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Kentucky Kingdom to announce what the two new thrill rides in 2015 are. Set to be announced on Wave3 at 1:30 PM Tomorrow. http://m.wave3.com/wave/db_336805/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=I6K0NLei

2014-09-24-22-44-37-1985027382.jpeg.d314846b79b9684745f99e926e2c658e.jpeg

Work on T3 has started!!! From Courier Journal

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Courier Journal

Edited by TheSkysTheLimit
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^^Do my eyes deceive me? Is the original red paint color still under that layer of black after all of these years?!

^And I agree that it would look awesome in those two colors. It would pay homage to the ride's previous colors, and to nearby Uni. of Louisville's colors.

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Do you think they will go with updated new generation Vekoma trains (with the vest restraints) or with the Kumbak trains (as used on Arkham Asylum in Australia)?

I'm almost positive they're using the new restraints. They have said they are doing something to make the ride more comfortable, and they have to order new trains anyway because the old ones left with six flags.

 

So it's one of those swing rides that makes a complete circle?! That's exactly what I wanted! And with enterprise getting fixed, they're flat ride selection is greatly improved. (Enterprise is awesome!)

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We still don't know what the trains will look like on T3. Or the location of the two new rides. We'll just have to wait until 1:30

 

 

the ride placement is going to be very interesting. I’m really trying to imagine where the new rides will go.

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Yay! A 130 foot Skyscreamer, and it's not the clunky mondial ones!

I didn't even read that! These are much better I agree! Some money well spent here. Now KKs flat ride selection is going to be pretty strong. Hopefully that will prompt kings island to up their game in that department.

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Do you think they will go with updated new generation Vekoma trains (with the vest restraints) or with the Kumbak trains (as used on Arkham Asylum in Australia)?

 

The owner (Ed Hart) has stated that they're not using Vekoma. So I guess it would be Kumbak unless there's another company getting in to the business of replacing Vekoma trains.

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Here's an article on the 2015 announcement and 2014 results. Some of this was already known, some is new is Kektucky Kingdom says they are expanded the ride selection more quickly due to a successful first re-opening season

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/

 

2014 attendance surpassed 600,000

 

Re-introduce - T2 (as T3), River Raft Ride and the Enterprise

New - a 130-foot-tall SkyCatcher swing and Cyclos, a pendulum that rotates 360 degrees

 

Kentucky Kingdom drew 600K after re-opening

 

Kirby Adams, Michael Clevenger,Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal 8:59 September 25, 2014

 

When Kentucky Kingdom kicked off its comeback in May after a five-year hiatus, no one knew if the theme park could recapture its status as a Louisville landmark.

 

But Kentucky Kingdom attracted nearly 600,000 visitors and sold 117,000 season passes in 2014 — strong results that led the theme park's owners to expand the schedule and accelerate investment in new rides for next year.

 

Although the $43 million relaunch included a few stumbles, officials with the Kentucky State Fair Board and city of Louisville are upbeat about the reopening and the park's long-term prospects.

 

"It's really great having Kentucky Kingdom open again," said Clifford "Rip" Rippetoe, president of the Kentucky State Fair Board, the park's landlord at the Kentucky Exposition Center. "It's brought energy to our campus."

 

Kentucky Kingdom's return "has had a significant impact on quality of life and the attraction package we can offer visitors," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. "It also provided a badly needed boost in summer experiences for young people."

 

The theme park will close out its 2014 season this weekend. The owners declined to disclose profits but pointed out that $8 million to $10 million spent on additional rides and improvements for next year is an indicator of results.

 

"We feel good about where we are. We have a very healthy cash flow," said Ed Hart, leader and majority shareholder of an investment group that has a 50-year lease deal with the fair board.

 

WHAT'S COMING: 5 new rides for 2015 at Kentucky Kingdom

10669196_840364129331094_5487499323262286675_o.thumb.jpg.ebc2fbe2cbe49a9532a9913000442b3e.jpg

 

The bottom line for parents is that the cost of daily admission, $44.95, as well as season passes, $59.95 for early buyers, will remain the same next year. The season will be lengthened from 94 days this year to 110 days in 2015.

 

The park will add five attractions next year, including three rides mothballed by prior owners — the T3 roller coaster (a refurbished T2); the Raging River Raft Ride; and the Enterprise, a modernized Ferris wheel-shaped ride that flattens as it spins its passengers in gondolas.

 

A first-person view of the newly-renovated Thunder Run rollercoaster at Kentucky Kingdom.

 

Also debuting next year are two rides — a 130-foot-tall SkyCatcher swing and Cyclos pendulum that rotates 360 degrees — that will cost about $1 million with installation.

 

The focus during 2014 was to create a clean, safe atmosphere where families, particularly mothers, felt comfortable spending a day with their children, Hart said.

 

Feedback from internal surveys and mystery shoppers was positive, he said. The only consistent gripe by patrons centered on the food prices, which Hart said the park addressed by posting the 20 percent discounted rates season pass-holders received for pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets and pulled-pork sandwiches.

 

Many complaints declined after the pass-holder prices went up, he said.

 

Although management focused on training employees to be helpful and courteous, Hart said, it couldn't foresee a controversy that blew up after a teenage employee told a woman who was breast-feeding her infant that she needed to feed her baby in a restroom.

 

Park officials sparked outrage on social media when they explained that policy calls for mothers to be discreet and to use three "health services" stations for feeding.

 

They backtracked within 24 hours, announcing that mothers were welcome to breast-feed anywhere, any time. Hart said they fumbled and learned from their mistakes, including the need to train employees thoroughly on policies.

 

Kentucky Kingdom began in 1987 under a Dallas-based company that went bankrupt after a year. Hart, a New Yorker and one-time retail buyer, stepped in and reopened the park in 1990, expanding it and adding roller coasters and other rides.

 

Attendance grew to 1.3 million by 1998 when Hart sold the park to Premier Parks for $78 million. That company's acquisition of Six Flags theme parks a year later led it to rebrand the property as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

 

Attendance and revenues declined during the next decade, as rides were closed and roller coasters were dismantled and shipped to other Six Flags parks. The largest blow came in June 2007 when 13-year-old Kaitlyn Lasitter, riding the Superman Tower of Power, had her feet severed when a cable broke.

Edited by robbalvey
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It will make the park layout much better and make a lot more sense having the area around T3 open again. There are two awkward dead ends in 2014 that will not be there in 2015. I am excited to see the full announcement.

Agreed, I hope these are placed around T3. The coaster feels so awkward in the water park.

yeah, the back side of the park could use some "new hotness' All the new additions to the dry side were up front this year.

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I'd assume with the Zepplin ride being moved further north of the park, they'd place one of the flats in its old spot. Plus, the drag strip's tracks were removed when I last saw them from Mile High Falls, so there's another spot!

 

So very happy so see a star flyer coming to the park. The one at the Kentucky State Fair was my favorite addition to the midway's lineup, so this taller version is sure to be a hit with families! It also adds to the park's skyline yet again!

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I'm sure the Zepplins old spot will not be used til 2016 when Twisted Twins reopens. They will most likely use Dragsters old spot for Cyclos and put the SkyCatcher in the spot by Bounty, where the old Picnic/Haunted House used to be.

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I'm sure the Zepplins old spot will not be used til 2016 when Twisted Twins reopens. They will most likely use Dragsters old spot for Cyclos and put the SkyCatcher in the spot by Bounty, where the old Picnic/Haunted House used to be.

 

That sounds like a very good possibility.

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