flightoffear1996 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thats the coolest most rare youtube video ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 may not be "yours" - but "you" found it. That's something that according to his post, Boddah hadn't even come across.... and with KI History- that would be a tough feat to accomplish (then again I could be wrong on that). But from what I've surmized- if it has anything to do with KI- Ryan (i think that is his name) probably knows (and has) more KI knowlege than 99% of the KI staff- probably including administration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Well, I am the one that gave the Coney Island to Kings Island presentation at the KIC Winter Blues party last month. I know a lot about the history of both Coney Island and Kings Island and I have never encountered this video until today. The person talking about The Racer was John Allen, the designer of The Racer. I`m not positive, but I believe Dennis Speigel was also in that video. Speigel is now the president and owner of International Theme Park Services here in Cincinnati. He is generally quoted in most articles about the industry across the country. And yes, originally, they had intended to make Kings Island a whole resort destination. It might not have been their intention to exactly copy Disney, but with the golf course, KI resort, and campground, they definitely wanted to create a resort destination. This is similar to what Cedar Point has for Cedar Fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 don't you suppose that in some attic corner at Channel 12 (near to the old Kings Productions office) thdere is a stash of moth-balled memorabilia. I say Channel 12- because weren't they part of the old Kings company back until sometime in the late-80's? My sister worked for WKRC until about 1987 and remember the Kings next door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoast19 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Wow! That is the best Kings Island video I have ever seen! I have to show this video to the rest of the family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaman Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I've organized and participated in events with entities along that exit quite a bit in the last few years. And from those experiences, stories of those who have been around... and now viewing that video (and this isn't a knock on what Kings Island currently is)- I think that Kings Island was meant to be much different than it has become. ie- more of a Mid-Western Disney Land. I think that entire exit was supposed to be the Ohio version of Lake Buena Vista in Florida.... and that the park was to be more about Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo than record-breaking roller coasters. Good, bad, or indifferent- the park is what is today, and for that part we have nothing but reality to compare it to. It would have been VERY interesting to see what Kings Island would have looked had the US not slumped into a 2-year recession in 1973 (through 1975)- right after opening. Plus all of the fallout from Vietnam at the time.... Kings Island could have look A LOT different had the time period of 1973-1976 not existed. I was just thinking this. While I am perfectly happy with what Kings Island is, it must have been meant to be so much more. I noted the guy talking about the golf courses across the highway and mini golf at the campground as well as nature trails there. Does anyone want to elaborate on those for me? As far as I know, they didn't ever exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterguy15 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 That is awesome! I have always wanted to see some of the construction of the Eiffel Tower! But seeing everything else, what a treat! A+ times infinity for that find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [EDIT] (I misread a member's post.) Kings Island still has a sort-of resortish feel, but the surrounding cities are creeping up on the park, and the feel seems to be vanishing. I think they're building condos in the old golf course now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 See my post above. Originally, when Taft Broadcasting purchased the land that Kings Island sits on, they bought 1,600 acres of land on both sides of Interstate 71. The Kings Island Inn and Conference Center was built by Taft and owned by them for several years. It is now owned by the Belvedere Corporation, based out of the Carew Tower downtown. In addition, Taft developed the Golf Center at Kings Island. I believe that the city of Mason recently purchased the property after it was placed for sale and they did not want to see more subdivisions built on the land. I`m not sure when Taft divested the property. Additionally, the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home to the Western and Southern Financial Master`s and Women`s Open was part of the land that Taft had purchased for Kings Island. Again, I do not know when Taft sold this land. Lastly, there is the Kings Island campground. This was a functional campground until the conclusion of the 2004 season. After the 2004 season, construction started on the $100 million Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island. CBS, the owner of Kings Island at the time that land was "sold off" acquired a minority interest in the GWL in exchange for the land. I believe their stake was about 16%. When Cedar Fair bought Paramount Parks from CBS, they were offered CBS`s share of the GWL. However, they were not interested in it. CBS later sold their share of the GWL to Great Wolf. Does that help answer some of your questions? I`m not sure on the exact dates that Taft sold off these adjacent amenities and other details and timelines on when they were actually developed. Hopefully you found some of that information insightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortex Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Wow thank you for the great video. I wonder if that model of the park is still around some where? Anyone else hear Rivertown had a different name before the park opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 ^Yeah. Frontierland, when I first heard it I thought of my favorite place in the whole world, Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Wow thank you for the great video. I wonder if that model of the park is still around some where? Anyone else hear Rivertown had a different name before the park opened. I caught that, too! "Frontier" town (or land?). Yay, another reason for me to go back and watch it again! [edit] Goofy beat me to it! I'm still gonna watch it again, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haussie Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Seems everyone is enjoying the video we unearthed from our archives. Glad that we could get it transferred digitally and share it. It's been in our archives for many years and probably hasn't been viewed in decades. We are cleaning up our archives and whe knows what we will come across next. But this video is probably the top so far. We've also got some photos we've been scanning from the Grand Opening in 1972 at our site. http://interthemepark.com/about/kingsisland.htm And I think I've found some video footage from the Grand Opening which I hope to get transferred and posted. How many people can you name from the video? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Seems everyone is enjoying the video we unearthed from our archives. Glad that we could get it transferred digitally and share it. It's been in our archives for many years and probably hasn't been viewed in decades. We are cleaning up our archives and whe knows what we will come across next. But this video is probably the top so far. We've also got some photos we've been scanning from the Grand Opening in 1972 at our site. http://interthemepark.com/about/kingsisland.htm And I think I've found some video footage from the Grand Opening which I hope to get transferred and posted. How many people can you name from the video? I am loving all of this! Thank you so much! I am loving this photo. Reminds me Disney's new commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaman Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 See my post above. Originally, when Taft Broadcasting purchased the land that Kings Island sits on, they bought 1,600 acres of land on both sides of Interstate 71. The Kings Island Inn and Conference Center was built by Taft and owned by them for several years. It is now owned by the Belvedere Corporation, based out of the Carew Tower downtown. In addition, Taft developed the Golf Center at Kings Island. I believe that the city of Mason recently purchased the property after it was placed for sale and they did not want to see more subdivisions built on the land. I`m not sure when Taft divested the property. Additionally, the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home to the Western and Southern Financial Master`s and Women`s Open was part of the land that Taft had purchased for Kings Island. Again, I do not know when Taft sold this land. Lastly, there is the Kings Island campground. This was a functional campground until the conclusion of the 2004 season. After the 2004 season, construction started on the $100 million Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island. CBS, the owner of Kings Island at the time that land was "sold off" acquired a minority interest in the GWL in exchange for the land. I believe their stake was about 16%. When Cedar Fair bought Paramount Parks from CBS, they were offered CBS`s share of the GWL. However, they were not interested in it. CBS later sold their share of the GWL to Great Wolf. Does that help answer some of your questions? I`m not sure on the exact dates that Taft sold off these adjacent amenities and other details and timelines on when they were actually developed. Hopefully you found some of that information insightful. Indeed, it does. I wasn't aware that the Golf Center had been developed by Taft. I have stayed at the Kings Island Inn, and well, we vowed never to stay there again. Perhaps it is much different now, but at the time it wasn't much. That was when I was maybe 10ish? Not sure. I'm pretty sure I never stayed at the campground, but I know my mom did a lot when she was a kid with her family. She told me about when they visited the park and came back out to find that KI bumper stickers had been placed on all of the cars in the lot. Well, my Papaw found the employee doing so and well, needless to say the sticker was removed. Yes, the employee was only doing what he had been told to do, but my Papaw wasn't thrilled about it. So was there ever minigolf at the campground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Maestro – thanks for the find and posting the video, like everyone else I have enjoyed it immensely. Shawn – thank you for taking the time to upload some of your Archives and as you can tell you have a very interested audience. I for one was not at Kings Island for opening day but did attend at some point that year and many years that followed. I did go to your site and looked at the pictures and they really captured the mood and feel of the park. I love Kings Island now and I loved Kings Island back in the days and thanks to you I can put more images with those memories. Also if I may ask one of my fond memories was the canoe boats rides, if you have any photos of that attraction I would love to view that. Thanks again for taking time in your busy day to upload the video/photos and to share your comments with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan73 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I just can't believe what I just watched. Thanks for posting that! I really