CoastersRZ

And I wonder where some of that stuff that KI sold is at now. I know some of it has ended up at Jungle Jims.

The logical thing is that they are going to use that space for another indoor theater for one of the live shows for Winterfest, since it is heated in there. They did have stuff in there for the Peanuts Celebration this summer.

Sorry for the long delay in responding. Yes, we are still planning on episode 3. We actually have the subject for episode 3, nailed down. Just have to coordinate a time to record. We also have the subject matter for episode 4, 5, and 6 nailed down as well. Look for more frequent release of episodes in the coming months. Especially now that I have a little more free time, since Coney is only open for a few more weekends this year.

See also they Skyline Chili self ordering kiosks. That enables them to have the kiosk order the food, and reduce the number of cashiers that they have to pay. Kind of surprised that they haven`t developed a front gate system similar to the self scan parking system. I know about five years ago they briefly experimented with this, but it quickly and quietly went away just as soon as it had appeared. That missing out on an event is often what Cedar Fair has referred to as creating a sense of urgency. Ie, compelling the guests, whether pass holders or not, that they need to visit or they will be missing out on something. (Based on my two visits to Haunt on Friday nights so far, people are coming out like crazy for Haunt, granted the weather has been insanely warm).

I am trying to remember, when did they start setting up that tree last year?

And for good reason. If one of the cars didn`t lock into place, that would be a miserable ride if your were riding in the sitting position the entire time, and not the flying position.

Looks like a lot of buildings. I really like the design of some of the buildings. Lots of wide open space. The entrance to Hershey always seemed very constricted and narrow. From what I can tell, there is no mention of the name of the coaster, other than that it is their "15th coaster."

I`d venture to say that Holiday World`s Antique Car track is about 1/4 of a mile as well.

The line of cars waiting to turn left into the Kings Island parking lot went all the way back to the intersection of Kings Island Drive and Kings Mills Road. It then continued westbound onto Kings Mills Rd.

Nice thought of having the lift cross over the Flight of Fear launch building too!

Yes, the announcement video was a little, lacking. It seemed like it was a very low budget production. Keep in mind though, that parks have to pay for the pretty animations and renderings that are created. Maybe they didn`t want to pay for that service. It is similar in architecture. We can produce a pretty picture of a building for the client to use in their marketing purposes, if they want to pay for that service. Most do not, so we typically don`t (other than very rough design studies in programs like SketchUp). Yes, the notion I have always heard is that Gravity Group rides are cheaper than CCI rides, but Gravity Group rides require more maintenance/upkeep while GCI rides are more expensive up front, but require less maintenance than a Gravity Group ride. That being said, I think that the junior coasters that Gravity Group are producing have been very well received by both enthusiasts, and the park. Wooden Warrior, Roar A Saurus and Oscar`s Wacky Tax all seem to have been great additions to the parks they have been added to.

Here is a link to the RCDB page on Oscar`s Wacky Taxi: https://rcdb.com/15486.htm That ride is only 1,205 feet, so it is a little bit longer than that ride. Too bad they didn`t also release a POV. I think that this ride will do well to attract families. KK has a decent collection of kiddy flat rides.

It looks like another solid hit for Kentucky Kingdom. The brief birdseye animation they did looked like a fun layout for a junior coaster. I am surprised not more parks have installed some of these junior wooden coasters. Looks like a solid addition to Kentucky Kingdom. I wonder where they are placing it in the park.

Well, given some of the crowds that Haunt can bring in, it wouldn`t have totally surprised me had someone actually smashed/vandalized one (some) of those machines as well. I know the weather was near perfect this weekend. Jheri and I were going to swing by the park for an hour or two on Friday night to use our meal plan and hop on a ride or two. When we saw the line to get into the parking lot at 6:30, we opted to not stop (traffic was backed up onto 741 across the 71 bridge!).

Is that supposed to be some sarcasm/play on words, or do you think people are really smashing the penny smashing machines?

And at nearly 8:30 on a Sunday night, there is still nothing on Kentucky Kingdom`s YouTube channel. Seems like very odd timing to me.

That ride looks like a really low capacity ride, and not exactly a kid friendly attraction.

There was a stretch of a few years when it looked like they might be installing dark rides at some of their parks, but that was a brief period. It would be nice if the ride would get some kind of TLC. It is looking a little drab.

I have not heard anything about that. Screamin Demon opened at KI. To my knowledge, it never ran at another park, prior to opening at KI. Thanks for the interesting read Shaggy! The last few years that KCKC was around, it was certainly showing its age. I just wish that that plot of land would receive more attention than just as a Haunt that is open for a month and a half.

I absolutely love this thread. I have become quite a bit of a rail fan over the years. I hope to one day get down to Tweetsie. I cannot wait for future chapters in this!

Does Kentucky Kingdom even have a large plot of land to fit Firehawk in if it were to be the ride being moved there? My gut would be that Kentucky Kingdom is NOT going to get Firehawk. (The Flying Dutchman at Kentucky Kingdom is the one that used to operate at Kings Island from 1973 through 1990).

They set up this scene with this sign to do just what is happening on here now. Creating buzz and talk about the park. That is what good marketing plans do. Get people talking about the park, and sparking interest. They may not want to tell people what ride is leaving just yet, so that people have to guess, and spend more time riding all the rides, and thus spend more time in the park, and in turn spend more money at the park. (Which judging by the crowds tonight, there were quite a few people spending money at the park). Also, keep in mind that on the last Cedar Fair conference call, it was mentioned that they will continue to evaluate what rides are becoming costly to maintain and remove them when necessary to save on maintenance costs, especially if a ride is no longer marketable.

Thanks for clarifying! I still like the original Fear Fest logo over the Haunt logo.

Keep in mind, that they did resurface a the accessible parking area several seasons back.

Fear Fest was a separate charge in 2000, 2001 and 2002. I did not attend FearFest in 2000, but did attend in 2001 and 2002. I can confirm that they used to give you wristbands. They also used to clear out the park for the incoming Fear Fest crowds. They actually were exiting people through the old season pass holder entrance (over by the admission booths by the Kings Island Theater).