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On 2/11/17 several KIC members meet up for day of off season fun in Dayton at the National Museum of the US Air Force, dinner at Olive Garden, and fun at Scene 75. electricsun and I arrived at the Air Force about 9:20 as our meetup was planned at 9:30. This place is huge! I will let some of the pics speak for themselves, I did not come close to even touching what there is to see in the pictures. Lots to look at besides planes, war information and data to read. electric sun in a space suit. myself in a space suit. A KIC meetup would not be the same without riding something. malem, Goble, pianoman, and MDMC01 all took a ride in a simulator. Group photo. Plane walk through! More planes! CHugh43 and Maginta Lizard MDMC01 and pianoman Two moderators in the same plane, Malem and myself... What trouble! myself and electricsun Here we are in the new building that you must see if you have not gone! This is also the FOF hanger. #wheresgoble There are several presidential plans as well. Afterward we looked at the planes outside where Beastie1980 was able to join us. We then headed to Olive Garden for a awesome meal before heading to Scene75. We then went to Scene 75 where we played cosmic mini golf, rode bumper cars, (looked like boats) Go carts, mini bowling, and ski ball. My phone did not like the black lights so some are blurry. We then did their bumper cars. Next up, go carts! Next we are waiting on a lane to open for mini bowling. Here is Beastie1980 and I. Everyone intensely playing ski ball. We then made our way to Wendy's to talk about our day and wind the evening down. A few in the carpool waiting on a light. We had an awesome time and hope you can make it to the next meetup at Carowinds. Meetup thread here: https://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32685-kic-meetup-32517-at-carowinds/

Hello... only been about four years since I last posted... I don't think I ever posted a thread here on AE's design, but I did contact R&R Design years ago and spoke with the company's president, Rick Bastrup. He was kind enough to send me some incredible concept-art of the ride... Here's an incredibly-small picture of the Monorail crossing Adventure Express' track, from R&R's website... And here's an overview, circa 1993, of that... (source unknown)

Today is a really nice day in Louisville. There's only a slight chill in the air, but the sun is out and makes me look forward to the looming spring (my favorite time of year.) We were lucky this year and, knock wood, didn't have a really snowy/icy/bitter cold winter. it had it's moments, but overall it could be a lot worse. Why am I bringing this up? Because every year I marvel at the workers that labor in rain, sleet, snow, cold, hail, ice, wind, freezing temps etc all to build something we'll enjoy in much more pleasurable weather. Year after year the construction crews that assemble the new attractions at KI must face some pretty difficult elements. I hope this season, as each of us ride Mystic Timbers, we take a moment to think about those that braved the elements to help make magic for us. I know I certainly appreciate their hard work!

It has been rumored for a while that Diamondback is going to be gaining a no loose article policy this season. Basiclly just like Banshee you will not be allowed in the line with bags, cups, etc. I will be more surprised if it does not happen at this point.

I have not heard any rumors about the the bins on Diamondback and personally think their removal unlikely. However, if they were removed, I'd love it. Diamondback is my favorite ride at the park and the number of times I've seen all three trains stack up disappoints me.

I think the park should invest in more lockers in general and maybe reduce the rent price a little.

I know I am in the minority, but removing bins really would serve to make load in of rides much quicker and efficient. Hello Cedar Fair...give us the option for drink wristbands and/or putting them on our season pass card and much of the complaints go away.

Whenever I see older pictures of the the old Wild Animal Safari monorail station, it takes me back... In 1994, I went to KI and was dismayed at the fact that the Monorail was no longer in operation (If I recall properly, throughout that season the station, or at least the land it sat on remained empty.) I attended opening night (my first) for the unveiling of "Days of Thunder" simulator in 1994 and while there, I discovered the monorail had been demolished - and possibly the original entrance to the Wild Animal Habitat area was completely re-done. (In addition, the water under King Cobra was gone.) Then, fast forward to mid-season 1995, I saw what appeared to be a GIANT STEEL COASTER LOOP being assembled in that area of the park. The excitable and non-rational side of my brain thought "They tore out the monorail to install a GIANT coaster!" (even though the practical side of my brain thought "Naaaah, they just installed Top Gun.") Well, as the weeks wore on, imagine my dismay when I saw that the "GIANT STEEL COASTER LOOP" was actually the Skyflyer being installed. Wah waaaaaaah. (As far as I recall, the Skyflyer was actually installed while the park was already operating for 1995.) It was, actually, the first one I ever saw in person, but none-the-less I was really bummed. However that very same time period, I started noticing earth being moved back behind Racer... and we all know what happened back there... It's all a bit fuzzy, and I may have some of the timeline a bit twisted, but there were LOTS of changes in those days - not the least of which was the Paramount takeover. That having been said... I do distinctly recall a big SECRET from that time... Most don't know what ALMOST happened in 1995... and it involved the monorail NOT being removed. One word... MOVIERAIL.

