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Hey Robbie first just let me say I really liked the angle you got of the jump. As far as the Clown Band I took 37 pictures and 8 videos basically spanning over their last set plus the end of their 2nd set. I will put up a couple more photos and pictures but I think I am going to but a link to my Phanfare album of Saturdays pictures and videos, so that members can see all that was going on and so that the photos are not just sitting in cyber space with no views. I like this second one but i tried to tie the towwer in and turned the camera. so the player needs to be adjusted a bit, and i will do that.

I agree with you Kwindshawne Saturday’s atmosphere at the park was similar to the old days and I always found it hard to describe how it felt back then. Back then they had even more street shows and the food was cooked on site with the smells lofting about. Well Saturday was great and I did enjoy the live bands too. Ronny – Running into you when we did could not have come at a better time it seemed like we were all just chilling out before getting to the jump site. Thanks again on the photographs, in truth I would like to invest in a HiDef camera and video recorder. I do have 4 digital cameras one older SLR digital camera and two pocket camera and one point and shot 9 pix camera. I usually just take the smaller ones as you can see I like to take a lot of pictures and those are easier to lug around. After you guys left the wife made a comment “those guys are pretty serious about there photography did you see those big cameras?” “They looked like military guys with all those bags and stuff hanging off of them” LOL, if she only knew. Let’s hope KI sees the interest of the Clown Band and the mood they helped build in the park and bring them back for good. P.S. Ronny I really thought I might go to the Fairfield event, if you are serious about going or need someone to go with, well that would push me over the edge on deciding to go. Just let me know.

Thanks for sharing your visit to CP with us; I think you are lucky as my daughter will not ride coasters with us yet so we have been waiting until she gets a bit older. Sounds like you guys had a great time and something to look forward to in the future with that possible ride on TTD.

Interpeter – Thanks Rollercoaster19 – I wish you had said something I always enjoy meeting fellow KICentral members so next time feel free to do so. Another member recognized me Saturday too and introduced their self and I really like having that face to face conversation as you tend to get a greater respect for that member and know where they are coming from. I did not mention the member in the report because he/she was working and I usually will not mention them by name out of respect for them and the park itself unless they say something first. I hope you had as good of a time as we did.

Thrill Biscuit – I enjoyed your report and analogy of walking through a more youthful time play set of Evel Knievel back in the days. Also I had heard that Kings Island got out old photographs to help them capture the 1975 time era, maybe your relatives where in the pictures they used, and if so I was impressed with their energy.

Nice report Kawana, glad to hear your wife is doing well enough to start riding again, yeah the Fireworks from the Eiffel Tower is unique and fun to do every now and then. We often start our first hour in the ride side then quickly move over to BB before the crowds hit and slide on those attractions then rest a bit before we go back to the ride side as the lines tend to be more calm by then.

Of the years I watched the Klown Band I never seen them with make-up on and yes they wore outfits that where bright but kind of classy clown like outfits. I found a site that talks about the Clown Band at Kings Dominion and at the top shows what they looked like. Kings Island Klown Band looked very similar to that. below is the link to that site. http://www.kdcbok.com/portfolio/design.html

Ryan – the second question should have the option to pick two or three, because it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to just one. In fact I had a hard time narrowing it down to 4. hamoperator – sorry to hear you missed the Klown Band and the seventies event. Although the original Klown Band members from the past have aged some I would not call them old just yet, they brought the youthfulness feeling back to me that day. As far as the outfit goes due to the time constraints the old Klown outfits would not be available in time (measurements, fittings and tailoring).

