Cedar Fair: New for 2007

Confirmed:
Cedar Point: Maverick: IntaRide steel looping coaster, with lims, on White Water Landing site.
Valleyfair!: Renegade: GCI wooden coaster, Millennium Flyer trains.
Geauga Lake: Removal of X-Flight to another Cedar Fair park.
Kings Dominion: WaterWorks expansion: second wave pool, family play house, ProSlide Tornado? (Not officially announced, but listed in '07 Career Days brochure on park site)
Knott's Berry Farm: Timberland Twister, Mack Spinning Coaster in Camp Snoopy

Rumored:
Canada's Wonderland: Water park expansion, make-over into Boomerang Bay. (Rename/retheme unlikely, since KD is keeping WaterWorks name despite expansion) Kids Area/Nickelodon Makeover as well?
Kings Island: Bunch of things: X-flight from Geauga Lake... Return of flying scooters... New dining options?
Geauga Lake: Redevelopment of former Hurricane Hanna's water park site, new slides for Wildwater Kingdom, Coasters Drive-In?
Carowinds: Coaster?
Dorney Park: Racing slide at Wildwater Kingdom
Michigan's Adventure: Mad Mouse midway rehab, new ride in, some flats out... X-Flight?
Great America: Kids Area/Nickelodon Makeover. Makeover coming to Orleans Place as well?
Worlds of Fun: Unknown.

Now the KI 2007 Passes AREN'T for sale yet...

Looks like the folks in Sandusky have yet to get their act together with the 2007 passes...

First, it's announced that Canada's Wonderland is going to sell passes this week, but they will no longer be accepted at other parks.

Then, supposedly, Kings Island passholders won't get free parking, even if they are renewals.

Now this:

Canada's Wonderland 2007 pass page is blank.
Kings Island's gives a notice:

2007 Season Passes are currently unavailable for sale via web, phone or at the park. Please check this web site periodically for updates as they become available. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

So, if you're dreaming of a Maxx Pass, print one out for yourself right now!

Pricing for the 2007 Passes at KI.

Gold Passes: Valid only at Kings Island
Adult: 74.95, Child/Senior: $44.95

Cedar Fair Maxx Pass: Valid at ALL 12 Cedar Fair amusement parks
All Ages: $124.95

Parking: $34.95 per pass - Free for renewing 2006 passholders when purchased by by October 29, 2006.

Kings Island announces 2007 Season Passes

From the "PKI" web site:

2007 Season Passes on Sale Friday, Aug. 25, 2006

3 Great Pass Options - 2 Parks for the Price of One!


ADULT GOLD PASS

Everyone Gets Gold! Enjoy over 80 rides, shows & attractions, including Nickeodeon Universe and the award winning Boomerang Bay Water Park Resort! Plus, get the rest of the 2006 season and all of the 2007 season with all the great Gold Pass Perks:

· FREE 2006 Fearfest & Nick or Treat
· Early Ride Times
· Walk on Weekends
· Bring-A-Friend FREE Days
· Meal Deals
· Priority Concert Seating


CHILD / SENIOR GOLD PASS

Get all the same great passholder perks and benefits. For person’s under 48” tall or ages 60 and over. $20 less than the 2006 Child/Senior Pass! Height and age determined at time of processing when photo I.D. is made.


NEW! Cedar Fair Maxx Pass

A Cedar Fair Maxx Pass gives passholders access to Paramount's Kings Island for the rest of the 2006 season, and all of the 2007 season with all the Gold Pass Perks! This pass also gives guests access to all 12 Cedar Fair ride amusement parks (including 3 in Ohio) for the 2007 season, including:

Kings Island, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio; Geauga Lake near Cleveland, Ohio; Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California; Dorney Park near Allentown, Pennsylvania; Valleyfair near Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, Missouri; Michigan's Adventure near Muskegon, Michigan; Kings Dominion near Richmond, Virginia; Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina; Great America, Santa Clara, California and Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, Ontario.


