BoddaH1994

++PLEASE NOTE THAT DAILY OPERATIONS FOR Kings Island ENDS ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 24TH. THE PARK WILL BE OPEN OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND (AUGUST 30 - SEPT 1ST) WITH SOME VERY SPECIAL ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR THE DAY. CLICK HERE TO SEE Kings Island'S OPERATING CALENDAR++ With the regular season winding down it's almost time for Kings Island, our favorite summer get away, to be transformed into a spooky family-friendly Halloween attraction by day and a no holds barred haunted attraction by night! Be ready to see the dead rise once again as Kings Island brings back a bigger, better and far more evil Halloween Haunt! Kings Island is looking for any witches, demons, zombies and creatures of the night to help make Halloween Haunt an even better haunted attraction than last year... all while making money in the process! For more information about joining the Haunt Scare Team click here. Kings Island will once again be the place to be this Labor Day Weekend with several special activities planned for all three days! All weekend Kings Island will be hosting their first ever Employee Reunion! Kings Island has employed more than 150,000 since its opening in 1972 and if you were one of them, Labor Day Weekend will be the time to see some faces that you may not have seen for years! The Employee Reunion happens all three days of Labor Day Weekend, August 30 - Sept 1st. The weekend will feature a slide show each day to bring back some old memories of days past! Former employees are also welcome to purchase a special meal ticket for an amazing meal in the picnic grove. The Kings Island Employee Reunion is FREE with park admission and special discounted admission rates are available to former employees and their families. Click here to RSVP for the Kings Island Employee Reunion, Purchase Tickets and purchase a meal ticket! Speaking of former employees, Kings Island has been the work place of countless Cincinnati natives who have gone on to be very successful. However if you mention Kings Island's alumni, there's one name that comes to most peoples' minds: Carmen Electra! Carmen will be on hand on Saturday, August 30th to make two special cameo appearances is Flashback: Totally 80s at the 2:30 and 4:00 shows! This may be a once in a life time opportunity to see the Cincinnati girl who got her start acting in "It's Magic!" a decade ago up close and personal! This event happens in the International Showplace Theatre at 2:30 and 4:00. It's FREE with park admission! Seating is limited so get there early! In 1973 The Brady Bunch was the show that everyone was watching. As many Cincinnatians know, the Bradys filmed an episode entitled "The Cincinnati Kids" at Kings Island that year in which the father, Mike Brady, was to deliver special plans for an addition to Kings Island. Little did he know that his plans were mixed up with a poster that was won by his daughter Jan! That was over 30 years ago but the time has come for a very Brady reunion! Barry Williams (Greg), Susan Olson (Cindy) and Mike Lookinland (Bobby) will be on hand in the Kings Island Theater on Sunday, August 31st to sing, dance and tell old Brady stories! This event is also FREE with park admission and will be in the Kings Island Theater at 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:00pm! On Labor Day, September 1st, Major League Eating will make its debut at Kings Island! Joey "Jaws" Chesnut, the number 1 ranked competitive eater, will be on hand to defend his title by eating Skyline Chili... by the pound! This event is FREE with park admission and will be featured on the International Bandstand at 2:00! Also on Labor Day, two of the greatest baseball players in history, Pete Rose and George Foster, will be on hand to do Q & A shows in the Kings Island Theater at 3:00 and 4:00! This event is FREE with park admission and autographs will be given at random by means of a drawing. Click here to see a full schedule of events for Labor Day Weekend at Kings Island! Standing 230ft tall, Diamondback will certainly be something to see at Kings Island in 2009! Sitting in open air stadium seating-style trains and traveling at speeds in excess of 80mph it will be the tallest and fasted coaster in the park! Are you excited about 2009? Be one of the first to purchase or renew your Kings Island Gold or Cedar Fair Platinum Pass by clicking here! Kings Island may be ending daily operations but that doesn't mean you can't squeeze out one more week of fun in the sun! The Beach Waterpark has reached out to the KICentral community to offer a special discount valid August 25 - 29th... days that Kings Island is closed! Click here to download the discount coupon and to see some photos of what The Beach has to offer! Do you want the latest information sent directly to your cell phone? Sign up for KICentral's official mobile club and receive text alerts with the latest news and information about Kings Island! Signing up is fast and free! Click here for more information about KICentral's official mobile club! Are you an avid Kings Island fan or do you casually visit once a year? It doesn't matter! KICentral.com is the site for you. Why not register on the forums of KICentral and tell us about your thoughts and experiences involving Kings Island! Registration is fast, FREE, and easy. Don't forget to keep checking KICentral.com for the latest news, rumors and information about Kings Island amusement park! Regards, Ryan

