BoddaH1994

So, you can sing better than them? No, he complains a lot but brings nothing to the table. Myself, and most of the KIC community, have conditioned ourselves to simply ignore him.

Miss Electra enjoyed a very nostalgic day at the park following her performances and induction into the Kings Island Walk of Fame. She was not required to sign autographs... she did it because she wanted to. The security guards were simply trying to keep control. She certainly would have been rushed if everyone started getting onto the stage.

On Saturday, August 30th, Kings Island began a new tradition. Former employees of Kings Island who have gone on to do remarkable things can now be inducted into the Kings Island Walk of Fame. The first three inductees were immortalized in the Walk of Fame at a ceremony in the International Showplace Theater. Inductees included Carmen Electra, who began her acting career in the show "It's Magic" in the early 90s and has gone on to star in such films as Epic Movie, Date Movie and Meet the Spartans. Electra made special cameo appearances in the show Flashback Totally 80s as part of the ceremony and even answered some questions in front of a very enthusiastic audience. Dennis Speigel began his career at Coney Island and helped in the transition of Coney Island into Kings Island in the early 1970s. He served as Assistant General Manager of Kings Island and then Vice President and General Manager of Kings Dominion, Kings Island's sister park, before moving on to International Theme Park Services, a major amusement industry consulting firm where he now serves as President. Janeen Coyle began her career as an actress on the Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad. After the show ended, she began her career in the radio industry and is currently a a well known DJ on the Cincinnati radio station WGRR. Click here to see photos of the Kings Island Walk of Fame induction ceremony and Carmen Electra's cameo appearances in Flashback Totally 80s! 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! 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

Additional photos...

I'd say the vast majority of people who got a confirmation emailed him from the park on KIC Day via cell phones. He said that it's first come, first serve and the first to respond would get a confirmation.

Carmen Electra, Dennis Spiegel and Janeen Coyle Make Up Inaugural Class for Kings Island Walk of Fame Walk of Fame induction ceremony to take place August 30 at Kings Island Kings Island, Ohio – Former Kings Island employees Carmen Electra, Dennis Spiegel and Janeen Coyle make up the inaugural class of Kings Island Walk of Fame inductees. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, August 30 at 3:00pm in the International Showplace Theatre. The three-person class was elected by the Kings Island Walk of Fame Selection Committee. The first members of the Walk were selected from a list of 20 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee. Ms. Electra begin her career as an entertainer at Kings Island in 1990 as a dancer in one of the most popular shows in the park’s history, “It’s Magic.” The American glamour model and television personality gained fame for her appearances on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the television series Baywatch, and for her roles in the parody films Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans. She stars in Disaster Movie, a 2008 comedy film in theaters beginning Friday, August 29. Internationally recognized as a leader and expert in the theme park/leisure industry with over 40 years of professional experience, Mr. Spiegel directs International Theme Park Services, Inc. (“ITPS”). He began his career in the amusement/theme park business in 1960 as a ticket taker at Coney Island in Cincinnati. Mr. Spiegel quickly worked his way up to assistant park manager of Coney Island and then Kings Island, where, as assistant general manager, he supervised general park operations, including personnel, rides, food/beverage, merchandise, games, and guest hospitality from 1972 until 1974, when he left the park to become vice president and general manager of Kings Dominion/Lion Country Safari in Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Coyle worked at Kings Island in 1976 as a rides associate on the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad. She has gone on to have a long and successful career in radio, starting at WKRQ in 1979 while attending the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. She began with overnights, worked middays, and later moved to afternoon drive where she remained until 1988. From there Janeen did talk radio, hosting the very popular Chick Talk show. She co-hosted morning drive on WKRC until she was contacted about joining her husband, Chris O’Brien, in 1995 and forming the unique husband and wife team heard weekdays from 5:00am – 9:00am on 103.5 WGRR in Cincinnati. Kings Island is open to the public August 30-31, September 1, September 19-20, and Fridays nights, Saturdays and Sundays beginning September 26 through November 2. Discount tickets are still available online at www.visitkingsisland.com or at any Kroger or Meijer store for just $29.99! 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 until 1:00am every Friday and Saturday night beginning September 26 through November 1.

