Cedar Fair Announces New Direction For Geauga Lake

[Arez]

It's about time to recreate this thread..


SANDUSKY, OHIO, September 21, 2007 – Cedar Fair Entertainment Company announced today that Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio, will become exclusively a water park attraction beginning with the 2008 season.
“After four years of operating Geauga Lake as a combined water park/amusement park attraction, we have concluded that its future should be entirely as a water park,” said Dick Kinzel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. “Visiting Geauga Lake is a 119-year-old tradition in northeastern Ohio. That tradition will continue, but in a new and exciting way.”
“Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom has been recognized as one of the finest water parks in the country,” Kinzel said. “Over the past three seasons, we have invested approximately $25 million to create and develop the premiere water park in northeastern Ohio. Since its opening in 2005, Wildwater Kingdom has been the park’s highest rated attribute.”
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom attractions will include Tidal Wave Bay, a 30,000 square-foot wave pool featuring seven different types of wave patterns; Liquid Lightning, a 60-foot-tall tornado slide; Thunder Falls, Ohio’s tallest water slide complex; an activity pool; an action river; and a multi-story play structure. The park will also provide a catering facility and picnic pavilions for group outings and poolside cabanas will be made available for daily rental.
Water parks are very important to Cedar Fair. In addition to parks where the water park is incorporated into the amusement park, the company owns and operates five separately gated water parks: three in California, one in Ohio (Soak City at Cedar Point) and one in Missouri.
Kinzel added, “Water parks traditionally draw from a closer geographic market than amusement parks, and we believe Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom will continue to be successful in drawing visitors from the greater Cleveland, Youngstown and Akron-Canton areas.”
Geauga Lake’s 2008 operating schedule, admission pricing, group programs and other operating details will be announced at a later date. However, the water park season is traditionally Memorial Day to Labor Day.
As part of the changeover to exclusively water park attractions, a number of the rides at Geauga Lake will be introduced at other Cedar Fair parks.
The property not necessary for the operation of the water park is being reviewed for other uses and development.
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom, Cedar Fair owns and operates 11 amusement parks, five other water parks, one indoor water park resort, and six hotels. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, and operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.

Sad, sad news. It was a fun park, and it always feels wrong to see parks get the ax. RIP Geauga Lake.

It also appears there was some sort of fire in Dominator's station:

Photo Credit: Theme Park Review
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/cedarfairsucks/DLDOM.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/cedarfairsucks/GLDOM2.jpg



-Alex

[Jake]

Do you think they set it on fire? lol.

[tycooner55]

I'll miss Dominator. I know it's being moved, but the coaster had an awesome location at GL.

[Sam]

Do you think they set it on fire? lol.
I'm guessing a spark from a cutting torch set fire to it. A similar thing happened about 5 or 6 years ago to a coaster called Tower of Terror in Europe where it burned down the entire structure surrounding the coaster.

[Voyage100]

I would love to believe as Dominator at Geauga Lake will be coming back again. It's still inside our heart, since the yellow track with blue supports look so sweet, though it has many scary loops. The other park will get it 100%.

[Sam]

Here are some recent demolition photos.

http://outsidelookingin3101.blogspot.com/

[Michael]

That was honestly very depressing. It's really sad to see a park just vanish and crumble away like that :(

[chris]

Mike have you ridden it?

[Michael]

^ Never been to Geauga Lake, but it's still sad to see such a great park go like this :(

[Sam]

That was honestly very depressing. It's really sad to see a park just vanish and crumble away like that :(

I agree with that, but the park was on a down hill slide anyways. It was only a matter of time. CF just killed it and I think it was for the best that it closed. What was left after the 2006 season was just not enough to keep it alive. Besides, it's not a total loss as the water park still remains.

