CoastersRZ

Well, technically, as the article terms it correctly in the last paragraph, they are cash distributions and not dividends. And people own units and not shares of Cedar Fair. As a unit holder myself, I would like to see the cash distribution return. However, would it be better for them long term to pay a modest cash distribution of 50 cents a year, or would it be better long term to use that money to pay down their debt? And wasn`t the whole reason they suspended the cash distributions in the first place is that they violated some covenants in the first place? I seem to remember some ratio that they fell below that necessitated the lapse in the cash distribution payments. So is this Qs true motive? Were they looking to buy units cheaply and then try and force Cedar Fair to reintroduce the cash distributions? Or are Qs true motives still unknown?

Too bad I skipped out on the KIC tour a few weeks ago because of the rain. I may be enticed, even with the $25 fee, to take one of these tours.

And of course, Al Weber went to college here in Cincinnati at Xavier University, and was Executive Vice President and GM of KI in the mid 1990s. I was a little shocked to hear that Shapiro had left Six Flags. I wonder if this was his decision, or a board decision.

Long day at work today (10.5 hour day). I knew it was likely posted, but didn`t see it. My bad. I even read through this thread looking to see if it was posted!

http://sanduskyregister.com/articles/2010/05/11/front/doc4be82bf01b51e937174743.txt Can you say yet another "Opps!" moment for Intamin?

Remember, that the park has not commented on what price they will be charging for the train tours. As always, dates, times, programs and prices are subject to change. Always refer to www.VisitKingsIsland.comfor the most up to date information in terms of programs and pricing.

Yep. And Adventure Express`s line at the beginning uses the edge of the Dutchman pad. I think its safe to say that very few people realize that.

Ray Osburn actually used the correct terminology: footings! Hmm. I know of a few of the rides in Coney Mall, not sure if I can think of all 3. Remains of Flight Commander are obvious. And obviously, the remains of The Bat in and around The Vortex. I don`t know the third one. I do know that a keen eye can spot part of the ride pad for a ride that used to be in another area of the park besides Coney Mall. In fact, another ride uses part of the old ride`s ride pad for a small segment of its queue line.

We have been relatively fortunate at KI and haven`t had any major coasters leave the park in recent years. But I remember sadly the day that it was announced that some classic rides like the Antique cars would be leaving, and that the Flying Eagles would be shipped down to Carowinds. I also remember hearing the news that the Keelboats would be leaving KI. I still miss riding high in the tree tops on that ride. And to think that it was replaced by the ride now known as The Crypt. It would have been interesting to see how Diamondback would have turned out if Kenton`s Cove: Keelboat Canal still existed to this day. But the last few years that ride was around, it was really starting to show its age.

And remember, that the assets of Arrow Dynamics were bought by S&S. So they could produce a new swinging suspended coaster if a customer approached them. Will it happen? I doubt it. Suspended coasters, like stand ups, seem to have been a fad. Although there are some new concepts coming out, like mentioned above.

Well, since we are talking about anniversaries, next year is Coney Island`s 125th anniversary.

Rides like Racer and The Beast are NOT protected just because they have been honored with ACE Landmark status. That indicates that the rides are significant historically, but it does not protect them from demolition, should the park decide to remove those rides. Its unlikely that will happen in the foreseeable future though. Wooden coasters can last quite a long time. The Racer and The Beast are relatively young still when compared to other rides that are currently operating still, such as the rides at Kennywood.

http://www.coneyisla...vents.php?nID=8 A very interesting read. Especially the part about the number of returning employees. I know in the rides department, the rate of returning employees is about 70% this year! And as another aside, Coney began filling Sunlite Pool today. The pool holds more than 3 million gallons of water. (By comparison, Kings Island`s wave pool only holds 600,000 gallons.

The trains on the Python remain the same color as they have been. The support structure remains the same galvanized steel color. The track is yellow/orange in color, with black running rails. The track on the lift and in the station is entirely black. The only other noticeable change will be with Bumper Boats, once it reopens. It was NOT open for the Appalachian Festival, as there was no Bumper Boat dock. (The boats are currently in Lakeside Pavilion. A new dock is being constructed for Bumper Boats (oddly enough, behind Moonlite Gardens). I`m not sure when Bumper Boats will be ready to run, but I`d guess that the goal is Memorial Day weekend when the park officially opens for its 124th season.

