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Cedar Point to Pour WindSeeker Foundation Tomorrow

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Although there is ice on the lake and snow on the ground, the Cedar Point Beach will be a hub of activity tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 14) when the concrete foundation for its new ride, the 301-foot-tall WindSeeker swing ride, will be poured.

Weather permitting, more than 1,600 tons of concrete will be needed to build the 30-story ride’s foundation.  The dimensions of the foundation are 60 feet by 60 feet by 6 feet deep and will require more than 800 cubic yards of concrete.  Prior to the pour, more than 36 tons of steel rebar and 176 steel anchor bolts were placed in position.

Overall, the total weight of the foundation will be more than 3.3 million pounds or 1,650-plus tons of concrete and steel.

The Adena Corporation, Mansfield, will build the foundation while Huron Cement, Huron, will deliver the concrete.  The pour is scheduled to begin at approximately 7 a.m. and should be completed by 5 p.m.  A fleet of 14 trucks will make 80 continuous trips to the park to transport the concrete to the park.

To watch the construction progress, Cedar Point’s web site: cedarpoint.com will have two of its webcams covering all of the activities.  You can also follow the conversation about the construction via Cedar Point’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Costing more than $5 million to build, WindSeeker will stand more than 30 stories above the Cedar Point Beach.  Seated in two-passenger swings with their feet dangling in the air, riders will be treated to breathtaking views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach.

Cedar Point will open for the summer on Saturday, May 14.

Cedar Fair Entertains A Record 22.8 Million Guests In 2010

Cedar Fair Press Release

SANDUSKY, OHIO, January 5, 2011 — Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, announced today that attendance at its 17 locations totaled 22.8 million guests in 2010, up 7.8%, or 1.7 million visits from the Company’s total attendance of  21.1 million in 2009.

“We saw strong gains in attendance in all regions throughout the year, including significant improvements in season pass visits and group sales, as our aggressive marketing efforts and investments in new attractions drew increasing numbers of guests to our parks,” said Dick Kinzel, chairman, president and chief executive officer.  “Through these efforts, we have been able to leverage the growing popularity of our parks and successfully navigate through a very challenging economic period by continuing to offer guests a best-in-class experience.”

Attendance at Cedar Fair’s northern region parks, which include Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto, increased 3.7% to 12.7 million guests in 2010 compared with 12.2 million in 2009.  The Company’s southern region parks entertained 4.8 million guests in 2010, up 17.9% from 4.1 million a year ago.  Its western region parks hosted 5.3 million guests in 2010 versus 4.8 million guests in 2009, for an increase of 9.7%.  Average in-park guest per capita spending in 2010 decreased approximately 1% from the prior year.

“The record attendance is the latest highlight of what has been an outstanding year for Cedar Fair,” Kinzel continued.  “In July 2010, we completed the refinancing of our debt to create a capital structure with a stronger balance sheet and provide the flexibility to take advantage of further value-creating growth opportunities.  In addition, under the new financing agreement, we were able to reinstate the cash distribution to unitholders in December 2010, after the distribution had been suspended for a year due to covenants within the prior credit agreement.  As we look ahead to the 2011 season, we will continue to focus on adding value to the guest experience while maintaining our commitment to delivering excellent value to our unitholders, including growing the distribution.”

The Company plans to issue a news release and host a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, February 15, 2011, to discuss 2010 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results.  The Company’s 2010 year-end tax information will be processed and mailed to unitholders at the beginning of March 2011.  The same tax information will be available to unitholders through the Investor Relations section of the Company’s corporate website (www.cedarfair.com) beginning February 28, 2011.

About Cedar Fair
Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, and one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world. The Company owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels. Amusement parks in the Company’s northern region include two in Ohio: Cedar Point, consistently voted “Best Amusement Park in the World” in Amusement Today polls, and Kings Island; as well as Canada’s Wonderland, near Toronto; Dorney Park, PA; Valleyfair, MN; and Michigan’s Adventure, MI.  In the southern region are Kings Dominion, VA; Carowinds, NC; and Worlds of Fun, MO.  Western parks in California include: Knott’s Berry Farm; California’s Great America; and Gilroy Gardens, which is managed under contract.

Additional Information About the Special Meeting of Unitholders
This may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the Company’s Special Meeting of Unitholders scheduled for January 11, 2011.  On December 10, 2010, in connection with the Special Meeting, the Company filed a definitive proxy statement and a form of proxy with the SEC and the definitive proxy statement and a form of proxy has been mailed on or about December 13, 2010 to the Company’s unitholders of record as of December 9, 2010. In addition, the Company will file with, or furnish, to the SEC all additional relevant materials.  BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY’S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING.  Investors and security holders will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov.  The Company’s Unitholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents by directing a request by mail or telephone to Investor Relations, Cedar Fair, L.P., One Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky, OH 44870, telephone: (419) 627-2233, or from the Company’s website, www.cedarfair.com or by contacting Morrow & Co., LLC, at (203) 658-9400 or toll free at (800) 206-5879.

The Company and its directors and executive officers and certain other members of its management and employees may be deemed to participate in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the Special Meeting of Unitholders. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants is included in the definitive proxy statement.

