Joshua

Or it could be a tobacco shop with fine, Cuban cigars?

Whoah, that would've been great. I'm assuming it was the original 1980 film. Are you talking about just for Fearfest? I could see The Beast and White Water Canyon fitting that, with just some signage, the film score, and perhaps counselor apparel on the employees.

Is it a Denny's?

It's a conspiracy, man. They use grammar to get in your head and make you conform to society, man. Next thing you know, you'll have to get a job and pay some bills, man.

Ah, very interesting! Thanks for the info I always wondered if Jason ever entered the park during the Paramount years or if he could at all due to the New Line Pictures/Warner Bros. obtaining the rights to continue the franchise in the 90s. I know Paramount had the rights to the original films and the Friday the 13th name, but I wasn't sure if they still retained the rights to Jason. (This was before both studios came together for the remake and before Warner Bros. had taken over home video distribution for Paramount until last year.)

Time's have changed. We as a culture have gone mobile and through social media, with just one click, we are able to keep up to date on the park's events. People are more informed about preview night now. Also consider that last year debuted Mystic Timbers and that a couple years back, it was on a Thursday.

I think people are just used to the idea of a Gold Pass. It's been around long enough. And everyone knows, "You gotta go Gold!" It's a no brainer. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I can think of a single reason why they should limit its availability at all anymore.

I miss this, as well. Also, I hope they never change the ride's soundtrack. In a way, it's theming. You walk up, and you're in the 70s. I love it!

But they didn't have to pay to use Paramount's IPs before the Viacom/CBS split, right? That wasn't until 2006 and then CBS immediately started to sell Paramount Parks. So that would have only affect CBS and Cedar Fair's tenure at the park. Prior to CBS, they were subsidiaries of Viacom Recreation and before that Blockbuster Entertainment, which was a division of Viacom, who also had control of what was once called Paramount Communications, as well as the IPs they own. So Paramount Parks shouldn't have had to pay to use those IPs during the majority of their lifespan. I believe this would've only been an issue if the IP was something that Paramount distributed/licensed from another company, but didn't produce. I believe Tomb Raider could fall under this since it's an IP that was licensed for a movie. However, I'm pretty sure the ride purely used elements from the movie.

Great article! I wish I got to ride it in its original form. It sounded great. Also, I never knew that Paramount Parks was linked to Blockbuster.

I think the Festhaus could definitely use some more options and a salad bar is an excellent suggestion. I wouldn't mind seeing Tom + Chee and/or Skyline in there. However, I am in love with the Hofbrauhaus idea or something similar to the Taft's Ale House. But at the very least, I would like to see them get some new food options in there somehow.

I could see an Enchanted Voyage that takes you through the various Peanut specials.

I never rode it as Tomb Raider, but I did on its final summer as The Crypt. They used bits of Hans Zimmer's score from Inception, which added a little bit to the experience for me. It was fun, but I miss the flume they tore down to build it. I do kinda wish something would go in its place.

Ah yes, but I was thinking more in terms of actual rides. The Titanic thing, though, reminds me of the Congo exhibit I spoke of in my earlier post. It had various props and/or replicas on display. I believe that was 1995.

This is very much true. Didn't they used to have posters for upcoming films near the entrance? And I remember they once had a little in Coney Mall to promote the release of Congo. I even once found an Annotated Screenplay for the Charlie Sheen film Terminal Velocity in one of the gift shops. It always puzzled me that they didn't do more with some of their bigger franchises. At the time, The Italian Job, Tomb Raider, and many of the Nickelodeon shows were current IPs, but I'm surprised they never took advantage of Star Trek and Mission: Impossible in terms of rides.

I think the idea sounded pretty cool. I love The Addams Family and enjoy the "spooky kooky"/castle thunder style the Shock Theater package inspired for a time. Man, I really wished this happened. One thing that caught my eye was a mention of the ride possibly going where Sleepy Hollow was located. I'm assuming this was a Fearfest attraction at one point. Was it themed after the Tim Burton movie released by Paramount in 1999? I never attended Fearfest at all, did they use light theming from their scarier IPs?

