When Kings Island opens April 27, its Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit will have a literally huge new feature: The world’s largest animatronic dinosaur, a life-size Sauroposeidon.
The length of three school buses (112 to 118 feet) and the height of a six-story building (56 feet), the North American dinosaur was known as “the Earth Quake Lizard” was one of the largest in the world. It’s said to have weighed 50 to 60 tons, eight times the size of an African elephant.
The Sauroposeidon arrived at Kings Island Monday in four shipping containers; a crew of 12 people will spend the next two weeks setting it up.
Other new additions to Dinosaurs Alive! include a pack of Albertosaurus, exploring the idea that they may have hunted in packs.
1973: David Cassidy chums it up with a young park patron and Square Bear, a costumed Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, during the filming of the special “Partridge Family” show at Kings Island.
John Kiesewetter reports:
Before the “Brady Bunch” came in 1973, TV’s “Partridge Family” filmed an episode at Kings Island in 1972, the year the park opened, called “I Left My Heart in Cincinnati.”
And you can see it at 10:30 a.m. Monday (March 18) on Antenna TV. (Not sure where or how to get Antenna TV, but I’m confident a reader will post the info in a Facebook message with this post.)
Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Alan Bursky and the gang — plus Johnny Bench! — will be seen all over the park. The Partridge cast ride the blue Racer, Grand Carousel merry-go-round, Monster (Octopus), Linus’ Beetle Bugs, Rivertown flume ride and the old antique cars.
You’ll see the Skyride several times, young female KI employees wearing those funky yellow-and-orange caped uniforms, and the Partridge gang dancing on International Street with the Banana Splits characters!
“I Left My Heart in Cincinnati” refers to Keith (David Cassidy) falling in love with an older woman – park PR person Audrey Parson played by Mary Ann Mobely — while doing concerts at KI. Don Helbig, the real KI PR guy, tells me that Bench’s appearance as a waiter(!) on “the “Partridge Family” was his second TV acting gig, after his debut on “Mission: Impossible.”
Helbig says Kings Island used the “Partridge Family” theme song as a tie-in for the park’s grand opening slogan, “C’mon Get Happy.”
See a 4-minute clip on YouTube here. It’s not the best, and repeats a lot, but still fun to watch. Enjoy!
The “Brady Bunch” episode filmed at Kings Island in 1973 — 40 years ago?? — repeats at 7:30 p.m. today on the Hallmark Channel.
The episode, called “The Cincinnati Kids,” was filmed at Kings Island Aug. 20-24, 1973, the second year the park was open. It features the Brady kids enjoying a day at the Mason amusement park, and running around searching for their father’s lost architectural plans for a park expansion.
You’ll see the antique cars ride and other rides long gone.
Kings Island public relations manager Don Helbig also says to watch closely when the Brady kids ride the Racer:
“Something viewers don’t catch during the episode is during one clip of the family riding the Racer, that’s not Susan Olsen on the train. She wanted no part of riding the coaster. So the producers picked a young blond haired girl out of the crowd and had her ride instead. It wasn’t until she visited the park again in 2008 that she rode the Racer for the first time.”
Stars Florence Henderson and Robert Reed tape a scene with KI’s Hair Bear character on Aug. 20, 1973, the first day of shooting.
One more thing to know: Kings Island was built and opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting, which owned and operated Channel 12. Back in the 1970s, Channel 12 was an ABC affiliate. So bringing the ABC sitcom here helped promote the new amusement park nationwide on ABC.
Thrilling memories by many fans came plunging to the ground as Kings Island’s Son of Beast roller coaster went out with a bang and a cloud of dust.
Work crews brought down the final section of the $10 million coaster — its 215-foot lift — with cables Tuesday afternoon nearly two months after work began to dismantle the ride to make room for future park expansion.
Son of Beast was heralded as the world’s tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster when it opened in 2000. The track climbs to a 218-foot peak, followed by a 214-foot drop; its trains would reach speeds of 78 mph.
But its history was troubled from the start. A string of accidents, closings, repairs, five lawsuits, settlements and one trial would ultimately shutter the ride.
Officials from Kings Island’s parent company, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. and park management spent three years weighing all possible alternatives before ultimately deciding to raze Son of Beast, said Don Helbig, park spokesman.
Dismantling the ride — and its 53 concrete pilings, about 6,000 feet of steel track, 50,000 pounds of nails, 225,000 bolts and 1.65 million board feet of wood — proved no easy feat.
Different parts of the ride may be salvaged and reused and the park may keep the station for use in the Wolf Pack maze during Halloween Haunt, said Helbig.
Officials don’t yet know what they intend to do with the 12 acres that Son of Beast will vacate in the park’s north end.
“Once the ride has been removed, probably in early 2013, we’ll begin the process then of surveying the land and looking at all the ideas and different concepts and all the things we can do,” said Helbig. “There’s plenty of room to work with and we’re excited about that opportunity as we look towards the future.”
