Oldiesmann

Note that following the controversy, the park has since removed the part about "islamically appropriate clothing" from the event info on its website...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/alton-towers-crash-failsafes-that-should-have-kept-the-smiler-carriages-apart-did-not-work-10293639.html

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/584338/WaterWorld-Stoke-on-Trent-Muslim-Islam-waterpark-women-only-bikini-ban-clothing-veil-burqa I'm really scratching my head on this one. Note that the park has since removed the "islamically appropriate clothing" restriction from the event description on its website, but I still don't understand exactly what they were trying to accomplish. A "ladies only" night is fine, but you can't claim it's "not specific to any ethnic or religious group" while asking everyone to dress in accordance with a specific religion.

The NBC Bay Area report on the accident paints a somewhat more gruesome image of what happened: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Californias-Great-America-Injuries-307240951.html While I feel sorry for that employee and his family, at this point it almost certainly sounds like someone wasn't following proper procedures. The question here is whether the ride operators knew that he was there. Typically, someone entering a restricted area while the ride is in operation would result in the ride being e-stopped, followed by park security and management being called - even if that person was an employee of the park, since ride operators should also be aware of lockout requirements/procedures.

Would have been interesting to hear her story as far as how they got that ride to KI in the first place then

Son of Beast was a far different ride than Beast. They were the same in that they shared part of a name and they were both wooden. That's about it.

The big field at the back of the park is also used for Rock the World.

It's been closed since mid-May actually.

It's just a paid ad somewhat disguised to look like a news article instead...

Not sure if this is intentional or not, but both the Off Topic and Multimedia & Gaming boards are shown for guests even though guests can't access them (you get an error if you click on one of them when you're not logged in).

As far as that Mirror article goes - of course the lawyer's going to brag about how much money the park could be sued for - all while dreaming about how much she could make in such a case. I also find it funny how they mentioned that the lawyer managed to get a ton of money for a rape victim, which has absolutely nothing to do with the situation at hand.

I'm planning to go up there on Wednesday so I'll take a look then. Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

Not only was I impressed with the ride, I was equally impressed by how much "stuff" they put back there. In addition to the ride and a new gift shop (which is to be expected), they added restrooms, a food stand, a drink station, tables and benches and put another Dippin' Dots stand back there. All of this plus the re-themed/relocated Sparkler (now known as Crow's Nest). When I was last at the park back in late August, they hadn't even finished building the station yet. It's amazing how much they accomplished in such a short time.

Someone asked about T3 again on the park's Facebook page. The current response is that it's "coming soon"...

I always turn my legs to the side to avoid banging my knees.

There was at least one train sitting on T3 as of yesterday...

Here are my thoughts on Kentucky Kingdom, for those who were asking. Overall, it's a good park, and well worth at least one visit. The way Ed Hart is running things is a tragedy, but don't let that stop you from visiting. The park itself seemed to be fairly clean and the employees were friendly. Also, if you do visit, don't just do so for the coaster credits as there is a lot to be said for the flat rides here. They have a unique selection - a Huss Enterprise, a cool old Chance carousel, Tin Lizzies (antique cars), a flume ride that will leave you even more soaked than Congo Falls does (yes, it is possible). I'll upload some pictures in the coming days.

We're still in the park. I'll post more when I get home tonight. Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

We stopped by Kentucky Kingdom on the way back from Holiday World. The entire time, the only Kentucky Kingdom billboard I saw was just east of the Santa Claus exit. Meanwhile, there's a Holiday World billboard right outside the entrance to Kentucky Kingdom... Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

I only hope KI will actually maintain the ride if we get something like Voyage to the Iron Reef. KI hasn't had a good history of keeping up with dark rides it seems (at least as far as Scooby and Boo Blasters are concerned - I never rode Phantom Theater so I can't comment on that).

For those who missed it, or those who want to see it again, someone has finally uploaded a video of Dennis Speigel's talk at Coasterstock to YouTube. Enjoy!

Sounds like I may have to make a combined Columbus Zoo/Cirque trip sometime next month...

They were still showing the digitized queue film in there as of earlier today.

I agree that they're still not completely safe even when anchored to the ground, but it certainly helps. I don't know if this one was anchored or not, but sand isn't going to be strong enough to hold one of those down in most cases.

A beach is not the proper place for a bounce house anyway - it should only be used when anchored to the ground (which they usually are when seen at fairs, etc.). Hopefully the kids will make a full recovery.