FREE PARKING FOR RENEWING PASSHOLDERS!

How does the Chicago "Big Box" law affect low-income residents, inner city?

Big Box Rebellion Wall Street Journal

Well, that didn't take long. Just as Mayor Richard Daley and these columns predicted, the law recently passed by Chicago's City Council requiring a super-minimum wage is driving big retailers out of the city.

Target was the first big chain to react, recently cancelling plans to open a new superstore in a run-down area on the city's North side. Only a few months ago the project was hailed by city leaders as an anchor for redeveloping that depressed neighborhood. Now it gets to stay depressed. Wal-Mart has also announced that its plans to build 20 new stores in the city over the next five years are "on hold" until the wage issue is resolved.

This isn't what the politicians said would happen when they mandated that certain mostly non-union "big-box" retailers pay a minimum of $13 in wage and health benefits by 2010, or more than two-and-a-half times the national minimum wage. "This is a great day for working men and women of Chicago," said Alderman Joseph Moore, who sponsored the ordinance but clearly doesn't think very far ahead, if he thinks at all. The Council was warned that stores would flee to the suburbs or not be built. But instead it heeded such activists as Annette Bernhardt, chief economist at New York University Law School, who claimed that "We're very confident that retailers want and need to be in Chicago." Whoops.

This liberal red-lining may yet be overcome by common sense. Mayor Daley seems intent on vetoing the bill, which he says would result in higher property taxes to compensate for lost sales-tax revenue once stores leave. Alderman Shirley Coleman voted for the law but has since changed her mind now that a Wal-Mart in her district may never be built. At least three other aldermen who voted for the measure are also reportedly now open to giving Mr. Daley the votes he needs to sustain his veto.

The entire "living-wage" movement is the latest product of upper-income politicians who want to stick it to non-union companies in the name of helping the poor. But the working poor lose twice in Chicago: first, in lost retail jobs and then in less access to low-cost goods. Alderman Carrie Austin, who represents the area where the Target store was supposed to locate, puts it this way: "My colleagues are saying, 'Don't worry they [the big box retailers] will come.' Well, mine just left."

We all know well the battle between those who love and those who hate big-box retail. A great opportunity to build these stores on brownfields and other vacant sites, probably even build more urban-friendly stores, and create jobs (which pay more as one advances), seems to be going out the window. Instead of helping to improve the big box, some politicals have decided to oddly enough stick to status quo in the name of "change."

Kings Island lays off 15

Cincinnati Enquirer article

Kings Island said it has laid off 15 employees as its new owner Cedar Fair restructures and integrates the amusement park into its operations.

Sandusky-based Cedar Fair, which also owns Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm, said the move on Thursday eliminated some overlapping functions since two new managers have assumed oversight.

"A number of duplicated positions were reduced by the company here yesterday," said Maureen Kaiser, a park spokeswoman, who added the 15 managers and other employees received severance packages.

What about "Paramount?"

While mulling the future direction of its acquired parks, Cedar Fair has indicated in government filings that it doesn't plan to rename the park, noting its "strong local brand." The company said Kings Island did $108 million worth of business last year.

After opening this year the largest collection of Nickelodeon-inspired attractions at any amusement park before the takeover, Cedar Fair has also signaled in filings that it plans to keep the features.

The company, however, has indicated it might reduce its association with Paramount - including such Kings Island rides as the Italian Job and Top Gun - after the current season after studying customer opinion. Such a change would cut the company's royalty expenses.

While there's no official move/announcement on the Paramount name, here's some hints:

Latest from Apple: Leopard Preview, and Launch of Mac Pro and Intel XServe

(OS News)

Prior to the 2006 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, rumors swirled around about a "dizzying" amount of new products to be unveiled.

Now, at the WWDC in San Francisco, it was announced by CEO Steve Jobs that the first peek at the latest version of Mac OS X, Leopard, is now out, as are the first Pro-level versions of the desktop and server models using the Intel processors.

