coney island 2009

[CoastersRZ]

Yep. The rides are an added benefit that helps sell the group sales business. Sunlite Pool is the main attraction that attracts people to Coney. The rides are an added benefit. Another very profitable source of income for Coney is parking revenue. Especially since Coney receives the revenue for parking for Riverbend (including the new National City Pavilion). As a result, the more concerts there are, usually the better Coney will do.

And the last several years, the park has been making serious capital investments the last several years. Between this year and last year, the park installed all new midway lights, they repaves a large portion of midway this year, renovated the bath house, including an all new paint job, installed new lights on the Ferris Wheel this year, and added three new attractions, in addition to adding canoes to Lake Como. Next year, there will be many new adventures to wet the appetites of park patrons. Sure, Coney may not have the coaster that you as an enthusiast wants it to have. But they have a rather unique collection of flat rides. Where else can you ride a Grover Watkin`s Tempest, or a Eyerly Rock O Plane, or an Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel, all in the same park?

[The Interpreter]

Well, it's certainly not:

Kings Island, where else?

(The place that once had a Tumblebug, a Rotor and even a standard Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel, all where did each of these rides come from? Coney had it, and Coney still has "it"...)

[Beast1979]

Wait, the rides side are added benifit?

IMO, that's sad. I realize they are in the buisness to make money, however they make it, but the pool being the money maker?

Wow.

[CoastersRZ]

Yes, the pool, group sales and parking revenues from Riverbend are the big money makers at Coney Island. The rides are not. Not surprisingly, the pool does really well. Especially, the last couple of years.

[westcoaster]

its time for a coaster::::: for sure::::

[Coney Islander]

I think more recently the rides probably started making a small profit with the additions of the pay per ride Eerobungy Dome and the Mine activity.

[CoastersRZ]

That mine activity thing over by the Carousel is not operated by the rides department. The ride department operates the Eurobungy Dome and Famous Fairways Mini Golf.

[pilotank]

And yet, Coney continues to do well without a wooden coaster. So why bother to putting in a capital intensive ride, when the park has grown tremendously since it "closed" in 1971 without such an attraction? If smaller flat ride additions are able to bring in people, especially the group sales business, then why sink money into such an expensive ride when cheaper attractions will suffice?

As a coaster enthusiast, I agree, a wooden coaster at Coney would be wonderful. But from a business point of view, why add an expensive attraction when a smaller cheaper attraction could generate the same amount of revenues with a higher return on investment?

Although Coney continues to do well, it would be great to continually have it upgrade. Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. Now, wtih the sale of KI thrice over, Coney can actually return to it's former glory. It was voted America's Favorite Amusement Park several times and everyone I talk with, the consensus is that it could easily become top notch again and draw like it use too. Coney drew over 3 million when it closed in 1971. Alas, it all comes back to the ownership and what she wants done. An advising board made of owners/workers and some patrons would be nice to have. I would definitely volunteer for the betterment of Coney!

pilotank

[Coney Islander]

Coaster Rz, is the wikipedia article possibly true about coney buying the Carowinds Coaster? :unsure:

[Beast1979]

Coaster Rz, is the wikipedia article possibly true about coney buying the Carowinds Coaster? :unsure:

It's been said, no.

[DropZone99]

its time for a coaster::::: for sure::::

I agree, the reason i haven't gone to Coney is because they don't have a good coaster. If Coney Island was to get something unique of worth making a trip down there then i would visit. As of now, i have no desire to go to Coney Island, it's just not worth the drive. Im not trying to sound rude or anything, but Coney is almost like a fair...

[Beast1979]

its time for a coaster::::: for sure::::

I agree, the reason i haven't gone to Coney is because they don't have a good coaster. If Coney Island was to get something unique of worth making a trip down there then i would visit. As of now, i have no desire to go to Coney Island, it's just not worth the drive. Im not trying to sound rude or anything, but Coney is almost like a fair...

How is it rude? "Coney doesn't have any real thrill rides so I don't go there." I don't find it rude.

