Buckeye Brad

I wasn't a fan of the colors when seeing photos of the track pieces, but seeing it all together with the Texas / western theme, I like it! Interesting that they didn't place the drop right over a midway like many dive coasters, but it will an amazing sight for those driving in, and especially those waiting at the entrance plaza. It will also be a thrill for the folks on the train to go right through the eye of the "storm" (Tormenta is Spanish for storm). Nice to see Six Flags/Cedar Fair still investing in huge coasters, and putting some originality into the theming.

My understanding is that Paramount asked both CCI and GCI to build Son of Beast, but both declined because of the scale of the project. CCI was busy building 7 or 8 coasters for 2000, and GCI had their hands full with Lightning Racer at Hersheypark. So Paramount was stuck with RCCA. KI has always been my home park and I was beyond excited for SOB. I gave it every chance and fanboy bias possible. Ironically, that same summer I rode another new for Y2K woodie that surprised me as being far more worthy of the name "Son of Beast": Legend at Holiday World. Terrain wood coaster, in the woods, first drop into a tunnel, midcourse tunnel, double helix. It resembled The Beast in many ways, but junior sized (by comparison), and much more feisty as a young "Son" might be.

I’d love to tie a hammock between 2 supports on The Beast. Perhaps near the bottom of the double helix. Imagine having a lovely nights sleep, then waking up to the roar and shake of the first train of the morning!

Back in the day I recall several “Kodak photo spots” around the park. Clever, appropriate, subtle. For anyone not as old as me, Kodak was probably the biggest consumer brand of cameras and photography.

Thanks for the clarification on Racer, Don. I thought it was a deal where PTC didn’t recommend backwards ops, and liability fears. Glad to get the facts. I retract my statement, and modify it to: “Cedar Fair finally chooses to run Racer backwards”. :^)

Cedar Fair convinces PTC to approve running backwards trains on Racer (and Rebel Yell, American Eagle) Blue cones offered as smoothies or some other form A classic flat ride like Monster, SR&R is removed The Beast is still the longest wooden coaster in the world

Regarding no Christmas event Holiday World, I wonder if the fact that it’s a smaller family owned business is an additional factor. Meaning, the opportunity for the family to rest and focus on the upcoming summer might outweigh the potential income. In my experience family owned businesses often make different decisions than a larger corporation would make.

This is correct. I still remember going to Vortex opening day 1987, and riding The Beast right after an amazing first ride on Vortex. My friends and I were surprised at the new waterless landscaping under The Beast. Then we looked over at the nearby Vortex lift hill and first turnaround, and figured that their construction must have required some land flattening and subsequent draining of the water under The Beast line and station. I’ve also read that The Beast water was a collector of trash and a breeding ground for mosquitoes, so the park may have been already looking for an excuse to drain it. The water did look very cool though. I’d like to see the mill wheel turned on again and have at least a small concrete pond underneath to restore some of the original theming.

Great points. Another flaw in Paramount’s strategy in my opinion was that the theme park potential of their IP was vastly inferior and rarely integrated into the ride experience. My friends and I were big KI fanboys, and we’re brainstormed the entire Paramount portfolio. The best we could come up with: 1. Indy Jones (taken by Disney) 2. Star Trek (maybe license issues and probably very expensive to do right) and 3. Titanic (awkward and certainly expensive). I do remember seeing a concept that was presented to guests, with an underwater ride option and ghosts. Yeah, awkward. Face Off, Drop Zone, Congo, and others were mediocre movies at best with minimal cultural significance. Top Gun, Tomb Raider, Italian Job, Outer Limits had some juice as themes, and were decently executed. But did they drive much business towards the Paramount studio side? Seems like Disney and Universal had and have far more appealing IP like Jaws, Back to the Future, Marvel, ET, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Pixar, etc. I am thankful that Paramount had the wisdom to not mess with the more iconic names like Racer, Vortex, Beast.* * I still miss the real Beastie, my first real coaster memory with its scary paw logo, tunnel, tombstone queue, and scary yellow paint job.

Kenton’s Cove Keelboat Canal for Tomb Raider Sunshine Turnpike and Scrappy’s Slides for Nick Universe Yeah, It seems like there were a lot of removals in a short time, for a park with plenty of space for expansion. The most interesting to me is what Son of Beast’s fate would have been. Since Paramount were the ones who created and invested in SOB, would they have pushed harder to save it/ reimagine it? Or would they have come to the same conclusion that it was a maintenance money pit with ever waning public appeal and chosen a complete reboot.

It’s possible he had an AirTag/Tile or similar tracker on his keychain. Only speculation of course. If I were in his shoes, even if I thought I could find my keys, how would I think I’d get away without being found and probably arrested, which would defeat the whole strategy.

Stopped by last evening for my first visit of the year. An afternoon storm cleared out some of the crowd and left us with sub 20 minute waits for everything. Enjoyed my front and back seat rides on Banshee, front in Racer, back on Orion, back on Snoopy Soap Box, back on Mystic and Beast, the train for a nice break, and a long awaited Smurf(blue) cone. Got to watch my son working at his coaster like a boss, and finished with the fireworks and drone show. My first coaster rides since going on some very tough meds, and I felt great!

One positive is that it does not appear that any riders were injured. No hints of this in any article I’ve read, or conversation I’ve had with someone who would likely know. If a rider has been injured, by now I’d expect a statement from the park like “a rider was reportedly treated for an injury”. Still a heartbreaking situation for so many. It’s amazing how many people something like this affects. Family, responders, ride crew, and more.

I don’t have a specific suggestion, but I think KI would do well to have a few more items that are KI exclusive. Think of the blue cone. For me they are a guilty pleasure. While I’d like to be able to get one at UDF anytime, it’s actually more special that a blue cone is only available at KI. KI should have a few more exclusive items like that. Things with Kings Islandy names but also unique flavors. Butterbeer at Universal is another great example. My family still looks forward to butterbeer as much as the rides when we plan a trip there. Back in the 80’s, KI had these frozen tropical drinks (called Congo Coolers?) back by the Demon and also near the Zodiak. I emptied my piggy bank to enjoy those many times.

All great points Hoeter. Speaking of Coney’s influence, there a neat article about Walt Disney touring parks for research and inspiration when planning Disneyland. Apparently Coney Island was an important contribution to Disneyland, and by extension, the entire amusement park industry. Cincinnati.com article