Category Archives: Ride Construction

Awards, Cedar Fair, News and Updates, News Stories, Ride Construction

Cedar Point named Best Amusement Park in the World

September 20, 2011 Andrew Leave a comment

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – For the 14th consecutive year, Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, was named as the “Best Amusement Park in the World” in the prestigious Golden Ticket Awards presented annually by Amusement Today newspaper.

Cedar Point also received another very special award as Dick Kinzel, CEO of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company that owns operates Cedar Point and 10 other amusement parks, was selected to become a member of the Legends Series as the 2011 Publisher’s Pick that recognizes the top examples of dedication, leadership and achievement in the amusement industry.

These announcements were made late Saturday afternoon, Sept. 17, during a special ceremony held at Holiday World amusement park in Santa Claus, Ind.

The Golden Ticket Awards are given to the highest-rated parks in approximately two dozen categories as determined by a panel of experienced amusement park fans from around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Amusement Today is an international publication that covers amusement and waterpark news and trends.

“Dick Kinzel has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Cedar Fair family of parks,” said Gary Slade, publisher and editor-in-chief of Amusement Today. “Because of his leadership, Cedar Fair maintained stability during a very tumultuous period for the amusement park industry. He started, he continued and he won the Coaster Wars. His vision for family entertainment has made him a legend in the industry.”

In addition to winning the highly coveted award for the world’s best amusement park, Cedar Point’s Millennium Force roller coaster was also named as the “Best Steel Roller Coaster” for the second consecutive year and the sixth time since its introduction in 2000.

“This is a very special day for us,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Not only is our park and our roller coaster named as the best in the world, but Dick Kinzel, who has been a mentor and trusted friend to many of us in the industry, has been recognized for his many achievements. It is a very proud moment.”

Millennium Force had lots of company in the “Best Steel Roller Coaster” category, with two other Cedar Point coasters rated in the Top Ten and another pair ranked in the Top 25. The Top Thrill Dragster (9th) that stands 42-stories tall and perennial favorite Magnum Xl-200 (10th) were the park’s two other Top Ten finalists while the Raptor inverted roller coaster was ranked 18th and the twisting Maverick captured the 21st spot.

Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Cedar Point is one of the most popular family vacation destinations in the country. With 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters, the park has more rides than any park in the world. Built in 1870, Cedar Point is the second oldest amusement park in North America.

Cedar Point is now open for HalloWeekends 15, a family fall festival of fun and frights, Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 16-18 through Oct. 28-30.

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

Cedar Fair, Events, News and Updates, News Stories, Ride Construction, Rides

Cedar Point’s Coasting for Kids Three Years and Thriving

July 23, 2011 Andrew Leave a comment

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Coaster-riding will take on a new meaning when Cedar Point hosts Coasting for Kids on Sunday, July 24 at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort.

This special event helps raise money for Give Kids The World, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that provides weeklong vacations to children who have life-threatening diseases and their families.

Cedar Point has participated in the event since 2009. In two years, it has raised more than $27,000 for the organization.

During Coasting for Kids, the top 60 guests who raised the most pledge money will have the opportunity to ride on the park’s legendary Gemini and Magnum XL-200 roller coasters for up to nine hours. They will start their day on the Magnum from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then make their way to the Gemini from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each participant is required to raise at least $75 by Wednesday, July 20 through their own fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/gktw. Interested guests who want to participate but cannot attend may sign up as a “virtual rider.” Last year, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company that owns and operates Cedar Point and 10 other amusement parks raised more than $40,000 for the organization!

Participants will receive a complimentary breakfast and lunch, event T-shirt and free admission into the park. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three fundraisers. First place will be awarded a four-hour VIP Tour for four people, second place will receive four tickets to HalloWeekends and a behind-the-scene tour at Cedar Point and third place will earn a Give Kids The World bag, filled with gifts from the Give Kids The World Village.

Any guest who brings an item from the Give Kids The World wish list on Sunday, July 24, will receive a coupon for $10 off regular one-day admission to Cedar Point. The coupons are only valid that day and cannot be used with any other coupon or discount.

Founded in 1986, Give Kids The World also provides children in poor health and their families with accommodations and donated tickets to many popular attractions around the country, including Cedar Point.

For more information about Coasting for Kids, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s general information line at 419-627-2350.

Media, News and Updates, Off Season, Photos, Ride Construction, Rides, Spinning Rides, Thrill Rides

The 2011 Park Map (Spoilers)

February 1, 2011 Andrew Leave a comment

Thanks to the help of my friend, Christopher Huges (@chriswc11), I stumbled upon the 2011 park map. It’s not the full map as it takes up half a page in the school group brochure, but it gives you an idea of what the map and park will be like next year.

WindSeeker

Starting off at Cedar Point’s new ride WindSeeker we find the the Beach Entrance is going to be placed on an angle and it looks like WindSeeker’s queue line will start by the Extrema Sports Stadium as shown in the animation.