Kings Island is looking for four girls to be at Kins Island on Sunday morning to dress up like Cindy Brady and ride The Racer with Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) as part of an Associative Press photo shoot. If you are interested, please e-mail Don Helbig whose email address can be found here. Send him your name as well as what size shirt you wear. The costume department will supply you with the necessary clothing and apparel. This is first come, first serve and there are only 4 spots left so if you're interested contact him immediately!

Carmen Electra at Kings Island August 30 Former Kings Island entertainer to appear in Flashback: Totally 80’s! Kings Island, Ohio – Visitors to Kings Island will have an opportunity to see Carmen Electra up close and personal Saturday, August 30, when the American glamour model and television personality makes special appearances in the park’s Flashback: Totally 80’s! show at 2:30pm and 4:00pm in the International Showplace Theatre. Ms. Electra began her career as an entertainer at Kings Island in 1990 as a dancer in one of the most popular shows in the park’s 36-year history, “It’s Magic.” She gained fame for her appearances on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the television series Baywatch, and for her roles in the parody films Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans. The shows are included free with park admission.

‘Brady Bunch’ Stars To Appear At Kings Island Barry Williams, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland at the park August 31 Kings Island, Ohio – If you grew up in the 1970’s, chances are you really had two families: your real family and The Brady Bunch. One of the grooviest sitcoms of the era, The Brady Bunch filmed one of its most popular episodes at Kings Island in 1973, “The Cincinnati Kids.” To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the classic episode, three Brady Bunch stars, Barry Williams (Greg), Susan Olsen (Cindy) and Mike Lookinland (Bobby), will return to Kings Island Sunday, August 31 to entertain park visitors with four live “Very Brady” audience participation shows. What was life like behind the scenes? Was Robert Reed really hard to work with? Did Barry really date his on-screen mother, Florence Henderson? Barry, Susan and Mike will answer these questions and more as they sing, dance and tell stories of what it was like growing up on the set of the show. Show times are 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm and 8:00pm in the Kings Island Theater and included free with park admission. Meet and greet and autograph opportunities are available after each show. Seating is limited, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Brady Bunch originally aired from September 26, 1969 to August 30, 1974 on the ABC network and subsequently syndicated around the world. It is the only series ever to be shown in some form on three major networks (ABC, NBC and CBS), as well as in theatrical and motion picture movies. Discount tickets are still available online at www.visitkingsisland.com or at any Kroger or Meijer store for just $29.99!

Certainly a possibility. I'm sure there are cranes out there that work under almost any condition but when you can flatten it and make it easier.... why not?

I kind of guessed Intamin as well. Good find!

Same reason boy band concerts were so popular. Popularity is not an accurate measure of quality. You're right. In the movie The Lost Boys, they laughed at a guy for not eating rice saying something like, "Everyone in China eats rice. How could a billion people be wrong?" That makes sense, but I think that we can agree that millions of Nazis were wrong during World War II. Comparing Dead Awakening to a boy band is oddly a good comparison... actually comparing any park show to a boy band would work. Dead Awakening was popular, so popular that it was expanded outward. Some day it will be cliche' to see Dead Awakening and it'll hit the chopping block like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. I didn't listen to either of those groups when they were popular and I still don't... but millions of people truly did enjoy their music. There's nothing wrong with that... and certainly no one can be right or wrong in their opinion of music. If you want to turn the tables as kind of a learning experience, go to your local university and tell the head of the music department about your favorite band and he or she will likely laugh at you for not listening to something classical like Motzart. Whatever music you listen to will likely be passe' in due time but 500 years from now, people will still listen to Motzart. Does this make you wrong for liking something that may be go by the wayside some day? No, not at all.

Anyone find out any information on who's manufacturing this thing?

I may be missing something, but doesn't anyone know what the flattened area behind The Crypt will be for? It may be as simple as flattening it for moving equipment, but I'm no expert...

One of the coolest things about this ride will be how it's hard to picture how tall it will be. The closest thing is SOB which is 218ft, but that sits in a ravine so it doesn't look as tall as it really is. It may be shorter than the tower and Drop Tower, but it's certainly going to dwarf anything else in its path.

You make a good point. You can love or hate the show, but it went over well enough to expand it into an unnamed amount of other parks in the portfolio this year.

