CoastersRZ

And if i`m not mistaken, Rowling first went to Disney pitching the idea of a Potter themed area, and Disney did not want to pay the money that was being demanded. Universal quickly agreed and the rest they say, is history. I know that Universal considers that money well spent now. And Disney has kind of been caught with its pants down so to speak. They clearly underestimated the draw (and in turn the negative impact) that Potter would have on their theme parks in Florida, and in turn the negative impact it would have on their bottom line.

I remember seeing similar views from Kings Island many many years ago now. I know there was one at the entrance to the Action Zone. It must have been around 2003 or so. I`m not even sure what website they were on (it was something like VR Cincinnati).

Yeah, why the delay in announcing anything? Are they trying to figure out exactly what their next move will be? They do have a date when they have to figure out what they are going to do, and that is when they have their conference call in the middle of February. What will they decide to do if it did indeed pass? Increase the distributions?

A very interesting article. I would agree that Disney seemed to be resting too much on new attraction development the last few years and is now playing catch up. It also still seems like much of the attention has been over at California`s Adventure. While I like that the Fantasyland renovation now includes a coaster, and isn`t geared so much to the princess theme, it seems like the other Disney parks in Orlando are being neglected a little bit. Of course, they may have plans to add new E ticket attractions to those parks too, we just don`t know about them yet.

That is a nice piece to read, and sums up my thoughts on the subject quite nicely. The target market for the project is very limited, and how do they expect to attract that much attendance when not even Holiday World has been able to attract 1.6 million visitors in a year, yet. I don`t think that this park will get off the ground. I see another instance of a Hard Rock Park. As an aside, when I drive from my work in downtown Cincinnati, I actually drive INTO Kentucky, in order to get to my home in Anderson Township, a suburb in OHIO! Go figure that one out! (I take 471 to 275).

Speaking of that, have we heard anything on the progress of the 49ers new stadium? What was the time frame in which they hoped to have the new stadium operational and open for football games?

Very sad photos indeed. But thanks for sharing them!

Yes, I would very much like to see said images. And for those who do not know, Tom Rhein is one of the full timers at Coney, and the resident historian of the place on the staff. Little remains of the main mall. About the only thing that really remains is the western terminus with Moonlite Gardens. There was grading work done on the south side of Moonlite Pavilion which broke up the flow of the old mall. Moreover, Dodgems and Famous Fairways Mini Golf sit in the middle of what would have been the Mall. The current location of the Giant Slide/Tilt A Whirl is the approximate location of the Shooting Star station.

Alright, the main entrance auto gate fronting Sutton Avenue was built in 1924, the same year that ownership of the park changed hands (George F. Schott, was part of this new ownership group, which would control the park until its eventual sale to Taft Broadcasting). In 1925, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company constructed Moonlite Gardens. The building did not receive its wrought iron and French Quarter inspired architecture until a renovation in 1947. Additionally, the stone gate entrance from the Ohio River was constructed in 1925. A German beer garden was built behind the administration building in 1966 at a cost of $75,000. Today, this is the commissary that produces a majority of the food for all the group picnics that come through Coney. Hampton Court (now home to the games of skill, rides office, Skyline Chili, employee cafe and several other functions and employee offices, also opened that year at a cost of $300,000. It was designed by UC alumni Darrel Daniels, and comprised more than 40,000 square feet. The current LaRosa`s building across from the Dodgems opened in 1967 at a cost of $50,000. Another notable building that remains is Moonlite Pavilion, located next to the administration building. This building originally was home to the Dodgems, Whip and Cuddle Up rides. Today, it is used for special events and group outings, and dances. Several employee parties have also been held in there over the years. I hope you found some of that information insightful.

Yep. I knew John Bachelder. He retired early last year (around this time last year in fact). I remember hearing about the games and rides department being one department. One of the rides managers (who is now "semi-retired" from Coney), started way back in 1992 or so, would often mention how games and rides used to be one department (his name is Mike Cann, and he now only comes in for extra help on special occasions, like July 3rd). As The Interpreter mentioned, Moonlite Gardens is original (although it has seen many modifications over the years. It is actually getting some much needed TLC done to it for this year. OF course the admin building is original as well. The Gatehouse that fronts Sutton Avenue is also original. As is the filter building at the pool, the games/employee cafe/rides office building, Lakeside Pavilion, LaRosa`s across from Famous Fairways, and what is currently the maintenance/warehouse building). I`ll shed some more information on the subject when I get home from work tonight. Right now I have to run into a design meeting for a project in Africa.

