Shaggy

Since you asked.... ;-)

Kentucky Kingdom hiring... https://www.whas11.com/article/news/kentucky/louisville-jobs-hiring-kentucky-kingdom-amusement-park-2022-summer-jobs/417-dff03af4-4fb5-4900-ba28-502dcc8ae355

I agree... I enjoyed the added effect of the music on the first lift (and growl.) It was originally added to "Paramountize" the ride - to give it more of an "movie experience" feel. After CF purchased KI, I was pleasantly surprised that it was one of the hold-overs. Of course as time passed... it disappeared. I kind of chalked it up as probably one of those "CF didnt renew the rights to the music..." things. (I have no idea how that stuff works as ownerships transfer.)

It’s the modern day version of a gum wall/gum tree. Thank goodness that fad is over. Ive never understood why, in the off season, no one climbs up there with a broom.

In the 1980's - there was a large surge in water attractions within most theme parks. They were very.... no, not very.... IMMENSELY popular. The addition of one rivaled a coaster in draw. The year(s) after WWC opened at Kings Dominion, the line would routinely stretch to International Street - outside the Old Virginia area of the park. Kings Island's followed suit, and just like its KECO predecessor, the line would routinely snake all the way out of Rivertown. (Trivia... Dominion's uses a conveyor-style loading platform... but due to the popularity and long waits, Kings Islands was given a turntable for speedier load times.) I rode both Dominion's and KI's WWC the years they opened - and the years following - and waited hours each time.) The "rapids" attractions set the "get soaked" trend in motion, and other dry-park water attractions followed suit - mainly modern-day shoot-the-shoots rides (I think Intamin coined them "spillwater" rides.) As the decade ticked on, the popularity of those water rides gave birth to a surge in waterpark additions. The spillwater rides didn't retain the novelty the way rapids rides did - most people found them a one-trick pony. (I recall my friends and I being super stoked to ride "Diamond Falls" at Kings Dominion... the commercials were great! But then when we got to the park and saw it, our reaction was "That's it?") Obviously, with time, the popularity of many of the dry park water rides has waned. Partly due to people's general hesitation to walk around wet in non-bathing attire, but also the general "aging-out" of the rides. Specifically, the single novelty of just getting splashed/soaked has caused a noticeable drop in ridership of the shoot-the-shoots rides. But having a sizable hourly capacity, short lines can deceive the mind when judging a ride's popularity. Personally, I am surprised that Congo Falls has lasted as long as it has. I thought for sure it was headed for the scrap heap back in the early Paramount Action Zone days. When Diamond Falls bit the dust, I again thought Congo's days were numbered. But it seems to be chugging right along at the Island. Its saving grace has likely been good hourly ride counts, relatively low cost/maintenance, and placement in a non-prime piece of real estate. (The plot of land it sits on is, essentially, land locked. Unless of course its used for a smaller flat ride addition or Timberwolf/Invertigo etc meet their demise with it.)

Agreed! Knotts is what I refer to as a "big small park." It can be said that the most charming area - Ghost Town - is also historically the most neglected (in terms of ride installations.) Another signature attraction in that area of the park would further revitalize it and draw crowds away from the Boardwalk area. So many guests tend to ignore that side of the park (with the exception of Ghostrider) and its actually (IMO) the area that makes Knotts unique and unlike anything else at any other park in CA. There's so much to love at Knotts.... Calico Mine, Calico River (the re-theme is superb!), Calico Train (the absolute best train ride at any park in the world), authentic horse-drawn wagon Rides, Timber Mountain (the best flume in the country) the original (and best) Camp Snoopy, Mrs Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant and so-on and so-on... they are real gems.

Orion's installation included a major overhaul to a dated themed area. Those changes factored into the overall budget for the capitol expenditure. The park has been very forthright about that when discussing the entire Orion project. My personal opinion is that they made the right call in spending a good deal of effort, and money, to flesh out Area 72, and not just install a coaster. Re: Knotts... I'm glad to see there's a proposal on the table for another signature attraction. But remember, until its announced, things can drastically change (or not happen at all.) I love Knotts as a park - its highly underrated. But there's some overall infrastructure issues the park needs to address - parking is a HUGE issue there. With competing parks upping the ante (Disneyland, Magic Mountain... even LegoLand and Sea World SD) a coaster installation would no doubt be a move to keep them vying for local & tourist dollars. However they also need to continue to concentrate of overall amenities at the park - and most notably the horrible rooms at the Knotts hotel - to keep tourists there for more than a day visit. Now back to the original topic... KI's 50th... I cant remember the last time I was this excited for an upcoming season. The concentration on improvements, and the focus on infrastructure and amenities at the park for 2022 is fantastic. The people overseeing KI are making great decisions.

I agree. While a paint chip may seem inconsequential to some... a bolt, or a piece of wood or a piece of track tubing may seem just as inconsequential to others. I readily shelled out the $ for the Eiffel Tower and glad I had a chance to do it. I think its fun and quirky.

I thought they were just replacing the concrete "road."

