Thunder_Run Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 What I really dislike about this whole recent turn of events is that a ton of people now are lambasting the park to a ridiculous degree. Honestly, I puzzle why they dislike it so much. What is joking on here about it looking like a permanent carnival is apparently a legitimate complaint to rate it as a bad place, even with the friendly employees, lack of lines. People have literally said in the past they wished it was more like Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. (Not the reopened one today, they mean the management under Premier back in the early 2000s) So they WANT horridly rude employees, bad food, and a rougher crowd? What? While the press thing was definitely handled badly, I still don't think this park is neglecting it's rides to the degree that people exaggerate it to. If it was, I hardly believe they would have the money to spend on the addition of Air Race and Bluegrass Breeze. And the Kentucky Rumbler would have to be as rough as the Georgia Cyclone by now if they didn't have the money to maintain it properly. Sometimes freak accidents happen even with frequent maintenance checks. If that really isn't the case though... kinda questioning who the inspector is then. It is kinda ironic though this was the only ride I felt a bit unsafe on. Something about the Dragon coaster never has ever settled right with me, and it is moreso from the layout. That lift hill and downward spiral never felt right at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 (edited) I'm not a fan of how the park manager addressed the situation. “It just came to more of an abrupt stop than normal, but everything’s cool,” said park manager Charlotte Gonzalez. “There was some people on it, no injuries, it wasn’t a big deal.” The ride is being examined and undergoing routine maintenance, and Gonzalez said she is confident it will be back up and running soon. Are you kidding me? Everything's cool????? How unprofessional. I understand no one was killed but I would think a park manager would have a little more tact about ANY accident on your property. Edited August 18, 2015 by DJeXeL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydsheating Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 What I really dislike about this whole recent turn of events is that a ton of people now are lambasting the park to a ridiculous degree. Honestly, I puzzle why they dislike it so much. What is joking on here about it looking like a permanent carnival is apparently a legitimate complaint to rate it as a bad place, even with the friendly employees, lack of lines. People have literally said in the past they wished it was more like Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. (Not the reopened one today, they mean the management under Premier back in the early 2000s) So they WANT horridly rude employees, bad food, and a rougher crowd? What? While the press thing was definitely handled badly, I still don't think this park is neglecting it's rides to the degree that people exaggerate it to. If it was, I hardly believe they would have the money to spend on the addition of Air Race and Bluegrass Breeze. And the Kentucky Rumbler would have to be as rough as the Georgia Cyclone by now if they didn't have the money to maintain it properly. Sometimes freak accidents happen even with frequent maintenance checks. If that really isn't the case though... kinda questioning who the inspector is then. It is kinda ironic though this was the only ride I felt a bit unsafe on. Something about the Dragon coaster never has ever settled right with me, and it is moreso from the layout. That lift hill and downward spiral never felt right at all. Thank you for seeing why I love Beech Bend. I love that all of the employees are friendly, and since the lines are shorter we have more time to interact with the guests and i have several season passholders that have been coming there for years who seek me out just to tell me how well their day is going. It feels like the employees are one big family since it is a smaller park we all know each other and see each other every day. I have worked there for three years now and I absolutely love it, it is so much better than when I worked at holiday world, where reported safety issues would just go overlooked for days on end and you would be instructed to put guests in unsafe seats, and you would hardly ever see members of upper management. Unlike at Holiday World, maintence and management take what an employee says to heart and actually fix it instead of just trying to keep the ride running. Charlotte is in the park every day, she is the most caring individual that I have ever met. I have seen her buy food for employees when they have no money for lunch, make guests and employees feel better when they are sad, and all employees know that if they have a problem with anything she will take care of it, and nobody cares more about the safety of the guests than she does. Nothing can compare to that, from a personal standpoint it is so much better seeing the owners EVERY day and being able to talk to them face to face compared to seeing them once in a blue moon. As for the Accident it was not serious at all. Nobody was injured, everyone walked away. The coaster was slowly going backwards as it hit that spot. Everyone on the train was in good spirits, nobody was crying, the kids on the ride were even joking with me. It was nowhere near as bad as some of you are making it out to be. So please don't blast a good person when what they are telling you is the truth. I just hate people looking down on my park as I and all of the other employees really want it to be the best family amusement park that it can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOGdude25 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I was interviewed again today by my local news station in a follow-up news story on the Dragon Coaster accident, this time on camera. Beech Bend has apparently decided to wisely remove the kiddie coaster and the Jitterbug swing ride for good this year. http://www.wsmv.com/story/29947241/damaged-amusement-rides-had-problems-in-the-past I should point out that despite these accidents that have happened this year, the park overall still seemed to be in pretty good shape from what I saw on my visit. I was actually surprised at how rideable Kentucky Rumbler was and rode it several times that day. It's not like the park doesn't care at all, in fact when I first rode Rumbler that day, the last three cars were closed off because they were having restraint issues, so they do care about safety enough to take necessary measures when issues arise. Hopefully Beech Bend will learn from these accidents that they need to be aware of any and all potential ride issues in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydsheating Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 New Family Coaster Coming to Beech Bend Park in 2016! Beech Bend Park is excited to announce Spinning Out, a brand new family roller coaster! Spinning Out is themed like a race car, spinning out of control in a spectacular back to back seating configuration. Each car holds four people, a perfect size for the entire family, and the cars will spin freely throughout the ride, delivering different ride experiences each time the weight distributions change! Spinning Out will surely become a favorite for kids and parents alike! Beech Bend Park OPENS MAY 2016! Spinning Out is manufactured by SBF VISA One of the cars of Spinning Out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nwstone Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Is