CoastersRZ

And why would Coney need a ride that already has a horrid capacity? Have you visited Coney when it is busy and seen the line for the Python? It is a SLOW moving line.

And King Cobra wasn`t entirely removed when the park opened in the spring of 2002. They were still wrapping up the demolition of the station and lift hill.

And they are expanding Chocolate World, mostly with about 10,000 square feet of retail space. The Setpoint rides like this, never really caught on. As was mentioned, they were horrible with capacity. I only rode the one that was at Carowinds. And while it was a fun ride, I think its lack of throughput is really what hurt these attractions. Setpoint really hasn`t done much other than these types of rides. It will be interesting to see what is added in its spot. For those of you who have not been to Hershey, it is a fun park, and definitely worth a visit. I was able to visit in 2011, and had a fun time there.

I can confirm that O`Rourke wrecking crews are on site in River Downs` parking lot. They have not started any demolition yet, however.

Thank you Gordon! I was not trying to put words in your mouth. I was simply stating that you seem to think that construction and the new racing mean the end of coney. It does not. And yes members are free to post their opinions on these forums. But when you start sounding like you have sources and know people and stating things as fact which are not fact, is where I have an issue. Yes, you do support Coney and it is people like you that help keep Coney as a going concern. Most swim lessons are held in the mornings before any concert traffic becomes an issue. Not to say there aren't some swim lessons held in the evenings or there aren't some concerts that start earlier in the day. But keep in min that Coney benefits from these concerts. Yes, Sunlite pool is one of the main draws to Coney. Especially since they haven't really added any signature or big ride in recent years to the dry side. We got Swing A Round last year and River Runner, the last major ride, came in 2008. If they were willing to put a big ride in, I think it could certainly help draw people to the rides side. Coney did very well this year, especially with events like the fireworks competition. Coney will be around for generations more to enjoy. Just like Kings Island, Coney will be a different place ten years from now than it is today, but it will still be an amusement park creating memories for scores of families of Cincinnati residents.

Brenda Walker and her family still own the park. She has a very hands off method of ownership and lets Coneys full time staff run and manage the park. As other posters have said, she occasionally makes visits to the park. I personally have not met or seen her at the park. As of Friday morning, I haven`t seen any wrecking crews not to say they weren`t there as it had been foggy the last couple of mornings. I drive by Coney every morning on my way into work downtown. And I still do not get why you are calling this carnage. Yes, they will be building a new racino, but they are not building a full fledged casino, and they are not taking over Coney. I don`t think the Racino will have a negative impact on Coney`s perception at all. I mean, people have been allowed to bet on horse racing at River Downs. Its not like it is introducing gambling for the first time. Additionally, there are several concerts every year that can bring a rough crowd out to Riverbend, and when they park they have to walk through Coney`s grounds. I think that you are blowing this way out of proportion. Not to mention you come off sounding like you actually work for the park and know the fate of its demise and the ins and outs of its business. You do not work for Coney. Coney isn`t going anywhere any time soon. It has survived floods, recessions, segregation, and many more things. Its safe to say that a change in venue and new building on some neighboring property will not cause Coney to close. It is clear that you have already passed judgement on these new plans for Riverdowns as being detrimental to not only Coney Island, but Anderson Township. I suggest you take a wait and see attitude towards this, and quit voicing your incorrect suggestions that this is going to be the end of Coney. Those are your opinions and not the opinions of Coney ownership or staff members. Sometimes it is wise to just sit back and watch how things unfold and not be vocal with your opinions.

Right. But what I was referring to was bringing in fill to raise the finish grade, like Coneyking mentioned. Removing dirt is a lot different than bringing in fill.

That can be very expensive. Not to mention it requires special fill if you wish to then build on the fill you hauled in.

I think the new operators still have a lot of work to do. There is still a lot of bad publicity associated with the way that the Beach closed and did not open this season. And they are in a tough market to compete considering Kings Island is right across the street. I wish them the best and hope they are successful. I have only been to The Beach once, and that one visit was on a comp ticket that my relatives had given me.

According to the way the state constitution is written, and the way the voters approved the amendment, the only casino style gambling that can be conducted in the state (outside of the slot machines at the racinos), must occur at the four casinos that have or will open in the state. And since Cincinnati is getting a casino, one has to wonder what impact that will have on River Down`s plans. I too have heard some grand schemes about their plans and that to the owners, money is no object. It will be interesting to see what develops. Stay tuned...

Essentially, the land that Riverbend sits on used to belong to Coney (and Taft Broadcasting). The land was donated (Riverbend is actually owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) to the symphony for the original Riverbend music center. Other than the RSVIP/accessible parking, there is no parking lot on Riverbend property. As such, it was only right that Coney, which had the parking infrastructure in place, handle the parking. Coney does get revenue from the parking for concerts (every concert at Riverbend has a "facility use" fee, part of which goes to pay for the parking. When you go to a concert at Riverbend, no parking money is collected when you park in the Coney lots for this reason. Additionally, all the concession stands at Riverbend are actually operated by Coney. And in turn Coney gets money from this. These arrangements were part of the deal for Coney donating the land to Riverbend. And when the smaller PNC Pavilion was built several years back, Coney donated some more land to Riverbend. The new racino indeed has impacted how Coney does business and its future plans. Which will only become more evident as the months go by. Being careful not to say too much.

