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Raising money for charity could get you an early ride on Kings Island giga coaster

Posted at 9:41 PM, Jan 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-24 11:02:14-05

A small group of riders will be able to board Orion, Kings Island’s much-hyped giga coaster, two days before general admission. All they have to do is raise money for sick children.

Kings Island announced Thursday that it will auction off April 9 rides on the coaster to people who help raise money for A Kid Again, a nonprofit that sends groups of chronically ill children on adventures with their family. The fundraisers will be eligible to board some of the first Orion trains.

The top fundraisers will get the very first ride, according to a news release from Kings Island. Anyone who donates at least $150 will get an early ride, a T-shirt and free food.

Anyone wishing to participate can set up a fundraising campaign here.

Orion will open to the general public on April 11, becoming the tallest, fastest and longest steel coaster at the park.

A giga coaster is a type of roller coaster with a height or drop of at least 300 feet. Orion is one of just seven giga coasters worldwide.

It will reach speeds of 91 mph, making it the 10th-fastest roller coaster on Earth, according to Kings Island vice president Mike Koontz.