don't know if I've ever seen anything that made me this speechless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldschool75 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Definitely different construction safety laws in place nowadays! Wow for the Eiffel Tower builders! Fearless! I would have imagined they'd have safety lines & carabiners. Nope. Just walking around like there's no 250' drop to either side. Amazing! Yeah my grandfather worked on it. He used to talk about working up on high places. ****Edit Holy sweet Jesus I found my grandpa in the video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 That was great footage, we have to get a link under the history section.. the fantastic voyage and The Racer was my favorite,,,,,footage scenes.. great find: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Very cool. I especially liked the footage of Eiffel Tower and Racer's construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Oh, my....Thank you SO much. I have never seen this video, and am amazed by it. Thank you for sharing it with us. Terpy, very grateful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypkikid2005 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 That was amazing, incredible how far we've come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigellinus Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Oh, my....Thank you SO much. I have never seen this video, and am amazed by it. Thank you for sharing it with us. Terpy, very grateful I agree...finally a YouTube video everyone can enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Ok - that video finally got me to move from "anonymous" lurker on these boards to registered user (post #1 here). Thanks for sharing this! To answer some of the questions that came up on the other replies - Someone already said that Taft originally had 1600 acres - Today KI is only has ~640 acres - Much of the land around KI (on both sides of the highway) was part of the original 1600. North of the Park on the East side of 71, the original land included what is now Great Wolf Lodge, the Movie Theater, the Harley shop and Restaurants at the 71 Interchange, and the School also. Across 71, the Tennis Center, Golf Course, and the houses around the Golf Course were all Taft property - Taft sold much of the land in the mid to late 80's although for the Golf Course ownership only changed to Kings Island Golf - Great American Insurance bought the Golf Course in 94 (also had purchased other Taft property in late 80's), but they sold to the Grizzly Golf Center (course name is Grizzly) in 2004 before Mason purchased in 07. During the Great American time, the course was expanded to 27 holes, but homes have now been built on 9 and it is back to an 18 hole course although not the original 18 if I recall. - If you want to see the campground, Google Maps still shows the property pre GWL (I don't see a mini-golf course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you read my earlier post in this thread, I covered much of what you just posted in your thread. That being said, welcome to KICentral, and do not be afraid to post. Just ensure that before you post you read up on some of the posts in a thread before responding. Sometimes things have already been mentioned before you share them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamHogger Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 .... I was just thinking this. While I am perfectly happy with what Kings Island is, it must have been meant to be so much more. I noted the guy talking about the golf courses across the highway and mini golf at the campground as well as nature trails there. Does anyone want to elaborate on those for me? As far as I know, they didn't ever exist. I'm not sure about a nature trail at the campground, but there was a nature trail in Rivertown at the far end (circa early and mid 1970s before The Beast). The entrance was at the end of the path bracketed by the individual canoes (where KCKC and TRTR later occupied) and the war canoes (where Beast resides currently). The trail curved around, went down the side of the hill to the creek that runs under the KIMVRR trestle, crossed over a small bridge and back up the hill on the other side. The trail going up the hill would be to the left of where the Diamondback's bottom of second hill is today. You could easily see the trail from the train when going over the trestle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cisco227 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Amazing find! I am fairly new to Kings Island, visited a couple of times but never really knew much about it. This year with Diamondback I have gotten to know a lot about the history of Kings Island, and this video helped that much more to learn about the history. Thank you for posting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 actually the Golf Center has more than 27 holes now. We host an annual Golf Scramble there and use the 9-hole "Bruin" course for our morning tee and the 18-hole Grizzly course for the afternoon tee. I think they also have 3-4 additional "practice" holes for overflow with outings. Its a pretty nice course..... and some of the best people to work with for events! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windshawne Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I have always wanted to see how KI was constructed-great job!!! I enjoyed the trip down memory lane to that time period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 haussie, Thanks SO much for putting this video up...I have been waiting YEARS to see some shots of the tower being built. Holy sweet Jesus I found my grandpa in the video! That's cool! I was in awe when I was watching them....they make any of us park "thrill seekers" seem like real wusses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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