PennStater Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 The guy who owns those rides (and also the Toboggan) wanted to get them out of the park before the potential Sheriff's sale from what I understand. It's sad to see where this is heading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 While I'm no expert in the area of ride inspections I don't see who would want to buy any of those rides. They all look like they're in horrible shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightypotato Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 ^ This is true. When I was there last year, everything seemed to be in rough shape. Though, I do kind of want to buy Witch's Stew if only because it's so unique and wacky. If only I had Prince Desmond amount of money... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb1 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 The only ride that is for sale that is in bad shape is the witches stew to the best of my knowledge. I rode that and, most of the seatbelts did not work, the foam padding was all torn up and the seats were replaced with wood, and it could use paint. I browse a little at used rides and the music express is probably going pretty cheap and the kiddie carousel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Rides like Witch's Brew (Hustlers and Tempests) are pretty common still on the fair circuit. I don't know why anyone would rush to buy these when there's better attractions sitting in winter quarters of most every company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Definitely looks like the beginning of the (painstakingly long) end for this park. Oh well, I guess that I am glad that I got to go to the park after it had been resuscitated from the dead a few times. While it was an interesting place - weird, unique and even fun, I could always sense that this park just wasn't going to be capable of making it in the long term. The financial messes and multiple arson episodes certainly didn't help it along either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 This is just the most Conneaut Lake Park thing ever. Woman jailed for stealing beams from amusement park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OISU8P Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 She actually looks like to me the women that tried to "Save The Big Dipper". On a side note, maybe the park should have figured this out themselves to get more money. $15k for scrap metal that she was just able to get out of there.... Unfortunately for her she was just shy of the $5k for bail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPfan Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 (edited) http://triblive.com/mobile/6894849-96/park-sale-sheriff Maybe some good news for the park. Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office seeks halt to sheriff's sale of Conneaut Lake Park By Bill Vidonic Staff Reporter Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, 3:12 p.m. Conneaut Lake Park is overseen by a charitable trust and should be exempt from paying property taxes, the state Attorney General's Office said Wednesday in a bid to halt a looming sheriff's sale of the storied amusement park. The filing marks the first time the Attorney General's Office has argued that the park should be tax-exempt. “I'm pleased that they feel protective of the public trust. To me, that's really key. It's great to see that happening,” said Mark Turner, executive director of the seven-member Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park Inc. board. At stake are more than $925,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest owed to the county, Sadsbury and Summit townships and the Conneaut School District. All four taxing bodies support a sheriff's sale, scheduled for Nov. 7, to recoup back taxes. “We're leaving this to our attorney and other attorneys in court and the attorney general to figure all of this out,” Crawford County Commission Chairman Francis Weiderspahn Jr. said. The board of trustees said it may seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to avoid a sheriff's sale so it can work out a plan to reorganize and pay off debts. Turner said the board wants to avoid a bankruptcy filing, as it could cost $250,000 in fees. “We hate to do that,” said Turner, also the executive director of the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County, which oversees park operations. “We know what the ramifications are. We could enter Chapter 11 and leave it solvent, but we really hate to take that route.” The Attorney General's Office acts as a guardian for the state's nonprofits. Last year, it demanded the removal and reorganization of the park's board of trustees, saying that it failed to insure two historic buildings destroyed by fire and fell behind on taxes. The board resigned June 12 under a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office, and a new board formed. As part of the decree, the old board's insurance company agreed to pay $200,000 to the new board for park expenses. Turner said the board proposed using $100,000 to put a dent in the back taxes, but the taxing bodies rejected that offer. In its filing with Crawford County Court on Wednesday, the attorney general's office said the court ruled in 2003 that the park “constitutes a charitable trust,” and that no one has ever challenged that designation, though “some portions of the park may be taxable” depending on how they're used. The Attorney General's Office said that if the sheriff's sale proceeds, any buyer must use the property as a public park because of the trust. Edited October 4, 2014 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 It is interesting that the Attorney General says the park has been recognized through a 2003 court ruling as a charitable trust since 2003, and no one has challenged that claim in 11 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPfan Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 It is interesting that the Attorney General says the park has been recognized through a 2003 court ruling as a charitable trust since 2003, and no one has challenged that claim in 11 years. I agree. It also raises the question of just what would the adjusted numbers look like and will it be something that the park can work with. It's potentially good news but at the same time that's 11 years of missed opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Tax exemption would certainly help the park into the future. It is great to see someone championing this park's future! Here's hoping the park gets enough of a break to stick around for a long time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 