Shaggy

Of course the child comes first. IMO the priority includes establishing her well-being years from now. Hopefully the lawyer her parents have hired will keep Kaitlyn's bests interests in mind. If so he/she will be well deserving of whatever commission he/she stands to make. Wanted to pass along a taste of what is going on here in Louisville in support of Kaitlyn and her family. Next Monday, 100% of the proceeds from a local establishment "O’Shae’s" will be donated to the the family of Katie Lasitter. This is being done to help establish a fund for the family as they are struggling to survive. The family is facing realities such as forclosure, inability to pay general utility bills etc. That's the reality of all of this and it's so terribly sad. The decision to ride an amusement attraction has cost her family their abilty to even basically survive. Apparently the father is nearly devistated emotionally by all of this... there's been a lot of "Why not me?" expressed by him to friends. It breaks my heart. I hope the lawyer is a barracuda. Shaggy

I was shocked when I first visited SFOG back in the 1990s and stayed at a nearby hotel. It was SCARY, and I mean SCARY! Drugs deals, prostitutes, and a held up convenient store were just a few of the things I came across that evening. I was really surprised that the park, which IMO is quite removed from Atlanta proper, is surrounded by such crime.

Like other posters have said, there is no room to put a decent coaster here. Or course there's room. Trust me, there's plenty of developmental land (or real estate as KI Execs call it) in Rivertown. I personally think Rivertown is RIPE for a new coaster. Imagine something along the lines of a Maverick themed coaster... makes total sense. Now WHEN we may see it is another subject altogether.

If they can make a buck, they'll sell them ;-) Actually, you can find the episode on VHS. I have a copy I picked up several years ago at Suncoast. (Are they still around?)

I reside and work in Louisville with someone who is good friends/neighbors with the Lasitters. My co-worker's daughter goes to school with Kaitlyn. He recently had a conversation with Kaitlyn's father. Obviously Kaitlyn's family cannot discuss details, but did indicate that the amputation happened after the carriage dropped. Now, that totally goes against what the callers were saying on the 911 call. Kaitlyn was not the person originally intended to sit in that specific seat. It's been confirmed in the local news that another rider backed out because they didn't want to sit on the "end." Kaitlyn and her family had apparently ridden just prior and had gotten back in line for a second ride when the accident occurred. Kaitlyn volunteered to trade places with a girl that was afraid of the outside seat. (The paragraph that follows is second hand info obtained by associates I know that are affiliated with the fairgrounds.) I have heard that when the ride reached the bottom, Kaitlyn was in shock. A nurse in line immediately jumped in, called 911 was instructed on what to do. Oddly enough, she was not bleeding profusely. However the nurse, at the instruction of the 911 operator, acted quickly to help prevent Kaitlyn from bleeding to death. There's floating rumors among Fairgrounds personnell (SFKK is on KFEC property) that once the investigation is completed the park plans on scrapping the ride. That would coincide with the statement of concern that the family has issued (referenced in the article in this thread) that the park will remove or destroy the ride or mechanical parts associated with it before the lawsuit is settled. I digress... Irregardless of who is at fault... SF or Intamin etc etc etc, the Lasitters are struggling teribly with bills etc. The mother has lost her job (she was the main breadwinner) and the father is trying to maintain an income. Kaitlyn was flown to Vanderbuilt (Nashville) after the accident and the parents wracked up hospital and travel bills. There are various benefits and fundraising events being planned to assist the family. The horrible thing about all of this is that it's not only crippled Kaitlyn, but crippled her family's finacial well being as well. I'm a layman who knows little to nothing about such insurance claims. But as such I am concerned to think of the time and anguish the family will have to endure in order to receive compensation of all of this. A lawsuit or settlement could take years. I hope for the family's sake that some form of retribution comes quickly to relieve their financial burdens. BTW, apparently Kaitlyn has handled this whole thing like a champ. Her parents are obviously distraught. But her Dad said that Kaitlyn has prooved to him how strong and wonderful a person she is. I have a feeling Kaitlyn is not the kind of girl to let something like this hold her back.

