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2 hours ago, gforce1994 said:

And if a character of a tv show could best represent the fair board, it be the Soup shop owner from the Seinfeld’s.

That's a good one.  They remind me of Boss Hogg, Roscoe Coltrane, Cletus, and Enus.  I was going to include Cooter, but I think he was a good guy.

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2 hours ago, Rivertown Rider said:

Hopefully they are able to work this out.  One would think the fair board would realize that KK is their most important tenant.

While Kentucky Kingdom is the largest tenant, do not think they are really that important to the fair board or the facility as a whole.  The state fair brings in something like ten times the money that the park pays on its lease.  Also the giant expo center is used year round for conventions.  The bad part is that the park entrance is across from the main expo center entrance so basically people want to park in the same lots if they are at the fairgrounds for the park or for an event.

I did a quick google search and found the budget for 2015-2016.  KEC as a whole brought in $40.5 million, according to KK they pay around a million a year.  So they are only two and half percent of the total revenue from the entire facility.

I do hope the two work this out quickly.  But I worry the layout of the parking and the facility does not allow for a resolution of the parking lawsuit which will satisfy the park.

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^I guess that will be determined in the lawsuit.  The lease says, as I understand it from what Mr. Hart said at the press conference, is that KK gets first come, first served access with the fee it pays for passholder parking.  (I assume this is always the case with daily admission except when parking is blocked off).  I also infer that the Fair Board is blocking the access off.  I've been there a few times and the lots closest to the park were being used for Ag exhibits, car shows etc.  I think that is where the beef is.  

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Just now, SonofBaconator said:

I'm no legal expert but I still can't understand how a lawsuit is just now being field. Wouldn't the Fair Board see the plans for the ride before its even announced so they could approve it?

Timing, as they say, is everything. Who just announced a new coaster? Who's filing the lawsuit? If you go back through these 232 pages, you'll see Hart and the Fair Board haven't exactly had cordial relations over the years. Though he may temporarily be gone from here, Terpy's posts on this subject are also very informative.

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The lawsuit was filed in July. The lawsuit is regarding alleged violations of the lease with the Fair Board and parking arrangements. KK is likely to win and the Fair Board was trying to intimidate the park with the delay of construction...to get the park to drop the suit. This is my understanding from watching the press conference. The suit has nothing to do with the coaster.

I'm no legal expert but I still can't understand how a lawsuit is just now being field. Wouldn't the Fair Board see the plans for the ride before its even announced so they could approve it?


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54 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Parking would be such a non-issue for everyone involved if parks just brought back the trams.  But that is never going to happen

Holiday World and Hersheypark still have them. I believe Knoebels does to some extent as well.

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^I haven't been to the State Fair in years, but when I've been on backstage tours at KK, the expansion area has been called overflow parking.  I have no idea what the height restriction is, but I would love to see the park expand in the "concert area" of the map above (of course, excluding the cemetery) and not the area they are allowed.

 

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1 hour ago, gforce1994 said:

It also was pointed out to the site I help out with that the land used by the State Fair Board for parking was the same land they leased to KK for expansion. Could this have been their motives?

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.

 

The small amount of parking on that lot is not worth fighting over.  I could see it being payback for the lawsuit.  But honestly I suspect it’s just the fair board is used to working on their own schedule.  From what I heard the park only made the request about 2 months ago.

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  • 1 month later...
27 minutes ago, jtro223 said:

The park has released a POV of Kentucky Flyer.  Looks fun!  Also, they appear to continue to underpromise and overdeliver.

Looks like it will be a nice addition to their park! Wish it was a little bit longer. I recently moved to Louisville and will be making a trip there when it opens in the spring.

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2 hours ago, Phantom Theater said:

Looks like it will be a nice addition to their park! Wish it was a little bit longer. I recently moved to Louisville and will be making a trip there when it opens in the spring.

