I am finally back home from my Kentuckiana trip to Holiday World, Beech Bend, and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.
The two most important parts, were the media events held Thursday at Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN for The Voyage, and on Friday at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, KY for the Kentucky Rumbler, both wooden coasters.
I will have more later on about Holiday World and the Voyage, as well as SFKK.
Thursday night, I stayed at the Motel 6 in Dale, IN - it was cheap yet clean and had free wireless internet, not far from Holiday World, which was fine with me. It wasn't quite the Radisson on the 26th floor with a view, but satisfying.
Friday morning, I ate at the Denny's for breakfast across from the motel - $6 for a ton of stuff is great value these days. Then I drove south towards Bowling Green, crossing the beautiful William Natcher Bridge over the Ohio River, then down the Natcher Parkway. The Parkway was undergoing resurfacing, which slowed things down. Also, there are three toll points on the Natcher Parkway, which are supposed to be removed next year when the highway has been 'paid off,' but for now, it sets you back a total of $1.50
Before arriving at Beech Bend, I passed by Western Kentucky University and its athletics complex - a baseball park, a two-deck football grandstand, and recently renovated arena for basketball, plus a 25-30 some story tower, either for dorm rooms, classrooms or offices. Something fascinating about these places.
Also fascinating is the drive into Beech Bend - lots of trees and farms with fences that simply give you that great rural Kentucky feel - and before going into the park, there's a divided road with big trees in the middle, then you see some amusement rides and the big new wood coaster. Besides the park, there's also a campground, and racetracks, including a drag raceway that was in use Friday. The complex has been owned by Dallas Jones and family for about 20 years, who has transformed the place with many new, large rides and coasters in recent years.
Besides Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE) and Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain (RCCGB) members, also invited were members of the regional media, politicians, officials, area businesses, and sponsors. There was a great large crowd of the media and guests on hand at first for the first new rides on the Kentucky Rumbler, but many left not long after after their work was done, and it was fair game for the enthusiasts. I got two rides in this session.
The coaster, was designed by Great Coasters International, Inc, who had designed several other well-known wood coasters, such as Wildcat and Lightning Racer at Hersheypark, Roar at Six Flags America, and Thunderhead at Dollywood. GCI, along with engineer Jeff Pike, is well known for its beautiful twisted designs, high banking, station fly-bys and close encounters, and articulated Millennium Flyer trains. Kentucky Rumbler only had one MF train, and the size of the coaster is small compared to other GCI creations, (and The Voyage!), but a lot of fun is packed into the layout, and gave a very smooth ride!
At about noon CDT, attendees were treated to a lunch catered by Whitt's Barbecue in the Dalls Jones Pavilion. While food was brought to Holiday World on Thursday, similar to what Six Flags parks have - Subway and Papa John's, Beech Bend visitors got nice non-park food. A video was playing in the background, of a new Discovery Channel special, that features Beech Bend and their new roller coaster.
A nice surpise for us came after lunch, when we were free to not just ride the Rumbler, but also the other 3 coasters, including the Wild Mouse, which was recently added. I sat with two other people in the spinning car, and in the second half of the ride, we were spinning so fast that I shouted some words that I prefer not to repeat here. Otherwise, a smooth, fun ride.
Next up, I did the Dragon, a small kid/family coaster. On the first trip with riders, the train got stuck in the middle - the big people on board caused the train to stop on a high point, which required a push from park staff. I got on the second ride, and while my train slowed at that point, it made it through on its own that time.
The other coaster was the Pinfari "Looping Star," which was relocated to another location this season to make some more room for the Kentucky Rumbler. I first rode it in 2002, and didn't find the ride much better. It was painful at best - but they let me take pictures!
I got a few more rides on the Kentucky Rumbler, which I was also invited to take pictures while riding. I got to sit almost everywhere, including the front and back seats. In the end, I must say that Beech Bend now has a signature ride, and one of the happiest people is park owner Dallas Jones, who has worked hard to make Beech Bend into a nice regional destination.
I probably could have stayed later on, but decided to make time to stop by another park on the way back home...
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