First of all, Jobs announced the Mac Pro, a dual dual-core machine with 64bit 2.66Ghz Woodcrest processors. The processors have 4MB of shared L2 cache, with 128bit vector engines. The machine is "1.6 to 2.1" times faster than the G5 quad. Because of the reduced cooling system, there is now space for four hard drives and a 2nd optical drive. Inside the machine has been completely redesigned; on the outside, it is basically the same. There is one standard configuration, which costs USD 2499.

Next up, Jobs announced the new Xserve. The new Xserve's specifications are similar to those of the Mac Pro, and still has the 1U footprint. Apple says the machine is 5 times faster than the previous Xserve. With this announcement, the transition to Intel is complete.

And if you're waiting for Windows to catch up to Mac OS X, bring a ton of books to read! By the time Vista comes out, OS 10.5 (better known as Leopard) will likely be out! The newest features and upgrades:

Leopard will support running 32bit application side-by-side with 64bit applications. Other than that, applications can be run completely in 64bit, and a 64bit Carbon UI is also available;
A feature called 'Time Machine' will be available; it's an automated back-up solution that lets you switch back to older revisions of files, or of entire harddrives. Back-up can be done towards a remote server or a local harddisk. However, the biggest feature of Time Machine is that you can enter specific dates into Finder windows, after which the directory will appear as it was on that specific date. Time Machine is Spotlight-enabled, so you can search through documents in the past. Update: A similar solution exists for Linux, called 'Dervish';
Boot Camp will be included in Leopard;
Leopard will have virtual desktops (Apple calls them spaces), with drag and drop support;
Spotlight will be capable of searching through files on remote machines (if you have the proper permissions);
Apple also introduced a new core technology of OS X, namely, Core Animation, which allows developers to easily integrate fancy animations into their applications. The live feeds were a little unclear as to what Core Animation specifically is; I believe it does a whole lot more than animations, but it was hard to figure out from just text feeds;
Leopard will focus on accessibility; it will have better text-to-speech functionality, closed captions in Quicktime, etc.;
Apple has added system-wide to-do's and notes into Leopard; any application can create notes and to-do's. For example, you can turn an email that just arrived into a to-do;
Dashcode helps to design, develop, and debug Dashboard widgets;
Webclip allows you to create widgets out of any part of a webpage;
iChat will see some serious enhancements, such as multiple logins, animated user icons, video recording, and tabbed chats. Besides those, the iChat Theater allows you to i.e. watch photos with your contacts or doing a Keynote presentation, while holding an a/v conversation;
Xcode 3.0 will be released today.

Missing from the conference were the anticipated iPhone and a new iPod. Of course, the year isn't quite over yet, so I'd be surprised if there weren't the release of a new iPod prior to the holiday/Christmas season.

Bad fans at the Bengals game? Call 381-JERK

Bengals Offer "Jerk" Hotline (WCPO Channel 9)

For the first time, the Bengals are offering a tip line for fans to call to report unruly behavior.

The hotline number is 381-JERK.

It will be set up and ready to go at this Sunday's pre-season game.

The Bengals said they've started this new approach after seeing a rise in bad behavior last season.

There were more fights and beer bottles being thrown, so this year they decided to do something about it.

While the Bengals had a winning season last year, some fans walked away from Paul Brown Stadium with a bitter taste in their mouths after spending time with unruly fans.

It's about bleeping time. Why people would spend hundreds, even thousands to see a football, and then to get drunk and rude is beyond me. I see people cramming bars to get tanked, why don't the Bengals and the NFL put a disclaimer warning to people entering the stadium?

Also: Getting tough on boorish fans (Cincinnati Enquirer)

"You can get a lot of abuse with these things," (Bob) Bedinghaus said. "If you get 6,000 people calling this line - 'Hey, Ben Roethlisberger is a jerk' - then it becomes less effective. The thing to remember is we have caller ID on this line. So if you're crank calling, we are going to be able to ID who you are."

