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By Rob Gossard The announcement on that Friday did not come as any real surprise. Many of us had a feeling when the park was purchased in 2004 that the end was near. It made me think back to all the memories I have acquired over the years, not just with Geauga Lake but with Sea World as well. My parents took me to Sea World every year since 1974 but since they never liked rides I only got the opportunity to see Geauga Lake from across the lake. In 1983, for my sixth grade class trip, I finally got a chance to go. Anyone remember the rides and the park back at that time? Boardwalk Shores was just going up, The Wave was under construction. The big rides were the Corkscrew, coaster that took you upside down, scared me to death. My classmates convinced me to go on the ride and a smile graced my face afterwards. So much so we all got in line again and rode her. A coaster fan was born. I was hooked ever since. Over the years at both Sea World and Geauga Lake we would see many changes. Corkscrew gave way to the Mind Eraser. The miniature golf course would be gone. Raging Wolf Bobs, Texas Twister, and Serial Thriller would be added. It seemed every year the park would give a new set of memories and you looked forward to what next year would bring. 2001 would seem to be the beginning of the end. In 2001 greed became apparent. After a season where the park claimed to draw close to three million people, people commented on the high price of everything. Six Flags, after having a successful season, saw an opportunity to get more cash and took away Sea World. They filled Sea World's side of the lake with generic entertainment, slapped a high admission price on the ticket, and tried to collect the all mighty dollar. At a time when many Ohioans were losing jobs that was not the way to go. In 2004, Cedar Fair saw a chance to kill the competition. Other than a paint job to the buildings, can you name anything Cedar Fair did to improve the ride side? No you can't and that is because they didn't do anything. They even left a decrepit, unused water park stand for two years as an eyesore. They took two popular rides out this year and upped the admission price two dollars, giving you, the paying customer, nothing in return. For the past three years, Michael and I have noticed more people in the park but still Cedar Fair claims a 700,000 gate attendance for each year. Sorry, but something doesn't feel truthful there. I feel the park had plenty of potential had Cedar Fair taken the time to introduce a new attraction on that side of the park. They probably would have seen a giant increase in attendance. But knowing Cedar Fair, they would still report 700,000 guests. You know what is even worse about this? Explaining to kids why in 2008 they cannot go to Geauga Lake. They don't understand, or even so, give a damn about business or the almighty dollar. They give a damn about where is the Beaver Land Mine Ride? Where is the Foam Factory? Where is Boardwalk Typhoon? Where is the cotton candy? My kids, when told there will be no more Geauga Lake, were almost in tears. Bottom line, Dick Kinzel decided to destroy 119 years of tradition for one reason: Greed. We live in a world controlled by it. Although we hate it, it's the reality but it makes it harder for all of us to put our trust in anything. As far as Geauga Lake goes, I will miss Dominator, Thunderhawk, Villain, Big Dipper, Raging Wolf Bobs, watching my kids on the rides, seeing the shows with them, sharing a big bag of cotton candy, and watching them in the stores as they try to pick what souvenir they want to take home. One thing that greed will never take away are those memories. Thanks to the many who over the years made the parks and those memories what they were special. It's time for me to move on to other things and I can tell you I won't be moving on to "Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom."
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