Most interesting is how Danny Bonaduce is riding Racer standing up! ...and people wonder why they installed individual lap bars eventually... ;-)

I was surfing and found the following. I've not seen it before, so forgive me if this is an old find. However the following link takes you to a page showing a brief article (with pics) about the Partridge Family filming at KI during it's inaugural year. I found it small to read, but squint and you might make it out ;-) It ran in TV guide in December 1972. The episode aired in 1973. http://www.cmongethappy.com/eguide/kingsisland.jpg Oh and here's a link to a page detailing the episode. http://www.cmongethappy.com/eguide/ep66.htm Shaggy

"The problem being, some of them aren't up to the calibur of KI. " Well, depends on the model/brand they get. "I LOVED the Magic Carpet ride at KP, but I don't think CF could pass that off as a hot new attraction at KI." BGW's Davinci's Cradle is one of my absolute favorite rides, and it was a "hot new attraction" once upon a time. ;-) Either way, I guess I was thinking more of a "package" of new rides, not just one. "ki alredy has a mini flying carpet in kiddy land that is a terrible ride!" Actually, that's a themed Zamperla Crazy Bus... and I'd hardly put it in the same league as a good adult flying carpet.

I'd jump for joy if KI got a good flat ride package next year. Ala: Rodeo http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/rodeo.html Jump Squared http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/jump2.html Wipeout http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/wipeout.html Flying carpet http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pa...yingcarpet.html Condor http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/condor.html Giant ferris wheel http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pa...giantwheel.html Downdraft http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/downdraft.html Vortex http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/Vortex.html Whip http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/whip.html Sky swatter http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pa...skyswatter.html Screamin Swing http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pa...eaminswing.html and so on, and so on...

Best I could do in a pinch. http://www.coaster-net.com/pics/pkd/anacondapkd_daygecko.jpg Look at the upper left area on the pic above the lift hill. There's a wooded area past what used to be the old Wild Animal Safari Monerail route that has always been an active storage/graveyard for forthcoming, or removed rides. Although this pic does not do it justice, there's former waterslide pieces, old antique cars and various other ride pieces back there. Shaggy

If I recall properly, KD's was enclosed, KI's was not. KI's was the first, I believe, and had windshields on it, but never had the closable tops. In later years KD's might have had the tops removed to expidite the load process. Here's a link to KD's: http://www.amusementpics.com/PKD%20History/Scan10003b.jpg Here's a link to the video of KI's on this site: http://www.KICentral.com/history/videos/flightcom.php BTW, KI's was removed in 1995. KD's is still on property. You can still see it's pieces in the graveyard behind Anaconda. The rides were ho-hum. There wasn't much of a thrill, turning over was okay, but the rollover was very slow and blood rushed to your head.

The Intamin Drop ride initially slated for an install at KI in 1997 went to Canada's Wonderland instead. KI expanded the waterpark instead in order to rival CP's expansion of their waterpark that very same year. The only Intamin Flight trainers that ever existed and their status are as follows: Kings Island - Destroyed Kings Dominion - In storage Great America (CA) - Destroyed Knott's Berry Farm - Destroyed Flamingoland - Removed Seibuen Yuenchi - Still operating Nagashima Spaland - Still operating

When The Racer had one side turned backwards in 1982, the park put a banner on the side of the lift hill advertising the change. I used to have a picture of it... not sure if I still do. It said something to the effect of "Ride The Racer BACKWARD!" Racer lost it's final bunny hills in the early-mid 1990's. Here's a pic circa 1992 or so when The Racer still had it's final bunny hops. As you will see, the pathway that was, and is, used for the entrance to the FOF/Firehawk plaza was already in existance... however it was used only by maintenance at the time of this pic. http://rcdb.com/ig69.htm?picture=1 I have always been told that the change to Racer was made for two reasons. Two trains "bumped' and thus the final brake run was extended and the skid brakes replaced with pinch. Second, the pathway under the coaster to the FOF area was widened for construction vehicles (that could not traverse the back paths of the park) so that they could access the area for FOF construction. Shaggy

