ForEword

I was the first General Manager of Kings Island when it opened in 1972—forty-eight years ago! I oversaw design concept, construction, and its first season of operation following the merger of Coney Island and Taft Broadcasting in July of 1969. The purpose of the merger was to move Coney’s operation out of a flood plain and limited space, shed its aging “amusement park” label, and become a modern “theme park,” a term inspired by Disneyland when it opened in 1955. Coney Island and Taft shared a vision to build a new theme park in Warren County utilizing Coney Island’s management and Taft’s financial backing. Taft also brought to the merger the resources of its newly acquired Hanna-Barbera division on the west coast.

My on-site responsibility at Kings Island ended in September 1972 when I moved to Richmond, Virginia to build a sister park, Kings Dominion. But the prior years of research and planning, I believe, produced a unique theme park with the inclusion of its iconic International Street, the Hanna-Barbera characters, and the re-emergence of the wooden roller coaster, The Racer. A new wooden coaster had not been built for decades in the United States.

I was responsible for keeping the project on budget and on time. But I did not succeed in keeping it on budget, the final cost being thirty million dollars. I felt, however, it was a big bang for the buck. I did succeed in opening the park on time—May 27, 1972. This was a critical objective. The park functioned well and was a success from the beginning.

It is interesting that Kings Island never experienced the external challenges that Coney Island did. There was no Great Depression, no 1937 flood, no World War II, no devastating Island Queen steamboat explosion that ended the park’s main source of patron transportation, no 1950s polio scare, and integration of the park. Kings Island, by contrast, faced a different challenge, that of adjusting to five different ownerships. One of these owners, Paramount Parks, was in my opinion detrimental to Kings Island. Paramount Parks’ west coast philosophy did not relate to the park’s Midwestern culture.

Kings Island’s present owner, Cedar Fair, parent company of Cedar Point and several other amusement and theme parks, clearly understands the business, providing hands-on care and direction from exceptional on-site management. Kings Island is restoring its original values, including distinguishing each themed area, re-emphasizing live shows for more balanced entertainment, restoring International Street, and bringing back family rides such as the popular Antique Cars. This team gets it!

When asked what I am most proud of, I would say Kings Island’s reputation as one of the last bastions of clean, safe, wholesome family entertainment experienced by well over a hundred million visitors. I am also proud of the unique employment opportunity for hundreds of thousands of young people who enhance their interpersonal skills putting smiles on the faces of millions of patrons. They will talk about their summer at the park for the rest of their lives. Finally, I am proud that Kings Island is returning to its core values established by Coney Island and Taft Broadcasting.

The future? The new 300-foot giga coaster, Orion, says it all—the sky’s the limit!

Gary Wachs