marlfox_21

I think that maybe you just have too much time on your hands. But, Cedar Fair did say before that they were going to honor the previous owners ( P who must not be named ) plans for the 2007 season. Didn't they? So it would not completely surprise me. But, who knows......Cedar Fair KNOWS!

In t he quick and brief pictures in the 20th Anniversary Special, you can see a crane in the background of a rusty red looking incomplete Eiffel Tower. You can also see the full crane and the same unpainted tower in the background of the video of The Racer being built. I just watched it this morning. These images are shown when referring to the closing of Coney Island and the New Kings Island being built in Kings Mills. I usually try to be just another Kings Island Fan. Meaning I don't want to get too involved and send people articles directly. But I can see someone wanting to see this image. Granted it is a fast video and you really have to pause it to get to see everything. But, if anyone is interested in seeing the Kings Island 20th Anniversary Special starring Jason Priestly, send me a message, and I will post the movie online, or send it to you exclusively. I don't honestly expect that many people have kept this episode for this many years. I got lucky enough to stumble across my recording several months ago, right after joining this site. Since then, I have preserved it onto a d.v.d. along with a video of my last trip to the original WinterFest. m.f.

I have video of the tower being built. Just a short one. It was included in the 90's "Kings Islands 20th Anniversary Special" hosted by Jason Priestly, which I have transferred to D.V.D. m.f.

I don't want to belittle the topic at hand. It is important, and I truly do respect everyones opinion. Education is a powerful thing. And the most efficient way to educate children on average should be taken into account. After all, a good education is the only way to ensure today's childrens success in a highly competitive global, educationally armed world. m.f. but, can we get back to the 5 year plan topic....please.

FORGIVE ME Remove ANYTHING that has the Paramount logo on it. This would mean getting new parking row signs for the parking lot. 2008- Start International Street all over. ( defined ) Get rid of the nickelodeon store on International Street and replace it with a shop that is unique to the park. And One that fits the theme "International." Make the rest of the shops unique in other "International" ways. Add more trash cans, and plant more flowers and trees. I would create FASTPASS booths for all rides. Add a ride that would attract people of ALL ages. Which means not necessarily a roller coaster. I don't know what. Maybe a ride similar to the Old Time Cars. But with a modern twist. Featuring electric cars, and miniature harmless versions of new Mustangs, P.T. Cruisers, or whatever. 2009- Repave the park, or rip up the pavement and add more brickwalk like what is on International Street throughout much of the park. Repaint any buildings that need it. Add a nice dining restaurant featuring meals at a cheaper price. Not Subway, or Skyline or whatever else that I can find outside of the park. Just cook up some pizza, or chicken, or ribs, or hamburgers, or fish. I don't have all of the answers. Just something good. With a fun atmosphere, or just a highly decorative one like eating at SeaWorld. NO T.V.'S.....These are incredibly annoying. I go to the park to escape television. Not to watch it. Gee, where would I put such a restaurant. Let me think. OH YEA, I would use the INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT. Granted it doesn't seat that many people, so aside from this I would remove the theming from WINGS DINER and place it there. And people would be able to have B-Day parties at this place! Or reserve seats in advance, such as online. The park could sell B-Day parties that could feature a couple of the Nick Toons as part of the purchase plan for example, as well as being able to ride without waiting in line. ( In kids area only ) I would repaint any rides that needed it during this year, and I would put up a skyride going from Coney Mall to Boomerang Bay. 2010- In celebration of the decades end, I would announce the return of WINTERFEST to Kings Island. Also in celebration, Kings Island would be the recipient of the worlds Tallest, Fastest, Steel Coaster. But it would not be a launch coaster. This coaster would hit the speed record on the way down from it's elevated lift ( yea, big lift hill ) and it would slow down enough to be a top thriller like Millennium Force that lasted for at least 3 minutes. 2011- I would plant even more trees, and flowers, and build a new stage for shows. These shows would be both fun and educational. They would feature small birds, snakes, and other harmless animals that would be trained to put on a show, and the kids would be able to ask questions and pet them. Another benefit of having these animals would be an extension of the birthday package that I mentioned earlier. Some of these animals would be used as outreach for Birthday party entertainment at the restaurant, or elsewhere. On top of this, at this point ( providing previous success ) a box area would be added at the restaurant exclusively for the children's rented out Birthday parties at KI. I would extend the budget on both FearFest and WINTERFEST. 2012- I would add a museum of Kings Islands History. It would be a small walk through building featuring information, newspaper clippings, pictures, actual items of the parks past. I would build a medium sized roller coaster that goes about 55-60 m.p.h. and it would be a nice thriller. Something to take the lines down from the rest of the park. This ride might feature a couple of helixes, and it would have some tunnels. Nothing too extreme, but fun just the same. THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO m.f.

