CoastersRZ

For those of you who have not been past River Downs recently, demolition is in full swing. Most of the grandstand is still standing, for now. Although, they have been slowly pecking away at the edges and tearing parts of the facade down. They also have torn down several of the stables that were located to the east of the track and grandstand, including the stables that were located directly adjacent to Kellogg. I wouldn`t be surprised if most of the demolition is finished in the next few weeks. I have seen some small renderings of the proposed new facility, but have not seen any site plans/large renderings of what the new buildings will look like. The new buildings are to be open by 2014, last I heard.

KIfan73, Outer Hanks main dining area is still open to the weather. It does have sun shading devices that may not be the best to keep out the rain, or keep the hot humid summer heat away. When it was renovated from the German Beer Garden to Bubba Gump, the main renovation was just to the facade and interior. No alterations were really made to the dining area. When it transitioned from Bubba Gump to Outer Hanks (and even the transition to a taco stand), not much really changed with the facade or theme. It still seems odd to have a coastal themed building serving tacos. Just doens`t fit the architecture.

That fountain upgrade rumor is to occur at Canada`s Wonderland first, before being applied to Kings Dominion and Kings Island. That came right out of Matt Ouimet`s mouth in the video that Coasterbuzz made when he visited Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia a few weeks back.

I would love to be able to get up there this summer, it just likely won`t happen. I still kick myself for not getting up to Americana when it was briefly open several years back.

I agree 110% with his post too! Many forget that CBS actually had control of the park, and they were responsible for some very unwise moves. Remember when they decided not to open the metal detectors until park opening time? They had no interest in the parks, and tried to cut costs to maximize profits as much as possible. Cedar Fair has made some good strides, and I think with Ouimet in charge, we have exciting things to look forward to in the future!

And you will have a lot more fun with your new Mrs. on your honeymoon, I can guarantee that. Kings Island will be here when you return from your honey moon. Enjoy it!

This park has been struggling for years. As sad as it is to see parks close, you have to wonder when is enough enough? The park has had countless people volunteer to try and right the ship (even having people volunteer and paint the Blue Streak). But there comes a point where if people still aren`t coming, and the debt continues to grow, then something has to be done. Don`t get me wrong, I do not want to see the park go anywhere. But they have had troubles for years now.

So I was a few years off. Were those two people in that picture wearing the old flight suits that the Flight Deck/Top Gun crews used to wear?

It wasn`t the display that they created to announce that Nickelodeon Splat City was on its way to the park in 1994 was it? (Which would put this picture sometime in 1993.)

I was wondering if that was the case. So I`m definitely thinking that they will be introducing some sort of "dancing fountains" concept to the fountains with new nozzles, etc.

It was not disclosed when the upgraded would occur, but that Canada`s Wonderland seemed to be first in line to get the upgrade.

And the best way to find out would be to contact your employer directly. They will be able to tell you when they should mail them out.

Right. But more of what I was thinking is when the big spectacle show is not going on, I hope they keep the traditional fountains running. Ie, have the regular fountains run during daylight and when the nighttime show isn`t running, then turn those off for the night time show when it runs. I think it would be ashame if they didn`t have some form of fountain running during the day, it just wouldn`t seem like Kings Island.

I think a water show like that would be wonderful if they added it to the fountains. I just hope that it wouldn`t be like a show at 9pm and 10pm, but rather a continuous show so that the fountains (in some form) would always be on. Also, I would worry about maintenance and upkeep, because those seem to have a lot of moving parts, and look how well Snoopy`s Starlight Spectacular has weathered the seasons so far. Water shows like that are so mesmerizing. Reminds me of Fantasmic at Disney`s Hollywood Studios, but on a slightly smaller scale.

A very nice video. I wonder what thing they are going to do to the fountains? I`m thinking maybe some sort of new lighting package that is synchronized to music. It was very nice hearing Rob Decker talk. Being in the design profession, it has always been my dream to get the chance to work on amusement park projects. I have had the honor to actually get to work on a coupe amusement parks over the years. It is truly amazing (and no, I can`t reveal what projects I worked on, but it was really rewarding getting to work on them. Someday I wish to eventually work for a park chain. That would be an ultimate dream job! Its interesting they went with every park and reviewed the attraction installs in the last 7 years and determined how they were received and what shortcomings the parks had. I wonder what shortcomings they determined Kings Island had. And they also said that 2014 additions are already set with most of 2015 set as well. I can`t wait to see what we have in store at Kings Island!

On the subject of overnights, I actually recently read an article in IAAPA`s trade publication, FunWorld, that was talking about overnights at Zoos and museums as a way to give them extra revenue. (For those who do not know, IAAPA is the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). It is an interesting concept. I believe that Kings Island actually had a cub scout camp out/over night a few years back. Might have been in 2009, as I seem to recall they pitched there tents on the patch of grass behind the Eiffel Tower that used to be home to the Salt Water Circus.

I believe that might have been the year that they replaced the Monster with a different Monster. Remember, its not uncommon if something breaks in certain spots for parks to have to disassemble part of a ride to get to the broken part. About five years ago, Coney had to take the Round Up apart for about two weeks in the middle of the season to replace a part that had broken. The only thing that they didn`t remove was the main lift arm!

And that is saying something, considering that Kings Island`s fireworks usually last about five minutes give or take. That is a tradition that was started back at Coney Island when Arthur Rozzi first launched fireworks at Coney in 1931.

Isn`t the entire Charlotte area growing right now? I believe that Chiquita just moved its corporate head quarters there from Cincinnati, in part because they got a better tax package there.

Where did you read this? Cedar Fair has said that Knott`s, Canada`s Wonderland and Cedar Point have been their four top parks. But to say that Knott`s has significant growth potential and Kings Island doesn`t is not a very valid statement. Kings Island has some land to work with, while Knott`s is in a relatively competitive California market. Especially with Disneyland just down the street. Yes, the parks are relatively mature now compared to what they were in the early days and a new coaster install likely won`t see the same spike in attendance now that it did back in the 80`s, but Cedar Fair will continue to invest in all of their parks.

I missed that part in the article. Even if they do sign a lease, they still have a lot of work to do in order to reopen the park.

I took it as they were going to consider approving the lease at the January 24th meeting.

That is encouraging news for the park reopening. They still have a lot of work to do before the park greets any paying customers though.

I agree. I was disheartened when I heard about this. I certainly hope this doesn`t spell bad things for the park moving forward. I wonder if Pat Koch will still be at the park greeting visitors this year. Hopefully things can be amended, but the fact that Dan Koch was fired certainly doesn`t bode well. I sense some rough seas ahead.

I think its safe to say that Bluegrass Boardwalk certainly distracted them from their main property. It is really amazing how Holiday World has blossomed over the years. Hopefully they can pull from a larger demographic area in the coming years. Although, some of their geographic area also is the same geographic area in which Kings Island pulls from.