Conneaut Lake Park (CLP) Discussion Thread

[thrillerman1]

I love Paranormal State. I'll definitely have to check this episode out. Thanks for the heads up!

[kidcoaster 2]

Just a reminder this is on tonight!

[ginzo]

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

[maryparks]

Lake Tahoe ResortLuxury LA Hotel

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

 

Excellent!!!!

[kidcoaster 2]

If anyone is interested someone captured some screen shots of the park from the movie The Road

 

clpjunction.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=396

[FlyingScooter]

^Thanks, Ken...

[kidcoaster 2]

Hey Theme Park Review a campaign has started to help bring back the famous Blue Streak roller coaster at Conneaut Lake Park. $125,000 is needed to reopen the Blue Streak. Any donation will help!

 

The Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park are mounting a campaign to get the

Blue Streak back on track.

 

Miss that click-click-click of the

Blue Streak's lift hill? Help bring it back by donating to the "Blue Streak Restoration Fund" easily and securely online via Paypal! Help us meet our goal of $125,000 and bring those screams back to the park!

 

ACE is coming to CLP! This June, CLP is co-hosting the

American Coaster Enthusiasts

for their National Convention, and your donation will help get the Blue Streak operating for everyone to enjoy!

 

Years of band-aids on the gem of Conneaut Lake Park,"The Blue Steak", have to come off and be replaced and reworked with care and precision to restore and preserve this rare wooden beauty. Wooden coasters have a certain feel and characteristic about them that steel coasters just can't match. We have the real deal right here and with your help it can operate again and become an anchor point for Conneaut Lake Park, its enthusiasts, and as an example of this fine style of vintage history.

 

Your donation can be made safely and securely online via Paypal to help pay for the repairs that are needed for this classic wooden coaster to operate again. These funds will be separate from the general operating funds of Conneaut Lake Park. Funds exceeding the needs for restoration will be escrowed for future work on the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park.

 

Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of this exciting rebirth. Get started now and watch for further details.

 

www.conneautlakepark.com/bluestreak.html

 

Also here is the story from the Meadville Tribune

 

Published January 31, 2010 09:40 pm - Sabrina Liller has been an “amusement park junkie” pretty much all of her life.

“I think I was born with it,” the 32-year-old Allentown resident said. “The entire experience of visiting a park — the sights, the sounds, the smells, the rides, everything — is just magical to me.”

 

 

Coaster fans hope to keep Streak alive

 

 

By Lisa Byers

 

 

Sabrina Liller has been an “amusement park junkie” pretty much all of her life.

 

 

“I think I was born with it,” the 32-year-old Allentown resident said. “The entire experience of visiting a park — the sights, the sounds, the smells, the rides, everything — is just magical to me.”

 

Prior to her 11th birthday, though, there was one thing about amusement parks that scared Liller like nothing else.

 

“In full disclosure, I was terrified of roller coasters,” she said.

 

Not anymore.

 

Today, Liller, a writer for News Plus Notes, a blog about the amusement park industry she shares with three other writers, considers roller coasters one of an amusement park’s greatest treasures, particularly ones like the historical Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park. That is why Liller is among those doing their part to help bring the Blue Streak back to life for the 2010 season.

 

“Restoring the Blue Streak is absolutely essential to the survival of this park,” she said. “Historically speaking, roller coasters have always been ‘king of the midway.’ They are the headlining attractions, and they draw the largest crowds.

 

“Conneaut Lake is blessed to have a classic, one-of-a-kind wooden roller coaster that even runs vintage trains. That’s tough to find these days.”

 

Restoring the 72-year-old Blue Streak is the next step for the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, who with the help of Park Restorations LLC, Lisko & Sons Amusements and the community, are continuing their efforts to bring the 118-year-old park back to its glory days.

 

The Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park are seeking donations to help put the Blue Streak back in operation this summer for the first time since the 2006 season. Jack Moyers, chairman of the Trustees, said $125,000 is needed to not only make repairs, but to get the Blue Streak in a position where the $65,000- to $85,000-a-year maintenance fees previously required of the Blue Streak would no longer be needed.

 

“This time, we’re trying to do it right,” Moyers said. “We’re trying to get it so it is better than how we found it.”

 

Moyers is hopeful repairs to the Blue Streak will be made before Coaster Con XXXIII, the American Coaster Enthusiasts’ annual convention, makes a stop at Conneaut Lake Park on June 20.

 

The Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park have done several other fundraisers like this over the past couple of years, like the Brick by Brick campaign to help get the Bessemer Railway System back up and running, and the Board by Board campaign to help repair the dilapidated board walk. Every time, people have come through. And already it’s been the same story for the Blue Streak.

