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On January 27 , 2006 , the website of the Dayton Daily News reported that CBS Corporation would be selling its Paramount Parks division. {Link without Title} __TOC__ PARK HISTORY Kings Island first opened its gates in 1972 in what was then Deerfield Township , developed by the Taft Broadcasting Company. Taft Broadcasting took the name from the previous landlord, the defunct King Powder Company , which founded the town of Kings Mills for its workers. The site is between I-71 and the Little Miami River . Kings Island served as a replacement for Coney Island, a popular park on the Ohio River about 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Cincinnati. Coney Island was forced to close due to frequent Flood s, but has since reopened on a much smaller scale. Many of the rides from Coney Island were moved to the new park; the only attraction left at Coney at the time was Sunlite Pool, the world's largest swimming pool. In 1992 Kings Island was purchased by Paramount Communications, along with 4 other theme parks in America and Canada; the park was renamed Paramount's Kings Island. One of the first events to draw publicity to the park was the filming of an episode of '' The Brady Bunch '' at the park in 1973. An episode of '' The Partridge Family '' was shot there the previous year, in 1972. While they do not mention the name of the park, they do call it "a new park outside Cincinnati." On July 4 , 1976 , Kings Island played host to the wedding of ''Paul Revere'' of the Pop Rock band Paul Revere & The Raiders . The centerpiece of Kings Island has always been its 1/3 scale replica of the Eiffel Tower , located just across the International Street fountain from the main entrance gate. Elevators regularly take patrons up to the lookout tower, which provides a chance to see the entire park and, at park closing, offers the best view of the nightly fireworks display (except for the Independence Day fireworks, which are actually shot off from the observation deck). Another star attraction was The Racer, twin wooden roller coasters that race each other side-by-side through much of the ride's footprint. Designed by legendary designer John Allen, The Racer is credited by many people with starting the second golden age of the Roller Coaster . In 1982 , the trains on the right side of the Racer were turned backward, freshening up an old favorite. (Many coaster enthusiasts have nicknamed the backwards train "recaR".) Other coasters present in 1972 were the Bavarian Beetle, a small steel coaster brought over from Coney Island (and removed in 1979); and Scooby-Doo, a wooden coaster (renamed "The Beastie" in 1979; and renamed again as "The Fairly Odd Coaster" for 2006) located in the park's "Happy World of Hanna-Barbera" kids' area. Kings Island has added, and removed, many thrill rides throughout the years. 1977 saw the debut of Screamin' Demon, which launched riders through a loop, then back through in reverse; this ride was sold in 1987. In 1979 , the park unveiled The Beast , the tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time. After more than 25 years, it still holds the title of the world's longest wooden roller coaster at 7,419 ft (2,261 m). In 1981 , Kings Island introduced the world's first suspended roller coaster, The Bat ; however, it was plagued with maintenance problems and removed four years later. The first stand-up coaster in the United States , King Cobra, opened in 1984 , but was dismantled in 2002 when maintenance proved to be too expensive. The King Cobra was then put up for sale, taken off the market shortly in 2003 but returning later that year. The King Cobra is currently stored in building near Flight of Fear and the prarie land behine the Racer and Flight of Fear. 1985 saw the debut of White Water Canyon, a popular Whitewater Rafting ride that soaks its riders. In 1987 , the Vortex roller coaster briefly set a new record with six inversions. 1989 saw the debut of Water Works , a family water park, and 1991 brought Adventure Express, a mine-train style coaster. The mid-to-late 80's also introduced a Christmas event called ''Winterfest'', which ran from November 25 through December 31. It included visits with Santa Claus, Ice Skating, and a nightly light show. There were many shops and places to eat within the park, and a train ride through the woods was included with admission. This event ended in 1992, but returned for the 2005 holiday season. Top Gun, the last suspended coaster built in the USA, was built in , Drop Zone, the world's tallest free-fall tower, and Face/Off, an inverted coaster, were opened. The Son Of Beast , billed as the sequel to the Beast , opened in 2000 . Currently, it is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, as well as the only one to successfully incorporate a steel loop into its otherwise wooden structure. In 2002 , the park added Tomb Raider, an indoor version of a ride commonly known as a Giant Top Spin . Delirium , a 137 ft (42 m) rotating Pendulum ride, opened in 2003 . In 2004 Their classic 3-D movie " Days Of Thunder " opened in side B of the action FX theater next to spongebob, taken away later that year due to low viewership. In 2005 the park introduced the Italian Job Stunt Track coaster. Also that year Delerium mad a brake misfunction causing the ride to be closed down the majority of the season. The part had to be re-ordered from HUSS in Germany but it returned operable for the rest of the season. Today, Kings Island has 12 roller coasters and many huge flat rides. But despite all of these thrill rides, Kings Island is much more than a park just for thrill seekers. Kings Island's "WaterWorks" water park was renovated in resort that comes free with admission. Kings Island has also won Amusement Today's award for 'Best Kid's Area in the World' five consecutive times (2001-2005). Its longtime kids' area, Hanna-Barbera Land, was slowly being replaced with the Viacom-synergistic Nickelodeon Central, which debuted in 1995 ; the entire kids' area will be rethemed as "Nickelodeon Universe" for 2006, with the dark ride "Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle" remaining as the last vestige of H-B. In early 2006 PKI along with the other Paramount Parks was put up for sale, no company has purchased it yet, but PKI could be under new management next year. PKI, like the other parks in the Paramount Family, features a number of attractions - encompassing rides, live shows and restaurants - based on Paramount Pictures films and other CBS and Viacom brands. The park now seems to be making a conscious decision to attract families more than thrill-seekers. ROLLER COASTERS
PAST ROLLER COASTERS
RECORDS AND FIRSTS
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