jandyb79

I have several park maps (for guests) dating back as far as 1973 when they were full sized posters. I kept one each year that I worked at the park, in addition to the ones I saved from earlier trips. I believe I have 1991, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 and 97. I will scan those as well when I pull them from storage. ~Josh

Because it was installed in 1995.* (* Xtreme Skyflyer was known as Drop Zone from 1995 to 1999) I know this isn't reflected on the map (remember this map was not used by the general public), but I'm fairly confident that they renamed Drop Zone to Xtreme Skyflyer in 1996. The reason I say that is the games department ran the video cameras and registers for that ride and we were asked not to refer to Skyflyer as Drop Zone. This was in preparation for the new ride Drop Zone that was to be placed in the Coney Mall - initially. I may be off one year (either 96 or 97), but I know it was no later than 97 (which was the last full season I worked at the park in the 90's). ~Josh

Tomorrow I'll scan it to one page rather than combine the 2 pages so the image is not compressed. Unfortunately this is the only training booklet I have since they did not require you to go through orientation, if you were on rehire status, 2 years in a row. This image actually came out of my sisters manual when she was hired on in 1996. My 1995 booklet has since been lost. I believe it came with a foldout map as well. ~Josh

I was going through some items in preparation to move this spring and located one of my old employee manuals. In the back there is a park map rendering along with the key index sheet referencing buildings and attractions. I thought some of you would enjoy this since there has been some talk about park history and placement of old rides and attractions. Enjoy

I don't know if this will help, but I attached a more clear photo, of that same angle, I had of the Coney Mall from around 1980. Note The Bat construction underway in the background...

This is the one that always sticks out from my childhood I wish someone could turn up the original promo for Adventure Express. Thats one of the more memorable commercials for me! ~Josh

The reason that sign was up was because they had originally planned on putting the Drop Tower on Flight Commanders ride pad. If memory serves me correctly, the original Drop Tower/Drop Zone was planned to be around 200ft until another park broke that record. Paramount then determined that it was necessary to relocate the ride to a site that would accommodate the weight of the tower. The Drop Zone tower planned for KI in 1997 was installed at Canada's Wonderland. KI made the decision, after initially promoting the Drop Tower in park, to expand the waterpark instead. Cedar Point was also expanding their waterpark (Soak City) in 1997 and KI opted to directly compete with them. The decision to install the gyro drop in what is now Action Zone, was not made until the 1998 season when Al Webber pushed to renovate the Adventure Villiage section of the park. This decision came in preperation for the future install of SOB and as a desire to re-invigorate that area of the park. The weight of the tower had little to do with the placement change. No matter where it would have gone, the immense steel girders would have had to be pounded into the ground to support it. The re-theme of the area is what promted it's install location. Shaggy That's very insightful info! I can't help but laugh when I read the facts behind decisions that were made by park executives vs the stories that we employees were told. I suppose at one point there was an element of truth in what stories made their way around the staff at KI, but several ambiguous assumptions obviously took presence.

The reason that sign was up was because they had originally planned on putting the Drop Tower on Flight Commanders ride pad. If memory serves me correctly, the original Drop Tower/Drop Zone was planned to be around 200ft until another park broke that record. Paramount then determined that it was necessary to relocate the ride to a site that would accommodate the weight of the tower.

I'm actually really happy about this ride being placed in Coney Mall! I'm not a huge fan of spinning rides, but it gives the park a reason to freshen up that side of the park! In any case, KI lends enough in the thrill arena to make way for a more family oriented ride. I believe that it matters less what you have and more who you are with that makes for a fun time! As for location, I agree that it will be placed either on or next to the old Flight Commander ride pad. I remember hearing a lot of talk about that site being suggested for new ride additions in the following seasons when I was still working for KI, so that location makes perfect sense to me (and seems to suggest this in the digital renderings). However, I really wish they would've used that old ride pad for the Flying Eagles/Scooters instead of relocating it! Just my opinion...

