Geauga
Lake History
2003
Several new attractions debuted this year. Noteworthy were
Hurricane Mountain and Shark Attack, the first additions to the water
park since 2000. Hurricane Mountain, from White Water West, would be
the largest with seven slides (three enclosed body slides and four
innertube slides). It was billed as the largest waterslide complex in
Ohio. To make room, the Musik Express was scrapped (after being
relocated here in 1997). Shark Attack, which was located on a former
sand volleyball court across from Hurricane Bay wave pool, added three
more innertube slides. Both slide complexes double the capacity of the
water park. Also with the location of Hurricane Mountain it
unofficially put Skyscraper and the Bellaire Express monorail in the
water park.
Two new
family rides are added to the Wild Life side of the park. Starfish, a
themed Chance Wipeout from Six Flags Marine World, and the Thriller
Bees, a Huss Bee Bee from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, are located near
the Sea Lion Stadium and Lakeside Cafe. Meanwhile Silver Bullet, the
park's Huss Enterprise, is removed in July.
The floating
bridge is relocated to the other side of the lake to connect Hook's
Lagoon with the Asian Adventures shop near the Killer Whale Stadium.
For the first time ever the layout of the park would be complete
circle.
With Six
Flags in financial woes due to the massive debt they were in plus talk
of the park having declining attendance since 2001, rumors surface
that the park might be for sale late in the season.
2004
In March Six Flags sells the park to Cedar
Fair for $145 million and changes the name back to Geauga Lake. With
the late purchase Cedar Fair does not have time to make the necessary
changes to get rid of all Six Flags indicia on rides and signage. The
animal park is closed down as Cedar Fair states they do not run animal
parks. Six Flags retains the animals and ships them off to other
properties.
Several
rides and attractions would receive new names. Batman Knight Flight
becomes Dominator. Superman Ultimate Escape becomes Steel Venom.
Serial Thriller becomes Thunderhawk. Hurricane Harbor becomes
Hurricane Hannah's. Mind Eraser becomes Head Spin. Gold Rush, the log
flume which would receive several renames to sponsors during the Six
Flags years, becomes Pepsi Plunge. Looney Tunes Boomtown is renamed
Kidworks Playzone and all rides receive new names. Fright Fest would
become Halloween Haunt.
Cedar Fair
does not honor the "Read To Succeed" tickets promised to kids by Six
Flags but later rescinds their decision after a public outcry. The
tickets would only be good on certain days.
The park
begins the task of repainting the park's buildings. The season was a
total disaster, only bringing in 700,000 guests. The park also adds a
water ski show which fails to attract guests.
The floating
bridge is relocated back to its former location by Raging Wolf Bobs.
The land bridge behind Wolf Bobs is closed off thus making everyone
take the floating bridge to Happy Harbor.
Cedar Fair
announces Wildwater Kingdom will open in 2005 on the former Sea World
side. To be billed as the largest water park in the region, it would
be built in two phases. Demolition of many old animal attractions and
buildings begin. Neptune's Falls, Hook's Lagoon and the Stingray speed
slides are demolished as well.
Cedar Fair
continues the re-track started by Six Flags on Raging Wolf Bobs, this
time focusing on the turn after the first drop.
2005
The park's name would change once again to
Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom. Cedar Fair brings Snoopy and the
Peanuts characters to the park. A Snoopy Boutique opens across from
the Main Gate. Thunderhawk gets repainted from red track/teal supports
to orange track/yellow supports. It stands out on the lakefront.
Starfish and
Thriller Bees, two Six Flags additions that were missing in 2004, are
relocated in the park. Starfish would be moved next to Steel Venom and
Thriller Bees would open near the Yo-Yo in Happy Harbor.
The Big Dipper
would turn 80 this year. Raging Wolf Bobs, which ran with one train,
receives a second train. The black train originally ran on The Legend
at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana.
Unions boycott the
park because Cedar Fair used non-union employees to build Wildwater
Kingdom. On August 6th, a hydrochloric acid spill forced a temporary
closing of the ride side gate area thus redirecting traffic to the
water park gate. Guests were rerouted around the closed area via the
public picnic area between Double Loop and Villain.
Wildwater Kingdom opens
late, mid-June, and becomes popular. Hurricane Mountain is moved to
the new water park and renamed Thunder Falls. Part of the old Dolphin
Harbor is retained and used in Coral Cove, a teen activity area.
Splash Landing, a larger and much more improved version of the old
Hook's Lagoon, is built near the Water Ski Stadium. The star
attraction, Liquid Lightning, a ProSlide Tornado, is built where Tiger
Island used to be. Hurricane Hannah's, which is now just the
Hurricane Bay wave pool, Calypso Creek lazy river and Shark Attack
slides, are all the remnants left open for one last season. Turtle
Beach is closed and walled off.
The park adds the
Lakeside Catering Pavilions where Neptune's Falls and Hook's Lagoon
once stood. "Robots of Mars" would replace the long running "Pirates
4D" at the Harbor Theater. It would run for two seasons. Next
door, the long running Mission: Bermuda Triangle would be
replaced with Dino Island II: Escape from Dino Island simulator
film.
It would be the
end of the line for the Halloween Haunt after this year and Mr. Hyde's
Nasty Fall would fall no more and be demolished in January 2006.
2006
Wildwater Kingdom's second phase is
drastically cut back and only a wave pool is added, the 30,000 square
foot Tidal Wave Bay. It
would be located on the same site as the former Sea Lion Stadium.
