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Hollywood Landmark Pink’s To Open at Cedar Point This Summer

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Labeled as the “Hot Dog To The Stars,” Pink’s, a Hollywood legend for more than 71 years, will serve its special brand of hot dogs and chili dogs this summer at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio.

This will be the first Pink’s franchise east of Las Vegas.  Last summer, Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, Calif., was the first Cedar Fair Entertainment Company park to operate a Pink’s on its property.
World renown for its premium gourmet hot dogs, chili dogs, onion rings and fresh toppings, Pink’s has an impressive Who’s Who list of famous Hollywood stars and dignitaries who have frequented the original Pink’s in Hollywood.  Among its customers are Betty White, Ryan Seacrest, Adam Sandler, Bill Cosby, Martha Stewart, Jay Leno and Bobby Flay.

In 2010, the Obama girls:  First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, Mrs. Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, and an entourage of 14 other people stopped in for lunch.

It has also been featured on The View, The Martha Stewart Show, The Throw Down with Bobby Flay, The Travel Channel, the Food Network and the Discovery Channel.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce Pink’s to a new area of the country,” said Richard Pink, son of Paul and Betty Pink, who first opened Pink’s in 1939.  “Our premium hot dogs and chili dogs prepared with fresh toppings will become an instant favorite of park guests.”

In addition to its world-famous hot dogs, chili dogs and onion rings, Pink’s at Cedar Point will also serve mild or spicy Polish dogs, Brooklyn Pastrami swiss cheese dogs, Coleslaw dogs, plus hamburgers, cheeseburgers and French fries.

“Pink’s will be a very popular addition to the food offerings at Cedar Point,” said Gary Gochenour, Cedar Point’s Director of Food Services.  “Its gourmet hot dogs, chili dogs and onion rings made fresh will have a huge appeal to all of our guests.”

Pink’s at Cedar Point will be located just off the main midway right next to Toft’s Ice Cream Parlor.  Guests will order inside and be able to watch as their food is prepared in front of them just the way they want it.  Seating will be available inside or on the outdoor patio.

The original Pink’s, opened 71 years ago at the corner of North La Brea and Melrose avenues in Los Angeles, was no more than a pushcart with a very long extension cord that was plugged into a hardware store a block away.  In 1946, the operation expanded into its current building at the same location.

For additional information about Pink’s, please visit pinkshollywood.com, Cedar Point’s web site at www.cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

Cedar Point to Open DQ Grill & Chill® Restaurant in Sandusky

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Guests visiting Cedar Point will have even more taste-tempting options to choose from this summer. And you won’t even have to be in the park.

In May, the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort will open a DQ Grill & Chill restaurant near the entrance to the Cedar Point Causeway in Sandusky.

The seasonal franchise will replace the East of Chicago pizza chain that has been in operation at the corner of Fifth Street and Cedar Point Drive since 2001.

The new DQ Grill & Chill location will offer an expanded menu that will not only include burgers, fries, extensive kids’ menu and the Dairy Queen system’s extremely popular Blizzard® Flavor Treats and a variety of ice cream desserts, but also hot dogs, wraps and grilled sandwiches. It will also be open in the morning and will serve breakfast favorites such as egg sandwiches, hash browns, pancakes, coffee and juice to guests who want to get an early start on their day of rides and roller coasters.

Another popular menu item will be the Orange Julius® premium fruit smoothies and fruit drinks.

“We are extremely excited about bringing the DQ Grill and Chill restaurant to Cedar Point,” said Jack Highsmith, Cedar Point’s vice president of accommodations and franchise food. “The DQ Grill & Chill concept has national recognition and a broad appeal to our guests. Plus, it will be able to provide a variety of menu options and ice cream treats all day long.”

Before opening, the building will be completely renovated to give the facility a fresh, new appearance. When completed, all of the seating areas, furnishings, rest rooms and food equipment will be replaced producing an interior that will be warm, welcoming and stylish. Outside, there will be new signage, landscaping, expanded drive-thru service and patio seating with decorative fencing.

When completed, the renovation project will cost approximately $1.5 million. A May opening is planned, however, an exact opening day has not been determined. After opening, the restaurant will be open daily through Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 3-5. It will also reopen for weekends through Oct. 29-30.

For additional information about the new DQ Grill & Chill location, please visit the park’s web site at www.cedarpoint.com or call Cedar Point’s General Information Line at 419.626.2350.

Cedar Point Announces The Cedar Point K’NEX Great Thrill Ride Build-Off

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – K’NEX, the construction toy company headquartered in Hatfield, Pa., and Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, have joined forces to launch the first-ever Cedar Point K’NEX Great Thrill Ride Build-Off.

The Cedar Point K’NEX Great Thrill Ride Build-Off pits classrooms and other student groups in competition to build the most innovative and thrilling amusement park ride model using K’NEX building sets.

“Amusement park rides aren’t just fun to ride, they are also fun to create and a great way to teach important math and science principles,” said K’NEX President and CEO Michael Araten.  “We are excited to partner with Cedar Point to award creative young builders through this unique building contest.”

Running from Jan. 31 through April 3, the Cedar Point K’NEX Great Thrill Ride Build-Off is designed for middle and high school classes and student organizations such as a science clubs.  Upon registration, participants will receive a discount coupon that can be used for the purchase of materials from knex.com.  However, no purchase is necessary to compete.

Participating schools must design and build a ride and submit a photo/video of the project on www.knex.com.  The five winners will have their rides displayed at the park during Cedar Point’s Math and Science Week, scheduled from May 16-20.

Prizes include K’NEX building sets and gift certificates and complimentary admission tickets to Cedar Point. For more information, official contest rules, and to enter, visitwww.cedarpoint.com or www.knex.com.

