Shaggy

Its pretty apparent that CF has been exploring all options with the park for years. CGAM is a park they've historically been unsure of what to do with for a multitude of reasons. Heck, even Paramount had the same struggles with the property over 20 years ago. The Storyland Studios info reads to me as though they were simply solicited to submit a proposal to CF to potentially re-invigorate the out-of-sorts park. Chances are, this isn't the only proposal CF received/solicited. Proposals such as this are common among the industry, but they don't necessarily mean they ever make it past the concept stage. Like any business, it all boils down to metrics. Will the cost of investment yield appropriate returns and financial gains? Obviously, not in this case... ultimately, the ground has become far more valuable than the park that sits on top of it. I sort of think about CGAM like that aging house in "Up" that had become surrounded by corporate businesses and modern development. The owner hung on to it for years... but much like in the movie, they ultimately have to let it go.

For every one image used in the book, there’s probably a dozen that didn’t get used (for a variety of reasons.). Stay tuned, you never know where they may show up someday. Lol! Glad you enjoyed the book, it was a labor of love.

It seems KI prefers to perform color patch tests on large re-paints. The mustard/orange/gold color that was seen on the backside of the Eiffel Tower last year was a color test. They obviously decided to remain with green, but it was apparent they considered a major color change for the tower.

Great interview! So glad he's passing the torch to those he has faith in - JRA has played an important part in Kings Islands history. ...and as a side note... his wife seems FAAAAABULOUS!

The Wachs/Koontz signed copies were a limited run of 50, I believe. As far as the unsigned copies, they will be available for a while (until they sell all the copies.) :-)

SFFT's... But there's another one coming...

There’s a funny story behind that. It was Mr Wachs that mentioned it in his speech at the 50th and it caught Mr Koontz off guard. He asked Mr Koontz when it would be available- and he answered “two weeks”…. The book was completed by then, of course, but had yet to be ordered/printed.

Lol - no signature. The main challenge was, of course, squeezing in 50 years of visual history. It barely scratches the surface of all the park’s memories. But I think it captures the past 5 decades well.

Surprise! I told you they were saving something good. I am so proud to have served as lead contributor. It’s been a long process to get this to reality (5years) but now that it’s out, I couldn’t be more excited. Enjoy folks!

They aren’t done yet. I think tomorrow is the 12th day of their “12 Days of Christmas” merch promotion. And something tells me they may have saved the best for last.

Wouldn't that be 5? I think this "sneak peek" it takes us up to 49... wonder what #50 is.

OMG- Dave_78 just brought back an immense amount of my early childhood memories at KI. For those that didn't get a chance (or are too young) to experience KI in those early years... this is a TERRIFIC example of the "flair of excitement" it had. Thank you so very much for sharing these - terrific!

I believe, once disassembled, the chassis for coaster trains may be sent off property to be inspected via ultraviolent scanning. At least they used to be back in the Paramount Days. This serves the purpose of finding potential issues such as hairline cracks in the frames, or compromised welds/joints. They may now be able to do so on property, but back 20 years ago - I was told they outsourced it to a company that had the ability to "dip" them.

While attendance is currently "up" at the Disney parks - I wonder if that is due to some sort of knee-jerk Covid syndrome. No doubt the price hikes appear to have had little effect on attendance, but the real test will be in coming years. Parks are still rebounding from the Covid pandemic - meaning a lot of the high attendance could be attributed to families postponing their trips/visits until now. However, given the lackluster reviews Disney parks are getting from guests these days (too crowded, bad merch, food quality poor, customer service in toilet, lathing of Genie +) that could cost Disney in the long run. Guests flooding the parks now may walk away with a general dissatisfaction and a feeling of no value for their money. In addition, price hikes may limit the frequency of return visits. A family that visited every two years may now only be able to afford a trip every 5 years. Families that visited every 5 years may not return for another 10... etc. I was at WDW this past April. I can attest firsthand that the quality, and overall enjoyment of the parks just wasn't where it needed to be. For the first time in 40+ years of attending Disney Parks, I left with a "meh" feeling. Also, for the first time in 20 years I stayed off-property (because on-property room rates were literally jaw dropping expensive.) I can count on 3 fingers the amount of merch I bought - and those were purchased at Disney Springs (in past trips, I have been forced to have merch items shipped to me because there were so many to choose from.) I encountered not one, not two, but three ummm.... "lackluster" employees. You could tell they were not happy in their jobs and were blatant in their bad attitudes with guests. Frankly, one particular cast member at the Liberty Tree Tavern should have been fired on the spot. And I have to tell you, Genie+ - while good in theory - essentially serves the purpose of ruining your day. At least one (or more) persons in each party spends all day navigating their phone - its confusing, aggravating and frustrating. The sad thing is, they have forced it on guests - so they have no choice other than use it.

Hallelujah!

A birdie told me there might be event more fun things on the way. Save your $$$. LOL!

The latest merch offerings... CoasterDynamix Statix Models of Beast & Racer trains! If you want them, you'd better snap them up - these sold out when they offered The Beast & Diamondback versions several years ago. This version of Beast has the updated (original) color scheme. The earlier release was all red.

A Chick-Fil-A . LOL ;-)

I bought both pins, of course - I will complete the entire collection no matter. I figured they'd go the Crypt route rather than TR:TR. I know firsthand the "hoops" they have to jump through with the Paramount licenses (more about that at a later time.) I was actually hoping for more with the Delirium pin. I had expectations akin to the Viking Fury pin with a swinging gondola. A little disappointed that there's no articulation. I've really enjoyed this series - overall very happy with all the pin releases. Its also been fun guessing, then finding out each week what the new releases are. (Although the cost of S&H for each release is ridiculously astronomical.)

With the renewed focus on food offerings at KI - and the tremendous strides they have made - it would make sense that the park may want to downsize the amount of chain, non-KI offerings. I can only speak personally, but when I go to parks - I'd much rather eat something unique to a park rather than stand in a ridiculously long line at a Subway or Chick Fil A.

Isn't the KI location one of the top selling Chick-Fil-A's in the state? Seems I read that somewhere.

My issue is the removal of the pieces from the metal plates. The instructions tell you to just use a pair of nail clippers. Yeah right. How the heck do you get those in the slots to cut the tabs? I’ve also tried x-acto knives, wiggling the pieces back and forth, using wire snips etc. It’s still hard as heck to get the pieces separated. I get aggravated because by the time I get them off I’ve distorted or bent them in some way.

More than likely accessibility has a lot to do with it. Skyrides such as CGA's were installed before being wheelchair and motor-skooter equipped were law.