Who's the real jerk, the one with the Super Bowl ring, or the one with 2 Bud Lights in each hand?! Seriously though, sports needs to take a look at its relationship with alcohol: the balance between profit boosts and alcohol's potentially dangerous side effects.

Happy Birthday to Six Flags!

If you have set foot inside a Six Flags park this year, like I have, you may have noticed signs celebrating a "45th Anniversary."

The exact anniversary is today, August 4, when Six Flags over Texas opened in 1961. Texas has been under six different governments, and officials originally called it "Texas under Six Flags," but some felt that the name might have been coined by Debbie Downer. The Arlington, TX park was among the first of many regional theme parks that would open across America in the next two decades. While the parent company is a troubled time now, they list the original Six Flags park as one of its "core" protected/safe properties. So...

Happy Birthday Six Flags! Here's hoping the next one is better...

AOL going free

America Online (AOL), who has been facing the loss of customers, and customer service nightmares, most notably account cancellation, is now offering its service for FREE. Anyone using the service along with a separate internet connection (DSL/Cable/Broadband or dial-up) is no longer charged a monthly fee. Those needing a dial-up connection now pay only $9.95 to get AOL. Because of the changing internet user and technology, not to mention what the market offers, AOL is having to reinvent itself.

Son of Beast to be partly rebuily

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060804/NEWS01/308040024

Part of the Son of Beast roller coaster at Paramount’s Kings Island must be taken apart and rebuilt under state supervision, a time-consuming process that raises questions about whether the ride will reopen this season.

“If they want to operate it again, that’s what they have to do,” said Melanie Wilt, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the state agency that regulates amusement park rides.

The Son of Beast has been closed since July 9 when 27 people were injured after a particularly rough ride. On Friday, Wilt said the problem has been narrowed down to three possible structural issues: wood strength, maintenance or design.

Inspectors found a cracked vertical support beam in the double helix part of the coaster the day after the accident. Inspectors say that might have contributed to the big jolt riders described.

Kings Island must now take apart a small section of the ride, including pieces surrounding that cracked beam. Those pieces must be turned over to the state for analysis. Meanwhile, the park would have to rebuild that section and test the new portion under the supervision of an independent engineer hired by the state.

Man dies after riding Goliath at SFOG

Disney World deaths on Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Mission Space.

Mishaps at Kings Island and Kings Dominion.

Man dies after riding Gwazi at Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa, FL).

Several other injuries/mishaps.

Now a death on the new Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Cobb County authorities say a 45-year-old man died of an apparent heart attack after becoming unconscious during a roller coaster ride at Six Flags amusement park.

Fire Lt. Dan Dupree said authorities were called to the park about noon Thursday after the man lost consciousness while on the park's newest roller coaster — Goliath.

Dupree said firefighters arrived to see Emergency Medical Services workers and employees of the park treating a man who was suffering from cardiac arrest. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities have not released his name.

So far, not a great year for amusement parks - especially since many of these weren't necessarily due to rider misconduct - nor operator error.

MVRPC director Robinette retires early

A surprising move at MVRPC in Dayton, where I was a planning co-op in 2002 and 2003:

DAYTON — As a cost-saving measure last October, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission Director Mike Robinette recommended an early retirement incentive plan to the agency's board.

Last week, Robinette surprised the board when he took advantage of the retirement plan and announced he was leaving the agency.

Although the early retirement plan will save the agency money, the terms and the late notice of Robinette's retirement rankled some top officers.

Miami County Commissioner Ron Widener, chairman of the agency board when the early retirement plan was proposed and approved, said he was "very uncomfortable" with the terms of Robinette's retirement.

More of the article at Dayton Daily News - Registration required, free of charge

OH Supreme Ct: Norwood Abused Eminent Domain

Enquirer - Eminent Domain Abused

The city of Norwood cannot take property by eminent domain to give to a private developer, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.

