RAWKIN_coaster38

What a great idea! Idk if I'll be participating this time around, but I'm excited to find out how it goes for everyone else! Will you be releasing a video after the event?

Where I think there's going to be a weird divide is when a chunk of the population has been vaccinated, and another chunk of the population hasn't. The ones who have been vaccinated aren't going to want to social distance on the rides, wear masks in the heat all day, etc. while it's still going to be pertinent that the non-vaccinated people do those things. I don't see a way for parks not to have the same rules for everyone, so it's likely going to be a struggle to enforce the rules across the board. I just got vaccine #1 and I am STOKED at the idea of visiting parks with that extra bit of safety, but I also fully intend to follow park rules, if anything, to set a good example for the non-vaccinated people. However, I don't have enough faith in humanity that others will feel and do the same.

I've heard these stories but never in so much detail. My aunt actually had a job at KI in 1991 but wasn't on shift during the Black Sunday accidents, though she knew people who were working at the time. It was obviously very traumatizing for the people who witnessed the accident.

If anyone is interested, I just posted a TR of a Gravity Group tour I did last January. They're based out of Cincinnati if you didn't already know.

So I've been terrible terrible at doing TRs in the last year and around one year ago (January of 2020) I got to join FYE Coasters on a special tour of the Gravity Group factory in Cincinnati and I never got around to making a TR of it until now. Downside is I have a TERRIBLE memory so I'm really not going to remember much of anything they said or any details, but I'll still share the photos I took with you all! Front entrance! It was kinda hard to find the place. Picture displayed in the lobby. This is the dude who gave us the tour. I can't remember his name ATM but the wooden thing is a cross-section example of their wooden coasters. This was a front car they had designed to show at IAPPA in 2019. My friend, Adam, is an editor at FYE Coasters and the little guy is his son. The pirate car was really detailed! They also had a really cool dragon car but I didn't take any photos of it because I wasn't sure if they wanted us to. Adam and I testing out the car. I broke it!! (JK, it had velcro on the bottom and detached). Cost-a-sur was their side company that they had recently opened to sell coaster parts. They were also modeling the Cincinnati Brake. IAPPA 2019 crate I don't remember what these were called but IIRC they were to show how the wheels and upstop wheels worked. Anti-rollbacks and lift pieces. They explained how the chain dogs worked. Ahhh the familiar click-clack sound we all love! Close up Superrr close up! This was my profile pic for a while Me with our two tour guides and the (Timberliner?) wheel they gave us Here's the whole group who took the tour! We were all super thankful for the hospitality that the Gravity Group guys showed us! It was a really fun tour to take and of course we loved the swag! My post cards are displayed on the wall next to my HHN poster right now! I've been on three of these coasters.

Walruses are back at SFDK!! This makes me really happy. The walruses were some of my favorites and I was really sad when Uquq had to go away. Glad she's coming back and she has a new friend! I'm not sure what the verdict on walrus breeding is but it would be super cool if we got to see a baby in the future.

I'm planning on doing some sort of weight management after the new year too! My main goal is to go at least the month of January without drinking and to watch my sugar consumption during that time. Alcohol and sweets/snacks are my main pitfalls. I'll probably try to drink La Croix or something similar in the evenings as a replacement. For eating, I'll probably try counting calories again using MyFitnessPal. I also want to exercise but I prefer exercising outdoors and my success will depend a lot on the weather.

The land looks FANTASTIC but I agree that it appears there will be a bottleneck problem and odd clusters and lines around the blocks and games. I'll have fun looking at the photo and video TRs when this opens, but I wouldn't want to be a part of the MASSIVE crowds this thing is going to draw until they expand the land a little more.

I didn't know this, but I'll have to check it out! Speaking of 90's shows, I just started watching X-Files on Hulu.

I've had strangers literally tell me they were going to grab onto me if they got scared during the haunt. I remember one time these teenage girls I had just met five minutes prior grabbed onto me and held on for the entire haunt. It was awkward but I felt kinda bad for them. The most awkward haunts are the ones like Total Darkness at Six Flags and Blackout at Kings Island where you get grouped in with strangers and have to hold onto a rope while you navigate in the dark. You have no choice but to stay huddled pretty close together and usually end up brushing/bumping into the person in front of or behind you.

