Shaggy

I've been following the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. It's supposed to be the first stadium to cost over $1 Billion. It looks insanely awesome. http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/ Shaggy - a die hard Cowboys fan.... no tomatos please!

Someone must be watching "I survived a Japanese Gameshow."

I believe the theme they are working towards is something along the lines of amazon Seriously... you think they are going to give it an Amazonian theme? That name would go good with the rivertown theme though. Kidding right? Anacondas are located in South America only. Shaggy

Not sure, don't follow them. Shaggy

...not nearly as high drama, though, as one of her predecessors often did! She at least ranks a close second. Get me inebriated sometime and I'll spill my guts about my very short (by choice) tenure as a Regional Rep, the death at a park during my first week, the "A List", the nutcase gruesome twosome, the never-ending drama, and the seemingly enthusiast friendly "Seasonally themed" park. One day I woke up in the midst of all that muck and thought.. "Whatever happened to riding coasters?" Shaggy

Hmmm... interesting. I'd be torn between 'tiques, Tumble Bug, Wheel of Fortune and Eagles. Shaggy

Carole Sanderson works for an architectural development firm in Cleveland that had placed a bid on the property with the intention of salvaging the Dipper. Once the Dipper was sold to another buyer, they withdrew interest. I note ACE's interest in saving a historical coaster, but Carole is no savior. She always brings high drama. Shaggy

By season 2 of AE, the theming had already gone to pot. Ironically, it was themed by the same folks that did Phantom Theater. BTW, in the first few years of AE's operation, you got wet. Well, a little wet. The final Forbidden Temple statue tilted a "lava pot" that had water running out of it. Shaggy

They showed the pics of the plans and said that the Park was keeping mum about the project. Are they? A little sneaky peek publicity sure can help drum up business... ;-) Shaggy

Post #1 & Post #2 in this thread are classic! I literally laughed out loud... thanks, I needed that! Shaggy

"The park strikes back in 2009" How about: Picket: The Ride Norma Rae: The Coaster Norma Rae: the Ride Shaggy

I see the potential need for Crypt's Queue/exit area being overhauled. The 1st drop is going to fall from the Antique Photo building to the inside of the RR tracks. That may require removal of the old TR Photo building. The return seems to take the coaster over that que area, over the cave entrance and into a tight helix in The Beast plaza. Does Crypt ever even use the full que? Shaggy

LOL, when I first saw the teaser sign and read "The Park strikes back in 2009" the thing that immediately came to mind was "Empire." LOL Shaggy

Yes, we all may know that Rivertown is not a Western Town. But does Cedar Fair know this? Apparently not... Frontier Trail at CP was not originally western themed... more midwestern pioneer. However, in went Maverick... It's pretty evident that Paramount did not understand what a Rivertow was? Don't get me started on that. I am still reeling from that ^*@% cave being plopped in the middle of Rivertown while an Aztec themed ride sits across the park in the German themed area. Shaggy

It looks like the entrance to the ride might untilize the old western building that was used for Fearfest's Cowboy Carnage... See how in the blueprints the que areas for Back Lot and Crypt are a darker grey? So is that building... Bzzzzt... look again. The giveaway is the station floorplan. The que gates exist on the side of the station farthest from the Rivertown buildings. The exit is closest. I'd expect the EXIT to use the building. And for heaven's sake... it's not a WESTERN building ;-) Shaggy

Hmmm.... Could "Villian" be recycled? CF has been known to use, and re-use already trademarked, or copyrighted names... The signs appear to have a "branded" script to them. Shaggy

1) Yes, lightning strikes, but in keeping with the western theme, why would they use something that happens everywhere? 2) If the theme is a western snake, why use a snake found in Ohio? Because Rivertown is not western themed. That's a common mistake people make when describing Rivertown. It was actually originally themed to primitive life on the banks of the Ohio River. Another aspect to all of this involves the recently leaked specs. The exit side of the station is on the Rivertown side. So the exit will likely take people through one of the existing Rivertown buildings not currently in use. I'd guess the Mining Co building would become a souvenir/photo shop that people pass through after riding. So the coaster could very well have a mining, or gold-rush theme. Gold is something that get's "struck." BTW... how does this... if at all, affect employees lunching at the former Oscar's? And what is Oscar's called these days? Shaggy

