Two Kings Island employees delivered a light blue die-cast Chevrolet pick-up truck with a bundle of twigs in its flatbed at about 1 p.m. today.
A message strapped to the bundle of twigs announced the park’s newest ride would be revealed at 10 p.m. July 28.
“In 2013, we announced Banshee at night,” said park spokesman Don Helbig. “Similar to Banshee, a nighttime announcement plays well with the overall theme of what we’re going to unveil.”
Park officials remain tight-lipped as to the nature of the new ride.
ORIGINAL POST: 1:01 p.m. June 29
Kings Island is having fun with fans as it drops online and in-park teases about its next big attraction.
A blueprint filed with the Mason planning division shows plans for a new roller coaster.
The plans, which say “Kings Island Project 2017,” show the new attraction drawn in a corner of the Rivertown section of the park, and permits were approved on June 6.
That section of the park has factored heavily into social media hints about the new ride.
To make matters more maddening, media outlets this week received a plastic toy ax with a cryptic note attached. The message reads: “Something is going down in the woods of Rivertown … Stay tuned for further details! #KIProject2017.”
Coaster conjecture has run rampant in recent weeks, with online observers hypothesizing the new attraction could be anything from a wooden coaster to a larger log flume ride.
“The series of tweeted hints and in-park teasers began in April and will continue before we cut to the chase and share with our guests what’s in store for 2017 later this summer,” Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig told this media outlet. “There has been a lot of speculation on social media and fan sites the past few months, and as we inch closer to mid-summer, the anticipation is kicking into high gear.
“It’s always an exciting time in the weeks and days leading up to announcement of what’s new for the following season.”
The Rivertown section of Kings Island is the same section that is home to The Beast, Diamondback, White Water Canyon and the Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad.
An aerial view of the park provided by our news partner WCPO 9 On Your Side via its helicopter shows trees being cleared in Rivertown near the White Water Canyon ride. Wooden fencing has been erected in the same area.
Signs posted to that fencing warn: “Caution. Watch for Falling Trees.”
The riddles and hints are reminiscent of a previous Kings Island tease in July 2013, when the park dropped several weeks of hints via social media and postal mail before announcing in August that Banshee would open in 2014.
The park employed similar tactics for Diamondback, Dinosaurs Alive!, Soak City, Reds Hall of Fame Grille, Tropical Plunge and Woodstock Gliders, Helbig said.
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