pilotank

Doesn't LaQuinta use that song for it's commercials now? pilotank

Last night on Boomerang, at 7:55PM on 11/20/2008 after the Tom & Jerry Show, they played the opening of the Bananna Splits. On this opening, you could see The Turnpike, The Dodgem's and the Great Slide from Coney Island! Definitely a blast from the past. The visuals were excellent. pilotank

Isn't that the truth? I try not to think about that part. If they only had anti-biotics back then! pilotank

Thanks for the great web sites! Now if they could only do something with the modified sugar high fructose corn syrup. pilotank

The Giggler was a ride 400 feet long that featured eccentric motion. The Whirlpool had mysterious caves and gave illusions of going over water falls similar to the Niagra. pilotank

I often heard, but never confirmed that Cocaine used to be the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola! pilotank

Show this to your children and grandchildren The year is 1908. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 : ************ ********* ********* ****** The average life expectancy was 47 years. Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles Of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower! The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour. The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year . A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME . Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. ' Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke The American flag had 45 stars. The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!! Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health. There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. ! In 1908, the Island Queen transported the committee notifying William Howard Taft that he received the Republican presidential nomination. CI constructed a new playground for the children. Two new major attractions were added, The Giggler and The Whirlpool. A new outdoor show at the grandstand was entitled "Darktown Fire Brigade Fighting the Flames" $1000.00 was spent on fireworks every night! Admission was $1.00 Most rides were $.10 for adults and $.05 for children. Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Do you have attendance figures for Coney? It seemed to be a banner year. Even the rain for July 3rd didn't seem to discourage the masses. pilotank

Not to mention if you sign-up early, you get 4 passes to Perfect North Slope. That almost pay's for the passes! pilotank

Since it's getting close to Halloween, I thought this was interesting. I was watching Scarriest Places on Earth and a former amusement park was depicted. It was Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia. Lake Shawnee has countless recordings of Paranormal Activity. It was a former site of a Shawnee Indian massacre on white settlers.. For more information, check out these web sites. http://www.pbase.com/kstuebin/hauntedamusementpark http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity...showtopic=11124 Might be a nice road trip for paranormal/amusement park entthusiast. pilotank

Is that the reason they pulled it? Apparently it's not available anymore. pilotank OOOPS! It just came up again. pilotank

Is that the reason they pulled it? Apparently it's not available anymore. pilotank

The you-tube video shows the lock in the aerial portion of the video at the 00:25 mark. It looks farther east than Coney, closer to River Downs. pilotank

Found another you-tube video of Coney Island history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-N1Fb-YEic...feature=related pilotank

Thanks, that is great! You can see the locks or dam(?) crossing the Ohio river at the 00:25 mark during the aerial portion of the video. pilotank

From this statement, virtually every knowledgeable reader would divine: Before the sale could take place in 1971 (there was no "sale in 1971", and *I* am the one who needs to learn Coney Island history?--but I digress...), it was prohibitive....prohibitive means difficult or nearly impossible...it COULD be done but would not be practical...to compete with Kings Island. The simple fact is before 1971, it was not just prohibitive to compete with Kings Island, it was impossible, as there was no Kings Island. I believe the word pilotank was searching for was prohibited, not prohibitive. This reading is the only plausible reading by a knowledgeable reader trying to make sense of what pilotank wrote, as CoastersRZ has pointed out, there was NO SALE in 1971. Let's keep this simple; 1-Coney closed in Sept. 06, 1971 2-Taft immediately placed CI for sale-asking price 3.8 million 3-Any business or person agreeing to purchasing CI had to agree not to use it as an Amusement Park and/or directly compete with KI 4-In 1975, Taft took it off the market, since there was no actual bids on the property. 5-Now Coney is free to return to it's glory days if it so chooses. Not an english major: pilotank

The 3 million attendance came from the documentary : Greetings From Coney Island, Cincinnati. However, I too agree this number is exagerated because of the number of patrons per day to achieve this (appx. 30,000/day). The no compete clause was an agreement the purchaser would have to agree to. I know this because I had a relative that worked for Taft during that time. I know it's hear-say evidence since he is now deceased, but there are several references in the book Cincinnati's Coney Island. pg. 192 1962-1971 pg. 198 1972 to date pg.199 1972 to date pilotank

Great Pictures! Thanks, pilotank

I know it will probably never happen, but... Let's bring back a substantial portion of that Coney Island nostalgia! Adding a Shooting Star type wooden coaster would be great, but bringing back Coney like it use to be, would be the top of my wish list. Again, probalbly would never happen... but nice to wish upon a shooting star! pilotank

Uh, the company that owned Coney Island in 1971 was the company that opened Kings Island in 1972. Before 1971, it wasn't just prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park...there was no reason to: a. there was no Kings Island to compete with and b. the same company owned both properties. You need to know Coney's history! The park was put up for sale after it's closing by Taft Broadcasting in Septenber 1971. There were no buyers. The stipulation of competition with KI was stipulated in any Buyer's agreement. In 1975, the head of Taft Broadcasting Charles S. Mechem Jr., took the For Sale sign off Coney. Mechem did make make it clear that Coney would not nor could not compete directly with KI. In 1987 Linder bought Coney with the Great American Financial Corp., then later bought KI. Lindner sold Coney to Ronald F. Walker's Park River Corp. in 1991 for 3.8 million, the original price Taft wanted after the park's closing in 1971. In 1992 Linder sold KI to Paramount. So now Coney can do what they want, including direct competition with KI as an Amusement Park. pilotank

Although Coney continues to do well, it would be great to continually have it upgrade. Before the sale of Coney could take place back in 1971, it was prohibitive to compete with KI as an amusement park. Now, wtih the sale of KI thrice over, Coney can actually return to it's former glory. It was voted America's Favorite Amusement Park several times and everyone I talk with, the consensus is that it could easily become top notch again and draw like it use too. Coney drew over 3 million when it closed in 1971. Alas, it all comes back to the ownership and what she wants done. An advising board made of owners/workers and some patrons would be nice to have. I would definitely volunteer for the betterment of Coney! pilotank

It would be great if you could possibly post some pictures! pilotank

That's good news about UC! It will be hard to envision UC on semesters. Also, twice all parking spaces were all taken in the west lot, the east lot and River Downs. I know one day was during Kroger day when they also had a sold out concert that night. pilotank

I don't know what the numbers are, but just from an observer it seemed more patrons were at SunLite Pool this year than I can remember. On Friday's and week-ends with large company picnics, the pool was at capacity many times. There was several times, all of the parking spaces were taken and I ended up parking across the street. After the new slide comes in, Sunlite Pool seems to be holding it's own. The rides section needs the most attention. Also, with UC going to semesters next year, will that have an effect on the park employees? After the third week in August, it appeared that it was mostly UC students at the helm and keeping Coney full spped ahead. pilotank

Technically, The Great Wolf Lodge is open year round. It is kepy at a balmy 80 degrees and the rides stay open all year! They have a great New Year's party, also. pilotank