Since you have never been to this park, I understand exactly how you feel. Back in September 2004, the largest water park in California, Manteca Waterslides (aka Oakwood Park), was closed down and demolished. This park closed for a similar reason as Geauga. I never got a chance to visit the park as it was a 4 hour drive from my house, but my dad told me about when he went there in the late 70s when it was still fairly new. However, I didn't learn about the closure until the summer of 2006 when we were driving back from a camping trip and passed a dirt field of destroyed, half buried water slide tubing. It was very sad to see such a park being turned into a housing development. :(

Long story short, I regret the decision that I made in the summer of 2004 of putting off the trip to Manteca till some other year. I feel the same way about AstroWorld and these both have something in common. They both had lots of potential to live on right up to the closing, whereas Geauga Lake was gradually declining to the point of no return.

[R.C.]

^I always wanted to head over to Manteca Water Slides, but I never did it. I was pretty bummed when I found out it closed. I can still remember the commercials: Man-teca water-slides!

I'm not really upset to see Geauga Lake close, basically because I had never been there. I did want to go there eventually, especially to ride Dominator, but now I just have to go to Kings Dominion.

[chris]

But I think the water park is staying. Am I right?

[The Storm Runner]

^Yes, the water park is staying.

Do you think it'll still be called Geauga Lake, or will they call it Wildwater Kingdom?

[Arez]

^It'll be called Geauga Lake's Wild Water Kingdom.

-Alex

[Sam]

Here are some photos taken at the park yesterday during the auction preview.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_awesomephotos/sets/72157605648050598/


It's quite sad to see the park in such condition - but I guess that's what happens when awaiting certain death. :crying:

[yDp]

Man, I remember going to that place when it was a SF park, even then it wasn't very good. Sucks to see it gone though, place had lots of potential.

[SnooSnoo]

Nah.. GL was fine before SF.. who in raped the hell out of the park, turning it into something it wasn't.

When SF bought Geauga Lake is when it officially died.

[Sam]

Here are some articles about the sales this week.


Big Dipper roller coaster auctioned off for $5,000
By ANNIE ZELM | Wednesday June 18 2008, 8:48am

AURORA


Register photo/LUKE WARK Auctioneer Dan Coville of Norton Auctioneers of Michigan takes bids Tuesday on an item at Geauga Lake Amusement Park in Aurora. Hundreds of items, including roller coasters, rides and game buildings, were sold to the highest bidders.

Five thousand dollars might be all it takes to buy a historic wooden roller coaster -- but that price pales in comparison to the millions it will likely cost to move it.

A representative from a hauling company submitted the sole bid Tuesday on the 83-year-old Big Dipper at Geauga Lake amusement park.

Officials from Cedar Fair, the park's parent company, have until 5 p.m. today to accept or decline the offer.

The bidder, Tom Woosnam of Apex Western Machinery Movers in Akron, made the offer on behalf of someone else and did not elaborate on the coaster's proposed fate.

"It will be re-erected, but not as an operating coaster," Woosnam said.

Woosnam, whose company specializes in hauling amusement park rides and other equipment, said relocating and reconstructing a coaster of that size could take at least a year with the foundation work involved. He couldn't speculate on reconstruction costs but said it was safe to say it would be a multi-million dollar project.

Other rides and memorabilia, ranging from signs and restaurant buildings to water slides and ferry boats, were also sold in the auction conducted by the Michigan-based Norton Auctioneers.

Compared to the wooden coaster, two steel coasters attracted much higher bids for their value in metal.

The Double Loop coaster went for $25,000, and the Villain went for $30,000 -- both to scrap dealers.

Rick Davis, a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts who attended the auction, said he was sad to see them go.

"We had one of our members crying because she loved the Villain so much," the Vienna, Ohio, resident said.

For some in the amusement industry, the auction was a chance to browse through a selection of unique rides and restock their parks with necessities, such as overhead doors and trash cans.

"We consider the needs of our park, the condition of the items, age and how much work it'll take to get them into tip-top shape," said Russell Melton of PARC Management, a company that owns eight theme parks. "So far, everything has been very reasonably priced."

Timothy Bragg, who manages a moving company and came to help transport equipment, said he was pleasantly surprised he was able to buy 28 Thunder Alley racing cars for $4,800.

"I'll probably keep a few for my grandkids, refurbish the rest and sell them on eBay," he said. "NASCAR fans love this stuff."

