brenthodge

The name would stay the same with the tag Festhaus - International Food Hall. The name literally means Festival House, and there’s nothing more festive than an international food festival (like Carnivale). There’s NOTHING German about it now - no German food, not entertainment (most of the times it is country), no banners, no decor. I'd say lean more into the INTERNATIONAL idea with flags of the world, bring back the banners and streamers. Maybe even do a cool "globe light" for the center ring. Really bring back color and fun to the space. I'd LOVE it if they would make the first 1/4 of the main floor closest to the stage bench seating with no tables if you are there to only see the show/ I think it would cut down on the "chow hall" feel, or if the show itself was "international" in feel and make more of a "full immersive" experience. I've often wondered if they could add a small (like the back 1/3) balcony above the main floor with more tables to make up for the loss of seating below. It would also be cool if there was some type of entertainment even when the live shows weren't on - like a large screen comes down and something is shown on it.

LOVE IT!!!

another LONNNG post, but all my ideas distilled here - some new intros, some vintage returns, MAINLY aesthetic improvements that add to the overall experience of the area and opportunities for in-park spending on enhanced food and beverage: New entry archways off of International Street by the KI Theatre, Festhaus, Bier Garden Redress backside of Festhaus to continue front architectural detailing - Add waterfall feature into the landscaping and enlarge the outdoor seating on the backside of Festhaus New fountain at entrance to Festhaus - “Village Style” Festhaus becomes “International Food Hall” with better dining options and clearer separate stands for different types of food - Hanks concept moves in here along with Italian, Chinese, Rotating other international options. “American” (chicken, burger) Banners inside return for more color and “festival” atmosphere Rework queue of Viking fury to open up path behind IS block again - Vine tunnel here to hide back of buildings - entrance to Viking Fury come off of this new path with signage for it at both ends of the vine tunnel. Exit to Viking Fury is by funnel cake building. Seating area by viking fury is better laid out with paving change to delineate seating/bar area. Bar opened as a seasonal beverage location - possible “Beers of the World” to tie into “international Food Hall” retime of FestHaus Der Spinning Keggers returns to original layout and design with banners - Airbrush shop removed - possible relocate product to area in former ActionZone? Move “coaster Connection” ride specific product to Banshee Shop - Airbrush goes into Coaster Connection as part of an overall apparel shop “FestBest” Adventure Express - no major changes. Lighting in first tunnel and refurbish snakes - add projection mapping or fire effect lights in “lava” tunnel, refresh temple tunnel. In queue - add framed photos of German explorers to justify a jungle trick in Oktoberfest. Tell the story of Humbolts Latin American expedition - add additional travel props etc to the station. Overall refresh on a budget. Hanks food concept has moved into FestHaus or Food Factory - this area is returns to full BierGarden with German cuisine and beer options Bridge is re-established to connect more directly to FestHaus area. Larger Flat ride is added to area where SlingShot was - themed to spirits, ghosts, cemetery etc to tie into Banshee right behind it. Possible Zamperla Gryphon - Can be programed for different ride sequences for re-ridability. Beer Stein Topiary moves to former ActionZone round seating area - becomes "SteinPlatz" All flats/coasters of ActionZone are incorporated into Oktoberfest. Possible name tweaking to bring German influence (DropTower -> Falltrum, Chicken Shack -> Hähnchen Haus, CongoFalls -> Rheinfalls, IceCream -> das Eis, Invertigo -> Achterbahn Pole mounted banners and pennants are reintroduced throughout the entire area to bring additional life and color. Possibly even incorporate lighting for evening excitement (see EPCOT lighting banner pole) Small stages added in BierGarden and SteinPlatzor mini performances to add to the festival atmosphere Possibly add 2-3 additional flats with lower (36-48 max) heights to give younger rider options throughout the park. Possible by KI theatre or in former Action Zone Redo all paving to introduce different materials and colors to better define seating areas, traffic flow and provide visual breakup. Bring more mid-level landscaping to former ActionZone, but most of she comes from overhead banners and sunshades to Bring more color to the area. Midways are lined with “streamer ceilings”.

ummm, what? It seems like you are making the gloomy woods EXACTLY what you say they don't need to be... haunted. What construction site are we taking about? What is the horror theme coaster? There's a coaster named after a Celtic spirit with a few tombstones - nothing is exactly saying "horror" to me. I think thrills are one thing, but an entire "horror" area I don't ever see happening.