Topic Title Explanation; often when large ships are put to sea they are given a thorough “Shakedown” consisting of running the ship at high speeds and maneuvers much higher than what the standard of ship operations would call for. They do that to see what the ship is capable of withstanding and to check for any imperfections the ship may have before it sets sail. When thinking about the large crowds on Saturday May 24, 2008 at Kings Island on the first weekend of regular operation, it struck me as a amusement/theme park shakedown. Trip Report Introduction: My Wife and I from Indianapolis were planning to attend another event in Indianapolis, but when Robbie Knievel was announced I considered not going to our other obligation but decided that would be selfish so we could not come. Well Kings Island announced even more activities for that date which would make this Fanboy weak and unable to resist the temptations of such a historical day, as what true self-respecting Fanboy could. I mean I think Kings Island could not have planned a better agenda of activities for me. Note; I knew the park was going to be busy and I just wanted to take my time enjoying the extra offerings so no rides were ridden today. Introduction Continued; I often plan a Kings Island trip with a basic plan but Kings Island had so many special activities planned that I would not be following my plan but one that Kings Island put together. So I felt it was best to change the style of this trip report to not tell about what we did and when but about the extra activities Kings Island planned and how we felt about them. I also felt still pictures could not portray the mood of the park so more videos will be used in this report. Report: We arrived at Kings Island around 10:30 AM and were handed a special guide that offered important information of special activities, where to find them and the times to expect them to be available. Before we could read the booklet we were drawn to the fun jazzy sound of horns and drums. The sounds were what I was hopping for and I knew instantly that this had to be the Clown Band. It was and I will just stop here for a moment to let you reminisce for yourself. First video Rooolll Em….. I noticed at first that many guests stopped to listen and those walking by wiggled to the tunes and I felt this set a fun tone for the guests to start their day on and I could not think of a better way to start mine. Some random photos I noticed some of the families of the youthful past Clown Band members were in attendance to watch their family member having fun playing as a group (who would have guessed) one more time in the park. One such fan told me that some of the members now play as a band called “Blu Stone Ivory” and can be found at this web site. http://www.bluestoneivory.com/ I will finish this part by sharing a little longer video of the Clown Band. I have several more videos of the Clown Band and will share more if asked. Next up was a trip over to Kings Island Theater to meet some of my beloved Hanna-Barbera characters and on our way over I was recognized by an old family friends of ours “The Johnson’s” we have not seen them since 1975 and I’ll just say they have not changed much and Misses Johnson still has her grove going and the stamina to go with it. They were just so great I asked them to pose for a picture to update my album photo of them. The DJ was blasting out some of the best new 70’s music I really liked how Kings Island went into great detail in putting this event together to even go so far to hang giant gold disco balls below the theater signage. The characters seemed to really be enjoying themselves as they were smiling and trying to include the very receptive audience passing by. From there I walked over to the Timber Wolf area to see how things where being set up and quickly snapped a couple photos of Invertigo as the angle was unique from behind the gates. At this point I ran into Don Helbig I shared some thoughts on our day so far he shared how they came up with the concepts of the events and how they would have like to done more but time would not allow them to pull it off. He was very nice to talk to and I was surprised that he talked to me as long as he did as I knew he must have been incredibly busy. A very nice sincere conversationalist who took time with this guests – Thanks. As I left Don I ended up right in front of The Clear Channel Music Stage and 3 Degrees was just taking to the stage We found a curb and listen for awhile. We really enjoyed their music selection as others around us did to, apparent from them singing and dancing. I keep thinking about how nice it was to see everybody enjoying themselves on such a crowded day, I then turned my attention to taking some pictures and video of having a live band in Action Zone with the rides in the background. After 3 Degree was finished we decided to go to Boomerang Bay to sit and relax a bit to get away from the large crowd. Side Note: On the way over we rode the train most guests linger back and the line backs up towards the back of the train so when they open the gates most guests crowd in the last 3-4 cars and the front 2 are usually pretty empty, plus when the train pulls into the Boomerang Bay station, exiting is a crowd free breeze. The water park was nice the water a tad bit cold as to be expected and we only went around the Lazy River. A few new items I noticed at Boomerang Bay were some new lounge chairs mixed in with old ones and also new clear tubes, they had the standard size and the double tubes too, but a nice surprise was some tubes that had a larger hole in the middle of the tube for those that may need more room. Also I took a picture of the new Life Jacket Station. At this point we started to make our way over to the Jump Site but on our way we ran into the crew from KICentral and had a great visit with everyone. If you ever get the chance to see these guys take some time and say hi, they are some of the most dedicated and interesting group of guys you'll meet. You’ll be glad you did. We walked over to the Jump Site with the KICentral Crew then said our good-byes and went our separate ways, for us was a great grand stand seat. I have learned through the years that it is wise to pay a little extra to see and do some activities and this was one such event, we were guaranteed a grandstand seat and had a much more relaxing time because of it. I did take a picture from our seats which also had a glimpse of the Jump Site music Stage and of the Eiffel Tower. I half to admit I enjoyed Robbie’s jump more than what I that I would, we got pretty nervous more and more with every practice speed test he did. I will just show a picture of Robbie as he addressed the crowd before the jump. After the Jump we had dinner at Wings which is far better than it was in the past, although you could tell they had been very busy but the staff still seemed up beat and even made a few jokes at their own expense, we will frequent there more often. The last special event was the Expanded Fireworks Show, so we got to a great spot early and people watched so we would have great seats. While we were waiting I had the privilege to speak to several guests about their day. No one complained and they mostly said they had a good time and felt the park was busier than any time they have ever seen in it in the past, but said the lines moved well. The Fireworks were great and had virtually no pauses in the display; I noticed no music was playing during the show. Here is a video of the fabulous finale. Was the Shakedown Successful; from my point of view as a guest and after talking with so many other guests and hearing nothing but positives and witnessing many employees working long hours but never complain or showing signs of wearing out, I would half to say an absolute YES! I think the management at Kings Island did an awesome job planning and executing such a huge event in a short amount of planning is astounding. Have said that I think they would have failed if they had not had the support from all department planners and most important the seasonal employees, you could tell they were working hard but they hung in there and showed class, that is a major difference that I have not witnessed in a long time. I found it to be even more remarkable that they did it on one of the busiest days I have ever seen. Team work is an amazing thing to see when everyone is doing their part. Final Thoughts; I felt this day was designed for me and I am glad we went to see such a historic day, the park had a magical feel to it and I hope we see more days like this one. As I drove home I though about how great it was to witness my home park at its best and just wanted to say this Fanboy is very proud to call Kings Island his home park!