[The Interpreter]

...Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. ...

pilotank

Uh, the company that owned Coney Island in 1971 was the company that opened Kings Island in 1972. Before 1971, it wasn't just prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park...there was no reason to: a. there was no Kings Island to compete with and b. the same company owned both properties.

[pilotank]

...Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. ...

pilotank

Uh, the company that owned Coney Island in 1971 was the company that opened Kings Island in 1972. Before 1971, it wasn't just prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park...there was no reason to: a. there was no Kings Island to compete with and b. the same company owned both properties.

You need to know Coney's history!

The park was put up for sale after it's closing by Taft Broadcasting in Septenber 1971. There were no buyers. The stipulation of competition with KI was stipulated in any Buyer's agreement.

In 1975, the head of Taft Broadcasting Charles S. Mechem Jr., took the For Sale sign off Coney. Mechem did make make it clear that Coney would not nor could not compete directly with KI. In 1987 Linder bought Coney with the Great American Financial Corp., then later bought KI. Lindner sold Coney to Ronald F. Walker's Park River Corp. in 1991 for 3.8 million, the original price Taft wanted after the park's closing in 1971. In 1992 Linder sold KI to Paramount. So now Coney can do what they want, including direct competition with KI as an Amusement Park.

pilotank

[CoastersRZ]

Where did you pull this 3 million number from in Coney`s "final" season in 1971? I think that number is grossly exaggerated. Especially considering the fact that Kings Island became the first seasonal amusement park besides Disney to break the 2 million visitor mark in its first year of operation.

And secondly, how do you know there was a "no compete" clause in the 'buyer`s' agreement for Coney since there was never a sale by Taft Broadcasting? One of the reasons that Taft took the for sale sign off of Coney in 1975 was that year the pool attracted 420,000 visitors and made money for Taft for the first time since 1971.

And keep in mind that Great American Financial Corp. did not just "buy" Coney. They bought out the entire Taft Broadcasting Company in 1987, and Coney Island was one of the properties that they acquired in the transaction.

[The Interpreter]

Not only that but no one needs to state I need to learn Coney Island history, I could probably teach a course. In any event, pilotank's EXACT statement was written in such a way that even I could not interpret what he actually meant. What he said was:

......Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. ...

From this statement, virtually every knowledgeable reader would divine:

Before the sale could take place in 1971 (there was no "sale in 1971", and *I* am the one who needs to learn Coney Island history?--but I digress...), it was prohibitive....prohibitive means difficult or nearly impossible...it COULD be done but would not be practical...to compete with Kings Island. The simple fact is before 1971, it was not just prohibitive to compete with Kings Island, it was impossible, as there was no Kings Island. I believe the word pilotank was searching for was prohibited, not prohibitive. This reading is the only plausible reading by a knowledgeable reader trying to make sense of what pilotank wrote, as CoastersRZ has pointed out, there was NO SALE in 1971.

What pilotank apparently meant to say (and thinks he did say) is that "After Coney Island closed, it was not allowed to compete with Kings Island for some time, as terms of a sale when the property was sold."

That makes a lot more sense. And it does not WRONGLY state the park was sold in 1971, it does not speak of BEFORE 1971, and it does talk about the two parks competing with each other when there wasn't even a Kings Island yet.

And yet I'm the one who needs to learn Coney Island history? Pardon me, sir, but that was a very presumptuous statement. Not to mention an incorrect one.

[raptor]

sounds like more of a water ride than a coaster anyway

[pilotank]

Where did you pull this 3 million number from in Coney`s "final" season in 1971? I think that number is grossly exaggerated. Especially considering the fact that Kings Island became the first seasonal amusement park besides Disney to break the 2 million visitor mark in its first year of operation.

And secondly, how do you know there was a "no compete" clause in the 'buyer`s' agreement for Coney since there was never a sale by Taft Broadcasting? One of the reasons that Taft took the for sale sign off of Coney in 1975 was that year the pool attracted 420,000 visitors and made money for Taft for the first time since 1971.

