DonHelbig

It annually sold out three months ahead of time in minutes before this year, which took seven hours. They didn't create the level of demand as in previous years. They didn't have three times the capacity ready to purchase tickets when they went on sale at 10 a.m. That's the difference between this year and previous years. It is always exciting to see old friends and make new ones at Coasterstock. That's what the event was built around, what made it the success it has been.

Going from less than eight minutes to more than seven hours to sell out would be hard to claim as a success. But there is no doubt that someone will.

I'm a member of ACE and GOCC. I will be joining Coaster Crew and the Western NY Coaster Club soon. While not an official coaster club, being a part of KIC is similar to being in one of the clubs because of the people involved and the camaraderie amongst members.

Joining a coaster club just so you can attend a media event, or a coaster event is the wrong reason to join a coaster club.

While not ideal to go head-to-head with another event, that's not why Coasterstock didn't sell out in minutes like it had in previous years. If the park wants to reach out to me, I can share with them for a nominal fee, of course, tips on how to sell out a roller coaster event in 15 minutes or less!

It will be essential they get news media outlets throughout the region to do a standalone story on this now, and they follow up talking about it as part of the opening day stories. Otherwise, as you mention, guest services is going to have a very hard time.

He listeners to every episode of Tower Topics. He visits my blog. He has my email.

Six Flags regional PR representative Chad Showalter deliberately left me off the list for the distribution of the Coasterstock news release. No surprise there. Despite his ongoing pettiness, I continue to produce some of the best content about the park across my owned and shared channels. Here's a link to the piece I wrote on Coasterstock 2025 at Kings Island. https://themeparksbydon.com/coasterstock-returns-to-kings-island-in-may-with-exclusive-rides-special-guests-and-surprises/

I will not be enjoying Coasterstock this year. I'll be at Holiday World for HoliWood Nights.

Bringing back a hot air ballon for the 50th anniversary was not seriously considered.

I did work at Cedar Point for parts of three months in 2013 to help with the planning and opening for GateKeeper. Cedar Fair set me up with a place to live across the road from Blue Streak. I was requested to go there to help with PR by Phil Bender, who was one of the top executives for Cedar Fair at the time. GateKeeper was going to be the first major new ride to open in the Matt Ouimet era, and Phil and Richard Zimmerman wanted me to go in and do what I had successfully done managing the PR for the opening of Diamondback and Intimidator at Carowinds (I was sent there as the interim PR manager for the opening), and for the announcement of Gold Striker at California's Great America in 2012 (I was sent there as the interim PR manager for the announcement). While doing PR for Cedar Point, I was also still doing the PR for Kings Island. The Reds Hall of Fame Grille opened that year. We had news media from Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, Columbus attend the media event. It was no different than opening a new ride. I was able to promote both parks and what was new with my outreach to the media in those markets. I was asked a few days before GateKeeper media day if I'd have interest in the director of communications position Cedar Point had open. I chose not to throw my name in the ring for consideration. Weeks later they ended up hiring Tony Clark. I didn't do PR for fame. I did it because I enjoyed getting the park's stories told.

It's like the Mystery t-shirts. Nobody knows if you got a last ride.

Tickets have increased by $6 for passholders and $7 for non-passholders since the 2023 Coasterstock event. Will it sell out in less than eight minutes this year like it did in 2023? Will they increase the capacity for the first time ever so they can tell their new boss in Canada they were able to have record attendance going head-to-head with Holiday World's HoliWood Nights? Will they bring back ribs for the dinner? Will the itinerary be released before tickets go on sale? Only one thing we can bank on at this time, and that's all who participate will have a good time!

Here's a piece I did on the new area at Kentucky Kingdom. I'm looking forward to the season pass preview day. https://themeparksbydon.com/kentucky-kingdoms-new-chapter-begins-with-discovery-meadow/

This must have taken them at least 45 seconds to write this blog update: February 12, 2025 Fiberglass Slide Delivery Fiberglass panels for RiverRacers have started to arrive at the construction site, where assembly will begin in the coming weeks once all panels have arrived for both the new water coaster and Salamander Sliders' seven new slides. Crews also will turn their focus to Bluegill Lagoon where the activity pool's water tower feature will soon take shape.

We'll have a number of surprise guests in the weeks and months ahead.

This was a fun episode!

What about retail space to sell Tower Topics t-shirts and our soon-to-be released line of merchandise and apparel?

The same issues that have plagued the International Restaurant since its opening would still exist: Location.

Thanks for the shoutout about the Wicked Green Tower Topics shirts! We sold four shirts (1-M, 1-L, 2-XXL) over the past couple days that attributed your post for the transaction. Please post again when the "Here's the Thing" Ryan Suhr Tower Topics caricature t-shirts become available.

First and foremost, I would have approached this with transparency and compassion. The statement they provided feels scripted and impersonal, almost identical to the one issued in 2006 by Kings Island when Winterfest was cancelled. A more thoughtful, heartfelt response would have better acknowledged the disappointment felt by guests. Additionally, I would have insured that email responses were signed by a real person rather than behind "Kings Dominion Guest Services." The general manager and PR team are directly involved in crafting and approving these statements, so attaching a name to them would add a personal touch and show accountability. Guests deserve more than a generic, faceless response. They deserve to feel heard. A canned response doesn't make them feel as though they were. I hope that answers your question.

Popularity has nothing to do with it. There's a reason why full-time staff is being let go at parks, why departments will be run with minimal staffing on operating days, why events like WinterFest aren't returning to Kings Dominion and California's Great America. While Carowinds announced WinterFest as part of their 2025 events lineup, remember Kings Island did the same thing in 2006 only to cancel WinterFest mid-summer.

You missed one of the most notable ride sponsors: Top Gun, presented by Gillette Mach 3. In 1986, before the country show, one of the performers backstage would say after a "Delta Gets You There" jingle before the cast ran out on the stage, "Kings Island, Kings Productions and Delta Airlines are proud to present Deep in the Heart of Country."

OREO

KECO was not involved in the development of Phantom Theater. They sold the park to Lindner's Great American Financial in 1987. The ride was developed under that ownership.