Fans can take home a piece of the shuttered ride. KI is offering limited edition plaques featuring a piece of track from the coaster for $99.99. The park is also selling authentic pieces of the wood structure for $49.99 and structural bolts for $24.99. To order, call 513-754-5776 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F.
Kings Island is offering limited edition plaques with a piece of track from Son of Beast for $99.99. Photo provided
Fans of Kings Island’s Son of Beast roller coaster now have the chance to take home a memento of the shuttered ride.
The Mason theme park announced today it is offering limited edition plaques featuring a piece of track from the coaster for $99.99. The park is also selling authentic pieces of the wood structure for $49.99 and structural bolts for $24.99.
Son of Beast was heralded as the world’s tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster when it opened in 2000. The track climbs to a 218-foot peak, followed by a 214-foot drop; its trains would reach speeds of 78 mph.
But its history was troubled from the start. A string of accidents, closings, repairs, five lawsuits, settlements and one trial would ultimately shutter the $10 million ride.
Construction crews began work last month to demolish the troubled coaster.
It will take several months to fully dismantle the $10 million ride, which includes 53 concrete pilings, about 6,000 feet of steel track, 50,000 pounds of nails, 225,000 bolts and 1.65 million board feet of wood, said park spokesman Don Helbig.
Officials don’t yet know what they intend to do with the 12 acres that Son of Beast will vacate in the park’s north end. Once the ride is removed, crews will begin surveying the land and evaluating ideas.
“There’s plenty of room to work with and we’re excited about that opportunity as we look towards the future,” said Helbig.
To order, call 513-754-5776 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F.
Son of Beast was heralded as the world’s tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster when it opened at Kings Island in 2000. The track climbs to a 218-foot peak, followed by a 214-foot drop; its trains would reach speeds of 78 mph.
As the dismantling of the coaster gets underway, questions remain about what will happen to all those parts and the 12-acre space the ride leaves behind.
KI spokesman Don Helbig speaks with Masonbuzz about how the massive coaster will be brought down and how fans might be able to get a memento of the ride.
QUESTION: How long did it take to construct Son of Beast and how long will it take to dismantle it?
ANSWER: It took 15 months to construct it. (Demolition) started in mid-September and it’s probably going to take till early 2013 to totally dismantle the ride. The dismantling of the ride started in the middle of the structure and they’ll work toward the back end. One of the last pieces they’ll break down is the big lift, which is 215-feet high, and you’ll see that within the last several months. That will be the last part they’ll take down.
Q: How is the ride being brought down?
A: There’s a lot of different ways they’re going about bringing the ride down. One way is they’re cutting different pieces of the ride and they’re kind of pulling it to bring the ride down. They may use the wrecking ball in some areas. In some other parts of the ride, it may be the same way it was built, where they’re just going to undo the bolts. It depends on what section of the ride they’re in and how much structure is there. They may keep the station for the Wolf Pack maze (in Halloween Haunt). It’s one of our most popular mazes.
Q: Many fans are disappointed that the ride could not be saved. What’s your response to them?
A: We know the ride had its fans who were very interested to see what would happen to the ride. We appreciate their interest in the ride and they kept in touch with us the past three and a half years to get an update on what would happen to the ride. After a thorough evaluation of all the alternatives, the decision was made to dismantle the ride for future expansion.
Q: Any idea on what that future expansion might entail?
A: We’re really going to have to wait until the ride comes down. Once the ride has been removed, probably in early 2013, we’ll begin the process then of surveying the land and looking at all the ideas and different concepts and all the things we can do. There’s plenty of room to work with and we’re excited about that opportunity as we look towards the future.
Q: What will happen to all of the parts? Some fans have suggested you make them available as mementos.
A: Different parts of the ride may be salvaged and reused. We received a lot of phone calls and emails from fans interested in getting a piece of the ride, whether it’s a piece of wood or track. Once the ride is dismantled or more of it’s down, we’ll look at that and we’ll probably make some pieces available and will have that information at a later date.
That’s how long it took to reduce a sizable chunk of Kings Island’s Son of Beast roller coaster into a twisted heap of metal and wood.
You might say the troubled coaster, once a signature feature at the park and the only looping wooden coaster anywhere, went out with a bang.
Crews brought down the $10 million coaster with cables Tuesday a little more than a week after work began to dismantle the ride to make room for future park expansion.
Son of Beast was heralded as the world’s tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster when it opened in 2000. The track climbs to a 218-foot peak, followed by a 214-foot drop; its trains would reach speeds of 78 mph.
But its history was troubled from the start. A string of accidents, closings, repairs, five lawsuits, settlements and one trial would ultimately shutter the ride.
