SANDUSKY — Criticized last year by a group that advocates on behalf of the mentally ill, Cedar Point says it will rename two attractions for its upcoming HalloWeekends operations to ones that are less offensive.
At issue was a haunted house called “Dr. D Mented’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane” and an indoor show called “The Edge of Madness — Still Crazy.”
Members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio last year complained that the Sandusky amusement park stereotyped those with mental illness by giving two Halloween attractions names that the advocacy group said were offensive to the mentally ill and their families and inspired fear and misunderstanding by the general public.
Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes said Thursday the park decided to address the criticism this year.
“We knew they were upset with some of the names,” he said. “We didn’t change them last year but we have changed them for this year.”
“Dr. D Mented’s Asylum” has been renamed the “Eternity Infirmary,” while “The Edge of Madness” has been changed to “The Edge of Madness — Six Feet Under,” Mr. Innes said.
The renamed attractions will make their debut when Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends opens on Sept. 16. The park’s Halloween-themed makeover will run each Friday-Sunday until Oct. 30.
The man who spearheaded the criticism last year, Terry Russell, interim executive director of the advocacy group, said he was pleased with Cedar Point’s decision. “NAMI Ohio is extremely thankful to them for doing that and our organization now fully supports their Halloween activities,” he said.
SANDUSKY, Ohio – Shortly after 8 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, guests of the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross will take the final public rides on the Paddlewheel Excursions, the scenic riverboat cruise at Cedar Point.
To determine the participants on the two last rides, the Red Cross will host The Last Ride Auction for the seats on the last two boats. Each boat will accommodate 25 riders. (Riders must be at least 46 inches tall or accompanied by a responsible person.)
The top 49 bidders will be officially certified as the Last Riders on the Paddlewheel Excursions. The highest 24 riders will earn a seat on the last public cruise. As a special treat, that last boat will be captained by Dick Kinzel, CEO of the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Bidders 25-49 will have a seat on the second last boat. Official bidding began Aug. 26 and will run through 8:30 a.m. on this Friday, Sept. 2.
In addition to a final ride on Paddlewheel Excursions, successful bidders will also receive complimentary admission to Cedar Point, admission to the Last Ride Auction Reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments that will begin at 7 p.m. at Charlie Brown’s Cookout in Camp Snoopy, a commemorative medallion from the Red Cross and certificates of recognition from the Red Cross and Cedar Point.
Winning participants will be able to enter the park anytime during the day and will also receive free parking. (Cedar Point will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.) They will also be able to purchase discounted tickets for family and friends for use on Labor Day.
A themed-riverboat cruise has been in operation at Cedar Point since the early Sixties. During that span, it has given more than 47 million rides.
All proceeds from the event will support the many programs provided by the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Those interested in submitting a bid should visit:
For additional information about The Last Ride Auction, please visit www.firelandsredcross.org or call the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross at 419.626.1641 or 800.589.2286.
SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point has some pretty big plans for next summer.
The Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort earlier today announced plans to introduce Dinosaurs Alive! on Adventure Island, a prehistoric themed attraction, for next summer. The new attraction will be located on four acres on the wooded island that is located in the lagoons toward the back of the park.
In addition to Dinosaurs Alive!, Cedar Point will also add a mat-racer slide complex to the Soak City waterpark located adjacent to the park. Dinosaurs Alive! will cost approximately $1 million to build.
The journey into Dinosaurs Alive! will be multi-sensory and interactive. Guests will be able to see approximately 50 life-size animatronic dinosaurs that will roar and move. Each will be handcrafted and covered with skin-like materials that will replicate almost every feature. Four of the dinosaurs will have interactive consoles that will allow guests to guide their movement to create an up-close look at how these dinosaurs moved their arms, tail, eyes and mouth.
“We are extremely excited about introducing Dinosaurs Alive! to our guests next summer,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Our guests will have the opportunity to visit the Jurassic Age up close and see some of the amazing creatures that called it home. Dinosaurs Alive! will be educational but fun, too.”
Overall, Dinosaurs Alive! will feature approximately three dozen types of dinosaurs. The dinosaurs will range in size and height. The largest will be the Ruyangosaurus that will stand nearly 40 feet tall and 72 feet long. The smallest will be an Angustinaripterus that will only be two feet tall and eight feet long.
