CoastersRZ

A wonderful article. Nice to see that Kings Island has now raised over $30,000 for A Kid Again so far. There is still a long time left on the auction.

I`ve worked with Ipe wood before. Talk about a dense and heavy wood! I was surprised at how heavy it was when I worked with it. I actually believe that it sinks in water!

Yep. I actually saw that commercial the other week on 19. It talks about not "getting thrown for a loop" with the weather forecast.

I wonder if they looked to the Ohio Department of Agriculture`s Rides Safety Division when they were developing their inspection program. A little known fact to most people, but all rides in the state of Ohio have a bronze plaque that must be posted in an area visible to the public. This plaque, about two inches tall by three inches wide is like the rides license plate. Every year, after a ride passes its initial inspection in the spring, it gets a new colored sticker with the year on it. You can see an example of this below the information sign in this image. The ride pictures is Pipeline Plunge at Coney. The sticker on the plaque was from the 2007 season, as the state had yet to inspect the ride for the 2008 season as that picture was taken in March of 2008.

Yep. Spring Dot is an official park sponsor. I also believe that they handle printing for the park as well, such as the park map like Cory noted. They have been a long time corporate sponsor/partner of Kings Island, dating back to at least 1999 when they were known as Sidney Printing Works.

Um, how about no. Round Up just received a paint job a couple of years ago, and River Runner is essentially only a two year old ride. It operated briefly at Wild West World in 2007, before moving to Coney in 2008. The Scream Machine debuted in 2005, and was bought from the manufacturer, so don`t look for that ride to go anywhere soon. And why do you think a new coaster is possible in 2012? You clearly have no idea what has gone in at Coney over even the last five years!

I hate when people are inattentive when they are driving because they are too busy carrying on a conversation on their cell phone. When going to Kings Island last year, I actually saw someone brushing their teeth and using their knees to control the steering wheel! And this was on 71! Talk about dangerous!

From Labor Day through the beginning of May, Riverdowns is the only venue that is open to the public. Coney Island and Riverbend Music Center are seasonal, with most of their business occurring from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Although, the season is typically stretched about a month in either direction. All three venues help to create a "destination" for tourists in the Cincinnati area. One very interesting thing to note that with the exception of Lebo`s Bar and AJ`s Roadhouse there are no fast food establishments located near Coney. One has to head north to find more restaurants. Included in the restaurants located to the north of Coney and Riverdowns is a Skyline Chili on Beechmont Avenue just east of Salem. This Skyline often stays open to 1am and sometimes even 3am in the summer to capture traffic from Riverdowns. This Skyline is also the oldest operating Skyline in its original location, and opened in 1967 I believe (there is a sign on the door proclaiming the exact year they opened, but I`m not positive if the 1967 year is correct).

That is because in 2008, the portion of the covered arbor was removed. That path way was originally severed with the 1998 renovation of Hanna Barbera Land, if my memory serves me correct. They added some more 'back of house' area to the food stand there, cutting off the path. I agree, it would be nice to have that walkway back, as it can be a pain when those food stands have long lines! But I don`t foresee that path coming back anytime soon as it is now used for tables for said restaurants.

I just have to add in a comment. While that article mentions increased school funding from the state this year, there are several districts in the Cincinnati who are actually going to see a DECREASE in state funding this year. The Cincinnati Enquirer ran an article about this several weeks ago. Several districts would stand to loose 3% of state funding if my memory serves me correct.

The Thunderhead exits do meet up at the bottom of the stairs. If I recall there was no arcade located in the exit to Thunderhead. There was, however, an arcade in the exit of Tennessee Tornado with air hockey tables.

The Terms of Service at the top is the official ToS of the entire site. The Terms of Service topic in the forums is in addition to the site`s overall Terms of Service, and geared specifically to the forums. Typically, specific issues about what is not permitted to be discussed in the forums, such as politics, is listed in the Terms of Service topic in the forums. I hope that cleared that up.

