What Kentucky Kingdom said there was that they will email us with a decision but they had no approximate time frame. My interview was in January and haven't heard anything from them since then. But If it's meant to be it will happen I guess.

EDIT: due to the likelihood of this being the next reply ill do it first "watch what they do, not what they say."

82 Pages of discussion about the New Kentucky Kingdom and like Terpy said they were upset with some well deserved criticism. 82 pages of discussion is more generated PR than "They" have done for their park... Some may say what is the value in a site like this? Ever wonder why KI PR is very interested with the goings on within this site? Sites like this and others can be a great asset for parks, if properly managed.

This is not the Field of Dreams, just because you build it does not mean people will come: See Hard Rock Park...

It's also kind of a unique situation with KIC since it is simply so large. Remember when "Kings Island new roller coaster" was trending at like #8 on Yahoo a few days before the announcement? That was all you guys. The first thing that popped up when you clicked the link was the, "Decoding 2014" thread. That thread lit a fire and the park continuously threw gasoline on it all season. They knew what they were doing.

One thing that you see is that social media can be a series of photos and conversation, or an absolute machine. One works, and the other works very very well.

Latest news report from Wave 3 in Louisville

So far, Kentucky Kingdom has sold more than 15,000 season passes at $59.95, that price will jump up to around $100 at its opening which is still slated for May 24.

http://www.wave3.com/story/24833347/major-progress-at-kentucky-kingdom-gates-to-open-soon

Found that kind of interesting. For a good while, thought the passes pricing would stay about the same.

Not a single mention or image of Lightning Run or its construction site during the video or article. Which is to be the signature attraction/coaster this year.

Instead the focus is on FearFall. A new drop ride at a park that had a very tragic accident with its previous drop ride.

Good work Kentucky Kingdom, your PR and Marketing department are doing a stellar job. Lets focus on this new drop ride that the majority of the general public will think is the one that maimed a young girl only 6 or 7 years ago.

I find this all very sad, I wish the park success, but the decisions they continue to make are very questionable.

I was actually surprised to see a piece about KK on Indy news last night and then one on Wave 3 this morning.

FYI, all the billboards featuring KK around Louisville have been updated pushing their season passes.

Wow Hurricane Bay looks like it will be amazing! The amount and variety of slides is just astounding. SC had better step it up a notch...

The waterpark portion will be the draw.... always was.

Wow Hurricane Bay looks like it will be amazing! The amount and variety of slides is just astounding. SC had better step it up a notch...

Where at KI, SC is not the draw but a nice addition or break during the heat.

Not a single mention or image of Lightning Run or its construction site during the video or article. Which is to be the signature attraction/coaster this year.

Instead the focus is on FearFall. A new drop ride at a park that had a very tragic accident with its previous drop ride.

Good work Kentucky Kingdom, your PR and Marketing department are doing a stellar job. Lets focus on this new drop ride that the majority of the general public will think is the one that maimed a young girl only 6 or 7 years ago.

I find this all very sad, I wish the park success, but the decisions they continue to make are very questionable.

Perhaps Kentucky Kingdom is trying to avoid that confusion? They are making a point to say that this new drop ride will be new, and not a fix-up of the ride that had a tragic accident stuck to its legacy. I would imagine that they put the facts about this new ride out there in order to distance themselves from the past.

That is how I saw this when I read it.

Wouldn't have to distinguish had no drop ride been installed. Such a baffling choice.

^

Exactly, not only is it a bad choice but then to promote it in one of the few news segments the New Kentucky Kingdom has had.

Once again their lack of knowledge or denial of the past history of KK is baffling to say the least.

At this point, I am beyond confused as to why the park management / PR is doing the things they are doing......or not doing the things that they should be doing.

I still wish Kentucky Kingdom the best of luck.........

........Because I believe they'll really need it.

I have said it before and it just keeps being reinforced, but wow. I truly do not get their marketing strategy. I don't understand it at all. I would not have put a drop ride in the first several seasons. I just see that casting a huge dark shadow over the park from the get go. I truly would not push that as the new attraction when you gave a new coaster being built.

I am not a marketing professional, but I would drum up everything I could to talk about the new Lightening Run. I would take as much attention off of Banshee and put it on Lightening Run. I would focus on the upgrades to the water park. I would talk about the wonderful old charm upgraded with a modern twist.

I would post on social media, have contests and drum up all attention as possible. If a contest is done properly it could mean minimal cost to the park beyond a handful of season passes or T-shirts. Do a video competition to show why you are excited about the New Kentucky Kingdom. People watch the spots and vote, it's almost free or very low cost to pay someone to watch them and any type of fees to run an Internet site for it. Plus others do the work for you (everyone could submit, top 5-10 will be available to vote on).

Blogs , Vlogs, Vine, so many ways to advertise.

Food competitions for a new food item to be featured in the park.

New theme song competition to go with the commercials we maybe seeing.

Of course they don't have to do all of that, but so many options that are low cost, while having others do the work for you for free (well, for a prize of not a lot if cash maybe $100, season pass, T-shirt and park memorabilia).

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Instead, they are trying to get park clean-up for free (well, t-shirts). That alone speaks volumes.

I think that part is ok. I mean T-shirts for nearly free labor makes sense to cut costs of cleaning.

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Yea but..... This isnt a church or an old folks home or really anything similar. This is a park that is attempting to show that its a new park and will be around for years to come. When you ask for volunteers you are either trying to get community service opportunities (usually helping someone else) or you are saying hey we cant afford this and need help.

