The holiday season is in full swing. I'm having a hard time getting into the routine this year for some reason. Typically, I decorate my apartment on November 1st, but as of the writing of this part of the column it is after Thanksgiving and the only signs of Christmas decorations in my apartments are the two ornaments I bought at Phunphest that are sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. At this point, I don't remember what the ornaments look like. Maybe they aren't even ornaments at all. Either way, they've been sitting in the corner for nearly two months now. Boy, I hope it isn't, or should I say wasn't, food.

Sentimental Value

It is the one question I have been asked more than any other in my life: Why Paramount's Kings Dominion?

Of all the parks that are out there, particularly in this region of the country, many don't understand why PKD has become not only my favorite park, but also my favorite thing in the world. It is not the greatest park in the world. The flat ride selection is poor, the food is expensive, and the capacity of their newest coasters leaves a lot to be desired. So, just what is it about this park that has earned it a special place in my heart? What is it about the park that makes my mother, who visits no more than three parks a year, still get a season pass every year even though she lives 6 hours away? Why did my brother and sister-in-law spend a portion of their honeymoon at the park? And why was it their graduation gift to me to take me to the park for a special weekend?

- The First Visit

It started with my family's first trip to the park in August 1978. We had past the park on our way to Virginia Beach a few times before and were curious as to exactly what the park had to offer.

The one memory that comes to mind first is the bird on the girl's shoulder. What? The girl operating the Blue Ridge Tollway had a bird on her shoulder. That's all I remember. It was something unusual and something that made me want to ride the cars several times on that first visit. I can also remember the mountain. It was still under construction at this point, but the signs told me that a flume was going inside that mountain. All sorts of ideas ran through my head as to just how they were going to stick a flume inside of a mountain, let alone the other rides that would be a part of this new attraction.

Both of these were something new to me. They were something that either I did not expect to see or had never seen before. Sure, I was only 5 years old at the time, but looking back, how many other parks would have been building a mountain at that time?

However, the most talked about incident on this day was how it ended. The four of us, my Mom and Dad, older brother, and myself, were all tired. We thought we had just spent a good day at a good park. My brother and I had just spent the last 10 minutes trying to figure out how the water in the fountains kept changing colors. My father had snuck into the sports shop on the right hand side of International Street and bought 2 plastic baseball helmets. My mom was still relieved that I had been found after wandering off earlier in the day (I just had to see that bird one more time). The four of us gathered and were about to walk out of the park when my Dad uttered the most famous words he would ever say. "Say good-bye kids, we probably won't come back again."

That's when it happened. For the first and only time, I broke down and cried in public. These weren't just tears because I were tired, either. For the first time that day, I had realized just how great of a time I had with my family. It was a day I did not want to end and an experience I wanted to relive. Never coming back again would not suffice.

The 3:16 family, who lived 7 hours away and only visited one or two parks a year, would end up coming back to Kings Dominion 13 times over the next 16 years. In the past seven years, I have spent an estimated 130 days at the park even though I now live over five hours away and never lived any closer than 3 1/2 hours away.

- The Rebel Yell

I don't think anybody in my family would call the Rebel Yell their favorite coaster. But ask any member which coaster they would most want to ride at any given time and I bet the Rebel Yell is at the top of the list. I often tell people that the Yell helped to raise me. I don't know what this means, but when I think of my parents, I think of the Rebel Yell. The first drop still compares favorably to practically any other first drop for a wooden coaster I've ridden, but it isn't the quality of the ride that makes it special to me.

For every trip to Kings Dominion, the Rebel Yell is the last ride. This was true as a kid and it is true now. In fact, on the last day of the park's season this year I made sure the Yell was my last ride. I had spent the last two hours just walking around the park, taking in the memories. I was getting emotional, with the thoughts that it would be another 5 months or so before I would get back making me sad. Some of the stresses of my job were starting to get to me as well. Overall, I was down in the dumps for so many reasons and the hobby that kept me going in the spring, summer and fall was about to go away for the time being. I was hesitant to board the ride that last time.

But as we crested the lift hill and I was flung out of the seat, I began to laugh. All of the emotions that I had built up inside of me came out of me in the form of laughter. From the crest of the lift to the brakes, I laughed my head off. I was alone, I was laughing, and I was being laughed at. I didn't care. The Rebel Yell had once again brought me out of whatever little funk I was in and prepared me for the winter that was ahead.

- The End of the Day

That first trip to Kings Dominion was not the only one that ended memorably for my family. As I mentioned above, the Rebel Yell is always the last ride of a trip to Kings Dominion, but when I was a kid it wasn't necessarily the end of the night.