 

Moyers said donations and/or requests for more information are coming from all over the country. In fact, he said the Trustees are considering putting a map on the website that will document where the donations, which Moyers said will be put in an “ear-marked” escrow account, are coming from.

 

“This is important,” Moyers said. “We were able to get the park open last year and had a great showing. We were very appreciative of the patrons who came out. The Blue Streak is certainly one key element of Conneaut Lake Park and we would like to bring that back for everyone. We’ve put an emphasis on that.”

 

It’s, again, one of the many things being done to put the park back on the map. All of those efforts have gone noticed.

 

 

Liller made her first and only visit to Conneaut Lake Park last season. She said she knew the park was in a “rebuilding” phase and that the “headlining attraction” (also known as the Blue Streak) would not be in operation. But the history and tradition of the park was something she had to see and experience.

 

“I’ve become a real industry history buff over the past decade, and this park in particular has such a long and storied history,” she said. “Traditional parks like Conneaut Lake are a dying breed, and I couldn’t bear the thought of it closing before I had a chance to experience it.

 

“Now that park operations are in good hands, hopefully we can all stop worrying about whether Conneaut Lake will survive.”

 

 

Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.

 

 

Donations to the Blue Streak Restoration Fund can be made online at www.conneautlake.com/bluestreak.html or by check or money order to Conneaut Lake Park, 12382 Center St., Conneaut Lake, Pa. 16316.

 

 

To read Sabrina Liller’s blog entries about the Blue Streak fundraising efforts and her trip to Conneaut Lake Park, visit www.newsplusnotes.blogspot.com.

 

 

The American Coaster Enthusiasts was founded in 1978 as a nonprofit organization of nearly 7,000 members from all over the United States and more than a dozen other countries.

 

Each year in the third week of June, the ACE holds its annual convention known as Coaster Con. The event typically lasts six days. Riding roller coasters is only part of what goes on at the convention, there are also presentations, workshops, photo and video contests and much more. A banquet with a featured keynote speaker is also one of the highlights.

 

The convention takes place at a different location every year.

 

This year, on June 20, Coaster Con XXXIII will be in northwest Pennsylvania, where it will make stops at Kennywood Park and Idlewood Park in Pittsburgh, Waldameer in Erie and Conneaut Lake Park.

 

www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_031214143.html?start:int=0

[LOTGK]

I filmed this video in the Summer 1989, from the front car of the Blue Streak. That's my wife Patty screaming and laughing.

 

Sorry folks, someone keeps editing the link so i had to delete it. I have dozens of videos of the parks rides including the past two years of Ghost lake, the entire experience but the link keeps getting edited.

 

Sorry again.

[cfc]

^Please review our Terms of Service--particularly item 14:

 

14. Posting Links or "Spamming" - You must have at least 50 posts if you want to create a post which sole purpose is to link to your personal website, update, YouTube video, forum or any other website. If your post count is under 50 posts and your link has not be pre-approved by an admin or moderator, your link will be removed. Please note - links to your website in your signature are acceptable.

 

If you want to post the embedded You Tube video, that's OK--you just can't link to your own site until you have at least 50 posts.

[LOTGK]

I didn't think it was spamming. I have dozens or videos of Conneaut from the past that I thought I would share with everyone. I posted them on my blog because there are in depth descriptions of each ride. I was also going to share the adventures I had at Ghost Lake in 2008 and in 2009 with hundreds of pictures and videos.

 

BTW, my blog is merely a blog, I do not have google adsense or any other type of money making ventures there. My blog platform WORDPRESS.COM does not permit it.

 

Anyway, again I am sorry.

[kidcoaster 2]

Hey TPR I will post this incase some of you are interested

 

Last June Paranormal State was at CLP filing for their episode "Dead Legends" which premiered Dec 22. Well they will be returning to CLP once again in June and you can join!

 

PRS Field Trips is pleased to announce that Field Trip #8 will take place June 6 – 8th, 2010 at the Hotel Conneaut, as seen on the “Paranormal State” season four episode, “Dead Legends.” During PRS’ initial three-day stay in July 2009, the crew slept in the hotel and investigated the alleged hotspots for paranormal activity. According to staff and locals, the hotel is haunted by three tragic spirits – a bride who was burned alive, a little boy who fell to his death, and a butcher who was stabbed. PRS considers Hotel Conneaut to be an extremely active spot for paranormal activity. And now, PRS will return to Hotel Conneaut with a troop of Field Trippers to help uncover additional secrets.