About Cedar Point’s Math and Science Week
During Math & Science Week, special educational programs, demonstrations and activities designed for middle and high school students are presented at the park.  Other exhibitors include NASA’s Glenn Research Center of Cleveland, COSI (Center of Science and Industry) of Columbus, the Detroit Science Center and others.  A Weather Education Day will also be held during the event.  For additional information about Math & Science Week at Cedar Point, please visit www.cedarpoint.com/mathscience.

About K’NEX Brands
Founded in 1992, K’NEX Brands, the world’s most innovative construction toy company, was established to make and sell what has become one of the world’s leading integrated construction systems for children.  Recipient of more than 200 international awards and recognitions, K’NEX is America’s building toy company focused on building worlds kids love and encourages youngsters to “imagine, build and play.”

Cedar Point’s carpenters busy all year long

From the Sandusky Register

SANDUSKY

Cedar Point in the winter can seem like an odd sight. Snow is on the ground, and it’s empty and quiet.

The picnic shelter near the park’s entrance is boarded up from view.

Inside the temporary makeshift shelter, equipped with heaters and work tables, the seeds of Cedar Point’s spring renewal are being sown.

Bellevue resident Jim Sumser, 38, one of two carpenter foremen working for Cedar Fair, is doing his part to make sure the park will be ready to open on May 14.

The various areas in the park seem to compile lists of what’s broken and what needs to be refurbished.

During the summer, the carpenters have to concentrate on keeping things running, so the winter shutdown lets them play catch up on other tasks.

“This is pretty much our main time to get those lists completed,” Sumser said.

As Sumser spoke, a brown wooden horse with a broken leg lay stretched across a table.

“The painters have taken all of the paint off with heat guns,” Sumser said. “Once we finish it, it will go back to the painters. This particular horse is from the Kiddieland Carousel.”

The carpenters are also responsible for other tasks: Fixing the wooden decks where passengers stand as they prepare to get on a roller coaster; putting up signs; building the walls that provide the maze for guests walking through the haunted houses during Halloweekends.

The workshop has big stacks of yellow pine boards.

“We use that for the ride decks, because it is a strong material and holds up well,” Sumser said.

Sumser grew up in Sandusky and still enjoys taking his wife and children to the park.

He said he especially enjoys how his work contributes to Cedar Point.

“It’s really nice to see that people are enjoying their vacations, because of something you were a part of, that you were able to make happen,” he said.

Much of the winter work takes place outside the warm cocoon of the temporary shelter.

In fact, about half the work takes place in the cold.

“We try to keep the guys out of the really nasty weather,” Sumser said. “A lot of times, there are projects that have to get done. That’s when we have to work outside.”

As the May 14 opening date nears, the carpenters will become even busier as everyone picks up the pace.

“About the month before we open, pretty much every department is on overtime,” he said. “We pretty much are running around like crazy, trying to make all of the last-minute fixes and changes.”

Once the park is open, the carpenters work day and night on three shifts.

One shift runs from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. That way, any serious problem can be fixed promptly.

“If there’s a problem we can’t fix, it might reflect on how certain guests feel about this place,” Sumser said.

The park maintains 1,528 hotel rooms, including the rooms in Castaway Bay. Some of the issues in the hotels demand immediate action.

For example, when an electronic lock suddenly refuses to work, a carpenter is dispatched to fix it.

Usually, it simply needs power.

“We have to take the lock apart, put a new battery in,” Sumser said.

If that doesn’t fix it, the carpenter has to take the circuit board out.

Sumser doesn’t get called at home very often to deal with an emergency at work, but hotel problems can prompt such a call. A bad roof leak or a sprinkler system leak has to be fixed right away to prevent additional damage.

Sumser has been a union carpenter for 21 years. He’s a member of Carpenters Local 940, which negotiates contracts with the amusement park on behalf of the park’s carpenters.

“Recently, we just negotiated a five-year contract with Cedar Point,” he said.

Seeking the assurance of steady work and an interesting job, he went to work for Cedar Point after working in the construction business.

“It seemed pretty exciting to work in an amusement park, all of the roller coasters,” he said.

DQ set for Cedar Point Causeway

From the Sandusky Register

SANDUSKY

Dairy Queen fans who live in Sandusky currently face a cruel reality.

When they hunger for the food and ice cream chain’s chicken strip basket or its nutty banana blizzard, they have to drive to Huron.

The Huron store, in fact, is the only one around.

The local Dairy Queen drought will end this year, however, when Cedar Fair replaces its East of Chicago pizza parlor at 2015 Fifth St. with a Dairy Queen Grill and Chill Restaurant.

“We’re just looking to try something different,” said Robin Innes, Cedar Fair spokesman. “We just think Dairy Queen has very broad appeal.”

Innes declined to say if the new eatery will be ready for the park’s May 14 opening.

He said he wants to preserve some of the sweet, cold details for a formal announcement next month.

It will be the first complete Dairy Queen serving any Cedar Fair park, although Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto does have a few Dairy Queen stands that offer only ice cream.

Dairy Queen’s website, which already lists the new Sandusky outlet as “coming soon,” lists a food menu that includes burgers, chicken strips and chicken sandwiches, fries and onion rings, hot dogs, iron-grilled sandwiches, shrimp and salads.

The ice cream treats include cones, sundaes, ice cream bars, a brownie and ice cream combo, ice cream sandwiches, soft ice cream blizzards and the like.

Ice cream cakes also are offered.

Drinks include a variety of soft drinks, but also the “Arctic Rush” fruit-flavored drinks, iced coffee, malts and fruit smoothies.