Pavers on International Street

[frisbeefan]

From Kings Islands Facebook page:

Visitors to Kings Island this weekend will notice the blacktop at the front of International Street when you enter the park has been replaced with brick pavers. Park hours are 10am-10pm Friday and Saturday, and from 10am-8pm Sunday.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/visitkingsisland

[bkroz]

Notice, of course, that that's Kings Dominion. And, during the Paramount years... AND during the old logo era of the Paramount years. Why is that park always a step ahead?

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Splendid! Now if they can just get the background music right.

[DropZone99]

This is great news! Kings Dominion's International Street looks way better than ours, but now ours will look a little bit better!

[Shaggy]

Notice, of course, that that's Kings Dominion. And, during the Paramount years... AND during the old logo era of the Paramount years. Why is that park always a step ahead?

Actually, Canada's Wonderland was ahead of them all... nearly the entire park used pavers when the park opened. Brick pavers are a costly, but very nice esthetic improvement to a park. They are much easier on the feet and they do not heat up the way blacktop does.

Here's a pic of Wonderland back in the early 1980s... notice what's on the ground in front of the main entrance...

[bkroz]

I have said before and I'll say again: I believe that, to the casual observer visiting all three of the original KECO Parks, it would be blatantly obvious that Kings Island was a "prototype." Both Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland are much more beautifully landscaped, have used paver bricks for years, and arguably have the two best International Streets - it's much more Universal-detailed, with more details in upper floors, more texture to the buildings, more beautiful fountains. Again, I think it's because Kings Island is very "clean" and corporate - with the Shamu-tank colored fountains, tidy landscaping and pastel colored buildings. Both Kings Dominion and Wonderland are more "free," with quirkier buildings, natural looking fountains, and wilder landscaping.

Kings Island's entrance is the big, flat, 70's-looking International Restaurant (which I actually do like, the way that it blocks out the fountains until you're right up on them) whereas Kings Dominion's is meant to look like a castle, complete with turrets and authentic-looking lanterns... I just mean that, in photo comparisons or real-life comparisons, it's really quite obvious that Dominion & Wonderland were built once KECO had some money in its pockets... Look at Canada's Wonderland's Paramount Theater sometime - Their themeing has weathered many owners with many different intentions, and remains in tact where Kings Island's has not been so lucky. The only thing that Kings Island really has that the other parks don't is a much more simple, sensical layout. However, I may only feel that way since it's a layout I'm more used to.

Kings Island, of course, remained the flagship and got a bulk of the good attractions both under Taft and Paramount, but as far as the basic, stripped down park, Kings Dominion and Wonderland have it beat easily, in my opinion. At least, in the forms they exist in today.

[The Interpreter]

I know the park reads this place.

I know they do.

Please remember to keep the heavy motor vehicles off the pavers.

It will pay in the long run....

[Coney Islander]

I must say that I'm really starting to love Cedar Fair.

After the 'flops' immediately upon the takeover, Cedar Fair let the park managers take over and really improve the parks... All the small things. And I must say, even without Diamondback and Firehawk in the mix, the park is improved, and the margin has been increasing rather quickly.

Remember the Paramount days when most everything was corporate?

Edit- Fixed

[bkroz]

Remember the Paramount days when everything was corporal?

Er... corporate? Yes. One thing I don't miss is the in-your-face advertising.

These smaller, infrastructure improvements are fantastic!

[The Interpreter]

Corporal: Of the human body. Or a rank in the military.

I believe you meant corporate. And if you think parks had no autonomy to make decisions under Paramount Parks, you are mistaken. They were given established budgets and general guidelines, but much of the decision making was local. Probably more of it than Sandusky allows now.

[Coney Islander]

^

Maybe the individual parks have recently received an increase in funding? Its odd how quick the number of park improvements are picking up, seemingly all of the sudden... Or maybe I just didn't pay as much attention before I joined KICentral.

[The Interpreter]

I believe it would be the latter.

Note the major ride additions at Kings Island this year...no major ride addition means money available for general improvements. In point of fact, the capital improvements budget this year, per park, was substantially reduced at most parks compared to past years...especially given the major additions at Cedar Point, Kings Dominion and Carowinds....

