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Beech Bend After Flooding


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EDIT: THE PARK IS NOW RE-OPENING. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DATES ON THIS THREAD'S POSTS. THIS EDIT ADDED MAY 8, 2010.

Beech Bend Park will not be open for business this weekend due to flooding conditions. Parts of Beech Bend are now under water including the race track, amusement park, and camping grounds.

Several building were also washed away due to the weekend flooding.

Park owner Dallas Jones says its going to be a lot of work getting the park back to normal....

http://www.wbko.com/...14.html?ref=414

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The extent of flooding there is really quite amazing. The park may or may not be open by then. My guess is it will be. Knoebel's Grove (and Coney of Ohio) quickly recovers from major flooding. Down at Six Flags Over Georgia, Great American Scream Machine was yet again surrounded by floodwaters...

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Speaking of flooding and Coney, all eyes at Coney are on the Ohio River at the moment. It is currently expected to crest around 2pm on Wednesday at 51.1 feet. That is high enough to cause some minor flooding in areas in and around Coney (particularly the filter room, and the east parking lot. Flood stage is 52 feet. I know that some things that had already been prepared for the season at Sunlite Pool have been undone in preparation for minor flooding. Additionally, depending how high the water gets, it may postpone the annual painting of Sunlite Pool. Fortunately, the actual measurements of the river stage are trending below the forecasted levels. Which is good, especially since Coney is hosting the Appalachian Festival this weekend (its also the first weekend that Coney`s rides are slated to be open).

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I just checked their website (as we will be there for the ACE event on the 16th) and it says the park WILL be open this weekend. However, the racetrack and campgrounds are flooded and the concert in the pavilion is canceled because the pavilion is flooded.

www.beechbend.com

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how does that work. Coasters I know (or at least I thought so) you work (worked) at coney. Do you guys just put everything that can float away on a truck and drive it somewhere?

Well, during the offeseason, a lot of stuff over at the pool is placed on trailers. The trailers are kept in the parking lot until the river waters start to threaten the park.

On a good note, the updated forecast for the Ohio River now puts the crest at 48.4 feet, as opposed to 51.1 feet. Which is good news for Coney, considering things are in full swing to get ready for the official opening on Memorial day weekend, and for the Appalachian Festival this weekend (the rides open this weekend). And yes, I am still working at Coney this year, although on weekends only.

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  • 2 months later...

Despite setbacks, owner has positive attitude:

...He’s built the Kentucky Rumbler - a record-breaking wooden roller coaster - and he’s expanding the water park, dropping more than $5 million to add a wave pool, a lazy river and a play structure with seven slides and dump buckets. The park already has a pool, five slides and a small play structure.

Jones has rebuilt the park, which has had its share of ups and downs over the years. Beech Bend goes back centuries when it was initially used as a picnic area to welcome soldiers back from the Civil War, said David Garvin, a Bowling Green businessman and former owner of Beech Bend.

Garvin’s father bought the property in 1942. He initially built a dance hall and a dining room and continued to use the property as a picnic area. Over the next 40 years, he gradually turned it into an amusement park, adding concession stands, a zoo, small rides and a campground. Garvin later helped his father construct the raceway....

http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/07/11/news/news4.txt

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The Press Release, July 28, 2005:

BOWLING GREEN, KY----The region's most twisted wooden coaster was announced this afternoon at Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon. "The yet-to-be named coaster will be the only coaster in the world to feature three exciting station fly-bys, built right into the station walls! You'll get plenty of up-close views of the high-speed train as it whizzes around the track," says park owner, Dallas Jones. "The coaster's first drop was inspired by the classic, but now extinct, Rye Aeroplane, considered to be one of the best wooden coasters ever built."

The coaster is being built by Great Coasters International, Inc. (their last project was Thunderhead at Dollywood). Great Coasters is known for building very smooth and very twisted coasters. The coaster's track length will be 2,827 feet long with a maximum elevation difference of 96 feet. It will feature a record 30 crossovers (anywhere the track crosses over or under another track) and will make riders feel weightless a total of 12 times. The coaster's top speed will be 70 feet per second, almost 50 miles per hour. The coaster's train will be a 24 passenger "Millennium Flyer" modeled after the classic coasters of the 20's and 30's.

"The "sculpted" ride structure will be one-of-a-kind and will be immediately recognizable in any photograph," says Jones. "This will be the single, largest ride expansion ever in the park's history." "We added the Wild Mouse Spinning Coaster this year which will make a total of four coasters for 2006." "We need help from coaster enthusiasts to name the new wooden coaster."

The park is sponsoring a "Name That Coaster" contest. Park goers can submit proposed names in the park's main gift shop or can email names via the park's website at beechbend.com. All entries must be dated and include the name, address, phone number and email address of the submitter. If the ultimate name of the coaster is chosen from one of the contest entrants, the winner will receive two season passes to the park for 2006 and will get to be the first riders on the coaster when it opens on May 6, 2006.

Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon is open daily through August 14, followed by selected weekend days through September 24th. For more information, log on to Http://www.beechbend.com or call 270-781-7634.

Any questions?

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The train literally flys right by the station...or, as in the case of Tremors, goes through a gift shop!

At the old Elitch Gardens, Mr. Twister and Wildcat were so close to each other, you could stand in one station (I think it was Mr. Twister's) and see Wildcat (I think) running behind the station...many thought that was a fly-by, but it was a different coaster!

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And back to the thread, perhaps a far important quote from that article I posted this morning:

...The park hit a snag about two months ago when torrential rains covered parts of it in about 38 feet of water, causing about $500,000 in damage. A concession stand and the campground's laundry and restrooms were destroyed. Nine buildings must be renovated or rebuilt. The racetrack was completely covered in water and some races were delayed three weeks.

Workers were in the midst of constructing the water park's addition when the flood hit. Several pipes were washed down the river.

"We spent two weeks walking down the riverbanks on both sides trying to find all the pipes we lost," Jones said.

They found all but nine pipes, but those were crucial and had to be reordered, further pushing back the water park's opening day. Now, Jones is unsure of when the water park will open.

"This was terrible," Jones said. "We just had our hands tied. We couldn't do nothing with it."

But as workers continue with water park construction, Jones has a sunny outlook for the park.

"I can see us growing the park for quite some time yet," he said.

http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/07/11/news/news4.txt

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I'm glad the park wasn't more damaged and was able to recover quickly. The floods in May were horrible and we lost a family friend to them.

Gonna have to visit the park sometime since it is not far from me. My only thing is there are only so many flat rides that I can handle, lol. Do want to check out that coaster though.

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