Funny awkward story of photographing Miss Gibson Saturday at the 70’s event outside Kings Island Theater. I was videoing their routine then went around and took a picture of each of the participant actors, they where all great they posed well for me too. Well I wanted both Evel looking characters to pose to gather but they where on opposite ends of the routine so they would have been hard to get, so I had to shot Miss Gibson by herself. When I went to take the picture she dropped back from the line and I thought to myself I bet she thinks I’m being a pervert so I took a picture quickly and as I was lowering the camera one of the female dancers dressed in the old Kings Island uniforms had a look on her face like “What a Pervert”. It may have just been me but the looks really made me fell awkward. The thing was I was taking pictures of everyone and they all posed great so why put out that vibe with her. Then I read this topic and think Murphy’s Law, if you are trying to capture the sprit of the event through pictures you get the looks but if you are eye candying her that’s OK. I’ll just add that Josh seems to be a favorite of some guests and I notice he’s still very approachable and very willing to pose for/with you. I’ll just clarify I wasn’t upset or put out but just felt awkward from the looks and found this topic humorous and thought I wonder if others felt the same way.

Awesome Video Guys. I know you guys had several people stationed at various spots to get a cross view and to make sure you where close to all the action wherever it took place. I really liked the angle from atop the Eiffel Tower, I was not sure how that would come out from the backside of the jump vehicles but it came out great, great job there Robbie. As I have said before KICentral has an excellent team of Admin and Moderators who work hard to keep things up to date. I can’t imagine how you guys do it, I mean I was wiped out yesterday but you guys found the time to produce a Video Tribute to Robbie Knievel. Do you guys ever work or sleep?

