Pagoda Gift Shop

Other: It's great that it's open because that means less people in line for FoF and Beast!

It could also be that there are higher possibilities of a rollback if testruns are done early in the morning. That seems somewhat unlikely though, but it is possible, even with water dummies. I suspect that extensive track walks do fit the case. They are going to very careful early on to catch where the new trains will particularly wear the track.

Who's wants to bet that SOB doesn't make it up to 78mph except on maybe the hottest days?

Here's a recent new article. I wouldn't imagine Drop Zone will reopen until after the state releases their results from the investigation. After the investigation ends, there will probably be recommendations which will be carried out by all the parks with Intamin Drop Towers. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...D=2007707030449

I'll bet the cost of demolition is probably about the same as what it costs to maintain it for just 1 year.

As odd as this story may be, stranger things have happened...and been taken to court. http://www.cincypost.com/2003/06/17/suit061703.html

CoastersRZ, You may be right about the lawsuits not having a direct effect on reopening. I tried to find where I read that. I figure it was this article, who's title is a bit misleading... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/o...07kisuitA1.html

Don't forget that there are still legal battles going on over the accident. I remember reading something a while ago about CF wanting to settle most if not all of the legal garbage with the manufacturer BEFORE reopening the ride. I have no idea as to the status of all that at the moment. Point being, CF is not in any big hurry to open it. Sure it might give them a slight boost in operations, but realistically, Firehawk and Nick Universe are the big draws to the park, not "that controversial wooden coaster."

At CoasterMania a few weeks ago at CP, Dick Kinzel, CEO of Cedar Fair said that Son of Beast would open "July 4th weekend." If anyone's word could be trusted, I would trust his. Then again, there also could be complications or delays since he said this (June 16).

You called KI at 1 in the morning? hee hee The anticipointment continues to build...

Well, let's see 1) Because sometimes a coaster's popularity is not enough to justify the cost of operating it. 2) Because maintenance parts for the coaster become so sparse due to companies going out of business and being in foreign countries that it's too hard to maintain the ride (King Cobra). 3) Because the coaster might be a maintenance nightmare (The Bat). 4) Because expanding the size of the park is not always a good thing. 5) Because it never should have been built in the first place (Son of Beast). *snicker* Those are probably the major reasons.

If banking could be added anywhere, I would think the first turn would be a better place. Then maybe the brakes on the first drop could disappear.

I'm betting the G-restraints plus seatbelts are still better than the Premier restraints.

Some kind of roman warrior guy? It's Alexander the Great!

Nope, not gone. It's called Flight of Fear. It was originally named The Outer LIMits: Flight of Fear when it opened in the late 90's. The ride tended to create a lot of "head banging" moments when it had the original over-the-shoulder restraints. In 2001 (or 2002, can't remember) they were replaced with a simpler lap bar which holds you in very well. This significantly improved the ride from causing neck pains.

I guess it would all depend on the worth of the investment. Since the KI website is still in need of a revamp sometime soon, I would hope that webcam considerations would go along with whenever that happens. That, along with the idea that CP will soon be adding 3 more webcams to their already existing 2, says something about it being a worthwhile investment. I'm not sure how much "sharing" of ideas and marketing happens from park to park. It would seem like it was pretty much Tony and Tyler's idea (CP marketing guys) to add more cameras.

If it's not green...it's probably clean. Large amounts of water which are not treated, typically are easily recognizable if you really look at them. For this reason, I highly believe that AF uses treated water. Meanwhile, WWC (and TC at CP) both use untreated water. Maybe this is because the amount of water needed for these rides is vastly higher than for the flume type rides? For the record, most flume rides also used treated water.

I'm sure that they will. Not just from the standpoint of having to in order to have the ride be re-certified (I'm sure there are policies in place for rides that have considerable changes made), but also to see what kinds of forces are being exerted on the new trains.