this going to be an actual spinning coaster or one of those things at IAAPA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippindotsguy8 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Is this going to be an actual spinning coaster or one of those things at IAAPA? It's the thing from Iaapa, judging from the manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Personally, I think this is a step-up from the dragon coaster that was there. Something new and fresh to replace something old, and something that has a twist (pun intended) to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOG1991 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 This is the perfect replacement and will make me stop by Beech Bend again next year even though I was just there. I actually really enjoyed the Dragon coaster. It was terrifying and honestly I am not that surprised by the incident. I rode it a few weeks prior and in the back car, at the bottom of the helix, the entire thing was just going all over the place, which I am used to with quirky kiddie coasters, but the feeling was much stranger than what I was used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Nice to hear some good news from the park! I'm glad these little spinners are a hit; I'm all for gimmicky (in a good way, in this case) kiddie coasters as a step up from our usual credits, and a little extra excitement for kids and families. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydsheating Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) The track and train for Spinning Out arrived today! The bright green track looks awesome with the race car themed vehicles! Spinning out is our brand new family coaster for 2016, which takes riders on a whacky, twisty, exciting ride! More Construction Pics will be Posted to Beech Bend's Facebook Page! 2 of the Cars of Spinning Out. Rockin Raceway is in the Background. Some of the new track of Spinning out. Edited January 10, 2016 by Floydsheating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 ^Thanks for sharing those photos. It's nice seeing fresh-new rides come to the park with this and the Air Race. Speaking of which, Beech Bend announced today that they will be adding a brand new ProSlide water slide complex to Splash Lagoon, complete with four inner-tube slides each with special elements to them. New for 2016 at Beech Bend Park: 4 all new waterslides! Introducing Cyclone Saucers, the first ever saucer ride in North America! Other rides include Tidal Wave, Riptide, and Polynesian Plunge! Source For those of you not familiar with the FlyingSAUCER concept, it was first introduced on Singha water slide at Siam Park in Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Looks like a great addition to the park! It might be just me, but I'm still not understanding the flying saucer concept even after watching the video. How is it different than any other curve on a water slide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I'm assuming it's a tighter and steeper curve than a typical turn on a slide. There's a side-view of it posted to Twitter here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 It might be just me, but I'm still not understanding the flying saucer concept even after watching the video. How is it different than any other curve on a water slide? Don't feel bad. I still don't understand the flying saucer concept... Even after I watched the video. Aside from the more "open" feel it has to it... To me it just looks like a tight turn on a water slide, with a lot of wasted fiberglass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Beech Bend makes impressive announcements every year, but this is an incredibly exciting step for them to take! 4 unique Proslide products is a huge, awesome investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder_Run Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Judging by the plans, it appears they are taking advantage of the terrain surrounded by Gold Rush Golf, the pool, and the Magnolia Shelter. So it seems they are building over the former Jitterbug site , along with where the Super Slide 2000 is now and a large of the Magnolia Shelter, which pretty much guarantees that structure is going to/has come down for this addition. Not sure if they are keeping the Super Slide still, since it's still listed on the website under the kiddie rides section. I presume the Monster Trucks are going to be relocated somewhere in the park. Either way, this is very exciting news for Beech Bend. Not only a unique slide complex, but being able to boast about opening the first of a new type of waterslide in North America is sure to attract even more people from both Nashville and Louisville. Combining that with the excellent wave pool, two water play structures, the existing 3-slide complex, and the historic leisure pool (I'm pretty sure it is one of the very few water parks that has both a normal pool AND a wave pool, that seems to appeal to people who aren't fond of getting out of the water when the wave machine starts.), and Splash Lagoon is probably going to be one of the best smallest water parks in the country. Funny... now both of Kentucky's amusement parks have something in common in their layouts: a water park that merges with and is surrounded by an amusement park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 That's an awesome, big addition for a small/medium size park. Great for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydsheating Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 It is a great addition to the park. I was just sad that I could not attend the press conference. I have been wanting to ride Spinning Out but I will have to wait till summer! The Magnolia Shelter has been Torn Down, and Monster Trucks has been moved but I am not sure where to. I could not ask for any more, as it is a great addition! I've got to spend one of my days off in the water park next year!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I got to spend some time in the waterpark last year, and would agree that this is an amazing addition. The three existing slides are great in an old school way; I don't think I've seen a mat slide in about 20 years. These new ones are just the opposite; very modern and a big attraction on their own. This may go overlooked, but it really shouldn't. Anybody planning a Dollywood and Kentucky Kingdom trip this year, make this place a stop. It's definitely worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 It might be just me, but I'm still not understanding the flying saucer concept even after watching the video. How is it different than any other curve on a water slide? Don't feel bad. I still don't understand the flying saucer concept... Even after I watched the video. Aside from the more "open" feel it has to it... To me it just looks like a tight turn on a water slide, with a lot of wasted fiberglass. Click the link to the full proslide website. It's explained pretty clearly on their site. The shape creates more centrifugal force, which means rafts can go faster around turns without the risk of going over the top as they would on a normal water slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizzer Whiz Kid Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Just doing some research on an upcoming trip and read online that this park has free soft drinks. Is this still the case? Also where can I find the cheapest place for tickets. Any help is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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