jandyb79

Here is a scan of my KI promo brochure that was handed out during Coney Islands closing season of 71. I always get a kick out of the early logo design

Along the same lines as the pic posted above and statements thereafter, here is a shot of the Mall area as The Bat was being constructed:

Safety investigation demonstrating the inadequate design:

I'm pretty sure that pic of the monorail was taken downhill from the area where the Flight of Fear is now. There is an access road (also pictured above) that I used to drive where the fence (pictured) still stands in partial.

Does anyone have a way to contact Paul? It's great that this community is showing this kind of concern for one of our members and I believe he is pleased that there is an attempt to keep his thread going until he returns Enjoy this shot of the terra cotta reliefs that were once affixed to the former "Kafe Kilimanjaro" in "Adventure Village"

Wow that is insane! Is the actual bathead from the ride? Thanks for sharing! In that earlier thread I went into depth about some of these items that I acquired. This example was the first to be pulled from the mold, cast in fiberglass and fully painted for management approval. Somewhere along the way it was decided that not all the colors represented in this example were used once it went into full production. Who knows what those factors may be; money, time, appearance, etc. In any case, it was never used inside the park on the ride. I also own the original presentation of The Beastie logo this is similar in nature to The Bat head. ~Josh

I have several pieces of concept artwork and a Bat head decor that was mounted on the front of one of the cars for this ride. I made a post in the last Bat thread describing an interview I had with one of the talents that helped bring to life the overall theme for the ride. I'm on mobile and am unable to locate that thread, however.

I have seen very few aerial shots, like the one pictured above in that second link, of the Rub-A-Dub during its final years of its operation. That image affords one of the only shots I've ever seen of the fiberglass landscape as mentioned above.

It was basically a children's water raft ride. It was a small circular boat (not parent friendly) that would very slowly glide around a water canal. It started out with very little scenery and eventually grew to a fully sculpted fiberglass landscape. One employee in the art department commented that his only regret was that management never approved an enclosed ride. So all of the characters and scenery were exposed to weather elements. It was located on part of the land where the boys restroom in the children's area is now. I think pics of this ride are exceptionally rare because it was a kid only ride. I will eventually locate and post pics of the ride being sculpted for the revamp in the late 70's.

I very much miss the Sunshine Turnpike as seen behind Fred Flintstone here! I

Paul??? Here is Gulliver's Rub-A-Dub as it appeared in the early 70's, before being revamped in 1978. There were several areas of this ride including The Flintstons, Yogi Bears Park, Top Cat City and a Haunted House section. If anyone has additional pictures of this ride, please post them!!! In the mean time, enjoy The Flintstones section: Yogi Bear:

Kinda starting to be a little concerned for Paul. I hope he is ok! In the mean time, here is another pic I met the former employee who helped construct this piece. The reliefs were sculpted in clay and cast in fiberglass by this individual while the sign department assembled and painted the final product. Enjoy! ~Josh

Here's a few pics to keep the thread alive while Paul is away ~Josh

I don't mean to be a downer, but I used to walk past the Antique Cars every shift I worked from 95 to 98 and can still remember the sound, smell and feel of that great ride! Like many here, it took me back to my childhood and reminded me of times long gone! This thread has now made me depressed...*sigh...I've seen a lot of rides come and go. Some rides saw a welcomed end (from my perspective) while others were unbearable to watch as they made way for other "attractions". This is the nature of this business and I appreciate that, but I must say the AC hit me the hardest and still hurts to see what it has become! Ok, I'm finished with the rant and am in high hopes that beauty (in some form or fashion) will one day return to that area - hopefully sooner than later!

Oh how I miss the antique cars! It was a beautiful part of the park! It is a shame that this carefully tended garden of 20 years was replaced with a junkyard looking monstrosity of a ride

Wow! I love that pic of Kentons Keelboat being built! Fantastic Also, I have a press photo of that kiddie kangaroo ride when it was originally at Coney Island. Thanks so much for sharing!

I love the old look of the mall and wish more than anything that they would at least recreate one or two sections where new sculpted gingkos would be planted. I had high hopes that this would be the case when management updated the mall in 2011 :/

You'd have to get me drunk...really drunk, to agree to jump 14 busses on a motorcycle!

So glad to see this thread appear once more! It always takes the edge off getting through the off season!

Actually the people with working turntables is increasing, as records are making a small comeback. You may possibly be right, I know there is still that vinyl niche out there...but my theory is that the number of people over the age of 40 who decide on a daily basis that it is time to finally pack up their old turntable outweighs the younger generation who are out there buying them. (I see them at rummage sales and auctions fairly often.) They are actually correct on this point. To my knowledge there are only 3 remaining vinyl record press companies in the United States, all of which have seen increased sales over the last 5 to 7 years - if you can believe that. And at least one of those companies had plans to retire until this spike in new recordings emerged! An old but relevant article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html In any case, in regard to the Kings Island album make sure you also get volume 2 to complete the set http://www.ebay.com/itm/QUEEN-OF-KINGS-ISLAND-Volume-2-LP-Wurlitzer-Duplex-Orchestral-Organ-Style-157-NJ-/290807065763?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43b573aca3&nma=true&si=OFDgtJ8XlAKNRFRYZ%2FL8v7oOWFE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 ~Josh

Strange how history repeats itself if you look back in the not so distant past. Although I wasn't alive at the time, this event reminds me of another well loved coaster here in Cincinnati and the sadness it caused when it was dismantled after Coney Island closed in 1971. My father loved the Shooting Star and was excited to see the pictures I acquired when I started collecting Coney photography 13 years ago! And so, history repeats itself in a similar way...

Oh I'm well aware of coasterbobs historical documentations, and have been for many years! I was working at the park during all of the prepping and planning for the SOB build, so I watched most of it go up in person.

That was a pretty unbelievable video! Although, I find it much more excilerating to see them going up rather than coming down! I recall very clearly searching for any update I could find on the SOB during construction back in 99 (newspapers, nightly news updates, etc). Videos and pics weren't so readily available as they are these days (No Youtube, Twitter, KICentral, etc)! However, I never thought I would be searching for updates about it's deconstruction just 13 years later.

I visited Geauga Lake and Sea World the summer of 1991 and loved it! The Big Dipper was a fantastic wooden coaster and I am glad I took that opportunity to ride it! I recall having a bit of motion sickness after sitting through their cinema 180 attraction, however. This was the first and only time an amusement park ride/attraction has made me ill...well, not counting International Bandstand Karaoke during the 90's There is a charm in smaller parks like this and it's always so sad to witness them being wiped off the map Bigger is not always better!

Cool My sister worked at front gate gifts and the Emporium during the 95 & 96 seasons. They may have known each other.