More than 140 million visitors have experienced the parkвЂ™s fun and thrills since 1972 making Kings Island one of the most celebrated amusement parks in the world. The area surrounding the park, once farmland, now thrives with commercial and retail businesses, as well as the incredibly increased population of homes.ДЄn annual visit to Kings Island has become tradition for literally millions of people. The changes have not been limited to the park itself. Where it once took 1,300 employees to operate the park on any given day during the season, it now requires approximately 5,000 to keep the 364-acre amusement and water park in operation. The employment opportunities have changed dramatically as well. In 1972, five themed areas were highlighted. Now, after 50 years of capital investments more than $400 million, there are more than 100 attractions. When Kings Island opened, there were just over 60 attractions for guests to enjoy. I was, and continue to be, very proud of being a part of the history and the making of this world-class amusement park.вЂќДЄlthough The Racer is still speeding up and down the tracks and the Grand Carousel still spins as it did 50 years ago, the Park has gone through many changes. Annual attendance more than doubled, from 1 million at Coney Island to more than 2 million the first year. вЂњOur employee base expanded ten times over and our property size increased from 155 acres to over 1600. вЂњThe transition was empirical in every sense of the word,вЂќ Speigel said. President Dennis Speigel, remember it being hard leaving a place that so many people absolutely loved and enjoyed, but exciting to become part of a state-of-the-art facility. When the gates opened April 29, 1972, the stage was set for the next 50 years of world-class thrills, fun and family entertainment.ДЄs Kings Island celebrates its 50th anniversary season this year, employees who experienced the transition from Coney Island to Kings Island like International Theme Park Services, Inc. The following spring, another era began when the turnstiles began spinning in Kings Mills, Ohio at the new Kings Island Amusement Park. In the fall of 1971, Coney Island, an amusement park on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, closed its gates for the final time, ending an era in entertainment.

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