In holding parts of Ohio’s eminent domain law unconstitutional, the state’s highest court set a different course than the U.S. Supreme Court did in its landmark Kelo v. New London decision last year.

There, the Supreme Court ruled that a Connecticut city’s taking of property for economic development was constitutional – but made clear that state constitutions could set different standards for property rights.

The Norwood case is expected to be closely watched around the country. It was the first major eminent domain case to reach a state Supreme Court since Kelo.

The case was brought by property owners Joseph Horney, Carl and Joy Gamble and Matthew F. Burton, who argued that the city should not be able to take their properties and deed them over to Rookwood Partners for a $125 million shopping and office complex.

Honestly, I understand both sides. The homeowners, whose homes are standing in an urban desert, should not lose their property just so someone else could build a "better development for the community." If the City of Norwood and developers had their way, there would be severe implications on private property across America - low to mid-income residents, churches and other religious buildings, and "less desirable" yet successful businesses, would become fair game.

On the other hand, Norwood, like other first-ring suburbs, as well as the City of Cincinnati, are facing great challenges. Many residents and businesses have left the older areas - moving to newer suburbs, creating sprawl. In order to keep the region healthy, the "heart" must too, remain healthy. Therefore, the inner city and its brownfields and depressed areas must redevelop. As someone schooled in urban planning, I know that we can't just ignore what's there and keep going outward.

Personally, I wish the three property owners would take the big money, and find a better place in a more stable neighborhood. The ever-increasing traffic and the closeness to I-71 is a sign to bail. The long awaited, appealing Rookwood Exchange could finally move forward as planned, and it would help turn a corner for Norwood. Ethically, I side with the property owners - they are exercising their rights as Americans. If the owners decide to keep their properties, then if the developers want to move forward, they'll have to make some big changes, and co-exist with the out-of-place houses - that are still home to others.

Slow News Day: Lance is Gay

Lance Bass, former member of boy band *NSYNC, has revealed that he is gay.

Let's see. A boy band member. Named Lance. Coming out. Who didn't see that coming?

Local connection: Lance has a relationship with Reichen Lemkuhl, who was born in Cincinnati. Lemkuhl won the Amazing Race a couple years ago with then-partner Chip Arndt. Reichen and Chip have since separated.

Winterfest: It's time to move on.

On Monday, folks at Kings Island and Cedar Fair finally confirmed the on-going rumors: Winterfest has been cancelled for 2006.

Of course, in January, people for PKI, then owned by CBS Corporation, were touting the success of the 2005 return. Then, in April, when the park opened for the regular season, they began to sell tickets for Winterfest for the great low price of $9.95. There was little chance that Winterfest would go back into the history books.

Then came "the announcement" about "the sale" in May. People were questioning, "What changes is Cedar Fair gonna make this season." The acquisition press release and conferences gave no solid answer, but tickets were still being sold, but quietly. Then again, "quietly" is how the winter holiday event's life for 2006 would seem to end. Soon, around when the keys to the park were given to Dick Kinzel and his guys, the in-park ads and brochure ads were taken out. Winterfest bears appeared as game prizes. Then ticket sales were pulled...

I, for one, was disappointed that Winterfest faded away for the second time. The opportunity to skate on that great Royal Fountain. Heartwarming songs and scenes on the KI & MV Railroad. Scrooge's hilarious bathroom jokes. One of the best live shows I've ever seen in the park, Santa's Toy Factory. And one of the tallest structures in the region transformed into a Christmas tree. Sadly, I'm going to have to wait at least a year to see these things again.

However, somebody dropped the ball. And I won't name Cedar Fair as one of the guilty parties.
First and foremost, the pricing. $25 at the gate? Season Passes were not accepted for entry, and sometimes, no discount for passholders? Specific-day tickets? $5 parking? $7 skating rink fee?
This is compared to 1982-92. Gate admission closer to $10. Season Passholders got in free. Free parking. Translation: successful.