For others, the auction offered one last chance for photos and seemed to give a sense of closure.

Bill Gartroza of Twinsburg said he still recalls his first visit to Geauga Lake as a 10-year-old in 1932.

"It has a lot of history," he said. "I just came to see the end of it."

Cedar Fair is still reviewing sealed bids for the park's 400-acre property, spokesman Robin Innes said.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2008/06/18/front/796350.txt



Geauga Lake auction: 'Big Dipper' sold, new owner unknown

BAINBRIDGE -- The gavel came down Tuesday and The Big Dipper, Geauga Lake amusement park's centerpiece roller coaster, went for $5,000 to Apex Western Machinery Movers of Akron.

But the story doesn't end there. Apex's Tom Woosnam said he was bidding for a buyer whose name he would not disclose.

"We move machines, we don't buy them. The buyer intends to move the coaster. It will be re-erected but not as a ride, but as a nostalgia piece," Woosnam said.

He said he could divulge the buyer's name "in about a week."

Sources familiar with media outlets in Kansas City say they suspect The Big Dipper will be moved there but could not confirm a specific location.

The sale of The Big Dipper needed approval from Geauga Lake owner Cedar Fair Entertainment, something Woosnam said he received before he left the park Tuesday.

Ironically, The Big Dipper was item number 43 on the auction list and that number came up at the stroke of noon Tuesday.

"High noon, if you ask me." one spectator said.

Geauga Lake is located on Aurora Road, that's state Route 43 in Bainbridge. Tuesday's auction was for rides and ride-related items.

At 10:30 a.m. today (June 18), the auction continues for campground items, coolers and other park equipment.

Woosnam also bought the Raging Wolf Bobs roller coaster for $2,500 for the same undisclosed buyer.

Before more on The Big Dipper, know that the first item auctioned was the main plaza fountain, just inside Geauga Lake's main gate. It went for $400 just after the auction began at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The 1974 Itamin space tower, known at Geauga Lake as the Skyscraper, went for scrap for $12,500. The auctioneer said scrap is going for 3 cents a pound right now.

No one knew how much the space tower weighed.

The water slide ride, left behind when Geauga Lake opened its water park across the lake, went for $47,500, a world record, according to Norton Auctioneers President David Norton.

Schlitterbahn Waterparks, of New Braunfels, Texas, bought the two ferry boats, the "Aurora Bele" and the "Cuyahoga Queen," that sat on Geauga Lake, the 120-foot-long "Shark Encounter" shark tank and the entire contents of the Iwerks 4-D movie theater.

The family-owned and operated Schlitterbahn parks will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2009.

The Arrow roller coaster was sold for scrap for about $35,000 and the Villain was sold for scrap for about $25,000.

Norton also addressed the crowd at the very start of the auction.

"We are witnessing the end of an era," Norton said, just before he began the auction.

"Anything that is not tagged is being moved to another Cedar Fair park," Norton addded.

The Americana ferris wheel and the landmark carousel were not tagged.

Cedar Fair Entertainment owns Geauga Lake, as well as Cedar Point in Sandusky, along with dozens of other amusement and water parks across North America.

Geauga Lake was established in 1888 and has existed under various names and with varying degrees of rides and attractions for 119 years.

Cedar Fair closed Geauga Lake's amusement park Sept. 16, citing poor attendance. Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom water park, across Geauga Lake from the amusement park, is still operating and opened May 24.

On May 23, four developers submitted sealed bids to Cedar Fair, bids to re-develop the 600-acre amusement park for possible mixed-use retail/residential.

Now for more on The Big Dipper.

The historic roller coaster was designed and built by John A. Miller, world-renowned for his roller coasters.

It was one of the few remaining wooden roller coasters left in the world.

American Coaster Enthusiasts, a group dedicated to riding and celebrating roller coasters, had hoped that The Big Dipper would become the centerpiece of any re-development of the 600-acre park, either next to a mall-like development or as part of a residential development.

Just before the 1926 roller coaster was auctioned off, Norton told the crowd that Cedar Fair had offered the American Coaster Enthusiasts the ride.

