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!

Ick! Lock the freak up and throw away the key!

"I wonder if maureen really rode x-flight before. Or maybe just borg?" Maureen has definitely ridden X-Flight. How do I know? I was present during her 1st ride on the coaster. Actually, Jeff Seibert, Maureen, two Martketing interns and myself spent the day at GL 2 years ago. I have to say, that day was an absolute blast... and Maureen's reaction to the initial "flip" on X-Flight was priceless ;-)

Bravo Tomb Raider Nick! Dead on. Hit the nail right on the head. Kudos! Bottom line... it's gone... it aint coming back... it was junk falling apart when closed... it's a memory... move on. SDATHC is currently making new memories for tons of little ones just like Enchanted Voyage/Land of the Dooz etc. did for me as a kid. Let them enjoy it. I am personally happy to see a line for this attraction, PT NEVER had one. All too often little ones were terrified and had to be calmed by parents when entering Phantom Theatre. I have never been a proponent of scaring a child away from rides. Oh and someone mentioned something to the effect of Enchanted Voyage, Smurfs, Gulliver, Winnie Witches Cauldrons etc being on par with Disney. Well, I am sure Uncle Walt just sommersaulted in his grave (or at least his head spun around in the jar) Nothing... and I mean NOTHING at KI has ever been on par with Disney. KI is my favorite park... however it's ride quality is that of a seasonal park. Disney rides have always been backed by an immense floodgate of studio money so they are built to reflect that. Shaggy

Now see, my vote would go to Mean Streak, TTD or Iron Dragon for worst. ;-) Shaggy

The most intense part is the first time it flips, and the force exerted on your chest at the bottom of the first drop. The restraint system is uncomfortably tight. Your first time on, it will feel like you are dangling by your ankles. But heck, my attitude is, if your on it, you might as well stick your arms out and fly like Superman. If the restraint fails, your a dead duck no matter if you are holding on or not. Ha ha! Shaggy

It wasn't. Actually under Paramount KI was slated to no have a new install of ANY sort in 2007. I learned that direct from the park itself. Actually, it would have likely LOST a ride. I was told that KD's FOF was closed and removal to Carowinds had already been planned. When Viacom decided to sell the parks, the plan was put on hold. KI's FOF was slated to close after 2007 and be relocated to Wonderland. Shaggy

"refurbishing every year, doesn't get any better..... whoa.... are you talking about the wood coaster at Gauega (or however it's spelled)? 'cause I could have sworn you were spekaing of SOB. " Ge-au-ga. I am definitely talking about Raging Wolf Bobs at GL. I have ridden it several times over the years and have not seen any major improvement. I was not a fan of the ride to begin with, nor have I become a "changed man" as many others proclaim to be. I am glad others find the "improvements" worthwhile, or think that it's a great coaster now. I don't. The layout has never been a thrilling one, and IMO the switch from PTCs to Gerstlaurs is not inspired. I mean Gerstlauer trains are HORRENDOUS. Speaking of which, there's a bad rumor floating around that CF is looking at placing Gerst trains on Sonny. God help us all if that's the case. Bottom line, a bomb should have been dropped on Sonny about 2 years ago. Shaggy

Hmmmmm... painting it before they assemble it and in the dead, freezing cold of winter. Can you say touch ups? Oh, and does anyone remember what the "touch ups" looked like on Face/Off when the sun "chalked" the paint after it's first year? It resulted in a Dalmation effect. You know what baffles me? How come parks and ride manufacturers don't use Auto paint? Call me naive, but I've never seen a car's paint fade as fast as coasters seem to. Shaggy

"In addition, the Raging Wolf Bobs coaster has been completely refurbished" My God how many times are they going to re-do that coaster? It's been "refurbished" about 10 times over the years... and never gotten any better. Shaggy

Those poor, unfortunate construction guys. It is bitterly cold! Shaggy

"It has been how many years since KI has built on previously undeveloped land?" Not that many. Boomerang Bay used undeveloped land to the left of the wave pool. Here's a Post article that sheds a bit more light as well as has a construction pic. Kudos to Connie, you can always count on her to be the first to get info out there. (She loves KI.) http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...02050372/-1/all

Too bad we cannot call WCPO and tell them to move their webcam about 2 inches to the right. ;-) It would be the perfect shot! http://www.wcpo.com/webcams/pki/

Not sure if this is proper board posting etiquette, however it’s worth a shot. I have been downsizing in life quite a bit of late, and as a part of that have decided to part with quite a chunk of my coaster and amusement park related paraphernalia that I have acquired over the years. I threw the items up on Ebay since I figured many coaster fans may enjoy having them. There are many things up for auction right now that may be of interest to folks here. There are rare PKI, Cedar Point, Six Flags, etc etc etc pieces that may be welcome additions to collections. There’s also a TON of really unique and rare Son of Beast items that I bet many of you have not seen before. I posted this on this board not to necessarily seek a profit, but I'd rather they go to the homes of friends and fellow enthusiasts that may enjoy them as much as I did. Here’s direct links in case you are interested. Also, my Ebay seller name is Shagscooby and you can find them all listed by that. Thanks! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 Shaggy

On the flip side, it's bad from a PR standpoint. Would the park really want to showcase the fact that many, many, many rides have been removed? Shaggy

Vortex DOES lose wheels from time to time. Well, actually, it loses it's "tires." The wheels are coated with a rubberized polyurethane that over time wears and can strip off much like a blown tire on the road. When I worked at PKI years ago, and was on Beast crew, we would occasionally hear one blow or hear the sound of a running train that had a blown wheel. When we heard it, we'd simply call The Vortex station and they'd cycle off the train for maintenance. Shaggy