DJSkyFoxx

I hope to get a Snoopy bobblehead! I plan on going the last day and getting there early for ERT and to get in as much ride time before the season is out!

I believe I had said something before in the nature of this, but if they were to bring back the go-karts I think two different tracks would be cool. One track would be multi-level and fairly long with different twists/turns/etc and have karts that go a decent speed while having a second track for 18+ with race type karts that go 40mph on a track designed for them. This was done at one of the local rec areas not far from me where a person could choose their challenge. Also, there is another place not far from me called Fasttimes that has the race styled carts that go 40mph and you have to be 18+ to drive those. If you are under 18 you can still drive, you just can't drive the race karts. That is of course, if they were to add go-karts back into the park. I could see this going over a lot better because at least there would be options and a bit more of a thrill. (I honestly enjoy going to Fasttimes myself and driving the race karts. Its a lot of fun going there with friends ) Or better yet...an all terrain go-kart course...imagine that! I own an all terrain kart and its a blast to take out and go off roading. So many possibilities..none of which I am sure will happen...but I like throwing out ideas.

Vortex will also remain a favorite among younger guest too because I would assume with Banshee being an invert, the height restriction will be another factor in popularity, especially with families who have smaller children who want to ride a big coaster. I love the robot and I always will and I know I'll love the wailing woman too

I feel like Diamondback also looks rather tired too soon for only being 4, nearly 5 years old. It already looks like it could use a touch up on pain and the seats already look rather worn out too in places. I guess with the heavy work its been doing for 4 years, wear and tear is normal but still...I guess its sad knowing I have been riding it since the very day it opened and to see it slowly look more and more tired makes me sad. I mean heck, Vortex is a 26 year old ride and looks better than poor Diamondback does as far as aged. Maybe that's just me, but that's my opinion.

I've heard the only cure is to make as many visits to a park as possible and take as many "doses" of coaster as one can...follow this prescription and it will keep the symptoms to a minimal. The real problem starts during the off season! One may start to dream about roller coasters and believe they are really there! Oh wait..I have already started to dream about Banshee...

That picture with the light from the sun breaking through the clouds with Diamondback is just...breathtaking!

Thank you very much! I really didn't take too many pictures as I wish I would have, but it seemed most of the time I wanted to get coaster/sky pictures I was on a ride and I didn't want to disobey the rules of having my phone out. This was actually my first Pride Night, but I can believe you on that. I will agree with you that the RT pizza employees were super friendly and sweet and that made it slightly less painful for me to fork over $23 for some grub lol

I will try very hard to find them! I will have to ask my mom and rummage through the thousands of pictures there are haha. And I do remember reading about the once had idea of turning it into the "Heartland Festival Entertainment Complex" (if I may be correct?) I think that could have been a really cool place to have experienced by the sounds of what all it was going to entail. I will say however sad that the place became a ride graveyard and a place of possibilty to bring a major amusement park to Indiana, I am glad at least it is a place of peace and beauty now.

