MASON, Ohio -- Visitors to Kings Island will see a new security measure at the gates: The park installed metal detectors last month, before opening this season.
Don Helbig, Kings Island spokesman, said the metal detectors are part of a "multi-layer security program" the park has in place. Kings Island's previous owner, Paramount, had metal detectors for a few years in the early 2000s.
All guests will be screened, and Helbig said the process goes quickly.
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The metal detectors aren't limited to Kings Island, either: Parent company Cedar Fair Entertainment has added them to all of its parks. The company operates 11 amusement parks in the U.S., including Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, Knott's Berry Farm in California and Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Pennsylvania.
Kings Island is open only on weekends for two more weeks. Regular weekday hours begin May 15.
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The big new attraction this summer is Mystic Timbers, a wooden roller coaster that's 3,265 feet long and 109 feet at its highest point. The ride is located near the Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad and White Water Canyon inside the park.
Mystic Timbers weaves “along steep cliffs, down ravines, over water and through an extreme S-turn, among a forest of trees, at speeds of up to 53 mph,” according to Kings Island’s website. It also includes 16 hills and a mid-course tunnel.
