coasterrz

According to an earlier post, the website http://home.fuse.net/brock/KI81Beast.html not only has pictures of The Beast, but also of Screamin Demon and The Racer. Unless I need some more sleep, I can not seem to find these pictures of The Racer and Screamin Demon.

Unless you know an employee of the park, or are able to win tickets from one of the radio stations giving them away, you won`t be able to attend the preview on Saturday April 3. If yoou are able to get tickets, then the park is open from 12 to 8. Additionally, if you have a season pass, you get into the park on Sunday April 4, from 12 to 8. The park then opens to the public on Friday, April 9 at 10 am.

I can`t find a link to it on the Cincinnati homepage, but an article that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer said that one of the experts would be surprised if more than a few stray cicadas found their way to Paramount`s Kings Island.

Actually there was an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about this a couple weeks ago. It said that there are dense pockets of the 17 year cicadas. The article specifically mentioned that there would not be a lot to the north of 275 in Cincinnati. The article even quoted an expert that said he would be surprised if PKI saw more than a few of the 17 year cicadas which emerge around the last week of May. However, the Cincinnati Zoo and UC were some of the heaviest infested areas in the Cincinnat area.

The lines for Scooby really aren`t that bad. The longest I had to wait was about 50 minutes on the pass holder preview night last April. Otherwise, the line for Scooby is closer to half an hour. Weekends tend to be busy. One strategy is to try to plan it around when there is less than perfect weather. However, with the crazy Ohio weather, that may be next to impossible.

While it may have been great for those working, it was a rather poor experience as a guest. While I did grab one of the first rides on Delirium, the line for Scooby when ia arrived at it aroun 6 o`clock was horrendous! The line stretched all the way onto International Street and up towards the Eiffel Tower. I waited about 45 minutes to get on it. The lines for the other attractions were long also, and there was a zoo of people walking around. It wasn`t quite as bad as a Bring a Friend Free Day, but it was worse than a normal weekend.

April 3rd is dry run day for employees and their families. Additionally, that day is the same day that radio station winners will receive tickets to visit the park. On Sunday, April 4th, as stated above, will be exclusively for season pass holders. The park is doing it this way after the horrendous crowds that emerged on last years preview night. That preview night was from 5 to 10 on a Friday night and all radio station ticket winner, dry run day tickets and pass holders attended the event in the same evening. Unfortunatly the weather was really nice, so the combination resulted in a packed park and extremely long lines. This year the park istrying to make it more enjoyable for all involved.

The return of Winterfest has been rumored, especially since they did a survey on it possibly returning last year. However, I highly doubt they would announce Winterfest in March. The survey also said that they could bring it back for 2004, 2005 or not at all. Additionally, the park has not publicly admitted to a renovation of Coney Mall for 2004. However, as Jeff pointed out. With all renovations in the past couple of years, the themed area that was renovated recieved a major new ride. That being said, Coney is beginning a renovation this year with Scrambler, Monster and Zephyr being refurbished. The last ride to be added into Coney Mall was Flight of Fear in 1996 (excluding the changing movies in the Paramount Action FX Theater). Combining those two thought, I would assume that the addition in 2005 will be in Coney Mall. However, it may or may not be a roller coaster.

The only actual ride additions that PKI is receiving this season are those associated with Boomerang Bay. Those rumors about Revenge of Cobra/Bat, have been for the most part, wild and crazy rumors. Additionally, the color scheme on The Racer was the same for each side. As a matter of fact, it still had the red track and blue hand rails as of 1987. (It also still had the buzz bars then too.) Here is a picture on rcdb, taken by Ric Turner in 1987. The park is also painting the Carousel? I know they usually do work on the horses every off season, but I never heard that they were doing work on the carousel.

As stated the park removed it to put in Congo Falls. But another reason the park removed it was because the only thrill part of the ride was the loop. When the park built The Vortex in 1987, Screamin Demon was not popular anymore because guests could ride the taller, faster, longer Vortex which featured more than just a single vertical loop. Essentially, Vortex attracted the guests and there was nothing popular about the Demon anymore, so it was sold.

Brenda Walker is the wife of the late Ron Walker, who was the owner of Park River Corporation, which is the company that owns Coney Island. Essentially, Park River Corporation consists of only Coney Island since they sold Americana a few years back. To the best of my knowledge, Brenda is not in charge of park operations. Vic Nolting has been the President of Coney Island since 1984 I believe. I have seen, and met him before while running rides. He, like the folks at Holiday World, could often be seen walking around sweeping up trash. I recall one night when i was cleaning up trash at 9:15 and he was walking around picking up trash from around the LaRosa`s by the Dodgems. As far as the director of operations for the park, that role belongs to Mike Howard, who also assists in the training of the rides employees.

Ok, here is how I understand it. Based on the success of Kings Island, Taft executives set out to duplicate the success in Virginia. Kings Dominion opened in 1975. In addition to Kings Dominion, Taft entered into a partnership with Top Value Enterprises, a subsidiary of the Kroger Co. in early 1975 to purchase Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina for $16 million. In 1980, the partnership dissolved and Taft became the sole owner of Carowinds. Additionally, Taft built Wonderland outside of Toronto in 1981. In late 1983, a group of general managers at the Taft parks as well as several vice presidents at Taft Broadcasting, purchased two thirds of the parks. They then formed their own company, the Kings Entertainment Company. KECO would later enter into a management deal with Great America in Santa Clara California. Great America in California, along with the Great America in Chicago were both built by Marriot. However, the California one was sold to KECO and now Paramount while the Chicago one became a Six Flags park. In 1987, KECO was reorganized as Carl Lindner purchased the majority of the shares of Taft Broadcasting, and KECO now owned 100 percent of the parks, except for Great America. Carl Lindner continued to let KECO operate the parks. However, the parks were rapidly loosing steam and money under Lindner`s direction. So, on July 30, 1992 Paramount Communications purchased KECO as well as Great America. In 1993, all five parks were rebranded as Paramount Parks, and now sported the Paramount moniker in front of their names.

