Tag Archives: Events

Cedar Point Seeks A Very Important Family

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio –- The search begins.

Cedar Point’s Opening Day may still be a few weeks away, but the historic amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, is currently looking for a Very Important Family (V.I.F.) to help it celebrate the opening of the 2011 season on Saturday, May 14.

Now through April 15, Cedar Point’s biggest and most loyal fans can log on to www.facebook.com/cedarpoint to enter the Very Important Family Contest.  Interested guests will have to tell park officials by video why they should be chosen as Cedar Point’s Very Important Family.

The winning family will be invited to help with the ribbon-cutting ceremony that will officially open Cedar Point for the summer on Saturday, May 14.  Also participating in the Opening Day Ceremony will be Dick Kinzel, President and CEO of the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Cedar Point’s General Manager John Hildebrandt and everyone’s favorite beagle — Snoopy.

Besides the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the winning family will also receive six complimentary tickets to the park on Opening Day, a commemorative photograph of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, preferred seating on the ride of their choice, a Cedar Point gift bag and a complimentary lunch at a Cedar Point restaurant.

To enter, contestants need to create a video explaining why they should be chosen as Cedar Point’s Very Important Family.  Participants are encouraged to supply a link to their video.  (Videos must be less than 90 seconds in length.)  Official rules and regulations can be found on the V.I.F. Facebook tab.

Deadline for entering the contest is Friday, April 15.
Cedar Point officials will select the top videos and post them on the park’s YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/CedarPointVideos where people will be able to vote for their favorite video.  The winner will be determined by the number of “likes” it receives on YouTube and a panel of Cedar Point judges.

Voting will take place from Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1.  The winner will be announced on Monday, May 2.

Cedar Point will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 and will be open daily through Labor Day, Sept. 5, plus Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 9-11 through Oct. 28-30, 2011.

For more information about the V.I.F. contest, please visit Cedar Point’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cedarpoint).

Cedar Point responds to mental health advocates: No changes to haunted houses

From the Sandusky Register

SANDUSKY

Call ’em crazy, but Cedar Point won’t alter or remove any of its attractions, despite a request from mental health advocates to do so.

A Cedar Point spokesman said “changes are not required.”

On Thursday, the National Alliance on Mental Illness asked the amusement park to immediately remove two offerings focusing on fictional mental health patients: Dr. D. Mented’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane, and The Edge of Madness: Still Crazy.

One is a haunted house, the other is a separate show.The attractions promote the false stereotype that the public should fear mental health patients, the alliance said.

But Cedar Point officials feel the attractions do no such thing, park spokesman Robin Innes said.

“The attractions at HalloWeekends are not the real world and our guests know that,” Innes said. “Our attractions are not designed to depict reality.”

The alliance’s Ohio chapter described Cedar Point’s inaction as potentially harmful and called Cedar Point a “callous organization.”

But it will not continue to ask the park to make changes, said Terry Russell, the alliance’s execute director.

“NAMI Ohio is sad that Cedar Point has rejected our plea,” Russell said. “(But) we will not take any further action in regards to Cedar Point. Our energies must be expended in advocating for treatment services that are currently not available.”

One of the alliance’s goals is to improve public awareness and increase education about mental health problems.

Friday marked the end to Mental Health Awareness Week, which prompted the alliance to ask Cedar Point for the change.

In a letter to Cedar Point officials, the alliance said attractions like Cedar Point’s reinforce stigmas about mental health patients.

Like other diseases, however, mental health patients who receive treatment can function with few symptoms, the alliance said.

“Mental illnesses are biological brain disorders, they are diseases,” the letter said. “Would Cedar Point ever even consider developing a display or attraction that used cancer patients as a means of instilling fear in their guests? We think not. And why is this? Because cancer is a serious disease.

“We would never want to paint individuals with this terrible disease in an unfavorable light. Why then do you feel that it is acceptable to paint individuals suffering from biological brain disorders in an unfavorable light?”

Innes said despite their disagreement, Cedar Point appreciates “the valuable services” the alliance provides for local families.

Russell said the alliance doesn’t oppose haunted houses or Halloween festivals, but wished Cedar Point wouldn’t make light of such a serious disease.

HalloWeekends, PointFest and Boat Show Return to Cedar Point

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, – Cedar Point will offer a wide array of family entertainment this weekend when three popular special events return to the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort.

