Flagg O'Dim

Thanks for the updates BobMan! It's good to see improvements on the existing rides (although I'm disappointed with Firefall, always seems to be closed for the first month of the season). Now that Invertigo is gone, it appears that the mechanics have a lot more time to work on the other rides... I'm definitely riding on Cabin #4 on the Drop Tower! The line should go a lot faster with all six cabins.

I'll probably go. There's a good chance that it will be raining though, probably keep the crowds down. I'm most looking forward to riding the Grizzly! Things I'll be looking for: -If Firefall will be running on opening day, for the first time in its existence at CGA. -Will there be six cars working on the Drop Tower? -Fence: The Ride -New Tiki Twirl sign -Maybe Vortex will be running the other train that was in rehab all last season, possibly smoother? -The appearance of the orange Demon train, with the yellow one in rehab Should be fun. The off-season went by fairly quick!

On a different note, Costco is selling Gold passes for $63.99, which also includes a $5 coupon for any game. That's $11 cheaper than what CGA is selling them for on their website. Seems that the $11 difference is adequately adjusted for the loss of Invertigo.

Thanks for the pictures. It's cool to see the track pieces, yet depressing at the same time. I also see the staircase that went alongside the lift hill piled on top of the track.

Wait. I don't understand what all the commotion is about. Haven't we known that CF has been trying to sell the park to the 49ers for years? What am I missing? Honestly, I don't see it happening. With an NFL lockout looming, Gov. Brown's plans to cut redevelopment funding (i.e. the stadium), the last thing the 49ers want to do is buy a park, AND pay for demolition...

Check out that forest, new for 2011!

^Very depressing. I found this picture on Flickr (won't let me post it here): WARNING: Will cause extreme instances of

Just went to CGA's website, and the new name for Survivor is.... Tiki Twirl. Eh. I guess it matches the themeing. It sounds like a name for a kiddie ride though.... http://cagreatamerica.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=2

If CGA got a ZacSpin, I'd be more than happy to forgive them for removing Invertigo. And hey, it's compact! I'm totally sold on a ZacSpin after watching TPR's POV of Insane at Grona Land. I'm not against getting a Windseeker, actually I think it would be great for the park to have a 200ft version of it. If they could add a Windseeker along with a coaster, that would be icing on the cake. Exactly. If the attendance rises that much for something that lasts only a few weekends in one month (Haunt), I would imagine that it would skyrocket with a new coaster. It's a great market out there, Cedar Fair just needs to further tap into it.

I could only stand one ride in a row for Invertigo. Every time I got off it, I found walking to be a bit of a challenge (but in a good way!). I would ride it at least two times for every visit, my record is four times throughout a day. On a different note, CGA has finally posted off-season pics on their Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=262738&id=28442453154#!/album.php?aid=262738&id=28442453154 The retracking of Grizzly's first drop is looking good. Looks like CGA is serious about attempting to smooth the ride out. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm most looking forward to riding the Grizzly this season...Can it be 2012 yet?

^Maybe they could also take out the three-point shooting contest and extend out to there. Also, they could reasonably extend out into Tidal Wave's spot, I can see the footers from the picture.

I feel sick. Let's celebrate the 35th anniversary by...removing Invertigo? I hope Screamscape's sources are completely false. Why not get rid of Vortex? I would be fully supportive of that. I thought it was a little weird on one of the Haunt's radio ads, where it said something along the lines of "Come ride Flight Deck, Vortex, Demon, and Grizzly," with no mention of Invertigo. Well, I guess this means that we are finally getting that GCI and/or another coaster. But it's hard to get excited when they're removing arguably the best ride in the park. Attendance will likely hit new lows. It's hard to attract guests when your newest coaster is 18 years old... Ugh, I don't know what to say. If true, I will seriously reconsider renewing my season pass.