KD has always had a good selection of games. My grandmother would give my brother and I each a 20 dollar bill for our vacation. Every year, we would quickly hand the bill over to my mother in exchange for a roll of quarter. We were prepared to win the biggest prize in the park, but rarely did.

After playing the games, we would make our way up to International Street for the real end of the day. My mom made a promise to buy my brother and I each a souvenir, plus we could buy us something, too. Of course, we were out of money, having spent it all on the games. We would get our souvenirs from Mom and make our way over to the sports shop. My Dad, brother and I collected those plastic baseball helmets for years. Kings Dominion used to sell these helmets and always seemed to have at least one helmet that we needed, particularly when a team would change its logo.

As we whined over the fact that we didn't have any more money, my mom would usher us out of the store. My dad would split from us to get in line for a funnel cake, while the rest of us wandered over to the fountains to watch the water change colors. When we get back to the hotel room, my dad would present the surprise...the helmet we wanted. It never failed. My brother and I began to expect it. My father knew he wasn't surprising us anymore, but we all went along with the game. It had become another Kings Dominion tradition.

- Volcano: The Blast Coaster

In discussing my first visit to the park, I mentioned watching the mountain being built. It became a symbol of the park to me, more so than the Eiffel Tower that is supposed to be the most recognizable asset of the park. It pained me when I found out that the Haunted River had closed and that the mountain would be dormant for a few years. As most people did, I began to speculate what would be next for the mountain.

Each trip to the park while the mountain was closed was painful. I asked numerous times what was coming with no answer. I rode the Avalanche (which is located next to the mountain) over and over again, staring at "my mountain". For some reason, I began to get this feeling that the park would tear down the mountain and start whatever the new attraction was going to be from scratch.

It was July 1997 and my parents and I had decided to break from tradition and visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the first time in countless years. I am not a fan of that park, but I had heard good things about a ride named Alpengeist. I had yet to ride an invert and desperately wanted to, so I gave in and agreed to go.

Of course, a trip to BGW without stopping at Kings Dominion was impossible. We simply couldn't drive past the park without stopping off. Our first stop was to grab a bite to eat before dad and I were to hit a few coasters. Walking toward Avalanche I saw a site that nearly brought me to tears in the middle of the park for the second time in my life. The top of the mountain was gone. It was gone. My worst fears had been realized, I thought.

I just had to go over to my mountain. Perhaps this would be good-bye. Perhaps not. Instead, I was greeted by a sign announcing Volcano: The Blast Coaster, an inverted coaster to call my own.

Volcano and I would go on to have a special relationship. I would wait patiently for the coaster to open, making more than one trip to the park (I now lived just 4 hours away) just to watch construction/testing. I had a deal with my boss that once I found out an opening date for the coaster, I was taking a vacation day to go. Turns out, I made the wise decision to wait until the second operating day before driving down to the park to ride. That day ended up with me driving a total of 8 hours, spending about 10 1/2 hours in line, spending 30 minutes eating or in the restroom, and spending 180 seconds on Volcano. It was a day I'll never forget or regret.

The Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club held their annual autumn event at PKD that year. The event was to include an hour exclusive ride time in the morning on Volcano, but the ride was not ready to open that morning. While a small handful moaned and left the park, the rest of us were patient and enjoyed the day. After our hour nighttime ert on Grizzly (also Rebel Yell), the park decided to let us have our hour on Volcano that night. That hour turned into an hour and 20 minutes.

I would next ride Volcano the next spring at the Volcano Campout, a special event where 50 or so enthusiasts pitched tents in the field next to Avalanche and woke up at 7:00 am to get 2 hours of ert on Volcano the next morning. It was a special event that saw the park go the extra mile to make sure we were all happy, including keeping hot chocolate (it was freezing out) pouring all night long for those that needed it.

Not only is Volcano a quality ride that suits my own personal tastes in steel coasters perfectly, but it has also been the backdrop to some of the best public relations I have ever seen.

- The Employees

One thing I stand by firmly when it comes to the quality of the park is the quality of the employees. From the time I was five to last month, the best employees I have encountered at any park have been at Kings Dominion.

This past September the Grizzly was running near peak conditions. I didn't catch a name, but somebody who was definitely identifiable as an enthusiast was on the train with me (he was wearing a hat from one park, a t-shirt from another, and a sweatshirt from yet another). The weather had turned cold and the crowds had lightened considerably. I got one ride with this enthusiast, who put his head town after the ride, looked at me, and said, "This thing is rocking."