As the Interpreter stated, The Beast ALWAYS has had trim brakes. They used to be skid type brakes that were applied to the bottom fins of the train. However, in 2002 The Beast received a new braking system utilizing standard pneumatic brakes in the station and magnetic trim brakes throughout the course in the same locations as the old skid trim brakes. Here is a video on our own KICentral channel on Youtube featuring a testing video in which you can clearly see the original skid brakes.

Yes it is. Sadly, I have to admit that the last time I was in Boomerang Bay to enjoy the water attractions was MANY years ago. In fact, it was for the season pass preview day back in 2004 when Boomerang Bay opened. Which is a little ironic since my thesis topic is focused on entertainment architecture and indoor water park resorts. I have, however, been to both Disney water parks in Florida. Talk about top notch water parks! A nice feature about those parks is that they actually have sprinkler heads spraying parts of the pathway to keep the concrete from burning your feet on hot days if you aren`t wearing sandals!

No problem. I`m just glad to shed some insight on it for you.

Well, to be technical about it, the Carousel has never had a "calliope" at Kings Island. A calliope is an instrument that is powered by steam and often found on steam boats. The Kings Island Carousel used to have an operational Wurlitzer Duplex Band Organ #157 that dates back to 1918. Only twenty Wurlitzer Duplex Band Organs were ever built. While the decorative front to Kings Island`s band organ is still present, the organ has not been operational for several years now. I believe that 2005 might have been the last year that authentic carousel music could be heard originating from the band organ. Incidentally, while the Carousel (PTC #79 built in 1926) originated at Coney, the band organ was never located at Coney. It was built for Ocean Grove in New Jersey.

Well I want to clarify something, and do not wish to start any arguments. The Beast has permanent trim brakes located on four locations of the ride. They are magnetic trim brakes and cannot be adjusted (or turned off) without maintenance going out and taking some of the magnets off. Occasionally in the spring months before the trains break in for the year, they may remove a couple of these trim brakes (such as at the top of the second drop). But once the regular season rolls around, the couple of brakes that were removed are placed back into action.

For those of you who have seen similar articles about Carowinds and Kings Dominion about a surge in job applications, the same is now true at Kings Island. Kings Island has received twice as many online applications this year as they have this time last year. Read the entire article from Cincinnati Enquirer here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090212/NEWS01/302120119. Although the article fails to link to the correct website for Kings Island. They still link to www.pki.com and not visitkingsisland.com

Just an update on the auction. There is now a Allan H. from Texas who has bid $100 for spots 65 through 96. That means that those spots have generated $3,100 for A Kid Again. Additionally, KICentral`s $600 bid has fallen to fifth place! This means that the minimum bid to partake in the auction is now more than a $100. The top ten bidders have now raised $8,000 combined! Remember that the real winners are the kids who benefit from A Kid Again. Remember that there are still two months left on the auction!

Yep! It has become one of my favorite wooden coasters. I can`t wait to get back to Dollywood this year to ride it again!

Often times when new ownership takes over, there are changes in management. Look at what happened when Cedar Fair bought Paramount Parks. How many of the Paramount Park people who were involved in management are still with Cedar Fair.

He has to handle his day to day job responsibilities. After all he is getting paid to do a job. There are a lot of marketing related activities related to running an amusement park. It is not all fun and games.

Except the issues with the webcam may be technical in nature. Not to mention that it could be a technical issue with the webcams connection to the internet and not anything with the actual webcam. It is not the end of the world if the webcam is down for a day. And given the high winds today and impending storms, I doubt that they would be doing any lifting of the trains.

According to Myrtle Beach Online, Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach has been sold for $25 million. The new owner, FPI MB Entertainment, hopes to be able to close the deal quickly with the hopes of reopening the park by Memorial day, of this year! Read the entire article from Myrtle Beach Online here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/loca...ory/779327.html I have to wonder exactly who these new buyers are. Hopefully they can operate HRP successfully for years to come. What remains to be seen is if the Hard Rock name will leave the park or not, and whether it will retain its rock and roll theming.

Yep, I had a "Captain Zoom" record. Still have it somewhere. I inherited it from a neighbor down the street when I was two or so. I used to listen to it EVERY birthday.