rides in order to keep them fresh and interesting. The issue with animatronics is, they wear out fairly easily (especially in the elements.) And historically, KI hasn't been the best at maintaining them. But the ones used at Knotts (built by Garner Holt Productions) seem to be a bit more weather-resistant and built pretty sturdy. The redesign was overseen by Ken Parks and his team at Cedar Fair's XDS... and they did an incredible job at developing the story for Calico. It made it a well-rounded attraction - with a fun and cohesive storyline - instead of just "a rapids ride." WWC at KI is now 40 years old and it's ridership has visibly declined. I vividly recall the immense popularity of it those early years. A lot of that had to do with the fact it was a star attraction - and people were curious about what it did, where it went and what it was like back in those woods. The first season it opened, the line to ride stretched all the way through Rivertown virtually all season long. I'd love to see them show some love to the attraction rather than let it die as other parks have... cough... Carowinds... Cough... Over the years many of WWC's original "tricks" have disappeared.... the water snakes (I loved those - they were crazy water hoses along the side of the trough that would wiggle and whip around squirting the boats) the waterfall/mist tunnel, the hidden "boom cannon" etc. It could use some love and frankly a rehab could make it immensely popular and marketable again. In the hands of XDS and Ken Parks, there's no telling how cool and fun it could be. Photos are a small sampling of Calico Rapids from Knott's Website:

I predict every single coaster in this park is a goner. If they have a heart, they’ll save Wild One. But frankly it’s not marketable enough to relocate. A certain SF Exec has an axe to grind with Intamin… so Superman will get scrapped.

Not surprised. Fun fact… Growing up in Virginia, Im old enough to remember when it was originally a small park named Wild World. I think it started as a drive through animal attraction, then it operated mainly as a water park in the early ‘80’s. It had some flat rides , but when they added the Wild One coaster, that helped popularize it. I vividly recall the park and all the ‘80’s commercials. Obviously it eventually got bought and expanded to a Six Flags park. It never really took off even with the large Six Flags investment.

Phantom Theater was on the chopping block because it needed an massive refurbishment and overhaul. I know people love to look back on the ride with rose colored glasses.... and I agree that it was one of KI's all-time best attractions... but by the end of its life it was in really gross/terrible shape. Over a third of the PT effects/figures either didn't work - or were in such presentably-poor condition that it was pretty embarrassing. Had the park maintained the ride and budgeted for its upkeep the way they could, and should, have... and had the guests respected the ride... it would still be there today. However, IMO it was a victim of laziness on behalf of the maintenance staff, poor budgeting (so figures/effects couldn't be repaired/replaced as needed) and disgusting abuse. That was the overall main issue with Paramount ownership. They budgeted huge on new attractions, and installed some pretty darn incredibly themed-attractions. But to make up for that, they massively cut corners on general upkeep of the park. Attractions, once opened, fell very quickly into disrepair and legacy attractions weren't perceived as worth re-investment.

They've tried the laser tag attraction before. Specifically, there was one for at least a couple seasons at the end of Coney Mall in the old Cinema 180 dome during the Paramount years. It was always an upcharge.

I know of two sets of originals and at least one set of duplicates. One is housed at the park, the others are in a private collection. As others have said, neither is accessible to the public.

Oh - Here's some other fun things I recall from that time period.. Shortly after "Drop Zone" (Xtreme Skyflyer) opened, KI started work on Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. It became the typical game of going to the top of Eiffel Tower to try and see/figure out what they were doing (once I figured out something was going on behind Racer.) KI obviously caught on and teased enthusiasts by cutting crop circles in the grass - I remember the grass had been cut to look like an alien. As the season passed, the ground was being dug up and moved. I think they finally announced it late season, and there was a large billboard showing the layout of the ride placed right where the entrance to Area '72 is now. They started building the "drum" by the end of the season. And throughout the winter of 95/96, you could see FOF being built from I-71. Well, the building that is. They completely closed in the front side of the building (side facing the interstate) with its metal walls, to obscure pics/sneak peaks of the track being assembled. They then assembled the track inside the frame of the building, out of view of curious people like me driving past the park during off-season. Once they finished track assembly... they closed in the walls on the back half of the building. Obviously, there was no Winterfest. So enthusiasts had to wait what seemed an eternity to see it (well, the outside of it) in person. It had a delayed opening, so for the entire spring and a good part of June - the anticipation was crazy. When it finally did open - the line stretched all the way down Coney Mall past Vortex - single train... 5 hour wait.