Why are they "gloomy"? i'd almost prefer they add a flat or two back there to make them LESS gloomy and desolate if they aren't really committed to a scary theme. There's nothing about The Bat that is scary in its theming or design. It wasn't scary in its first incarnation other than the frightening downtime and vaguely Gothic loading station. I don't understand why people keep trying to make the concrete jungle the dark woods when theres really no infrastructure other than a couple of fairly generic names of rides to give it that vibe. I don't see the park ever investing the amount of work needed to make a "haunted woods" that would actually have more limited appeal to the family demographic who might be afraid the theme was "scary".

That would be wonderful, but a massive amount of infrastructure work I don’t ever see the park doing. I also don’t know how you would fit Adventure Express in there without major queue rerouting which we know they will never do. While I think “anything goes” ideas are cool, I thinks it’s more challenging to try to think of realistically grounded things the park would actually do with their existing resources to improve the experience. There’s really never been a “horror theme” in that area other than one ride “lightly themed” to a cemetery, and another ride named after an animal people associate with horror stories but nothing about it other than the name conveys “horror” unless you are scared of concrete and long walks.

totally agree - good IDEA - bad execution. Truthfully ALL of th midway based performance areas need to be revisited if they are going to keep doing it - Busker Jam suffered last year from hordes walking through every performance, and even the IS Bandstand is a terrible place to watch the level of show they are putting on there now. I really wish the two front quadrants of grass and weedy mulch would be paved over and made into tiered seating with benches (not mall food court round tables). To break it up they could have 2-3 trees pr side in tree wells and large urns of flowers. Just think all of the performers deserve more than they are getting as a stage to work on. While a much grander execution, these idea from DCA are what I was thinking - image the bandstand where the water is and Eiffel Tower where Little Mermaid ride is.

another LONNNG post, but all my ideas distilled here - some new intros, some vintage returns, MAINLY aesthetic improvements that add to the overall experience of the area and opportunities for in-park spending on enhanced food and beverage: New entry archways off of International Street by the KI Theatre, Festhaus, Bier Garden Redress backside of Festhaus to continue front architectural detailing - Add waterfall feature into the landscaping and enlarge the outdoor seating on the backside of Festhaus New fountain at entrance to Festhaus - “Village Style” Festhaus becomes “International Food Hall” with better dining options and clearer separate stands for different types of food - Hanks concept moves in here along with Italian, Chinese, Rotating other international options. “American” (chicken, burger) Banners inside return for more color and “festival” atmosphere Rework queue of Viking fury to open up path behind IS block again - Vine tunnel here to hide back of buildings - entrance to Viking Fury come off of this new path with signage for it at both ends of the vine tunnel. Exit to Viking Fury is by funnel cake building. Seating area by viking fury is better laid out with paving change to delineate seating/bar area. Bar opened as a seasonal beverage location - possible “Beers of the World” to tie into “international Food Hall” retime of FestHaus Der Spinning Keggers returns to original layout and design with banners - Airbrush shop removed - possible relocate product to area in former ActionZone? Move “coaster Connection” ride specific product to Banshee Shop - Airbrush goes into Coaster Connection as part of an overall apparel shop “FestBest” Adventure Express - no major changes. Lighting in first tunnel and refurbish snakes - add projection mapping or fire effect lights in “lava” tunnel, refresh temple tunnel. In queue - add framed photos of German explorers to justify a jungle trick in Oktoberfest. Tell the story of Humbolts Latin American expedition - add additional travel props etc to the station. Overall refresh on a budget. Hanks food concept has moved into FestHaus or Food Factory - this area is returns to full BierGarden with German cuisine and beer options Bridge is re-established to connect more directly to FestHaus area. Larger Flat ride is added to area where SlingShot was - themed to spirits, ghosts, cemetery etc to tie into Banshee right behind it. Possible Zamperla Gryphon - Can be programed for different ride sequences for re-ridability. Beer Stein Topiary moves to former ActionZone round seating area - becomes "SteinPlatz" All flats/coasters of ActionZone are incorporated into Oktoberfest. Possible name tweaking to bring German influence (DropTower -> Falltrum, Chicken Shack -> Hähnchen Haus, CongoFalls -> Rheinfalls, IceCream -> das Eis, Invertigo -> Achterbahn Pole mounted banners and pennants are reintroduced throughout the entire area to bring additional life and color. Possibly even incorporate lighting for evening excitement (see EPCOT lighting banner pole) Small stages added in BierGarden and SteinPlatzor mini performances to add to the festival atmosphere Possibly add 2-3 additional flats with lower (36-48 max) heights to give younger rider options throughout the park. Possible by KI theatre or in former Action Zone Redo all paving to introduce different materials and colors to better define seating areas, traffic flow and provide visual breakup. Bring more mid-level landscaping to former ActionZone, but most of she comes from overhead banners and sunshades to Bring more color to the area. Midways are lined with “streamer ceilings”.

