Rivertown Rider

I think there is opportunity to add some small flats in the existing Oktoberfest area as well. They could relocate the airbrush location elsewhere and bring back the Keggers. They could also put in a Musik Express where the ladder game is now. It would really enliven that area from being what it is now.

I only rode KC once in 1999. Of the four stand ups I have ridden I would put it ahead of Vortex but below Green Lantern and Georgia Scorcher. One of my earliest memories of it was making a pressed penny outside the exit of the gift shop. It is hard to believe the ride has been gone as long as it was there.

I do like the idea of completely redoing that midway. Take out the existing pizza place and arcade and build a more functional Harmony Hall type building on the other side of The Beast between it and the TRTR building. They could always put a small arcade elsewhere. The advantage of a Harmony Hall type building (LaRosas would have a new location within it) would also give the ability to have shows back there during the regular season and another indoor showbuilding for Winterfest.

I fixed it for you.

While it is sad to see the queue building go this certainly gives them opportunity to widen the path between Autos and WindSeeker and keep it from being such a bottleneck.

I agree that Action Zone needs the most help. I definitely agree with the Dark Forest idea as well. I'd relocate Skyflyer to Rivertown and that would give you a nice pad for some family flats which that area of the park sorely needs.

Flight of Fear was my vote. It still is a good coaster and while I do like the Intamin Impulses, FOF takes the edge for me for being full circuit.

I got mine this evening. I think it would be nice if they added some ornaments for some of the other defunct coasters like Son of Beast and King Cobra as well. Even if they did a limited quantity, I think they would sell.

They are really coming along nicely on the second hill. It is hard to believe how massive everything is compared to Racer.

I like the concept and the ability to give a different ride experience each time is great. The major issue would be capacity but they could probably work through that with a bigger model.

I think it is similar to how I305 is at KD. With so much terrain there are things in that park that looked much taller than 305 depending on where you are in the park.

Go get that Tilt a Whirl KI.

What is the link to the weather bug camera?

Was checking the rides seller site and the Airplanes are now listed as sold but they are the only thing as of now. http://rides4u.com/equipment/packages/view/25

With its location in the park, I agree with what others have said elsewhere that it is probably waterpark expansion. This gives them next year to prep that area and then add to the waterpark in 2021.

Thanks for posting these. It is always interesting to see how flat ride centric the park was back in the early days. It would be great to see Oktoberfest get some expansion in the future as now it is Viking Fury, Adventure Express, Slingshot and two eateries. Bringing back some old-style flats would really re-enliven that area.

I personally like Area 72, it sticks with the extra-terrestrial theme and is a nice wink and nod to the park's history. It fits much better than the generic Action Zone does. Hopefully they rename that area at some point in the future as well.

^ I agree. Something like Calico Mine Ride or even something like Black Diamond at Knoebels would be nice in the Crypt building.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Red get some retracking love this offseason followed by a paint job back to the original look prior to the 50th anniversary.

I give the park a ton of credit. Going to the trouble of painting those buildings is something that most people won't even notice but the attention to detail shows that the current management really finds ways to plus the area and the park overall.

One thing that is going to be difficult when they demolish Vortex is going to be trying to keep all of the trees that have grown up around it over the years. Unfortunately, I see most of those disappearing because it would be too hard to work around them.

Hershend is really the only one I would want. They put quality investments in their parks and generally excel at operations and customer service.

I really hope this doesn't happen. It would be like the Paramount days again.

I would love to see them add a couple more cameras. They could move the Mystic one to show elsewhere in the park.

This would be the fourth removal (KC, SOB, Firehawk, and Vortex) since I have been following the park closely. King Cobra- When I first got on the innerwebs in the late 90s there were rumors even then about it being ready to close down and later that it was for sale. I only rode it one time which was enough for me. While it is always sad to lose a coaster, I always joke that the people who miss King Cobra most are the ones who never rode it. While that is not completely true, Delirium has been a popular and successful replacement. Son of Beast- The hype and potential for the ride was amazing. Watching this massive structure start growing in the summer of '99 will always stick with me. It was the first time I really followed a coaster being built and I looked forward to it so much. Unfortunately it wasn't a great ride but the structure itself was amazing to look at. I was disappointed to see it go but Banshee and Mystic Timbers more than made up for the loss. Firehawk- I remember watching Quicktime animation for Stealth (now Nighthawk at Carowinds) and there were strong rumors we were going to get a ride like that @Shaggy has a great thread on here detailing this process well. Eventually we did get it and I finally rode it in '17. I enjoyed Firehawk but it was never a must do and I figured whatever was replacing it would be better and I expect Orion will be. Vortex- This one is tough because it was my first looper. Over the past couple of years I have ridden it more due to trying to get rows 5-1 or 7-1 where it is more enjoyable. The popularity overall with people has seemingly dropped lower and lower every year though. I can see why the park didn't want to throw a ton of money at it if it is metal fatigue. I am excited to see what comes though I think it will be 3-5 years down the road before we know.