BoddaH1994

Photo Credit: Don Helbig Workers prepare the suspended kids coaster, formerly Rugrats Runaway Reptar, for its new look as Kings Island welcomes Planet Snoopy in 2010.

photo credit: Don Helbig Carpenders spend a raining Thursday morning preparing Kings Island's Racer for the 2010 season.

Posted on KI's Facebook:

Full article: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/great-wolf-to-add-new-water-slide-502500.html

The people over at WDWMagic.com (the KIC of Walt Disney World) have posted some interesting photos of the moat surrounding Cinderella Castle and other areas of the Magic Kingdom completely drained. For any of you Disney fans out there, it's certainly a good one to check out by clicking here.

Besides doing the KI thing, I also wakeboard several times a week during the summer.

I searched and didn't find this posted anywhere yet. From Kings Island's Twitter:

Great trip report! X2 is one of my "must do before I die" rides.

Photo courtesy of Don Helbig Enjoy!

Great photo! Did you take that?

This is actually a schedule that I think is pretty intelligent. I'm sure they can people in on those midnight closes in mid-summer. I do, however, always find it strange that they don't schedule themselves later on the 4th of July.

From the desk of the legendary Bill Mefford... Been telling friends and neighbors how fantastic EnterTRAINment Junction is? Well, now, during the entire month of January, you can show them…for FREE! That’s right. During January for each admission ticket purchased, you will get a second admission at no charge, perfect for showing off Ohio’s best family entertainment center at the greatest value around, And, another plus, the fun is all indoors, climate controlled so January cold and snow won’t hinder your family fun. It’s all part of the total experience awaiting visitors to the ONLY train-themed family entertainment center on the planet, with 80,000 square feet of fun, all under one roof. EnterTRAINment Junction is home to the TRAIN JOURNEY (world’s largest indoor model train display with 25,000 square feet, 90 trains, two miles of track), IMAGINATION JUNCTION (a giant, kids’ interactive play area), the American Railroading Museum plus an Expo Center. And, don’t forget to stop by the brand new Junction Hobbies shop, where you will find the region’s biggest selection of Thomas merchandise, plus thousands of top-of-the-line products and supplies from the most recognized names in the hobby industry. You will find, among other things, G-scale and HO scale trains and accessories, an incredible selection of dollhouses and miniatures, plus the ever- popular PLAYMOBIL products. EnterTRAINment Junction is open 10 a.m.-6 p. Mon.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. on Sundays (closed Wednesdays January-March.) Admission to the TRAIN JOURNEY, IMAGINATION JUNCTION, AMERICAN RAILROADING MUSEUM AND EXPO CENTER is only $12.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids (kids under 3 are free.) From Jan. 4-Jan. 31, get one FREE admission ticket to all of the above when a ticket of greater or equal value is purchased. At EnterTRAINment Junction, parking is always free. EnterTRAINment Junction is located at 7379 Squire Court, off I-75 at the Tylersville Rd. exit (#22). For more information, call (513) 898-8000, or (877) 898-4656. Website: www.entertrainmentjunction.com.

Hey now... the last time I entered Epcot I don't remember leaving Epcot. I could still be there for all I know.

Did gas prices help the amusement industry? Kinzel predicted they would. Whether he was correct or incorrect is up for debate.

The dark mini golf was NOT the only thing to do there. They also had the borderline-dangerous go karts.

I'm willing to guess that this involves a decrease in revenue coupled with steadily increasing operating and insurance costs. Any takers?

So I'm guessing it's kind of like how the first day of Haunted worked this past year.

Well, I think the value of a buyout is what has been at stake between the two organizations.

How do they horde out all of the single day people and keep it all season pass people?

Kinzel was asked specifically if Great America was profitable in a conference call and he replied that all of the parks were profitable. So, profitable? Yes. Too much of a hassle? Maybe.

I guess you hit the nail on the head earlier in asking how much longer the company will last without this buyout... or even worse, what happens if it doesn't go through.

I find questions about whose hands may one day be on my park unsettling. Apollo is an investment group. They go in, raise the value and get out (if all goes well). They have no intention of holding onto the parks. That's just not what they do. So this Apollo thing is likely just transitional. That means we'll see another new owner sooner or later. Who's next? Another park operator? Another investment firm? If it's another investment firm, then who will own them after that? This could turn into a vicious cycle. But hey -- I could be wrong and Apollo could see the capital value in this and hold into the parks.

Go to Kennywood.

We had originally planned to do this a few weeks ago, but then the Mason tax thing hit and we put everything else on the shelf. It then quickly became the holiday season, which is busy for everyone. Don't worry, it's comin'!!!

Old tags may no longer work, but you can still insert YouTube clips into posts by clicking on "Insert Media" an pasting the link to the YouTube video in its entirety into the box that appears.