The park just needs management with deep pockets to carefully invest in the park. And maybe reopen the waterpark too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I was really surprised when a co-worker told me today that they were having Ghost Lake again this year. I figured with the financial mess that the park is in that this most likely would get scrapped this year...I had forgotten that the haunt is ran by someone other than the owners of the park. We may take the family on Saturday night so I'll make sure that I charge up the camera batteries and snap some photos. Conneaut is such a perfect place for a haunt and I am glad to see that they are once again incorporating the hotel into it. Although I am not sure if anything could be much scarier than riding Blue Streak in the pitch black dark while it was snowing! While $25 is a little steep, 13 haunts is more than most of your corporate parks offer...and I don't think that they are charging extra for Blue Streak rides this year like they have done in the past. Ghost Lake Edit - I love the use of poor grammar and capitalization on the home page - this just screams total ghetto-ness...can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOG1991 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I was really surprised when a co-worker told me today that they were having Ghost Lake again this year. I figured with the financial mess that the park is in that this most likely would get scrapped this year...I had forgotten that the haunt is ran by someone other than the owners of the park. We may take the family on Saturday night so I'll make sure that I charge up the camera batteries and snap some photos. Conneaut is such a perfect place for a haunt and I am glad to see that they are once again incorporating the hotel into it. Although I am not sure if anything could be much scarier than riding Blue Streak in the pitch black dark while it was snowing! While $25 is a little steep, 13 haunts is more than most of your corporate parks offer...and I don't think that they are charging extra for Blue Streak rides this year like they have done in the past. Ghost Lake Edit - I love the use of poor grammar and capitalization on the home page - this just screams total ghetto-ness...can't wait! I am most likely going to the park Saturday as well! Keep in mind it will be packed during the day due to Pumpkin Fest (It's so weird to see some 30,000 people at the park for one weekend when I went on a beautiful sunny summer day and only maybe 10 other people were there). How does Blue Streak usually work during Ghost Lake? I know you get to ride it once in the dark as one of the haunts but can you ride more than once? I emailed Ghost Lake and they said 1 ride is free with Ghost Lake and additional rides are $3 but I wasn't sure if they meant during the haunt or during the normal ride hours (10am to 6pm). Also, I wonder if the unlimited ride band from that day applies to riding Blue Streak during Ghost Lake. I assume it doesn't. Anyways, looking forward to visiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 ^ The 10-6 normal ride hours are only this weekend because of the pumpkin fest, correct? It's not still open generally open for the season, other than Ghost Lake? Or it is? .... I couldn't find hours on the main park site. And like you, interested if anyone has attended Ghost Lake and how riding Blue Streak worked ... how crowded it was, availability/cost of rerides? I would really like to take this (likely) very last chance to experience this coaster, but for a 7hr drive, if I was likely to only get one or two rides I would be more on the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 ^ & ^^ They seem to change the Blue Streak rides every season for Ghost Lake since it reopened for whatever reason. One year it was included, another year it wasn't included and one year you got a voucher for just one ride. Regardless, lines were never longer than a two or three train wait although I am pretty sure that they only run one train. It does seem weird that the website doesn't mention it either way other than it will be open as Ghoster Coaster. I assume that would mean that you can ride as many times as you like with the Ghost Lake admission. If there are 30k people there for the fall pumpkin fest, we may just skip that and go to just the haunt...I wonder if maybe it will clear out a little by then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Some answers from an email from the park: ...> Normal operations are closed for the season except for Pumpkin Fest and Ghost Lake. ...> Rides operating at Pumpkin Fest 10a - 6p Sat&Sun (I did not ask about today but assume the same) ...> Ghost Lake admission provides just one single ride on the coaster Not clarified was whether additional rides on the coaster would be available during Ghost Lake on pay/ride scheme. I don't think the part knows, so I emailed address on the Ghost Lake site. Update: response: "Your ticket to Ghost Lake includes one ride on The Blue Streak Ghoster Coaster. You may buy additional rides at the ticket booth located in the middle of the midway." I may go this Sat or Sun and hope for the best during both Pumpkin & Ghost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb1 Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Has anyone ever herd that in the 1940s a drunk sailor stood up on the blue streak and was thrown from the car and killed on the sharp curve whitch afterword they took some of the sharpeness out of. http://books.google.com/books?id=P-ZpsA6tF-AC&pg=PT49&dq=conneaut+lake+park&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8zA4VNKwC_S1sQSF_YKgCw&ved=0CFIQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=conneaut%20lake%20park&f=false Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 ^I guess that answers the question of what you do with a drunken sailor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOG1991 Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Well, over the weekend I drove some 12 hours to Conneaut Lake Park for Pumpkin Fest and Ghost Lake! (Yes I know that is insane, I did stop at Kings Island to get my Banshee credit and make use of my Platinum Pass though as well!). Overall, I had an amazing experience at the park! I didn't arrive until 5pm on Saturday and it was PACKED. I was really disappointed to arrive so late but the operations were outstanding. They were selling unlimited ride bands for just 10 dollars. All rides were running except for the long time SBNO ones, Devil's Den (because they use it for Ghost Lake) and it appeared that the train was down. They usually only run the Tumble Bug when Blue Streak is down but both