Along with the new wave pool were sixteen new cabanas that could be
rented for the day. The
former Hurricane Hannah's is fenced off and left to rot.
The ferry boats
are taken out of commission and the floating bridge is relocated once
more through the middle of the lake. This time it connects Kidworks
Playzone with Wildwater Kingdom behind Splash Landing. Two golf carts,
which hold up to ten people, are added as a shuttle service between
the two sides. They would run along the back path behind Raging Wolf
Bobs.
Speaking of Raging
Wolf Bobs, Cedar Fair completed the final phase of the re-tracking by
redoing the high banked turn at the mid-point of the ride. With all
the new track in place, the ride seemed to run a bit faster than it
had in recent years.
The park installs
the 3-Point Challenge game on the former site of Silver Bullet, which
remained an eyesore since the ride was removed in 2003. It proved to
be a popular addition to the park.
Lexi
Robinson, Public Relations Coordinator, is let go as Cedar Fair begins
streamlining operations and market the park out of Sandusky. Meanwhile
Kennywood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania begins to market in the
Cleveland area.
A lumberjack
show was featured in the Water Ski Stadium and there was music on the
midway with the Boogie Down Band. The park installs a video screen on
the main gate for a new night time show called "Freedom", which is
filled with patriot music and images.
Several
rides were out of commission this year. Bellaire Express only operated
for a few weeks before finally closing for the year. Skyscraper also
went down early in the year, never to reopen again. Steel Venom has a
major malfunction before opening for the day back in July and would
never reopen for the rest of the season. Three big rides closed in one
area created a major dead zone in the 50's midway in 2006.
Cedar Fair
purchases the five Paramount Parks for $1.24 billion. This includes
Kings Island, which is 20 miles north of Cincinnati. This gives Cedar
Fair a monopoly of parks in Ohio.
Very late
2006 rumors circulate that X-Flight was going to be removed. No one
seemed to believe it until November when a van is spotted inside
X-Flight's footprint. The van would belong to a surveying company from
Cincinnati. Shortly thereafter, Cedar Fair confirms the ride is being
relocated to Kings Island. Removal of the ride begins in December.
2007
Little did we know that things were going
to drastically change this year and never improve as the year went by.
After watching X-Flight come down through the winter we find out that
Steel Venom is also going to be removed. The dismantling of Steel
Venom began in March with the final pieces being removed in June. The
ride would be rumored to be heading to Dorney Park in Allentown,
Pennsylvania.
In the
February 5th issue of Crain's Cleveland Business, an article on
Geauga Lake appears to address the changes going on at the park since
two coasters were being removed. Jack Falfas, Chief Operating Officer
for Cedar Fair, is quoted as saying (along with other remarks from the
article)
------------------------------------------------
"Our
intent is to clean up that whole front area...They have a large number
of roller coasters and rides in there. It's more than what the guest
demand is (justifying) right now."
(regarding removal of the X-Flight,
Steel Venom, and Monorail)
"It
has become clear that Geauga Lake's appeal lies as a cozy, regional
attraction rather than a thrill-seeker's paradise."
"I think,
at first, some people assumed - and maybe we did ourselves - that
Geauga Lake was "Cedar Point East"..."It's not going to be a Cedar
Point East. It's a local park, it's a great picnic park, it's a
community thing."
"Mr. Falfas
notes that Cedar Fair isn't abandoning the rides side of Geauga Lake:
He notes that the company has invested in a lot of repainting an
sprucing up of existing rides and has rebuilt the Raging Wolf Bobs
coaster. He also says there are plans for new attractions but wouldn't
offer any details."
"Despite
Geauga Lake's flat attendance, Cedar Fair insists there's reason for
optimism. Company spokeswoman Stacey Frole said with fewer operating
days in 2006, Geauga Lake brought in the same number of guests as in
previous seasons - something the company sees as a mark of growth."
---------------------------------------------------
The park shortens the 2007 season even further by opening the park on
Memorial Weekend instead of the first weekend of May. Despite the
reduction of operating days, the park is the busiest it's been since
the Six Flags days.
The Bellaire
Express monorail would also be removed this year, with new light posts
installed where track supports used to be. The removal of the monorail
makes the 50's midway look more open than it used to. Skyscraper would
remain closed all season.
The
Villain's trick track, which was becoming a painful part of the ride,
is straightened out. Villain also receives new track in other sections
of the ride as well as braces to adjust the track gauge if needed.
Jukebox Cafe
gets a makeover. Thunderhawk gets an on-ride video system placed on
the trains. Texas Twister gets a bright yellow and orange paint
scheme.
"Lego
Racers 4D" replaces "Robots of Mars" in the Harbor Theater.
The Tidal Wave Bay area receives sixteen more cabanas. The park adds
an All-American Cornhole game near 3-Point Challenge.
Raging Wolf
Bobs suffers a derailment in June and remains closed the rest of the
season.
Rumors begin
to circulate by mid-summer stating that Dominator and Thunderhawk were
going to be removed from the park. By the end of August rumors of the
park's demise begin to filter out. Park administrators are tight
lipped and/or even lie about the rumors when asked.
September
21, 2007, not even a full week after the park closes for the season,
Cedar Fair announces that Geauga Lake will be downsized to just a
water park as the rides side will remain closed for good. This news is
a major blow to Northeast Ohio. The park would be auctioned off the
following June.
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