BoddaH1994

Kids of all ages delight in getting up close and personal with their favorite Nicktoons, and there is no better way than with a high-energy meet and greet experience. The characters parade out with much fanfare to introduce a true "happy hour." Guests should prepare for many hugs and lots of smiles. The fun starts June 16 on the International Street Bandstand.

Great! Those are the best kind!

Cedar Point draws crowds from Cleveland and Detriot. That certainly could cause suspician...

Holiday Inns typically have a very good reputation, though. Joe's right... it is a bit of a drive to the park from Middletown.

Good splicin'. I had fun watching that video.

From a marketing standpoint, that would be kind of a bad decision. The ride looks wonderful, but you have 6 inversions in there, and typically if you have inversions it influences half of your ridership (mainly not to ride). I think the days of the monsters are unfortunately over...

Yeah, there will be around 300 people at the convention, which is drops in a bucket at KI.

The date and place have been on the books with ACE for years. The press release came out today.

...and ACE's press release. For Immediate Release June 2007 For more information contact: Bill Linkenheimer phone: 412.487.7499 mobile: 412.725.7499 NEWS RELEASE email: blinkenheimer@ACEonline.org AmericanCoasterEnthusiasts.org The Racer AT Kings Island DESIGNATED AN ACE ROLLER COASTER LANDMARK MASON, Oh. American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is pleased to announce that it has designated The Racer at Kings Island as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark. This award is reserved for rides of the most important historical significance. A permanent marker commemorating this honor will be presented to the park on June 18 when over 500 members visit the park to kick off the organization’s 30th annual convention. The following is the text of the permanent marker, which explains the ride’s importance: Kings Island opened April 29, 1972, replacing Cincinnati’s beloved Coney Island, which had endured periodic flooding during its 85 year existence on the Ohio River. For the new park, the signature attraction was The Racer, an 88 foot high twin tracked wooden roller coaster whose design was inspired by the venerable Coney Island Shooting Star. Engineered by John C. Allen and built by James L. Martz, both of the celebrated Philadelphia Toboggan Company, its two tracks totaled 6,830 feet in length, with an initial drop of 82 feet, 2 inches. Constructed at a cost of $1.2 million by park contractors, modified versions of the ride were eventually built at two other parks. In addition to being considered an important part of the coaster renaissance of the 1970s, The Racer was the site of several world record riding attempts and might be best remembered in a television episode of The Brady Bunch. On May 28, 1982, it became the first racing coaster to ever run trains backwards on one of its tracks. Highly rated among riders of all ages for its classic ride experience, The Racer remains an integral part of Kings Island’s outstanding collection of roller coasters. “Kings Island is a favorite for most of ACE’s members,” stated Mark Cole, ACE’s president. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering that in addition to The Racer the park boasts eleven other roller coasters. “The Racer was the first wooden coaster to be built at a modern theme park and helped spawn a rebirth of wood coasters,” said Richard Munch, one of the organization’s three founding members who now serves as its historian. Founded in 1978, ACE is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, education, appreciation, and safe enjoyment of roller coasters. With more than 8,000 members in all 50 states and in 12 different countries, ACE is the largest amusement park enthusiast club in the world. ACE membership includes bimonthly newsletters, quarterly magazines, and the opportunity to attend events at parks each year. # # # # #

Kings Island, OH – Kings Island continues its 35th anniversary celebration by hosting roller coaster enthusiasts from 35 states across the USA as well as from Canada, Australia and Europe. Well over 500 members from American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) kick off their 30th annual Coaster Con convention at Kings Island June 17-20. Coaster Con is an exclusive seven-day event that features behind the scenes tours, catered meals, guest speakers and a coveted twelve hours of Exclusive Ride Time on Kings Island’s fourteen world-class roller coasters. Kings Island is one of the most popular places on the planet according to Mark Cole, ACE’s president. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering Kings Island boasts fourteen roller coasters including Firehawk, an innovative flying roller coaster that has riders literally flying in the prone position. Kings Island is also home to The Beast, renowned for being the world’s longest wooden coaster. “Kings Island has a rich history with ACE. The park hosted the organization’s second convention back in 1979,” said Cole. Perhaps the highlight of the event will be The Racer, the venerable 1972 twin-tracked ride, which will be honored as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, an award reserved for rides of historic significance. According to Richard Munch, ACE’s historian, “The Racer was the first wooden coaster to be built in a modern theme park and helped spawn a rebirth of wood coasters.” A permanent marker will be unveiled at a ceremony on June 18. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: “FUN”) is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Partnership, which owns and operates twelve amusement parks, five outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and six hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, Virginia / District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, and operates Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, California under a management contract.

I've always heard it was removed due to "low ridership" which is likely to be attributed to the incident. -Ryan -- Who didn't ride the Flight Commander until after the incident.

The train on the lift was empty anyway, it had a bio right before the incident.

Hey -- don't forget that KI worked on an IMPROVED system after the first day. The first BAFFD required that season passholders bring their pass to the GR window to get an extra ticket for the friend. So basically you had the traffic headache, only to have the parking headache, the ticket headache, and the overall bad experience. I'm not surprised to see that the days dropped in popularity considerably after the first one.

I remember when they had 3 trains and one would be kind of parked just outside of the entrance tunnel to the station. I think the original intention of the ride was to have another train almost immediately roll in empty after the other launched to give the effect that the ride had 'eaten' the last trainload.

Let's pray.... Cedar Fair has always been a fan of the first rule of business, "Reinvest, reinvest, reinvest!!" But as a KI-goer, I must admit that I do worry that they'll make it a point to give KI second rate attractions to Cedar Point in order to make sure that CP remains the more powerful park. Is this a good business decision? No. But it's still unsettling to consider.

Agreed, but to reiterate what Maureen posted originally after the incident, the crew reacted perfectly.

I'm glad he had a good time. There's always something special about taking someone to KI for their first time. Welcome to the forums!

Yeah... you guys are all late nighters. That's why if we have to do maintenance on the site, it has to be between 3 and 7am.

That's a half-truth. Rock has origins in rockabilly, which is a precursor to modern country.

I'd find out if reproductions will be accepted before you try it at the park.

I'll have to agree. I think that country now with the dash of rock mixed in with it is kind of inferior to country of the past like Hank Williams or Johnny Cash.

Although there is a strict rule about outside food and beverages, I'm sure that brining in things for infants won't be an issue. Before you go, I'd call 1-800-288-0808, which is KI's GR number. There you can ask them what kind of accommodations they have for any special needs the infants might have.

I'd certainly shop around. Kings Island Inn is right across the street and they do offer a free shuttle service, so it may be worth it if it isn't much more expensive. Make sure you let us know how your trip goes! Ryan

Have you gotten to see the show yet?? Click here to take a poll and let us know what you thought!

With the new ice show having been open at KI for a whole weekend now, we want to hear what you thought about it. Haven't seen it yet? You don't know what you're missing, but please wait to vote until you have! Best regards, Ryan