Tag Archives: CP2010

News Stories, Ride Construction, Thrill Rides, Water Rides

Demon dropped, Rapids rising at Cedar Point

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From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

CP_Demon_Drop_12012009aConstruction and deconstruction was happening at the same time at Cedar Point in Sandusky on Tuesday afternoon.

The 131 ft. tall Demon Drop was dismantled in preparation for a move to Cedar Fair’s park in Pennsylvania, Dorney Park. It will take 18 semi truckloads to transport the steel structure to Pennsylvania, according to Cedar Fair spokesman Robin Innes.

CP_Demon_Drop_12012009bAcross the peninsula in Frontiertown, Cedar Point’s new attraction for 2010, Shoot the Rapids, is in the early stages of construction with footers being poured and water and electric lines being run.

CP_Demon_Drop_12012009c

News and Updates, News Stories, Thrill Rides

Knott’s Berry Farm to add 1980s-era thrill ride in 2010

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From the Los Angeles Times…

Knott’s Berry Farm’s new attraction for 2010 is an aging hand-me-down thrill ride that’s older than many of the Buena Park theme park’s patrons.

The Demon Drop attraction will be relocated from sister park Cedar Point in Ohio, where the ride debuted in 1983 — when Ronald Reagan was president, Michael Jackson introduced the moonwalk and leg warmers were in fashion.

Knott’s officials confirmed that the installation of the drop tower ride will begin in January with a grand opening scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend 2010. Knott’s will keep the Demon Drop name, color scheme and theme.

The 131-foot-tall tower features a four-passenger ride vehicle that rises up an elevator shaft, slides forward and falls down a curved track at 55 mph. Riders experience 2.5 seconds of weightlessness during the 99-foot drop.

Cedar Point has been trying to sell the $2.5-million Demon Drop for years as a used ride on the secondary market, with no success.

The recycled ride replaces the Screamin’ Swing, a pneumatically powered pendulum ride with a separate up-charge fee which rarely drew a crowd at Knott’s.

The Intamin Freefall thrill ride, which was popular through the 1990s, was replaced in many parks by the newer compressed-air tower rides — such as Knott’s own Supreme Scream, which debuted in 1998. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia dismantled its aging Freefall ride in 2008.

Knott’s has had its share of problems with Intamin rides. In 2001, a 40-year-old woman fell out of the Perilous Plunge shoot-the-chute water ride and died. In September 2009, the launch cable on the Xcelerator roller coaster snapped and injured two riders.

Screamscape broke the news of the ride relocation after spotting the premature announcement in a city of Buena Park newsletter.

Ride Construction, Rides, Water Rides

A Whitewater Family Adventure Begins!

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Cedar Point Announces New Water Ride for 2010 Season

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Grab your paddles and climb aboard the newest river-ride adventure this side of the Appalachians! Shoot the Rapids, an all-new family water ride, will rise above Cedar Point’s rustic Frontier Trail when it makes a splash on Opening Day 2010.

During the 2,100-foot-long journey, adventurers will travel through a wooded area and around an illegal still used for brewing sweet-tasting elixir, all while encountering surprise water elements and special effects. Guests will navigate the waters aboard a 10-passenger boat. Riders will be seated in five rows of two and will be secured by individual over-the-head lap bars.

The excitement builds when the boats ascend one of two lift hills. The first and largest hill will be 85 feet tall and will drop riders down onto Millennium Island at a 45-degree angle. The second hill will be 49 feet tall and will end with a dramatic “shoot” through water rapids and rockwork.

Guests on the Frontier Trail can keep their feet planted on dry land and watch as riders complete their wet and wild trek down the final drop.

“Shoot the Rapids will instantly become a family favorite,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Our guests wanted another option to cool off on warm summer days. We listened, and Shoot the Rapids will deliver the perfect combination of refreshment, thrills and new memories at Cedar Point.”

Shoot the Rapids will cost more than $10.5 million to build and will be the most expensive water ride ever built at Cedar Point. It will have a capacity of approximately 1,200 riders per hour. The ride will last three minutes. A rider height requirement has not yet been determined and will be released at a later date. The ride was designed and manufactured by IntaRide LLC of Glen Burnie, Md., the same company that built the Maverick, Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force roller coasters and the Thunder Canyon river-rafting ride.

Ready to take a ride? Please visit cedarpoint.com for a computer animation of Shoot the Rapids, plus construction updates and photos, a live construction webcam, video blogs and more.