Other dinosaurs in Dinosaurs Alive! will include the vicious Tyrannosaurus Rex, Irratator, Baryonyx and Spinosaurus, the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs. A plated Stegosaurus and three-horned Triceratops will also inhabit the island. The half-mile-long path will feature more than a dozen themed exhibits and displays and will veer underneath several of the larger dinosaurs providing a very intimate encounter with the prehistoric beasts.
Guests will enter Dinosaurs Alive! by crossing a bridge near Camp Snoopy. In addition to the dinosaurs, explorers will also encounter an excavation site and paleontological dig. There will also be informational signs for each exhibit and guides and fossil displays that will make Dinosaurs Alive! an entertaining three-dimensional educational tool for school groups as the discovery and identification of new species of dinosaurs increases annually. At the conclusion of the journey, there will be a prehistoric-themed gift shop.
Admission to Dinosaurs Alive! will be $5 per person. Special rates for groups and schools will also be available.
With the addition of Dinosaurs Alive!, the Paddlewheel Excursions boat cruise will be retired from the park. The pioneer-themed boat ride will be in daily operation through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.
Cedar Point’s newest attraction will be created and produced by Dinosaurs Unearthed, an innovative traveling exhibition company that creates dynamic, multi-sensory experiences about the world of dinosaurs. Since 2005, the Richmond, British Columbia, Canada,-based company has provided multi-faceted exhibitions to museums, science centers and zoos throughout the world.
Next to Cedar Point, the Soak City waterpark will also have a new look for 2012. Next summer it will add a new mat-racer complex that will offer racers a speedy ride through a series of dips and plateaus. Additional information will be available later this year.
For more information about Dinosaurs Alive! on Adventure Island and Cedar Point’s plans for 2012, please visit the park’s website at: cedarpoint.com.
SANDUSKY — An Ohio amusement park says it will have new names this year for two Halloween attractions that drew complaints from mental health advocates.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, said Cedar Point promoted false stereotypes last Halloween by calling a haunted house “Dr. D. Menteds Asylum for the Criminally Insane” and a musical show “The Edge of Madness: Still Crazy.”
The Sandusky Register quotes CEO Dick Kinzel of parent company Cedar Fair as saying the haunted house will keep the hospital theme but be renamed. He says Cedar Point doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
A park spokesman says the show will change to “The Edge of Madness: Six Feet Under.”
NAMI Ohio chapter executive director Terry Russell says Cedar Point is moving in the right direction.
(UPDATED) A Cedar Point building that houses a restaurant and game storage area caught fire early Friday morning, prompting Sandusky firefighters to call in additional manpower to handle the blaze.
A Cedar Point security officer noticed the blaze at about 12:30 a.m.
Cedar Point’s firefighters went to the scene, but the park’s dispatcher quickly asked Sandusky fire to help fight the blaze.
The building, which houses Johnny Rockets restaurant and a game warehouse, is located on the east side of the midway near the park’s entrance.
Sandusky firefighters arrived and immediately called in additional crews from other shifts, a Sandusky fire dispatcher said. All told, about 15 Sandusky firefighters fought the fire.
At about 1:20 a.m. police scanner traffic indicated firefighters had knocked down the brunt of the blaze, but some flames and smoke still lingered.
At least three fire trucks and one ladder truck responded, as well as one ambulance. Sandusky fire didn’t call any other fire departments to provide mututal aid.
Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes, who arrived at the park at about 1:30 a.m., said no one was injured and the building was empty when the fire started.
The park had also cleared of guests by 11 p.m., so the fire had no impact on visitors.
The fire itself wasn’t large, Innes said, and the flames were limited mostly to the warehouse area. Johnny Rockets sustained some water and smoke damage.
“Everybody’s safe, no injuries,” Innes said. “Tomorrow it’ll be business as usual.”
The park still plans to open at 9 a.m. Friday for early-entry guests and 10 a.m. for the general public.
***(UPDATE)***
Sandusky fire officials say the fire was likely ignighted by a fluorescent sign in a hallway of the building. The blaze is currently being considered accidental.
