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I want to say I remember Firestone Wacky Wheels. Wasn't there Firestone tires stacked on the either side of the entrance to the queue line? Also wasn't there some games around the load station kinda like on coney mall. I do remember a mini arcade game in front of one the pillars. A kid size arcade game. Reason that sticks out is because when Arcade 1 up starting releasing units it made me think of that. Can't remember the game though, Popeye, Burger Time something. I though it was cute for it's size.

I don't remember what year, but at some point before it closed, the double track layout was modified to a single track. (And for me it will always be Marathon Turnpike.)

I remember riding as a kid - my main memory is every time trying at least once to get the car over the rail... Not sure what i would have done if it worked! 😂

No boo necklaces are a cash grab. But it does affect the experience adversely for those who want the scares. IMHO if parents bring their kids that is perfectly fine. KI posts a recommended age. If the kids get scared that is on the parents, not the park. You know your kids better than anyone if they are ready for the event.

I wish Scooby was still at the park.

Please keep these coming!! Makes me smile hearing all the memories making me think of my favorite memories with my dad and brother going when we were little. Miss them days ❤️

The Vortex plot is hallowed ground IMO. The Bat and Vortex both were on the higher end of intensity and were also visually stunning, especially Vortex. So whatever they put there has to at least have those 2 elements: intense to ride and a sight to behold.

Wonderful series on KI Your Stories. You always have the most interesting stories and these showcases how important the park is to its guests. Thanks to Ryan and Don for all of the Great episodes, truly a can’t miss podcast.

Well, you know I agree completely with what Don Helbig & Ryan Suhr says because I do realize this is very frustrating & more severe inconvenience for passholders when Kings Island is CLOSED for private events on the first two weekends and September 21....I know this is very hard on the passholders.... Like Don is saying that he recommends Dollywood, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, Camden Park as great alternatives but you could still try Kings Dominion, Carowinds, Six Flags over Georgia, Six Flags Chicago (Great America), Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags America (Baltimore/DC area), Dorney Park (Allentown), Hersheypark in Central Pennsylvania, Six Flags Great Adventure (NYC/NJ/Philadelphia). Michigan's Adventure, Canada's Wonderland & Cedar Point.....and yes, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is also a good option as well. I know there are not a lot of theme parks in the Cincinnati area that I know of right now especially with Coney Island already gone for good.... if it makes you feel any better and want to stay local, Cincinnati Zoo & Newport Aquarium as well as Ohio Renassiance Festival are great options.

Yes that was me!!! So cool learning Don was a judge for the costume contest! Thanks for featuring my story- loved hearing other listener’s special memories as well.😊

Side note to my previous post about my dad and Beast rides... he passed in 2012. And in winter of 2011 he promised we would go again and ride the Beast in Row 18. This was our tradition. We never got to do that again. But the memories will be with me always. I look forward to my sisters kids. My nephews becoming 48" so I can ride it with them. I'm tearing up now thinking about it.

When I was 9 my Dad literally filled my shoes with napkins from potato works so I'd be an inch or so taller and fit. People talk about it being rough now? I knocked a tooth out that day and got back on.

I love KI on new years eve. We have done the international street buffet the last 2 years and have had a blast. It's pricey, but we love it!!

Where did the dolphins go during the winter?

I had NO idea that Melania worked at KI!! 😮🎉

I did it yesterday and it was so fun be and my cousin each did it I got a blue husky and she got a sloth located near flight of fear

Kings Island - here is how you make the Prestige Pass desirable and SELL OUT every year: put a bartender with draft beer in the VIP lounges, and give Prestige holders a 15-20% discount on drinks. You would see the VIP lounges packed overnight.

I have a question for you guys. I worked at the park in 1976 on the Bayern Kurve. I wanted to work on the Racer, but I enjoyed the Kurve because it was manual controls and manual braking. It was more fun to operate a ride like that than one where you just pushed a start button and the ride operated the cycle automatically all by itself. So my question is...I heard stories but never saw it or had it verified that cast members would ride the Racer after park close in the dark "Paul Revere" style. They would have the buzz bars in the unload or up position and they would ride the Racer standing up. Don, have you ever heard about that or can you verify that story??

Exactly what I said! The first thing I said when I got off the Son of Beast afterwards was that was the most painful experience I had ever had on a rollercoaster...and I will never ride this thing again!! My side was actually sore for 5 - 10 minutes afterwards. I had ridden many coasters before that so I wasn't new to riding them at all. I was glad that I did experience it one time and especially got to ride it with the loop before it was taken out. But it was a one and done for me...never even thought about EVER riding that one again!!!

Okay ... I have to admit to a lie. I said I'd never buy a six flags pass so I will never buy another kings island pass. Well I broke down and got 2025 passes for my son and I because they'll get us in for haunt this year too.... then turns out looks like it's not gonna be much this year anyway lol. I knew I should have stuck to my guns lol.

3:40 Frasier! Ham Radio is my favorite episode.

Welp.

Yes ryan, danica and dan are different. 😂

I heard woody's son works there now and sometimes woody visits the park to see his son.

Beastie! I agree with was said about not tall enough for The Beast so the Beastie was next best thing for the kids.

