DonHelbig

There are a couple people that would be out the door if Herschend bought Kings Island. Their antics would not be tolerated.

Fair reporting, the media just doing their job, it's just unacceptable by some of the people that make those decisions as to who is and who isn't invited to media day.

I'm there in my office more than some other people.

Yes, I know where.

The Columbus Chill were coached by Terry Ruskowski. He was one of my favorite players in my teen years when he played in the World Hockey Association for the Houston Aeros and Winnipeg Jets, then in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks and a few other teams. Intense guy. When I did media relations for the Cyclones, I enjoyed the games at the Fairgrounds Arena and talking to Ruskowski before the games about the WHA days.

There aren't as many true theme park people involved in this theme park company as there used to be.

We now have a Buy or Sell segment as part of every episode. We'll also be adding back in the "Your Kings Island Stories" segment in February. Anyone interested in sharing their Kings Island story (favorite memory) can submit it via email to donhelbig@themeparksbydon.com. Use Story for TT in the subject line.

Kings Island could run one side on The Racer backwards if they wanted to, but they choose not to. PTC didn't, after 26 seasons, tell them they couldn't do that. It was a management decision to run one side backwards in 1981, and a management decision to turn it back around after the 2007 season.

Meanwhile, while Dollywood is looking to expand to year-round operation, one chain is looking to cut operating days and hours across its parks.

If they change it now, they know that will get called out on KIC, the Tower Topics podcast and that's the only reason it stays.

They won't use it moving forward.

Obviously, they didn't catch that I was on the train in the photo. Now that you mentioned it, nobody will be surprised if they go petty mode and swap it out and retire the photo, never to be used again.

SIX? It's not SIX that hasn't seen the value in these types of partnerships.

If you're interested in Kings Island history, here's a piece I wrote for Theme Parks By Don on what the park was like in the years (1972-1978) before The Beast. https://themeparksbydon.com/kings-island-before-the-beast-a-look-back-at-1972-1978/

I have never seen WWE, so I have no idea what WWE-style theatrics to build up hype looks like. Speaking of hype, you should have seen the early days of the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team. Boy, did the team I worked with in the Cyclones front office know how to market and promote. Standing room only crowds at Cincinnati Gardens every game. One of the first things we did in 1990 was reach out to Kings Island and set up a "Skate with the Cyclones" event at Winterfest (spelled with the lowercase f in those days). All of the Cincinnati and Dayton TV and print came out to cover it. It was great working with the Kings Island PR team on that event.

It would be a nice add to the Coasterstock lineup if Soak City was incorporated into the event. EST (Exclusive Slide Time) on the new RiverRacers, Tropical Plunge and Mondo Monsoon are the only attractions that would need to be open.

With RiverRacers debuting as Ohio's first and only dual-racing water coaster, along with seven new kids' water slides in the Riverside-themed Splash Junction play area, there's plenty for the PR and digital teams to leverage to build and sustain excitement.

It would be a disservice to fans to feed the rumor Mongols. BTW -- Are people that are rarely seen in public, and nobody knows who they are public figures? Your writing style and word choices remind me of the exact way a former co-worker of mine would have written it.

When there's people wanting to take shots at you on Reddit and other social media channels, it means the Tower Topics Podcast has arrived! Tower Topics will be around longer than some of the rides at Kings Island.

It takes time to build camaraderie. The same people that are new this year will need to return next year and the year after for the event to have the same level.

Taking a page from ESPN's Around the Horn show, we're looking to do an episode where we "Buy or Sell" a rapid-fire series of concepts or thoughts submitted by our listeners. If you're interested in participating, please submit your concept or thought in this thread. We're looking for things like, "Haunt indoor mazes will become an upcharge attraction."

They could have songs in the shed re-programed if they desired.

When I oversaw the Call Center from 2008-2012, I made sure everything was a personal response from the associates. I wanted the communication to be genuine and authentic. I thought that was important.

With a number of people who annually attended Coasterstock going to HoliWood Nights, it does open the door for a lot of new attendees. However, the thing that made Coasterstock what it was, made it special, was the camaraderie. It was like a big family reunion every year. That key element will be missing.

I will also be attending HoliWood Nights. I attended the event last year and had such a good time that I decided to make it an annual tradition.