 

Field Trippers will get to check-in at Hotel Conneaut for the three-day event, giving the ultimate 24/7 experience. Members of PRS, as well as guest investigators and speakers will be around to give tours, lectures, bonfire discussions and conduct ghost hunts. Field Trippers will also get to attend the amusement park on Day One, which is located on the hotel grounds.

 

Field Trip 8: Hotel Conneaut promises to be one of the most ambitious group PRS events yet, with thought-provoking lectures, thought-form experiments, bonfire chats, haunted boat rides, amazing paranormal legends and more!

 

For a list of events, please see below! Full FIELD TRIP 8 website will go live on Thursday, February 25th, 2010.

 

http://www.parafieldtrip.com/events/upcoming-events/hotelconneaut/

 

Also

 

Before the events take place on Day One, come early and enjoy a complimentary day pass to the old-fashioned amusement park. The park features a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, games and other attractions.

[jedimaster1227]

http://meadvilletribune.com/local/x1745496358/Hotel-makes-major-comeback-under-new-owner

 

In many ways, the Hotel Conneaut is a business that’s as much about history as hospitality. And as far as Greg Sutterlin is concerned, it’s all the subtle, behind-the-scenes work — upgrades to things like its water system, roofing and other structural elements — that will ensure the history-rich hotel retains that character as it’s again proving itself a viable part of the region’s tourism attractions.

 

It’s been decades since the more than 100-year-old hotel and nearby Beach Club have seen improvement efforts as extensive as those underway since Park Restoration LLC — the business group of which Sutterlin is a member — began leasing the properties. The group began operating and renovating the hotel and club in 2008, and officially entered into a 30-year renewable lease for the hotel and a 20-year renewable lease for the club in early 2009, said Sutterlin. Under the terms of the lease, Conneaut Lake Park — held in trust for the citizens of northwestern Pennsylvania since the late 1990s — also receives a share of the investment group’s revenues. Park Restoration LLC and Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park have declined to lay out the figures, but Sutterlin said the park receives “a substantial portion of the revenues. It’s actually very substantial.” And “by the end of this year, we’ll have over $800,000 invested” in restoration and repair efforts at the hotel and club, Sutterlin said, adding those efforts are “going to continue until (the hotel and club) get back to the condition they deserve to be in.”

 

Along with numerous, much-needed structural and infrastructure repairs to the hotel has come continuing restoration work on its long-popular Crystal Ballroom and Elizabeth’s dining area, said Sutterlin. The ballroom was built more than 80 years ago as an addition to the original structure. Park Restoration has also added air conditioning to almost 40 of the hotel’s roughly 120 rooms, with plans to add AC to about 20 more rooms this year.

 

But don’t worry, history buffs! For those looking to escape modern technology, that planned upgrade will still leave roughly half of the hotel’s rooms conditioned only by breezes coming off the nearby lake. Plans for this year include a re-do of the Beach Club’s original facade, which Sutterlin said will make the outside of the club nearly match its 50s-era appearance, with arched light poles, special siding and decorative awnings over the popular French fry stand. “We’re basically trying to bring it back and keep with the (classic) theme of it,” he said, “rather than make it some generic” modern design.

 

Other plans include ongoing work to replace the park’s boardwalk in conjunction with park trustees; a complete upgrade of the Beach Club’s restrooms and new seating at the club; and a refurbishment of Hotel Conneaut’s patio area and upgrades to its first-floor bathrooms. Three large apartment-style suites that are being renovated will also be unveiled, said Sutterlin.

 

On the topic of bringing it back, Sutterlin said Polka Fest, once a twice-annual event at Conneaut Lake Park’s Dreamland Ballroom, is back this year and set for Aug. 20, 21 and 22 at the Beach Club. Nearly half of the hotel’s rooms are already booked for that weekend, Sutterlin said.

 

And it seems that’s not the only one. Sutterlin said there’s been a steady flow of reservations coming in for Hotel Conneaut rooms, some for as late as October. There are also already more than 30 weddings booked for this year at the hotel, with more than one on some days during the height of the season, he said.

 

Following last weekend’s “Saint Patty’s Day Bar Crawl” at the hotel comes “Spring Bash ’10” at the club on April 17. Billed as an all-day party, the bash includes a meet-and-greet lunch with Erie Storm players; live music and comedy; food and drinks; displays and an autograph and celebrity memorabilia auction; door prizes; and even a professional hula-hooper.

 

And, of course, there’s a full slate of events to compliment Conneaut Lake Park during its upcoming summer and fall seasons, including (but in no way limited to) the hotel’s ”Hawaiian Luau and Tiki Torch Party” on July 31 and the Pittsburgh Area Jitterbug Club’s annual “Conneaut Lake Beach Bash” on Aug. 7 and 8.

