40th Anniversary Celebration & Park Revitalization
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Mazakman said:
Well now I'm wondering which Nora you're talking about.
On second thought, it's probably both!
Mazakman said:I'll snap some pictures of the "preview" merchandise for you Zachary. As well as anything else I feel is noteworthy. I'm sure Nora would want to see the Mushroom plushies and bobbleheads too! (Thanks for the 'educated' guess on the # of signs I need to find Reggae
I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitresses.
I got the limited edition poster and the button. Pictures soon...
Here are the pictures I took of the 'Preview' merchandise. The plushies were actually in the display case but there were no bobble heads to be found. I asked the store supervisor for information about them and she brought me a keyring full of pictures of the bobble heads. Here are my pictures of the pictures
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Hey guys! I did a write up on a basic review of KD's 2014 season. Feel free to read it and reply if you agree/disagree with my review!
Kings Dominion 40th Anniversary Review 2014
Cedar Fair’s Kings Dominion began their 40th Anniversary Celebration starting this season of 2014 and will continue into the 2015 season. The park had their preview opening in 1974, but didn't officially open until 1975, giving a nice 2-year span for the celebration.
So far this season, guests have been reintroduced to park classics such as The Singing Mushrooms, the classic blue ice cream, Congo renamed the original Safari Village & the Grove back to Candy Apple Grove, the addition of remade giant candy apples in Candy Apple Grove, and the return of the iconic classic floral clock at the end of center street to name a few. Being a huge Kings Dominion enthusiast, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was for this event when the announcement was made after the ending of the 2013 season.
I have been to the park a total of four times since it opened in April- there are some things I am very impressed with, while they’re things Kings Dominion should have done to make this season a true celebration of the park’s history.
Let’s start with the parks celebration pros. These are the things I was very impressed with on Kings Dominions part.
1. The reintroduction of the Singing Mushrooms. So many people were excited at the huge news of the return of the classic Singing Mushrooms. Redesigned and manufactured by Garner-Holt Animatronics, they now sing in Candy Apple Grove in front of the Dodgem, just near where they were originally. Bringing back these guys were a genius idea- they are the definition of classic Kings Dominion.
2. The renaming of the Congo to Safari Village and Grove to Candy Apple Grove. Just brings back the original Kings Dominion. Same really goes with the floral clock. Enough said.
3. The placement of the giant candy apples in Candy Apple Grove. The addition of these brings back the character of the original Candy Apple Grove. Can’t have Candy Apple Grove without the giant apples, can we? They look very nice and appear to be well made. I hope these remain in the park for a long time.
4. The launch of the King Dominion collector pin program. This gives the guests a way to “interact” with the park. To have to hunt down for the limited pins and having pins released on certain days- it’s a great idea. Plus, the pins look incredible. I can also add the other 40th merch to this category. Having the guest to be able to take home a small relic of the celebration makes their trip more memorable.
5. This isn’t so much a park thing, but I absolutely LOVE the 40th logo and the general marketing theme. The colors flow nicely, and it all just looks very inviting. I love they incorporated the original logo into it.
Now let’s get into some cons. There are things that Kings Dominion did but did not fulfill it well or should have done.
1. The lack of any identification or mini-history lessons on anything. I only saw TWO things that they did this for: the original Doozy that sits in the window at the front gift shop- it explains what he was, what ride he was from, how long in ran for, etc- and the Carousel. There are SO many things I would have liked to see with this same label on. Few examples- first off, I noticed in Volcano’s queue, they brought out all the original Haunted River props to lay out for people to see in line. But there was nothing explaining as to what it was anywhere. Just laid there with no identification what so ever- if I was a guest interested in KD’s celebration, I would want to know what all that was. A simple explanation in the Volcano’s line would have been very interesting to read. I bet a good chunk of people that ride Volcano have NO IDEA that the mountain used to host a total of 3 rides at once. KD could of added little history lessons everywhere. There could have had on each ride a little explanation of what ride laid on the land previously (Anaconda could have something on the King Kobra, Back Lot Stunt Coaster could have something on Diamond Falls, you get the idea.) Even labels on things people would be surprised to read- a label on the old Mt. Kilimanjaro Mountain explaining that that mountain did in fact used to be ride. If I were KD, teaching guests the history of KD would be on the top of the list during the celebration.
2. Why isn’t there any sort of mini-museum showcasing parts of old rides and props? I was happy to see that they had a little case displaying old name tags, brochures and other paper documents. I really liked that, but why was it in the very back of the gift shop where many guests don’t bother even entering? There was nothing in the front window indicating that that was even back there. I just think they could have done SO much more with that. They could have easily turned one of the International Street shops that gets little traffic into a mini museum showcasing the old stuff they’ve had sitting in a warehouse for years. I would have loved to see some Smurfs, Doozies, Scoobys, or even a gondola of the Skyride. I’m sure the guests who have been coming since they were a kid wouldn’t agree more! They would have to opportunity to show their kids or grandkids what they grew up with when they went to the park.
So there you have it, a review of the 2014 celebration based on my opinion. I wrote this for a few reasons. One I do plan to go into theme park managing one day, and this is just so I can practice my basic theme park evaluation skills. Two I want to see if people agree or disagree with me and maybe give me reasons why KD didn’t do something or did do something.
Thanks guys!
