SonofBaconator

It shows how much you've grown as an enthusiast and as a man

Ouch dude

I found this online want wanted to share: Given its color scheme and height, I would've preferred it to be called "Dive 305" I know the giga dive is inevitable and one park will shell out the money to build it. Does $40-50 mil sound about right?

Reading a lot of these old threads, I'm waiting for someone to make one called "Will Orion always be the tallest at KI?"

Thanks Captain Obvious Sorry I had to

I honestly don't think that's their legitimate plan for when they install coasters. If that were the case Mystic Timbers would have never needed to be built and we'll be getting a strata by 2023. Maybe we get another launch in our line-up but there's an even bigger gap they need to fill

I expect there to be an even bigger gap since the chain is trying to invest more in their lower tier parks as well. I'd say we might only get two coasters this decade- one in the middle and one towards the end. Expect to see more investments on shows, experiences, theming, and maybe flat rides.

Since the chain is cutting $75 million in investments I wouldn't expect anything huge in the near future

I wonder if rubber flooring could be installed to absorb vibrations experienced during the ride

Like I said earlier I would try to bring back the train. Instead of having it stop in the woods, I'd have it run the whole course of the ride. The train would pass through different scenes and actors that would utilize the old fort and the old western town. Busch Gardens did something similar

^ All I can see is that on a Pure Michigan commerical with the music on in the background

I agree completely. I don't see the park opening up anytime soon. Its not worth risking the health of employees or guests especially if there's still a need to continue practicing social distancing. Sports leagues keep pushing their opening days back every month. Unless there's a steep drop in cases and an increase in people recovering, I don't see the park opening back up anytime soon.

An idea I had was to bring back the old Phantom Theater characters in the form of Scare-actors who walk around the park.

Possibly to individualize the two towers

Why was the larger antenna removed again?

Are you referring to the platform by Mystic Timbers that they used for haunt? Unfortunately that platform can only accommodate 3 coaches and expanding it would block the maintenance road. If they ever decided to expand that platform to accommodate all 6 coaches the trains wouldn't be able to move. That section of track leads to a .5% grade which is very difficult for a locomotive to do without any momentum. It worked for 3 coaches because half the weight was gone so they could power through the hill. If you ever ride the train pay attention to its acceleration once you pass Mystic Timbers' tunnel. There are times during Winterfest when the engines actually have to reverse back to the station so they can build up enough momentum to make it over the grade Wow I need to get back to the Railroad thread

I enjoyed reading this article so thanks for sharing! Rivertown is my favorite part of the park so it does disappoint me that its a ghost of its former self. The Beast's lake is gone, a huge chunk of the train's theming has disappeared, the Keelboat Canal is gone, the kids area took the log flume and there truly is no river in Rivertown anymore. I'd argue what caused this to happen was a chain reaction that happened over decades. 1st you get the draining of The Beast's lake to make room for Vortex and the setting immediately changed. Fast forward to 2002 when a classic log flume was replaced with a metal box. 7 years later a lot of the woods were cleared and Swan Lake was drained to make room for the impressive B&M Hyper- Diamondback. 4 years later we get a Cincinnati Reds restaurant. I'm not saying these addictions were bad, (maybe with exception to the metal box), but they all drastically changed the section's landscape to where its not as recognizable anymore. Back then I'd argue the philosophy was thrills over theme- which is why we saw a ride themed to treasure hunt in an Asian jungle. Now however, I think we're starting to see a need to push the theme aspect and possibly bring some character back to Rivertown. As a matter of fact we already see this with Mystic Timbers. I doubt it'll ever look like its former glory but the park can try and make something new. I think Vortex's removal has given the park a rare opportunity to redefine Rivertown and possibly expand it further towards Coney Mall (heck BLSC and SRR are technically part of Rivertown). Who knows, maybe The Beast lake might make a return.

So you're assuming it would've gone in the same area? I could see that. Looking back on it I was glad KD got Dominator; they needed it more than we did.

I bet this guy is enjoying quarantine

These photos are great! It makes me sad to see how many trees there used to be vs now, especially where the old antique cars used to be.

Welcome back! Are you by any chance related to @VortexLover?

This is getting off topic. Yes it ties into amusement parks but its making a huge turn. Things will get better as they always do. I'm just grateful for my family's health and pray this all goes away.

They do, doesn't mean you still don't hear the occasional gunshot or sirens from ambulances going to nearby hosiptals. I don't think so I've worked in that area and I can 100% attest to that.

Just wait for the sirens and the gunshots to go off and you'll remember you're in Avondale