Shaggy

That pic is baffling... For all intents, it makes sense that it would be 1980... but I guess it could be from early summer 1981. If you look real close, some people are wearing shorts, the grass is pretty green and the foliage looks younger on the trees. The former pad for Stadium of the Stars is still there... but the bleachers are not... I didn't find any ads for concerts in 1980 at KI past June. There was a BJ Thomas concert at KI in spring 1981 I believe. I assume he was a big enough draw to require the stadium? There also doesn't seem to be any concerts held at Kings Island's Stadium of the Stars past May of 1981. Also, because I am a show nerd - I can easily tell that the show playing the American Heritage Music Hall is "That's Entertainment." It played the 1980-81 seasons. There are obvious billboards in front of the theater that have cast "still shots" on them. (Notice they are gone by 1982 - that's because "Celebration" was now in production.) The Safari Amphitheater is not in use. I believe in 1981, it sat dormant... but I dont know if it was used in 1980 either. There was a Calypso band that played in that area of the park, but I don't think they played IN the amphitheater. There was, TMK, no bird show in 81 however. The odd thing, of course, what appears to be coaster track in the parking lot. It could be "The Bat" track. But why on earth would they have additional track and/or supports left over after the coaster had opened? Seems to me that would have been gone by 81... but then given it was a prototype, perhaps not? Also, I know by looking through the pics that Mr Joiner took, they visited in both 1980 and 1981. He took shots from the Eiffel Tower both times. My eyes arent as good as they used to be, but maybe that is not track in the parking lot and, perhaps, remnants of bleachers from Stadium of the Stars? Hmmmmmm....

It was moved from approximately where the front of the Festhaus is now, to the plot of land beside it (Where the age/weight game is (was?)

1982 was a big year for change at KI. Obviously, celebrating their 10th Anniversary, they refurbished/expanded Hanna-Barbera Land. But (going by memory) I believe that season also saw the loss of Rotor, Bayern Curve left at the end of the season, the Ferris Wheel was relocated and Racer turned backwards. They added Viking Fury, Winterfest premiered with the new Festhaus and Timberwolf opened earlier in the spring. In addition, if I recall properly, that was also the year that they completely overhauled International Street and did away with the "yards" in front of the shops. That's a lot in one season. I would suspect that, by that time, many of the attractions were "aging out" and the park just needed a general refresher. New decade - new stuff - new look. (That trend obviously continued over the next few years as Coney Mall got overhauled, Enchanted Voyage switched to Smurfs etc) Also, as the park had expanded over the years, attendance had grown. They had also added season passes to the mix around that time, so they probably felt more pressure to change in order to hold the attention spans of those that would be returning year after year, week after week, day after day. Not to mention, they felt like they had to mask the previous season's inferiority due to "The Bat" being so temperamental - and then completely closed for all of '82.

Not to nit pick - but Festhaus actually opened with Winterfest in 1982.

Also of note on that map is the placement of the Ferris Wheel. I have not seen a construction photo of Viking Fury either, but the concept art is out there...

Its an often forgotten gem. I rode both "versions" pre and post re-do. I re-rode last year and it reminded me how much fun it is.

Hear hear! I said it before, I'll say it again - these are rare gems. Bob is to be commended for taking them, as is Jeff for Sharing. Thanks for posting them here at KIC as well.

I really feel bad for the park. What a horrible position to be in. They have added the biggest new toy in their history and cant show it off, or invite all their friends over to play the way they'd like. I know some may be upset, complain, argue, point fingers, rant and rave etc (after all, that's what people seem to do on social media.) But I am positive Kings Island is as frustrated and saddened by this as anyone - and they'd change it if they could. Everyone will have a chance to ride, some sooner than later, but ultimately this whole situation is a bummer from all sides.

