BoddaH1994

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!

++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++ Kings Island has just announced that the park will be open Friday, September 19th and Saturday, September 20th will be open to the public. Operating hours for Friday are 5:00pm to 10:00pm and Saturday are 10:00am to 10:00pm. In addition all 2008 and 2009 season passholders will be able to bring a friend with them those days for a heavily discounted price! Click here for details! As Summer turns into Fall it's time for daily operations to come to a close. Daily operations end at Kings Island on Sunday, August 24th. Following the 24th, Kings Island has a big weekend over Labor Day Weekend then is closed to the general public until September 19th. Click here to see Kings Island's operating calendar. With the meanest ride in Kings Island's 36 year history set to debut in April of 2009, construction is gearing up early and today was a landmark day as the very first piece of track was installed. It was a piece of transfer track located near the station. Click here to see photos of the installation of the very first piece of Diamondback track! The year was 1973 and the Brady Bunch was one of the top rated programs on CBS. During that year, an episode entitled "The Cincinnati Kids" was filmed at Kings Island and has since become a legendary edition of the Brady franchise. Thirty-five years later members of the Brady Bunch will return to Kings Island on Sunday, August 31st as part of a Very Brady Reunion! Barry Williams (Greg), Susan Olson (Cindy) and Mike Lookinland (Bobby) will be on hand to dance, sing and tell Brady Bunch stories as part of their half hour show in the Kings Island Theater. This event is FREE with park admission. Show times are 2:00, 4:30, 6:30 and 8:00p. There will be opportunities to meet and greet and autograph session following each show. Speaking of reunions, Kings Island has employed more than 150,000 people since the park opened in 1972. Over Labor Day weekend, August 30th through September 1st, Kings Island will host its first ever employee reunion! Past full-time and seasonal employees, as well as the families of past employees are invited to attend. Past employees will have an opportunity to see old friends, listen to music and take a walk down memory lane with a special video/slide show presentation from 2:00pm to 6:00pm each day in the picnic grove area of the park. In addition, all reunion participants will end the night with last rides on The Beast with one hour of exclusive ride time scheduled after the park’s closing time. This event is free for former employees who have a current season pass and special discounts are available for one day, two day, and three day admission tickets for those who do not have a season pass. There will also be a special Montgomery Inn Picnic which can be added to the admission tickets for a special low price. Click here to RSVP, purchase your tickets, and order your Montgomery Inn meal ticket! Also on Labor Day, Major League Eating will make its debut at Kings Island! See some of the biggest eaters in the world compete for the crown of being the best! These big eaters will be competing against each other scarfing down Skyline Chili 3-Ways in front of a special guest time keeper: should-be Baseball Hall of Famer Pete Rose! This event is FREE with park admission! In addition to everything else going on over Labor Day Weekend, Carmen Electra will be participating in the Flashback: Totally 80s performances at 2:30 and 4:00 on August 30th. Carmen is a Cincinnati native and got her start performing at Kings Island in a magic show. What: Special Labor Day Weekend Activities Where: Kings Island, Mason, OH When: Employee Reunion - August 30th - September 1st, A Very Brady Reunion - Sunday, August 31st at 2:00, 4:30, 6:30 and 8:00p, Kings Island Theatre, Major League Eating - September 1st Cost: Activities are FREE with park admission. If you are a former employee and wish to participate in the reunion and/or purchase a ticket to the special Montgomery Inn picnic, click here to be brought to the official web site of the Kings Island Reunion. With the announcement of Diamondback, Kings Island's tallest, fastest and meanest coaster, it's time to hop on board the 2009 season early and purchase your 2009 Kings Island Gold or Cedar Fair Platinum Pass! Passes are on sale NOW and are at the lowest price of the season! Click here to purchase your 2009 pass. 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

To answer the original question: yes, there will be a celebration for The Beast's 30th birthday. Details to come.

You may know Natalie as one of the performers in Hot Island Rhythms, or for playing Madonna in Flashback: Totally 80s. She also starred in Dead Awakening last year. This is an article about what she's into. CIN Weekly Article about Natalie Gibson, "What I'm Into"

I haven't heard an exact number, but from what I understand the park payed well into the four digits for the Diamondback model.

From VisitKingsIsland.com: August 31, 2008 2pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8pm Kings Island Theater FREE with park admission!