I think this is what you're talking about.

Hi all! Some of you know me, many probably don't because I dont post like I did in year past. Let's just say KI and I go waaaaaaaay back. I have had a love affair with KI since I first heard about The Beast in 1979 and since I first attended in 1981 when the (original) Bat was new! Well, I have managed to keep tabs on the park for decades now. I was an avid coaster enthusiast for years, but my passion found it's birth in my early visits to KI. Throughout all my years of visiting the park, I collected souvenirs, collectibles, and other physical things. However I also amassed a lot of pictures (including rare, behind the scenes construction pictures), brochures, park maps, media kits, Press Releases etc. After years and years of sitting on a 4-drawer filing cabinet full of them, I finally decided I was being selfish by not sharing. So that's exactly what I am doing. I have created a FB page called "Sit on It." (It's a play on a slogan taken from a sign that used to hang in The Beast, and Racer stations. I loved the sign and always said if I were to create a site dedicated to my love of KI, that's what I'd call it!) So... I'd like to invite all of you to visit @SitOnItKI on FB. It's a work in progress... and I've only just begun to upload the hundreds of pictures, videos etc that I have dating back to Kings Islands opening years. All I ask is that you help me by giving credit to the page if you re-use one of my pictures, that will help promote it. Also, I welcome your nostalgic pictures and posts as well. I hope this isnt breaking any KICentral rules - I would have loved to contribute them - but frankly there's so many. My intent is to celebrate the wonderful park Kings Island has always been by looking back at it's past... and it's future! https://www.facebook.com/SitonItKI

^ The sooner you get to Nighthawk, the less chance you have of inadvertently riding something like Stinger at Dorney Park as your 100th. Not that I'd know anything about that.

^^ welcome back! You sure know how to make a comeback! Those are great pics

It does and it doesn't... I rode Adventure Express in it's first season and it was actually extremely well done. It was the 2nd half of a 2-part deal KI had made with R&R Creative (the folks that came up with Phantom Theater's theming.) They first designed Phantom Theater, and then moved on to the theming of Kings Islands new "Runaway mine train coaster" the park had in the works with Arrow Dynamics. Obviously the picture dramatizes some elements, but when it opened the theming was pretty over-the top. All the tunnels had fog, lighting effects, water splashes, animatronics etc. What exists now is, well, about 20% of it's original effects. *Side note* Did you know in Adventure Express' first couple of seasons of operation, the Wild Animal Safari Monorail actually passed through the ride area?

I mean, $1 for 1 hour is not bad, especially for a 2 hour minimum? I mean...

Haha. I learned that the hard way. With my post of RMC Adventure Express, That was my first post on this site.

You dare try to break the 11th commandment! haha, but to be serious, I don't see Adventure Express leaving soon. Its big and fun enough to not be classified as a children ride, but not a super thrilling attraction. AE is there to help ease to the bigger rides. Also the queue is almost full on most Saturdays and a somewhat decent lines on others days. Not to mention plenty of people adore the ride.

Holy thread bump again! I much prefer Scooby to Boo Blasters....but I'd much rather have Phantom Theater.

I do agree that Firehawk (2007, Cedar Fair's first full year) and the creation of X Base was a fantastic way to keep with the themed areas. But I do not believe Cedar Fair particularly cares too too much about the themed areas. Diamondback, a HUGE coaster, essentially took over Rivertown and got rid of the remaining ambiance of an old abandoned Ohio town by the river. Swan Lake had tons of trees before Diamondback, and some of you will remember that there was LOTS of more trees on the walk back to The Beast. Need I mention the Coney Mall sign removal for....more Coke products?? Sure, Paramount felt they could shove their movie-themed rides anywhere they wanted without regards to the theme of area, but it doesn't seem like Cedar Fair can theme much beyond some random creature (sometimes real {Diamondback, The Bat}, sometimes mythical {Valravn, Banshee}) and few rare props in a queue line. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Two Amazing pictures of Mystic Timbers.

I'm all registered and signed up for the 2 pm Beast Tour!

Looks like something new came in the mail today at Kings Island for WinterFest 2017. Photo from ki_entertainment on Instagram. Can't wait to see what they have in store!