Either way is taking a chance. I can tell you first hand that people do indeed hurt themselves in this manner. I personally had to assist someone (former Beast crew member many moons ago) once that had ignored all warnings and ended up with a broken wrist. And that was just one example. Safety rules and warnings are there for a reason. I refrain from holding my hands up at all on Beast. Shaggy

Looks like a blatant rip off of the Broadway Show Hairspray. Shaggy

Jogging the memory bank here... I distinctly recall the first time that I visited KI that my parents and I left for the day around 6 or so. We stopped at the only fast food place we could find, McDonald's at Fields Ertl. The whole place was "Western themed" and instead of those "spinny' chairs, the tables had horse saddles that you sat on. My how times have changed. Back then there was little to nothing in that end of town. And KI seemed so remote from Metro Cincy. So you see, back in the day, even fast food was heavily themed ;-) Shaggs

Hello to all! I wanted to pass on the following bit of information, and I am hoping you will in turn pass it on. To those of you that may be traveling through the Metro Louisville, KY area to attend various coaster events and/or parks over the next month or two, please be aware that there will be significant interstate closures that may affect your travel. Interstate 64 will be closed for construction from Preston Street to the Sherman Minton Bridge for three consecutive weekends beginning Friday. The interstate also will be closed between Third Street and 22nd Street beginning July 5. Those traveling to and from Holiday World, SFKK, Beech Bend, King’s Island etc through Louisville will likely be affected by these closures. To avoid traffic problems, the city is advising travelers to seek alternative routes through Louisville and ask that drivers allow extra time to get to their respective destinations. Here’s a link to information detailing the work that will be underway. The interstate repair will be occurring on weekends, so it should not affect those traveling through the downtown Louisville area mid-week… Knock wood! http://www.restore64.ky.gov/ I hope each of you have safe travels this season, and I wish each of you great times at each park you visit. Happy Coastering Shaggy P.S. If you are looking for things to do while in the Louisville area outside of the various parks… well, Louisville is hosting an extended run of Disney’s “The Lion King” beginning this week and running until July 8th, and racing is well underway at Churchill Downs (home of the KY Derby.)

"...Cedar Fair has commented on how bad KI needs steel coasters. " Curious... Who at CF made this comment? When? What interview? I seriously doubt they said anything remotely of the sort. Just from a PR standpoint, a wise Marketer never points out anyting that may be "lacking" about their product. They would simply reference their existing "collection of world class coasters." According to press releases, Firehawk's addition takes the park's count to 14. They are either counting Avatar... or they are counting Racer twice. Let's assume they are counting Avatar. If that's the case, then the wooden coaster count is 4, while the steel coaster count is 10. By that comparison, I don't think that they are lacking (in volume) steel coasters. "It would not shock me at all if KI got another coaster next year especially with how excited people are over Firehawk." It would shock me. The industry has seen drastic dips in attendance in recent seasons that included large coaster installs. Cedar Point specifically saw dips the years that Wicked Twister and TTD were opened. I would assume they have learned their lesson since Kinzel himself has been quoted saying that adding TTD was "the worst decision of his career." He was referring to it's terrible downtime, costly operating budget and under-performance as an attendance generator. I think that Firehawk will be deemed a successful install at KI. And I am sure it will generate attendance traffic for them. However, soaring gas prices will counter that draw... resulting in what I think will be an attendance wash at KI this year. CF history also shows that they tend to operate on the 2-3 season gap system. Meaning they typically wait 2 to 3 years before they proceed with their next coaster install. I would suspect we'll see KI's next "large" coaster in 2009 or 2010. I hope for sooner, but doubt it will happen. The one thing I'll say about CF is that they do invest in quality coasters. They typically stick with installs by the two biggest and best names in the coaster business.... B&M and Intamin. I dream of the day when KI finally get's it's just deserts and see's a B&M install. KI has been crying out for years (IMO) for a B&M or Intamin Hyper. I feel that if they take that leap in the next 2-3 years it will totally redeem the park in many thrill-seekers eyes.

