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Kings Island confirms a major coaster coming down

Kings Island sets up mock funeral
Kings Island confirms one coaster is coming down soon after hints were spotted at the opening weekend of Halloween Haunt. Two months after sending coaster fans across the country into a frenzy with rumors that Son of Beast might be coming back (it wasn't), or that it would soon announce a giant new giga coaster (it didn't), they have something up their sleeves once again. The theme park over the weekend, right during the start of its annual Halloween Haunt, tweeted an unusual photo. It shows a mock funeral set up near the park entrance that has nothing to do with the normal scary clowns and ghouls of the Halloween event.
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MASON, Ohio -- Kings Island confirms one coaster is coming down soon after hints were spotted at the opening weekend of Halloween Haunt.

Two months after sending coaster fans across the country into a frenzy with rumors that Son of Beast might be coming back (it wasn't), or that it would soon announce a giant new giga coaster (it didn't), they have something up their sleeves once again.

The theme park over the weekend, right during the start of its annual Halloween Haunt, tweeted an unusual photo. It shows a mock funeral set up near the park entrance that has nothing to do with the normal scary clowns and ghouls of the Halloween event.

The setup includes funeral flower bouquets, along with 11 wooden chairs, and a sign saying that something will be leaving at the end Halloween Haunt. The park has 12 adult coasters, so that would imply one of them will be torn down.

So here we go again: let the speculation begin.

READ OUR FOLLOW UP REPORT "VORTEX OR FIREHAWK...THE KI COASTER LEAVING IS...

"It's Big, It's Gone"

The sign reads: "The air is eerily calm as we make final preparations for the ill-fated demise of one of our own. R.I.P. 10/28/2018. #RestInPiecesKI #ItsBigItsGone #RIP2018KI

The sign implies that something big will be gone as of Oct. 28, at the end of Halloween Haunt.

Chad Showalter, director of communications for Kings Island, said in a release Monday the rumors were true, and one of the 16 roller coasters in the park will be coming down. The final days of operation for whichever ride is coming down will be Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, the final weekend of Halloween Haunt.

The ill-fated coaster will be revealed later this week.

Coaster blogs like Screamscape.com and forums such asKI Central are lighting up with speculation as to what could be leaving. Speculation incudes:

  • Vortex
  • Firehawk
  • Adventure Express
  • Tomb Raider (shut down several years ago, but still there)
  • The Bat

Most coaster enthusiast groups are guessing that the now 31-year old Vortex will be leaving, as its designer is out of business, and replacement parts have become nearly impossible to find. It is also known as one of the shakiest coasters at Kings Island, probably second only to the Racer (though the iconic Racer wouldn't depart even if hell were freezing over).

Others speculate the overly complex Firehawk coaster may be going, as it is now 11 years old, and the funeral setup has 11 chairs. Firehawk is actually an older coaster that was moved to Kings Island from the shut down Geauga Lake.

Meantime, strange teasers relating to the long-gone Son of Beast coaster continue to pop up throughout the park, the latest beinga sign referring to "Outpost 5" outside The Beast. (See our original report about why some fans thinkSon of Beast may be returning in 2020).

So could Vortex or Firehawk be coming down to make way for a long-awaited giga coaster in 2020?

Or are they just planning to finally take down the old Timberwolf concert pavilion, which hasn't held a major concert in decades?

Who knows?

The only thing certain right now is that Kings Island is running an amazing marketing machine.

As always, don't waste your money.

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