Thanks - I appreciate that. I had some "blips" in my dates - now corrected. I'm getting too old to remember them all - so I gladly pass the torch to your expert KI History knowledge. Its up to the next generation to keep up with all these factoids ;-)

Sorry - my dates were off on the Top Gun opening... 1993. Again, was going by memory (which isnt what it used to be. LOL!) I corrected in the above post. ;-)

I wanted to just trip down memory lane... for the sake of those that may remember, and those that maybe haven't been around long enough to remember, when Xtreme Skyfler was added. This is all from my memory - so I'm doing the best to recall some details... Xtreme Skyflyer was actually constructed after the start of the 1995 operating season. Originally called "Drop Zone", most of its construction happened during the week while the park was in weekends-only operation. It's assembly was highly visible from the Interstate, and many rumors actually swirled among enthusiasts/guests that it was potentially early construction of a new coaster. (The arch looked like a large inversion.) You have to remember that at that time, skycoasters were a brand new idea and most people had not seen one before. Kennywood opened one the year prior (If I recall) to great success. (Kennywood's did not have a rounded "arch" - rather a squared structure - so that led to some of the confusion about the one at KI looking like coaster track/support from I-71.) After the Kennywood success, virtually every theme park in the country hopped on the bandwagon and contracted to add a Skycoaster. To increase capacity at larger parks, the attraction now used an "arch" to double the throughput by allowing two sides to operate simultaneously. There were dozens built over the next couple years at every major theme park. (Causing a back-log of orders and mid-season construction/openings for many.) KI's "Drop Zone" opened as a larger version in late June (If I recall properly) as a part of the recently coined "Adventure Village." That area of the park - prior to the addition of the Skycoaster - had been in a complete state of theming flux. 1993 saw the addition of the first "new ride" added under the Paramount Ownership - Top Gun. It was also the first new coaster added to that area of the park since 1984 (King Cobra.) In reality, the coaster was planned prior to the Paramount takeover and has always been rumored to have been intended to carry a "bird" theme (I believe other names related to "Thunder" were also being tossed around.) Top Gun was odd name choice mix considering it was placed in an animal/congo themed area. The first season of Top Gun's operation, to get to the ride's entrance, you actually walked along a path that wound around and behind the Safari Monorail Station. The entrance was completely obscured and hidden and confused guests. (Then once you got to the main entrance, you still had to navigate the massively long meandering queue through the woods.) There were originally elaborate props along the path... Air-Craft Carrier artifacts, a revolving radar/scope movie props and posters. Not to mention the song "Danger Zone" on repeat over the speakers hidden in the trees. During Top Gun's original season, I think the area was still called "Wild Animal Habitat." (From 1974-76, it was called "Lion Country Safari".) But Paramount's intent was to re-theme a multitude of rides to capitalize on movie branding. I could be wrong. By 1994, the name of the area had definitely changed from "Wild Animal Safari" to "Adventure Village" to better suit the onslaught of movie tie-ins planned for the park. Also, the park knew in '93 it would be the last year of the Safari Monorail. They explored options of turning it into a movie-theme ride called "Movierail" that took guests past sets/artifacts from Paramount licensed movies & properties. Ultimately, the idea got scrapped - as did the monorail system. Also, if memory serves me, 1993 was the season when they also radically reworked the entrance to that area of the park. Prior, as you entered Wild Animal Habitat, you crossed a fairly narrow wooden footbridge over a stream that flowed from under King Cobra's helix over to a pond adjacent to Cafe Kilimanjaro (now Chicken Shack.) There were originally, cages/netting on the cafe side that housed exotic birds during the warmer months. On the other side, the stream culminated in a small pond under the King Cobra helix. There was a jet spray in the pond that was set off each time a King Cobra train passed through. This bridge area became a terrible bottleneck when Top Gun opened - so they remodeled it all to expand the midway and alleviate congestion. By the start of 1994, the old Monorail Station and track was removed. The western portion of the land on which the station sat is where the Skycoaster would be built for the following season. (It also necessitated the removal of a small wooded area between the old station and the "Congo Coolers" frozen drink stand. ) In 1999, the park gutted "Adventure Village" and gave the area it's current "Action Zone" re-theme. It was at this time that the park re-named the Skycoaster from "Drop Zone", demolished the "Congo Coolers" drink stand, and built the Intamin Giant Drop in its place - giving it the name "Drop Zone." Finally, here's a rare look at the gutting of Adventure Village during the Action Zone re-theme. Pics (taken by yours truly) start with the final weekend of operation as "Adventure Village including "Drop Zone" and Congo Coolers drink stand, and then show the gut-job they did over winter 1999.