That's all stuff I would have loved to read in more detail, particularly, the theme/logo changes, re-profiling, and announcement fiasco. I never watched the Son of Beast announcement video until, but it's awkward.

I have always loved that spooktacular commercial for The Bat. It had always given me a Scooby Doo vibe, but I had no idea Hanna-Barbera actually produced it. That's amazing!

I like the ride, but a lot of people I know will only ride it if it's almost a walk-on. I don't think that spells death for the ride though. As for Congo Falls, I know a lot of people who love it. Oddly enough, I'd probably miss it more than Invertigo. It's a quick, great way to cool down on a hot summer day.

Agreed. He did seem to be a rather careless fellow whose actions reflect that of someone who neither respected his own life nor the danger the lions posed. If this was truly known to be common behavior from him, he should have been reported and he should have been fired. Heck, he shouldn't have worked there at all.

Very interesting. I can't even fathom how much work went into this research. I believe a picture of the headstone was in the article, but it's rather small. You can make out the name "Missouri Jane" and that she's the daughter of Stephen and Nancy, but I can't make out the last name. It then says she "departed this" what appears to be "life," and then the years.

1) Expand X-Base. Perhaps a dark ride, but something needs to happen there. Personally, I always forget about that area when I'm there. 2) Bump up the area theming. Just a tad. I've been fairly satisfied with the theming of Mystic Timbers and Banshee, but I would love to see the park take this potential and bring it to the actual theme sections, but I'd be satisfied with, for example, a vender or establishment that offers meals from certain parts of the world on International Street or in the Festhaus. (That includes beer too ) They could also add visual homages to the major rides in that specific area to some of the venues and scenery. For example, in Rivertown, they could bring back The Beast-prints on the walkway leading to the ride or add decal on the side of one of the buildings that alludes to a snake, a tree, or The Beast. 3) Phantom Theater 2.0! Okay, so this one is just a dream. But I would love to see the return of Phantom Theater. However, instead of it returning to its original spot, I'd love to see elsewhere in the park, with completely refurbished (or new) building with a bit more of a "spooky" external vibe. They could even crank up the theming to 11 for Halloween Haunt, maybe even making it scarier (just a tad) for that time of the year. (I would love to see the return of Antique Cars and Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal. Heck, bring those back and theme 'em for Haunt too ) 4) The History of KI! I would love to see the park's history further celebrated somewhere, someway, in some form. Perhaps with more video content that's more in-depth (not just easy trivia questions) and addresses not only the history of the rides that are in the park, but the ones that are no longer with us. Even seeing the vintage commercials for the rides would be cool. 5) Shirts! I love looking at the sideline items, but one thing I have always been disappointed by are the shirts. Don't get me wrong, they have cool designs, but the shirts themselves give off a Goodwill, hand-me-down vibe. By that I mean, the colors already look faded and maybe that's all it is, but something about the fabric just doesn't look stylish or wearable, whereas the shot-glasses, mugs, what have you, all look must haves. Man, I really want a tee from the park too. There were some really cool images on the Mystic Timbers shirts, but they looked like they were raided from my uncle's laundry. Meanwhile, a year or so ago, I spotted some tees for The Beast and The Bat in a store at Liberty Center that looked comfortable, stylish, and cool.

I really enjoyed this article! I've never experienced any kind of supernatural activity in my life, so I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to see an actual apparition.

I would be happy with something that celebrates the park's history. As far as what kinda ride is added, I'd be as happy as having a smaller ride (like the return of a certain log flume or Antique Cars ride or a new dark ride) as I would a ginormous rollercoaster.

The healthiest option will always be water. If you are avoiding sugar, definitely go with that and if you have the drink plan, make some water trips every so often to balance things out. Of course, not all of us are avoiding sugar when we skip out on soft drinks. On a hot, sunny day, I think drinks like Hi-C and Power Aid taste better (and leave a better after taste) than Coca-Cola and Diet Coke.