When the floodgates open and the thousands of Kings Island goers proudly barge through the barriers; this is when summer truly starts for the Tri-State area. 

The feeling of butterflies in your stomach while waiting in line for that first ride of the day is something that will never get old. Bounding over that first roller coaster loop and heading onto the next gives the feeling of freedom as you seemingly fly through the air, something we all dream about. 

However, the Kings Island we remember has many new changes coming this year. 

With the extreme amount of violence that has happened in the last month, this seemingly magical amusement park had to put down firmer safety rules for those visiting. 

“The new policy comes after increasing safety concerns, including during the park’s opening weekend when a teenager was arrested for having a gun outside the park,” said Emily Sanderson, with WLWT5. 

Gun violence has been the center of many individuals’ lives, more now than ever, schools are taking a beating and it seems nowhere is safe enough from the terror that guns have brought into people’s day-to-day lives. 

Many feel annoyed about this new rule, despite the tremendous violence and inappropriate behavior observed in the park, but it has been made clear that it is necessary for the welfare of those visiting the amusement park. 

Each person under 15 needs a park chaperone to be present with them.  

“The chaperone will need to present a photo ID with a birthdate in order to be let in,” said Kings Island officially. “One chaperone will be able to accompany no more than ten guests ages 15 or younger per day.”

Exact rules and regulations are on the Official website of the amusement park, Kings Island.