OHIO (Cincinnati Enquirer) - Which Kings Island roller coaster is saying goodbye?
It's not as old as you'd expect.
It's Firehawk, the steel roller coaster located in the Coney Mall area of the park.
"While still popular with many guests, park officials state the ride has simply reached the end of its service life," officials said.
Final rides (or rites) will begin this weekend, with its last days of operation occurring the final weekend of Halloween Haunt and The Great Pumpkin Fest. The last day is Oct. 28.
Officials have not said what will replace the coaster.
Firehawk is a Flying Dutchman model steel flying roller coaster built by manufacturer Vekoma. It originally opened as X-Flight at Worlds of Adventure in Aurora, Ohio, on May 26, 2001.
It opened at Kings Island in 2007. When it finally leaves, the ride will have been operational for 11 years, five months and two days from its Kings Island opening date
After the announcement, Kings Island fans on the Kings Island Central Facebook page have been speculating about what happens next.
Fans hope it means a new coaster. Some are rooting for a reprise of Son of Beast. Other fans are hoping it's a giga coaster – one that's between 300 and 399 feet tall and completes a full circuit. The first giga coaster was Millennium Force, which opened at Cedar Point in 2000.
