Hoeter

Ended up buying a Gold Pass this morning, and went up to the park for the first time since the 2019 season, staying until about 3PM. I figured I would try and see what I could ride given that lines could potentially be minimal - I'd rather wait 15 minutes and get "walk of shamed" than wait an hour to be told the same exact thing. I was able to ride The Bat, Banshee, Adventure Express, Racer, Orion, The Beast, Mystic Timbers, and Diamondback without being turned away. I rode everything except for Invertigo, Flight of Fear, and Backlot Stunt Coaster - the latter I didn't see running the entire time I was there. Finally got to ride Orion for the first time, which was nearly a walk-on - I should have stayed over there and marathoned. As my last visit was when Vortex was still operating, I will say that it was weird without seeing Vortex, especially standing in line for Diamondback, looking towards LaRosa's and walking past where the batwing used to be. Otherwise, I thought the park looked good! I do want to get up to Cedar Point during the season, however I did not add the All Park Passport when I purchased this morning - I am assuming I can go into Guest Services next time I'm at the park and pay the difference?

^ The Beast is the roller coaster that started my love for roller coasters, this one I really do not want to do the Walk of Shame. I know the last time I was up at the park in 2019, Diamondback was close to being a no-go

Seeing all of the posts on social media today makes me want to get back up to the park - I haven't been since 2019. I'm going to try to get up there at some point this season, but am concerned about taking the old Walk of Shame. Right now I'm 6' 2'' and around 310, so I'm not sure what I can/can't fit on at this point.

I really enjoyed Sonder's Blue Ice Cream Ale the last time that it was out - I will say though in my experience, as with other beers, the colder it is the better. I live near the Jungle Jim's in Eastgate and I heard that they had it in stock - literally missed the last one being sold by a matter of minutes. Hightailed it to Mason and got one of the last four packs they had in stock. Now that they've re-released it, I'll have to ride up to Mason to pick up a pack.

Having grown up on the east side of Cincinnati, I have been to Coney Island several times during my childhood and visited their Christmas light display a couple of years back. I vividly remember seeing Kellogg Avenue and Coney Island underwater when the flood hit in March of 1997. This announcement, in terms of shock and awe, reminds me of when the Cincinnati Gardens closed several years back. A lot of the feedback that I have seen on social media regarding the closure/announcement of the new music venue has been relatively negative, however with the removal of the rides a couple of years back, I was curious how viable business would be with the pool and related water attractions. I did a little reflecting as well on the impact that Coney Island had on the industry and the impact that it had. Had it not been for Coney Island and other events, such as the 1964 flood and the purchase by Taft, there's a chance Kings Island never would have been built, meaning that The Racer would have never sparked the second golden age of the roller coaster - I wonder what the impact would have been on the industry? Coney Island, I feel, wasn't only beloved by generations of Cincinnatians, but had a lasting impact on the industry as a whole.

I see several parks getting sold - ones in close proximity to one another. NJFTP/Dorney and Knotts/SFMM immediately come to mind. I strongly wish that Herschend approaches Cedar Fair to buy Kings Island. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with CoasterJack above. I visited SFGAdv (or NJFTP for those from way back when Terpy was still on the boards) in 2014 and at least one of the El Toro trains were wrapped in a Kia Soul graphic - this was definitely interesting for my first visit to a SIX park.

^ Made to Thrill - https://madetothrill.com/ I currently have posters for The Beast, Magnum, Millie, Dragster, Banshee, Mystic, and Steel Vengeance. They also made the I-Street and Blue Ice Cream posters, however those are only available on the Kings Island store or in the park. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry to bump a thread that was last responded to in 2020, but I feel like I'm at a point to where my home office is "complete" in terms of roller coaster decor, however as of late, I've started to add some Bengals gear due to their successes. There are a lot of pictures attached - apologies in advance. Some of these were taken earlier on in the process. I have collected quite a bit over the last 10 or so years and have quite a few shirts that I can put within this space as well, such as the one for Banshee Media Day and the First Rider Auction for Mystic Timbers. The shot glasses on the shelf - there are several non-KI ones, such as Dragster, Millennium Force, Maverick, Valravn, Magnum XL-200, Lightning Rod, Intimidator 305, and Fury 325 from my travels.

Late to the conversation - Don will be missed. In the "Decoding 2014" thread from way back when, I posted the below in regards to the Son of Beast station and chuckle every time I revisit it.