I forgot to mention Holiday World! I'm definitely planning on attending Holiwood Nights. Anyone else planning on attending the event this year? I'll add in Kentucky Kingdom as well if they do another enthusiast event on that weekend. Someone else mentioned Coaster Stock and CoasterMania. I'll probably try to hit those as well, but I'd rather attend Holiwood Nights than CoasterMania if they conflict this year (anyone know if they do?).

Ideal: Germany - Because I'll say this every year until I get to finally go. I doubt '21 will be the year, but I can dream, right? NE Trip (PA, NY, NJ) - I wanted to go this year but didn't get the chance, obvi Florida - Kinda in the middle of Ideal and Realistic. Since I'm moving and it would be too far for me to drive, I'd have to fly, but flights are pretty cheap. As far as places I want to fly to in '21, FL takes backseat to CA, but FL would be my second choice. Realistic: SFStL - It'll be my home park Worlds of Fun - not too far, plus I've never been so I want to go SDC - It's pretty likely that I'd make a point to visit SDC at least for Christmas, and it's not too far Kings Island - I'm sure I'll have to go to Ohio for some reason, but if not, I'll make it a point to go anyway, especially if KI does Haunt this year! Cedar Point - Very likely that we'll visit Toledo, and CP isn't too far out-of-the-way California - Very realistic for me to visit the state, whether it's realistic for me to visit the theme parks or not depends on what the state is going to do Other parks in the Midwest - Usually I throw in a couple other parks into my year that are within a day's drive of where I live, so there are a fair amount of Midwest parks that would be realistic for me to visit.

The theater was definitely not open in December, 2019 and I don't believe VooDoo was as well, so it makes sense that they wouldn't invest in either ride for 2020 when they weren't even able to make progress on their new-for-2020 ride. Also, I just noticed that SFDK is also doing a drive-through HitP experience. Is anyone planning on going to this? If so, maybe you can see if there has been any movement around the rides in question. Plus, make a TR because I'd love to see what their drive-through looks like!

Yes! Do you have Christmas lights on the outside of your house this year?

Looking at the photos, I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how nice this looks! I would definitely go if I was in the area. It looks like the park did a great job with what they were able to do given the circumstances. Too bad they didn't do something like this for Halloween. I would have loved to see the park take a crack at a Halloween drive-through! But hey, if this ends up being popular enough, maybe the park will do another drive-through for another holiday. Maybe Mardi Gras?

Haven't you heard? The government is tattooing proof of vaccination on your forehead and failure to comply results in immediate execution. It's the Mark of the Beast and we are in the end times. But in reality, I could see Six Flags "proving" you got the vaccine in the same way they "prove" you don't have the virus now. By either checking a box online when you get tickets, or by verbal affirmation when you go to the park.

I haven't been to the park in a while but I also haven't seen those rides operate in a while. That theater was closed for a longggg time and I was shocked that it reopened at all. It would be a great location for a new attraction, but is it really that much of a maintenance nightmare or is the park just too lazy to update it to a more popular film?

Source?

At first I thought the campground was going to be The Beach repurposed. Now I'm just imagining a bunch of children asking their parents when they can ride the water slides and the parents having to explain that it's closed. Last time I drove past that area, the slides were still there and didn't look like they were going anywhere any time soon.

Has the park been open for rides in January in the past? I don't usually pay much attention to this park but now I have reasons...

So with Six Flags announcing the removal of 15 of their rides, do you think that Taz will be on its way out, or something else?

Pic #2 of the weird hippo/rat thing that became my profile pic back when I joined TPR in 2007. The previous angle of it didn't fit but thankfully the second pic I had fits perfectly so my hippo rat can continue to grace the pages of TPR.

^^I saw your meme on Facebook and thought it was funny! Idk if everyone will get the reference but I love that movie. Most likely, I'd say Wizard of Oz themed? I know some enthusiasts could use a brain.

Same for me!! I don't understand how people can watch a POV and solidly predict how forceful the ride is going to feel. Most of the time, I underestimate a coaster based on the POV. That being said, Iron Gwazi looks AMAZING from the POV and I can't wait to ride it in person! I will do anything to be there next year to ride it!