DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Geauga Lake to be a Waterpark ONLY

This is a sad day in Cleveland history. Some of you may not have cared for the park recently, but if you grew up in Northeastern Ohio, Geauga Lake was the park to go to.

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CEDAR FAIR ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTION FOR GEAUGA LAKE

SANDUSKY, OHIO, September 21, 2007 – Cedar Fair Entertainment Company announced today that Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio, will become exclusively a water park attraction beginning with the 2008 season.

“After four years of operating Geauga Lake as a combined water park/amusement park attraction, we have concluded that its future should be entirely as a water park,” said Dick Kinzel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. “Visiting Geauga Lake is a 119-year-old tradition in northeastern Ohio. That tradition will continue, but in a new and exciting way.”

“Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom has been recognized as one of the finest water parks in the country,” Kinzel said. “Over the past three seasons, we have invested approximately $25 million to create and develop the premiere water park in northeastern Ohio. Since its opening in 2005, Wildwater Kingdom has been the park’s highest rated attribute.”

Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom attractions will include Tidal Wave Bay, a 30,000 square-foot wave pool featuring seven different types of wave patterns; Liquid Lightning, a 60-foot-tall tornado slide; Thunder Falls, Ohio’s tallest water slide complex; an activity pool; an action river; and a multi-story play structure. The park will also provide a catering facility and picnic pavilions for group outings and poolside cabanas will be made available for daily rental.

Water parks are very important to Cedar Fair. In addition to parks where the water park is incorporated into the amusement park, the company owns and operates five separately gated water parks: three in California, one in Ohio (Soak City at Cedar Point) and one in Missouri.

Kinzel added, “Water parks traditionally draw from a closer geographic market than amusement parks, and we believe Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom will continue to be successful in drawing visitors from the greater Cleveland, Youngstown and Akron-Canton areas.”

Geauga Lake’s 2008 operating schedule, admission pricing, group programs and other operating details will be announced at a later date. However, the water park season is traditionally Memorial Day to Labor Day.

As part of the changeover to exclusively water park attractions, a number of the rides at Geauga Lake will be introduced at other Cedar Fair parks.

The property not necessary for the operation of the water park is being reviewed for other uses and development.

Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom, Cedar Fair owns and operates 11 amusement parks, five other water parks, one indoor water park resort, and six hotels. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, and operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=133

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I am speechless. Thank you very much Cedar Fair, you've given me reason to exclusively visit Kennywood and Holiday World. Do not expect me to see in any Cedar Fair park for a very long time.

I live about 2 or 3 miles from that place.. Used to be that at around 10 pm you had hell to pay getting around the city because of traffic from Geauga Lake and Seaworld of Ohio,,

Same was true almost every morning,,

Not so anymore.. After they've reportedly invested 40 or 50 million in the parks, they can't fill them up anymore..

As much as I hate to say it, it wouldn't surprise me to see the whole thing go the way of a Do Do bird... but not until the housing market improves... then someone will buy the whole thing and turn it into a development with lake front property and condos etc etc....

As a kid I grew up with Geauga Lake Omnipresent. I grew up with the Little Dipper, and the Big Dipper, The Raging Wolfbobs. All these great times passed. Grew up, with season passes, and good friends. Hung out all afternoon. Such great memories of that place. From the time I was 5 years old trying to win stuffed animals, to later when I rode all the rides and chased after girls there. Through Jr. High--this place was a summer ritual.

Its truly sad this park is closing up---I have so many great memories with family and friends at this Aurora landmark.

Damn and I just took the family there last summer, oh well I guess we won't be repeating that trip next year

As a former employee I'm happy to see the park close because of all of the terrible experiences I had there.

As a Clevelander I HATE seeing this place close. I have so many fond memories there. We went out to Geauga Lake once a year, and it was always the highlight of my summer.

It's too bad Cedar Fair killed the place

WHAT THE HELL?????

Screw you Cedar Fair...I knew once they bought that place they'd destroy it.

My best memories of middle school summers will always be going to SIX FLAGS WORLDS OF ADVENTURE...when it was a REAL PARK.

After X-Flight was built it was all downhill from there...

They can blame people not showing up all they want...the fact is THEY killed it by not introducing new coasters, and in fact downsizing the park and taking away the best coasters in the park

I think the township ordinance that forbid any rides over 120 ft. killed it.

Six Flags killed it.

Back when it was just Geauga Lake is when it was best.

[quote Gave the rides crappy names and ruined the atmosphere of the rides (Batman had a Batman feel to it, ditto w/ Superman...once they became Dominator and Steel Venom they took out the atmospheric music and decorations to it)

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The coasters could not keep those names because Cedar Fair didnt have a licensing agreement with Marvel, Six Flags did.

People can blame Cedar Fair all they want but it is a simple fact that attendance was way down and it was way down even when Six Flags had it. I dont know if it is the economy or what but even Cedar Points atendance figures have been down.

Havin grown up right down th road in Kent I am sad to see Geauga Lake go but I was also sad to see Sea World go. These two parks were a summertime must do when I was a kid growing up.


KING

Cedar Point was always the better park anyway. It is sad to see parks close, Dover Lake is also no more.

That kinda sucks. I actually havent been there in a while but I am sad to see it go b/c we used to always go when I was a kid. Remember that guy that rode the Rotor like everyday?