Pilgrim's Plunge is 165ft tall with 131ft drop. Link: http://holidayworld.com/new2009.html

Holiday World adds Pilgrim's Plunge, World's Tallest Water Ride for 2009. http://holidayworld.com/new2009.html

Hah....please! I'm with you there. If it was the best show ever at KI then the standards have really gone down. The idea was kind of cool, though a little confusing. But whoever selected the music really bombed it. If you're going to have a dark show, play dark music. If you're going to have a story, play music that goes with the story. Don't just throw in contemporary pop hits like "Rehab" because they're popular at the time. Once they sang that, I was totally out of it. I saw a small stage show of A Christmas Carol in Cincinnati a couple years back and they used current music to push the show and it worked because they sang songs that fit the mood and the story. They didn't just throw music out there because the audience might recognize the song. If Dead Awakening could pick better songs or, god forbid, create some original music; it might be worth all the hype it got. I agree DA was BAD. How can you do a show like that and not include anything by either White Zombie (Living Dead Girl??) or Marilyn Manson or hell even Ozzy for that matter . The best show anywhere last year as Monsters of Rock at CP. It was extremely entertaining and well done. I believe there are videos up on Youtube for it. The best show ever at Kings Island was Celebration. It set the bar very high and I doubt it will ever be topped. The format, the costumes, the music, the dancing, the sets and the singing were all top-notch. They held on to it for two seasons and even released a Vinyl LP (showing my age) of the show, mine's signed by the cast. Todd PUHLEEZE... Monsters of Rock? While not bad, it was like a watered down version of School of Rock at Kings Island. Plus people talk about having music that goes along with the story line? Monsters of Rock had a small blurb at the beginning about something cryptic (maybe raising the dead...? I can't remember) and then it was just a concert. Just my two cents. The music of Monsters of Rock was much better. Plus I was there when they were taping because they were being considered for an Award for the show. (not sure if the won, would love to find out). Did you ever see Celebration?? Todd Never saw Celebration, however most people who have been around note it as being one of the best shows that the park has ever offered. I've seen photos of it, but no video. Every show is taped... and taped often. Sometimes it's for the performers personal use, coaching, tweaking lighting, sending to IAAPA for award consideration and so on, so seeing a video camera at a show shouldn't be something totally uncommon. Almost all shows are sent to one jurisdiction or another to be considered. The classifications (at least for IAAPA) have to do with the amount of cash put into the production, so Monsters of Rock would not directly compete with Illuminations at Disney or Endless Summer on Ice, for example.

Jeff Grampke said at KIC Day that the ride would be "basically built" by Christmas. Would the topping off be the last thing they do with vertical construction?

Hah....please! I'm with you there. If it was the best show ever at KI then the standards have really gone down. The idea was kind of cool, though a little confusing. But whoever selected the music really bombed it. If you're going to have a dark show, play dark music. If you're going to have a story, play music that goes with the story. Don't just throw in contemporary pop hits like "Rehab" because they're popular at the time. Once they sang that, I was totally out of it. I saw a small stage show of A Christmas Carol in Cincinnati a couple years back and they used current music to push the show and it worked because they sang songs that fit the mood and the story. They didn't just throw music out there because the audience might recognize the song. If Dead Awakening could pick better songs or, god forbid, create some original music; it might be worth all the hype it got. I agree DA was BAD. How can you do a show like that and not include anything by either White Zombie (Living Dead Girl??) or Marilyn Manson or hell even Ozzy for that matter . The best show anywhere last year as Monsters of Rock at CP. It was extremely entertaining and well done. I believe there are videos up on Youtube for it. The best show ever at Kings Island was Celebration. It set the bar very high and I doubt it will ever be topped. The format, the costumes, the music, the dancing, the sets and the singing were all top-notch. They held on to it for two seasons and even released a Vinyl LP (showing my age) of the show, mine's signed by the cast. Todd PUHLEEZE... Monsters of Rock? While not bad, it was like a watered down version of School of Rock at Kings Island. Plus people talk about having music that goes along with the story line? Monsters of Rock had a small blurb at the beginning about something cryptic (maybe raising the dead...? I can't remember) and then it was just a concert. Just my two cents.

That's nearly impossible to predict. I'd guess that all three days would be pretty busy.

lol.... Fall semester. Today was what will hopefully be my very last first day of school. I think the eating contest will be more interesting than you think. I wonder if Jaws will be available for interview after the contest. lol

According to RCDB, the Wild Mouse is still SBNO at Chippewa.

According to one of the articles, a big reason why it was closed was because the line sometimes extended into the casino... with children in line.