12th Oldest Roller Coaster at Edge of Destruction
On the shore of a lake carved by glaciers stands a structure
that is the 12th oldest of its kind in the world. This structure is
the focal point of a conflict between its corporate owner, which
wants to clear and sell the land, and community groups trying to
save it.
The structure is the Big Dipper roller coaster at Geauga Lake
Park in Aurora, Ohio. Geauga Lake amusement park, which dates back
to 1888 and was one of the oldest in the country, was permanently
closed in September 2007 by owner Cedar Fair five days after the
end of the season without prior notice. Not only is the Big Dipper
the 12th oldest operating wood roller coaster in the world, it is
the 7th oldest in North America and the oldest in Ohio. Built in
1925, it was designed by John A. Miller, a prolific inventor whose
design innovations such as the safety chain dog and "underfriction
wheel" permitted roller coasters to stay on the track and to go
faster and higher than ever before. Miller's innovations are still
used on rides being built today, but only 13 of the hundreds of
roller coasters he designed survive.
Although the Big Dipper stands on a narrow strip of land at
the edge of the property and between the lake and a state highway,
Cedar Fair's public statements have demonstrated an apparent
refusal to even consider proposals to preserve it on site. The ride
is listed for sale and relocation on three websites, one of which
indicates that it is "ready for dismantling."
Nevertheless, a diverse coalition has come together to
support a plan to save the Big Dipper where it stands as the
centerpiece of a "lifestyle center" incorporating retail,
entertainment, an amusement park museum and perhaps a few other
rides, possibly including the park's equally historic 1926 hand
carved Carousel. This plan is being spearheaded by members of the
American Coaster Enthusiasts group. In addition, in December 2007,
United States Senator Sherrod Brown released a letter to Cedar Fair
CEO Richard Kinzel asking the company to consider preserving the
Big Dipper where it stands. Cedar Fair's public response was to
state that the coaster is still up for sale to purchasers who want
to buy it and move it to another location. Many other attempts to
contact Cedar Fair have received no response.
Cedar Fair's announcement that it was closing the Geauga Lake
amusement park (a smaller water park built in 2005 remains) came as
a shock to the community. Despite a decline in attendance from 2000
levels (for a number of reasons including the closing of the
adjacent former Sea World of Ohio), the park's closing was a
surprise because it contradicted newspaper quotes in the spring of
2007 by CF officials stating that "the rumors of the demise of
Geauga Lake, or that we're slowly phasing it out, are completely
untrue" and "Geauga Lake is here to stay." As late as August 28,
the company refused to comment on media reports that rides would be
removed after the 2007 season. Park management reportedly dismissed
removal rumors as something made up by a "teenage kid." Cedar Fair
gave every impression it was in the midst of a 5 year plan to turn
things around. Average daily attendance appeared to be up from
2006. Nevertheless, the park closed and approximately 40 full time
and 900 seasonal jobs were lost.
The closing provided Cedar Fair (which also owns Cedar Point
in western Ohio and 10 other amusement parks) with over a dozen
"new" rides to be moved to its other parks (one of which went to
Michigan's Adventure park and was described in a November 5th press
release as "the largest capital expenditure in the park's history"
despite the fact it was a nine-year old Geauga Lake roller coaster
already at the park when Cedar Fair bought it in 2004). Given the
pace of the ride relocations, which started within days of the
announcement of the park's closing, it is difficult to believe the
company's public claims that the decision to close was not made
until September 20th, the day before the closing was announced.
Regardless of the underlying business reasons for closing the
amusement park, Cedar Fair should give serious consideration to
plans to save the historic Big Dipper where it stands. To date it
has shown no willingness to do so. Sealed bids are due on the
Geauga Lake land on May 23, 2008 and the remaining rides and
remnants of the park are being auctioned off on June 17 and 18,
2008. It is not clear at this time whether the Big Dipper will be
included in the June auction.
In an industry where nostalgia and good memories translate
into dollars, Cedar Fair could find preserving this historic roller
coaster, one of the last of its kind on earth, to be a very wise
business decision.
For additional information:
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/12/05/front/507529.txt
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/geauga/1194860006146820.xml&coll=2
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=81336
http://www.wkyc.com/news/rss_article.aspx?ref=RSS&storyid=85145
The author is not affiliated with any of the entities mentioned
in this article. Views expressed are solely those of the
author.
Tags:
history,
rollercoaster,
aurora,
geaugalake,
bigdipper,
bainbridge,
cleveland,
ohio,
cedarfair,
kinzel,
shamu