As a ride op myself, it is always disheartening when see parents forcing their kids on rides, when it is very clear they do NOT want to ride. It also makes me be extra vigilant in watching them, for the reasons stated above. They will try and get out of their restraints to get off the ride. And, I also had one lady attempt to ride the Ferris Wheel on Sunday. We had buckled her and her kid in, and I had locked the bar. No sooner had I gone down to shut the entrance gate but before my coworker started the ride, she proclaimed that she had to get off, as she couldn`t ride the ride. Not everyone is a fan of Ferris Wheels, particularly the Eli`s that do rock a little.

Well, a couple weeks ago, while on Flight Deck in the brake run, two kids behind us wanted to go ride "Firebird." And today at Coney, I had a kid, probably seven or so years old who was riding the Ferris Wheel. After about thirty seconds, he reported that "This ride is stupid. Its so boring." Upon exiting the ride, the mother apologized to us for her son "being an a-hole" right in front of the kid!

The rides at Coney certainly weren`t busy yesterday or today for the Appalachain Festival. Granted, the event was not free for pass holders. And the rides were an extra charge above and beyond festival admission. (We didn`t even run a fully loaded Ferris Wheel once today in the six hours we were open).

Just as long as it doesn`t turn out like Hard Rock Park... The Ferrari brand is a somewhat limited brand, similar to how Hard Rock was. Yes, the theming is incredible. Sadly, I likely will never visit that place, as I likely will never be rich enough to venture over to that part of the world.

There are actually TWO roller coasters at Ferrari World. One is a launched racing/dueling coaster, with cars that are similar to the Premier Backlot rides. The pictures linked to in the first link appear to be to this coaster, which is NOT the F-1 coaster. The F-1 coaster will use trains similar to the rendering shown in the second link.

I think that the safety goggles are more a result of the environment outside of the building. Some blowing sand at 150mph would not be too kind to bare eyes! And 240 km/h converts to just about 150 miles per hour!!

Well, that could be interpreted several ways. Remember, parks have a multi-year plan of improvements to implement. However, things can and do change with five year plans. Especially when capital expenditure amounts change and/or ownerships change. And it should really be no surprise that when a new attraction is added in an area, that the surrounding area receives a sprucing up. Case in point, look at the additions to the Action Zone way back in 1999. The entire area was spruced up. And to a lesser extent, the area was spruced up again in 2003 with Delirium. Hopefully, a new attraction or two will find its way into Coney Mall proper in the coming years, as that area hasn`t really seen anything new outside of Firehawk, and there are some areas of the Coney midway that are showing signs of needing some updating/refreshing.

Actually, the two parks that they had mentioned putting up for sale were Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair! Obviously, those parks no longer have the for sale sign in front of them. Great America`s future remains uncertain, and depends in part on the outcome of the 49ers stadium. Until that issue is resolved, I doubt that park sees any substantial capital improvements from Cedar Fair.

If it isn`t profitable for the current owners, why would Coney be interested in such a venture? If River Downs were to close, it could pose some logistical issues with Riverbend parking, since currently not all concert traffic can fit in Coney`s lots and some concert goers use Riverbend lots (like for the May 17th Jimmy Buffett Concert).

Only one more day left to enjoy the 41st annual Appalachian Festival at Coney Island. Sunday, May 9th is the last day for this year`s Appalachian Festival. All of Coney`s rides will be open for this event, although rides admission costs $6 per person. Please note that the Bumper Boats will NOT be open tomorrow (a new dock is being built for them this year, and its not ready yet), and that the rides operate from 12pm to 6pm. The rides were fairly empty today, although it was really cold at Coney. I hope to see you there (I`ll be working down there!)

Odd, I can`t seem to see the I-Street cam right now. It appears as a broken link at the moment.