Saturday, August 30 Olympic Gold beach volleyball players Kerri Walsh, Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser International Showplace Theatre 1:00pm Carmen Electra appearance in Flashback: Totally 80’s! International Showplace Theatre 2:30pm Carmen Electra, Dennis Spiegel and Janeen Coyle first inductees into Kings Island Walk of Fame International Showplace Theatre 3:00pm Carmen Electra appearance in Flashback: Totally 80’s (on-stage Q&A with cast after the show) International Showplace Theatre 4:00pm First-ever Kings Island employee reunion 10:00am – 10:00pm Sunday, August 31 Brady Bunch stars Barry Williams, Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland on the Red Racer 10:30am “Growing Up Brady” shows with Barry Williams, Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland Kings Island Theater 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:00pm First-ever Kings Island employee reunion 10:00am – 10:00pm Monday, September 1 Kings Island Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship featuring Joey “Jaws” Chestnut International Showplace Theatre 2:00pm Pete Rose and George Foster Question and Answer Shows Kings Island Theater 3:00pm, 4:00pm First-ever Kings Island employee reunion 10:00am – 8:00pm

Kings Island may be closed during the week next week but fear not! The fine staff at The Beach Waterpark, located just up I-71 in Mason from Kings Island have been so kind as to reach out to the KICentral community and offer a special discount to KICentral members valid at The Beach from 8/25 - 8/29. The typical gate price for The Beach is $27.99, however they are offering a special coupon for general admission into their waterpark for just $12.50! That's a savings of over $15! Click here to download the coupon! In addition to the coupon, Ryan Aubin, marketing coordinator for The Beach Waterpark, was so kind as to allow me to take some general photos and backstage photos of The Beach to show you what they have to offer. Many of their rides are a little more complex than a simple slide and a splash pool. Most of them consisted of quick turns and sudden drops. Their Lazy Miami River is 1,200ft long and is a great way to relax. They have both 2-man and 1-man inner tube slides. They have several pump houses that move and filter the water through the facility. These are used primarily to pump the water uphill so gravity can take its course and send riders splashing back down to the bottom. ...and finally, what is in my opinion one of the greatest water slides in the world, The Cliff! The Cliff is five stories tall and can get you as much as 3 seconds of pure air... literally... there is a long period of time in which your back doesn't even touch the slide! So once again, KICentral Days at The Beach Waterpark are August 25th to the 29th. Print off the coupon and present it at the front gate for the special admission price. You need not be a member of KICentral to participate, so bring as many friends as you want. Click here to view the coupon! A very special thank you goes out to Ryan Aubin and the rest of the crew at The Beach for reaching out to KICentral and allowing us to have this opportunity! Click here to go to The Beach's official web site!

Kings Island, Ohio – Kings Island ends daily operation for the 2008 season Sunday, August 24. Kings Island will be open to the public for weekend operation August 30-31 and September 1, September 19-20, and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning September 26 through November 2. An all-new level of fear takes over the park this fall with the return of Halloween Haunt. The biggest Halloween event in the Midwest features more than 400 blood-thirsty monsters, highly-intense attractions including chain-link mazes, frightening wooded trails, disturbing clowns in 3D and some of the most hair-raising rides on the planet! Halloween Haunt will be open from 7:00pm to 1:00am every Friday and Saturday night beginning September 26 through November 1. Discount tickets are still available online at www.visitkingsisland.com <http://www.visitkingsisland.com/> or at any Kroger or Meijer store for just $29.99!

The story behind Kings Island's trains is rather interesting. "The General" is a full scale recreation of a train of the same name that was involved in a chase during the Civil War. http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/apps/...EWS05/808060395

Blue Jackets Breakaway at Kings Island August 23 Blue Jackets Breakaway offers something for sports fans of all ages Kings Island, Ohio – The Columbus Blue Jackets are bringing the excitement of the National Hockey League to Kings Island with the Blue Jackets Breakaway Tour Saturday, August 23 from noon to 6:00pm. Blue Jackets Breakaway is a family experience that offers something for sports fans of all ages. The “hockey carnival” includes a border patrol rink for street hockey games, Blue Jackets inflatable, the “Huntington Hockey to Go” truck and a traveling team store that features the latest in official team merchandise. Representatives from the Blue Jackets Fan Development Department will be in attendance for the event. Breakaway attendees can pick up a complimentary gift bag and have the opportunity to win prizes, including autographed memorabilia, game tickets, team merchandise and more. Blue Jackets Breakaway is included free with park admission. Discount tickets are still available online at www.visitkingsisland.com or at any Kroger or Meijer store for just $29.99!

Sure! Just make a post about it a week or two in advance so people can make arrangements.

Yep, Nick Lachey got his start at Kings Island... They fired him, but he did start there.