Officials from Kings Island’s parent company, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. and park management spent three years weighing all possible alternatives before ultimately deciding to raze Son of Beast, said Don Helbig, park spokesman.
“We weren’t satisfied with the ride’s performance,” he said.
Son of Beast will be taken down “the same way it went up” – in sections, Helbig said. He is unsure what will happen to its parts.
It will take several months to fully dismantle the ride, which includes 53 concrete pilings, about 6,000 feet of steel track, 50,000 pounds of nails, 225,000 bolts and 1.65 million board feet of wood, he said.
Officials don’t yet know what they intend to do with the 12 acres that Son of Beast will vacate in the park’s north end.
“We’re going to have a lot of room to work with for future expansion,” said Helbig.
The parent company of Kings Island has temporarily shuttered its WindSeeker rides nationwide after reports this summer that the tower swing rides have stranded thrill-seekers hundreds of feet in the air for hours at a time.
Cedar Fair, which operates 17 theme parks in the United States and Canada, said it will conduct an internal review to determine why safety systems have activated on the rides at parks in Ohio, California, North Carolina and Canada.
No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. The move is a “precautionary measure,” according to company officials.
“Safety is our number one priority and the company will not open a WindSeeker ride until an internal review has been completed,” said Cedar Fair in a statement.
The $5-million WindSeeker rides, built by Dutch-based Mondial Rides, opened in six Cedar Fair parks in 2011 and 2012. The Kings Island ride debuted June 21, 2011.
The thrill ride carries 64 riders in twin -seat gondolas 30 stories above ground. At the tower’s peak of 301 feet, the ride’s metal arms whirl riders at a 45-degree angle with speeds up to 30 mph for one minute.
California state officials indefinitely shut down the ride at Knott’s Berry Farm Wednesday after the ride’s second breakdown in two weeks left 20 riders stranded 300 feet in the air for nearly four hours while crews tried to repair a brake malfunction, according to The Associated Press.
A previous incident on Sept. 7 trapped 15 riders hundreds of feet in the air for three hours when an electrical relay malfunctioned, causing the ride to shut down.
The thrill ride left riders stranded at Ohio’s Cedar Point in June and at North Carolina’s Carowinds and Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario, Canada in July, according to local media reports.
There have been no reports of malfunctions at the Kings Island ride, said KI spokesperson Don Helbig. It is uncertain when the ride will reopen.
Kings Island’s new Soak City water park is making waves.
The Mason amusement park is holding a special VIP preview event this weekend for gold and platinum season passholders. Soak City opens to the public on May 26.
“It’s fabulous,” said Heidi Cartzendafner of Morrow. ”It’s like you’re at the beach but with no sand.”
The $10 million water park expansion doubles its size to 33 acres and features new amenities and attractions, including a new second wave pool, sand volleyball courts, three times more chairs and open grass for lounging.
The 650,000-gallon Tidal Wave Bay pool is among the most popular of the new attractions, said KI spokesman Don Helbig.
Helbig said the original wave pool is kind of a mild thrill experience with the waves being just a couple of feet tall. The new one has waves higher than 4 feet and is much more “aggressive,” he said.
Tubes will be allowed in the new wave pool. They’re not allowed in the original one.
The park’s lazy river is no longer so lazy. It’s now billed as an action river with new cascading rock wall waterfall features, turbulent water effects and other features. The river has a zero-depth entry which it didn’t have previously. The river is still the same size at more than 2,000 feet long. Swimmers ride in tubes.
Soak City has a new entrance where patrons can purchase tickets. Kings Island added new rentable cabanas with flat screen televisions and waiter service.
The water park features more than 50 water activities, including 30 water slides. Many existing water rides and shops have gotten more vibrant coats of paint.
The expansion comes as the park celebrates its 40th anniversary season. Kings Island does not charge extra admission for the water park. Guests can go back and forth between the water park and the amusement park.
“To a lot of our guests, it does feel like it’s a whole new experience,” said Helbig. ”[Soak City] is off to a great start.”
Soak City hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to visitkingsisland.com.
Kings Island doesn’t want to just appeal to your sense of adventure. They want to tempt your tastebuds, too.
The Mason amusement park unveiled several new menu items for its 40th anniversary season this year, including gourmet and healthier options, as well as improved flavors on some old classics.
Park officials spent several months in the off season developing the new flavors, which they say emphasizes freshness and quality. There’s a showmanship aspect to the menu, too, with many of the new items prepared or assembled while you watch.
“People go home and remember riding Diamondback. We want their food experience to match the thrill ride experience,” said Don Helbig, KI spokesman. “There’s something new at almost every location in the park.”
I stopped by on KI’s Opening Day with two Enquirer colleagues, online mobile channel coordinator Alex Blumer and data intern Angela Travillian.
Shauna Steigerwald reports:
John Kiesewetter reports:
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