 

“We’re very positive about this year,” Sutterlin said. “We’re getting a tremendous response” to the ongoing efforts to revitalize the hotel and club.

 

Park to open on Memorial Day weekend

 

In keeping with tradition, Conneaut Lake Park officially kicks off its 2010 season on Memorial Day weekend starting May 29. The amusement park reopened last year with many rides in operation and a host of activities for thousands of visitors, and plans are to continue building on the success of last season, according to officials.

 

For more information about Conneaut Lake Park, including hours of operation, event schedules, volunteering/donation opportunities and more, visit conneautlakepark.com on the Web.

[kennywood_racer]

Any update on how the Blue Streak restoration is coming?

[kidcoaster 2]

Havn't been up there latly but the board is hosting several events to help get restoration funds.

 

On Wednesday May 19, 2010

the

Harlem Wizards will hold a benefit basketball game against Crawford County Teachers as a fundraiser for the

Blue Streak Restoration Project.

 

Tickets are available on line HERE

~and at various locations in Crawford County.

 

Cost for tickets:

In Advance

Students...$8.00

Adults.....$10.00

 

At the Door

Students...$10.00

Adults ......$12.00

 

Time: 6:30 PM

Place: Allegheny College Wise Center

 

Meadville Area Rec Complex

Saegertown: Subway

Cambridge Springs: Bambino's Pizza

Conneaut Lake: Hollywood Video

Crawford County Visitor's Bureau School Team Members:

Don Weyel ~Team Coach

Rob Radnich MASH

Amy Holt West End Elementary

Brian Hanley Saegertown Elementary

Justyn Greco Saegertown Elementary

Amanda Scott Saegertown High School

Chris Greco Saegertown High School

Brian Lipps Maplewood High School

Ed Biernacki Maplewood Elementary

Sheila Bancroft Maplewood Elementary

Becky Leandro Cambridge Elementary

Steve Reisenauer Cambridge Elementary

Korrin Slevin Conneaut Schools

Serena Wertelet Conneaut Lake Elementary

Craig Heberle Schafer Elementary - Linesville

Jamie Jordan Conneaut Lake High School

Jason Wertelet Conneaut Lake High School

Jennifer Simpson West End Elementary

Jeff Fobes Vo-Tech

Kelley Onderko Maplewood High School

Kathy Knapp Meadville High School

Mark Ruttenberg Conneaut Lake Elementary

Todd Greenawalt Schafer Elementary - Linesville

Jim Driggs Allegheny College

Delta Zahniser First District Elementary

 

AND......special guests......players from the Erie Storm; the professional indoor football team!!

 

 

 

www.conneautlakepark.com/harlemwizards.html

 

Also Spruce up the park is next weekend!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANNUAL “SPRUCE UP CONNEAUT LAKE PARK/HOTEL CONNEAUT

 

It’s that time again. The park/hotel has been asleep all winter and she is calling on you to come wake her up.

 

She misses all of us and would like you to join the group on April 24 & 25 2010 form 9:00 AM until 5:00PM Saturday and Sunday for the best feeling in the world. To make a difference and to show your support to the grand lady herself.

 

Throughout the years we have seen it all. We have laughed and cried. Experienced success and failure, felt love and loss just like everyone in the world, but there is one thing that sets us apart from all others and that is the compassion we have for our park.

 

So mark it on your calendar:

 

CLP spring clean up……..Saturday & Sunday April 24 & 25 2010

 

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

 

Lunches provided

 

R.S.V.P is not required but appreciated. Please direct anyquestions to Laura Gramelt at

330-718-1003

or

email : orie942@hotmail.com

 

Things we can use:

 

Flowers , if you would like to donate a flat of flowers we have many flowers boxes to fill, Garbage bags, paint brushes & rollers, paint pans, any extra gardening tools and building supplies for picnic table repairs. PLEASE NOTE IF YOU YOUR TOOLS BACK PLEASE PUT YOU NAME ON THEM.

 

Hotel accommodations’ have not been checked into yet for out of town volunteers’ information to fallow.

 

On a sadder note as most of you already know Betty’shusband, Jim Tolbert passed away December 2009 and we have been collecting to have a board for the board walk made in his memory. I am happy to tell you we have succeeded. Jamie Tolbert, Jim and Betty’s son has asked for any excess money to be donated to the blue streak fund in his father’s name. If you would still like to donate something you can do so by checks made payable to Laura gramelt. In the memo please write Jim Tolbert and send checks to 942 Beechwood dr. Girard, oh 44420.