It is official... Top Thrill 2 - the world's tallest and fastest triple launch coaster. https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog/media-center/get-revvved-up-in-2024?fbclid=IwAR36_an9_ngAk569Da0fmEMyVHIRdas3Z2tp5Qt8GnfxhqqdAcCO0IpFUCM&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed reading "Kings Island: A Ride Through Time," I immediately purchased "Kings Island: A Photographic Journey" upon hearing about it this past Sunday. It arrived this afternoon and was, in my opinion, well worth the money I paid for it. Even though I wasn't around for the Old Coney/Taft/KECO/Lindner years, it really transported me back to that timeframe and makes me wish I was around to see the park in its early days. As I started going to Kings Island beginning early in Paramount's ownership, around 1993 or 1994, there was a lot of nostalgia around that section of the book and a lot of good memories come to mind as I approached the Cedar Fair section. Anyone who has visited Kings Island or is a fan of the park needs to get this book before it's gone.

The local government here in Clermont County did a video on Clermont Steel Fabricators, which can be viewed here.

I just finished the book. Very well done and highly recommended to any fan of Kings Island and this forum. Also to anyone whose a fan of the industry in general, as the park has had more of an impact on the industry than I thought going into it. Literally I was reading 50 to 60 pages a night since I got the book on Monday, I was hooked on the story of the park and I don’t really read for pleasure. That says something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you. I’ve made it through about 50 pages thus far. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Evan, My book arrived this afternoon. Excited to finally read it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve got my copy ordered. Look forward to reading it soon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with Cedar Point. If you are a coaster enthusiast, this is your Mecca. Not to mention that Cedar Point has a storied history from 1870 to now, is home to the first 200, 300, and 400 foot tall rollercoasters, as well as several firsts in the coaster community including Steel Vengeance as the first hyper hybrid. Disneyland would be on the list for sure, due to this being Walt Disney's original baby and the historic attractions such as Matterhorn Bobsleds which is an ACE Coaster Landmark if I am not mistaken. If I recall, early on in Disneyland's history, Walt Disney had a stake in Arrow, which is historic in the amusement industry as well. I want to add Walt Disney World to this as well, as it opened 16 years after the original Disneyland in Anaheim. If you haven't read the story on how Walt Disney acquired the land for the "Florida Project" it's pretty neat. Also, the infrastructure within the resort, particularly the Utilidors are interesting. What's interesting about all of this is how Walt used Disneyland in the 1950's as a learning opportunity for building in Florida. If you are a fan of the carnival games, I want to give a nod to Indiana Beach, for their Fascination game. Out of all of the parks I've been to over the years, this is the only park that I've been to that has this game, but supposedly Kings Island and Cedar Point had theirs back in the day. Rivertown River above mentioned Six Flags Great Adventure (or if you've been here awhile, NJFTP as Terpy likes to call it) in their list and I would have to agree. They have the tallest coaster in the World here, one of my most favorite wood coasters, El Toro, and one of the first B&M hypercoasters in Nitro. Seriously, a front row ride on El Toro is something you have to experience due to the insane ejector air. Plus, it's the only Intamin pre-fab woodie in the U.S.

WKRC Channel 12 here in Cincinnati shared this on their Facebook page and thought it may be of interest here. https://local12.com/news/local/gallery-a-look-at-the-old-lesourdsville-lakeamericana-amusement-park?0802&fbclid=IwAR3QvRHJkCOrR4wDncB1RCqx1YPdrqPzFVoAtNqxaYHAuZwrzz-o6NqQ_Aw

Thanks for the update, looking forward to getting a copy when it comes out!

Tony Clark announced on Twitter a couple of weeks back that the envelope was for a 150th Anniversary Book. It's currently being sold in the park and was being sold online, but I think they've already sold out? It was $49.99, I ordered one as soon as they went on sale and waiting for it to arrive, as I won't be able to get to the Point this year. There's another book for Cedar Point from what I saw, the gentleman who wrote it I believe works In Town Hall at the back of the park, where Maverick and Steel Vengeance is and is a historian of all things Cedar Point.

Orion appears to be full throttle from the first drop to the end of the ride and I cannot wait to get out there to ride it at some point, hopefully soon. I've been on Millennium Force, Intimidator 305, and Fury 325 and they did not disappoint. Orion looks to be no different based on the POV.

Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that an announcement is made within the next month or so regarding Kings Island, Cedar Point, and the like and the blessing for them to operate, at what point does Cedar Fair call the season due to how late into the summer we would potentially be, due to the number of operating days left? Kings Island has Haunt and Winterfest, whereas Cedar Point has their Halloweekends event, which takes them through the end part of October. I guess my thought is, when would it not be feasible economically and from a resource-perspective, to open in 2020? This is something I've been curious about.

I'm seeing multiple people post on Facebook that Governor DeWine will be on "Meet the Press" this morning and a topic of discussion will be Cedar Point. Didn't see anything about Kings Island but I would think they'd include them as well. 10AM on Channel 5 here in Cincinnati.

Notice around the 8 minute and 50 second mark in the video, the original parking lot sign from 1972 was brought down by severe weather right before this as there are barriers on the concrete slab where it used to be. Original Thread from 2003: