A LAKE FRUSTRATED
Current status of the park has a few concerned of its future

By Rob Gossard
Additional commentary by Michael Dery, webmaster

(Geauga Lake, in its current state, is facing an uphill battle. It seems there is a lot going against the park and for some reason there is a certain vibe that confirms it. This editorial addresses some of the concerns that have come upon the park. Rob's comments kick off this editorial and mine will immediately follow).

    There seems to be something going wrong at an amusement park I had come to call my summer home away from home.  I can't seem to put my finger on what the overall plan is over there but something isn't right.

    To set the scene for those who don't know the full story, in 2004 Geauga Lake, then a Six Flags property, was purchased by Cedar Fair L.P., the same company that owns Cedar Point. Six Flags ran the park as a three parks for one price value - an animal park (formerly Sea World), a water park, and a ride park.  When Cedar Fair purchased the park they closed the animal park stating they were not in the business of caring for animal attractions thus leaving nearly fifty-three acres of the park unused. In 2005 half of the former Sea World property was converted into Wildwater Kingdom, a new state of the art water park, which was promised at the time to be the largest in North America when completed.

    In those first two years under Cedar Fair control, the company claimed an attendance of around 700,000 visitors even though they reduced the admission price to $24.95 in 2005.  Those figures were somewhat believable given the maximum time I waited for any ride all year was ten minutes.  The park at the time, with the loss of the animals and Cedar Point being just ninety miles away, was suffering an identity crisis.  No one really knew what direction the park was heading in, and to be honest, Cedar Fair was not exactly doing things to endear itself to the community.

        In 2004 they told Six Flags' "Read to Succeed" students that their tickets would not be honored at the park and that they would need to take them to another Six Flags park. Cedar Fair rescinded their decision but only after a public outcry occurred but the tickets would only be good on certain days.  Another thing Cedar Fair did was place the "Rides Not Operating Today" signs in the most hidden place imaginable. Families going to the park hoping to enjoy a particular ride got a big surprise after paying their admission price and were denied refunds on the basis of "We posted it outside the gate."

GLT Home/Page 2