Ended up leaving home around 4:30PM after checking over my car and filling up my tank. Played some music and chatted with my lovely lady and just enjoyed the drive there. I don't really mind the near two hour drive to the park personally. We did hit slow moving traffic on 275 near Sharonville and I was getting rather irritated. I get claustrophobic in jammed traffic ( and angry because I buy premium gas and I hate burning it up in slow to non moving traffic! ) Anyways, we finally made our way closer to 71 North and made it to the park around 6:40 which isn't too bad. I was just happy to be out of the traffic jam and parked inside the park so I could get out and stretch! We made our way up to the park and filled out the contest slip to win a VIP pass to media day for Banshee. ( I didn't win this, but hey, I thought it was cool there was an opportunity to win! ) My girl wanted some coffee so we walked over to Starbucks and remidied that. After a brief coffee break, we started our day on Diamondback. The station was EMPTY. It was amazing! It was going rather slow as there was barely anyone on the train, so we got off and rode it again. I mean, why not? Two front seat rides both funny enough on the red train without a wait couldn't be beat! We then decided to go hit up The Beast, but it was down so then we walked over to Vortex. It was only on two train operation so there was a slight bit of a line, but not much of one to worry about. We waited about 15mins for the front. This is sadly the first ride I've taken on Vortex all season. I hope to get more on it before the season is out. I really can't even remember why the previous three visits I've had to the park I've missed out on it but oh well. After that, we went over to Flight of Fear. I haven't ridden it all season either but I know that I usually try to avoid X-Base since its always a mess. This one had the longest wait at 45mins or so, but we mananged to snag the front seat on it as well. I will note that it felt rather strange riding it this time compared to previous years. I noticed it seemed rather sluggish after the MCB's and that the car felt rather...shaky..not the chasis themselves, but the fiberglass body felt like it was shaking...I have never experienced this before and it made me a little uneasy as this did not feel normal. My girl also noticed this too...has anyone else ever experienced or noticed this before? We headed over to The Beast since it was getting dark for a night ride. There was maybe a 20min wait. We got the middle row of the first car and had an awesome ride! It's truly amazing how this coaster is just another kind of animal in the dark. It truly was meant to be experienced in the night. It has been over three years since I've had one of these amazing Beast night rides so I was really happy to get to do that again. Drop Tower also go a night ride from us and it was incredible! Yet another ride I haven't done at night in a very long time so I was pleased to get to experience it again. I love seeing the city all lit up from that height. My girl on the other hand isn't a fan of the ride, but yet she will still ride it anyways. I believe she refuses to be concured by it haha. We were both getting a bit chilly by then. I personally did happen to forget to bring a jacket or hoodie and my girl had her jacket out in my car but didn't feel like walking back out to go get it, so we both ended up getting those super awesome black hoodies with the Kings Island rainbow print on it. By that time, we were hungry so we decided to grab some LaRosa's in Rivertown since we wanted to do Diamondback and The Beast a few more times before the night was over. We rode Diamondback again in the front, this time at night with a full train, and still a short line! It was definately going a lot faster at this time which made for a much better ride experience. Got that much desired air time! Ran over and did The Beast again. We waited about a half hour for the same seat we had eariler and again, can't quite express how much night rides on this classic are just aces. At that point, there was maybe another fifteen or so minutes left of the park being open so we ran over and did Diamondback in the front once more. ( If one cannot tell, the front seat is my fav place on a coaster if I can help it by not having to wait too terribly long! Haha. ) After that, we headed out to the car holding hands and smiling. This was probably one of the best visits I've ever had at the park because everyone was so friendly and talkative in the lines, the staff seemed super relaxed and happy. It wasn't clustered with rude people and of course the short to non-existent lines were a huge plus. Might I also add that yes, I found adult shoes for this occassion that light up and glow in the dark and I got compliments on them Thank you for reading! -*^DJ Sky Foxx^*-

It looks to me like 2014 could be the "year of the flat ride". It seems like a lot of parks are adding flat rides vs. coasters, and honestly I see this as a good thing. Its nice to see parks adding rides that are good family type rides and allot for variation away from coasters if so desired. A classic flat ride is always a welcomed addition to any park in my book!

