CoastersRZ

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-seaworld-ceo-joel-manby-20150319-story.html So who will take over Many`s post at Herschend?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-seaworld-ceo-joel-manby-20150319-story.html

Which also means that it is the same amount of time to my wedding. My wedding day is on KI opening day. So between the rehearsal dinner the night before and my wedding itself, I will not make it to KI opening day for the first time in many, many years. I have gone to every opening day since maybe 1999! But this is a very important reason not to make it to opening day. And then I will leave bright and early on Sunday morning for an eight day honeymoon out in California. (And yes, roller coasters will be involved out there, including a visit to Knott`s Berry Farm and Disneyland!)

There needs to be a distinction made. Calling the monorail cars trams can be a bit confusing, considering Kings Island also used to have parking lot trams, similar to what Dollywood and Disney World have in their parking lots. For a while, these were parked in the bone yard out beyond The Bat/Son of Beast. I am not sure if they are still out there or not.

Yep. The river crested this morning and has begun its slow retreat to the normal banks. I can shed some light on how things are done at Coney. Some rides, like the Carousel, are taken apart. The horses are actually moved to the second level of Moonlight Gardens, so it would take a really big flood to affect them. (In the flood of 1937, some of the carousel horses on the PTC Carousel that is now at KI wound up down river as far as Paducah, KY). Some of the electrical boxes on the rides are removed at the end of the season, in case of flooding such as this. Or if there are buildings, Coney will typically cut the electrical supply to those buildings before the water can get into the electric system. Over at the pool, most of the lounger chairs are actually loaded onto semi trailers at the end of the season. Normally these trailers will sit in the parking lot, or are moved in the Coney owned lot across the street from Kellogg. Since these are already loaded onto the trailers, it makes them easy to move in the event of a flood. Once the waters go down, then the cleanup can begin. The later in the spring a flood happens, the harder it is for Coney. Back in 2011, the last time that the rider got up to 55'. it actually crested in mid to late April. We start hiring and doing ride trainings in late April. We got our first training in,and the mechanics had started to set up the rides for the season. Due to the flood, they had to undo some of their work, and we had to cancel some trainings, and that year they had to cancel the Appalachian Festival in May because the park wasn`t cleaned up and ready for visitors yet.

Coney added some more photos of the flooding to their Facebook page. River is expected to crest tomorrow morning. Entrance to River Runner is under water. The flood waters have almost reached the administration building.

They are now saying 58 feet will be the flood crest. The highest flood since the flood of 1997. Enough of a flood to completely submerge all of Coney under at least some water.

As the Anderson High School alma mater starts out "By the fair Ohio`s waters, Stong and staunch and bold." The Ohio River is above flood stage. Coney just posted some pictures of the flood to their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/coneyislandpark Lake Como has grown by several feet, with the island in the center of the lake under water. (It would be hard to launch any pedal boats off of the pedal boat dock, since it is under a few feet of water. The river is forecasted to crest at 56.3 feet. Flood stage is 52'. The last observed river level was 52.84 at 2pm. http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=iln&gage=ccno1 Remember, this is one of the reasons that Taft Broadcasting decided to "close" Coney down and build Kings Island. Hopefully the water goes down quickly, so that we can start to get ready for the 2015 season. There are two new rides on the way to Coney this year.

Some of you may know that as part of the development of the Banks and Smale Riverfront park in downtown Cincinnati, they are installing a new carousel, with hand carved horses from Carousel Works, located in Mansfield, Ohio. This carousel will feature unique animals. Check out this video from the Cincinnati Park Board with interviews from employees and carvers at Carousel Works discussing the Cincinnati Carousel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS7kleLasfU And to see a video with the local artist doing the paintings for the rounding boards, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHGGN_E7HMI Caroul Ann`s Carousel will open at Smale Riverfront Park on May 16th. If you haven`t checked out the progress on the park so far, I recommend you check it out as it is a very nice park, with lots of unique and fun features.

Or it could be not a full fledged elevator but a wheelchair lift (similar to what they installed on Banshee`s station. Those are cheaper than traditional elevators, because as you said, there is no shaft to construct. And when adding an elevator to an existing building, you have to be concerned with the shaft rating and fire separation requirements. I do not believe that the Intertional Restaurant/front gate building is sprinklered, which means the fire rating requirements of the shaft would be much more stringent. Not to mention, there likely would have to be an area of refuge provided on the second floor in the event there is a fire, for those that are in wheelchairs and cannot use the stairs in the emergency. Too much information? I am just glad that I took my final Architect Registration Exam this past week, and hopefully passed it!

There IS an elevator to the second story. But it is only accessible in a back of house area on the lower level and opens into a back of house area on the upper floor.

And the Hamilton County 4H Fair moved to Stricker`s Grove several years back as well.

That looks like an amazing tour. i would love to go on that tour myself!

I love going on backstage tours. Definitely puts a different perspective on things. Having worked at Coney for 13 seasons, entering my 14th, I have a good appreciation what goes on in an amusement park to make a guests day fun. Few people realize all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make their day of fun happen.

The problem I have with dive coasters (I have been on both dive coasters as Busch Gardens` parks), is that after the first drop, there typically isn`t much to them. Although, I will admit, sitting on the far ends with no track above or below you is quite a thrill. You are more removed from the track then on the wingriders.

Ride_on 17, that midway connection would make sense, and allow Blue Streak to get more foot traffic, as it would no longer be on a dead end midway. I still think that if they introduce a dark ride at Cedar Point, they may try to use the former pirate ride building next to Blue Streak for part of the experience.

Wow! Those green lights on the station and lift look absolutely amazing! I really like the architecture and feel of the station. I only wish that I would have the time to get down to Carowinds this year to check out this ride in person. Unfortunately, I likely will not have the time to get down there, as I already have a big west coast trip planned to Disneyland and another Cedar Fair park out in California as part of my honeymoon.

With the moving of these rides, they have opened a large area of land for future development. They also continue to populate rides by Gatekeeper and the Wicked Twister midway. Although it is sad to see a classic turnpike car ride leaving. At least they still have the Antique Cars back by Cedar Creek Mine Ride still operating.

And how would you explain Dollywood adding Thunderhead? Have you ever ridden a GCI coaster? I have been on a few, and they are incredible rides with non stop fun all the way until the brakes at the end of the ride. And the trains are amazing!

Keep in mind that in the fourth quarter, the only properties that Cedar Fair has open are Knott`s Berry Farm, and Castaway Bar up in Sandusky (although I`m not certain how much traffic that property gets this time of year, as Sandusky isn`t exactly a haven for winter tourists). So the chain does not have a lot of income coming into the coffers this time of year, but they still have the full time staff to pay. Not to mention off season maintenance projects...

They have spent a lot of money on Hotel Breakers updating it. Hopefully, it translates into increased bookings for the hotel.

Cedar Fair certainly has been investing a LOT of money into Carowinds. I mean not only are they getting new front entrance buildings, they got a nice new parking toll plaza at the end of last season as well. Maybe it helps that Cedar Fair has a satellite corporate office in Charlotte.

What is not missed, however, is the smell that would come off the water at KCKC on hot days.

Yep. Sometimes when you find out something that most people do not know about, it is far more entertaining hearing people guess and hypothesize what it maybe then actually telling anyone.

Have to give Holiday World a hand on that one. Although, to be fair it is more of a hand chopper than a head chopper.