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Cedar Point’s New WindSeeker Swing Ride Opens for the Summer!

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Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point’s WindSeeker towering swing is now open!

The 301-foot-tall WindSeeker, the newest ride at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort, opened for the season yesterday, Tuesday, June 14.

It is receiving rave reviews. Riders are clapping and cheering as they descend the tower to the ground.

“It was awesome. It goes so high,” said Abbey Decker, an 11-year-old from Oak Harbor, Ohio. “I never knew Lake Erie was so big!”

Bordering the Cedar Point Beach, riders on the WindSeeker are treated to dramatic views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach. On WindSeeker, riders sit in open two-passenger swings with their feet dangling in the breeze. The swings rotate around the 30-story center column as they slowly ascend the tower. At the top, riders are nearly face-to-face with the very top of the Power Tower and almost as high as the first hill of the Millennium Force roller coaster. (Guests must be at least 52 inches tall to ride WindSeeker.)

According to Cheryll McCarty, 40, from Bay Village, Ohio, “It is the best. The view was beautiful. I felt like I was on top of the world.”

With the opening of WindSeeker, Cedar Point now has 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters, more rides than any park in the world.

In addition to WindSeeker, the park has recently opened several new live shows for the season. This summer’s new offerings range from country favorites to classic rock and a gravity-defying stunt show with rollerbladers and skateboarders. An ice-skating show featuring Snoopy and the Gang opened over the weekend.

Earlier this month, American Portrait, Cedar Point’s new nighttime show, opened for the summer. Sponsored by the Marathon Petroleum Company LP, American Portrait features patriotic music, high-def images and colorful pyrotechnics that illuminate the evening sky.

To save money on a visit to Cedar Point, the park has a variety of money-saving deals that are available online at cedarpoint.com. Even more savings are available to guests who stay at one of the park’s resort properties. Resort guests also qualify for Early Entry and can enter the park one hour before it opens to the public.

For more information about WindSeeker and Cedar Point, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

 

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Cedar Point’s WindSeeker takes flight

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From the Sandusky Register…

WindSeeker Ribbon Cutting
SANDUSKY

Cedar Point finally launched WindSeeker, giving thrill seekers the ride 301 feet above Lake Erie they’ve been waiting for.

The first batch of riders rode up into the sky at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Two season pass holders from the Toledo area were the first in line. Jordan Jacobsen, 21, and Sarah Pietras, 19, rode side by side in one of the 32 pairs of seats that swing around the ride’s tower.

“Exciting. Great view. Amazing view of this park,” Jacobsen said. “Pretty windy up there. Definitely if you’re seeking wind, you’re getting it. Not much of a thrill. Much more of a view. Still exciting.”

“It was amazing,” Pietras said.

It appeared to spectators below that as the riders neared the top, the seats swung farther out.

“The farther up you get, you go sideways more,” Pietras confirmed. “I was a little scared.”

Cedar Point had hoped to launch the ride on opening day, May 14. Bad weather delayed construction, and mechanical bugs that park officials didn’t discuss also slowed the launch.

“Start the season,” Cedar Fair president and CEO Dick Kinzel said after he and Cedar Point general manager John Hildebrandt cut a ribbon to officially open the ride, shortly after park employees rode it to give it a final test.

“Better late than never. We’re ready to go,” said Kinzel, who is retiring at the end of the year and who drew cheers when he spoke at the park’s Coastermania event earlier this month. “It’s been a long grind. We appreciate the patience the public has had with it.”

Pictures from the OnPoint! Cedar Point Blog

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Cedar Point Opens for the Summer on May 14

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Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, May 6, 2011 — Premium made-to-order gourmet hot dogs and chili dogs will add to the fun and excitement of a Cedar Point summer when the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort opens for the season on Saturday, May 14.

Beginning Saturday, May 14, Cedar Point will be open every day through Labor Day, Sept. 5.

New this summer will be Pink’s, a restaurant that specializes in gourmet hot dogs, chili dogs and onion rings.  A Hollywood legend since 1939, Pink’s will be located near the front of the park, just across from Toft’s Ice Cream Parlor.  It will be the first Pink’s franchise east of Las Vegas.

Later in the month, the park will also introduce WindSeeker, a 301-foot-tall towering swing ride that will be located near the Cedar Point Beach.  Seated in open two-passenger cars, riders will be treated to dramatic views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach.

“We are very excited to officially kickoff summer in the Midwest,” said John Hildebrandt, Cedar Point’s vice president and general manager.  “It has been a long, cold winter and people are ready to have some fun.  Roller coasters, hot dogs and Snoopy are the perfect solution.”

