Camp Snoopy Construction Update

Camp Snoopy Construction Update

For this Camp Snoopy Construction Update, we take a break from the construction site and stop by the kitchen to look at one of the desserts that will be available at Pigpen's Mess Hall.  Belen Caire, Kings Island's Executive Pastry Chef shows our kid reporter Aubrey how to make S'mores Brownies!

UPDATE: April 17, 2024

On Tuesday, April 17 at 2:24 p.m. the first test run of Kings Island's new family coaster, Snoopy's Soap Box Racers was completed.  Check out the video below. The coaster will open with Camp Snoopy later this spring. Watch this blog and our social media channels for more details in the coming weeks. 

Last week we turned to social media to see what questions you have about Camp Snoopy. 12-year-old Aubrey is back on the construction site answering the top questions you asked, plus, check out the the latest progress for Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride, Franklin's Flyers, Woodstock's Air Rail and Pig Pen's Mess Hall.

UPDATE: April 8, 2024

12-year-old Aubrey is back on the Camp Snoopy construction site this week. Check out the video below to get a closer look at each of the new Soap Box Racer designs. Can you guess which Peanuts character each car is themed after?  Plus, see the most up-to-date progress for Woodstock's Air Rail, Linus Launchers, Franklin's Flyers and Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride. Construction on Pig Pen's Mess Hall also continues to move forward.

 

UPDATE: April 5, 2024

This week kids, ages 7 to 17, from the Cincinnati Soap Box Derby club visited Kings Island to check out Camp Snoopy's construction progress and help the park unveil the soap box derby car designs for the 2024 season's new family coaster, Snoopy's Soap Box Racers. Check out the video below to see the cars arriving at the park, Snoopy's Red Baron-themed racer being uncrated and then lifted onto the track! You'll even catch a glimpse of the nine other racers, each themed to a different Peanuts character.

UPDATE: March 29, 2024

This week 12-year-old Aubrey reports on the progress of some of the rides that are being renamed and refreshed for Kings Island's new Camp Snoopy, opening later this spring. She even gets visited by the Head Beagle himself! 

UPDATE: March 22, 2024

Join 12-year-old Aubrey as she walks us through the latest Camp Snoopy Construction Updates.  This week she'll focus on Snoopy's Soap Box Racers, the progress so far, and what we can expect in the coming days and weeks. 

UPDATE: March 8, 2024

While work progresses on Snoopy's Soap Box Racers, we're also starting to see progress in other areas of Camp Snoopy. This week the re-theming of multiple existing rides started. In 2024, Flying Ace Aerial Chase takes on its new Camp Snoopy name, Woodstock’s Air Rail, where Woodstock has been placed in charge of delivering Camp Snoopy’s mail. The coaster is being repainted to symbolize a tree, with the track painted green to represent leaves, and the support structure will be brown to represent the trunk and branches. But, where's Woodstock?  The coaster's train will be bright, "Woodstock" yellow, representing Snoopy's famous pal.

 

Update: February 27, 2024
At approximately 1:08 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the final piece of track for Snoopy's Soap Box Racers was installed.

UPDATE: February 21, 2024

The first piece of track has been installed on Snoopy's Soap Box Racers!

The Camp Snoopy® lookout station is starting to take shape at Snoopy's Soap Box Racers. When the newly expanded area of Planet Snoopy opens in late spring, here is where you'll find Franklin taking his post as the derby's official announcer giving racers and spectators race updates.

"It’s a beautiful day for a race, folks! This is your announcer, Franklin Armstrong from the booth welcoming you to the annual Camp Snoopy Soap Box Derby. Our racers are being lifted into the starting position…"

Here's an artist's rendering of what the Camp Snoopy lookout station will look like when construction and theming are completed.

There continues to be progress on the coaster's load station, Camp Snoopy's Rec. Building and the headquarters for the big derby.

 

UPDATE: February 16, 2024

This week we hear from Jared McFadden, Kings Island's Facilities and Construction Manager who is overseeing the construction of Camp Snoopy, the newest addition to the park's kids area, Planet Snoopy. Chris Marion, Manager of Rides Maintenance and Eli Hammock, Area Manager of Rides Maintenance, give us insight on what happens at the park during the offseason as they prepare coasters and other rides for the 2024 season.

UPDATE: February 1, 2024

This week there has been a lot of activity in Planet Snoopy as the construction site for the 2024 Camp Snoopy addition continues to take shape. More concrete was poured and progress was made on the load station for Snoopy's Soap Box Racers. Project managers expect the assembly of the coaster to begin soon.

UPDATE: January 26, 2024

This week crews continued to focus on erecting the load station for Snoopy's Soap Box Racers. The latest shipment of steel track from coaster designer Vekoma also was delivered to the park. Check out the video below to see the massive crane unloading the track from its shipping container. Don't forget to bookmark this page and check back regularly for continued updates on the construction of Camp Snoopy, opening in late spring 2024.

 

UPDATE: January 19, 2024

After last week’s focus on groundwork throughout the Camp Snoopy site, this week the construction crew turned its focus to the first elements of vertical construction. Vertical construction is any construction that takes place above ground level. For Camp Snoopy, that means installing the first steel beams for Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers’ load station. When construction is completed on the building in April, the load station will be more than 2,500 square feet with the loading platform raised approximately five feet off the ground.

The first two pieces of steel track for Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers completed its more than 4,000-mile journey to Kings Island from coaster designer Vekoma’s production facility located in the village of Vlodrop in The Netherlands. Delivery on the remaining nearly 600 feet of track will continue over the next few weeks.

 

UPDATE: January 12, 2024

Favorable weather conditions in December and January have allowed crews at Kings Island to maintain the Camp Snoopy construction schedule.

Opening in late spring 2024, the expansion of the park’s award-winning Planet Snoopy kids’ area will feature two new attractions, Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers, a brand-new family roller coaster that races both forward and backward; and Beagle Scout Acres, an area where kids can run, crawl, play or relax with the family in a shaded comfortable space. Camp Snoopy will be located on the south end of Planet Snoopy, between the entrance to Rivertown and near Flying Ace Aerial Chase (UPDATE: Flying Ace's name will change to Woodstock's Air Rail in 2024.)

In addition to the new coaster, Camp Snoopy also will include some of the park’s existing rides: Flying Ace Aerial Chase; Linus Launcher; Woodstock Gliders (UPDATE: name will change to Franklin's Flyers in 2024) and Race for Your Life Charlie Brown (UPDATE: Name will change to Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride in 2024). Most will be re-painted to fit with the newly-themed area, like Woodstock Gliders, seen here:

*Artist's depiction may vary from the final product.

Since construction began in the late fall, old underground utilities, concrete and structures have been removed from the site. Ground was cleared of debris and prepared for construction.  

Joel Yankie, Kings Island’s Director of Construction and Maintenance reports that the project is going well so far.

“We have now completed all our foundations,” said Yankie. “We are really fortunate that the weather has been pretty mild compared to last winter here in Cincinnati.  It’s allowed us to hold a great schedule as we got all the foundations in, and as soon as next week we could start to see a lot of vertical activity.”

Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates on Camp Snoopy and Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers’ construction.