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The article didn’t exactly state WHO was responsible for the ride’s removal. Since the lawsuit hasn’t come to a conclusion, my guess is that Gerstlauer demanded it be dismantled. This tragedy makes my blood boil. This family lost a son, THEIR CHILD, because of an egregious chain of errors and monumentally poor decision making that prioritized their pockets over human safety. I hope that when the lawsuit is resolved (lol) the owners and managers of Slingshot Group are held accountable. At the very least they should be bankrupted and banned from the industry. Manslaughter or negligible homicide convictions on top of that would be ideal.

Lol. Definitely don’t put Casa Batlló at the front of the park .But not to get too in the weeds here, what people are talking about wanting to see with the entrance plaza in this thread is very much in line with Gaudi’s ideals. “Gaudí's work is normally classed as modernista, and it belongs to this movement because of its eagerness to renovate without breaking with tradition, its quest for modernity, the ornamental sense applied to works, and the multidisciplinary character of its undertakings, where craftsmanship plays a central role. To this, Gaudí adds a dose of the baroque, adopts technical advances and continues to use traditional architectural language.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaudí Speaking of Casa Batlló, I’m off to the Sesame Place forum to expand my idea for a majestic Fraggle Rock themed dark ride and play structure lol.

Interesting…. A few days ago I submitted an application for a Guest Services position and was invited to schedule an in-person interview via text message I assumed that I would get a call or email if they were interested. As someone who was born in the 1980s who lives over 100 miles away, I have a lot of questions. I DID schedule the interview, but have been changing my mind back and forth all week. Maybe someone here could help me out? The Beast was born two years before I was lol. What is the experience like for older people who work in entry level positions at the park? Do they typically stay all season? Return in subsequent seasons? Do they work well their coworkers? Obviously, not everyone has the same experience but a generalization would be helpful. What is the short term rental market like in the area? Or just the rental market in general? Does the company help assist with finding/securing housing if someone is considering relocating? Or are dorms the only option? I really appreciate any insight someone might provide and thank you!

I would like to see a middle tier for an all-season option that includes drinks and snacks only. I always buy all season drinks but sometimes I don’t buy any food at all during my visit. Especially if I am going alone. If I could get all day drinks AND potato works or a pretzel or a blue ice cream every visit it would DEFINITELY keep me in the park longer. This might also have the effect of cutting down on the number of guests who use the all season dining plan a little too excessively. Maybe not. But people who value a good value could be tempted by a lower price point when buying their passes. I love this for the park! Great move that will certainly pay off.

THANK YOU! This is freaking hilarious. Never heard of this guy before, but Defunctland collaborating on his video is a huge stamp of approval. Looking forward to going through the catalog.

Yikes. I honestly haven’t take a deep dive on a CF earnings report in a few quarters but this is super worrisome to me on a couple different levels. First, if CF merges with either Sea World or Six Flags it would create the first theme park mega conglomerate. There are no other models and such an unprecedented move would be an incredible risk, especially because the world just entered it’s third calendar year of the pandemic. In 2021 parks suffered WAY too many accidents. Being closed for over a year, national labor shortages, and humans forgetting how to be human out in the world is what I expect contributed to this. And I do not want to see that happen again. Operations at every chain I have read about have had lots of stumbles while learning how to work through the pandemic successfully. Some parks and chains have handled them more gracefully than others. That being said, this isn’t the correct time to try and make a Voltron-esque park chain. Secondly, could this possibly be a pumping scheme? Every time these offers are made, each company gets a bump up in their stock/unit price. Kind of like Elon tweeting about DOGECOIN or WallStreetBets memes. The first scenario is irresponsible. The second option is reprehensible and very illegal.

@silver2005 As someone who nerds out on architecture and reads LeCorbusier translations for enjoyment, I absolute am ON BOARD FOR ARCHES!!! maybe some green details to make the reference cohesive could be applied. As for the roof… A glass tiled solar roof would be STUNNING, show guests that the park is modernizing, and be eligible for HUGE tax credits for at least a few more years.

@IndyGuy4KI I absolutely love this! Could there be potential for other new forums as well? I have some odd industry related topics that I’d like to initiate that aren’t related to announcements and news. I’ve noticed that a lot of active users here are not only KI enthusiasts, but full-on amusement park enthusiasts. A more general parks discussion forum might be interesting and drive engagement. A space for discussions about how rides operate and technical details would be awesome! At least for me anyway lol. This is the only place I’m ever really active on social media and that is because everyone here has been extremely friendly and engaging. BIG THANKS to everyone here for that!

That is very unfortunate:( I honestly don’t remember what Banshee looks like at night. The lights on WindSeeker and Orion are mesmerizing. And haunt nights have amazing lighting as well. Not sure how much it costs to do a lighting package on a large attraction like Orion, but could you imagine if all the “skyline” rides had something similar??? It would be breathtaking.