And keep in mind that Great American Financial Corp. did not just "buy" Coney. They bought out the entire Taft Broadcasting Company in 1987, and Coney Island was one of the properties that they acquired in the transaction.

The 3 million attendance came from the documentary : Greetings From Coney Island, Cincinnati.

However, I too agree this number is exagerated because of the number of patrons per day to achieve this (appx. 30,000/day).

The no compete clause was an agreement the purchaser would have to agree to. I know this because I had a relative that worked for Taft during that time.

I know it's hear-say evidence since he is now deceased, but there are several references in the book Cincinnati's Coney Island.

pg. 192 1962-1971

pg. 198 1972 to date

pg.199 1972 to date

pilotank

[pilotank]

Not only that but no one needs to state I need to learn Coney Island history, I could probably teach a course. In any event, pilotank's EXACT statement was written in such a way that even I could not interpret what he actually meant. What he said was:

......Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. ...

From this statement, virtually every knowledgeable reader would divine:

Before the sale could take place in 1971 (there was no "sale in 1971", and *I* am the one who needs to learn Coney Island history?--but I digress...), it was prohibitive....prohibitive means difficult or nearly impossible...it COULD be done but would not be practical...to compete with Kings Island. The simple fact is before 1971, it was not just prohibitive to compete with Kings Island, it was impossible, as there was no Kings Island. I believe the word pilotank was searching for was prohibited, not prohibitive. This reading is the only plausible reading by a knowledgeable reader trying to make sense of what pilotank wrote, as CoastersRZ has pointed out, there was NO SALE in 1971.

Let's keep this simple;

1-Coney closed in Sept. 06, 1971

2-Taft immediately placed CI for sale-asking price 3.8 million

3-Any business or person agreeing to purchasing CI had to agree not to use it as an Amusement Park and/or directly compete with KI

4-In 1975, Taft took it off the market, since there was no actual bids on the property.

5-Now Coney is free to return to it's glory days if it so chooses.

Not an english major:

pilotank

[CoastersRZ]

Well, it wasn`t so much that they hadn`t received any bids for Coney in 1975. It was the fact that they actually made money off of Coney again in 1975 for the first time since 1971 that they decided not to sell it.

[raptor]

Well, it's certainly not:

Kings Island, where else?

(The place that once had a Tumblebug, a Rotor and even a standard Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel, all where did each of these rides come from? Coney had it, and Coney still has "it"...)

Oh, how I miss the tumblebug

[Joseph Peralta]

Coney island Was Plan to New Roller Coaster in 2010 or 2011 Season Call Former Geauga Lake Wooden Roller Coaster Big Dipper.

[The Interpreter]

Huh? Where'd you get this idea?

[CoastersRZ]

Yeah, where`d you get that idea from? Not going to happen, plain and simple. It would be like Kings Island adding bumper boats in the lake next to the Viking Fury. Simply not going to happen either! In fact, Coney`s bumper boats are the only adult version of bumper boats that can be found in Ohio, and Holiday World removed their bumper boats this year to install their new carousel.

[Beast1979]

It was sold to the top bidder a few months ago, not to operate again but will be re-erected for "Nostalgiac Purpouses".

[Coney Islander]

the ride is known as "unknown"

[Beast1979]

It says new attractions for Sunlite Pool, which CoastersRZ has been saying for a while (Sort of).

[CoastersRZ]

The banner below was placed at the Zoom Flume the final weeks of the season, before the Zoom Flume met its fate with the wrecking crews.

[Beast1979]

I might actually make the trip to Coney Island and go to Sunlite Pool next year!

[specialk141]

coney is really going to put a "twist" on the wet side of the park...

just announced via enquirer.com:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081023/ENT/81023009

Twister.

a 4 slide tower at sunlite pool.

2million capital investment

2 body slides, 2 tube slides

3 times as long as zoom flume

named after a coaster that operated in the 1920's at coney

should be a great investment for the park.

edit: i think we need to change the title of this now to "Coney Island 2009: Twister Construction".... and make sure that it gets just as much attention and posts / views as the Diamondback construction thread.