BlondyRidesOn

There was the "Rainbo Backerei" in the Alpine building on International Street, currently occupied by Skyline Chili: http://KICentral.com/history/photos/displayimage.php?album=8&pid=238 It's also possible that she may be thinking of La Patisserie Français as mentioned, located in the French chatau, now Yogurt Plus.

Both The Racer And The Beast were two of five attractions that gave over 1 million rides in 2016, according to the park. The Racer is also #3 in annual ridership behind Diamondback and Banshee (#2 & #1 respectively), while The Beast is #4. Thunder Road had rotting wood as a result of the removal of the paint. The structure had to be rebuilt multiple times by Great Coasters International and the ridership was dwindling from what I have heard, prompting Carowinds to remove it. Neither of Kings Island's major wooden coasters have structural issues. Wooden roller coasters tend to last a long time because the structure can be rebuilt or repaired by a carpentry team or another wooden coaster company. Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park (1902), Jack Rabbit at Kennywood (1920), and Cyclone at Coney Island Brooklyn (1927) are a few examples of wooden coasters that have lasted for years. The Beast most likely be removed due to how iconic it is and because there is no way to expand to the back woods where it is built. The Racer pays homage to the Shooting Star at Cincinnati's Coney Island and is the main focal point of Coney Mall. Removing it would be forgetting where Kings Island came from.

The Racer is #3 in annual ridership behind Diamondback (#2) and Banshee (#1) as of at least 2015: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/30475-kings-island-rider-counts/page-2 The lines are short due to the high capacity, which is why it looks unpopular.

When you don't have to worry about your schedule being filled up each weekend.

I remember when they played the theme to The Naked Gun (AKA the Police Squad theme) by Ira Newborn.

-Main Theme to Jaws by John Williams -"Italia" from The Talented Mr. Ripley by Gabriel Yared -Star Wars Theme by John Williams -"Breakfast Machine" from Pee Here's Big Adventure by Danny Elfman -Theme to St. Elmo's Fire by David Foster -"Marion's Theme" from Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams -"Rose" from Titanic by James Horner -"Theme to Superman" by John Williams -Theme to Mission: Impossible by U2 -Theme to Ghost by Maurice Jarre -Theme from The Saint by Edwin Astley -Main Theme to A Summer Place by Percy Faith -Love Theme from Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet by Nino Rota -Top Gun Anthem by Harold Faltermeyer

The Racer doesn't have a suitable layout for an I-box conversion. Rocky Mountain Construction usually picks twister layouts for their conversions.

A lot of modifications would need to be done to achieve this. Most importantly, a green light from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company would be needed too.

Glad I got to ride before the conversion. Can't wait to see what Mr. Grubb and Mr. Schilke have in store.

The thought of Cedar Fair ceasing maintenance on wooden coasters at their parks worries me. Seeing Mean Streak and Hurler, both of which rarely got retacked, get Iron Horse conversions makes me hope it isn't foreshadowing a new Cedar Fair trend. Both of our woodies are iconic and important to the history of the coaster industry, so I hope we don't lose either one. I'd be alright with Millennium Flyer trains on The Racer or The Beast following a retrack from GCI. I personally don't find them bad at all with the Philadelphia Toboggan trains in their current form, but overtime they could cause wear and tear due to the fact that the track is not thick like many older coasters.

I wonder if set up will be kind of like 2005 where they turn off and drain the Royal Fountain in October and begin building the ice rink.

If the day does come when they need to change the Boo Blasters on Boo Hill theme, it may come as either a Peanuts themed Enchanted Voyage like ride, or maybe, the least likely possibility though, a reboot of the Phantom Theater. Did Hanna Barbera own the theme music to the Enchanted Voyage, like the tune/melody? I've always wondered if they did or not.

Always sad to see an old, historic woodie go.

-Eiffel Tower: The centerpiece and icon of Kings Island. I'm sure there'd be major public outcry if this were to be removed. -Royal Fountains: Another major icon from April 29th, 1972. The area would seem so dull without it. -International Street buildings: Though it is impossible and unnecessary to remove the buildings themselves, it would be more of a shame to see the European façades, a vision of architect Bruce Bushman, be altered or removed. It would make the Eiffel Tower seem out of place. -The Racer: Responsible for kicking off the second golden age of coasters in the 1970's, we most likely wouldn't have the coasters we have today if it weren't for The Racer. Seeing the removal of Thunder Road at Carowinds and Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure makes its future uncertain, but hopefully it is not a continuous trend. -KI&MVRR: Classic Kings Island ride for families. Would also like to see some train theming return.

Tumble Bug and Cuddle Up to Coney Island.

I filmed a construction update yesterday that I'm considering posting. I filmed through a crack in the fence between two boards, so I don't know if this would upset the park, since the fence is sort of a barrier.

Alan Schilke and Fred Grubb rode into Sandusky on an Iron Horse. After staying for a bit and making their mark, they rode into Cincinnati on a Trex...

I will sometimes. If I had to estimate, I'd say wait time is usually five to ten extra minutes in line.

Part of me thinks that Mean Streak is just coming down, like Son of Beast. With what Tony Clark is saying about the ride, it kind of gives me that vibe that they have no plans to re-use the structure.

Hard to tell. I'll take a picture of it when I go during Haunt or next time I get sent to work at Attitudes/Night Vending and try to post it here.

Whenever I'm in the Attitudes shop, I noticed some metal plating on the floor in some areas where concrete should be. Are those remnants from when they removed the Cuddle Up and put the Fascinations game in before Attitudes came?

This cosmetic work sounds interesting. A return of the faux marble paint job it used to have would be cool to see. Edit- Thanks for the reply.

Start Skydiving is the sponsor for the nightly fireworks spectacular.

Rocky Mountain Construction builds the S&S Free Spin track , which Alan Schilke designed, if I remember correctly. So the Joker coasters being built count as 2017 projects for RMC, I believe.

Yes. Local carpenters assisted with its construction, with Philadelphia Toboggan's supervision I'm sure. Well we all know how those woodies turned out...I'm not too sure about Riverside Cyclone, but Thunder Road was alright until the paint faded and caused the bare wood to rot, which caused structural damage that plagued its life. Both opened with rave reviews and had a lot of fans.Back on topic, though, I was at the park yesterday and got to see the construction up close. I found it interesting that the footings indicated that the coaster is crossing the train tracks. Should look nice when it's completed.