Coney has NOT sold land to River Downs. In fact, Coney`s next door neighbor isn`t even River Downs. It is Riverbend. Riverbend owns a plot of land from the Ohio River all the way up to Kellogg. (Albeit, this plot of land is only about 25' in the parking lots between Coney`s parking lot and River Downs` parking lot.) There will be implications, as others have mentioned, where will all the cars park. Especially when construction is going on for the new Racino. Will this development impact Coney, yes! Will it force Coney to close or be overcome by the new Racino, I think not.

I too have not heard anything about the marina or moving the Delta Queen here, other than what was mentioned in the article. Riverdowns owns quite a bit of land to the east for the current grandstand. They also own a large plot of land on the north side of Kellogg, across from the parking lot that is to the east of the grandstand. As I have said before, the Riverdowns redevelopment will impact Coney, but I don`t think it will be as big of an impact as what Pilotank is letting on. Remember, Cincinnati will be opening a casino next spring, so its not llike this new Racino will draw people from all over the city. I do think that it will help the area and maybe attract some additional customers to Coney, but they are going after different target markets.

So I wonder if they deemed the real estate better suited fir this new attraction. Or if they were not impressed with the upkeep/throughput/popularity of Adventure Mountain. Seems odd it only lasted three seasons. Before it was built, that was just a barren hillside.

A couple clarifications. Winterfest was restaged in 2005, not 2006 as that YouTube video states. I actually saw the play today at work as part of our Adopt A Class program. I immediately recognized it as being nearly identical to the Winterfest show that I saw in 2005. Great to see a tremendous show living on. I would definitely recommend that you go and see the show. Top notch production.

I don`t think you have to worry about Coney going away anytime soon. It will be around. I don`t think River Downs will take over Coney. They own quite a bit of land already. If anything they see Coney as an added benefit, because it is another attraction to attract people to the area. And remember, technically, Coney Island borders Riverbend Music Center, which in turn borders Riverdowns` land. Riverbend is owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. I don`t think that the changes to Riverbend will cause Coney to go away. Will it change the way that Coney does things? Yes. I know that for a fact. And I`m sure we`ll see some of those bear out in the coming months and year

But the parks have to have something to draw the people there to induce them to pay those large parking rates.

Well, that is a given. But the fact that Kings Island`s Flight of Fear still has most of its original theming intact is impressive. Especially when compared to what happened to Kings Dominion`s Flight of Fear`s queue.

I still maintain that is remarkable how much of Flight of Fear`s theming is still there. Yes, there have been some things that have come and gone with its theming over the years, but the ride will be 17 years old this upcoming season.

Because some people would pay for both the premium "paid" mazes/experiences and the Fright Lane passes. Thus, Cedar Fair would get even more income from these individuals. Sure, enthusiasts and people that post here may complain about such an offering, but if it proves to be a money maker for the company, then why not roll it out across more of their parks. This is my 10,000th post. Hard to believe that I have made that many posts. I haven`t been on much lately as I have been working two jobs (and close to 70 hours a week). Right now I`m on a brief reprieve as I do my civic duty and am on jury duty.

This is actually the 30th year that the Cincinnati Zoo is hosting the Festival of Lights. It first began in 1982. I plan on going with my girlfriend in a couple of weeks. While not as widely acclaimed as the Columbus Zoo, the Cincinnati Zoo has been investing a lot of money in upgrading their facilities over the years. It is vastly different than even when I visited on field trips for school in the mid 1990s. Its been a while since I`ve been on here. Two jobs going on and I`ve been working close to 70 hour work weeks since mid-October, leaves little time to get on here.

Yep, as Westcoaster stated, Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., the Las Vegas based owners of Riverdowns have decided to tear down the existing grandstand facility and clubhouse to make way for the new development. Price tag of $209 million, including licensing fees. This will have a direct impact on Coney Island, no doubt. ConeyKing, the earthwork that is going on at Coney is located between Lake Como and Kellogg Avenue, but it is entirely on Coney property. Do not get your hopes up for anything for next season. I wouldn`t expect much from Coney for the 2013 season. They are already talking about 2014, however...

Do NOT respond to anything asking you to Skype with a member on here. There was a spammer who sent some unsolicited messages to some members. Again, do not respond to this member. I have banned this member and blocked the IP address from this site.

They are NOT currently doing any upgrades to Kellogg Avenue. The earth that is being moved is in fact on Coney property. Now, Anderson Township has mentioned some sort of improvements to Kellogg Avenue, especially to try and alleviate flooding when the Ohio rises, but as of right now, no plans have been publicly discussed about what improvements may happen.