Thanks For Another Great Season!

[BoddaH1994]

The time has finally come for everyone's favorite summer getaway - Kings Island to say goodbye for the final time this season. The staff of KICentral would like to thank all of the Kings Island associates, KICentral members and supporters for all of their dedication and contribution this season to help make this site what it is today.

However, as one season ends it becomes time to look forward into the future and all of the high-flying thrills and surprises that 2010 has to offer including a massive kids' area renovation as Planet Snoopy takes over center stage next year.

What's your favorite memory of the 2009 season? Many may say that their first ride on Diamondback - Kings Island's tallest and fastest coaster- is an obvious answer, others may say that a special event such as the ASA World Tour or Nik Wallenda walk come to mind, others may just like to reminisce about priceless moments spent with friends and family at the park this year. Click here to tell us about your favorite memory of Kings Island's 2009 season.

The offseason is also a fantastic time to catch up on your history lesson - Kings Island history, that is! Of course, why crack open a book when you can explore the history of Kings Island with "Riding History to the Limits" brought to you by CET's Nate Byrum. This feature-length documentary about the long and unique history of Kings Island will take you on a roller coaster ride starting back with the park's original conception in the mid-1960s all the way up through today!

Do you want the latest information sent directly to your cell phone? Sign up for KICentral's official mobile club and receive text alerts with the latest news and information about Kings Island! Signing up is fast and free! Click here for more information about KICentral's official mobile club!

Are you an avid Kings Island fan or do you casually visit once a year? It doesn't matter! KICentral.com is the site for you. Why not register on the forums of KICentral and tell us about your thoughts and experiences involving Kings Island! Registration is fast, FREE, and easy. Don't forget to keep checking KICentral.com for the latest news, rumors and information about Kings Island amusement park!

[KI Kevin]

I can't believe it's over. I remember opening day perfectly...waiting by Scooby for them to let us dash to Diamondback...riding it, finally...seeing the line and thinking it was 8 hours...jeez. I can't wait for April 2010.

[Hoeter]

What a season it has been! It's hard to believe that the 2009 season came and gone in the blink of an eye. I would like to thank the associates of Kings Island for their hard work and long hours to make the 2009 season one that was surely memorable for not just me but my friends who also had the privilege of attending with me throughout the season. I also would like to extend thanks to Ryan, Dane, and Robbie for maintaining and moderating KICentral and providing a place for people who not only love Kings Island but amusement parks in general to come and discuss topics regarding this industry. The offseason (sorry Giga) may have just kicked off, but the fourth quarter will be here soon enough and we will once again be enjoying the place that we are here to discuss. April isn't too far away-hang in there!

This year in whole has probably been the biggest for me coaster-wise. In April, I had the opportunity to visit Universal Orlando where I got 3 coaster credits for Incredible Hulk, Dueling Dragons-Fire, and Revenge of the Mummy. Also, this season was huge for me at Kings Island where I got 5 coaster credits for Diamondback, Vortex, Son of Beast, Invertigo, and Flight of Fear. I've never ridden these rides before this season. During the season, I met many KIC peeps and enjoyed it very much. Hopefully I'll meet more of you guys in the future. Once again, thanks to everyone for an awesome 2009 season!

[Monroe]

I think this fits the occasion very nicely.

There's even a Mouseketeer in there!

[sheikra_rocks]

It flew by this year! I rode Diamondback MORE than I anticipated. I can't believe there is a ride that I can just ride all day without needing to ride anything else. Thank you to the Diamondback staff for making the coaster so fun.

I really can't comment on much on anything else, I didn't do much other than ride Diamondback.

We had some very memorable rides though. Mid summer being in the front row and dispatching just as fireworks are blasting off. During the climb up the lift, as we rise above the tree line to see a full moon behind the fireworks. Another memorable ride was after a rain storm and the fog rising off in the distance.

Or last week during my 401st ride on Diamondback, we get stuck on the MCBR for about 5 to 10 minutes. Was hilarious! Had lots of fun this year riding the coaster.

[gigacoaster2k]

I went to KI 26 times this year. I don't know where to begin with the most memorable moments or with everyone I met this year, and all the fun I had. I'd be writing for days if I wrote about everything memorable to me this year at KI. Thank you everyone; admins, mods, fellow KICers, and park employees, from the bottom of my heart for a fantastic year, and one worth mentioning.