Photo Credit - Nick Lamb via Roller Coaster Enthusiasts Club on FB.

This is exactly right. Herschend is moving the park away from the long-standing/former "Thrill Park" moniker. The idea is to "soften" the image of the park - to become geared to families. Future expansions & additions will reflect that intent. A good example is that two of the more "thrilling" flat rides are quietly being removed this year - Eye of the Storm and Cyclos. With a focus on seasonal events, I look for the park to make even more family-focused changes in the years to come.

Was at the KFEC today and snapped a few KK construction pics. Can’t see much from the perimeter road, but it’s definitely a construction area. BTW - the kids coaster (former Roller Skater) has been painted (except for one bit on the lift hill - as far as I could tell.) Also, the Giant Wheel’s legs are still standing. I know there’s been some enthusiasts questioning its removal, but it appeared to me it’s just disassembled for a refurbishment.

KD is re-theming and refurbishing their FOF for 2025. KI's continually has one of the longest waits in the park, and its a co-anchor of Area '72. I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon.

I always thought it was called the International Restaurant because its at the end of International Street. ;-) Even back when it opened, it offered more a more "common fare" menu (The same kind of menu I was speaking of... meat and potatoes.) The more diverse/themed entrees were served at the various eateries on the midway based on the country being represented (Sausage at the German/Swiss venue, Beignets at the French Corner etc) IMO, the International Buffet tried a bit to hard to be diverse during its recent Winterfest offerings... and the menu & price kept people away. Sure kept me from going back. Example of an original IR menu:

S&S Screamin Swing in empty plot of land behind International Showplace... oh wait, non ride... darn. A complete re-do of the International Restaurant, open on a permanent basis. No weird menu - no couscous crap... just good old standard meat and potatoes menu.

I'm kind of numb to the sponsor thing. Its been around so long I look past it. Lest we forget KI was, essentially one big Sponsorship... built to capitalize and propagate Taft and Hanna-Barbera Productions. Attraction "Sponsors" are hardly unique to SF.... Heck KI opened several attractions with commercial names plastered all over them. Sherwin Williams, Bank America, Kahn's, Rainbo Bakers, Coke, Marathon Oil, Fotomat etc. KI has had hundreds of them over the years. Remember Kodak Photospots? Or Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal sponsored by Kayak Pools? How about Landscaping by John Deere? Shows at the American Heritage Music Hall sponsored by Chevrolet? One could go one and on. Granted the ride cars didn't necessarily have the sponsor's names on them - but the signage and park paraphernalia sure did. Finally, let's not discount the Paramount Years... where most every new attraction's theme was essentially a commercial for a dated movie title.