Also Wings Dinner Buffet has a family/handicap restroom.

Video of the parachute jumpers will not make my trip report so here is an early treat for you as to what is comming, Enjoy!

Yes we spent the whole day watching all the extra entertainment and it was excellent, they did had guests a special booklet telling what entertainment was going on listing where and when.

Brad it was good to see you today, your pictures came out great thanks for sharing. I agree what an awesome day; in fact I can’t wait to write a trip report about our experience at the park too.

I with you too XGatorHead 8904 as we are coming over for the whole days worth of entertainment. We wanted to come over for the Jump but we had another obligation but when they announced the expanded entertainment that was enough to stand my niece up on her 5th birthday. Now I will not stand in long lines so we like to participate in the special activities but no schedule has been announced. We don’t know if we should go to BB or how to plan our day so we won’t miss anything. I live without it but I agree it would have been nice and helpful to had more information on the times of the events before now. See you all there.

Lol – trust me as much as I can she will have respect for herself, to include dressing. Now have said that at the age of almost eight she has a unique taste for clothing style and wants us to respect her style (thank goodness for school uniforms). But as far as questioning our selves on dressing standards – when the Miley Cyrus controversy came out and showed her back and everybody freaking out I keep thinking how horrible we must be to let our daughter got to the water parks showing her back plus more. But I think its ok just as long as she doesn’t use her towel.

Ronny – have gotten to know you through the years and following your photography and likes of defunct/nostalgic points of interest including amusement parks your trip to Camden Park really in my opinion lent itself to your talents. Your pictures where great and your description of your day of the food, rides, employees and owners was spot on, I really liked how you went in to more detail about those subjects and I found myself wanting to read further in anticipation of what was next. In Short; your trip report was awesome!!

We went almost 6 years ago and had a good family trip too. We have been wanting to go back and I have threatened to trade in our KI season pass for a year to visit other parks for a new experience. I did not know KK had a parade so maybe we will need to take the trip soon as Miss Rae really loves parades and I like watching them with her. Thanks for the report.

They did but they had a verbal agreement with Mason that they would not impose such a tax, well the new Mason administration said that was with the old administration. Remember over a year ago they wanted to institute this tax to cover the short fall the city would lose when/if they rolled back their tax on out of county workers which was basically a double tax on its citizens that other municipalities do not normally do. Their was a fuss put up back then so now a year latter they need the tax to cover roads and services. Mason needs to be up front and honest with their intensions of why they really need the tax and explain what they are doing with the tax revenue windfall that they receive from the parks already. Then and only then is when they should even consider this tax to impose on out of town visitor.

Well – if after that exclusive interview does not convince everyone that this site is tops as a coaster fan site then nothing will. I am VERY impressed!!! Great job.

Yes – The clown band was so energetic that they made the smiles on guest’s faces even bigger. As they ran in circles banging on the drum and did there bites it you had to watch, seeing them again will be like reliving a fond memory.

Thank-you Ryan for your response and for keeping us up to date as the information comes out. I think this is going to be one of the greatest days the park has seen in a long time, in fact with an audience so large and being all fired up from the tremendous amount of entertainment I can not think of a better time to make an announcement about the park itself and about future forecasts of sorts. So can/should we expect an announcement from the park about it’s future including any new attractions?

I am loving this whole nostalgic approach and now with the new info of special entertainment I am trying to do all I can do to make it over. Since the parking will most likely full and pushed into the overflow portion of the lot, my question is this; for nostalgic sake will KI be running the trams? A couple years ago we walked from the grassy area during the 4th celebration and man that was a serious hike.

That’s odd. There are large billboards all around our highways advertising all day tickets at Kroger’s for $25.99