Kings Island Removing Firehawk on October 28, 2018!

Going, going, going...:









Source: https://twitter.com/WildGravityTrvl

[Dirk_Ermen]

recycle that loop! Would be an amazing prop somewhere, somehow.

[Mikey]

They could have charged money to watch this ride be blown up as part of the New Years eve special.

Hopefully they use the scrap money to install a finale on volcano that doesn't involve the waste of so much kinetic energy into waste heat.

...and it's gone:

[Dirk_Ermen]

Sad me... The loop would have been so awesome somewhere.

Honestly, that was one of the more forceful loops i've encountered

So this just happened......................

IN HONOR OF ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY, KINGS ISLAND HAS BROUGHT BACK THE ORIGINAL BEAST TRAINS COLOR SCHEME

The 2019 season will mark 40 years since The Beast was unleashed at Kings Island in 1979. So, as part of the ride???s 40th anniversary celebration this year, Kings Island will turn back the clock with a throwback to the original ???flame-themed??? color scheme on each of the coaster???s three trains.

The train colors were red (front cars), orange (middle cars) and yellow (back cars) when The Beast debuted.

It has since given more than 54 million rides, the third most in the park???s history, behind the Racer, with 105 million rides, and the K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad, with 56 million.

When The Beast first opened April 14, 1979, it was the longest and fastest roller coaster in the world. It still holds the title as the longest wooden roller coaster in the world at 7,359 feet.

The Kings Island Blog will serve as the hub for all Beast 40th anniversary news and content. Fans of the ride will be encouraged to visit the blog and share stories of their favorite Beast memories. Other blog features will include a timeline detailing significant moments in the ride???s history, fun facts, behind-the-scenes meet-up opportunities and more.

KIBlog

[mkingy]

Nice one, I always remember that dueling coaster on RCT that had a similar colour scheme, good to see it brought back.

For anyone that has KI as their home-park, or for those who visited from now back to the dawn of dinosaurs (just kidding haha) some may have seen the Festhaus at the park and these figures either sitting still or moving around to announce the time. well have no fear cause it is returning for this season after a refurbishment! Here's what the KI Blog said about the refurbishment on 3/29/2019:

GLOCKENSPIEL TO RETURN FOR KINGS ISLAND???S 2019 SEASON
March 29, 2019

For ten years a cherished Kings Island icon rested in a small, dark corner of the park gathering dust. Rarely seen since it was removed from public view in 2009, the lifeless Festhaus Glockenspiel characters have been poised and ready to announce the next quarter hour, which never came. A musician waited to raise his trumpet. A chef, to display his culinary creation. A couple, ready to raise their steins in celebration.

When Kings Island opens to Gold and Platinum Passholders for preview night on April 19th, guests will get a first look at the completely restored characters and new clock at the main Festhaus entrance in the Oktoberfest area of the park. Maintenance, signage, and technical services associates, as well as outside vendors, combined for more than 100 hours of restoration to bring both the glockenspiel and entrance of Festhaus back to life, including:

• A brand new clock supplied by The Verdin Company headquartered in Cincinnati
• Completely restored glockenspiel characters
• New hand stenciled artwork on the building???s exterior

According to Kings Island General Manager, Mike Koontz, restoring Festhaus??? exterior and glockenspiel pays homage to a building in the park with rich history.

???Above the doors to Festhaus are the lyrics to an old German Oktoberfest song,??? Koontz said. ???Translated, it says ???A toast. A toast. To cheer and good times,??? and that???s what Festhaus has always been for Kings Island. A place where families can come together and create memories while eating together or enjoying a show. It seems only fitting that we restore the glockenspiel, to help bring back those memories and help today???s friends and families create new ones.???

In 2019, antique cars also will return to the park, along with a completely renovated International Street, and celebration of the Beast???s 40th anniversary. For many adults, this season they will see Kings Island like they haven???t in decades.

Festhaus Facts

• The glockenspiel over the main entrance of Festhaus was made by employees in the Central Shop of Taft Attractions, the creative arm of Taft Broadcasting Company, which owned Kings Island when Festhaus was built.
• There are five fiberglass figures, each over four feet tall. Each were in disrepair until recently.
• Inside Festhaus are the original tables handcrafted by David T. Smith (and his staff), who still operates a workshop in Morrow, Ohio today.
• The Verdin Company provided both the original Festhaus clock in 1982 as well as the new clock which will debut at the beginning of the 2019 season.

Personally i have very little memories of this working in the park but i am excited to see it come back to life! Heres the link to the blog post as well: Blog Post

Some clearing seems to be going on next to the former Firehawk site:









Could this be for this project that everyone's been wanting for so long????

Sources:

https://twitter.com/KICentral/status/11 ... 8303045633

https://twitter.com/KICentral/status/11 ... 3519548416

Would everyone like a weekly post on here or in a new thread about updates around the park and this project? I will be visiting the park more often since i work evenings now and am planning on following the project like a hawk.

Post here or anywhere mister, I'm sure plenty of us are interested.