Kings Dominion 40th Anniversary Review 2014
Cedar Fair’s Kings Dominion began their 40th Anniversary Celebration starting this season of 2014 and will continue into the 2015 season. The park had their preview opening in 1974, but didn't officially open until 1975, giving a nice 2-year span for the celebration.
So far this season, guests have been reintroduced to park classics such as The Singing Mushrooms, the classic blue ice cream, Congo renamed the original Safari Village & the Grove back to Candy Apple Grove, the addition of remade giant candy apples in Candy Apple Grove, and the return of the iconic classic floral clock at the end of center street to name a few. Being a huge Kings Dominion enthusiast, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was for this event when the announcement was made after the ending of the 2013 season.
I have been to the park a total of four times since it opened in April- there are some things I am very impressed with, while they’re things Kings Dominion should have done to make this season a true celebration of the park’s history.
Let’s start with the parks celebration pros. These are the things I was very impressed with on Kings Dominions part.
1. The reintroduction of the Singing Mushrooms. So many people were excited at the huge news of the return of the classic Singing Mushrooms. Redesigned and manufactured by Garner-Holt Animatronics, they now sing in Candy Apple Grove in front of the Dodgem, just near where they were originally. Bringing back these guys were a genius idea- they are the definition of classic Kings Dominion.
2. The renaming of the Congo to Safari Village and Grove to Candy Apple Grove. Just brings back the original Kings Dominion. Same really goes with the floral clock. Enough said.
3. The placement of the giant candy apples in Candy Apple Grove. The addition of these brings back the character of the original Candy Apple Grove. Can’t have Candy Apple Grove without the giant apples, can we? They look very nice and appear to be well made. I hope these remain in the park for a long time.
4. The launch of the King Dominion collector pin program. This gives the guests a way to “interact” with the park. To have to hunt down for the limited pins and having pins released on certain days- it’s a great idea. Plus, the pins look incredible. I can also add the other 40th merch to this category. Having the guest to be able to take home a small relic of the celebration makes their trip more memorable.
5. This isn’t so much a park thing, but I absolutely LOVE the 40th logo and the general marketing theme. The colors flow nicely, and it all just looks very inviting. I love they incorporated the original logo into it.
Now let’s get into some cons. There are things that Kings Dominion did but did not fulfill it well or should have done.
1. The lack of any identification or mini-history lessons on anything. I only saw TWO things that they did this for: the original Doozy that sits in the window at the front gift shop- it explains what he was, what ride he was from, how long in ran for, etc- and the Carousel. There are SO many things I would have liked to see with this same label on. Few examples- first off, I noticed in Volcano’s queue, they brought out all the original Haunted River props to lay out for people to see in line. But there was nothing explaining as to what it was anywhere. Just laid there with no identification what so ever- if I was a guest interested in KD’s celebration, I would want to know what all that was. A simple explanation in the Volcano’s line would have been very interesting to read. I bet a good chunk of people that ride Volcano have NO IDEA that the mountain used to host a total of 3 rides at once. KD could of added little history lessons everywhere. There could have had on each ride a little explanation of what ride laid on the land previously (Anaconda could have something on the King Kobra, Back Lot Stunt Coaster could have something on Diamond Falls, you get the idea.) Even labels on things people would be surprised to read- a label on the old Mt. Kilimanjaro Mountain explaining that that mountain did in fact used to be ride. If I were KD, teaching guests the history of KD would be on the top of the list during the celebration.
2. Why isn’t there any sort of mini-museum showcasing parts of old rides and props? I was happy to see that they had a little case displaying old name tags, brochures and other paper documents. I really liked that, but why was it in the very back of the gift shop where many guests don’t bother even entering? There was nothing in the front window indicating that that was even back there. I just think they could have done SO much more with that. They could have easily turned one of the International Street shops that gets little traffic into a mini museum showcasing the old stuff they’ve had sitting in a warehouse for years. I would have loved to see some Smurfs, Doozies, Scoobys, or even a gondola of the Skyride. I’m sure the guests who have been coming since they were a kid wouldn’t agree more! They would have to opportunity to show their kids or grandkids what they grew up with when they went to the park.
So there you have it, a review of the 2014 celebration based on my opinion. I wrote this for a few reasons. One I do plan to go into theme park managing one day, and this is just so I can practice my basic theme park evaluation skills. Two I want to see if people agree or disagree with me and maybe give me reasons why KD didn’t do something or did do something.
Thanks guys!
Don't they have explanation of past attractions on display around the Eiffel tower, broken down by decade? I would loosely consider this a mini-museum even though it is outdoors. I like the idea you had about information on old rides being 'on location' at the replacement ride, but I wouldn't fault the park for not putting it where you would have. (Or in a slightly different format) Other than this, your review was quite good
That is an interesting idea. It could be like those Silver signs you say scattered around the USA that say "Former Site of Something Historically Important." Interesting...
Is it called "US history"? I have that book from highschool too. (to be fair our class was actually called History of the Commonwealth and the United States. Read into that, what you may.)
Mazakman said:Don't they have explanation of past attractions on display around the Eiffel tower, broken down by decade? I would loosely consider this a mini-museum even though it is outdoors. I like the idea you had about information on old rides being 'on location' at the replacement ride, but I wouldn't fault the park for not putting it where you would have. (Or in a slightly different format) Other than this, your review was quite good
Yeah the walk of history is cool, but doesnt really go into much detail. I'd like to see individual rides with detail of the history.