...which is the scariest Drop Tower I've ridden to date. Between the height, the shaking of the tower as Superman cars are launched, and the "free-feeling" restraint (which are essentially just a lap restraint...) it unnerved me like no other.

LOL - so many familiar faces from the past... Bill, Doris, Tony, Jill, Tim. Fun!

Such a terrible tragedy. God bless her and those looking after her.

More to come.... ;-)

As I understand, the swap back to racing forward had nothing to do with PTC. It was strictly a Managerial decision.

Yes

Specifically I recall several trips in 1994 and 1995 when the ride was a walk-on. I lived about 1 hour from KI then, had a season pass, and visited roughly every other week. I don't ever recall waiting through the full queue for the ride in any of those trips. Now, of course I didn't ride every time I went. I thought the ride was lackluster - so it wasn't of great interest to me. IMO that was the predominant feeling among most guests by that point. I remember it being down on a few of those visits, but I don't recall taking note of it not operating for long periods of time. (Although I could be wrong... again, it wasn't of great interest to me.) Frankly - I MUCH preferred Skylab - but that ride seemed to be down more than it was operational. Skylab typically did have a line when I was there and it was running.

I'll add my $.02 I rode both Flight Commander, and Sky Pilot (at Kings Dominion) several times each. The ride - as others have said - was "meh." It really wasn't that thrilling, but it was unique for its time. The barrel rolls were its novelty, and they were slooooowww. When KI (and KD) removed it, I didnt see it as a big loss. In its later years, the ride was typically a walk-on.

Sorry - I was referring to the S&S Freespin that KD is installing for 2022. Frankly, that ride is beneath the park.

I cant imagine a company such as B&M having a "no build" clause with any given park/company... at least not for any lengthy amount of time. Seems very constrictive for business. I'd say if CF wanted B&M to build a coaster for KD, then B&M would build one. Now, they may steer clear of duplicating "types" of coasters.... for instance, not building consecutive flyers, wing, divers at nearby competing parks... but again, I'd say that B&M will work with whatever a park wants them to do. If I had to guess, I expect KD is operating on a very limited capitol budget. Who knows this may be a small step toward a bigger plan... I will say, however, I personally dislike this type of coaster. (Edit - referring to the S&S Freespin KD is installing for 2022) I've ridden 4 of them across the states, and every one of them was - IMO - terrible.

I think this is a great addition to SFFT. I've been to the park several times and love where they chose to put it. Its essentially adjacent to Roadrunner (a completely underrated Arrow mine train - the last to be built) and across from the entrance to Iron Rattler. It creates a sort of 1-2-3 punch in the Crackaxle area of the park. I personally am glad its a more "compact" layout with a lower height. I've often said that I find B&M Dive Coasters a one-trick pony. I find virtually everything after the first drop on the ones I've ridden (Valravn, Sheikra, Griffon) essentially forgettable. I attribute that to the fact that the elements are more drawn out and cause the train to linger and just sort of drift through the inversions. This layout will likely produce better, more intense elements. I also think its an interesting move considering Six Flags has... with only one exception I can recall... steered clear of B&M for about 15 years now. (If memory serves me X-Flight at Great America was the last... 2012 or so... and prior to that the most recent SF B&Ms were installed around 2006.) Fiesta Texas has been a "trend starter" for the SF parks for the last decade. Several of the rides SFFT has installed have been repeated later at other SF parks. This may be the precursor to other dives at other SF parks. Side note... If you ever get the chance to visit SFFT... dont pass it up. Its my personal favorite of all the SF parks I've been to. It tops SFMM, SFGADV and SFGAM in my book because it retains a much fresher/cleaner feel and (for the most part) stayed true to its original theming.

Installing a log flume in the vicinity of the original "Mill Race" which was removed for Raptor. Actually, I have no idea - just a wish ;-)

Paul Ruben has passed away at 84. The name may ring a bell to some, not to others. Many of us, ummm "long time" coaster enthusiasts knew (or knew of) Mr Rubens. He did a lot within the industry, and was essentially many park's go-to guy for quotes and opinions on rides and attractions. I would often come across him at parks, media days etc. (including several of his visits to KI and many ACE events.) "https://obits.democratandchronicle.com/us/obituaries/democratandchronicle/name/paul-ruben-obituary?pid=199434434&fbclid=IwAR1iia_yPU0gc4X2IpFdesR8jN3y5t8n47FcliJrs8_bPq4v_Oxyj451N3g

When the Dinn Corporation ceased operations, Charlie’s daughter Denise re- formed the company as CCI.

Not sure if this has been posted, but Charles Dinn, head of Construction at KI for a number of years (who lead the team to build "The Beast") has passed away at 88. He also was responsible for the relocation and building of several coasters across the country - under his firm Dinn/Summers - after he left Kings Island. Here's a link to his obituary: https://www.brewerfuneral.com/obituaries/Charles-J-Dinn?obId=21626357&fbclid=IwAR3Tu4prfRNaDjzzFxsl56CX15JHCTB23nlpynv908KUioy8kYKRAx9rfik

Kudos to Chad for addressing this. Rumormongering by uninformed folks can really do social damage.