JEAPUgrad

Unbeknown to us, I happened to be at Geauga Lake in it's final weekend of operation. I have the park map as well as the dated show schedule that I have since had mounted and framed. I've thought about going to Home Depot or Lowes during the offseason and searching for some California Yellow Pine to get a quick fix by inhaling it's scent but have actually gone that far yet. I'm not a fanny pack or coaster tee shirt kind of guy. I'm the guy that shouts inappropriate phrases as the train hits the brake run during an ERT session though. Yeah, I'm that guy alright!

Of the 167 I've been on, I don't remember too much. #1- The Grizzly - King's Dominion - age 7 #100 The Boss - Six Flags St. Louis My first looping coaster though not sure the credit number was Mind Eraser at Adventure World (SFA) in 1995.

The Eiffel Tower's height is 331' 6" as I posted after my visit to the park on Sept 4th. I rode up in the Tower and the op gave that as the height of the tower.

I think an indoor mouse would be a nice fit for SFA. It would cater to families and add a coaster to their lineup. I'd rather see a thrill coaster, don't get me wrong, but would understand if they went in that direction.

*boing*

The I305 blog lists the height of the first tower thats currently errected at 240 feet. The coaster still has another 65 feet to go. After looking at that amazing drop, I wonder if they considered lowering the first turnaround closer to the ground or adding a tunnel. That would've been awesome.

Clint Novak's latest video showing off construction can be found here:

^on my last visit to the park a couple of weeks ago, there were six county officers parked out in front of the park's entry plaza. I guess they wanted their presence to be known.

The "crowd" at SFA has always been there. Location location location. It's been there from Wild World to Adventure World to SFA. The coaster installations of Supe and Batwing did not contribute to the "crowd" that SFA draws.

I posted my source already for the 2011 coaster. I spoke with the Park President for SFA this previous winter. There was a billing issue with several season passes I purchased and we spoke for a while about the park's future and his intentions. He did not know I was a coaster enthusiast not did I tell him. He told me in February that SFA would see a major family addition in 2010 as they needed to draw in the families because the companies strategy of targeting the teen audience didn't work at the turn of the millennium. I inquired if SFA would ever see an El Toro-type wooden coaster and the PP talked about the direction of the park for 2010, 2011, 2012. He asked what I'd like to see at the park and said the park has a bright future ahead of it. I've posted the contents of the conversation already. I continually get blasted on here and other sites of people who say that conversation never took place, I don't know what I'm talking about, blah blah blah blah blah. If it happens, I'll be the first person to say I told you so. Something that is uncharacteristic for me.

Actually no I wasn't in the room when said contract was signed. I just wanted to get you off my back. You've been riding me for some tme. Fact of the matter is our community is built around rumors and hearsay. You won't find many theme park insiders on these forums. And if you do, they have to sign confidentiality clauses at the start of their employment. Everyone knows someone "in the know" and everyone has different sources. The people who have told me about an existing contract are some of "those people" who are always in the know about what's going on behind the scenes. They may have previously worked for a manufactuer, may run well known websites, may be high ranking members of certain clubs etc. Whatever the case may be, there are people in the community who seem to always be in the know. I'm not in the know but I have quite a few friends who are. When they tell me stuff like that, I take their word for it. Years and years of friendshipa and trade secrets come true, I usually believe them. Doesn't mean that they are always right. Many of these people have said that SFA will be getting a new steel coaster in 2011. I have received first hand knowledge of that information as well. Can we get this thread back to SFA? .

Never saw this coming.

^yes

I think it's great that CF is doing everything it can to preserve this classic and now rare ride. There are what, three of them left in the world? I've never understood why CF kept DD at CP all these years after Power Tower opened. DD does provide a unique thrill that the elevator shaft that rattles uncontrolably and the braking system used to stop the ride. The brief moment of weightlessness only adds to the fear factor. I'm not a huge fan of drop rides. I'll ride S&S's tubro drops and space shots all day. I don't like the second and third generation freefall rides from Intamin. The first generation drop rides are more my speed. Big fear of heights here.

