I had the opportunity to meet Gary Wachs a few days ago. Great guy.

What does Rich Walburg have to do with Kings Island? Or, what is so special about him?

I'm guessing he worked there at some point...

He was an employee for several years. But I think KI is going after the fame concept in the fact that Rich works for WLW radio now

Darn no Woody H. this year.

Darn no Woody H. this year.

He was an outside contractor. Does that qualify?

LOL. I don't know if outside contractors count!

KI didn't keep record of outside contractors from what I understand

I nominate Werner Stengel!

Pictures here in slideshow:

http://www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/s...1KpoaaRcvg.cspx

...Wachs devised a plan to relocate Coney Island and model the new park after theme parks that offered a “pay one price” admission. However, he aimed to include a crucial element ignored by those parks — rides.

Wachs also reasoned that if attendance totals were to expand beyond 1 million, the park needed a more expansive area, one that was located far from the flood plain.

However, with park attendance totals flourishing, Wachs said he felt like he was swimming upstream against an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality.

Presented with Wachs’ plan, Coney Island’s internal staff listened politely but took no action.But in 1968, Wachs received instant credibility when TV personality Fess Parker optioned property to build a theme park in northern Kentucky at the confluence of Interstate 71 and Interstate 75, where the former heads toward Louisville and the latter heads toward Lexington....

http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/oxford-new...ame-291387.html