However, compared to 1992, more area holiday events have popped up, and/or gotten better since then. The Beach Waterpark offered 4 admissions for $40 to their Holiday Fest. Holiday in Lights at Sharon Woods, where you don't have to get out of the car. Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo was relatively affordable.
Also, peoples' views of Kings Island, as well as the makeup of the park itself, have changed. In the early 1990s, live shows were all around the park. There was a great collection of shopping and dining, more gentle rides for those of the youngest and oldest ages.
Now I know how PKI promotes itself as a family park, but sometimes, "family" does include 50, 60 and up. Have any of you ridden Runaway Reptar? Hint: it's a VEKOMA!

So, it seems they marketed it as "Winterfest is back by popular demand!' And again, like I said earlier, it was good! However, it wasn't the same Kings Island. I don't think they drove home enough that was filled with live entertainment - superior to that of other area winter attractions.

The people's response: As warm as the temperatures. I don't think many wanted to pay $30 or so to go to a cold Kings Island without thrill rides. Carowinds, another Paramount park, held their own Winterfest. At least they had the opportunity to run their B&M inverted coaster, Top Gun. Still, a Charlotte paper captioned one scene: "Waliking in an Empty Wonderland."

In defense of Winterfest, Kings Island was located in an area that was very accessible to many. Its layout was that of a theme park: great for a winter village event. This is compared to when Cedar Point held its first and only Christmas in the Park in 1994. Can you say a winter desert? Add horrible winds and temps along Lake Erie, and the smaller town that is Sandusky - just wasn't going to work. I think that if Cedar Fair were to price Winterfest right, it would have been a hit this year.

But here is the meat of this entry: At least for 2006, Cedar Fair's decision is final. No looking back. Any attempt to try to get Cedar Fair executives to reverse course will be futile (I feel like I'm quoting a Carowinds coaster's slogan). Rather than try to tweak a shaky winter event, I believe that it will be best for new ownership to spend the time to get the park up to Cedar Fair standards. My bet is that once early to mid-April 2007 comes, Kings Island will be a better park than it has in several years. A cleaner, friendlier, more efficient park.

There are some that wish that Cedar Fair will bring back KI to its pre-Paramount glory days. But for some of the mis-steps I believe that previous owners made, the park is still very successful. While I believe that things will be more consistent, some of the old charm the park had has faded away, and may likely never come back.
Now, I would love for them to bring back the old 1972-92 logo - very beautiful and sorta resembles Cincinnati's German heritage (yes, I took a class at UC related to that). This is one roll-back I hope Cedar Fair does, they can't go wrong with a classic.

But when all is said and done here, Winterfest isn't coming back this year. And I'm OK with that. Let's move on, and look forward to the rest of the operating season, and of course, 2007.

No Winterfest for 2006.

The speculation is over:

NEWS RELEASE

Paramount's Kings Island TM Cancels WinterFest for 2006 Season

Company makes business decision to table WinterFest.

KINGS ISLAND, Ohio - Paramount's Kings Island announced today that WinterFest will not take place during the 2006 season.

The business decision comes at a time when the organization is focused on providing a world-class experience during its core season, which includes the spring, summer and fall months.

Guests who have pre-purchased WinterFest tickets have automatically been refunded.

Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE: "FUN") is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Partnership, which owns and operates twelve amusement parks, five outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and six hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, Toronto, North Carolina, Virginia / District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri and Michigan.

Also: Dayton Daily News (regisration is required but free of charge)

St. Louis storms: 500,000 lose power, dozens injured at Busch Stadium

Almost 500,000 without power in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Powerful storms with rain and strong winds left nearly half a million homes and businesses without power early Thursday as the region braced for another day of 100-degree heat. Power officials said it could take five days to restore electricity.