I found and caught a mouse once in the Coney Arcade. m.f.

DISNEY LIKE?..... OK. SURE. Only ONE teensy weensy little problem with that. This isn't Disney. And I can't imagine designers sitting around in discussions saying...OK..PARAMOUNT'S Kings Island SAYS TO ME....DISNEY...LET'S MAKE THIS JUST LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD FIND AT DISNEY! Actually, I would imagine that quite the opposite of this was a more realistic goal. If anything, I would imagine it being more like....DISNEY, Let's look at Disney and find the most repeated styles, and try not to duplicate it so that when people come to PARAMOUNT'S Kings Island, they will be experiencing something brand new and original that they can't experience anywhere else, like at DISNEY for example. Please excuse my awkward sense of humor. But I think that you get the point. just a thought m.f.

Hey, I think that I hit the JACKPOT here as far as Kings Island History goes. Type this in and let me know what you think. http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/pki_years.htm m.f.

Interesting topic. I for one have not been back to Kings Island since WINTERFEST 2005. Not with the park being open to the public anyways. I will be making my return to Kings Island this year though. ( On a few occasions ) I have some pics of the park that some fans of pkic might be interested in seeing. Although I do not usually place pictures online. ( not just this website, but any ) These pictures are of the off season between Hanna Barbera Land and Nickelodeon Universe. Where all that you can see is the Runaway Reptar coaster and bulldozed land all around it, in front of it, and side to side. I also have very sad pictures of the remnants of Hanna Barbera Land. The characters from the Carousel. Ride, Shop, and Food Signs. Any of this stuff would look great in a kids bedroom, too bad its all gone to waste. I believe that all of these things are still on location. As are pictures of all of the great old signs. The Smurfs, WaterWorks, Original FearFest, Original The Beast, The Bat. If any of you have ever been to the sign shop, it's a library of memories. I also have some pics of me and co-workers driving my sup Dave's Toyota Pickup down international street, and through Hanna Barbera Land. Let me know if anybody is interested in seeing any of these. If I dig deep enough, I have some pictures of Tomb Raider being finished between February and Opening Day in 2001. m.f.

Great trip report Avatar! Thanks for the great pics. It's nice to know that there are still families that still do things as families. Sorry, I can't word it any better than that. Anywho, It's nice to see kids having fun, and nothing says that they have had a great day better than them falling fast asleep at the end. thanks m.f.

Well, I would have to think that this is going to be in this park for certain. Otherwise they would not be willing to present this track in the parking lot without tarps or any attempt to cover it up. I guess that this means the announcement mentioned on the CedarFair website is coming a lot sooner than I thought. MAYBE GOOD TO SEE THIS.....THANKS m.f.

I remember the 80's WinterFest. And I remember how I always looked forward to seeing that Tree of Lights from atop of the Eiffel Tower. This was nice to look at just driving past the park, going to visit or not. It was a sure sign of the season. And when Kings Island made the jump and brought back WinterFest in 2005, I remember thinking FINALLY, after years of preaching about how much I miss it, somebody, somewhere had finally preached it to the right people. After years of rumors engulfing the inside of the park. ( which can never truly be believed ) And I remember going to WinterFest AGAIN FOR THE 1st TIME! And I remember thinking that it was different, but that was not the point. The point was that it was here. I was in it. What I had waited years for was all around me. Generations of children can experience this event the same way that I did, and brand new families in the area can experience and be introduced to the concept. It felt like some kind of curse had been lifted to look at it again. Especially that tree of lights! And then it was taken out from under our feet again. After being able to purchase tickets WAY in advance online for 2006. I would give so much for an "07" ticket to grace my fingers, or an "08" or ANY YEAR. This event could really be something. And in my mind it already is. I remember in 2001, my 1st day back at the park for the year was the 2nd week of February in Merchandise Maintenance. And it was snowing....A LOT! And all that I could think while walking up and down that empty snow covered International Street was that WINTERFEST used to grace the park in this. I kept staring up at the tower, imagining a time when that tree of lights would reflect off of the new falling snow. It was like a peaceful ghost. Desiring so badly to be reborn. Or just memories, trying desperately not to be forgotten. Anyways, for money to be an issue involving WinterFest, I think is absurd. In just One year, it formed a fanbase that will always want to see it again. This on top of the people who remember what it was in the past, alone says something timeless about the event. And to think that WinterFest actually started BEFORE the Cincinnati Zoo's "Festival of Lights." And if anyone has been there right before Christmas, then you know that it feels like all of Cincinnati and Covington are there. This event has had time to repeat itself, gain a reputation by word of mouth, and it has evolved into something quite major. All that I can say is that it is too bad that WinterFest has not had the same opportunity. m.f.