I think the most helpful and important thing to consider in this debate is the ride you guys quickly disregarded at the beginning of the video - Woodstock Express. None of those other parks have a kids’ coaster/family coaster to support their wood collection. Neither do parks like Michigan’s Adventure, Kings Dominion, Cedar Point; the closest parks with a decent kids’/family woodie are Kentucky Kingdom, Columbus Zoo (and I guess Indiana Beach). However I think another thing to consider is the variety of ride-type you find at Knoebels between the airtime-focused ride, the speed-focused ride, and the bobsled-style ride, which puts their collection above HW in my mind. Also, I definitely think Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin beats KI, and it is only a ~20min farther drive than to get to Knoebels. After KI buys a Mack extreme spinner, they should work with GravityGroup to get a looping woodie in the park, maybe even break the record and go for four! GG is based in Cincinnati and worked on the Beast two years ago, only makes sense for them to work together again.

I miss the vortex. I enjoyed riding it. I hear that it was brought down because it was past it's life expectancy? I don't understand that though because The Racer, and Beast still stand. What is the difference?

None of the birthday occasions were planned. I was wearing the birthday button and when going to each venue an associate saw me with the button and it was just a surprise that it happened which made that day special. Thank you for reading my memory of that day.

Jim flugel turned 50 the day after i did. I never knew that. We went to the new years eve party for the first time that year as a birthday gift from my husband. Got my pic with snoopy in his 70's outfit that night. That night got me hooked on new years eve at KI.

Hope everything is going ok, Don. Praying for you still.

I absolutely love this podcast, and want to say I agree with you guys on the question about this park being an elite, “on the map” park. I live in Iowa. Visited CP once in 2017. Great Place. I started going to K.I. in 2022, and it’s now a yearly destination for me! Can’t stop raving about it. I think it’s the best overall package I have ever seen/been to by far. I’ll get back to CP, but don’t carry the desire to for back like I do K.I.

Would you count Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride an original Arrow flume from Coney Island even though it was later refurbished by Hopkins?

Nice juxtaposition 😂

In Star Trek Terms this would be Dodgem-A. Last I was there was 2014-16 seasons I found it odd that Dodgem wasn't lit up like the other Coney Mall Rides at night.

Ryan..."I HATE ice cream". REALLY? I guess that means there's more for me!! LOL

I personally do not consider it original because everything was replaced all at once. If it was the original building with new cars I'd say yes or if it was the original cars in a new building I would say yes however for all purposes this was a new ride. The original coney dogem shared a building with cuddle up at old Coney Island and also at Kings Island during the 1970s. That Dogem is no longer with us and the new 1986 dogems is the replacement much like the current antique cars is not the original but serves the same purpose in the KI line up

I’ve been going to kings island since I was 7. The last year paramount was on the name I believe 2006? But I rode the SoB as a scared little kid never been on a coaster before. And yeah it changed my life forever. (I cried like a school girl when I seen Don’s video of the lift hill coming down 😂) I live in Indianapolis and I have a gold pass every year since I graduated high school. I must say PLEASE DONT CHANGE HOW YOU DO THINGS This podcast is perfect just the way it is. Don is right. If everybody agreed with you guys.. you’d be wasting your time doing the podcast. Yessir. But anyways thank you Ryan & Don for the videos!

Definately not the same ride. Can't consider Idlewild's or Oaks's bumper cars to be the originals, not a huge fan of the new versions. If they still had Lusse Scooters though, I would LOVE them. Those cars retained a building. Kings Island can't even say that.

Is the new Dodgem the same size as the old Dodgem and did they have the same number of cars? Maybe showing some old pictures would help.

Get well soon, Mr. Helbig!

It’s like saying the Antique Cars is an original ride. The original Dodgem was an oval track with a rule of going in one direction. Now it’s a big open circle. The original was more fun in my opinion.

Grew up spending my summer and fall going to country fairs. Spending entire weeks at them. Bumper Cars was the first ride i looked for. If they had them i was happy. If not i probably didn't bother with rides. KI a dozen times a year 79-91. I vaguely remember the original but more the current. Still ride it each trip with daughter. It's not "original". Would love to see them put a bumper boat ride in like Ripley's in Gatlinburg. Original Browns are in Baltimore. Steve Martin is underrated. Ironically not a huge fan of his SNL work but love his comedies and later movies. Leap of Faith was on of my "hidden gems" and he's fantastic.

This might be a hot take....but I always associated Ryan's look with Glenn Jacob's. Also known as Kane in WWE. His face looks just like him to me

Guys..... LaRosa's is NOT even halfway decent pizza. You Cincinnati people, and your nasty skyline chilli, and bad pizza. Y'all need some Youngstown pizza place to move down and show ya'll what good pizza is. Although, two cities pizza is really good. Not LaRosa's

I would like to see KI open the International Restaurant for Halloween Haunt, they could add some Haunt decorations up there and it would be popular I bet, instead of just opening up for Winterfest, open it up for both seasonal events!

No, not original. Theseus' Paradox involves replacing small amounts of the ship over time, similar to how often our cells get replaced every 7 to 10 years. Just as we are the same person, it is the same ship. But in the Dodgem's case, everything was replaced all at once, including the location. With nothing remaining to transition, it is a different ride.

If the Dodgems were still in the original location I would say yes, it is an original attraction.

Six flags Great America has its Fright Fest and it’s Octoberfest September 14th while KI is closed

The Scramin Demon nearly killed me and a friend in high school. We were there for physics day back in the late 80s, and as our train began to move our restraints went up! We screamed and signaled to the kid in the booth to no avail, and off we went! We held our restraints down through the loop, and when we got to the other tower attempted to signal the operator there. NOPE! Back we went, holding on for our lives. We never rode it again, lol.

Very photogenic coaster like Vortex with the green and yellow paint. The helix was the best element. Lots of fun. Who remembers the wooden wall of gum?