"That's false," a voice from the crowd piped up. The voice belonged to Russell Township resident Carole Sanderson, an ACE past-president and CFO of Herschman Architects in Cleveland.

"Get that woman out of here. Security, remove her from the park," Norton shouted back.

She was not removed and the auction went forward.

"It's a shame," Sanderson said afterwards. "(ACE) has never been offered the ride. Norton may be saying that but it's not true."

Norton Auctioneers Vice President Denise Kinsey said Cedar Fair told Norton about the alleged offer to ACE. Kinsey said Norton Auctioneers was only saying what it had been told.

ACE Historian and past president Richard Munch, who lives in Geauga County, was also at Geauga Lake Tuesday.

Both he and Sanderson said they are going to set up a meeting with U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Bainbridge, to see if they can sit down with him and try and save The Big Dipper.

Sanderson and Munch both skipped the ACE annual meeting that is going on this week in Atlanta to be here for the auction.

ACE officials in Atlanta have told Channel 3 News that no one from Cedar Fair or Norton ever contacted ACE with a firm offer for The Big Dipper.

http://www.wkyc.com:80/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=91687&catid=3

[Steelinwood]

I think that's it always sad to see a good park go, it just a shame no one else bought the place! :(

[SnooSnoo]

and the Villain went for $30,000

Happiest day of my life.

[Sam]

Yesterday, a date that will live in infamy, Double Loop at Geauga Lake was demolished. Villain is next on the list.



Pictures and more coverage of the demolition can be found here.
http://www.freepowerboards.com/geaugalaketoday/geaugalaketoday-about1138.html

[Mike T]

It's funny how the demolition of these rides are described as dates of "infamy", but everybody wants to have a torching party for something like Mean Streak.

I've personally ridden most everything at Geauga Lake from when the B&M's and Intamin's took over the skyline, to all the way back when I could just barely make height requirements with a pair of sneak's on. The park had a good run and the coasters were made useful to the public for decades. Times certainly do change and nothing lasts forever. Although it's a little bitter sweet to think about the memories, you have to remember that this industry continues to move forward, with progression in technology, creativity, and ability.

Thanks for the photos btw...

[Jake]

Are you implying that these rides are somehow worse then Mean Streak? Because I sincerely doubt that.

[SnooSnoo]

^The Villain makes Mean Streak look like an Intamin.

[Matt]

At least Villian was exciting and had air time.

I'd take an airtime, fun and rough coaster over a slow boring and rough coaster (ala meanstreak)

[Michael]

At least Villian was exciting and had air time.

I'd take an airtime, fun and rough coaster over a slow boring and rough coaster (ala meanstreak)

Meanstreak certainly isn't slow, it's pacing is. But I agree, it is boring...

Not sure how it compared to Villain, but I've heard it was better, which says alot. :tongue:

[Tom]

Everyone HATES Mean Streak, just realized that finally. I am a minority member I guess for that. Anytime a park goes away its sad...my first park memories were at SFAW and its something that I will always recall. I wish I would have made a stop at GL when I went to CP, too late.

[tycooner55]

If I had to rank my least favorite wooden coasters, they would go like this:

Mean Streak > Gwazi > Villain

I'm one of the few that really don't mind Mean Streak. I mean it isn't the best, but I'm not in a hurry for CP to tear it down.

It is sad to see the Double loop go. It was the first coaster I ever got major whiplash from. :thumbup2:

[Gemini78]

Eh...I'm one of those people that the crazies over at GLToday can't stand. It was the right move for Cedar Fair, in all reality. And even though I've ridden every coaster there, the only one I even care a little bit about is Big Dipper. They're being torn down...so was Mill Race, White Water Landing, Pirate Ride, Schwabinchen, and some other rides at Cedar Point that I used to love. They're just rides, and the memories aren't going anywhere, because they're not physically attached to the life of the structure.

Cool pictures though, since I love watching demolition of any kind.

[SnooSnoo]

^They don't want to look at the real facts besides one.. "Cedar Fair closed Geauga Lake." Kinda sad really.. as really, it wasn't even Cedar Fairs fault.