I'm sorry, but I just kept on reading "THE P WORD" and I thought that is was quite amusing. If this were the world of Harry Potter, it would be "P who must not be named." m.f.

It would be really sweet if they made it a museum of the history of the park, starting with Coney Island. This would only be effective however, if they did it respectably and honestly.

It's too...serious. Corporate.......I like the old style, preparamount. But I do LOVE not seeing the mountain, and the word Paramount.

Yes, Disney has escorts. But the specifics are different. And as an employee of Disney's Animal Kingdom, I honestly have to say that I think that the kid in ? was just a tad bit OLD to be hugging onto Tigger in the 1st place. Usually it is only very young children. And besides, the kid WAS holding Tiggers Neck. The person was attempting to breathe. And the park has taken serious action against this individual. Regrettably to say. I think it is only because they pretty much can't just simply ignore ANY argument, from someone not liking their food, to a wrong order, to getting hurt on a ride, to this. But yes, it sure seems like it was all planned to me. And I agree, the kid clearly was not behaving in a mature manner. Much too careless for his age anyways. And the dad, appears to me to just simply be a whiner. Apparantly, he has not been father enough to care to teach his children NOT TO GRAB TIGGER ON THE NECK WHEN WE ARE AT DISNEYWORLD. Which should have been taught to him and disciplined at a much younger age NOT TO GRAB ANYBODY, PERIOD. But the dad has allowed this to happen, and so I doubt that he is educated enough to see the reality of what he looks like on camera when he whines. And I doubt that the father is mature enough to care either. This is my say. Let me know what you think. m.f.

All of them and WinterFest, and Lion Country Safari But most of all, I miss instant access to the park, after driving the whole whopping half an hour to get there. Thats was a lot better than the 15 hours that it takes to get there now. But hey, I've got instant access Disney, SeaWorld, Universal now. And coming soon, MY FIRST TRIP TO BUSCH GARDENS....I will let you all know how that goes. Right now they have a special going on for Fl. State Residents, buy a One Day Pass at resident price, and come back all year until December 31st!

I would like to see a "SKYLIFT" running from Coney Mall to Boomerang Bay. m.f.

Well, this wasn't much of a trip, considering that all that I did was drive across town, but on Saturday, me and a bunch of friends went to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to attend the University of Florida GATORS championship celebration in Gainesville Florida. It was a stadium just packed jam full of Gator Nation, and I kind of had a feeling of misplacement being from Ohio and all. But hey, I am also a U.F. Grad...So that makes it legal, right. RIGHT? I feel bad for Ohio State, but this celebration was great. We were seated right next to the field at about the 20 yard line, and they had all of the games stats and the final score on all of the scoreboards. I think that the neatest thing about it was the chanting with the crowds, with half of the stadium yelling BLUE! and then the other half ORANGE! And the chants of It's so great...To be a Gator! I also enjoyed the antics brought about by the teams mascots Albert the Alligator and Alberta the Alligator. Coach Urban Meyer gave a speech, while showing off the trophy, and giving a briefing about his 1st trip to Gainesville years ago, in which he apparantly recieved a parking ticket. We also sat right next to the Cheerleaders and Marching band, so we were actually in several camera shots on the Sun Sports network. After they presented the team's seniors, and highlights, during which the crowd went nuts, they continued a tradition started in 1996, in which they read off the entire seasons schedule one city at a time so that the crowd could chant the words "GATOR BAIT!" following each name. Honestly, Ohio States name gave a huge long chant. Which agian, kinda made me feel bad. But then again, the chance to go to a celebration like this does not come around every day. And to end the celebration the tarps were dropped on the stadium unveiling the 2006 championship which is now painted below the main scoreboard. m.f.

