Outdoor Man

Truth is, we will never be fully "rid" of COVID. So... we're going to have to learn to live with and manage it. We can beat it down with herd immunity- but it isn't something we'll ever be 100% rid of. Measles is still around. Mumps is still around. Common Cold (a coronavirus) is still around. The best thing that has happened is the development of the Vaccine, yes- but also therapeutics have come a long way in a short time. For some- the treatments, when addressed immediately, have resulted in the virus being neutralized within 2-3 days- in otherwise healthy people. Going forward, the vaccine and current infections will get us to a herd-immunity level that will be sustainable. However, we will need to "ditch" the social distancing, mask wearing, over sanitization, etc... that have been present to allow the population to have a continuous, ongoing exposure to it to keep immunity levels up. If we try to sanitize our way to health, we'll be susceptible to everything. There have been several doctors groups that have said- if you've recovered from it or had the vaccination- drop the overprotecting or the immune system will forget to protect against it. In the future, COVID will probably be part of every annual flu vaccine (just as H1N1 is)- if you're immuno-compromised, protect yourself. and if you have symptoms or are diagnosed- get the therapeutics prescribed immediately. In positive news: as of yesterday only 8 states have growing infection rates. 20 currently have flat graphs, and 22 have declining daily infection rates (some dramatically). MUCH better than a month ago that had 48 states with increasing rates.

D'oh!

and I think therein lies the first and final nail to the coffin of hopes for a 2020 Winterfest/Holiday event. See you in 2021.

I agree; though I'm not sure why they keep making a point to make the distinction. I would think that as 2020 goes.... everything has been under a different set of rules. Only if someone has been on the moon with their head deep in moon rock facing the other direction would anyone not know this...

again, Kings Island could do it and be a money maker.

Was in Mason earlier when I saw the original post and drive past park on way home. Drove past and thought... "Hoax." Then noticed the hooks (for the star)... and then noticed that the lights going down really get lost in the sunlight. Hoping the lights on the star are finally bright enough to see outside the parking lot. Probably not an indication of a winter event, though it would be a pleasant surprise. They did clear the Fall stuff out FAST though. They still had Christmas things up/out in March earlier this year.

I would think that if they were only going to light the tower (which would be nice....)- they would have made that announcement because something like this would take on a life of its own.... Maybe a "hey, because 2020 has sucked for us all- even though we won't be open, we're doing this..."

Cincinnati weather through December is generally manageable. You have the sporadic 60 degree days in early Dec. and things don't typically get dicey until the end of Dec.- which by the 2020 Dec Calendar, they would be closed before Christmas anyway. It just seems like a waste of lost revenue. Saturday's in October have been very well attended and as it has gotten colder, more and more of people's physical appearance is covered; not to mention, masks are then more bearable to wear. Just seems that if they had plugged forward, even with fewer shows- they could have had near-equal attendance to years past. RIP of what 2020 could have been and to a host of terrible decisions along the way.

not sure why they cannot try this. They could have done Winterfest...

I heard that too. Kings Island could have done Winterfest. 95% of the human body is covered (gloves included) anyway- and face coverings are generally included as well.

It would be the like the Demon Drop; only a lot longer and would fall a lot further. It would be called "Cincinnati Pro Sports Playoff Hopes". The top of the ride would be called... let's say "April" and way near the bottom would be "September"- only, when you think it is over, September would continue to fall below grade to "December." There would be some peaks... but mostly valleys. It will be a devastating ride but for some reason everyone tends to climb the hill to jump back on the bandwagon in April every time. Do I have something here?

I don't think it really became clear until about 2 weeks ago. As someone who had a booth number assigned, Orange County had been pressing IAAPA to continue with the Expo and I think up until the 2nd or 3rd week of August had their canons aimed to have the event. Then one-by-one, prominent exhibitors began to back out. ITPS backed out for the first time since it's inception, Intamin, GCI, etc... Then operators like, Quassy (not a large park, but a regular fixture at IAAPA events) pulled their support. By the third week of August I think it was crystal clear- I'm sort of surprised they waited until today. They turned the Asia conference into a "virtual" event. I logged in and it was.... an OK lemons into lemonade effort. At the moment, though, it doesn't appear that the November marketplace event will even be a virtual event.

Not saying they are racing to remove The Bat. But like all "assets"- when the cost of maintenance exceeds the perceived ROI... it becomes a liability. See Firehawk ("only" 18 years old at its demise) SOB (last ride at 9 years) and Vortex. The Bat is a maintenance issue from extinction.

I wouldn't be surprised if The Bat took it's final flight very soon. rarely a line, I can't imagine replacement parts are plentiful at this point, the paint-job looks shoddy (again)... I don't think they've used Timberwolf on any consistent basis in years. So... removal of those two wouldn't be a stretch. That said, I have to side with infrastructure and utilities. I can't imagine the park doing a large project in the front when they likely knew that some prime real estate in the back was going to be vacant. You can seal those two areas off from the park and let nature reclaim without losing much- or even a small entrance created for GWL guests (I think there was a plan for that years ago... maybe... I've slept a few nights since then).