World’s Best Competitive Eaters Battle for Kings Island Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship World Record and $5,000 in Cash Prizes at-stake Labor Day at Kings Island Kings Island, Ohio – The greatest competitive eaters on the planet will gather at Kings Island on Labor Day (September 1) to battle for the first-ever Kings Island Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship. Major League Eaters, an increasingly celebrated breed of American athlete, will test their jaw strength and stomach capacity in a bid for the chili spaghetti eating world record and $5,000 in cash prizes. The contest will feature the greatest gurgitator alive today, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut of San Jose, CA, who catapulted to international fame after defeating Japanese eating legend Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut will face off against fifth-ranked “Humble” Bob Shoudt, who last year ate 95 burgers in eight minutes and recently upset Joey in a rib-eating contest. Challenging both eaters will be 13th-ranked potato wedge eating champ Tim “Gravy” Brown from Chicago. Major League Eating (MLE), the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY. Current MLE initiatives include MLE: The Game, now available on Nintendo Wii, and the newly formed ‘MLE Asia.’ Since last Thanksgiving, MLE has raised over $45,000 for hunger-related charities such as Second Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 8,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide. The Kings Island Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship will take place at 2:00pm and is included free with park admission. Discount tickets are still available online at www.visitkingsisland.com or at any Kroger or Meijer store for just $29.99!

Cincinnati native and Kings Island alumni Carmen Electra will be performing with the cast of Flashback: Totally 80s at their 2:30 and 4:00 shows on August 30th. This should make for an interesting experience.

Yep -- and those who didn't come to see Jeff speak really missed out. He's LOADED with information. He knows the industry frontwards and backwards! We all had a lot to learn from him. We were really thrilled to have the cast of Flashback: Totally 80s with us too. I know that some members of Twistin' to the 60s last year were jealous that KIC chose to do the Q&A with the ice show last year, so I'm glad that most of them could be involved this year!!! i know i RLLY like the flashback Q&A:)(i was the one who got a hug from JOSH ) I told you I'd make it happen.

From the webcam:

All season pass holders (2008 & 2009) can bring a friend to Kings Island for just $9.99 on Friday, September 19 (park hours 5:00pm – 10:00pm) and Saturday, September 20 (10:00am – 10:00pm).

Cool trip report! I agree that The Beast tour is a little overdone. I try to make everything new and fresh. You're absolutely right in saying that your first time is the best... there's really nothing like it. I got a call from Don Helbig just a few days before the event who pitched the idea of the Club Blood tour to me, which was an instant sale. He also added, "If we're doing the Diamondback tour... and we're right next door... why not just swing by and head down by The Beast too?" How could you say no to that? I'm sure there were plenty of people there who hadn't ever done it before that found it really interesting. You may have noticed that we didn't go all the way down the ravine like in past years and that was mainly for that reason. Being up near the helices is the best part and going all the way down is quite a long (and sometimes dangerous) hike and really anti-climactic.

Logic would dictate against Hypersonic XLC. The reason why it was removed was because the maintenance was hard to keep with with on it. Holiday World wouldn't be able to do it...

It would cost WAY more than what Holiday World had allotted for 09 to remove, move, reassemble and fix that thing.

Yep -- and those who didn't come to see Jeff speak really missed out. He's LOADED with information. He knows the industry frontwards and backwards! We all had a lot to learn from him. We were really thrilled to have the cast of Flashback: Totally 80s with us too. I know that some members of Twistin' to the 60s last year were jealous that KIC chose to do the Q&A with the ice show last year, so I'm glad that most of them could be involved this year!!!

Welcome to our Diamondback Construction thread. Photo updates are added in this forum as construction progresses. Diamondback Construction Photo Gallery

You guys are all playing on the exact buzz that Paula wants you to do... Logic would dictate against it being the tallest coaster in the world, Tallest Coaster (steel) - Kingda Ka - circa $25 million Tallest Wooden Coaster - Son of Beast - circa $20 million I'm not sure if the figure of $10 million for Drop Zone is accurate (although I'm not saying it's not) but that ride would cost a lot more than that to build now simply because of the higher cost of steel. If she's not blowing smoke (which she likely is) then my guess is that it's some sort of tall water slide... that's a good cheap and easy way to break a height record. We must not rule out the possibility of a stipulation, like 'world's tallest drop into a ravine' or 'world's tallest helix'. The lift hill doesn't have to be the only record breaker.

Funny that you say that. Don and I were joking that as long as I had known him, that was the first real ride I had ever ridden with him. The only exception would be the Eiffel Tower, but we went up there to take photos for a press kit earlier in the year... so that doesn't really count.

Glad you could come out to KI on KIC Day! I hope to see you again!

Awesome trip report!

I'm so glad that you got to come to KIC Day this year! We try to make KIC Day a day in which people get to see and do things that they've never done before... or even thought of doing before, which is why we have an event that is surrounded in all aspects of the park (rides, food, entertainment, etc). Anyone can whip together a couple of ERTs, but actually trying to create a unique experience was a much bigger challenge. I'm glad you had a good time!!

Glad you could make it to the event! It was great seeing you.

We're all very tired, but I still wanted to be the first to thank everyone for helping to make the second KICentral Day at Kings Island a very special day and such a success! We really appreciate you guys coming out and spending the day with us! Tidbits Revealed on KIC Day: On Labor Day, August 1st, Mrs. Carmen Electra will be on hand at Kings Island as part of their Labor Day Weekend Activities! More information to come... The "fun by day" part of Halloween Haunt will be expanded into the picnic grove where kids will be invited to a Halloween Party with a dance floor, costume contest and more!