It will be a neat treat to see this if you are able to post the video. I have some good memories of working out at the park that season and love seeing anything related to mid to late 90s ~Josh

I have several copies of this documentary on vhs if anyone is interested (still in the shinkwrap). I have no idea if it was ever made available on DVD, but still my favorite amusement park doc ~Josh

Nice! I love seeing those perfectly sculpted ginko trees. Thanks for sharing

I too grew up going to Camden Park, so I can appreciate the sensation of walking into Kings Island for the first time and being awestruck! I hope you and your family have a great time. I may have to take a trip to Huntington this summer and catch a ride on the Big Dipper ~Josh

I love this show and found this particular episode very inetersting http://www.cbs.com/p...ver_boss/video/ ~Josh

The skyline would look normal again...and clean I can't look at SOB without counting all the non-symmetrical planks along the lift-hill. However, having rides like SOB and DB as points of reference gives you a a better understanding of how large/wide this park really is. So in that light, SOB is tolerable. ~Josh

I suspect that any new additions will be added in the Coney Mall area next year (or year after). If you'll notice there is a rotation for each area due for renovating, and the Mall hasn't been touched up in years. I believe that they will eventually use the area where the old Flight Commander pad sits (maybe the pad itself will eventually be used for a flat ride), in addition to the cleared unused space on that end of the Mall. JMO ~Josh

The cicada situation out by flight deck in 08' was out of control. I remember a kid getting blasted in the face with one as we went down the first drop. He was still wiping it off after we returned to the station. As for bug blows I have sustained over the years, I can only recall getting smacked in the eye with a few ufo's and coasting through a few swarms of knats on the Kentons Cove water flume. ~Josh

I second that. I prefered the dark blue color, but this is definitely better than the lavender.

Here's a quick slideshow for interested parties. All photos were taken with permission with the intent of preserving KI history. Enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjggm_iVhc0

One of the engineers who was working on DB told me that they would be lifting one of the main support beams on this given day and thought that I would like to see it. Luckily I had my digital camera in my car and grabbed it at lunch and was able to capture a few shots of this happening: The auto focus was off, but what you see is what you get I have several others that I may get around to posting some day. In the mean time, enjoy!

They roam around the park and take pictures of themselves doing things like this: No seriously, Kings Islands new fiscal year starts in January, so in a nutshell - as Terpy pointed out, they begin planning and preparing for the upcoming season. November is the month where everyone is trying to figure out what to do. I was good friends with some of general labor workers (rides maintenance, carpenters, plumbers, etc.) and they were awaiting orders on where to begin work - with some confusion. December is the month most full-time employees are encouraged to spend their vacation hrs. By January the off season is in full swing.

I spent the majority of my life at the park in the 90's, so here's my short list of tunes: The Sign - Ace of Base Hook - Blues Traveler 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins Of course there are theme songs that when heard remind me of PKI that are likely shared with more than a few here: Top Gun anthem Secret of my success theme Pink Panther Forest Gump theme

I feel that I need to interject a thought about my choice of the word "complain" to KI about this issue. I have always felt that if you want to accomplish something bring awareness to the problem and then act on it. Simply complaining to KI about this may not be the best solution. I feel that if enough people truly care about restoring/renovating the old Worlitzer it will take some action on the concerned parties part. Because so few Worlitzers still exist, it would be a tragedy to see this opportunity lost. I have been a musician for over 16 years and it is true that the older an instrument is the better is sounds. This is in part because they don't make them like they used to and I believe that there is a lot of life left in that old Worlitzer organ. ~Josh

I asked the same question, but the powers that be cut corners as much as possible (I know this from experience working in the park). One of the illustrations they gave in one of our training sessions was an incident where a piece of machinery was carelessly operated resulting in a damaged walkway. The equipment needed to be removed before any repair could take place. The instructor added up the man hours and materials it cost to fix the problem and it ended up being nearly 10 times the amount anyone one of us had guessed. There were several factors many of us did not consider. In other words, the cost for repairs may be $2,700, but the project as a whole is likely far greater than the park is willing to tackle. However, we are talking about a business that is driven by the consumer. They spend 22 million building a rollercoaster for us (the consumer) to maintain interest in the park. Only at the consumers complaint can issues such as the carousel Worlitzer be changed. JMO