Would like to see park change hours to be open later. People wishing to come after work wouldn't get there until >6p. Not much incentive to come out at that point.

We went for the first time on Thursday. Wish they would change times to 1-10 instead of 11-7. If there is any time of the day that is bearable to wear masks outdoors it was at 7:05 as we were walking out. As for the climbing infection rates... Infections aren't happening largely at outdoor venues, it's mostly from tight indoor spaces that feature lots of recirculated air. A doctor acquaintance of mine said that most agree that if we were doing unlimited testing from February-April, there were likely days that there would have been in excess of 150,000 daily cases tallied. I think ki is safe. We'll be back this week. Just be smart, protect the vulnerable, and live life. I know someone that was in excellent health, a certified germophobe, wore a mask since March, stayed away from crowds, and lived as sterile as he could have been. Was killed in an auto accident late June. We're not guaranteed tomorrow; don't live stupidly, but live life and not cowered into a corner. I mean, let's be honest, when ever again will we see lines for a new roller coaster be near walk on. Reserve your spot and enjoy the park!

Had a much longer post before trying to upload to a now-deleted thread. PRE-COVID: my guess is that CF had plans already in motion when the decision was made to bring Vortex down as a 2021 attraction(s). It's too marquee a location to not have an equally marquee attraction inhabit the spot. Just like SOB stood SBNO for a few years even though there was no intention to reopen- it stood until Banshee was ready to build. It would have been easy to leave Vortex standing until something new was ready. CONTEXT: prospect to first ride can take 3+ years to do; so, at a minimum, Vortex's demise has been in the making since at least 2018, maybe sooner- well after the decision of Orion's location was made. COVID has likely drastically changed the timeline. PRESENT DAY: had they known the future, Vortex would probably still be standing. But, now that it's down, you have to do something there while you figure out time- it really depends on where they were in the design process. My guess is that the internal conversations within CF have been punted to after Opening Day 2021- and this may end up being an attraction(s) for 2023. It may be after that, but I'm assuming CF has already invested a chunk of change for this and whatever it is will be done sooner or later. WHAT I THINK: First, doesn't matter. Second- will give anyway. I think that the location where the loading station across from WindSeeker will become a larger pedestrian area- possibly extending back to SRR. My guess is that when KMAA was built they knew that "soon" the walkway would be widened. The footprint of Vortex itself will become a small handful of attractions with an eventual coaster installed to bookend the back of the park once again- possibly built in phases.

When ride ops do that, it just comes off as poor training. Maybe park supervisors encourage it.... I highly doubt it though; it's more of a blind eye and trying to be the "cool" supervisor. If they want to make effective use of the PA system, then help theme up their ride- stop the idiotic telling people to enjoy your ride on The Beast- when they are on Diamondback. Use the mic to reinforce the ride and theme. Haven't been yet this year but Orion looks to be about as well themed as anything they've installed in a while. There's a story there- i hope the ride ops use creativity to "theme" it.

he did. State was served a lawsuit... Dewine relented.

maybe sooner than July... Ohio HB665 submitted to Dewine with bipartisan support to all for immediate reopening of amusements parks, zoos, and waterparks. He could veto it.... but i doubt he will.

Not a conspiracy theory person at all... but Georgia mostly reopened 3-4 weeks ago. MANY were saying it was stupid; they'll be the next New York, just wait- it'll be just like Italy. Result- daily infection and death rate have been flat since March 30. Florida reopened... infection rate scaling down- death rates flat. We've been trained to hear that places reopening equals a huge spike in the virus. I think that parks (KI, CF, Six, etc...) need to get open. Lobby the states to push the start of school to Labor day to give 'that much longer" and restore 4 weeks to the summer operations (which, by the way, employ a ton of people). Politically I don't think I agree with five things Bill Maher says. I respect what he says because he's incredibly consistent and doesn't usually flip between popular views- even if I do disagree with it. He is spot on in the video he had on May 1. It doesn't contain "family friendly" language so I won't post the link here- but I agree 100%.

agreed.

If Ohio follows the same trajectory as Georgia has- which despite opening back up 2-3 weeks ago has had an infection curve that's been basically flat since March 31- opening sooner than July could be possible. With any virus or infectious bacteria- being outdoors is the best place one can be rather than being cooped up breathing the same air over and over. Regardless, when they do open- we're looking at what will be the most sanitary environment EVER at the park. My guess is that disinfectant was NEVER used on line queues throughout the year, even when the random patron blew chunks in the lines.... Now, maybe several times daily for a while after opening.

parks will probably opt to play "small ball" for a few years to freshen the parks and add cost-effective experience-driven attractions and addons.

I'm in agreement with most of your post. But the context of my post wasn't to compare the death rates of COVID-19 to Cardio Vascular Disease. It was to say that the way that policy makers have addressed the current situation is going to have a fairly significant unintended consequence in the coming few years.