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.