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ChadV wrote:

I still can't figure out the overall logic, though...

Geauga Lake, 600(ish) acres, close to CAK, CLE, etc. Was able to draw 3/4 of the crowd CP does, with 1/2 the coasters and less than 1/2 the overall ride count, plus Cute Aquatic Aminals.

Cedar Point, <400 acres, close to... Sandusky Airport? IS there a Sandusky Airport? Or is DET the closest? And isn't there some hullabaloo about Sandusky not being able to handle infrastructure demands from CP anyway?

Why would they see Geauga Lake as potential competition? I would've seen it as a better location than their current flagship, with more room to expand, marketed CP and GL together as being a combined trip, and started routing the heavier crowds to the more-suited-for-expansion GL.

Granted, then I wouldn't have wanted to go to GL anymore myself, but at least it still would be here. Razz

Yeah, doesn't make much sense does it? (but hey this is CF)

More likely some deep seated long time resentment issues going on within the CF board regarding the Funtime foundees.
Even though they didn't acquire the park directly from them, they were able to squash their successful venture and feed their own personal demons ... or maybe that would be egos.
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Money, power, fame: the roots of evil, and others heartache.

I never believed there was any competition. But the senile old man sure did. He was jealous of everything SFWoA had and did. It showed in there rides constructed during that time. They tried to one up SFWoA every chance they got. Why do you think WT (a ripoff of SUE/SV) and TTD were built? It has even been said the old man even told people in a meeting about TTD that "this will show them".

The man needs to e stopped before he does any more damage.
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GL's demise was caused by one mans foolish greed.

In the end the truth will come out as it always does.

I was using the Internet web archiver and came across this old press release from March 10, 2004.

http://web.archive.org/web/20050307185749/www.cedarfair.com/public/news/story.cfm?id=154

In case the link dies I have copied it below. Check out Dicks comments.

Press Release

CEDAR FAIR, L.P. TO ACQUIRE SIX FLAGS WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

SANDUSKY, OHIO, March 10, 2004 -- Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE: FUN), a publicly traded partnership which owns and operates six amusement parks and five water parks, today announced that it has reached agreement in principle for the acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, located near Cleveland, Ohio, from Six Flags, Inc. The transaction, which is valued at $145 million, involves the purchase of substantially all of the assets of the park, including the adjacent hotel and campground. Six Flags will retain ownership of all animals currently located at the park. The cash purchase is subject to a number of conditions, including the negotiation of a definitive purchase agreement, and is expected to close before the beginning of the 2004 season. Further details were not disclosed.
"This is an excellent and unique opportunity for both companies," said Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "With this acquisition, we have the ability to add another successful operation to the Cedar Fair family of parks in a market we already know well. The park, which will be renamed Geauga Lake beginning with the 2004 season, offers numerous marketing and operational synergies that we hope to take advantage of almost immediately."

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure is a family-oriented theme park situated on approximately 690 acres, including a 50-acre spring-fed lake. The park offers its guests a wide variety of rides and attractions, including 10 roller coasters, several children's areas, a water park, and various live shows, and entertains more than 1.5 million guests each year, principally from the Cleveland/Akron, Youngstown and Pittsburgh markets. Although 2003 was a soft year, over the past three years the park has averaged revenues of approximately $64 million and cash operating profit of approximately $16 million. Cedar Fair's revenues and cash operating profit for 2003 were $510 million and $176 million, respectively.

Cedar Fair's six amusement parks are Cedar Point, located on Lake Erie between Cleveland and Toledo; Knott's Berry Farm near Los Angeles in Buena Park, California; Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania; Valleyfair near Minneapolis/St. Paul; Worlds of Fun, located in Kansas City, Missouri; and Michigan's Adventure near Muskegon, Michigan. The Partnership's water parks are located near San Diego and in Palm Springs, California, and adjacent to Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm and Worlds of Fun. Cedar Fair also operates Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota under a management contract.

Mr. Kinzel will host a conference call to discuss the acquisition at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 10, 2004. The call can be accessed at 1-888-896-0863, or in "listen only" mode via the Cedar Fair web site (www.cedarfair.com). The conference call will be made available for replay starting at approximately 3:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, March 10, 2004, until 11:59 p.m. ET, Wednesday, March 24, 2004. In order to access the replay of the conference call, please dial 1-877-519-4471 followed by the access code 4594040.
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GL's demise was caused by one mans foolish greed.

In the end the truth will come out as it always does.

It seems another untruth has been revealed. According to Bill Spehn and everyone else who worked at Geauga Lake Skyscraper could not be fixed due to a gearbox failure. It has now been found that the problem with Skyscraper was a bad motor. So again, another story made up to keep people quiet. I would start worrying if I was anyone involved, the truth is slowly coming out and someones going to look really bad, I wonder who. Wink

I am fairly sure the people in the know knew what the real problem was. They just didn't think anyone would ever really find out as their intention was to have it scrapped by now.

Since we have all this speculation going on...when will the new owner of the Big Dipper get off his fat a** and do something? Or has he realized that he can't do anything and just let the coaster rot, much like its counterparts at Idora and Chippewa Lake?

My money is on Big Dipper not running ever again and a lot of people on this site (not me) doing a lot of crying.
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I don't like a certain company so everything they do MUST be wrong, even if it's right. And that makes me look like a bigger fool.
Take a stand against coasters that hurt or kill people. Holiday World & Knotts Berry Farm, we are watching you!

I have a feeling there is more going on than most people realize. Just because a particular coaster is sitting does not mean nothing is going on. Dippers counterparts at Chippewa and Idora are different stories altogether.

If Dippers fate were to meet up with the wrecking ball I suspect that many more people than the ones on this site will be upset, the backlash would extend well beyond this site, this state, or even this country. I also suspect that although they would be extremely upset no one will be crying.

We can just hope that things are going on behind the scenes to keep the Dipper together for everyone to enjoy in the future.

With the secrecy, it's hard to say what is going on, so we just have to voice support and have faith. Anything else would be counterproductive.

Well, all I have to say is, if anyone here on this site see's anything being took apart off the dipper, they should let everyone know A.S.A.P and all meet at geauga lake with picket sign's.

We say we love this park, but sitting around when something major does go down, doesn't solve the problem. If you want something you got to go for it. It just dont come to you! I know people have lives and stuff like paying bills, but bills will always be there and Geauga Lake might not. So we should pull closer on this subject and work together, stop letting people like Dick kenzil run all over us! You don't need alot of money to speak your mind and have a picket line!

Just my personal opinion. (If we would have made an uproar at the park with signs when we first heard the news, the park might have still been here.)
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(ACFG)Anti-Cedar Fair Group

I feel very confident that the gentleman that owns the dipper cares about the ride and wants to see it alive and well again. He is not in cahoots with cedar fair and when the ride was damaged, it was fixed. I think we should give the guy the benefit of any doubt and offer him our support. I don't think any amount of uproar would have saved the park. It's future was made when cedar fair bought the paramount parks, I believe.

Folks please don't forget about the economy, it has slowed and stalled alot of projects out there. I 100% believe that the dipper won't meet the wrecking ball. OK, enough with my double post.

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