PointFest

Back for its second year, PointFest returns to Cedar Point on Saturday, Sept. 18. With nearly seven hours of music and entertainment, PointFest will feature some of today’s most popular Christian artists. The PointFest lineup includes Grammy- and American Award-winner Casting Crowns, Family Force 5, Manic Drive, Sixteen Cities, Remedy Drive and David Nassar.

The concert will begin at approximately 2 p.m. with performances continuing until 9 p.m. The event will be held in the Soak City parking lot. Combo tickets to Cedar Point and the concert are available online and at Cedar Point. Concert-only tickets for season passholders and deals for groups of 15 or more are also available. Admission to Cedar Point is required. For more information and a link to purchase tickets, please visit cedarpoint.com.

HalloWeekends

This weekend will also mark the start of Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends 14. New this season will be Dr. D. Mented’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane, a brand new haunted house in Frontiertown. Inhabited by dozens of horrific creatures and a mad scientist, this could be the scariest location in the park!

Returning for their second season will be two other haunted houses: Happy Jack’s Toy Factory, a bizarre collection of toys and dolls from days gone by, and G.A. Boeckling’s Eerie Estate that will feature more than 20 rooms of scream-inducing terror!

HalloWeekends at Cedar Point will be held Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 17 through Oct. 31. Cedar Point will be open 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday nights (only a portion of the park is open); noon to midnight on Saturdays; and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. (On Sunday, Oct. 10, the park will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

For more information, including attractions, entertainment and hours of operation, please visit halloweekends.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

North American In-Water Boat Show

The North American In-Water Boat Show will drop anchor in the Cedar Point Marina for the 38th consecutive year from Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 15-19.

The Cedar Point Boat Show will be the largest in-water boat show on the Great Lakes and will feature hundreds of the newest power and sail boats, equipment and accessories. This year, visitors will be able to enjoy the Boats Under $15,000 and Boats $15,000-$25,000 pavilions, the Brokerage Pier and the Demo Dock and Sail Pier. A variety of other activities and the always-popular Party Barge will also be available.

Regular admission is $9 for adults and $7 for seniors (age 60 and older), while children, age 12 and younger, are free. Hours for the boat show will be noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 15-17; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 19.

For more information about these events, please log onto to cedarpoint.com or call Cedar Point’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

CP Triathlon to hit the water, pavement today

From the Sandusky Register

SANDUSKY

In the midst of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and capping that off with a grueling marathon, athletes from Sandusky and across the world will find out what they’re really made of Sunday.

It’s at least eight hours of all-out physical exertion — and that’s if you’re a professional. Others may take as long as 17 hours to finish.

More than 1,000 athletes are set to participate in the race that begins bright and early Sunday morning at Cedar Point.

TRIATHLON AT A GLANCE

  • Full Triathlon: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run.
  • Half Triathlon: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run.
  • $150,000 grand prize, as well as prizes for top age group finishers.
  • About 400 athletes registered for the full race; 600 plan to do the half.
  • Course starts at the beach behind Breakers hotel at Cedar Point, winds over rolling hills stretching as far as Vermilion on bike.
  • Race course open from 7 a.m. to midnight, with top athletes expected to complete the full race in eight or nine hours.
  • Information at REV3tri.com.

Check out the course maps by clicking on the PDF documents below. That way you can cheer on the athletes… or at least won’t get stuck behind a pack of bikers or runners.

Cedar Point closing Sept. 11 for Honda appreciation day

From cleveland.com

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Unless you’re a Honda manufacturing employee, don’t bother heading over to Cedar Point amusement park next Saturday, Sept. 11.

Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. of Marysville bought out the entire park for what has become one of its most popular employee appreciation events.

Honda spokesman Ron Lietzke said the annual event draws tens of thousands of Honda’s 13,500 Ohio employees, family members and friends.

Badge-bearing Honda workers and their guests get reduced admission (normally $45.99) as well as access to an employee health fair and a glimpse at some of its newest vehicles.

Cedar Point, which is open only Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays after Labor Day, will also be closed Friday, Sept. 10. The park will reopen to the public at noon on Sunday, Sept. 12.

Neither Cedar Point nor Honda would say how much it costs to rent the entire park.