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Cedar Fair, News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, RollerCoasters

Cedar Fair Wins Top Honors

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Cedar Fair Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Families looking for world-class fun and thrills will want to find their closest Cedar Fair Entertainment Company amusement or water park as the company earned several top honors at Amusement Today’s 2010 Golden Ticket Awards celebration, including the coveted “Best Amusement Park in the World” honor for its flagship Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Ohio. This marks the 13th consecutive year that Cedar Point has earned that title.

Cedar Fair also took home top honors for having the “Best Kids’ Area” for the 10th year in a row at Kings Island amusement park, in Mason, Ohio, and the “Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World” for its record-shattering Millennium Force roller coaster at Cedar Point.

“We are honored to receive these prestigious awards,” stated Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We strive to provide our guests with the absolute best in thrills, chills and family fun and these awards are a testament to that.”

Two new roller coasters made their highly-anticipated debuts this summer – Intimidator at Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion in Virginia and both were a huge hit with coaster lovers. Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion earned the No. 2 spot in the “Best New Ride for 2010” category, while Intimidator at Carowinds came in at No. 4. Both scream machines also earned a spot in the “Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters in the World” list, along with numerous other Cedar Fair roller coasters. In fact, Cedar Fair placed nine coasters in the Top 25 alone, including four of the Top 10! Three Cedar Fair wooden coasters earned spots in the “Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World” category, with the legendary Beast at Kings Island finishing in the Top 10.

Guests looking for even more thrills and chills will enjoy special Halloween-themed events at a majority of Cedar Fair’s parks this fall. Two of these events, Knott’s Scary Farm and Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt, earned Top 5 billing in the “Best Halloween Event” category.

Other awards included Gilroy Gardens placing No. 3 for “Best Landscaping” and Knott’s Berry Farm placing fourth in the “Best Kids’ Area” category.

The Golden Ticket Awards are some of the most prestigious awards in the amusement industry. They are presented annually to the “best of the best” in the industry and are calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, an Arlington, Texas-based publication that covers amusement and water park news and trends.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: “FUN”) is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Company, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract. Cedar Fair’s flagship park, Cedar Point, has been consistently voted the “Best Amusement Park in the World” in a prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper.

Admission, Cedar Fair, News and Updates, News Stories

Weather + new rides + better economy = strong summer for Cedar Fair parks

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From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

Cedar Point isn’t the only Cedar Fair property that had a strong summer.

Cedar Fair has seen a $32 million increase in revenues so far in 2010, according to company officials.

Most of the extra revenue comes from a major increase in attendance at its 11 amusement parks and six water parks. About 18.7 million people visited the Cedar Fair parks this year, up 5 percent from last year.

Officials attributed the strong performance to investments in new rides, a better economy and great weather.

Although the economy hasn’t seen significant improvement, most of the mass layoffs that dominated the headlines last year have ended, which has helped the parks, said Lee Alexakos, Cedar Fair’s vice president of marketing and advertising.

“I think, last year, people were really nervous with all the layoffs,” Alexakos said. “The economy hasn’t seen a marked improvement, but it has stabilized. All those layoffs — that has leveled off.”

Cedar Fair’s new rides have also drawn big crowds.

In Sandusky, the arrival of Shoot the Rapids, a water ride, perfectly coincided with a summer sizzling with record heat.

And two new roller coasters at Cedar Fair parks in North Carolina and Virginia drew major interest.

The southern region, which contains those two parks, has done especially well, with a 13 percent increase in attendance.

“Both coasters are unlike anything the South had before,” Alexakos said. “Those were a big hit down there.”

Online promotions, season-pass changes at California’s Knott’s Berry Farm and targeted marketing strategies to groups like the military and Facebook fans have all helped too, officials said.

“We are pleased with our overall performance this summer,” Dick Kinzel, the company’s chairman, said in a press release. “We are hopeful this will continue as we enter our award-winning Halloween season.”

News and Updates, News Stories

Cedar Point dollars carry Sandusky in 2010

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From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

Cedar Point’s skyrocketing revenue these past few month’s could lead to a balanced budget for Sandusky, or possibly even a small one-year surplus.

City officials projected a decrease in tourism dollars for 2010, but through August, year-to-date admissions-tax revenues were up 5.1 percent compared to last year. Motel-tax revenues are up 8.1 percent.

The hot, dry weather contributed to the huge tourism season, Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes said.

But the city’s August financial report didn’t contain all good news: Income-tax revenues are still down 7.2 percent, or about $285,000.

City officials have successfully reduced expenses, which should help offset the declining income-tax revenues, at least for the rest of the year.

Expenses in 2010 are down about 8.5 percent compared to 2009, or about $141,000, Solowiej said.

Events, News and Updates, News Stories

CP Triathlon to hit the water, pavement today

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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.

Events, News and Updates, News Stories

Cedar Point closing Sept. 11 for Honda appreciation day

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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.