I miss WINTERFEST, both old and new. I miss Wild Animal Habitat I miss The Smurfs Enchanted Voyage I miss The Shows of Old I miss King Cobra I miss being so young that Kings Island was all that I had to worry about. m.f. I miss WINTERFEST, both old and new. I miss Wild Animal Habitat I miss The Smurfs Enchanted Voyage I miss The Shows of Old I miss King Cobra I miss being so young that Kings Island was all that I had to worry about. m.f.

The Cincinnati Zoo's "FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS" Need I say more. On Thursday, I returned to my former zoo and was simply overwhelmed with the changes that have been made since my leave. The new education center is simply astounding. It is a true marvel to walk through. And dare I say that it is about time that this zoo has added some new and much needed public restrooms. And I brought one of my best friends from High School's niece, a 10 year old girl, whom I just love being around with me to the Cincinnati Zoo. She is just so much fun. And so very well behaved. Before going to the zoo, we stopped at McDonald's by Kings Island, and got her a Happy Meal. During this time she put her bunny into school on her giga pet. And recieved a toy of "Littlest Pet Shop" with her meal. Aside from this we also brought my fiances nephew, who recieved a "Yu-gi-Oh" toy and cards with his meal. Also coming along for this trip was my fiance herself, and her little sister. After leaving McDonalds, I thought that I would take Kings Island Drive up to the next exit and take my 1st look at The Great Wolf Lodge. This building looks extremely impressive. Although it was sad to see that the campground was truly gone. And the Eiffel Tower looked just as pretty as ever, despite the fact that there was NO tree of lights descending from its top this year. For having new owners, the park really did not look very much alive. But that is not to say that it isn't. So on we went to the Festival of Lights, and I think that one of the biggest surprises to me was the reptile house. Being a handler of venomous reptiles myself, I was pleased to walk into this building just in time to see them feed their King Cobra a rat. And as I walked through this place, Brett ( my friend's niece ) continuously asked me questions about the animals. I was pleased to see her so eager to learn. And after a few minutes, I was kind of in a trance looking at the Mexican Diamondbacks, when Brett started pulling on my leg and asking "What's This?" I turned to look, and had never seen this snake at this zoo before. When I 1st looked at it, I thought to myself "A Boomslang" Then I thought, no the eye is dark, WAIT...IT's a MAMBA!! A GREEN MAMBA!! OH MY GOSH, THEY GOT A MAMBA!! The 3rd time around came out loud, and of course, Bretty corrected me in my excitement to see this species, and she exclaimed " TWO" "THEY HAVE TWO" My eyelock came off of the 1st one, and sure enough, there was actually a 2nd one in there with it. Then She asked me why 1 was brown, and I explained to her that they are brown when they are young juveniles. And they will lose the coloration and become bright green as they get bigger. And she repeated it to me which was just SO AWESOME. Anyways, you get the point, this little girl is a trip, and I love her completely like she was my own. It was so much fun having her there at the zoo. So we went to see the Nativity Scene here, just like at The Beach, and we took Brett to see the Zebras. ( pretty much her favorite animal.. In the zoo anyways ) I absolutely love the giant Christmas tree by the rear parking lot to the Cincinnati Zoo. And When it got dark, all of the lights were so beautiful. And we went to see the Christmas Tree Light Show in the Wings of Wonder stadium. The kids really liked that. After about halfway through the day, my fiances nephew wanted to keep walking right beside Brett. It was so cute. Because he is usually so very shy around girls. And at one point, he turned to me and Christine, ( my fiances sister ) and said "She's really pretty" It was so funny. But we actually kinda kept em further apart after hearing this. But really, the kids made the whole day just so very great. When it got really crowded, and when our visit was about an hour or so from being done, Brett started pulling on my leg again, and asked me " Can I ride on your back" This was of course after observing a parent giving their kid a piggy back ride. But I also knew that she had to be tired. So somehow, I managed to give this girl a piggy back ride, that lasted for One full trip around the main circle of the Cincinnati Zoo. And that is a big circle with a ten year old girl on your back. Throughout the day, we did get to see everything including the White Lions, roaring, which really excited both of the kids. ( and me too ) Following the circle with her on my back, I proceeded to the car with her still on my back, and we went home at about 8:30p.m. Considering that we arrived at the zoo at 1:00p.m., I thought that this had turned out to be an excellent way to spend one of my days back in Ohio from Florida. On the way home, Brett fell asleep in the front seat, while Zachary fell asleep in the back with his aunt's. Yes, it was truly a really fun day with some of my favorite kids in the whole world, which I had not seen for nearly a year. And I would not have traded the day for the world. m.f.