Imagine the difference this would have had had they offered something of more value for the help they are asking for. Imagine they offered a free "Front of the Line Pass" for Lightning Run or a day long "Fast Pass" for one day at the park, maybe they could have offered a 1 day free admission to the park, or offered up a free behind the scenes tour of the revamped park. All of a sudden the volunteer work now has a perceived higher value. Now you can turn people away (only the first 20 volunteers or something).

PR is all about perceived value. If I walked around and offered free Speech therapy people would think that something is wrong with me and my ability. If I go around and state my normal fee is $60/hour but am offering it for $30/hour, I would get more business at the "discount rate." This park does not feel that there is a huge perceived value.

I understand what you are saying. I truly think they do not mind being cheap or even looking cheap. The T-shirts at least are a nominal amount of advertising. I would presume people willing to work for a T-shirt would wear the shirt.

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Getting people to the park for free is free marketing. People talking is better than people not talking, especially for an emerging organization. Getting volunteers into the park will have them telling their friends about what they did over at Kentucky Kingdom the other day, and more people will hear. I see it as an opportunity for marketing rather than a cost issue or lowly cry for help.

Volunteers may work for free but the government values the work I do at around $20 per hour and states use the number of volunteer hours to calculate funding sometimes. KK is using it as a marketing ploy, their focus on the waterpark is for a reason.

Furthermore, ask Nathan Handworker how selling Frankfurter at half price went. They werent always World Famous.

There are people in Louisville who are unskilled and BADLY need jobs. Each person-season of volunteer labor at Kentucky Kingdom is depriving one of them of a JOB, dignity and perhaps food, shelter and life essentials.

This when the organization operates on Government land on a Government lease and is essentially propped up by Government subsidies and Government credit. There is a moral argument that in these circumstances, the park should, if it can, employ those that need to work and pay for their labor, not give affluent enthusiasts token swag to do that which could be done by those who desperately need work.

The New Kentucky Kingdom will be lucky if it turns out like Geauga Lake after CF purchased it.

Negativity is just glued to this fourm...but haters are going to hate

The waterpark portion will be the draw.... always was.

Yup, attendance soared to 1.4 million guest as a result of 1 water attraction (Hooks Lagoon) being added to Hurricane Bay in 1998

Not a single mention or image of Lightning Run or its construction site during the video or article. Which is to be the signature attraction/coaster this year.

Instead the focus is on FearFall. A new drop ride at a park that had a very tragic accident with its previous drop ride.

Good work Kentucky Kingdom, your PR and Marketing department are doing a stellar job. Lets focus on this new drop ride that the majority of the general public will think is the one that maimed a young girl only 6 or 7 years ago.

I find this all very sad, I wish the park success, but the decisions they continue to make are very questionable.

This isn't just Kentucky Kingdom is opening up Lightning Run, It's Kentucky Kingdom coming back!

I know to some of you adding a Drop Tower is not a good move, but it is what the people want. People wanted it prior to when Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom closed. There has not been anything negative said about the addition of the drop ride through the media, etc since it has been announced. When the park do open yes people may be hesitant, but people are still going to ride it, and I am sure this ride is going to have the longest line in the park.

The new coaster will have the longest line in the dry park. If it does not, it will also deserve a spot on the unwise addition list.

Haters? No. Constructive criticism by those not wearing rose colored glasses? Yes. There is a huge difference.

Calling your critics names (like haters) does not disprove what they say.

@ sccard01- Is it really that foreign a concept to you that Kentucky Kingdom's decisions and actions might be detrimental to the park? On what grounds and what info do you have to go on to be so sure Kentucky Kingdom will thrive the way you've been describing?

Haters? I think I can fall with Terpy with my non-rose coloured glasses and call them logical critics. The park was a corpse, and now it's beginning it's rebirth, but I'm hesitant to say "Oh boy! It's going to succeed no matter what!", and even more to say "Well, it's screwed". What these so called haters are doing is the opposite of you, using data to make a hypothesis on the future, immediate and far future(s), which they are using the ethos of the park for their logos. In no way should critics be called haters, just logical thinkers and rhetors.

Critics range in scale, some have seen the industry rise and fall, others are new stock who will see just what the industry has to offer.

The new coaster will have the longest line in the dry park. If it does not, it will also deserve a spot on the unwise addition list.

Especially with that projected capacity.

Again, I understand why Sccard wants the park to succeed. Just like people wanted Geuga Lake to keep a dry side.

A hater would say the following: "I hope KK doesnt open because I hate them" or "I hope KK fails because it was never a good park."

A critic would say the following: "I have questions pertaining to the way the park is presenting it self compared to other successful companies" or "Why dont they do these things (shown to work in other situations) instead of the way they just did it"

I agree with both sides. Yes KK will have a lot of challenges to keep up with when it opens. Also yes that the park will be a taxpayer liability if it fails. But I think we need to give it 1 season before we can judge just the way its going to turn out. I mean we don't even know if people are going to show up or not so its sort of unfair to predict park crowds how and who it will be, etc.

The New Kentucky Kingdom will be lucky if it turns out like Geauga Lake after CF purchased it.

Nope it will be luckier. Geauga Lake was already screwed by Six Flags over-building the park too much and was turned into a Regional "Thrill" Park instead of a Local Family oriented amusement park it should have been. Kentucky Kingdom at least is not overbuilt and doomed to fail(There are chances it will though)like Geuaga Lake was when it was bought by Cedar Fair. Kentucky Kingdom at least has got a chance.