Why are people always obssesed with moving things to new locations to put other rides in their spots? First Timberwolf, and now Antique Cars. Personally, I think that the Antique Cars are fine exactly where they are. It PKI wanted to, I`m sure they coluld fit in a coaster over and around the lake in Rive Town if they wanted to, without removing the Antique Cars. Will, they? I highlt doubt it. Most likely, the next major coaster they build will be build as yu suggested, over by Flight of Fear.

In the newsletter the park sent out it calims that season pass preview day is Sunday April 4th. I had heard that Saturday would also be a preview day. Is that day only for radio contest winners or gold pass holders, or is it the true dry run day for employees and their families? Also, the newsletter says to click on a link for the latest information on Gold-pass perks and the preview night, however, the link is directed to the PKI homepage. Anyone know where a list of the 2004 perks are, or have they not finalized them yet? It does sound like they have expanded the gold pass program some. For example, the ride reservation system, now known as Walk-on-Weekends, includes more rides. Additionally, it mentions that there will be Gold Pass only nightS! Any one know any information on the preview days or gold pass perks? For those interested, here is a link to the .newsletter. EDIT: Added link to newsletter.

I would assumer that it is. The Carowinds website has been updated for about a week now. I would assume that all Paramount Park websites will be updated soon. Just wait and PKI`s will be updated. I would assume that the update is part of the Hollywood-izing of the parks.

The article in the Cincinnati Enquirer said that the park would announce several new attractions and changes. I don`t know if the Hollywood theming is the announcement or not. I seriously hope it isn`t, but if it turns out to be, oh well, I will look forward to the changes implemented in the park. It just seems that the announcement was going to be something slightly larger then a new focus on hollywood theming for this and upcoming seasons. But, perhaps, that is what the park and Jeff planned to get people talking about the park.

I agree with AX Kinda Guy. It had never been the quality of the venue, but the actual quality of the show. Back when they used to have Paramount on Ice in the Festhaus, if memory serves me correct, that place would be packes, and that was without having any seat directly facing the stage! Now, I think that making improvements can`t hurt. If anything, it will make people interested in the building any try a show. I personally am glad that they are putting in theater style seats, as the old seats had seen there day. Now if only this show can prove to be of high quality, then the park will have a real winner. I normally only see the show that is in the Paramount Theater once a year, except I would see the magic shows a couple times a year. I don`t really bother with the singing shows in the outside venues.

If the March announcement came in April, then it wouldn`t be a March announcement but rather an April announcement.

April 3rd and 4th are the preview days at PKI. The official opening day is Friday, April 9th, which happens to be Good Friday (which means Easter is that Sunday).

I can`t wait to visit the park in general. Just walking around the park again, when the rides are running, will be nice. I`d have to say I am most looking forward to riding The Beast, but I`m also lloking forward to any changes in the park, like the hopefully smoother Son of Beast, and a possibly new ride program on TRTR. Then of course, I am also looking forward to Boomerang Bay opening in May!

I am well aware that the park is busy getting ready for the 2004 season. Afterall, the sneak preview weekend is three weeks from this upcoming weekend. However, ever since the park instituted the gold pass program back in 2001, they have always posted the perks on the website at least a month before the season started (usually in late January or in February). Does anyone know if the park has in fact finalized a gold pass program? I know that they might be making changes to the program after a survey about the program was done last autumn (I specifically remember hearing a question abou refills on pop with a gold pass). Mayber they need some extra time to revamp the program based on the results of the survey. Or, they are waiting for their site to be redesigned like Carowinds` wesite was last week before putting them online. Or, finally, maybe they are waiting for the much rumored, talked about and anticipated anouncement this month to release the gold pass perks. It just seems that the park has always promoted the gold pass program in the spring to help drive speing season pass sales. So far, their hasn`t been any such advertisement for the gold pass program. Are they planning on turning it into a platinum pass like at Carowinds? Any one know any information? Only time will tell. Based on what Jeff Siebert has hinted at, there will be a lot of announcements from the park over the next couple of weeks and months, some of which will probably be very minor, like the gold pass perks.

Very interesting! Nice to see James Earl Jones in a movie. Has he been in any other movies lately?

Maestro, you are correct that the original name of Top Gun had Thunder in its name. The original name before the purchase of Paramount was supposed to be Thunder Road. The same name as Paramount`s Carowinds racing wooden coaster. Also, the now defunct theming below the station was designed by John DeCuir, the set designer on the Paramount motion picture of the same name.

MommaBeast, your welcome for the welcome. Boy, has this topic migrated off of the original topic of The Beast. But it is still a vey interesting topic nonetheless. Well, its almost 2 in the morning, and my eyes are falling shut, so I`m off to bed.

A little off topic, but welcome to PKIU MommaBeast!