From the Sandusky Register…
SANDUSKY
Dinosaurs are invading Cedar Point.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Angustinaripterus, Allosaurus and others began arriving at the park Wednesday.
Contractors are getting the creatures ready for an eventual release into their new habitat — the trees and sands of Adventure Island.The Dinosaurs Alive! attraction, a $1 million undertaking featuring 50 animatronic dinosaurs, should be ready for exploration when Cedar Point opens May 12.
“We are still receiving deliveries,” said Charles Hutchison, Cedar Point’s digital marketing manager. “This is going to be amazing.”
The display opens up areas of the park that most visitors have never ventured into during the regular season, other than Terror Island during HalloWeekends.
Guests will find themselves stepping onto Adventure Island after crossing a bridge near Camp Snoopy.
In seasons past, visitors could only view the island from certain rides or specific vantage points in the park.
The new exhibit also lets guests walk underneath the back part of the Millennium Force.
Three dozen different types of dinosaurs will be included among 13 different scenes, each scene specific to a prehistoric era.
Most impressive, no doubt, will be the 40-foot-tall and 72-foot-long Ruyangosaurus, whose neck and head will stretch out over the midway, towering over the passersby.
Each dinosaur is eerily realistic, with synthetic skins made from materials and colors that create a genuinely authentic look.
Dinosaurs Alive! winds along a half-mile concrete trail that’s made to resemble petrified soil. The path is also peppered with what’s made to look like fossilized leaves and dinosaur footprints.
But the coup de grace comes when the life-sized dinosaurs thunder to life, moving and roaring as people walk by.
Contractors should have all the dinosaurs installed in short order, providing them more time to focus on building foliage and scenic elements.
“In true Cedar Point fashion, we will take every minute available to us to make it perfect,” Hutchison said.
The park is charging guests a $5 fee — beyond the regular admission price — to view the exhibit.
“A $5 admission makes it an exclusive experience for the guests who want it and can appreciate it,” Hutchison said. “That is, families with children.”
Dinosaurs Unearthed, a Canadian company, created the attraction for Cedar Point.