I can see why. Like you said, the Grizzly doesn't really do anything, other than going straight and turning around, which repeats more-or-less four times. But the roughness has been slightly smoothed, maybe it won't finish at the bottom this year... I did notice that the 10-minute turnaround was more like a 9-minute turnaround last season, thanks to the retracking. I've always thought that if the Grizzly's turnaround was similar to the SCBB Giant Dipper's turnaround (i.e. banked, sharper), it could go a long way towards improving the ride, and maybe it might actually do something. While on the subject of the Grizzly, isn't this season going to be it's 25th anniversary? Maybe it's getting a Texas Giant-style makeover! /joke

I like the Grizzly (yes I said it). It isn't my favorite ride in the park, nor does it need to be. I find it moderately enjoyable, especially since portions of it were retracked last off-season, which made a HUGE improvement. Sure, the 10-minute turnaround isn't great, but I take that time to check out the view, and see how long the lines are for Invertigo and the Demon. The families that I've seen ride the Grizzly love it, plus it usually has one of the longest lines in the park, and I'm sure that's all that CGA cares about. I'd rather have an average coaster in the park than a Paramount-special empty gravel lot (cough Triple Play cough Tidal Wave cough).

haha, thanks! I'm obviously a big Stephen King fan. Maybe CGA's Drop Tower could be renamed Dark Tower?

I know I keep saying this, but I'm still holding out hope that CGA will get Cedar Point's recently removed Chaos. Screamscape.com reported that they might possibly move it to another park in the winter. Would fit nicely in Triple Play's old spot, I think. But we should have heard something by now... Although, I remember last year, it was reported that CGA would be getting Knott's Screamin' Swing (but we all know how that went), and that was fairly close to the beginning of the season (February?). Still a faint possibility of an announcement this season. I'm expecting new shows at least, and hopefully they bring back a comedian/magician in the Showtime Theater (or anything but that awful Rock Band Live "concert," which I unfortunately attended). I keep checking CGA's Facebook for their off-season photos, but they have yet to post any. I really want to see the ride rehabs (new Vortex paint job, please).

^I'm not sure what to make of that. One the one hand, it could effectively kill off the stadium plans, but it could also mean that it will be ANOTHER five years of "wait-and-see" mode by Cedar Fair.

As a side note, isn't the Survivor contract finished? I remember reading somewhere, either here or Screamscape, that the contract ended in 2010 (or '11?). I wonder if they will renew the license, or just rename the ride some Cedar Fair-ish name. Does anyone know more?

I'm still holding out hope. Cedar Fair's Michigan's Adventure is about to make an announcement in a couple days, and Worlds of Fun, another Cedar Fair park, just announced that they're getting Geauga Lake's carousel. I suppose it's still not too late for our Cedar Fair park to make an announcement.

As the 2010 season is in its final hours, I figured I would pose this question that CGA posted on their Facebook: What is your highlight of the 2010 season? For me, it would have to be riding Invertigo in the front row when it reopened after it's LONG absence. It was also the first time I ever rode in the front, and I've been riding there mostly every time since. I'm looking forward to next season! Here are my expectations just for the hell of it: Realistic expectations: -New movie in the Action Theater -All six cars working on the Drop Tower -New Haunt maze -Invertigo operates at least 75% of the season Not likely, but in the realm of possibility expectations: -Another hand-me-down used flat ride: Cedar Point's currently-for-sale Chaos perhaps? http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=1267 Not in this universe, but still fun to speculate expectations: -The Stampede -Pictorium reopens (actually no, I asked this question on CGA's Facebook, the response was "Not at this time") -Vortex gets a complete overhaul, new name, color scheme, theming (fire cannons at the bottom of the first drop, etc), and runs smooth. -The neighbors shut up Well, that was kind of fun. I miss CGA already...March can't get here soon enough.

I went to CGA's Halloween Haunt twice this year. It was my first Haunt experience, very fun! Lots of unsettling moments, and the music and theming of the mazes was extremely well done. Looking forward to next year, even though it's a LONG way off.

Ah, that explains why. There was another group that caught up behind us, and we all went in at the same time. Seems like it loses it's force with more people. Still fun though, if unbearably hot and stuffy.