Quote:

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It's too bad Cedar Fair killed the place

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You mean Six Flags right? Six Flags is what killed the park. They built it too big for what the park can handle. Not to mention the fact that the amusement park industry as a whole has been down the past year or two due to gas prices and the economy.

It's simple really, if it's making money, you keep it going. If it's losing money because the numbers just aren't there, then you are going to make changes. To do otherwise is just a horrible business strategy. Hate to say it but if it wasn't for Cedar Fair, the park would have been completely gone several years ago.

Agreed,...everything has a life cycle.

Seriously, why would anyone go to Geauga Lake when Cedar Point is only a little bit further away? If Geauga Lake was in like Montana it would be fun for people around there to go to, but when you're an hour away from the best amusement park in the world, you've got too tough of a competition.

Adieu Adieu...parting is such sweet sorrow

I used to work at Geauga Lake, it was my first real job. I worked the rides in Rainbow Island...and as god as my witness, IT DROVE ME CRAZY. They played the damn Alvin & The Chipmunks CD ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the parents....ohhhhh the parents. Parents are stupid people sometimes...they believe their kid(s) is/are entitled to whatever, whenever.

Truthfully, all amusement parks cost way too much. you spend damn near $50 on 1 ticket, just to stand in line for 3 hours for one ride. The food is over priced, you can't even bring your own food into these parks anymore. Just not as fun anymore.

I miss the old days, when Cleveland could be proud to say, at least we've got a Sea World!

Looks like the "new" Geauga Lake" will be a "water downed" version of the old one"

This makes me really sad. Geauga Lake was a big part of my childhood. My dad lived about 5 minutes away from the park in Aurora, and we would drive past it every week and I would love to watch the rides go around, and the big sky needle go up and down. I went on my first coaster there (Big Dipper) and my dad had all kinds of company picnics there. So very sad. I only went once when it changed over to Six Flags because it seemed too far removed from the good old days of GL. What a tragic day for those Clevelanders who never got to experience it in its heyday.

It's sad to read the news that Geauga Lake amusement park will be closed.
To me, the demise of this park started when they decided to compete with Cedar Point. No park can compete with Cedar Point. Geauga Lake should have been patterned after Euclid Beach. The setting at GL was beautiful and the park could have been turned into an "old-fashion" park like Euclid Beach or Playland in Rye, New York. Of course, maybe that's too tame for the current generation. Another part of Cleveland/NE Ohio history gone. So sad.

Six Flags started the decline by trying to compete with Cedar Point (stupid move), but Cedar Fair did NOTHING to help Geauga Lake. Taking out rides is NOT going to bring people back.

Rides also cost a LOT of money to run and maintain. If people aren't coming, they won't keep pouring money into it. Just like if you had an old car that starts costing you way more money than its worth. Would you keep pouring money into it or would you finally say forget it and go buy a new car?

I see a lot of people on this thread alone who are stating that this is a shame and yet at the same time they admitted they haven't been to the park in a long time. This is part of the big problem with the park, ATTENDENCE.

They tried their hardest but it just wasn't going to happen. The park thrived the most when it was a family park that didn't try to compete with Cedar Point. Then Six Flags bought the park out and poured a ton of money into it in ONE off season. They never recovered after that. Let's see, what coasters did they add after that? They tried a last ditch effort with X-Flight and that didn't work either.

There is a reason after all that Cedar Point is the best amusement park for the 10th year in a row. To even think you can compete with that is laughable. For the best example, look no further than Orlando with Disney and Universal. Two great parks right next to each other. They both succeed due to the fact of their very different styles. If they were similar, both parks probably wouldn't be able to survive. Instead, they thrive even with their close proximity due to the fact that they have completely different styles and directions that they are taking the park. This is what Cedar Point and Geauga Lake USED to have before Six Flags came in. While I don’t believe they have to strip it all the way down to a water park, I do believe that they have to remove a lot of the bigger coasters to bring the costs back down and re-invent it as a family park. Either route though will cause a lot of complaints. But one thing is for sure, if they keep going in their current direction, they could run the risk of bankrupting the entire company (after all, lets not forget their close to a billion dollar in debts after the Paramount acquisition).

Then why buy something if you're just planning on killing it anyway? Rumor at the park was that Busch Gardens was interested in buying the park from Six Flags, but Cedar Fair had the higher bid. I guarantee you that if Busch Gardens had bought the park it would be open and thriving today.

Once again that was just a rumor, so who knows how credible it is.

WOW a whopping 70 more minutes.
So instead of leaving the house at 9:40am, you have to leave 8:30am. Someone who wants roller coasters, that isn't a huge sacrifice.

Maybe true, but you yourself said you want roller coasters....
The best roller coaster park in the world is 1 1/2 hours from you.

I see your point about convenience , but for a roller coaster enthusiast Geauga Lake has ALWAYS been a joke.

What a shame... I remember many trips to Geauga Lake. It was never hard to get in line for anything. You could go on a ride a few times if you wanted to. Again... what a shame.

[quote
Cedar Fair, even if they did have a licensing agreement with Marvel it wouldn't have mattered.....

and are DC comics not Marvel comics!

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Oh you comic geeks tickle me


KING

This actually doesn't bother me at all. I enjoy a good waterpark. I generally have more fun on waterslides than rollercoasters. If they continue to invest and build it up, I could see myself going to it atleast once a summer.