It went light blue in the 1990s, and continued as such when the fountain was refurbished in 2003. I'm not sure if the base is white, or light blue at this point. Doesn't matter to me though, I prefer the dark blue. There very well could be a non-visual reason that the park switched to light blue/white... like how public pools are painted light so lifeguards can see the bottom should a kid fall in... but being so shallow I doubt it.

..and that right there is a primary example of why we could never be friends. ;-) LOL

If you needed any evidence that the current fountains are, frankly, pitiful... here's photographic evidence of the best they ever looked. Why on earth they removed the pedestals and switched to a light blue bottom I'll never know. I love the current state of KI... and I think the park is making some terrific strides and decisions... but the changes to the "Royal" Fountains last year really diminished the "ooh ahh factor."

These pics are incredible. Apparently his father took them. His Dad is to be commended on his foresight and ability to visually document things that simply did not get photographed. They are among the absolute best amateur KI pictures I've ever seen. And they absolutely capture the "vibe" the park had in those years.

I do remember that - I think they spec'd a site located across the interstate near the Gaylord at some point. Also, not sure of the timing, but Dolly Parton had also looked into partnering to build a park in the area as well. But then Gaylord sold the hotel and she backed out.

So, I originally thought it had been part of the queue - but it does appear that it was a separate pathway. If you look closely in the aerials above, you can see the queue winding around in the trees near the bridge in question. Of note - there was, if I recall, an exit bridge to the left of the station and I think that's what I remembered. If memory serves me, the station was one where the boats loaded via a conveyor belt... like Kings Dominion's does. It did not use a turntable like Kings Island's. Thanks for catching that Ty! Editorial... What happened to Opryland USA is really a devastating thing. It was a fun (albeit smaller) park, that had a great reputation with its guests, filled a niche and appealed to families. It was completely profitable and served as a "destination" for the state. The carpet was literally ripped from under its feet in a power move by a new CEO. Nashville still mourns the loss of it. I remember when I heard/read the news (back then there were no websites on par with today's - just news reports and Amusement Business Magazine trade papers) and plans to demolish of its immediate closure - my jaw hit the floor. Why, just the season prior, they had added their largest thrill attraction. It taught me that no park, no matter how big or small... thriving or not... can be gone in a flash. Oh its happened to others... like Boardwalk and Baseball etc.... but Opryland's demolition was especially shocking.

I think it comes down to re-investment capital. Disney parks have a year-round bountiful cash flow designated for the significant upkeep and updating of rides. Even so, they still are forced to close rides for definitive periods of time for extensive re-hab. It wasnt widely revealed, but one of the reasons the original ride in the Norway Pavilion in EPCOT was altered to "Frozen" was because there was significant water damage & mold inside the building. That, and of course the fact that the ride was in need of an overall change due to low ridership. There's no real fair comparison between a cash cow like Disney - who see's an average attendance of 53,000 people a day, 365 days a year (just in the Florida parks) and a seasonally operated regional park that operates a collective 5 months out of the year. Add in the fact that Disney has a whole studio brand pushing the theme of the rides in the park. The rides themes dont necessarily wear out, because they are constantly in a viewing rotation in many, many media channels. A regional theme park, like KI, must often make a choice to completely replace an aged attraction since they need to be able to market it as "new." Disney has the opposite issue - they have to maintain them because they are so beloved and guests would revolt if they removed them.