Interesting. I'll be honest. The name aspect is virtually the only part of this coaster that had me guessing. I've had a fun time pondering what it could be. I doubt they'd go the King Cobra route again... at least I hope they wouldn't. Plus King Cobras strike me as being more African/Asian in theme. A King Cobra doesn't seem to fit Rivertown in my mind. But it could very well be a snake theme... snakes spook horses, they also strike. Rattlesnake Moccasin Copperhead But then again, something else that strikes is lightning. Shaggy

Although Members of KICentral (Shaggy and Company) have been sying for months now that it will be a B&M Mega (Hyper) Coaster. I've never said it was a mega/hyper. I have said that it's not a diver. Shaggy

They are now saying there will be an autopsy. Why on earth do they need to do that? It's not as if we don't know what killed him. Then again, maybe to find out if he were intoxicated or high? The latest reports said he was trying to see if he could sneek out of the park, then back in and along the way he jumped up to touch a passing train when... Shaggy

I've seen 20 couples married at once at KI. Holiday World incessantly does it on their coasters every time they need publicity. Oy But really... marriages at an amusement park just seem... I don't know... "de classe" for some reason. Those couples that parade around Disney Parks with the Mickey Top-Hat and Minnie Veil ears get on my last nerve. Just my opinion. I guess if that's really what you want... then more power to you. So I'd say the best place to be married at KI is not listed as an option. It's hands down the Carousel... Shaggy

1 2 in North America

That and the fact that the internet now exists so people can more accurately follow construction and make educated comparisons. Back then, there was no internet, and you had to actually visit the park to see changes being made. That, or listen to chit-chat and buzz from everyday conversations that mentioned it. The days of people lined up peeking through knottholes in construction fences are pretty much gone. People don't need to since internet sites and webcams get them visial access from home. But that was the only way folks used to find out about things changing at a park. I kind of miss those days. Yes it's fun and more revealing to follow construction online. But as others have said, it does spoil the surprise somewhat. Shaggy

Re: the King Cobra Water Cannon. When KC was built, the area in which it was installed was called the "Wild Animal Habitat" themed area. You entered the section by walking under an arched sign, and then crossed a wooden footbridge into the area. The foot bridge existed approximately where the entrance to Action Zone now resides. However it was much more narrow, was densely covered with tropical foliage and of course crossed over a pond/stream. There were tropical birds housed in the area, and of course jungle music playing. The "stream" was very shallow, but flowed from the Screamin Demon loop area, over to what is now Stunt Crew Grill, under the foot bridge then under the KC helix. In the center of the helix there was a water cannon that shot a geiser of water up as KC trains passed through. Unless the wind blew, riders did not get wet. The cannon was timed by sensor on the KC track. It was the same type of cannon used on WWC and Congo Falls. It made the same air "popping" sound those make. When EXtreme Skyflyer was added years later, the area was "re-vamped" and had the entrance arch and footbridge removed. The stream was also drained. The area was re-branded Adventure Village. The KC water cannon still worked for about one season, minus the pond below, but then was turned off and never returned. Quite honestly, the Wild Animal Habitat area of the park was a really well done (albeit small) area of the park. It was a terrible shock to see the gutting that took place in it's conversion to Adventure Village. You have the installation of the upcharge Skyflyer to thank for that. Oddly enough, the Skyflyer was added mid-season. So construction walls were in existence for quite some time that season. When the arch was first being erected, people were abuzz about KI installing a coaster with a giant loop, much like people are speculating about the Rivertown construction today. Shaggy

Nice report. Spiders and Monsters (Kings Island has a Monster) were built by Eyerly Aircraft: A little known fact is that the Monster now at KI is, according to what I have been told, not the one that opened with the park. In the 1980's the original was removed and a different one installed. The Monster pad sat empty for at least half a season. The original was rumored to have been re-furbed and sent to Wonderland. BTW, those pics in the TR are great. You have a very good eye for taking interesting pictures. Shaggy