Interpreter knows the secret at CP! Chuck Wagon, is by far, the best place to eat at CP. It's tucked away at the very back of the park and if you time it right, you can eat in a virtually empty place that's nice and quiet and clean. Try to be there before noon or after dinner hour. I too have suffered through a meal or two at CP's Midway Market. "Yuck" doesn't describe the half of it. However, I can sum up my personal negativity toward most buffets with one word. "Aaaachooo!" Well, I suppose that's a word... ;-)

You know, I think age may play a role in tolerance of it. That's not a criticism, rather an observation. I recall waiting hours to ride Big Bad Wolf, White Water Canyon, Anaconda, and Vortex etc etc etc all when they opened. I was a teen then... but now, I just don't have that sort of drive. Sheesh, years ago, when OL:FOF opened, I was (if I have done the math right) 24 and I readily waited in line for 3 hours the day it opened. It was single train operation and kept going down numerous times. I recall when I entered line it snaked all the way down to Flight Commander. There were temporary queues set up in the plaza in front of Hanger 18 and once I entered the building I thought I was home free. Imagine my surprise when I entered and saw that endless warehouse of zig-zags. It was awful. Yet, I persisted and eventually rode that day. Now that I am pushing 36, I doubt you'd catch me waiting that long for any coaster. I just don't have that kind of tolerance I guess. I attribute a lot of that impatience to frustrations over temperamental new coasters... specifically FOF, TTD, and SOB. Shaggy

"Firehawk may open late with limited capacity" Par for the course at KI. I love the park, but MY GOD every single new attraction seemingly has this type of issue at first. Some of it's understandable... anything new has to be broken in. However you name it at KI and it's had major opening issues... FOF, TR, SOB, IJST, Drop Zone, Face/Off etc etc etc. What amazes me is that CP can completely rip out an entire element on Maverick, replace it, and still manage to open the BRAND NEW coaster within a weeks time with 4 trains running. Yet KI is struggling to maintain single train operation on a pre-operational coaster. Quite honestly, I fault brands and not the park. I think that KI has continually gone sub-par with their ride manufacturer choices. Premier, Vekoma are not companies I'd personally seek out for quality attractions. However, I also agree that parks really should not open an attraction until kinks are worked out. It's far less frustrating to attend a park knowing a new attraction has not yet opened to the public, than it is to arrive at the park only to find out it's operating sporadically. Shaggy

Re: Year round haunted house... You know, haunted houses always scare me... and not in the way you may think... Many years ago, several people died in a permanent haunted house attraction at Great Adventure. It was terribly gruesome and horribly sad. Also, fires are not uncommon in stand-alone haunted attractions. I can think of a handful of news stories right off the top of my head where people were trapped by fire in haunted attractions. I've never been a fan, mostly because haunted houses are too predictable (oh here' comes a dark corner... wonder what's going to happen?) But the older I get, the more concerned I get about putting myself in a fire trap. (Hint... cargo netting, fenced in corridors, dangling muslin, smoke machines and hot light bulbs are a lethal combination.) I always wonder about the insurance concerns a haunted house attraction raises. Shaggy

Cedar Fair is big on theme music in the station of it's coasters (MForce, Xcelerator (sp?), TTD) as well as nighttime theatrical lighting. I would suspect that's the extent of what we'll see on Firehawk. I doubt we'll see elaborate theming, fog or special effects. Shaggy

Here's a link to a pic of Firehawk in it's previous location. http://rcdb.com/ig920.htm?picture=9 The pic shows the former dual loading station from afar. One could assume that the new station at KI will be a duplicate, or similar. BTW, it's actually pretty cool to see the track flip. Here's another link to a pic of what's left of the X-Flight (soon to be Firehawk) dual loading station. http://www.geaugalaketoday.com/XF_Removal_3-7-07_6.htm

Try the grey stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes. They can sing, they can dance After all Miss, this is France And a dinner here is never second best!