were open since it was so busy. As for Blue Streak, they added the 4th car back on the train! The ejector airtime was INSANE back there. It was also running more smooth than 6 weeks ago. I know they have done a lot of track work to the bottom of the hills and there is a lot of new wood in stock behind the lift hill. The line was huge at first and my first wait took nearly 30 minutes, but as 6pm approached the line cleared out, however the operators decided to run it an hour late just to be nice. Ghost Lake was really impressive this year, but again the crowds were huge. The line for Blue Streak at 11pm (It is the final 13th haunt in Ghost Lake) filled the entire line and ran down the midway. I am so glad they had the 4th car back on track. Overall it was just amazing to experience the park during these events with such huge crowds and quality operations. I am so glad I made the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwaziBSRider1 Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 ^ Man, I need to get back there! I really hope I get a chance to experience that 4th car. Does anybody know what the last weekend for Ghost Lake is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) ^ Man, I need to get back there! I really hope I get a chance to experience that 4th car. Does anybody know what the last weekend for Ghost Lake is? On the Ghost Lake website it appears to run through October 31st, making the 25th-26th the last weekend. http://www.ghostlake.net/Default.aspx Edited October 13, 2014 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwaziBSRider1 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Well, damn. I'm busy the next two weekends. Guess I'll have to hope the place opens up again next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I did a seven hour ride out to CLP by myself on Sunday morning and had an absolutely magnificent day at the park. The weather could not have been more perfect and it was nice to see a bustling park, albeit only due to a special event. Found the memory card slot empty in my camera upon arriving. Darn-it. So I only got some decidedly poor cellphone pictures. Blue Streak was a tremendous experience and it was tough to get away from it to check out anything else. Overall I did something like 22 rides and hit up every seat. Between 1-5pm there was a sufficiently consistent stream of riders to send most trains almost full, but never crowded enough to have to wait a full cycle. Those are my favorite re-riding conditions. At one point no one was queuing and I happened to catch up with another coaster enthusiast I'd met earlier for an empty ride. A longtime regular at the park, he had his friend/the operator send the train for three cycles with no station brakes. Thank you so much Mr. Awesome operator guy! There is a lot of love in this community for this ride, and a lot of heavy hearts about the uncertain future. From the vantage of the lifthill you see what was once a clearly beautiful destination, a true point of pride in a small unassuming community. Over the clack-clack-clack I heard, more than once, voices choking up, recounting childhood memories and pointing out various heartbreaking derelictions. One gentlemen told me his first ride on the coaster dated to 1958. The local young ones were surprisingly knowledgeable and appreciative of the ride. I don't really like children, especially the specimens you find at a Six Flags, but this seems like a charming community with good people raising good kids. Just a few weeks ago I did 11 consecutive rides on Gold Striker. After eight rides I was still having fun on this very new, highly rated, modern, twisty GCI creation, but... well, this sense crept over me: not exactly boredom, but not exactly as much enthusiasm as I would want. The marathoning experience on 'Streak was completely different - I felt myself falling in love - every ride just made me want the next one even more. I could feel very distinctly how much better it was running in warmest part of the day between 2-4pm. On the fastest rides of the day there was air on every seat. Earlier and Later runs were quite tame comparatively, at least in the middle two cars. One early run got stuck coming back into the station around the final bent and operator pushed us in by hand. Seat 11 does get my vote for best on the train, a good mix of comfort and crazy air. But you've shortchanged yourself if you haven't given row 12 at least one shot. Yeah, there's going to be a few painful moments. But it is off the charts wild, a serious step over seat 11 on the buttclench-o-meter. Only once did I go hands up back there, it legitimately frightened me, and I held on the next two. Seat 9 actually felt harsher than 12 to me; I'm not sure if the back car was the one recently revamped? As the rides were closing up for the day, I caught up with another enthusiast trio I'd met on 'Streak who, since I was alone, invited me into their group for the haunt event. As we waited for the ticket box to open for the haunt, we swapped park experiences. I've never been out of the US for theme parks, so they were able to capture my rapt attention with stories from parks in England, Germany, Netherlands, eastern Europe and elsewhere. The haunts were fun, surprisingly elaborate. They brought in huge crowds. The night ride on Blue Streak was surreal and brought me to a different plane of consciousness. Woohoo! Tumble Bug was tumbling! What a ride, I almost fell out. So much better than I figured. Just love the shape of this hill. Great clouds on a bright, slightly brisk day. Many folks enjoying the lake. Fries booth was open for haunt. Pumpkin fest sure brought in the crowds. It must have been somewhat of a step into the past compared to typical operating day. Vibrant! Dormant! New paint! Look - over there - an abandoned coaster! (Or this one) Strictly denying kiddie credits since 1950. How come the carousel building never makes picture sets of Conneaut? Except for a few stretches of downtime, Blue Streak's queue would fill to the bottom of the ramp every cycle after about 1pm. Of course this picture was taken before noon. Afternoon crowds as seen from the 'Streak station. My new favorite coaster trains of all time. Comfortable, historical, stylish. 1960s NAD. Original PTC trains under tarp. See #5? That's the one you want(ed). The lady running this and Paratrooper was really cool. Watched her run a 9 minute program for a skilled solo snapper. Epic. Wait, what's that coming down the drop? It's not abandoned! Let's ride! Nice to see you too! This one definitely wasn't running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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