So as you can see, the topic for this thread is about a former amusement park in Thornton, IN called Old Indiana. I was curious to see how many of you out there that are old enough to remember this park? I used to go quite often as a young child with my mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We always had a lot of fun. I have specific memories of sitting on a blanket at the picnic grounds across from what I believe was a Himalaya type ride and I would always stare at it in fascination. I also remember the Paratrooper ride ( or the "umbrella ride" as I called it ) and loving that ride the best. I remember my mom telling me her nerve wracking experience on the parks wild mouse coaster, "Mad Mouse", and how it made all kinds of awful sounds. She thought she wouldn't get off it alive! I can also remember there was some kind of exotic animal show and how the man doing the show brought out a ball python and I was the only kid brave enough to walk up and pet it. I was given a small stuffed heart window cling that was a reward for being "brave" that I still have today! Another memory was when my mom played the hoops game where you had to get so many baskets and my mom got all of them. She won me an inflatable lollipop that yes, I still have My uncle tried to win my cousin one too, but ended up not doing as well as my mom, but the games person was nice enough that he still gave my cousin a lollipop too so she wouldn't feel left out. Granted I know the park had a lot of problems that ended up leading to its demise in a terrible way ( my heart goes out to the grandmother who lost her life and the little girl who was left paralyzed from the miniature train accident back in 1997...there is simply no excuse for such a tragedy of this caliber to be allowed to happen ) I still have fond memories and pictures ( somewhere, my mom has them ) of going there as a young child and wanted to know if any of you had any memories of the place to share? I know that the property is now a nature preserve, which I think is great, but I would be lying if I didn't still wish there was some kind of amusement park there again. As a resident of Indianapolis, I often wish there was a park that was less than an hours drive to go to. Not that I don't find the parks in neighboring states not worth the drive, but I think the idea of being closer to a park is nice.

I've been going the last day since 2008 now and I love it because the park has such a peaceful feel to it yet also sad because it is the last day of the season. And yes last year was absolutely freezing cold! I know that me and my little group didn't stay long because of that, but we still rode a few things that we wanted and grabbed some coffee before we left the park. I plan on going the last day this year if I can to keep up tradition. I also feel that is a great time to get some construction pics of Banshee. I love having those personal pictures to look back on when the finished product is up and running. And yes, the lines are minimal. 15-20mins depending on the ride, but some are also walk ons. Hoping for better weather for the last day this year.

I've actually never been to KK in all honesty. I guess I never really had the desire to go. Might be a different story for next year though with Ed Hart taking it back. I wouldn't mind trying to see the place if time allots.

I have mixed feelings. I love Intamin and appreciate their contributions to the coaster world as they have made some of the best rides man has ever known, but yes reliability just isn't quite there. For example, when one goes to Cedar Point, you normally will see a coaster go down and 80% of the time it always seems to be one of their Intamin rides. Not saying none of the other rides break down, but there has been more than one occasion where I have gone to ride say TTD and it breaks down, only to walk over to Maverick and it too is also down. This happened to me quite a lot in past visits. I was lucky to get at least one ride on each of their Intamin coasters. That same 3 day visit back in 2010, I remember waiting in line for Wicked Twister when there was an issue with one of the wheel assemblies. Me and my friends stood there and watched the mechanics work on whatever problem was there. All I know is that once the coaster was back up and running, everyone that had been watching avoided that set of seats lol I gotta say it was rather amusing.

I would like to see a German pastry shop pop up over in that area if there were ever to be a revival. Here in Indy on the east side we have this amazing little eatery called the Heidelburg Cafe which serves authentic German food, but is well known for selling German pastries and other various authentic German take out for the home. Granted its a bit pricey, that wouldn't be too much of a shock if a similar type place were put into KI seeing as that's to be expected in an amusement park. I just think a German pastry shop would be a nice fit if reviving the area were ever in the works. Ich liebe Deutscheland!

Honestly a quick flash of images of various coasters floods my mind when someone says those two magical words that when placed together creates a warm and comforting feeling within

Well a girl can dream can't she? I know that the world is full of business and business is all about making the almighty dollar, but I guess in my heart I still want to believe there is some benefit for good left out there. Le sigh *shrugs*

Is it just me or does it really feel like the park is appreciating its guests more this season? I feel like there have been so many little gems that have popped up this season in my email, like the tickets that allow up to four people per coupon in for $20 each and what not. I know there have probably been other moments like this in the past, but I guess I just feel like the park is really trying to get people out and make it a little more economy friendly, especially those without season passes. I wish I could have the chance to experience this whole Dollar Days deal, but I will already be going to Pride Night on Friday and I have other things going on this weekend. I still think its great they're bringing it back though for another day to allow for more people to be able to afford some in park food and treats!