[Jasper]

On the way home from work last night I was thinking about Kings Island closing for the season and I was also listening to Theory Of A Deadman's, Scars & Souvenirs Album. When I was thinking of riding all the water rides a song came on called, "End Of The Summer." This song almost brought tears to my eyes thinking about all the great memories I have had at the park over the past year. Thank You Kings Island! Thank you for a great season, see you next year!

[The Interpreter]

...The offseason is also a fantastic time to catch up on your history lesson - Kings Island history, that is! Of course, why crack open a book when you can explore the history of Kings Island with "Riding History to the Limits" brought to you by CET's Nate Byrum. This feature-length documentary about the long and unique history of Kings Island will take you on a roller coaster ride starting back with the park's original conception in the mid-1960s all the way up through today!...

It is my sad duty to report that Nate Byrum, along with others, has lost his job at WCET...cutbacks following a merger:

...Starting last weekend, CET's signal was being sent from Dayton to the station here, and then to the Fairview Heights tower and Time Warner cable, employees say.

Channel monitoring and program traffic will be done in Dayton, "given the facilities in place before the merger," Fogarty says.

Producers Nate Byrum and Dave Scheibenzuber, and a CET educational services staffer, also lost their jobs.

Byrum, a 12-year veteran, and Scheibenzuber, a three-year employee, mostly worked on CETconnect videos. Online video production has slowed in the past year, from a half dozen shows to "one or two" a week, Byrum says.

Online video was a pet project of Susan Howarth, who resigned as CET president when the stations merged.

Byrum last year put together "Riding History To The Limits," the Kings Island documentary on CETconnect. It has never been broadcast - and probably won't, he says.

"As far as I know, it's dead in the water. They wanted me to edit it down, but never gave me any time to do it. It was never funded (by an underwriter)," says Byrum, 33....

http://news.cincinna...r-cuts-CET-jobs

[Oldiesmann]

Sad to see that it's gotten so bad that they're merging PBS stations. Maybe Ohio's stations should all network together much like Kentucky stations have done with KET.

It's a shame that this guy went to so much work to produce such a wonderful documentary only to get the "edit it or we won't air it" treatment, and now he's lost his job entirely.

It amazes me that stations don't seem to understand how valuable local documentaries can be.

[BoddaH1994]

Yeah, I got an email from Nate a few days ago saying that he had been released from WCET. What a shame. You couldn't find a more passionate guy.

He plans on going back to his roots as a graphic design artist and doing freelance. The staff of KICentral wishes Nate Byrum the best in his future endeavors.

[Oldiesmann]

I wonder if CET would be willing to sell him the rights to that documentary. That would allow him to do what he wanted with it (such as producing a DVD that could be purchased through KI...)

[Dieseltech20]

What a shame. He made a very nice documentary.

[BoddaH1994]

I wonder if CET would be willing to sell him the rights to that documentary. That would allow him to do what he wanted with it (such as producing a DVD that could be purchased through KI...)

I told him that he should have claimed it as his own, but apparently anything you do under the banner of a CET employee is adamantly regarded as the sole property of CET. Looks like they want nothing to do with the documentary, but I doubt they'd be willing to sell it to him.

Don't know if I ever told you guys this, but he told me in the early stages of production that it was very important that KIC members support the documentary by watching it online. You guys didn't fail him at all. CET was absolutely rocked by the amount of unique hits they got in the days following the documentary launch. The future looked bright, and it looked like there was going to be a 2011-ish television debut for the film. I ran into Nate on opening day this year at Kings Island and he expressed his concerns about CET's overall apathy toward the project and began to question if the film had met its end as early as April. Such a shame...

[Coney Islander]

Am I the only one who's going to hurry up and buy this documentary? A few weeks, it might be gone.

Edit: Just now realized the DVD is not for sale.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Coney Islander

[Oldiesmann]

I think the best thing we can do at this point is to email comments@cetconnect.org and express our interest in having a DVD of the documentary and/or having it aired on TV. Maybe we can at least convince them of the significance and importance of this documentary, and save it from being lost when someone decides that material by former employees should no longer be on the site...