Yet they are spending $25 million for I305. I'm sure Volcano wasn't a cheap investment either especially with all the set backs the project had. RCDB does not list the cost as they sometimes do when they have the information. See above. Doubtful. They probably chose a giga over a hyper because their nearest competitor built a similar ride nearly a decade ago. Not saying it's not plausable that two parks so close to each other wouldn't install similar coasters, but, I don't think anyone would argue that I305 is going to be KD's signature attraction when it opens. If an exclusivity contract does not exist, why not go with the company that has a flawless safety record compared to the company that's constantly being sued every time some is ejected from their rides. CF has plopped B&M Hypers in three of the five former Paramount Parks. Obviously CF is happy with what they're received in Behemoth and Diamondback, why wouldn't they continue this trend, IF an exclusity contract does not exist. IntaRide (Intamin) is a business. They strive to make the most money for themselves just as every other company tries to do. KD's $25 million investment is hardly a discount for a coaster of this proportion. CP's Shoot the Rapids is a $10.5 million investment. That's a lot of cash for a water ride. What makes you think Intamin even offered a hyper to CF/KD? With the success of Millennium Force, I think CF had a giga in mind for KD all along. It's not like Intamin pulled this idea out of a hat. How'd that conversation go? KD- "Intamin, we want a record breaking hyper coaster" Intamin- "We're so glad you chose us." KD- "We want something tall, something steep, and filled with airtime. Oh yes, we also want OTSR." Intamin- "Have you considered making a splash in that market and going up a hundred feet to a giga model?" KD- "That's a great idea. Yeah, let's do that instead." Obviously that's a little over the top. Were you in the room when KD decided to "exchange" a hyper for a giga?

Taking the tone of other posters on this site, PROVE IT!!! Simmer down. I'm just busting your chops. I don't agree with any of the points you made but this conversation is probably best suited for the KD thread.

Screamscape is reporting this morning that Demon Drop from Cedar Point is being removed and sent to Knott's. Here's the links: http://www.screamscape.com/html/knott_s_berry_farm.htm What is interesting in this second link (scroll to page 2) is that it's documented from August 2009. http://www.buenapark.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=1409

Most contests of this nature and those on the radio and other promotional contests have a minimum age of 18. IMO, if you weren't alive when the show started nearly 20 years ago than you shouldn't be allowed to have an entry in the contest to begin with.

Where did you get that from? So they approve Two Face instead? A ride that has absolutely no evacuation system on the lift at all? Gotta love all the internet rumors, eh Airtime?

B&M's cost a LOT of money...While your on these questions, there aren't too many Paramount or Six Flags parks that got many B&M expansions...Just because these parks haven't received a B&M isn't adequate enough to say "BG paid us not to sell to you" How much could Busch have paid B&M not to sell ANY coasters to SFA and KD? $100 million? I don't think they'd have paid that type of number just to say "if you wan't to ride a Beemer here's the only place you can". I honestly think B&M would have made more money just selling rides...and that's because their rides are expensive, which is what looks like why these parks haven't got any. So the $25 million KD/Cedar Fair is shelling out for Intimidator isn't a lot of money? As far as the exclusivity debate goes, check out this link. It was previously discussed on another site at length and it gives you some details behind the deal: http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/forums/cgi/forum1.cgi?read=201152

Personally, I'd rather see all the rides and coasters returned to Geauga Lake than have it closed forever. It won't happen but you have to always remember where you came from. Geauga Lake for me was a magical place. Not so much on the Disney level but before the SF branding and Cedar Fair getting a hold of the park, Geauga Lake wasn't a huge corporate park. It's a shame there aren't more parks like Geagua Lake around.

The deal with Paramount Parks and Vekoma was that Paramount Parks had exclusivity on the Vekoma Flyers provided they purchased "x" amount of these coasters in a certain time frame. When Paramount Parks did not purchase another flyer, SF/Premier Parks stepped up immediately and purchased two flyers. One went to Six Flags World of Adventure (Geagua Lake) and opened as X-Flight. The other of course is Batwing. Let's at least get the history lesson correct. What would a contract between BGE and SFA have to do with anything? There has been speculation for a very long time that BGE has an exclusivity clause with B&M that prevents B&M from selling new coasters to KD and possibly even SFA. The problem is it's been all speculation with no proof. Neither park has installed a new B&M. In my opinion, I believe that there may be in fact an exclusivity clause with BGE and B&M for the simple fact that Cedar Fair has dropped B&M hypers in 3 of the 5 former Paramount Parks. They've put in Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback at King's Island, and are currently installing Intimidator at Carowinds. KD is getting an Intamin Giga. Why hasn't there been a new B&M in the past fifteen years at KD if there isn't an exclusivity clause between BGE and B&M? Why hasn't SFA purchased a B&M? They installed seven coasters over a six year period. Three Vekomas, a GCII, an Intamin, a Zamperla, and a Premier Rides coaster.

I agree, that's why I like the park so much and get a pass every season. I get my season pass to go to Great Adventure. Same concept as going to KD except SFGAdv is 3 hours away and has tolls along the way.

^With vertical construction being at almost two months in at this point, you'd think they'd have this figured out by now.

^I'm one of those people who will drive two hours to KD than drive 5 miles to SFA. SFA for me isn't a full day experience whereas KD is. SFA for me is three hours max because everything is usually a walk on and the park is 1/4th the size of KD. Not knocking SFA, I just think they are two totally different experiences with not much in common.