KK is moving the "adult" rides, minus Lightning Run from the front of the park to the newly expanded area between the Thunder Run Plaza and Storm Chaser. I look for everything - including Storm Chaser to be re-themed/re-named. They will close the path that ran from Storm Chaser to the former T2, mostly to remove rides and install a major "attraction" rounding out the two-year $25M plan. I believe the vacancies created by the loss of the rides at the front of the park will be filled with more substantial buildings & infrastructure (over time) that will allow them to flesh out their Halloween and Holiday events. IMO, if they don't seize the opportunity to relocate the carousel to the former location of Helivator, they're nuts. There's ZERO charm/interest to the front entrance plaza. Should the Fairgrounds ever plan to re-route perimeter road, it would obviously benefit the park greatly. But, as I understand, that's still a long-range dream. That having been said, it seems ironic that Hershend is clearing the rides from a side of the park on which a newly-routed road would need to go. The relocation of the rides could be killing two-birds with one stone - should the fairground ever move forward with a re-route. But for now the focus is on building the new Wing/Hall behind the existing West Wing. That's planned for the rear of the fairgrounds - not near or around KK. When that hall is complete, they will then move to the second phase and replace the West Wing & West Wing Pavillion. The WW Pavillion is adjacent to the entrance plaza of KK only. Of note, the renderings I've seen of the Fairgrounds remodel still show the road dissecting KK. (See pic below) One main issue that has always prevented the re-location of the perimeter road is the State Fair Midway. The Midway rides are all placed in the exact area where the new road would need to go - and there's electrical infrastructure placed in the lot that powers the rides and attractions. Not to mention the road would now dissect the SF midway from the park. During the State Fair - they "merge" the park with the Midway. But there's also been a long-standing rumor dating back to the Six Flags days that there's an intention to "flip" the entry of the park. As I understand, both Six and Hart discussed the possibility of pushing the main entrance to the (former) T2 area. With parking being placed in the lot adjacent to Kentucky Flyer. KK is still a mediocre (at best) half-day park. Here's hoping it can grow and improve. However it still fights many of the same battles it always has - mainly perception by the locals. That is, and always will be their greatest challenge.

I’ve been saying there’s more removals to come. And there still are… Re: SFMM.. I have heard there are as many as 4 coasters potentially on the chopping block at SFMM alone. Of course that park is, IMO, over saturated with coasters. So I don’t think the loss of them would prove too detrimental. Im not as sentimental about any of the removals as many. Just kind of the way of the times. I do hope that the SF execs look at a variety of opportunities as their replacements… like more flats and water rides. For years parks have gone coaster heavy. As I age, I’m more attracted to a wider variety of attractions- rather than just coasters.

I'm sure there's a minimal level of care. But they are making decisions from a non-emotional standpoint. Remember, the parks are being overseen by a team led by the very person who, when they were acting GM at KI, sacrificed the original Antiques, KCKC, and Flying Eagles. Sentimentality is not forefront on the current executive teams mind. Cutting maintenance costs and redemption of real-estate within the parks is. As I said in an earlier post - it is what it is.... and there's more to come...

As a Louisville resident, I hope Christmas at the Kingdom grows into a nice local/regional event and finds its niche. I am glad others have had a good time attending, and I hope those planning to attend enjoy themselves. That having been said, I had an overwhelmingly disappointing experience. I would grade it a "D+." I'll keep things semi-short by saying there's a great deal of room for improvement in many areas. The most noteworthy being a terrible layout and confusing flow through the park. Oddly closed off paths, dead ends, very dark unlit paths, a lack of directional signs etc. Obviously being the first attempt, it can't necessarily be a home run. So I'm sure those in charge will spend a great deal of time reviewing what worked, and what didn't. (Here's a couple starter tips KK: Move Santa to the front of the park - no one can find him and he literally has no one waiting to see him. Staff some security in your gift shops so that your revenue stream isn't getting stuffed into the pockets and purses of thieving guests. Also, send some security to those confusing and dark paths to curb pot smoking.)

There's more closures/demo notices yet to come across several other parks. SF Corporate is going hard on high-cost, high maintenance rides. It is what it is. Personally, if/when this comes to fruition - I will not miss Nighthawk. It was a terrible ride and is on my "will never ride again" list.