Absorb it into Oktoberfest with consistent, festival theming and banners throughout. Minimal retheming (adjust building paint colors to look a bit more in line with the rest of Oktoberfest) and bust out a lot of concrete for varied paving treatments and additional landscaping. Don’t try to get a cohesive story other than “hey it’s Oktoberfest- it’s a fun, big festival”. Increase overall ride count a bit throughout the entire unified area with some lower height limit (36-48) flats. I think the ship sailed on an easily executed cohesive theme years ago. I also think CFair is looking to create areas that tie into local or park history (like the boardwalk or local flight history) so I think a “manufactured theme” like “haunted forest” is harder to justify. Overall it just needs a major clutter cleaning up and softening. I think 1-2 permanent small stages (instead of the crappy high school band concert stages they dropped there and in Coney this year) would also help convey the Oktoberfest theme. There should be local acts playing almost every evening around the park. I’m sure they could hatch a deal for nominal payment in exchange for the promotional exposure.

My comments about the 50th weren’t meant to imply I didn’t think permanent capitol improvements weren’t needed, but more that the park seems to be looking at projects wholisticly more nhan in the past when it was more single ride focused. I think that’s why we are seeing things take a bit longer in that they are looking at a more multi-faceted plan than just “what record breaking thing can we stick where Vortex was that will jazz up just the coaster enthusiast crowd. Sorry if that didn’t really come through, because yes, the park needs more than just shows and paint to drive long-term attendance gains while they increase pr cap spending (the one-two punch every park is lusting after).

That’s what I don’t get-why people keep trying to theme something there to Rivertown. The “factory food hall” idea from the story would still work even if it looked out onto a new coaster eventually that had its entrance in Coney.

I feel like this thread has devolved into another “which coaster to stick in Vortex spot” thread, but… whatever. I’d love to hear ideas for RIVERTOWN and what you could see the park adding-changing given their basically stated objective of creating more “all ages and all senses” experiences going forward. I ve had two happenstance conversations with both Don Helbig and Mike Koontz out and about in the park this year - both times really stressing how much I appreciated the overall tone of the 50th and the choice to celebrate by celebrating with a FULL experience over just impressive new ride stats. Both times they seemed super appreciative that the direction the park was going in was being noted and appreciated. I told Mike that I really liked that the focus was shifting away from just breaking records and he basically agreed that that is "not a sustainable model" but that if an addition makes sense in the overall positioning strategy of the park AND it breaks records or introduces new technology that is fine, but, the days of just going taller, faster or longer for the sake of just that are shifting.

LOL The "SOURCE OF ALL EVIL" is the giant tan metal building. It HAS been the bane of the park for quite a while now!

I look at it as not even having a “theme” at this point-more it’s just a shoot the chute boat ride. If I ever get around to the vision post for extension of Oktoberfest into axion zone, I think it would make sense to stay. I’m trying to keep this visioning focused on what the park would realistically do. Adding revenue generating food places and minimal “place making theming” yes… moving high overhead water rides that are getting late in their service life… not likely

I can’t see with the age, large footprint and infrastructure needed they would simply move an existing ride (with not a huge popularity at that)

