BlondyRidesOn

I remember the Winnie Witch Cauldron at Jungle Jim's in Eastgate. Probably the first time I had ever seen an old defunct Kings Island ride relic in person, besides the monorail at Jungle Jim's in Fairfield. Edit: Grammar, spelling.

Right across from the arcade, around where the wall of fun house mirrors, looks to be an old remnant of the bier garten that was located behind the Administration Building.

I was at the park yesterday. The organ was running slow and sounded like it needed to be tuned. It sounded like the chimes were broken as well. Later in the evening, they had the Wurlitzer 153 CD playing.

It has been a month or two since I saw any demolition progress at the site on my way to the park.

I wonder if The Racer closing scare was Kings Island trying to reference the uproar of people who were angry at Carowinds for closing Thunder Road after it was too late, judging by the last line in the article where Don said "If there is a ride that's your favorite and don't want it to be removed, then the best thing to do is to try and ride it." Thunder Road didn't just close because of structural issues from when the paint was removed, but rather due to the fact that Carowinds didn't think the ride was popular enough to fix, and decided to close it. It made me think that The Racer will follow Thunder Road if those that were worried that it would be sacrificed didn't start riding it, and that once it's officially going to be history, it's too late to ask for it to be saved. I think this is the park trying to get more people to ride our beloved woodie. But sadly, scrolling through Instagram, it seems like a lot of people were hoping it would meet the wrecking ball or get an I-box conversion from Rocky Mountain Construction (I can't tell you how many times I've read RMC over and over in regards to The Racer).

If it's taking place in Soak City, then that is reassuring.

Can't be there. I'm in school at currently at lunch. My heart is beating fast and I feel like there's a weight on my chest, trying to brace for the worst.

I thought the Tumble Bug and Halley's Comet are on the chopping block for next year, but that's just me.

The eye contact could be with the ticket and pass takers at the toll booths off of Kings Island Drive, the "pseudo 'race'" could be referencing the "race" with the other cars to get to the best parking spot, as "the fun really starts once you come to a complete stop," possibly references pulling into the parking space before entering the park. Now, there are two things that nearly everyone has experienced since 1972 being removed, and there are two parking lot toll booths, one near Dog Street Cemetery in the North end of the Parking lot, which is barely used, and one on the South end near Soak City. The one that is used more frequently is the South toll booth, and there is always a huge line and long wait. Perhaps both toll booths are being replaced and upgraded to provide more vehicle capacity, much like at Carowinds this past year, as someone else brought up. Well played Kings Island, well played. Blondy, trying to decode 2016.

I thought of that being a possibility. But the problem is that Kings Island is getting two trains from Thunder Road, which had four cars each. If one side of The Racer is getting their trains replaced by Thunder Roads former trains, it wouldn't be fair, as the trains on The Racer run with five cars, unless both sides are each getting a new train, but then it would become a capacity nightmare.

He might have said that so nothing gets leaked prematurely. But I hope what he says is true.

Mike Fehnel said the same about Thunder Road, I believe.

If this is a troll, and The Racer is spared, what if the "two things that everyone has experienced since 1972" that are leaving are the Eiffel Tower and Fountains? It would be the perfect distraction.

I hope Don is trolling with us. The Racer still gets sizable lines every once in a while. I don't think the park would be the same without it.

My heart was racing (no pun intended) when I read that. I honestly don't want The Racer to leave. I think it's too iconic to close, and it doesn't have structural problems like Thunder Road did, at least not that we know of. It would be like losing a family member to me.

I completely forgot about their ground up coasters. Thanks for reminding me. I would like to see an Outlaw Run style coaster at a Cedar Fair park, however I think the new woodies in the Cedar Fair chain, at least for now, will be from GCI, like Gold Striker.

It has been a while since I have posted here. Both coasters are too important and iconic to alter or change, but I have been giving it some thought and made a choice. I honestly don't want either coaster to be Iron Horsed, but if I were to choose which coaster should get the Iron Horse conversion, I would choose The Beast. The ride is still fun, however, over the years, instead of being like a creature prowling through the woods, picking up speed as it goes along, the coaster has been tamed. There are trim brakes on the first drop, second drop, and around one of the corners, in order to decrease maintenance costs, due to the heavy trains going around corners at high speeds3. It also has a great layout for one. The Racer, on the other hand, played, at least in my mind, a bigger role in Kings Island's history as well as roller coaster history. Being the coaster that kickstarted the "second golden age" of roller coasters, most coasters, including The Beast, wouldn't be here had The Racer not been built. The layout of the ride isn't something that would make for an interesting Iron Horse coaster in my mind, as they tend to have twistier layouts, rather than out and back. The lead based paint on the structure is also a ruling factor as to why it shouldn't be converted. But the biggest reason why I feel that The Racer is too sacred to alter is because of what Coney Mall is supposed to resemble and represent. Coney Mall is meant to be a tribute to Cincinnati's beloved Coney Island, and The Racer pays tribute to The Shooting Star coaster, an icon to many Coney patrons. That isn't to say I wouldn't be okay with Topper Track in some areas, just not a full blown Iron Horse re-profile. Those are just my thoughts, however I sincerely hope Cedar Fair doesn't do business with Rocky Mountain Construction.

I saw plenty of lights like that on the International Street buildings last night.

That is just too hard to look at. Sadly, I have never been down to Carowinds to ride it. I just hope this doesn't repeat with Thunder Road's older siblings.

It depends mostly on which side the station of the ride is located. Thunder Road, for example, started out in South Carolina and crossed into North Carolina, so the state of South Carolina inspected that ride, vice versa for Fury 325.

I think our waterpark hasn't been expanded because of the terrain it's built on. There are ravines and hills everywhere (Before the property was developed into Kings Island, it was considered "wasteland" by the original owners, as it was unfit to farm with), while Carowinds is built on land that is more flat.

A question I've had on my mind was what other rolls the park has for the band organ, excluding 6606, 6645, 6547, and 6537-B?

^^^ I couldn't stop noticing that some of the decorative pieces on the rounding boards were missing. It's been that way for a while now. I hope the Carousel is on deck for a little TLC.

Guests gritted their teeth, Bore the load, And enjoyed their last ride, On Thunder Road. Blondy, who is thankful that The Racer still gets pretty sizable lines, especially this past Wednesday.

Eh? It isn't now? Point taken.