I think its great CP is getting a couple of new flats and adding some character to an area of the park I always felt was a little disorganized unlike the rest of the park. Especially the random spot where the Frog Hopper is. It just seems out of place there. It gives me a good feeling when I see some smaller family flats being placed in such a big "thrill" park as CP. Gives me hope that someday maybe we shall see some more family oriented flats come to KI, because I know we all agree KI is desperately in need of some more flats. Not that Banshee isn't a much needed coaster for the park, but some day I'd love to see some more smaller rides put up to give that special quality a well rounded park has.

I've been checking the weather every day and it looks like it will be favorable!

I stuff everything into my cargo shorts...which really isn't much: cell phone, money and any other emergency items like Advil or what have you... My keys hang off my belt loop on a metal clip, On the note of people's stuff flying off rides...last time I was at Cedar Point, I took a very back seat ride on Millie for my first ride on it for the day, and nearly caught someone's hat... I was thinking how cool that would have been to catch it...but then I was irritated that anyone would be that senseless to wear a hat on a ride that is as high and fast as Millie...then again I see no point on wearing a hat on ANY ride because no matter how safe you think it might be, I can assure you that right gust of wind will prove it won't be!

Well I am probably one of the few females out there wearing cargo shorts...I find them useful for carrying everything without having anything in my way or having to go put anything in a bin... I also sometimes I wear a hat or have my hair down and wavy...always have black hair...and I am short! And like most of you, I enjoy spewing coaster facts in line to anyone who strikes up a conversation in line lol I would love to meet some of you in person...seriously...it gets rather lonely not having too many enthusiast friends who share the same love of parks and coaster lore as I do

I mean...we could have just gotten a plain white or primer gray coaster with just the name "Roller Coaster"....do I hear crickets?

No brainer for me to renew my Platinum pass for next year. I feel I got my money's worth out of it so I feel I will next year too.

I'm with most of you, I prefer Flight Deck over Iron Dragon, but honestly I love them both for different reasons. I love them both as we all already know, its a dying breed of coaster so I appreciate when I get a chance to ride one regardless of the speed, swings and layout. Like most of you, I love Flight Deck for the speed, the swinging and overall pacing of the ride. I know we all wish it was a bit longer and it has so much power and force left in it when it slams into the brakes at the end, but for what it is, when it hits those brakes I never hear anyone say anything negative other than they wish it were longer. Why? Because it looks tamer that what it actually is. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "wow that was a lot more intense than I expected!" or something along those lines. Intense in a good way of course. Not scary, but packs a punch for what it is. Also I appreciate Flight Deck because it is historical as the last Arrow Suspended ever installed. Its a nice farewell to an era of the swinging suspended coaster. Iron Dragon, as we all know, is older and slower, but I believe it still gives a nice ride. I feel like its a nice relaxing ride to hop on after spending most of the day on all the bigger coasters and it always has a full train. People enjoy it. You get a nice little ride through the trees, a nice peek at TTD and yes, the finale over the lagoon is very fun. I also gotta say I love the name of the ride and the colors. It just pops. I hope this one does stick around longer as it is one of the few chill coasters Cedar Point has and its also one of the few that is great for families with smaller children to enjoy together and a great starter coaster for beginners. I will say the last trip I had to Cedar Point back on the 13th-15th I had a nice pre-evening ride on the Iron Dragon in the very last car and it offered a great little bump of airtime on the first drop. I was actually slightly surprised by that lol PS: I wish I had the chance to ride BBW. I don't know anyone who got the chance to ride it to ever say anything bad about that ride and I am sad that its gone. I always thought it looked like a lot of fun and just by the way everyone described it, it really was one of the best suspended coasters ever made.