The summer storm that tore through the Midwest on Wednesday ripped off a section of airport roof and dumped it on an interstate, blew windows out of a hotel restaurant and baseball stadium press box and injured more than 30 people. At least three St. Louis-area buildings partially collapsed.

The city's light rail system, down for several hours, was running again by the Thursday morning rush hour, but at least 450,000 customers were still without power, according to utility company AmerenUE.

"This is one of the worst storms we can all remember to hit the city of St. Louis in recent years," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said.

It could take three to five days to fully restore power to St. Louis, officials with AmerenUE said Thursday morning.

A test for the new baseball stadium:

Many of the injuries were to baseball fans waiting for a St. Louis Cardinals-Atlanta Braves game at the new Busch Stadium.

Winds near 80 mph blew out press box windows and ripped the tarp, injuring at least 30 people, five of whom were taken to hospitals, said Norm Corley, a supervisor with Accu-Care, which handles medical issues at the stadium.

I knew one of the biggest complaints about the old Busch Stadium was the lack of wind circulation. Now this...

Patrons were evacuated at the rooftop restaurant at the downtown Millennium Hotel after winds blew out windows in the restaurant, which sits near the Gateway Arch.

This happened just after the singing of the national anthem. Hopefully Roseanne Barr wasn't singing...

I guess the good news out of this is that the Cardinals won 8-3, avoiding a sweep by the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals continue to lead the NL Central by 3.5 games over the Reds.

Has the last Winterfest already been held... again?

There is great speculation that Kings Island's classic Christmas holiday event, brought back last year after a decade's-plus hiatus, won't be held in 2006 and in future years.

After great promotion and great reviews, Kings Island's revival of Winterfest in 2005 was considered a success by the park, then owned by Viacom.

Then, at the beginning of the 2006 season, the park is owned by CBS Corporation (Viacom split into two, and a new Viacom was created, CBS being the new name of the old corporation). PKI starts selling advance tickets to the 2006 Winterfest for only $9.99. The event is advertised in park brochures, and by posters throughout the park.

Then, on June 30, Kings Island has yet another owner. Cedar Fair, L.P. completes its acquisition of Paramount Parks. Shortly after:

- The park is no longer selling Winterfest tickets.
- All in-park advertising of Winterfest has been removed.
- Plush bears with the Winterfest logo are being given away as prizes at the "Age & Weight" game on Coney Mall.

There are many conflicting theories, answers, and statements going on now, such as the thread on PKI Central.

For the return of Winterfest:
- Good reviews from those who went
- Cedar Fair has the opportunity to improve upon the event, make it better, bring in more guests than 2005.
- Stopping ticket sales may be a publicity stunt to get guests to demand the event happens.
- The last time it was held, prior to the hiatus: Paramount acquired Kings Island in 1992, prior to November, when the event began that year. They were good enough to honor a prior commitment, so why wouldn't Cedar Fair do the same?
- One of the most frequently asked questions the park recieved was "When are you bringing back Winterfest?" Why drop it again?
- CF may be dropping the "Paramount's" prefix from the park prior to Winterfest. They may even include the event as part of 2007 season passes.

Against Winterfest's return:
- Low attendance, especially due to season passes not being included, and high admission price ($25). In the beginning, passholders got discounts, but they weren't substantial enough.
- The event, especially now, is by no means sold out!
- Not only did they pull ticket sales, they pulled all promotion of Winterfest!
- Cedar Fair's flagship park, Cedar Point, tried a Christmas event in 1994. I won't go into details, but it was the last "Christmas in the Park" CP held. Why risk it again with KI (and Carowinds, who had the event in '05 as well)?
- If so many wanted Winterfest back, why didn't they come in droves?

As one park spokesperson said, "Stay tuned."

The Lost Bronson Arroyo Commercial

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
I live in the greater Cincinnati area, and have seen many commercials from the Champion Auto Group, which has dealerships throughout Northern Kentucky. How come I never saw this one, starring Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, around Memorial Day? Watch, listen, and find out!