Celebrate the Holidays the Castaway Bay Way

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2010 — With Santa Claus, Snoopy and more than a quarter-million gallons of water, Castaway Bay, Cedar Point’s year-round indoor waterpark resort, will have its own special way of celebrating the holidays when it reopens for the winter on Friday, Dec. 17.

For starters, Castaway Bay’s 38,000-square-foot indoor waterpark has a variety of attractions that range from the Rendezvous Run water coaster, the 100,000-gallon Castaway Bay Wave Pool and an indoor/outdoor whirlpool spa to the Lookout Lagoon Family Funhouse and Creature Cove, an 80,000-gallon activity pool with water basketball, a cargo net climb and serpents to climb on.  For the little ones, Toddler’s Tide Pool is an ideal location to splash and slide.  And even though it is winter outside, inside the waterpark it is a balmy 82 degrees.

For the holidays, Castaway Bay has several money-saving packages that are designed with families in mind.  The Fun Times Family Package includes overnight accommodations, admission to the waterpark, family pizza meal and family photo with a PEANUTS character all for one low price, while the Free Breakfast Package starts the day with a complimentary breakfast.  The Indoor Fun Packages includes two free Color-Your-Own backpacks or T-shirts, two complimentary Color-Your-Own beach towels and a free family photo with a PEANUTS character.  (All packages include complimentary all-day admission to the waterpark.)

Several special activities are also planned for the holiday season.  Each night through Christmas Eve there will be a tree-lighting show while a sing-along with Snoopy will be held nightly through Dec. 30.  There will also be a Christmas Day scavenger hunt.

For an added treat, Santa will visit Castaway Bay every day Friday, Dec. 17 through Thursday, Dec. 23.  Plus, Snoopy and his friends are in the lobby every morning from 8 a.m. to noon, and on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18 & 19, Snoopy will serve hot chocolate and cookies by the fireplace in the lobby right before bedtime.

The fun will continue into the new year as Castaway Bay will also host special events on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  On New Year’s Eve, there will be a parade with Snoopy, a Kids’ Dance Party and a New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop while a PEANUTS Dance Party and a PEANUTS Movie and Bedtime Story will be held on New Year’s Day.

In between visits to the waterpark, Castaway Bay also has activity centers that will provide an assortment of fun things to do.  At Camp Castaway, younger children will be able to enter coloring contests, decorate a Christmas stocking or just play games or read a book.  The activity list at Club Castaway includes decorating cookies, Caroling Karaoke and a nighttime dance party.  A huge arcade is located just outside the waterpark.

Other amenities include a fitness center and The Spa at Castaway Bay that offers massages, facials, waxings and manicures and pedicures.

With 237 rooms and suites, Castaway Bay can accommodate families of all sizes.  Near the resort’s lobby are two different gift shops and three eateries, while a fourth, T.G.I. Fridays, is just down the hallway.

For more information about the holiday events and activities at Castaway Bay, please visit castawaybay.com or call 419.627.2106.

Cedar Fair Retains Korn/Ferry International To Assist With Ongoing Succession Planning Process

Cedar Fair Press Release

SANDUSKY, OHIO, December 6, 2010 – The Board of Directors of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, today announced that it has retained Korn/Ferry International, one of the world’s leading executive recruiting firms, to assist the Company with the final phase of its previously announced and ongoing succession planning process.

Among other things, Korn/Ferry will work with the special committee of independent directors of the Cedar Fair Board, which includes C. Thomas Harvie, David L. Paradeau and John M. Scott III, to identify and evaluate qualified candidates to succeed current Chief Executive Officer Dick Kinzel, whose employment agreement expires on January 2, 2012.  This confidential process will include both internal and external candidates and is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2011.

“Today’s action is an important step toward the completion of our thorough process for a seamless leadership transition,” said Tom Harvie, Cedar Fair’s lead director of the special committee.  “We look forward to working with Korn/Ferry to identify and evaluate candidates who can help lead the Company in its plan to deliver long-term growth and value creation.”

Harvie said that, out of fairness to all involved and to maintain the confidentiality of the process, the Company would not comment further on the process or any candidates under consideration until a successor is named.

Interview with Cedar Point Director of Maintenance & New Construction Ed Dangler

From WKZO.com

Coaster buffs like myself will enjoy a full 30 minutes with Ed Dangler, Director of Maintenance and New Construction at Cedar Point. Topics include various coaster wheel assembly arrangements, launch and restraint systems, how coasters and maintained and repaired, the process through which Cedar Point decides what to build and how to build it and much more!

Interview Highlights

  • No wooden coaster in the near future for Cedar Point, maybe after two more years. 16:12
  • Part of the WindSeeker’s foundation will be on the beach [like suggested by the construction stakes earlier this season].  18:10
  • WindSeeker Challenges  18:15
    • Winter Weather
    • Water Table
  • Process of Adding a Ride  20:32
    • Executive Planning Board to decide ride based on the need to offer guests something new and excited.
    • Ride manufacturing is in charge of the design.
      • TUV overseeing WindSeeker Construction.
  • Dick Kinzel decides if they want to be the first at something, such as the tallest and fastest roller coasters. 25:35
  • Nostalgia is a delicate decision at Cedar Point.  A long and thought out process to remove a ride. 26:00
  • Guest input is important. Cedar Point is good friends with ACEers.  They read and encourage comments.  Social media gives them instant feedback.  28:00