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Reviews of Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare

Big Dipper at Geauga Lake, Now What?

PREMiERdrum
in Other Amusement Parks & Industry News

Featured Replies

LINK - Aurora Advocate

Although no date has been set for the demolition, the owner of Geauga Lake's Big Dipper roller coaster says it definitely will be torn down.

Through his agent — Tom Woosnam of APEX Western Machinery Movers in Akron — the owner announced his decision this morning.

"I have determined that the deadline for the sale of the Big Dipper cannot be met," the owner said in an e-mail. "I have decided to demolish the Dipper and end the existence of this wonderful roller coaster. This is painful but necessary decision."

I saw this coming, but it still stinks that it's actually happening. Such a great, classic ride.

  • Author

If nothing else, I hope that the NAD trains are preserved. While I get that there isn't a strong business case to relocate the ride, it is sad to see another piece of history cease to be.

I hope to head out to Kennywood next year and ride Jack Rabbit and The Racer. Big Dipper really was a fantastic ride, even if I didn't know the history behind it the time I rode it.

  • Author

And somewhere a Terpy is crying...

Yet another John Miller...soon to be gone.

Long live Sea Dragon!

Edit: I haven't dared venture over to Geauga Lake Today's forum, and likely won't. Those guys probably expect Kinzel to be out there with the wrecking ball at the stroke of midnight. Conspiracy theories are surely already flying.

This really stinks. I tried to get up to the park before they closed, but money just never allowed it. It's a real shame that all the places with character are being destroyed.

Words cannot even begin to describe the feelings I am having over this... anger being a BIG one.... so I am simply going to join Terpy for a cry. This... really.... SUCKS!!!mad.gif

The former Geauga Lake amusement park sits abandoned, overgrown and forlorn, a giant concrete lot that once served as a popular summer attraction for local families.

The sounds of carousel music, the whooshing and whirring of the rides, and the screams and laughter of roller coaster fans have been silenced forever.

The old park's main attraction, the wooden Big Dipper roller coaster, will soon be a pile of wood and steel, after its anonymous owner announced Tuesday that he failed to sell the 1925-era ride on eBay and has no choice but to demolish it....

Meanwhile, Bainbridge Township trustees are debating the fate of the 400-acre portion of the property that sits in the township. They are considering talks with Aurora, which has 200 acres of the old park.

The Bainbridge portion is zoned commercial/recreational, but most local and county officials agree that it's not likely that anyone will buy the land and develop it into another amusement park. Cedar Fair still operates Wildwater Kingdom on the adjacent property, formerly known as Sea World.

"I can't see us developing commercial recreation there," Township Trustee Jeff Markley said during a lengthy discussion Monday night.

Markley said he would like to work with Aurora to develop a mixed use zoning plan for the property, which Geauga County Planning Director David Dietrich said is the largest remaining chunk of commercial land left in the county....

Much more at:

http://www.news-hera...s/nh3033500.txt

Also see:

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/547013/Big-Dipper-coasting-into-history-.html?nav=5021

  • Author
Cedar Fair had allowed the Big Dipper to remain on the park site as long as it was vacant. And the owner had set a Sept. 15 deadline for lining up a buyer.

Interesting that the deadline was imposed by the Dipper's owner, not CF...

Could this be a last minute stunt to find a buyer? Sort of like how you'll hardly ever see a store busier than on the very last day of their "going out of business" store.

So the owner is going to demolish the right at his own expense? Odd that he hasn't even tried to sell track portions to the enthusiast community, like was done with RWB.

  • 2 weeks later...

A person who used to post here frequently posted the following as her Facebook Status today:

"It's official and I've been cleared to announce it. THE BIG DIPPER HAS BEEN SAVED!"

I trust the person, but have no other data - a follow-up response said details are forthcoming.

I wish someone would save this coaster. Just can't seem to believe it. Cedar Fair should step up, and put it in one of their parks. Sorry, not excited to see a WindSeeker at every park CF owns. Big Dipper would make a great addition to Kings Island.

WOW what a bunch of random thoughts

A person who used to post here frequently posted the following as her Facebook Status today:

"It's official and I've been cleared to announce it. THE BIG DIPPER HAS BEEN SAVED!"

I trust the person, but have no other data - a follow-up response said details are forthcoming.

Tis true!

...Channel 3 News has confirmed that the landmark Big Dipper roller coaster that sat ready for demolition on the grounds of the former Geauga Lake amusement park has been saved, having been bought by two coaster enthusiasts, an Ohioan and a New Zealander. Kat Jones and New Zealander Harold Garmonsway had Garmonsway's payment for the Big Dipper delivered FedEx to the current owner's agent Tom Woosnam on Thursday....

The new owners are hoping to reopen the coaster and have made a public appeal. "We will have to move the Big Dipper," they said, "but we are confident that, with your help, we can reopen it to the public. The Dipper will fly again."

The new location hasn't been decided but discussions are underway.

For now, they intend to dismantle the coaster and store it in Northeast Ohio until the appropriate site is secured.

You can find more details about the project on their new website http://www.savethedipper.org [sic]

Kat Jones intends to be at the Geauga Lake booth at the Apple Butter Festival in Burton Oct. 9-10.

http://www.wkyc.com/...=151390&catid=3

http://www.savethebigdipper.org/

Great to hear! I'm one of the people who would like to see Cedar Fair step up and take it back, clean it up, and install it at one of their parks. I don't know, I'm just glad to hear that it isn't getting destroyed just yet.

  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I was really hoping she would have talked to the Strickers about possibly putting it there. That would be a great addition. Well,

my other fantasy is, if it has to stay up there, see if they can move it to Euclid Beach, and have a resurgence maybe on bringing THAT

park back to life as it was 40 years ago! One can hope and dream!

Makes me wonder wether or not Coney Island would be interested in Big Dipper.

Let me see... Relocation of Giant Dipper would cost roughly 2 million dollars, as compared to Raven's estimate of 2 million and Coney Island's Twister slide: 1.7 million.

Probably not, but maybe... Just maybe... smile.gif

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