The atmosphere was electric, as with two-train operation we could stay on the ride for the last half hour. The other train always had the same people, too, as we past each other as one was entering the station and the other was going up the lift hill. As we enjoyed our impromptu ert, the trains began to compete with each other as to how loud we could get. It had been over a half hour that I was sitting on that train, but it seemed like just two minutes when I first looked down at my watch and saw that it was park closing time.

But we went around for one more ride, and then another, and another. By the time we were told it was going to be the last ride it was now after 8:20 and the crew, who had been talking to each of the riders left on the train as if we were all old friends, had given us an extra twenty minutes of riding. Our train got the last ride of the night by chanting "USA, USA, USA" as we entered the station on the next-to-last ride. The crew got a standing ovation from both trains. The Grizzly and Volcano crews truly rocked all year long. They are both something I hope the park was proud of this season.

Then there is Jane. I really feel like I need to mention her. Jane works one of the booths in the parking lot. If I can get a glimpse into the booths, I always make sure I get in Jane's line. That extra smile and hello (again, as if I were a longtime friend even though I know she does the same thing with all cars) is the perfect start to the day.

- Those Special Places

I said before that literally every corner of the park hosts a special memory for me. One of those places for me is "The Rock". No, not Duane Johnson. I'm referring to a rock that is in the small pond in the Kidzville section of the park (next to the parachutes). For as long as I can remember, my father and I have stopped off at the rock on each visit to the park to throw a penny toward it. I landed on the rock only once this season...on my first attempt.

"The Quiet Place" is the one place I go to get away from the world while at the park. The viewing area of White Water Canyon is so peaceful and in such a beautiful surrounding that you'd never know that I-95 was just a few hundred yards away. I love to walk over to the viewing area, sit on a rock, and just listen to the running water and pretend I'm in the woods somewhere. It's not quite the real thing, but it is surprisingly close.

The Eiffel Tower View Deck. Ok, so this one doesn't feel as personable to me since so many use it as a getaway. But, still, a Sunday morning at the top of the Eiffel Tower is matched by only few other moments. The air always seems fresher and the view always seems that much brighter. The nighttime view from the Eiffel Tower may be its ultimate draw, but I'd rather be there in the morning watching the park come to life.

It has been much more difficult writing this piece than I anticipated. It isn't that I have struggled to come up with things to include, but I have struggled to decide what to leave out. As with anything in life, it is often difficult to see why somebody really feels so strongly about something if you're not in his or her shoes. Perhaps this column was written more for my own purposes rather than yours, but I still hope you enjoyed the ride.

What I have discussed here is just a small portion of the special memories that have been built up for me and my family at Kings Dominion. They are memories that will never die and I keep adding to them more and more each year.

Next week will be a very special column for me as I relive one of the greatest days of my life. On September 7, 2001 my family all gathered at Paramount's Kings Dominion for the first time in over 10 years. On that day, I was joined by my father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and two very special guests...my two nieces aged 4 and 2. A whole new generation of 3:16's was introduced to my family's favorite place, Paramount's Kings Dominion. Next week, a trip report from that special day.

Random Ramblings

Cedar Point has announced Wicked Twister as their new ride for 2002. There have been a lot of concerns raised about the capacity of this ride. Is this the proper addition for a park with the Point's status? I think the answer to this question lies with the launch. The rarity of the launch has slowly disappeared, particularly in that part of the country. The other two giant parks of Ohio have launched coasters. Perhaps the average Cedar Point visitor will look past the launch. Wicked Twister will most likely draw long lines. But the fact that Twister may just be an average fish in a big pond should mean that the lines will not quite be the nightmare that some are predicting. Of course, I could be wrong. I thought the same thing of Hypersonic.

An official decision on the fate of Americana Amusement Park near Cincinnati, Ohio is expected soon. Of course, why should this year be any different than years past? Locals will cry for Americana to reopen (the few that still care). They'll go opening weekend, and then a handful of enthusiasts will go during the year, but the majority of the locals won't visit again until owners threaten to shut it down once more. Americana may be a charming park, but is there support for it in the Cincinnati area with a giant like PKI so close? It will be difficult for the park to convince these locals that they can choose to visit both PKI and Americana in a given year. We wish them luck.

It is good to know that the fine folks at Disneyland in California are not neglecting their patrons. Two long-time fans of the park who visited shortly after the September 11 attacks told me that the grounds looked as great as ever and the guest service department was as wonderful as ever despite what has been a difficult time for the park. Lines were virtually non-existent, but the people at Disneyland made sure it felt like a special day. Should we have expected anything less?

That's it for now. Until next week, take a back seat ride once for me...

                                                                                 Coaster 3:16

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