Josh, what did you do when you worked at Coney in 2000 and 2001? I didn`t start working in the rides department until the spring of 2002. And I`ve been back every summer since then!

Very interesting stuff. I love the history of Coney. In fact, several of us ride managers at Coney are big on the history of the park. It is ashame that there aren't mote photos out there from Coney's heyday. It will be interesting to see what celebrations Coney has planned for this year. I know they have a couple things planned throughout the summer. I'll be sure to let everyone know what things are planned when I find out about them.

I would love to see some of those pictures! I am a huge history buff when it comes to amusement parks, particularly Coney, since I have worked there for nearly a decade now (it will be ten years when I start back in the spring).

And for a point of reference, the turnaround of the Shooting Star in that image above, is approximately where the western half of Riverbend Music Center sits today.

Thanks for sharing those photos! I always love seeing historical pictures of Coney. Especially since this year marks their 125th anniversary!

Both articles do not mention much about Ferrari World, other than it is being sold. Have we heard how well this park is doing attendance wise? It is a relatively niche theme segment, so I was wondering if it was attracting the numbers that they had predicted when they were planning this thing.

Wow. Three hours is a long time to be stuck on a ski lift. Fortunately, no one suffered from hypothermia. I wonder how old the ski lift was that malfunctioned. And another slightly related question, do ski lifts in the state of Ohio have to be inspected by the Department of Agriculture`s Rides Safety Division`s Ride Inspectors? Or are they exempt from that since they aren`t technically an amusement park device? If they are exempt, are they inspected or regulated by any state agency?

UPDATE: Pinnacle gets OK to buy River Downs The all cash transaction is expected to close later this month.

Will Kinzel still be the chairman by the time of this conference call? That is a very good q.

Well, I can guarantee you that installing all those pacers in Ciney Mall is not a cheap endeavor either. And a little bit more concrete in the grand scheme of things does not add that much to the total cost. Yes, there are different strength concrete mixes. They are measured in psi (pounds per square inch). The higher the number, the stronger the mix. The strength of concrete is usually specified by the structural engineer based on the loads and the soil conditions.

I agree. I thought that the distribution proposal would be defeated. And personally, I think the board would be wise to not raise the distribution, in order to better position the company for its long term future. It will certainly be an interesting ride in the coming days, weeks and months.

Hmm. How long before we hear a response to this from Cedar Fair. Where Else?

Which is contrary to the decrease in in park spending at the Cedar Fair parks. Too bad Cedar Fair doesn`t break out the attendance figures by park like they used to. It would give a very telling story of what parks are doing good and which ones are struggling. But those days are over. That information has become proprietary.

Wow. They have been spending a LOT of money on lodging. Especially in this down economy. Here is another example of a family run amusement park business that seems to be doing alright. On a slightly different subject, when was the last time that Cedar Fair added additional guest rooms to their portfolio? I know they have mentioned potentially adding lodging facilities to some of the former Paramount Parks. Wouldn`t this be a way for them to develop additional out of park revenue (particularly if they developed an indoor water park property like Castaway Bay at some of their other properties). Yes, upfront capital costs can be more, but it seems to me like it would make sense to own hotels near the parks. I realize that CF had the chance to buy a steak in the GWL at KI, but opted not to, in part because they compete with them up in Sandusky. Recently, Cedar Fair has been preoccupied with a proposed sale, and a unit holder vote proposed by Q, and not focused (at least to my knowledge) on developing their lodging business. Just some things to ponder.

Well, they can add admixtures to the concrete to allow pouring in cold conditions. And because of the soil conditions, you can guarantee that the foundation design is different than that of Kings Island`s foundation. Soil conditions is a big determining factor in designing foundations for rides, and structural engineers rely on soil cores to determine the soil bearing capacity to adequately size the foundation to support the proposed structures. And the soil conditions on a given site can change quite dramatically. One project that I`ve worked on in the office recently had such poor soil conditions, that they were having to do 42" concrete piers and a grade beam because the soil couldn`t support conventional construction.