Though it seems most of the industry has already made their 2014 announcements, things have been fairly silent from Kings Dominion lately. Though, after an out of the blue post on the park’s Facebook page yesterday announcing that the park had something to share the next day (today), Kings Dominion has finally announced their plans for 2014. Now, though the entire park didn’t actually open till 1975, the park seems to be claiming 2014 as their 40th anniversary and, in celebration, have announced a list of additions and changes for 2014 that promise to bring back some of that old Kings Dominion charm. Well onto the good stuff!
Area Re-Themes
Candy Apple Grove Returns
The park has promised the return of the oversized candy apples to the midways as well as brand new ride lighting packages! I assume this will mean new lighting for Triple Spin, The Wave Swinger, and Drop Tower. We may even see something done with Ricochet or Shockwave come to think of it.
Anyway, our friends over at KD Golden Years have an album on their Facebook page showcasing Candy Apple Grove back in its hay day. Though I encourage you to go check out their full album (and like their Facebook page while you’re there- they do fantastic work!), they were kind enough to allow us to share a few with you here as well. Enjoy!
Safari Village Returns
Safari Village is coming back! The Congo is arguably one of the worst areas in the park at the moment so it’s fantastic to see the park is planning on giving it some love and attention. In addition to the promise of some of the Safari Village theming and branding returning, the park has also promised modifications to both Volcano and Anaconda as well!
Though we’re not sure what exactly will be done to Volcano or Anaconda, throughout this refurbishment, but personally, I’d love to see Volcano’s mountain get a new coat of paint and some theme touch-ups as well. Maybe we could even see some theming added to the inside of the mountain? I must say though, out of the two, Anaconda’s refurbishment is the more interesting. It has been getting unbearably rough of the last few seasons and its general overall appearance has been in a rather steep decline as well. Could the park give Anaconda a new lease on life with some trackwork or maybe even a new set of trains? We shall see.
Anyway, as we did with Candy Apple Grove above, here are some awesome pictures of the original Safari Village provided by, once again, KD Golden Years. For more Safari Village pictures, check out their full album here. Thanks again KDGY!
Other Additions
International Street Fountains Update
As previously rumored, the International Street fountains will be receiving a new LED lighting package as well as quote, “additional improvements.” According to earlier rumors we’ve heard, Kings Dominion could end up with a similar setup that was added to Canada’s Wonderland in 2013. You can see a video of Canada’s Wonderland’s fountains in action below.
Famous Blue Ice Cream Returns
I’ve personally never gotten the chance to taste the park’s famous blue ice cream, but those who visited the park while it was popular say it was absolutely superb. I look forward to being able to give it a try come 2014!
Pictures & Videos
In addition to the announcements listed above, the park released a ton of pictures as well as a fantastic park history video that is well worth your time. Check it out below!
In addition to the one above, Kings Dominion has also promised to release more videos relating to the park’s history in the months ahead!
While these pictures and the promised videos may just seem like a rather minor thing at first glance, I’d argue otherwise. Seeing a park release things like this shows that the park cares about preserving its past and wants to strive to be the place that everyone remembers once again. Not long ago Kings Dominion was regarded as a thrill park- a place to go if you wanted to roast in the heat and ride some extreme coasters. With the addition of Planet Snoopy in 2013 and the plans they’ve laid out for 2014, it seems that Kings Dominion is setting its sights on becoming something so much more than just another thrill park. It wants to achieve the charming atmosphere that it once possessed once again. Bravo Kings Dominion. We’re fully onboard with your mission.
For full information involving this announcement; you can visit Kings Dominion’s Website for more information! Also make sure that you check out the historical pictures for a great look at what Kings Dominion used to be and possibly even a glance into the future as well! Lastly, stay up to date with KDFans for more information as it becomes available. To do so, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and join in the discussion on our forums or by leaving a comment below.
Here’s to Kings Dominion- a park who plots their path forward by looking backward!