If I can offer some advice:  Don't go in expecting a KI experience.  I love KK and they do so many things right, but it is a small park and not part of a chain.  So you may see coasters only running one train and slow loading times.  They have a great coaster collection and (I'm told), a great flat collection.  (I really only do the Drop Tower which is pretty good!)  Food service is good and affordable.  Definitely recommend Taco Tequila.  

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3 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Looks like someone standing in front of a blue/green screen with nothing on it. Did they forget to add the surrounding landscape or just did not pay to have that added in?

But it's a Gravity Group woodie, what else do you need?  ;)  Cross threading, remember that, @IndyGuy4KI?  lol

 

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1 hour ago, jtro223 said:

If I can offer some advice:  Don't go in expecting a KI experience.  I love KK and they do so many things right, but it is a small park and not part of a chain.  So you may see coasters only running one train and slow loading times.  They have a great coaster collection and (I'm told), a great flat collection.  (I really only do the Drop Tower which is pretty good!)  Food service is good and affordable.  Definitely recommend Taco Tequila.  

Thanks for the tips!! I definitely wouldn't be expecting a KI experience. I've read a lot about their history and I'm surprised they've made it this far. They've had an incredible turnaround and it's exciting to see that they are committed to installing more coasters and flats. I've read that they do some kind of special drink deal where they're free or a $1 or something, so that will be nice.

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^Drink cups are $1 with a season pass, don't bother with the souvenir bottle unless you just want the bottle.  For a year or two, drinks were free with a season pass but that changed this year when they switched from Coke to Pepsi.

I saw what this park was like under SIX and vowed never to return.  I am glad I did.  After seeing the YouTube videos of it in ruins and seeing where it is now it makes me have a fondness for it.  If you like waterparks, it is ranked fairly well.  I don't do water parks.

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  • 4 months later...

Went to the media day for Kentucky Flyer yesterday.  That is a very nice coaster.  I wasn't expecting much because of the smaller size, but it is smoooooth with lots of airtime.  Good layout, slightly themed, I guess to the airport.  I have never been on a GG coaster, so it was a new experience for me.  The trains are so comfortable.  They look cool but weird.  Very strange not having a seat belt.  Overall, a great addition to the park.  They are doing so many good things there.  

The park started the event with a meal in the picnic pavilion.  The BBQ was very good, it had some chunky coleslaw and corn as sides.  I didn't try the coleslaw, the corn was awesome.  The had a mac and cheese bar, three different kinds of mac and different toppings.  Fruit and shrimp bar, but I don't eat seafood.  

The employees were outstanding.  The park, what we could see of it on the walk over, looked great.  It was interesting to see some of the waterpark attractions getting filled with water.

I saw lots of LED uplight fixtures on trees.  The park is usually closed when it's dark, I wonder what that is for?

 

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9 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Went to the media day for Kentucky Flyer yesterday.  That is a very nice coaster.  I wasn't expecting much because of the smaller size, but it is smoooooth with lots of airtime.  Good layout, slightly themed, I guess to the airport.  I have never been on a GG coaster, so it was a new experience for me.  The trains are so comfortable.  They look cool but weird.  Very strange not having a seat belt.  Overall, a great addition to the park.  They are doing so many good things there.  

The park started the event with a meal in the picnic pavilion.  The BBQ was very good, it had some chunky coleslaw and corn as sides.  I didn't try the coleslaw, the corn was awesome.  The had a mac and cheese bar, three different kinds of mac and different toppings.  Fruit and shrimp bar, but I don't eat seafood.  

The employees were outstanding.  The park, what we could see of it on the walk over, looked great.  It was interesting to see some of the waterpark attractions getting filled with water.

I saw lots of LED uplight fixtures on trees.  The park is usually closed when it's dark, I wonder what that is for?

 

I'm glad to hear that it's a great addition to the park. The Timberliner trains have to be some of my favorite coaster trains. I really enjoyed them on Wooden Warrior at Quassy. 

I am also glad to hear that the park is looking great, I've only been to the park twice, once for King Louie's Winter Walk-through and for a 1.5 day trip a couple of summers ago. I'm looking forward to going back now, especially with your report! :)

Thanks for the update!!

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