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Kentucky Comeback Chance coaster highlights park’s new offerings
Larson drop tower
First opened in 1987 at the Kentucky Exposition Center property – home of the Kentucky State Fair – but closed since 2010, Kentucky Kingdom has been reopened by its original founder.
The 63-acre (25-hectare) park in
Louisville, Kentucky, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, includes a collection of 50 amusement rides and a waterpark named Hurricane Bay.
In total, former operator Ed Hart and the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company have spent $43.5 million to refurbish the park and will commit up to $2.5 million annually on attractions and improvements during their 75-year lease. Hart ran Kentucky Kingdom from 1990 to 1997 before the park was sold to Premier Parks, which in turn bought Six Flags and converted the property into Six Flags Kentucky
Kingdom, before pulling out in 2010. Various other bids to reopen the park, including a proposal from the Koch family of Holiday World in Indiana, failed to come to fruition, before Ed Hart rode to the rescue.
Hart has now added several new rides in the
King Louie’s Playhouse area near the front of the park. Lightning Run is the first GT-X hyper coaster from Chance, and Kentucky Kingdom’s first new steel coaster in 14 years. The 100ft-tall (30.5m) ride features an 80° first drop, 11 moments of negative gravity, some great overbanking and S turns, plus a top speed of 55 mph (89kmh). The ride carries up to 800 guests per hour over a 2,500ft-long (762m) course before stopping them with magnetic brakes. It is one of five coasters operating in the park. In addition to Lightning Run, new for 2014 are a Simexlwerks 5D movie theatre (3D film, 4D effects + motion seating) showing the film Rio 4D, a sea lion show, and a drop tower and Flying Scooter ride by Larson. Many of the rides from Kentucky Kingdom’s early years have reopened including the Mile High Falls shoot-the-chutes from Hopkins, Sun & Moon
Lightning Run
Lightning Run
Vekoma giant wheel, Tin Lizzies classic cars from Arrow Dynamics, Flying Dutchman flying wooden shoes (Wave Swinger) by Intamin, Zeppelin flying airships by Zamperla, a Reverchon Himalaya, plus three Huss classics including the Enterprise, Breakdance and Bluebeard’s Bounty swinging ship. Meanwhile a $10.5-million expansion of the adjacent Hurricane Bay waterpark doubles its size and adds a wave pool, lazy river, kids play area and several new slides from ProSlide. The waterpark will close for the duration of the Kentucky State Fair, 14 to 20 August, when additional rides and attractions are expected to appear on the Exposition Center grounds. The season at both parks finishes on 28 September.
Tsunami Soaker In Missouri, the newest family thrill at Six Flags St Louis, Tsunami Soaker has spun into action. This spinning, spraying water Twist ‘n’ Splash from Mack Rides will engage guests in a water battle of epic proportions while twisting and churning ‘round and ‘round.
“Guests of all ages are going to have a blast on this ride spraying fellow riders and being sprayed,” notes park president Dave Roemer. “Adding to the fun, bystanders can arm themselves with water cannons from the sidelines and squirt riders as they go by.”
The floor of Tsunami Soaker spins in a clockwise direction, while nine seven-seater boats rotate individually. The main floor of the ride disappears into the water once riders have been seated. As the floor descends, water fills the area so that the boats float as they rotate.
8 JULY 2014
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