Kings Island Little Spaces, 2019
Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, is a big place. There are 100 attractions, which include 14 roller coasters and a 33-acre water park. Not all of the fun is that big, however. Sometimes the amusement comes in small spaces. Here are four spaces that can catch the eye and delight the heart.
The Beast wooden roller coaster was opened in April 1979 and is still going strong during the summer of 2019. This attraction has given over 54 million riders four minutes’ worth of heart-pounding thrills, including a 141-foot drop, careening along at 65 miles an hour. The Beast doesn’t go quite that fast here, but it sure is fun to watch. And, this space is air-conditioned.
Here is a video of The Beast model roller coaster.
The Carousel is the Queen of Kings Island. This is KI’s oldest ride, as it was built in 1926 for Coney Island along the Ohio River. It has an enchanting Wurlitzer Duplex Orchestral Organ Style #157 as its musical heart. Before the summer of 2015, the Wurlitzer was silent, replaced by a CD player. Thanks to then high-school senior Mikey Mills, who literally blew the dust out of its music roll system, the Wurlitzer plays again for all to enjoy.
The Carousel provide a fun ride for folks young and old.
The Barnyard is brought to you by Honey Hill Farm in northern Kentucky. They operate the petting zoo attractions at many Cedar Fair amusement parks, including Kings Island. These animals are very well cared for, and many are rescued. It’s a great place to get out of the sun and watch these critters do what they do. You can pay $3 and feed them if you like. The goats like either grain or hay.
The goats like to gambol and nibble on hay offered by Kings Island patrons.
The Glockenspiel at the Festhaus was originally installed in 1982 by The Verdin Company. There were five fiberglass figures, about four feet tall, announcing each quarter hour. They went silent in 2009, but they are back for 2019. The song that plays is The Chicken Dance (originally Der Ententanz when it was penned by Werner Thomas in Switzerland in the 1950’s). The Chicken Dance is really big in Cincinnati, due to the yearly Oktoberfest Zinzinnati festival. The stencil above the door reads as follows: "A toast, a toast to good cheer!"
The Glockenspiel at the Festhaus chimes every 15 minutes.