Opening for its 142nd season, Cedar Point features an extensive entertainment package that includes thrilling rides and roller coasters, live shows and special entertainment for young families.  With 74 rides, including 17 roller coasters, Cedar Point has more rides and more coasters than any park in the world.

In addition to the rides, guests will be able to watch some of the park’s award-winning live entertainment.  Tropical Heat, Island Beat, presented in the Red Garter Saloon, will feature the hits of Jimmy Buffett and the Miami Sound Machine, while Charlie Brown’s Funtime Frolics will be performed in Camp Snoopy.  Four other shows will open later in the summer.

Other special activities at the park during its Opening Weekend include:

— Beginning Opening Day through Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19, guests can enter the Take Home a Thrill contest to win a new XUV 825i John Deere Gator, valued at more than $11,000.  Entry forms can be obtained at Cedar Point’s Guest Services, the Town Hall Museum or by mail.  For more information, please visit cedarpoint.com.

— On Sunday, May 15, the park will also hold an all-you-can-eat Picnic in the Park meal featuring Johnsonville Brats, fried chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, baked rigatoni, cookies, ice cream and assorted Pepsi beverages.  The picnic will be held in the Coral Courtyard from 4-6:30 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased online at cedarpoint.com or at the park’s admission gates.

Through the end of May, Pick-a-Date tickets for a June visit can be purchased online at cedarpoint.com for only $32.99, a savings of $14 per ticket!

All of Cedar Point’s resort properties will open for the season on Friday, May 13.  Resort guests qualify for Early Entry and can enter the park one hour before it opens to the public and can purchase tickets for only $29, the lowest rate available.

For more information about Opening Weekend at Cedar Point, please visit the park’s website at cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

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WindSeeker won’t fly on park’s opening

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From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

For the second year in a row, a new ride at Cedar Point won’t be ready for opening day.

While last year’s opening of Shoot the Rapids was delayed because of technical problems, this year’s new ride — WindSeeker — is off to a slow start because of northern Ohio’s wicked weather.

WindSeeker will not be running when the park opens on May 14, said Robin Innes, Cedar Point’s spokesman.

The long winter got the park off to a late start, and the recent spate of high winds and rainstorms only exacerbated the situation.

The 30-story WindSeeker will swing 64 riders in a circle more than 300 feet in the air. It reaches a top speed of 30 mph, with the swings flaring out at a 45-degree angle over Lake Erie.

The $5 million ride is manufactured by the Dutch-based Mondial.

During a conference call Thursday morning with financial analysts who follow the company, Cedar Fair CEO and president Dick Kinzel confirmed the ride’s opening will be delayed.

But the delay will likely be a matter of days, not weeks, Kinzel said.

“I think we’re talking, at the latest, Memorial Day,” he said.

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WindSeeker aims for May 13 debut

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From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

Cedar Point officials racing to complete WindSeeker have a new deadline.

They want to have it ready for a charity event May 13 to benefit the American Red Cross.

The park opens for the season May 14.

Last year’s new ride, Shoot the Rapids, opened several weeks late.

John Hildebrandt, Cedar Point’s general manager, said he’s confident this year’s big new ride will open on time.

Asked earlier this week if WindSeeker will be ready, he laughed, paused a moment, then said, “I’m confident we’ll have the ride on opening day.”

The 301-foot-tall tower to which the ride’s swings will be attached has been completed.

Every year, Cedar Point debuts its new attraction with a charity event to benefit the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross.

In the past, the Red Cross auctioned the seats. This year, in a change of format, the Red Cross will admit anyone willing to pay the $100 fee to be among the first riders. There will be a $50 fee for people who want to attend the event but aren’t going to ride.

Ron Rude, executive director of the Firelands Red Cross, said the nature of the ride prompted the Red Cross to try a new approach.

Thrill seekers riding a roller coaster or a similar ride are willing to bid to be in the front seats, a roller coaster’s most thrilling location. WindSeeker riders, however, whirl around in swings. There’s no front row.

“We knew there were 64 seats on the new ride. And there isn’t any front seat,” he said. “So we decided rather than have competition for the first couple of seats in the train, like we normally do, we hope that more than 64 people would like to join the party at Pink’s and ride on WindSeeker.”

The price of admission for the event includes hot dogs at Pink’s, the new gourmet hot dog stand at Cedar Point, a preview performance of “Tropical Heat, Island Beat” at the Red Garter Saloon, a commemorative medallion, a certificate of participation, a drawing for special prizes and free parking.