This was even more the case at the place that numbers its flags and is now known as an Entertainment Corporation.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I think the the pavors will add some new charm to the area...idk how to explain it, but think of it, the music, the cool mist of the fountins, the sounds of guests lauging, the smell of Skyline, the Eiffel in the distance, and then the warm glow of the redish/pink pavors on the ground!

Ah, lovely!

[The Interpreter]

And the sound of Pink Floyd or The Black Eyed Peas as the music?

Sigh.

[bkroz]

To be honest, I was much more impressed with the park's soundtrack this year than another other Cedar Fair year prior. Does it belong on International Street? No. But it was actually somewhat "magical" to walk out of the park, fountains blazing, and '

' playing over the speakers. That song, in particular, seems very, very appropriate for International Street due to the strings, harp, and piano. It just brought back the days of grand music in my head, and I think it fit perfectly.

I'm no musical expert, but I went home and listened to the song - the way that the words seem to trail off into the distance during the chorus was really exaggerated by the echoing of the sound system, and it was actually very beautiful - there were a few times I would've sworn that the fountains synchronized to the music, and that's something I've always longed for.

The fact that it was playing as I exited the park, though, was a coincidence, and I wouldn't be very happy had it been Black Eyed Peas, as you said.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

well Mr. Terpy you just took my post and killed it...Ok, fine, go back a few years with the "epic" music playing that actually fit Interantional Street, and then plug in the rest of my post...

sigh.

[The Interpreter]

I only wish we could. I loved your post. Cedar Fair's Kings Island's entrance music I also love, but NOT at Kings Island's entrance. It is more appropriate for...Cedar Point....or most Six Flags parks (not Georgia, please).

Meanwhile, what plays over at Worlds of Fun? Yep, part of Paramount Parks' old entrance music sound track.

Go figure.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I still miss the theme of Indiana Jones playing and all the others...aww sad days on International street....

[bkroz]

Meanwhile, what plays over at Worlds of Fun? Yep, part of Paramount Park's old entrance music sound track.

Terpy is the one who first brought this up, but I must reiterate it: The music on International Street seems to be one of those things that Cedar Fair changed only because they could. It's clear that the Paramount music is still available, since it's playing at another park (and better yet, one that never was and likely never will be connected to Paramount in any way - they had to physically send it there after removing it from Kings Island!). In fact, music that is obviously & blatantly linked to Paramount is playing at Worlds of Fun, Kings Dominion, and Great America (that I know of off the top of my head).

In other words, it's clear that it could be used at Kings Island if they wanted it to be.

[Aaron88stang]

I still miss the theme of Indiana Jones playing and all the others...aww sad days on International street....

At least they are still playing the Indiana Jones music over at the AE station.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

haha, very true. How they get away with it I am not sure.

[The Interpreter]

Music rights are licensed differently than character usage, etc. Generally, anyone can play any music in a public setting, as long as they pay the appropriate licensing fee, if any...

[LongliveKingsCobra]

Oh yes, I heard that before. Hmm, then why is it so hard to play it on International Street?

[bkroz]

It's not.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I assumed it wasn't.

[The Interpreter]

Someone wants to prove it's their park and they can do what they want. And will. For now.

Note that a couple of seasons ago, Great Adventure played Paramount Parks gate-type music at their grand entrance until noon each day...after which they switched to what sounded eerily like what Kings Island plays nowadays.

[TTD-120-420]

What type of music did they play? I don't know about you guys but I love "Living On a Prayer" playing during the fireworks!

[The Interpreter]

What type of music did they play?...

For brilliant examples, see:

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21385&view=findpost&p=376339

[Dbfan]

They hinted this on the 5@5 thread I think monday. I figured it was new pavement, but this looks much better!

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I remember when working and as a guest of Kings Island that all the areas had thier own music that was geared to match the area. Rivertown had country, HB Land (all name changes through the years) had HB themed cartoon songs,Coney Mall had 1890ish to early 1900ish songs, one I always liked was: "Yes, sir that's my baby, yes sir that's my baby, yes sir that my sweety pie..", Octoberfest had German music, and International Street had French accorian music. Now it is like listening to an oldie radio station. Under Paramount I enjoyed the movie theme music. I would like to see each area return to having their own music geared for each area, like in the past.