While Peanuts will never, ever hold a candle to the HB or Nick themeing, I do think the park is missing a HUGE opportunity to add a Peanuts-themed dark ride. Its a property with existing, successful story lines - thanks to the annual repeats of television specials "Its the Great Pumpkin", "A Charlie Brown Christmas" etc. They could restore, and improve upon, the original "TV Set" exterior and theme the interior to the different scenes from the seasonal televisions specials. Frankly, its a win win replacement theme, and frankly, would likely enchant kids on whom the current kids area overlay is lost. I would love it if they re-converted the current Boo Blasters attraction to a Peanuts themed boat ride. But the reality is... the reasons that the "boat" conveyance system was eliminated was due to the complications of dealing with water inside a building, constant circulatory upkeep, deterioration due to humidity, and mold & mildew issues. Also, the decision to add the "doom buggy" style conveyance system was due to the need to force the perspective of the riders in Phantom Theater. (To deny riders the ability to look around and see how the tricks were being done.) I once asked the park execs back in Paramount days about the decision to remove Phantom Theater and add SDATHC - specifically in a year when they added a major thrill ride (Delirium.) I was told that, at the time, they primarily considered the SDATHC conversation as a necessary improvement to an aged and maintenance-heavy attraction. They coupled it with another install in order to pull people from both the thrill-seeking, and family oriented audiences(obviously.) Basically, they felt like updating a dark ride in the kids area was not a big enough marketing draw to see an attendance and revenue increase - but the deterioration of the ride necessitated it be changed.

Notice the bridge over the Octoberfest Gardens lake, as well as the one over Swan Lake were still there...

You're probably thinking of StarChaser. Starchaser at KK was an indoor Schwarzkopf Jet Star coaster. It opened with the park, and operated until 1995. 2 cars collided in 1994 injuring several people and lawsuits ensued. The ride was sold to Darien Lake, then moved to Great Escape. It was demolished in 2006. Chaos at Opryland was a Vekoma Illusion coaster. It was one of only two ever built. It was added in 1989 and closed with the park in 1997. It was dismantled, purchased by Six Flags, and stored at Old Indiana Park with the intention to re-construct it when they converted the park into a Six Flags property. That never happened, the land sold and eventually it was scrapped along with the other rides stored there. The two were similar, in the aspect that they were indoors, in the dark, and used special lighting and projection effects. But that's it. BTW - side note - the Tin Lizzies Antique cars at Kentucky Kingdom came from Opryland. Ed Hart purchased them for KK in 1995 prior to Opryland closing. (I'm pretty sure the Tin Lizzies were removed from Opryalnd to make way for "Hangman" a Vekoma SLC.) Oh - also, there's always been a rumor that the "Ghost Ballet" sculpture in downtown Nashville is made from the inversions of the former Wabash Cannonball. That is untrue. The art piece is a unique sculpture, the Cannonball was one of the rides stored at Old Indiana that eventually got scrapped. Back to the original topic... I went to Opryland just as "Opry Mills" mall was being completed. The back half of Opryland was still in a state of demolition. The Grizzly River Rampage trough was still intact with all rock work. The pumps were even still there at that point. The pumps were purchased (along with the other rides) by Six Flags and stored in Indiana until they were used to build "Penguins Blizzard River" at Kentucky Kingdom in 1999. The bridge in question was there, and was originally part of the entrance/queue for the ride. GRR was one of the "larger" versions of the Water Rapids Attractions popular at the time. The boats held 12 persons each - twice as many as KI's WWC. Because of that, the water trough was extremely wide. The boats are still in operation today - at Six Flags Over Texas. (They were first used at SF Astroworld until it closed in 2005.) I think the remains of GRR finally went kaput around 2010 when they expanded the Gaylord resort. I believe they also demolished the old CMT/Nashville studios at the same time. For you older folks (like me) those studios were noteworthy because that's where "Hee Haw" was filmed.