Personally, it's way more convenient to have lockers for rides.. especially when i went to Cedar Point... i would hate walking to one locations between every ride. It's nice to have lockers semi close

I would rather see them raise the prices on ticket/season pass and just include the lockers for free.

Do you think if Diamondback goes from a no bin ride to lockers like Banshee it would become nearly as efficent or as efficent as Banshee? I don't think I've ever waited more than 20 minutes for Banshee and that was during Haunt. I love how quickly they push people thru on Banshee! A great crew indeed!

do you know how fast lockers would sell out lmao

Like 50 cents? [emoji14] a quarter per hour

I was just thinking this the other day, It would be great if you could get an "all day drink band" where they scanned the band and gave you a throw away cup VS. the bulky plastic ones. We quite buy them. We hated toting them around and putting them in lockers, bins, etc. The season pass addition would also be a great idea too! If you could buy an all season drink plan by itself (not on the dining plan) I would purchase that!

Wow. This is quite the thread bump! Nearly fifteen years since the last post, lol. That would be nice to have two sets of flyers. I don`t think that will happen though. It would be nice to get some classic flat rides added in Coney Mall though.

Yeah, I learned that people here are really attached to the coasters at KI.

How to easily anger KICers- talk about removing a coaster

Oh, my memory is total crap, make no mistake. I was just saying that since I don't really have any memories before '81, and Shaggy's pics went back to '81, maybe this house I remembered would be in his pics somewhere. I certainly would make no claim as to what year specifically my memory of the Fool House came from: my brain just doesn't work that way. Unless there was a major difference in my life at the time (like my earliest memories that mainly center around being in the hospital for open heart surgery at 4 1/2 years old) they all kind of run together into a hazy ball. I barely have been able to find the name of the place on previous web searches, so your added background info (along with the actual pic upthread) are extremely valuable to me.

A total of 811 bents were stood to construct The Beast.

I wouldn't doubt it, the park even said that guests will get the best view of MT from WWC. I'm speculating that train ridership will also increase before the Soak City season even begins.

Is it me or is it possible that this upcoming season that White Water Canyon will be more popular because of Mystic Timbers?

As for this mystery project, I'm going to guess a Wintefest light show near front gate (at that entrance where Don and the Entertainment people were standing) or maybe a house for fireworks (like a "Santa's Sleigh" projection).

I think that when Phantom was removed it was so the park could get rid of the massive expenses of Phantom. They went the cheap way with Scooby in 2003 and has been deteriorating ever since. I loved Scooby as a kid as I did Phantom and I do think that when Phantom was changed, it was a much more disappointing change then Boo Blasters from Scooby. Scooby and Boo are almost identical and never will reach the level of Phantom Theater. MaestroJr

Thank you very much for your time on this site, I wish you good luck for the future!

Thanks for all of the work you have put into the forum. My life has changed since I joined (and the bumpy road was paved [emoji6] ) Best of luck for the future!

Thanks for all you've done over the years Ryan. I joined this site in 2005 back when it was "pkicentral" and it's amazing how much it's grown since then. Good luck with your future endeavors!

Best of luck to you!

Best of luck to you.

^ Ha, thanks! I've been a Scooby Doo fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching the cartoon and still love him today. He's one of those classic characters that never get old!

Thank you so much for everything you did for this site the last 14 years. This site wouldn't be as great without the hard work you (Dane, and everyone else involved) put in over the years. It was a pleasure to talk to you when I met you at Woodstock Gliders during late night rides (I think Coasterstock 2015). Thank you and good luck with your future endeavors!

I wonder what they having planned for out by the KI Drive sign?

This was posted a few weeks ago, looks like it's something that's going to be in the front of the park...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQeQYedFbrZ/ Instagram/cpfoodblog ~~ It goes beyond the sign

BoddaH, Thank you. Thank you for all of your hard work. If it weren't for you, this website would not be here today. I just want to say, that in my awkward teen years, I always found this forum as a safe place to unwind, to learn and see other people with a different eye. Though I didn't join until 2013, I was an avid reader way back in the early 2000s. This website helped me stay sane and even happy. And you were a part of that magical experience. Keep doing what you love. Let that fire motivate you. You can do anything. I don't have to wish you luck. You create your own. I know you will succeed at whatever you choose to do next. We will all miss you. Thank you again for creating this website, it truly has touched peoples' lives around here. Sincerely, Eric

Thanks for all the work, and best wishes!

Repaint anyone?

They might swing back into action, but they sure won't snap.