Well, on the 15th of December I graduated from the University of Florida!!!!! And following graduation I made my way on the fun 16 hour drive to Wilmington Ohio. On the 16th, I celebrated my second degree with some friends, and on the 3rd day, ( the 17th ) I made my way to "HOLIDAYFEST" at The Beach Waterpark. And as always, the simplicity of this place was all that I needed to get me into a good holiday Christmas Cheery Mood. Me, and my fiance, and my mom all purchased the 20 dollar pass which included one chance to do everything. So first, to avoid a line, we rode the paddle boats, which was very pleasant, and relaxing. Following this, we went up to observe the Nativity Scene, which I am very pleased to see The Beach present. Following watching the swans for about a minute, I had an uncomfy approach from an ex-girlfriend, but managed to overcome it. Following this we went Ice Skating, and I realized that YES... I really am that bad at ice skating. ( I'm much better at snow skiing. ) Despite my overwhelmingly laughable form of skating, I quite enjoyed the attempt. After nearly breaking my ankle on several attempts, I was once again in the safety of shoes and a solid non slick ground. Which I used to reach the petting zoo. But not before stopping to purchase some buy one get one free Dippin Dots Ice Cream cups. I purchased some feed for the animals, and petted almost everything, then we walked around and simply enjoyed all of the beautiful decorations. Icluding the model train sets. Then we decided that the only thing better than ice cream is Hot Chocolate. And with the whip cream, The Beach truly does provide the best. My mother got nachos, but had not eaten any ice cream. Then we went to ride the horse drawn carriage, which I have always enjoyed, but this year to be honest, I thought that the actors portraying the west at Christmas were actually more annoying than entertaining. And during their show, the 1st actor to talk to the group ( and the one to ride all of the way through ) was extremely not necessary. And in his part, he mentions how " the stars out west sure are pretty, not like those stars in the east" And with that I was thinking sure we are MID WEST, but mostly kind of well...East. Anyways, the point that I am coming to is that I really liked the carriage ride better without the annoying storyline. Like in previous years. But I will happily take this as opposed to nothing at all.....UH HUM HUM HUM....cough...WINTERFEST....cough. After this we rode the Tobagan Slide, and then we went home. All in all, this was a very pleasant and very fullfilling trip. I give The Beach Waterparks "HOLIDAYFEST" 5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for those website postings. I did not know that the Newport Aquarium put on a holiday event! If I have the extra time, I am going to check that out. Now I know that this report is a question dedicated to HolidayFest. But I thought that I would take the time to share Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure "Meet the Grinch." They make a really big deal out of this online, and in television and radio commercials. But I would like to share my experience in a basic summary. You watch a parade, put on by Macy's, and it ends with "The Grinch" wearing a santa suit. The parade is neat. They have some decorations. But in all honesty, I would have preferred the Lighting of the Eiffel Tower at Kings Island over this on ANY GIVEN DAY. Universal is good, but it just is not worth the money to get in just to see a parade, and meet a few extra characters. And to be quite frank, they go all out for Halloween Horror Nights, but they are a bit vague on their intentions in December. So if you are thinking about it at all, stay home and enjoy Ohio's great Christmas celebrations. They are much more along the line of truly touching the reason for the season anyways. Just thought that you might want to know. m.f.

Not much to report right now. But I do have a question for those of you who are still local. Is The Beach Waterpark still putting on it's Holiday Fest? I have always enjoyed going to this event, as it is very humble and pleasant. And when I return to Ohio on the 17th, I was planning on going if they are still having it. I also plan to visit the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights and the Columbus Zoo's Lightfest. Too bad for WinterFest. I had originally prepurchased tickets for this event online. But.......So dissapointing is the ending. I am in no way putting down Kings Island. But the WinterFest demise is a let down. m.f.

I would like to see..... A park without any Paramount Logos Children Laughing People enjoying, feeling, laughing, crying A cleaner park WinterFest make a return in 2007, after all it is true that this event opened the door to the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights back in it's original run. And look at how many people turn out there year after year. It has gained a reputation for itself. Now imagine if Kings Island's WinterFest had been given the chance to do the same. I would also like to see fast-pass tickets at Kings Island like what Disney, and Cedar Point have.