From the Sandusky Register…
SANDUSKY
Next year, the thrill is back.
Cedar Point’s new ride for 2011, which already has been ordered but not been announced publicly, will be aimed at thrill seekers, said Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair’s CEO.
The amusement park’s long-term plans for new rides is closely veiled.
But during an exclusive Register interview with Kinzel, he pulled the curtain aside a bit.
From the Sandusky Register…
SANDUSKY
Colby Waldroup left his house near Pittsburgh at 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning to witness Cedar Point open its gates for its 141st season.
By 9 a.m., the 17-year-old and a pack of his friends waited behind a gold ribbon at the park entrance, eager to be unleashed for a day roller coaster bliss.
Waldroup and his friend Brandon Christie, 18, said they planned to zip over to the Millennium Force as soon as the ribbon dropped.
Many other park patrons had the same idea.
Hundreds of people stampeded into the park to their favorite rides after a short opening ceremony. Platinum pass holders entered immediately after remarks from park officials to ride a special selection of open rides. Folks with regular tickets enjoyed a serenade by The Ohio State University Marching Band while waiting for the park to open to the general public at 10 a.m.
By late morning, families bobbing through the midway enjoyed the scent of the season’s first Cedar Point French fries.
Children scampered ahead of their parents, urging the adults to hurry to the next ride. Some park patrons lounged under shade trees to watch the hustle and bustle.
Park spokesman Robin Innes said the weather, sunny with temperatures in the 70s, was perfect for the occasion and the turnout looked good.
He said the people who come for the opening ceremonies usually zero in on a certain ride to initiate the season.
The debut ride this year — the flume ride Shoot the Rapids — won’t be ready until May 29 while engineers resolve a problem with the boats not fitting in the water flume, but there were plenty of the old standbys ready for riders.
“People will head to Millennium, they’ll stop to go to Raptor here on the left,” Innes said. “The little ones will go to Planet Snoopy.”
Jodie Gambill and her son Wesley, 4, Dayton, got to Snoopy’s Deep Sea Diver ride early enough for Wesley to grab a solo voyage.
“This is the first time we’ve ever been here,” she said, watching her son grin through spins in the yellow submarine.
When asked if there were any rides she aimed to tackle, Gambill said, “I’m just going to enjoy the day.”
The Sanner family from Meyersdale, Pa., said being there for opening day was just a happy accident.
“It was just a good weekend,” Bill Sanner said. “It worked with the school schedule.”
His son, Brody Sanner, 9, and family friend Devin Kretchman, 8, fidgeted with anticipation as Bill and Missy Sanner got their bearings at the park entrance.
Brody held nothing back when asked what he was excited to ride Saturday.
“Everything,” he said with enthusiasm.
Cedar Point Press Release
SANDUSKY, Ohio, May 14 — Aeronautics, science missions, experiments and a NASA astronaut are just some of the special activities that are planned for this year’s Math and Science Week at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio.
School groups from the around the Midwest will be visiting the world’s largest ride park located on the shores of Lake Erie to participate in the educational programs and activities that are designed for middle and high school students. The five-day event will be held May 17-21 at various locations along the park’s midways.
Participating in the event will be NASA’s Glenn Research Center of Cleveland, The Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, COSI (Center of Science and Industry) of Columbus and the Detroit Science Center.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center and the Great Lakes Science Center will team up to present exhibits featuring Aeronautics and Microgravity Man throughout the entire week.
On Wednesday and Thursday, May 19-20, the Detroit Science Center will be presenting three displays on physical science: Gravity & Centripetal Force, Conservation of Angular Momentum and Distribution of Mass. COSI of Columbus will be providing exhibits and displays on Thursday and Friday, May 20-21.
On Friday, May 21, NASA astronaut Captain Michael J. Foreman will visit the park. Foreman has flown more than 5,000 hours in more than 50 different aircraft. He has also been a Mission Specialist on two space shuttle missions logging more than 26 days in space, including five spacewalks. Foreman will make a presentation at 11 a.m. in the Good Time Theatre.
Cedar Point will also host two special events during the week. The Wright Brass ensemble will perform at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday, May 17. Wright Brass is one of four chamber ensembles within the United States Air Force Band of Flights and has performed at many colleges and universities throughout the country.
On Thursday, May 20, Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) drivers Joey Coulter, Patrick Sheltra, Robb Brent and current point-leader Justin Marks will be at the park to greet guests from 2-4 p.m. near the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster.
For additional information about Math and Science Week, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.
Cedar Fair Press Release
SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a publicly-traded leader in regional amusement parks, water parks, vacation resorts and entertainment, is pleased to announce that it will offer FREE admission to active and retired United States military personnel on Sunday and Monday of both the Memorial Day and July 4th weekends as a part of its Tribute to the Armed Forces program.
Also as a part of its Tribute to the Armed Forces program, active and retired members of the U.S military will be able to purchase discounted admission tickets for members of their immediate family (maximum of six) at a special military discount price. The free ticket offer will be available on the Sunday and Monday of each weekend and a valid military ID must be presented.
“We wanted to do something special to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces,” stated Jack Falfas, Cedar Fair’s chief operating officer. “These brave men and women sacrifice so much of their time with their families to help protect our country and this was our way of saying thank you to them by allowing them to save money and spend a fun-filled day together with their families.”
Tickets for this special promotion are available at each U.S.-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Company amusement and outdoor water park. For more information, along with a complete list of participating Cedar Fair Entertainment Company parks, guests can log on to www.cedarfair.com/armedforces.
From the Sandusky Register…
SANDUSKY
Cedar Point is still opening Saturday, but its new Shoot the Rapids attraction won’t be along for the ride.
Engineering problems with the ride — the boats the passengers ride in were too long and didn’t fit the flume — forced the park to delay the ride’s debut by two weeks.
Cedar Point had planned to launch the ride on the park’s opening day. The new target date is two weeks later, on May 29, said Dick Kinzel, president, chairman and CEO of Cedar Fair, Cedar Point’s parent company.
He said he believes May 29 is a firm date.
Kinzel and other Cedar Point executives made the decision to delay the ride’s launch on Sunday, after a series of weekend meetings. A planned media day to show off the ride to reporters on Friday morning was axed and won’t be rescheduled.
Delays in launching a new ride at Cedar Point are unusual but are not unprecedented, said Robin Innes, Cedar Point’s main spokesman. The last delay was with Maverick in 2007, he said.
Cedar Point had planned to launch Maverick on May 12, 2007, but the opening was delayed until May 26. Three sections of track were removed after tests revealed an excessive amount of stress.
Shoot the Rapids also has been delayed because of an engineering problem.
“Basically, we had trouble with the boats,” Kinzel said Monday. “It’s more of an engineering problem than a safety problem.”
“The manufacturer made the flume, and he contracted out the boats,” Kinzel said. “When the boats came together, the boats didn’t fit the flumes.”
Kinzel said workers have been busy all week trying to modify the boats, which were too long and didn’t go over the top of the hill properly. That can destroy the flume, he said.
By Sunday, only two of the boats had been retrofitted. The ride uses four boats.
“We can run two or three boats, but that’s not what you want to do,” he said.
The struggle to get the ride to work right cut training time, so executives decided on the delay to give the ride crew time to prepare, Kinzel said.
Kinzel said the park has had a long relationship with the manufacturer, Intamin Worldwide of Switzerland, which made Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force and Maverick rides. Cedar Fair will work the problem out with the company, Kinzel said.
“We’re not going to bring our lawyers into it,” Kinzel said.
The delay also has postponed the auction that the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross is conducting for who gets to be first to try out the water ride. The cutoff for bidding is now 8:30 a.m. May 26, said Ron Rude, executive director of the local Red Cross chapter.
“I think it may work to our advantage,” Rude said. “We always like to complete things on schedule, but it will give us more time to hopefully gain more bidders.”