The Story Continues: 25 Years later in the 1947 the lost town was rediscovered as a group of young entrepreneurs opened the Miami Valley Lumber company on land out past the old creek by the new highway. Around the lumber mill, activity returned to the once bustling town. The past was forgotten as new businesses began to pop up. A farmers market opened at the old D.B.Ryder farm. One creative showman even tried to capitalize on the old legend of the giant snake, and opened a roadside attraction there complete with a “snake museum and emporium” to catch tourists passing through on the new highway going to the campground just beyond. Once again, the area prospered for many years, but once again a mysterious tragedy struck. One morning in the early 1980s, the security guard’s truck was found crashed though the front gate to the lumber yard. No one could find him, and as the morning crew looked around the shop - his radio came to life broadcasting the tragic events of the night before as he issued a dire warning to stay out of the shed out back. No one really knows why this RiverTown is cursed. Was it The Beast that was unleashed that day long ago? Was the legend of the giant snake true after all? Was the area angered each time people tried to earn a profit by exploiting it? Was their something truly evil lurking in the woods, or was it simply bad luck? Today, RiverTown brims with life as developers have rediscovered the old industrial spaces and reclaimed them as creative food halls and entertainment venues. Urban explorers have rediscovered the old lumber mill and raging white waters, and are now offering adventure tours of the beautiful woods surrounding Kings Landing. Life has returned to this RiverTown, but if the legends are true… how long will it last? From the bridge to the entrance by the Log Ride, the pavement is changed to look like a road with tan - earth look concrete on the sides. Landscaping in this area uses lots of grasses and wildflowers to look more like farmland. With the exception being around MysticTimbers where it is kept wooded Brewhouse is converted into FarmStead Market. The interior is given a lightening up with a country-modern look. The menu switches to either a family style or buffet style, homestyle “farm to table” restaurant to. The bar is removed for additional seating and additional windows added to bring light into the space. That area is dressed as the old market with tables made from produce shipping crates and farmers market graphics. There are a few 1950’s era vintage cars parked out front to look like a vintage farmers market/ roadside diner. The bar moves to a new, three sided “open air” barn that backs up to the existing restroom building. That building is redressed to be part of the barn with opening on both side still for the restrooms. The Gazebo and existing FreeStyle location are removed for this. The sides of this are roll up during the summer, but can roll down to look like windows during the cooler days. Additional seating is added where the Christmas tree lot goes TomChe stand is possibly removed for additional seating, or stays as small snack/beverage Diamondback- No major changes. Thematically this becomes the D.B.Ryder Farm homestead that was converted into the Diamondback Snake - A- Rama and Museum in the 1950s. Graphics and posters are added in the queue telling the “Legend of the Diamondback - the giant snake the terrorized the woods of Kings Landing years ago. This area become like a “BigFoot roadside attraction” theme. The old farm house had been converted into the museum about the Legend of Diamondback, but is now a shop. The support buildings are redressed to look like barns and farm buildings. The ride is a “roadside attraction” that was built along with the Snake-a-Rama. The tacky shade structures are are made MORE tacky to look like used-car lot, tourist trap with pennants and a large banner or two advertising the "snake-a-rama" and emporium. This area is kitched up a bit to play up the absurdity of the giant rollercoaster in this area. Mystic Timbers - no major changes - tv’s and the “modern security guard” story is dropped and this is supported by the backstory that in the 80’s the site was abandoned and we are hearing the old security tapes from way back then. Narration might need to be tweaked a bit to convey that. The Log Ride is stripped of the Charlie Brown theming and repainted to a rustic look. This becomes an extension of the Miami Valley Lumber Company. There is a giant rotating saw blade added above the trough at the top of the first lift hill. Possibly reduce fencing between the two rides to increase visibility and interaction. The arches previously used for the Wild Thornberry version of the ride are installed with rustic wood framing - log milling equipment or overhead "log lifters" etc to create more interaction. Possibly even rotating saw blades or things to add to the kinetic energy. Large faux chopped tree stumps fill the areas around the trough to convey a logging theme. Linus Launchers is replaced by Zamperla Nubulaz dressed to look like giant spinning windmills. The area around it has spinning windmills - this marks the transition zone between RiverTown and a revamped Camp Snoopy (which according to the story - was built outside of the town years ago back in the 50s to provide a place for families to have fun together. The “road” in the pavement leads to this area so it is the main path of travel for guests. The barn theming of the restrooms continues to this area to look like a red barn in an Ohio field.

