Future of Coney Island, Cincinnati- our Beloved Park

[westcoaster]

2008- Log Flume Highly themed.

2009- A new flat and a new kiddy ride

2010- A Premier wooden coaster

And Coneys success is incredible it will be around for a long time to come:

[Gordon Bombay]

I dont see any of that happening in the near future no offense. Thats after talking to CoastersRZ who has worked there for quite a while. Why would the log flume have to be highly themed? Thats really unlikely for Coney. I could see a regular log flume like Americana's raging thunder or the old Kings Mills log flume but nothing with animatronics, sound effects, and lights. A small wooden coaster like the Tornado at stricker grove would be a huge hit but I dont see it happening soon, it doesnt seem like Coney has been investing that much in their attractions. Not to say they haven't done quality investment, but that they dont seem to spend that much.

[Legend Rider]

It sounds a lot like Beech Bend Park, from time to time it seems as though they "over buy" I think the trick is pacing the budget... because thats what it is, a budget.

but they both try to get people out of the lines and onto the rides.

[CoastersRZ]

Yeah. You are way over predicting what Coney would install in a typical year. Keep in mind that Coney only gets a small handful of people in a season when compared to Kings Island. (I`ve heard that Coney`s attendance is usually around 500,000 a year.) There will be changes at Coney in 2008, I can guarantee that much. The Giant Slide will be in a new location next year, as its former location is home to the now under construction Riverbend Pavilion. Beyond that, I don`t know what changes are planned for the park.

And yes, I have worked many, many years at Coney. Hard to believe that I have worked there for six seasons now! Back when I started in 2002, I never would have imagined that I would still be working there in 2007!

[westcoaster]

INteresting Points Yep Like this year Beech Bend small park in BOwling Green has 2 options on rides out of bankruptcy. @ big flats totaling about 700,000 wow.

My Predictions maybe have been way too made way to quickly maybe all 3 over 10 years.

I just thought with a highly themed log flume they could bring back memories of THE LOST RIVER.

and looking through pictures the park was painstakingly taken care of land scape side of it.

Well Good luck to coney in the future:

[raptor]

Just bring in any old vintage log flume with no theming and I'd be thrilled.

[CoastersRZ]

Don`t look for that to happen for this season. I agree though, that a log flume at Coney would be an instant hit. I also believe that a small wooden coaster like the Tornado at Stricker`s Grove would also be a big hit at Coney. But I`m not the one deciding what the park installs. I just operate the rides.

[raptor]

I don't look for a flume or small coaster to be installed in the near future, I just would be thrilled if they did

[dare-to-fly]

Personally, I would like to see them buy The Screechin' Eagle from Americana. ...and before you tell me it isn't for sale--everyone has a price. Either way, they need a wooden coaster.

[Tuskin]

It wouldnt happen however, Coney probably wouldnt want to shovel out the price to take that down and ship it to them. Probably would be a lot of money, a lot more then they could probably get back from it

[CoastersRZ]

Yeah. If Coney were to get a wooden coaster in the next five years (a very unlikely prospect unfortunately), it would likely be a brand new creation and not a relocated ride, due to the complexity of moving a wooden coaster.

[adventure2007]

I think they would be better off just building something from scratch. Thats if they were even willing to invest the money period. Something tells me that they wouldnt want to spend that kind of money on something like that.

[Outdoor Man]

I hear there's a certain park north of here having a fire-sale on attractions....

[CoastersRZ]

Well, which northern park are you referring to? If you are referring to LeSourdsville Lake, then Coney has already been the beneficiary of several of their attractions over the years (including the Tempest and last year`s addition of the Rock O Plane). If you are referring to Geauga Lake, then I doubt that Coney will get any rides from them, but it is certainly a possibility. I really doubt that Coney would purchase any of GL`s wooden coasters, especially since Coney would have to purchase new rolling stock as well.

[westcoaster]

To the successful future of our COney Island Cincinnati

[The Interpreter]

Well, which northern park are you referring to? If you are referring to LeSourdsville Lake, then Coney has already been the beneficiary of several of their attractions over the years (including the Tempest and last year`s addition of the Rock O Plane). If you are referring to Geauga Lake, then I doubt that Coney will get any rides from them, but it is certainly a possibility. I really doubt that Coney would purchase any of GL`s wooden coasters, especially since Coney would have to purchase new rolling stock as well.

Not for Big Dipper, they wouldn't . . .

[CoastersRZ]

Very true. I just don`t see Coney shelling out the sort of money that would be required to move the Big Dipper to Cincinnati. Although, if they were to do such a thing, they would gain some pretty respectable notoriety. I just don`t foresee that happening anytime soon.

[AintNutinElse2Do]

Is there not still an issue with flooding at Coney Island? As much as I would like any park to save any historical coaster, I don't see it as a good investment if it's gonna get flood damaged often.

[CoastersRZ]

Yep. Flooding still is a fact of life at Coney. In fact, I believe that the last flood in the spring of this past year flooded out the first few feet of the park buildings. I know for a fact that a spring flood in 2005 had Kellogg Avenue closed and Lake Como was part of the Ohio River.

[dare-to-fly]

Which is why I still say they should get Screechin' Eagle. Since it is right next to a river, it ought to be used to floods, and at least Coney Island would take care of it. They made it work before didn't they?

[CoastersRZ]

Yes, Coney worked before with Ohio River floods (and still does). But the main difference is the fact that Coney isn`t as big as it was in the 1950`s and 60s. Back then it had a budget more in line with what other major amusement parks were. Coney simply doesn`t draw in enough people to make that large of an investment in rides economically feasible.

