Bob Joiner from Sterling Heights, MI has graciously allowed KICentral access to his awesome collection of park pictures dating from 1972 through 1992. Bob passed his love and passion for Kings Island to his family with these wonder Kings Island trips. Bob's son Jeff Joiner is also a Kings Island fan and loves visiting parks as well.

As Jeff had his own family of 2 girls and a boy, he also has made this tradition with his family who are now Kings Island fans as well. Their family have been to almost 100 parks in 8 countries. His son Logan runs the YouTube Channel Koaster Kids and Thrills United.  Logan is already apart of KI history as well, as he spoke at Coasterstock in 2017.

KICentral wants to thank Bob for sharing his wonderful collection of over 300 pictures with us. We also want to thank Jeff for getting them uploaded and shared to KIC and other Kings Island Enthusiast platforms. I think you will find that Bob's collection is an awesome representation of park history.

Here is Bob and Vicki Joiner in front of the original Bat in 1981.

 

 

 

Hear hear!  I said it before, I'll say it again - these are rare gems.  Bob is to be commended for taking them, as is Jeff for Sharing.

Thanks for posting them here at KIC as well.

That first picture (that I see, at least) of the Bavarian Beetle just boggles my mind, because you can see the park's boundaries so clearly and it's so different from what exists today. Just green, right outside the park. No larger parking lot. No developments (no weird movie theater/church), no campground or Great Wolf Lodge. No Action Zone. Just rides along the perimeter and it stops. 

I said it in the other thread that these were referenced in, but these have such a weird mix of discovery and nostalgia for me. Some of them were taken 10 years before I ever came to Kings Island, and it looks like a completely different park. And then there are other things that I remember from when I was a kid that I haven't thought about in years. 

There are some great pictures on this site, and I've been coming to KIC for well over a decade. I think this gallery is the best collection of photos I've seen from Kings Island. 

Those good pictures.  I like what King's Island looks like a long time ago.

Thank you do much for sharing!

Best thing I've seen on the web in a long time. Thanks for sharing.

There are some real interesting pictures in this gallery, thank you for taking the time to share them with us

Isn’t Logan Joiner the grandson of Bob?

This is amazing.  Being 51 I remember alot of these times.  Nice to be able to share with my grandchildren.  Thanks for sharing!

1 hour ago, ThrillKingsFitzy said:

Isn’t Logan Joiner the grandson of Bob?

Yes he is.

Random thoughts-

The lights on the Sky Ride at night were a really cool touch. 

Also gotta love the Demon colors where it faded from yellow to red on the loop. 

Would love to see some before and after shots from some of these. 

I forgot how congested Rivertown was with KCKC where it was.  The queue really jutted out into the midway.  Also equally congested was HBL with how random the ride placement was. 

The 90s photos really bring back memories.  I miss the big trees around the Tiques.  
 

Question- when was the tennis stadium built?

Awesome photos. The quality on some of the older ones is impressive. I especially enjoyed seeing The Bat. Watching the development of the park over the years, through this lens, is really cool. 

I do wish there was something to be done about the number of trees and foliage lost. 

Thanks for posting these pictures.  It was great to see some of the aerial and ride pictures of very rare-to-find attractions of the past.  It always amazes me how much the park has changed over the years.