BeeastFarmer

I wonder if Herschend has an ultimate goal of putting Holiday World in the family? It fits their image, is a great park and could be in a vulnerable position as a result of Covid. I have no idea the financial position of either company, but I think what we saw with Kentucky Kingdom shows just how precarious the situation is for our beloved parks.

Key words being: "to me."

I chose Diamondback because it doesn't have much. They did add a couple of things in the station recently, but the queue needs some work.

^Salespeople are not all bad. Tony Clark, Don Helbig, webmasters, the game people are all salespeople, putting the best foot forward of their product. The context of being a gold mine was to enthusiasts, not potential operators at these events It was specifically in trying to sell himself to the fair board about the highest possible use of the land being an amusement park (infrastructure, existing assets, location etc). That being said, if he and his associates want to sell the park to a qualified operator, nothing at all wrong with that if it is completed within the terms of the contract they signed.

Without spending hours reading the two proposals, and what the city is asking for, it seems they are radically different. Select Contracts seemed to offer specifics, from a development plan and specifics to city requests. Imagine That! seemed flashy and exciting, with some data and flashy "jazz" but no specifics on land use. It sounds to me that the city wants to develop an adventure park, not a theme park like CGA or DK. They want to utilize the land to get more visitors in a natural setting like zip lines, etc. I think, in my brief glance, that Select Contracts nailed it. Imagine That! spent more time promoting themselves. Depending on what direction the city goes, it could be an opportunity for CF to expand the relationship by running the new development, sticking to running the theme park, or leaving entirely. As proven by CGA, a municipality running a theme park doesn't work too well. There are few operators besides the major players that can do so sucessfully.

^^Borrowed time? Ed Hart has said several times at events that KK is a gold mine. It takes time to build a business and it is nothing short of remarkable what they have accomplished in 5 years. They advertise heavily in the local market, reach out to Nashville and Indy to meet their contractual agreements and use social media more effectively than many other parks. I would say the pandemic hit them hard, though. Seeking out a solid operator is a wise decision, if this is indeed happening.

Mystic Timbers and Orion are in the middle of the park, not the back of the park.

They could offer Fast Lane vaccination or Pharmacist's Needle (available on the All Season Vaccination Plan). Members of coaster clubs could come to VACCstock and get exclusive BTS tours of pharmacists drawing up the doses. The anti-vaxxers are not forgotten either: An All Season Cool Aid plan could be offered with a refillable cup in the shape of a syringe with red line or a disposable paper mask cup.

The Fair Board owns much of the land around the park ( I believe they own the land between the freeway exit and Phillips Ln) as well as the land the businesses on the street by Storm Chaser sit on. It's been said that as the leases expire, they are not renewing them so as to give more space to KK. Also, keep in mine, there is lots of underutilized space within the developed park that should be used before expanding outwards. An interesting thought to consider: With the Commonwealth having some income issues related to the pandemic, would it consider selling the land that park sits on to Herschend? They could continue to make revenue from the park with parking and get cash for the land.

Just remember that Ed Hart and his associates don't "own" the park. They own the right to operate the park. That pesky Fair Board has to approve any change of ownership. If this turns out to come to fruition, hopefully everyone has done their homework.

I want to see what they would do with a woodie.

I'm glad you know all the inner workings of policy and procedure and local/state government regulation of these parks. Said in jest.

Oh my word, is Hershend buying Cedar Point?????? There is a water park VERY CLOSE to Kings Island and a couple of dry/waterparks relatively close to KI, kind of to the west in neighboring states. One fits the Herschend image to a T.

Much of the off season is the busiest time of year for me with both jobs being in full force. I used to watch alot of the Youtubers casually, but the events of last summer (Youtuber friends and sex scandals), I barely watch anything other than POVs. It made me realize how childish most of them are.

A thousand times yes. Vaccinated people can still carry and shed the virus. The importance of vaccines are to build herd immunity, which takes time. The vaccine is not a magic pill, despite what our politicians tell us. It's one piece of the puzzle.

They need a modern woodie most of all.

This is terrible news to wake up to. I had nothing but a great time when I visited the park and it was so unique. Pre-Covid it was doing so well.

I'm up for it, but need notification months ahead if its on a weekend because of work commitments. I wouldn't want in the spring because of Coasterstock. Fall would be awesome but Saturdays are terrible with crowds. As far as behind the scenes stuff, with a smaller more focuses group, I'd much rather see something like sign shop, maintenance, offices, boneyard etc instead of a coaster walk back. Of course, this is assuming a non covid year and that these BTS scenarios are doable with a smaller group and policy and insurance allows them,

The Racer is the obvious choice at KI. With all the attention to the area formerly known as Coney Mall and Area 72, it sticks out like a sore thumb. And the peeling paint and rotten wood is shameful on a coaster this important. After that, repaint Diamondback.

^^Meh. Maverick wanna be.

I am getting my first dose today. I am not excited about it and will not post the typical card and bicep pose. I wish the Johnson and Johnson vaccine had been rolled out sooner. I'd be much more excited about it.

^ It's probably because of the cleaning policy. More seats to clean means more time to wait. (although the only people who benefit are the first train after the cleaning, and minimally after that because they resuse the same rags it seems all day long. And scrubbing benefits cleaning more than a quick wipe, which is what they do).

Hurler at Carowinds. Tear it down.

I see your point. Just my viewpoint, but I don't think an expensive retheme would be worth it. Props to tie in the ride (nature stuff) and maybe some static lumber mill/mysterious stuff for MT, but nothing like Knott's.

There are more than coaster enthusiasts who follow the blog. Those questions will not be able to be answered until more is known about the pandemic--which changes daily. Therefore, those type of questions, as often as they appear, should be ignored.