For all we know, they might have supplemented horse to, and from, other "Kings" park carousels. As I understand it, Dominions #44 (which is, ironically, a decade older than KI's) was originally built for Riverside Park in Massachusetts (now Six Flags New England.) It was purchased by Taft Parks in 1973 from a park in Rhode Island. Simultaneously, the carousel at Canada's Wonderland #84 (which is around 1 year younger than KI's) was purchased by Taft Parks from the closed Palisades Park in New Jersey around 1971-72. Both were massively refurbished at Kings Island. When Dominion opened in 1975 - #44 went to that park. #84 sat in storage until Wonderland was built. That having been said, I wouldn't at all be surprised if some horses were switched or parted out among those 3. BTW... The KD and CW carousels are larger than KI's - with around 20 more horses. (KD's is a real beauty and even still retains it's original ticket booth. Its organ it virtually original - dating back to its original operating days at Riverside. I love that carousel!) I believe PTC stopped producing carousels 3 years after the KI version was built. If memory serves me, they made less than 10 after it. So there's no viable way that Coney was able to contract PTC to replace or replicate horses damaged by the '37 flood. They may, however, have contracted the former carousel carvers that continued work on their own after PTC discontinued. I thought for a while that since there were 3 signature horses on KI's, that perhaps they were taken from other carousels. However, a few years back I did some minor digging and came to understand that PTC put multiple signature horses on carousels. Some have a dozen or more. Finally, Carowinds also has a PTC Carousel, as does Valleyfair. However since those parks came into the "fold" later I would sincerely doubt any "horse switching" has happened with the Kings Parks. At least I'd hope not.

Re: The Carousel I've wondered if the park has kept detailed logs of the carousel, horses and repairs/replacements done through the years. I doubt it - mostly because the park has changed hands so many times. That, and the fact the original employees that worked on the carousel in the years leading up to KI being built are no longer around. (It, of course, underwent a massive refurb in 1969 while at Coney... that could have either triggered a detailed historical record being kept - or it could have triggered it being completely obscured.) I hope they have - it would make sense for them to. I do know that the carousel likely has "replacement" horses. Meaning, not all of them are necessarily original to PTC #79. Although the ride does have the illustrious story of the great flood of 1937 (where all the horses floated away and all were recovered), it doesn't necessarily have as happy an ending as some think. I believe several of the horses were actually damaged significantly (lost limbs, warped wood etc.) and were possibly supplemented with parts and horses from other PTC carousels. FYI - The Wurlitzer band organ that has been a part of the KI Carousel since 1972 is not original. It came from the fair circuit. Originally it was on a carousel in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. A few years back, many... MANY music rolls from the KI Band Organ went to auction from the estate of a former KI employee. (These were coupled with lots of early KI ride maintenance logs, replacement part inventories etc) Now, whether those were usable, whether they actually played on the band organ, whether they were duplicates, I don't know. But I did take it as a sign that the park *may* not have intended to keep everything pertaining to the organ for long-term replacement or repair.

I see. Well, my post was directed at the overall focus of merchandise choices and Guest Experience. It was not any sort of reflection of seasonal employees at KI. No need to feel "sad."

Huh? Not sure what that means, but not everything has to do with you...