Coney does NOT make money off of its rides department. The real bread winner is parking revenue (as well as concession revenue) from Riverbend concerts. The other large money makers are Sunlite Pool and the Group Sales business. The rides are an added benefit for selling group sales events as well as an added benefit for members that buy a pass to the pool. (A pool pass now includes free rides admission all season long. When I started at Coney, that was not the case, but has been for the last three to four years). Granted, there are some days when the rides department does bring in quite a lot of money, like on July 3rd for the LaRosa`s balloon glow. Good grief! The park was empty at 5:30 when I got there, but by 6:30, people were coming in by the bus load practically.

[dare-to-fly]

Which tells me that they need to have a wooden coaster to boost attendance!!

[CoastersRZ]

Not going to happen, as much as I wish it would. The rides side will never be a draw like it used to be pre-1972. They simply don`t have the space or capital to do that. And installing a wooden coaster will not solve those issues. However, Coney is slightly bigger in size then the midway at Stricker`s Grove, so they could fit one in. It is just a matter of financing the ride that is the issue. I believe that a ride like the Tornado at Stricker`s Grove would be an instant hit at Coney Island, if they were ever to install a ride like that.

[AintNutinElse2Do]

Speaking of Stricker's Grove I wonder since it's only open 2 days a year to the public. I wonder if it we could get enough people on here to pitch in and have a KICentral day at Stricker's Grove and rent it out to us only.

[CoastersRZ]

Actually, Strickers has typically been open three days to the public the last several years. They are open the Fourth of July, and the second Sunday in Auguest. Also, the last several years they have had a customer appreciation day the second Sunday of October which is open to the public. I`ve been to the Customer Appreciation day the last two years, and the lines have been essentially non-existent!

[dare-to-fly]

You make it sound like there is no one in the park. I still bet they make a little money off the deal. The line this year at second session was usually about a two train wait for Tornado, and three when they started.

Anyway, if there is a KICentral day at Stricker's Grove, I'm all over that!

And...if Stricker's Grove can afford to put in a coaster and maintain it by only renting out the park to groups and opening three days a year, you will never be able to convince me that Coney Island couldn't figure out a way to put in a small wooden coaster. Even if it takes them a few seasons to do it...I'll wait!

[CoastersRZ]

Well, have you visited Coney Island on a hot weekday in the summer? We often are not running full cycles on the rides. Sometimes, we even are sitting around waiting for riders to ride the rides we are running. A wooden coaster would suffer the same issues. To put it simply, people do not go to Coney Island for the rides. (At Stricker`s people go there for the rides.) People go to Coney primarily for Sunlite Pool. A secondary reason they would go is if there company was having a picnic at the park. Even then, the pool is one of the prime draws to lure companies to have their outings at Coney. The rides are a nice side benefit.

[flightoffear1996]

Strickers Grove is about $5000 to rent it out for one day. for those of you who read my post about the servers "If we could get every member to donate a dollar or two".

Can you rent out that park anytime durning the year?

If Coney Island has such a great pool which I honsetly thing its not all that why don't they add on to the park and remove some of the ride to make room. Coney Island would probaly operate much better as a giant water park than a medium water park with small rides.

[CoastersRZ]

Flightoffear1996, I have several counter arguments to your post above.

First, (and I posted this in response to your server comment as well) yes, KICentral has more than 3,000 registered members. But of all those members, only a select handful post on the boards. And an even smaller amount of registered users post with any regularity. So your whole concept of asking every member to donate a couple of dollars to rent out Stricker`s Grove is flawed. You will never get 100% cooperation with all the members of this site. In fact, you`d probably lucky to even get close to 33 or 50% response.

Secondly, Stricker`s, like other seasonal parks, performs off season maintenance on its rides during the winter months. When I was there for the customer appreciation day in October, two rides were closed and already undergoing refurbishment. The train and the Teddy Bear, The Teddy Bear trains were already off the track, and the were doing some pretty extensive retracking on one of the turnarounds.

On to your comments that pertain to Coney Island specifically. Have you ever been to Coney Island and to Sunlite pool? It is billed as the world`s largest recirculating swimming pool. And they have a couple of water slides as added amenities. Sunlite Pool is not a water park perse. It is more like a super sized local swimming pool. The pool is the main draw for passes as well as group sales. The rides are simply an added benefit to lure people to buy passes and to book group sales events at the park.

And your comments about making Coney a giant water park as opposed to a medium one are slightly off base. As I stated above, Coney`s Sunlite Pool and accompanying slides (the Zoom Flume and Pipeline Plunge) are not necessarily what most would consider a water park. Yes, they will continue to expand and change the look of the Sunlite pool area and the attractions that adjoin the pool complex. But don`t look for Coney to start removing some of their dry rides for an expanded water park. Simply isn`t going to happen. In part because the Sunlite Pool area is separated from the dry ride side by the main parking lot entrance road. There is a cross walk by the West pool entrance that guests can take to get to the dry side of the park. This road forms a barrier to expanding the water area of Coney Island. Not to say that it couldn`t happen at some point, but just that it is very unlikely that Coney would expand footprint of the water side of things.

[dare-to-fly]

Secondly, Stricker`s, like other seasonal parks, performs off season maintenance on its rides during the winter months. When I was there for the customer appreciation day in October, two rides were closed and already undergoing refurbishment. The train and the Teddy Bear, The Teddy Bear trains were already off the track, and the were doing some pretty extensive retracking on one of the turnarounds.

Actually, according to Arlene, the lady that always operates The Tornado, the Teddy Bear got stuck there at some point during the season causing some of the boards on the track to tear loose. That is the reason for the refurbishment of the turnaround. She also mentioned the reason it wasn't immediately fixed was because the guy that works on it has to have a triple bipass. She did assure me that it would be fixed next season.