White Water Canyon and the train: White Water Canyon - Renamed “Kings River Rapids” to tie into the story. Signs at the entrance and along the path advertise Rivertown Adventure Tours, the new business that has set up shop along the river offering white water rapids tours. In the wave pool area, a factory style tower labeled as “water pump 85” (opening year) is added to hide the wave machine. This ties into a sign pointing to the “Thomas Nathaniel Turner Explosives and Munitions Factory - 1.4 miles” (referencing Peters Cartridge) so the actual building would not need to be shown or built. In the former pay geyser area, TNT crates and barrels line the shoreline and a few float in the water as new geysers “explode’ like dynamite around the boat, providing a much more dramatic finale. The overlook of this area also houses a new beer stand (relocated from the midway) to bring additional revenue and activation to this area. This bar stand/food location is themed to the check-in stand for the adventure tours. Additional minimal theming is added to the final lift area such as “Kings Landing Water Works” signs. Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad - New narration tracks are recorded to play during the ride referencing the story and the landmarks as they are passed. The live spiel is eliminated for a more consistent message. The horse is moved - and additional horses added to the open area by the fort along with signage advertising “Kings Landing horseback riding” to tie into the outdoor outfitters storyline and get away from trying to make the “old town” section feel like a period recreation. The fort is referenced as a relic that existed long before the town of Kings Landing ever existed. The old town area is aged and overgrown. Frontier characters are removed. Narration in this section speaks to the fact that this is part of the original Kings Landing that “disappeared” that fateful day. Misters are added to create a eerie fog in the area. The food concession areas in the train area (funnel cakes, potato works) are given a slight cosmetic makeover. The out-of-theme giant SPRITE umbrellas are removed and replaced with smaller solid color shade structures on the funnel cake side. By the train depot, a larger covered seating area is constructed with different flooring to look like an old building. To allow for promotional opportunities, crates with Coke or Sprite logos and vintage bottles are stacked in the rafters and around the area. A small permanent stage area is added to this area to allow for local performers. This ends the section “Old River Town” themed to the factory and mining associated with it rooted in the early 1900-1920s. Once the bridge over the (working) stream is passed, you are in the lumber mill section which is rooted in the 1940 - 1980s.

But also interesting is the supports for the overhead lighting has already been installed along that path, so there are doing something there for haunt or Winterfest

Using the story as a jumping off point: Entrance from International street to former Tomb Raider New entrance experience where the old path to antique cars is. New rock work and waterfall fed by the town water tower. "Welcome to Kings Landing: is a ghost sign on the water tower with "RiverTown" in new lettering overlaid. Wafter flows from spout down to rocks. Restroom building is redressed with minimal theming (area appropriate signage) The pizza building and arcade building are replaced with large, multi level "factory structure" with smokestack with a large K on it. The Kings (food) Design and Manufacturing is a food hall with LaRosa's, (dear GOD do we need this pizza in 14 locations, but whatever) Fried chicken, Country Style sandwiches, Burritos etc with large windows looking out onto Diamondback and out the back onto the new lake where Vortex. was. Terraced outdoor seating and an indoor and outdoor small stage for live music add to the overall ambience. On the upper level, Club72 - the Prestige pass members lounge provides indoor and outdoor seating as well as a dedicated pay bar and complimentary snacks. Beast and TRTR become the "coal fired power plant" for the factory. Beast loading is reworked to use the drink stand as the "plant office" that the line moves through. Water feature is reintroduced to this area and ties into the new lake in the old Vortex location. Exit is rerouted back through the original exit path to free up FastLane entry. Coal mine car is reactivated as water feature or at least cleaned up to become more visible and labeled as "MineShaft 01" Slaughter house is given exterior upgrade as it is now key to the overall story of the area. It is better "shrouded" by landscaping. Possibly open on weekend nights or short runs during the summer as a "limited time haunt". TRTR is redressed as the coal processing facility - renamed "The Furnace" in reference to Phantom Theatre. The exterior of the metal building are given faux brick panels on the lower areas and themed rust with faux factory windows. The mine shat entrance is labeled "MineShaft02" (TRTR opening year) The existing queue is slightly redressed to be a coal mine. The first separator room (monkey room) is used for additional switchbacks. The reshow room becomes the coal loading (load area) room with the cars coming back empty from unload. A large crane overhead with a load bucket and giant furnace add kinetic energy to the area and take advantage of the height. The cars dispatch into an indoor wild mouse ride with minimal set pieces such as an ore crusher overhead on the lift hill and mirrors to reflect the car to give the ill-using of imminent crashes with oncoming mine cars. The The ride unloads in a newly added building on the backside of the main show building after passing through the furnace (tunnel with heat and light effects) . The exit would flow to the left toward the Beat/Slaughterhouse area instead of to the right toward the train. NEXT POST will discuss White Water canyon through the train

Rivertown is NOT the “Wild West” though. And does Rivertown really need another coaster assigned to it? It already has three of the top coasters in the park.