I asked a couple of the Execs back in the Paramount Days why they did not produce the poster-sized maps any longer. (This was probably around 2000, 2001) I was told that, at the time, there was some legal binding behind it. Like they park had a long-standing contract to have them printed by a specific printer, of which they were no longer doing business. I found that explanation ummm... odd. It didn't add up, but I didn't press it. Ironically, they produced and sold the 30th anniversary one in 2002. (The park also re-printed the original 1972 park map in a limited quantity that they gave ACE Members.) Of course, they never again revisited the poster maps. They sold that 2002 one for a few seasons in the park, so I asked again if they would be producing another. I was told they required a large order amount, didn't sell well, and they did not have a good profit margin. That made more sense. When CF came along, I thought for sure we'd see the maps make a comeback. I cannot think of a year in the past 3 decades Cedar Point hasn't produced a new one. (I may be wrong - I don't collect the CP versions.) But that didn't happen at KI. Actually, the other CF parks do not produce them either. (At least that I've found.) I've been to many CF parks, and not found one for sale. Knotts, Worlds of Fun, Valleyfair, Carowinds, Wonderland, Dominion etc. As far as KI souvenirs go... I have some distinct sentiments... The souvenirs have improved in recent years and there's been a few collector-oriented items (the Nano Coaster sets, the coaster posters they produced for a season, the pins and patches, the throwback merch with the original logos.) But overall, what they offer is limited and generally sub par when compared to years gone by. The best collector-centric gift shop they had was actually the Banshee exit shop. But we see what happened there. I believe it likely is as simple as demand/profit margin isn't high enough to warrant the supply. I've always said that I would love to see a high-end shop in International Street that focused on KI & Cincinnati focused limited edition prints, or art etc... (think The Disney Gallery.. on a local more affordable scale) I believe there would be a clientele for higher end items (vs tshirts and water bottles ) It would satisfy those of us that walk through the pitiful Emporium looking for an "oooh ahhh" item - only to be disappointed every time. They have offered extremely high-end pieces on occasion... and I have forked over the $ each time to own them. I know I am not the only one that would do so. This would also employ some of the EXTREMELY talented artisans in the Cincinnati area. I have no doubt that they would jump at the chance to produce pieces to be sold & displayed at a place as visible as KI. I'm one of the old-school folks here that remembers a time when virtually every item sold at KI was UNIQUE to KI. There was no Build a Bear store... it was "Toys Internationale" and you could find toys not sold in every mall and WalMart in the US. Instead they were shipped in from Germany, Switzerland etc. There was no "scoop your own bag of sour candy" store... rather the treats were hand-made on-site by actual trained candy makers. (Not just fudge, I'm talking taffy pullers, peppermint makers etc) There were trained artisans that hand-dipped candles, created art, tanned and burned leather, blacksmiths that created iron works, glass blowers etc. I miss those days... they required talented people with skills and abilities. Those things are what helped make KI a well-rounded "Theme" park for familes of varied ages and interests. It appears, however, the current sentiment is that kind of quality is lost on KI's guests. To put things in perspective, the first time I went to KI it was with my Mom and Dad in 1981 when I was around 10. We rode some family rides together - Enchanted Voyage, Flume, Train, Carousel. We ate lunch at the International Restaurant together. We saw "Celebration" together. My Dad then took me off on our own to ride the more thrilling rides (this is when I saw "The Bat" operating for the first time) while my Mom shopped on International Street and the other shops scattered through the park. When we came back together, we spent time in HB Land and I distinctly recall the "Flintstones giant bubble blowing set" and pennant I was able to buy as my souvenir. I still have the Eiffel Tower and KI Memory Booklet that my Mom bought us four our home library shelves. The point is, my best memories of that trip are what we did together - not how many times I rode any certain ride. I have those souvenirs to this day because when I look at them, they remind me of the vivid memories that terrific day.

Gates are there - it's just a wide loading platform.

The initial hope was to run 4 trains, but that obviously never happened. I can't speak to KD, but KI did in fact have 4 trains on site. I believe the decision was made by the park upon testing, due to the length of the coaster and the brake/block set up. Other things, including other KI coasters and how they were were operated from a safety standard, factored into it. All 4 trains have eventually been used on the ride, just not simultaneously. One train has not been usable since the early 2000's. OL:FOF did run 3 trains for years. It opened late - with just single train operation. It was mid-June before the public was allowed to ride. The trains were shortened - during testing - from 6 cars to 5. This was because it would valley at the lowest portion of the track prior to final brakes. The rumors of a "Bat Phone" are true. This came about when Drop Zone opened in 1998. They both pulled from the same power grid. I recall supervisors having to "call" before launches, but I'm not positive if it was true of every launch. Part of the requirement when operating the unload side was that you had to drive from ready to unload, unlock restraints, open safety gate, eye the seats for left articles, raise all "down" restraints, replace any "ear buffers" on the OSTRs, clear room, close gate, then send train from unload to waiting. The unload op was under a time pressure because of the challenges of timing launches. BTW, I was on crew in 1998, but to verify, I asked some of the Rides Managers at the time of whom I am still friends. That's the info I feel I can share. As far as SOB - I only recall it running 2 trains. It was designed to operate 3 not 4 afaik. Beast was designed for 4 but never operated publicly as such.