I agree. New attractions are typically a net positive for parks and their guests. Was always confused as to why the left the Flight Commander spot sat empty for so long. Practically any carnival-like flat would have fit there, been on theme for the midway, and filled a need for that type of attraction. That part of the park wasn’t the best before the renovation of the midway and addition of the antique cars. However, I have to disagree that it was the best placement. More flats and some new facades on the old buildings would have been better for that part of the midway, in my opinion. I suppose my point was that with so much land to work with I have been surprised and confused by how space has been utilized at the park during Paramount’s and continuing into CF’s stewardship. But yeah…. Congo Falls could and should be relocated.

The placement of the ride seems ill-planned. Kind of like it is squished into a small plot in an already congested area. I think the antique cars would be AMAZING back behind WindSeeker and The Racer turnaround. I love it back there lol. The park has Disney World levels of real estate, compared to practically every other regional park, that they seem unwilling to work with. Even though the original antique cars ride was in the middle of the park, I think the inclusion of topiaries and the other landscaping around that general area made it seem more secluded and meandering. Maybe I’m misremembering the scale of the original because I was a shorty kid when I first experienced the antique cars. Or maybe that In The Loop video I watched yesterday about Gilroy Gardens has me feeling some kind of way about what KI has lost in landscaping and GG has excelled in executing. antique cars @4:26

So maybe the park should close White Water Canyon…. Those river rapids rides are some of the most unsafe rides ever created. With White Water Canyon closed, the park would have an ideal spot to relocate Congo Falls. The “river” part could be converted to float boats down, decreasing the cost of new concrete and plumbing. Maybe add a splash pad. Or fish ponds could be brought back to the park. There’s so much verdant, beautiful space back there. To me, it seems like shady areas in the park disappear with every addition or renovation. It could possibly relieve some congestion in that weird area where Planet Snoopy blends into River Town. I really, really miss all the gardens, ponds, and unique landscaping that used to be in the park. While some has survived, and AMAZING things have been added in their place, I’d like to see it come back. I believe they missed a huge opportunity for some of this type of landscaping when antique cars came back. Landscaping was a huge part of the OG antique cars experience that the new cars don’t deliver.

Why are they neglecting Banshee??? That girl was looking faded AF during my last visit in September. It was the only place in the park I noticed fading paint, probably because she’s so prominent from EVERYWHERE in the park. Come on, KI! Give our BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE, STUNNING monolithic Swiss masterpiece the vibrant refresh she desperately needs. Also, did Orion’s plot ever get any grass or ground cover? Any landscaping at all? Concrete and patchy weeds aren’t a good look for showing off a brand new major attraction.

If I never hear that ridiculous bluegrass cover of Love Shack in river town again, it will be too soon. No offense to bluegrass or the B 52S. But that song…. Ugh.

I was referring to Orion lol. I forget all the time that the park even has actual shows. Showpiece meaning that it’s a huge draw for guests and it IS something to behold! Man… he’s pretty. All B&M coasters are elegant. But I digress

I basically meant that if the park didn’t install a ground cover under their brand new showpiece it signals to me that aesthetic maintenance isn’t in the budget. I think it can only be seen from a few high vantage points anyway. Someone mentioned the work on The Racer in the thread too. I would argue that was a multi-year overhaul and necessary to preserve and maintain a staple asset. This was the second or third year it had extensive work, if I am remembering correctly. And you can see it represented visually because new wood stands out! The Racer really does look great and the ride experience has improved so much! As for the steel coasters, their mandatory maintenance isn’t as easy to visualize. New paint doesn’t do anything to make steel coaster run correctly. And I can’t be sure, but I imagine hiring a crew to paint a steel coaster is nowhere near the cost of some grass seed. Or even sod for that matter.

Cincinnati has to have some extra soda fountains somewhere too.

I’m curious to know what kind of leverage and/or stake the people on this forum who love the park actually have.

Nothing is getting painted if Orion didn’t even get sod

I liked that place. Only visited once in 2007. Always meant to go back, but never did

Admins, can you tell us how to ignore or block forum users please? For me at least, that function is not apparent.

I really enjoyed the Red Racer this year after the off season track work. It was the only thing I rode during my visit other than Orion. I had just enough time to kill before getting in line at my assigned time, remembered reading about the Red Racer getting track work for this year, and walked right onto the front seat so I got a good look at things. The ride was noticeably smoother. I didn’t know The Beast got track work as well. Dang! I thought I experienced all the 2020 coaster improvements. You‘ve tempted me to the park again lol. Hopefully we will get some open days at the park this fall.

I called it in March. This has me like: @SonofBaconator All the regional chains are in an untenable situation at the moment. Cedar Fair, at least, has astronomical debt and can’t even afford electricity at the moment. I would assume the ride budget is going to be strictly allocated to maintenance and possibly fulfilling current contracts on projects in development. Six Flags called off about a dozen parks that were in the works in China. They totally cancelled every development plan and a huge global expansion. I doubt we will see many new rides at any of the regional chains for years.

My guess is that it is a budget issue.