Heres the story I wrote to start tying the area back together - we acknowledge that we are in "current time" but ground the elements that are in the area in a historical story. Rivertown thematic realignment and unifying story: In the early part of 1872, in the quiet riverside town of King’s Landing, the Mason family sold most of their farm to the industrialist G.W. Koeney, who was looking to expand his manufacturing operations beyond his existing factory on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. They retained ownership of the slaughterhouse, and the butchering business that had brought them their fame and wealth. Everyone knew “The BEST beast is at Mason’s”. Things all went according to plan as the new factory was built by the lake, and the town began to grow with all the workers and their families… Everyone existed peacefully for years. A new rail line connected passengers and supplies with the farther reaches of the area, and new factories began to pop up along the roaring rapids of the White Water river. An ancient legend of a giant snake that slithered through the woods devouring children was shared around campfires by mischievous youth, but few gave it much heed. All was peaceful and productive in KingsLanding, the thriving RiverTown. That was until the summer of 1922 - 50 years after the sale of the property. One summer day, a mysterious pig farmer dropped off a herd to be butchered at the slaughterhouse. Amongst the herd he delivered was a crate. A strange snarling noise emanated form the crate as it violently shook. The mysterious farmer plead with the Masons to just take the creature off his hands and do with it what they would, as it was violent and “not of this world” Mr Mason carefully opened the crate, and - legend has it - the creature spring from the crate - killing all of those at the slaughterhouse, and fled into the woods. Late that night - howls could be heard from deep in the woods, and in the early morning light, an eerie quiet blanketed the formerly bustling town of Kings Landing. No one showed up to work at the factory that day - in fact no one showed up in town at all. It was as if The Beast that escaped from the slaughterhouse wreaked its revenge on the entire town. No one was seen again, and soon the factories were boarded up by the banks and left to ruin.

With the 50th wrapping up and no substantive announcements for 23 as of yet - thought it would be fun to "blue sky" one of the original area of the park that (like a lot of the original areas of the park) in DESPARATE need of some love and attention. RiveTown has potential to - I think.- be one of the best areas of the park again. It has some of the marque rides and attractions, but is lacking the focus and cohesive theming to once had. Im posting a connective narrative I wrote a while back to unify the area more, and will put down some thoughts around specific adds and revamps that could realistically be executed to bring a new energy to this area. I'd love to hear additional ideas.

Bingo- now make part of the top floor-with windows to Diamondback-or the back to Orion/racer “Club72” the Prestige pass exclusive area with (shock) AC, nice furniture, a cash bar, tvs and snacks. Done! (Except tie the waterfall into the renewed water features at TheBeast. NOW DONE) I have acc CD whole narrative that connects all of the RiverTown experiences together thh h at I’ll have to post someday.

Ive had two happenstance conversations with both Don Helbig and Mike Koontz out and about in the park this year - both times really stressing how much I appreciated the overall tone of the 50th and the choice to celebrate by celebrating with a FULL experience over just impressive new ride stats. Both times they seemed super appreciative that the direction the park was going in was being noted and appreciated. I told Mike that I really liked that the focus was shifting away from just breaking records and he basically agreed that that is "not a sustainable model" but that if an addition makes sense in the overall positioning strategy of the park AND it breaks records or introduces new technology that is fine, but, the days of just going taller, faster or longer for the sake of just that are over. I think we will see a lot more like the new area at Carrowinds that they can market around new food, new smaller rides, new themed experience - heck if they put in a vintage "golden age of flying" radio show like the Mistletines - they would even have entertainment to market. For the price of one MAJOR ride addition they can get a lot more marketing messages out of an whole area enhancement.

except it does nothing from WITHIN the area. You only see it from across the lake, but I agree - It was nice that they did at least that.