I visited the Haunt last night, and like Sunfire said, it was pretty crowded. A huge contrast from my previous visit on opening night. Upon arriving, we headed towards CarnEvil first, only to find that the line was packed. The entire queue was full, and extended almost to the clothing shop (although it did clear up later, to the point where it was a two minute wait). So we decided to hit the back of the park first, and a good thing too. Black Widow’s Cavern, Cornstalkers, and Toy Factory were all walk-ons, but that certainly wasn’t the case about an hour later. Maze thoughts: Club Blood (twice): Line stretched out to the entrance, but moved fairly quick. Unfortunately, they were letting six people go at a time, and the people in front of us got most of the scares. We then caught up to the other group of six, and that created a sort of traffic jam. But, I took that opportunity to look up at the Imax screen, which never ceases to amaze me (I believe it stretches out over the entire ceiling? I could be wrong, but it sure looks like it. I’ve only seen an operating Imax screen once). The maze itself is well-themed, there is a lot to look at. But it’s a little on the short side. Slaughterhouse (once): This maze seems to me to be the weakest, as much as I’d hate to say it. Again, we had a traffic jam, but unlike all the other mazes, there just isn’t that much to look at. It’s mostly black walls. On the plus side, the “Old Macdonald” scene at the end provides a much needed contrast. Toy Factory (once): A walk-on. Still my favorite maze, and this time there seemed to be more monsters, possibly because it was earlier in the night. Song is still as catchy as ever. The ending did seem to have slightly less force than I remember, though. Cornstalkers (once): Lots of opportunities for the monsters to jump out at you, and they sure took advantage of it. Excellent camouflage by some of the actors, I jumped more than once. Also, I gotta say that the truck is brilliant, one of the best props out of all the mazes in my opinion. Black Widow’s Cavern (once): I noticed that there were more props (i.e. spider webs of course) added to the station since my last visit. The actors leaned way over the water, at times it seemed that they would be run over. Werewolf Canyon (once): I enjoyed this maze more than last time. Lot of scare moments here, and the fact that it was a full moon out added authenticity to the maze. Trivia note: The blues song that plays in the entrance is Skip James’ “Killin’ Floor.” CarnEvil (twice): The 3D glasses really do make a difference, although the maze is still excellent without them. I really like the song too, it’s a close second to Toy Factory’s theme. Clowns everywhere, and I noticed the Joker! Ride totals: Invertigo, Demon, Grizzly, Drop Tower, Endeavor, Orbit, and FireFall: All one time each. All in all, it was definitely a fun night, but I felt that opening night was better, because there were no lines whatsoever. Random shot of a monster in CarnEvil’s line:

Excellent report and pictures! In my first walk through of Toy Factory, Raggedy Ann was getting choked, and pretty convincingly. Kudos to the actors for their enthusiasm. I also thought the strobe light section was cool, but man is that room potentially seizure-inducing. I wonder how the actors can stand it for so long... Your description of the ending is hilarious, I'm totally going to be thinking that the next time I visit. I gotta say, I was surprised by the ending of Slaughterhouse, nice contrast to the rest of the maze.

^I was there last night, and the lines were non-existent. Everything (mazes and rides) were walk-ons. I expected it to be pretty crowded. That being said, I thought the Haunt was awesome! It was the first time I've been to CGA's Haunt, and I was extremely impressed. It's hard for me to say which maze was my favorite, as they were all great, but I would have to say that Toy Factory stood out the most for me. I still have the theme song stuck in my head, and the ending was epic (but, like was asked last year on these forums, how can that be safe?) I thought Black Widow's Cavern was also well done. They added a lot of extra tunnels, and I enjoyed the eerie soundtrack. It truly felt like you were escaping from the monsters (some of which hit your log). Maybe it's just me, but it felt like the water was sped up, we were flying through the ride. It was also cool to be inside the old Pictorium for Club Blood. I happened to look up near the end and noticed how high the ceiling is, and I also saw what I believe to be the giant curtain that covered the Imax screen. Totals for the night: Toy Factory: 2 times Club Blood: 2 Slaughterhouse: 2 Cornstalkers: 1 ("Stay away from my truck!") Black Widow's Cavern: 1 Werewolf Canyon: 1 CarnEvil: 1 For the rides: Drop Tower: 3 Flight Deck: 2 (the singing ride operator was hilarious) Invertigo, Demon, Vortex, Delirium, Firefall: one time each. CGA has done a great job with the Haunt.