Chaos

We all knew it was coming, it looks like Chaos is leaving and a 3-point challenge is going in it’s spot. As seen in the next image, it looks like the Demon Drop 3-point challenge has vanished from the map.

Ocean Motion

Cedar Point’s other “new” ride for 2011 is Ocean Motion. Moving from it old location where WindSeeker is going to the Demon Drop’s old site. A pond will be placed next to it to add to the theme of the ride. As you can see the 3-point challenge is no longer shown.

Behind the Scenes, Media, News and Updates, Off Season, Photos, Ride Construction, Rides, RollerCoasters, Spinning Rides, Thrill Rides, Travel Reports

Cedar Point Off-Season (January 17, 2011)

January 30, 2011 Andrew 1 Comment

For my first trip of the year, I had the opportunity to visit the park in the winter off-season. Mr. Innes was very nice and agreed to take myself and a few select CP Guide members on a tour of the main midway, wicked twister midway, and a small part of the wildcat midway.

To start we walked through the Hotel Breaker’s parking lot and saw the roller coaster cars awaiting a winter check-up.

Then we moved on to the WindSeeker construction site. They had just poured the foundation the Friday before and they were working on setting up the concert mold for the ride base.

The concert they used was special concrete that need to be done in one pour, the reason behind the giant concert pour. The foundation is 60ft by 60ft and the ride will go down 6ft.

The ride is currently scheduled to open on opening day, but so was Shoot the Rapids, so we will have to see.

Moving down the midway, we find Chaos, or the spot Chaos used to occupy. Chaos is undergoing its off-season maintenance, but it doesn’t sound like it’s coming back.

Troika, like Chaos has been taken apart for its off-season maintenance, the rumor circulating is the Troika will go to Chaos’ spot and open up space for Disaster Transport to be replaced with a new coaster. Of course, this is just a rumor, and I don’t have any real facts to support it.

Throughout the park many rides have been shrink-wrapped; maXair is one of them as well as the test seat.

On the main midway, the games are all closed up as expected and Raptor was hibernating until May.

Ocean Motion, on the other hand, will be getting a new home at the old Demon Drop location and it will be complemented with a pond when it opens in May. In the Blue Streak area, we find Calypso taken apart for its maintenance.

Boo Hill has been reverted to its normal season look and the Blue Streak was nicely covered with snow.

Moving onto the Wildcat Midway, we find that Dodgems has been enclosed so the floor doesn’t get ruined and Wildcat’s queue ramps have been taken apart for easy access to the track for car removal.

Many of the fences around the park have also been removed for easier access to the rides.

The train cars for the CP and LE Railroad are at different parts of the track: one set back in Frontier Town and one is parked by the Mantis.

Moving on to Millennium Force, we find two cars left on the midway. Of course we all went crazy taking pictures of it and the brand new wheels.

Ending the tour, we walked back down the Wildcat midway and by Scrambler and Matterhorn.

We passed Kinzel’s Castel and through the parking lot of coaster cars.

On the way out I took some pictures of Mean Streak’s off-season track work and some views of the park from the road.

To finish the day I took a picture of me in front of the “Welcome to Cedar Point” sign.

As you might expect, those were only a small chuck of the pictures we took, click here to view all 150 pictures on flickr.

News and Updates, News Stories, Off Season, Ride Construction, Rides, Spinning Rides, Thrill Rides

Cedar Point to Pour WindSeeker Foundation Tomorrow

January 13, 2011 Andrew Leave a comment

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Although there is ice on the lake and snow on the ground, the Cedar Point Beach will be a hub of activity tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 14) when the concrete foundation for its new ride, the 301-foot-tall WindSeeker swing ride, will be poured.

Weather permitting, more than 1,600 tons of concrete will be needed to build the 30-story ride’s foundation. The dimensions of the foundation are 60 feet by 60 feet by 6 feet deep and will require more than 800 cubic yards of concrete. Prior to the pour, more than 36 tons of steel rebar and 176 steel anchor bolts were placed in position.

Overall, the total weight of the foundation will be more than 3.3 million pounds or 1,650-plus tons of concrete and steel.

The Adena Corporation, Mansfield, will build the foundation while Huron Cement, Huron, will deliver the concrete. The pour is scheduled to begin at approximately 7 a.m. and should be completed by 5 p.m. A fleet of 14 trucks will make 80 continuous trips to the park to transport the concrete to the park.

To watch the construction progress, Cedar Point’s web site: cedarpoint.com will have two of its webcams covering all of the activities. You can also follow the conversation about the construction via Cedar Point’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Costing more than $5 million to build, WindSeeker will stand more than 30 stories above the Cedar Point Beach. Seated in two-passenger swings with their feet dangling in the air, riders will be treated to breathtaking views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach.

Cedar Point will open for the summer on Saturday, May 14.

WindSeeker

Chaos

Ocean Motion

As you might expect, those were only a small chuck of the pictures we took, click here to view all 150 pictures on flickr.

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