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Kings Mills Log Flume?


Face/OffJZ
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I think there is a bit of confusion between the two flumes that existed at KI...

King's Mill Log Flume (Which opened at KI in 1972) still exists. It was re-furbished and transformed into "The Wild Thornberries River Adventure." It was originally designed by Arrow Development for Cincinnati's Coney Island, and I believe was installed there in 1968. It was then meticulously relocated to KI when CCI closed and KI opened. Later, it was SBNO for 2 seasons at the turn of the millenium while the park pondered what to do with it. With 30 years of operation under it's belt, the ride was wearing out. The park decided to keep it for not only nostalgia's sake, but also so that they could keep a flume operating in the park. (By then, the park was already in initial design/development/preperation for the install of Tomb Raider.) It was refurbished by O.D. Hopkins, re-themed and reopened as part of a Nick Expansion.

Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal is gone. It opened in 1973, and was one of 3 (I believe) Arrow Hydroflumes installed in the U.S. The others are located at Hersheypark and Cedar Point. Hershey's Coal Cracker was opened in 1973, the same year as KI's and still operates. Cedar Point's White Water Landing was opened in 1982. However, it was closed following this recent season to be removed for a future attraction.) Here's a link to it's demolition photos:

http://www.pointbuzz.com/wwlremove.htm

Hydroflumes are different from other typical Arrow Flumes in that they have a dueling drop that has 2 chutes to allow for a greater capacity. They also were designed to allow for larger final drops. KI's had a Drop of 45 feet, I believe, while Hershey's was 49' and CP's was 45'. These hydroflumes are also unique in that you first climb a lift, and most of the course of the ride is raised in the air. Most early flumes reside close to, in, or on the ground. These models also culminated a large drop with a camelback hump at the bottom to cause a weightlessness sensation. These Hydro Flumes also featured (I believe) the first turntable loading stations on a flume ride.

Time was not kind to the rides and PKI's was the first to bite the dust. The rides simply have worn out and have seen their day. PKI's in particular became a low interest attraction with a very low ridership. It also was deemed necessary to either refurbish it or remove it for maintenance reasons. Tomb Raider took the place of the Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal. The ride was scrapped.. with only the boats being salvaged. Thus it cannot be re-installed.

Shaggy

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Later, it was SBNO for 2 seasons at the turn of the millenium while the park pondered what to do with it.

Actually it was only SBNO for only one season. It was not open for the 2000 season. It did indeed run for the 1999 season. In 2001 it reopened as The Wild Tornberry's River Adventure.

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Those pictures look an awful lot like my bedroom... dry.gif

Anyway, KKC was my first log flume. I remember riding it because I went with my dad and one of his friends. Both of them were picking on me about how wet i was going to get, but when we got off I was bone dry and they were absolutely soaked. cool.gif

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Yes, the last few years KCKC was open, it was looking like it needed a little TLC. As I remember it, the Kings Mills Log Flume stood SBNO most of the 2000 season, although they did remove the part of the trough that was eventually replaced with stainless steel by now defunct OD Hopkins by the end of the 2000 season. KCKC was SBNO as well the final weekends of the 2000 season, when it was cold and most people would not care to ride on a water ride.

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  • 8 years later...

The other thing nice about Hershey's Coal Cracker is how it meanders through the Comet Hallow area. There are some excellent views of Great Bear and Sooperdooperlooper to be had.

Still a bit irked they dwarfed Comet though. I don't care how good Skyrush may be, but before its arrival, Comet and the area around it was, IMO, one of the most beautiful areas of any amusement park ever. But alas, the power of Intamin compelled Hershey. The area still looks pretty good, but Skyrush just sticks out like a sore thumb.

You may now return to your current Kings Island log flume topic.

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I too hope for a new flume ride at KI some day. Under the current Cedar Fair leadership, the Timber Mountain Log Flume was refurbished at Knott's Berry Farm last year. That ride is amazing. I don't think there is an official POV, so I won't post any links, but check out that ride if you haven't seen it before.

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In my opinion, the park should tear down the old Tomb Raider building and build a new log flume ride there. As mentioned above, O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc. is now defunct as of 2005, however it was bought out by another manufacturing firm and is now called Hopkins Rides and is still in business making log flume attractions. So there is still a possibility of bringing back a ride similar to Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal.

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Honestly, I think our water ride lineup is pretty darn good. We have the classic family-friendly flume, an adequate Shoot-the-Chutes (I don't see much variation in these, so ours is as good as anyone's) and possibly the best rapids ride I've ever ridden (Kennywood's is close, but WWC is simply fantastic). I don't see much need for any other dry park water rides.

Now the water park... a ProSlide HydroMagnetic water coaster would be pretty cool. It might even get me to visit at some point.

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  • 3 months later...

While I am not a fan of resurrecting a thread from October, I see that this thread has experienced a resurrection spanning a much longer time period, so...so be it.

I remember two flume rides before Amazon Falls (now Congo Falls) was installed, and honestly before White Water Canyon. I don't remember what they were named, though. I was a kid and for me it was "Big Log Ride" and "Small Log Ride". I believe Kings Mills was the "big" one. As a kid, the thrill was getting wet. Now, I think I would welcome a calming ride like I remember riding through the woods on a flume and then a drop that splashes riders (and cools you off in the summer).

Regardless, they're both gone, right?

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The smaller log flume is still present, it is now called "Race For Your Life Charlie Brown". The large log flume is the one that is gone, it is now the resting place of what was once called Tomb Raider: The Ride (may it rest in peace).

EDIT: Magenta beat me to it!!!

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