 

See you in April

 

Laura

ORIE942@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

A Note from the Trustees:

Because of Conneaut Lake Park's status as a charitable Public Trust, and being operated by the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, Inc., the Park relies heavily on volunteer help from those it benefits.

 

The Park can always use a hand here and there.

 

Thousands of hours have been donated by volunteers in everything from spring cleaning before opening day, fall cleaning after closing day, to special event preparation. Help preserve a great tradition - the legacy that is Conneaut Lake Park.

 

Our Mission: To provide our guests with a traditional, affordable, family amusement resort destination, guided by the principles of Safety, Service, Cleanliness, Hospitality, and Integrity.

 

Being a Conneaut Lake Park volunteer means adhering to our company mission and its guidelines to ensure we offer the best product possible.

 

Senior Projects and Eagle Scout Projects: Conneaut Lake Park can be the perfect place to fulfill the requirements of a community service project. Help Conneaut Lake Park and contribute in a way that will be enjoyed by Park guests. Email conneautlakepark@zoominternet.net for more information.

 

Check here frequently for volunteer opportunity listings and updates. We will post more as this information becomes available.

 

 

www.conneautlakepark.com./volunteer.html

[kidcoaster 2]

April 19, 2010

 

Teachers take on Wizards to benefit Blue Streak restoration

By T.J. Turrisi

Meadville Tribune

 

MEADVILLE — This May, the Blue Streak hopes to get a big boost back up the hill with your help.

 

The Conneaut Lake Park Board of Trustees presents a benefit game, pitting the Harlem Wizards against Crawford County teachers, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Allegheny College’s David V. Wise Center. Proceeds will go toward the Blue Streak Restoration Project.

 

Tickets in advance are $8 for students and $10 for adults; at the door, add $2 per ticket.

 

The Wizards exhibition basketball team has been traveling the world for nearly five decades using theatrics, tricks and alley-oops to entertain crowds of all ages.

 

Conneaut Lake native Lisa Rawson, who is a sales representative for the Wizards, got the ball rolling on the fundraiser by contacting CLP board chairman Jack Moyers.

 

“I asked if he would be interested in hosting a fundraising event and told him I would be willing to give back my commission to the fundraiser and volunteered to help coordinate the events,” she said.

 

“She has done a tremendous job putting this together,” Moyers said. “She has been very instrumental in making this event a possibility.”

 

Rawson’s roots in the area are what drew her to the cause, and Moyers is pleased with the event’s capability of putting the project in the public eye.

 

“That’s why it is really important to me, and I wanted to do what I could to benefit the Blue Streak and raise awareness to the efforts,” said Rawson of her ties to the park.

 

“It’s a good way to bring awareness to the community and the surrounding area that this project is happening and what it is all about,” Moyers said. “I am very excited that it is taking off and gaining popularity and attendance.”

 

The Blue Streak Restoration Project’s funds are around the $7,000 mark at the moment, with an estimated target of $125,000 in necessary costs to restore the roller coaster to running condition.

 

Harlem Wizards player Dwayne (Swoop) Simpson is looking forward to taking a ride on the new-and-improved Blue Streak as well.

 

“We want to bring that Blue Streak back and make it all worthwhile for the people in the Meadville and surrounding areas,” he said. “I can’t wait to try it out. I am hoping we can raise enough money so I can come back and ride it.”

 

Wizards players Simpson, Donnie Seale, Joey Britto, Timothy Stukes, Ron Ferguson and Arthur Lewis will be taking part in the contest against 23 area teachers and one Allegheny College coach.

 

The teachers will be coached by Conneaut Lake legend Don Weyel, who was a coach for boys and girls basketball from 1949 through the 1980s. He led the Lake boys to a state title in 1965 and the girls in 1981.

 

“I want to send out a warning,” Simpson said. “I know it’s all in fun, but Crawford County teachers — you’d better watch out. I know we’ve got a celebrity coach there in Coach Weyel, we’ve heard about the records. But we’re coming. It’s business time, baby.”

 

Weyel has no illusions about the outcome.

 

“You know we won’t win the ballgame, so we are going to have a good time,” he said.

 

Lake graduate and current Saegertown High School teacher Chris Greco, along with his wife, Justyn (Headley) Greco, will be playing for the teachers’ team. Both were basketball players in high school.

 

“My wife was contacted through the event promoter and that’s how it started,” Greco said. “She kind of volunteered both of us. They were trying to get a couple teachers through a lot of the schools. I’m just looking to have it be entertaining. I know a lot of the kids are looking to see their teachers outside of the classroom and most likely making fools of ourselves.

 

“I think the Blue Streak is one of the hallmarks of Conneaut Lake Park. It just doesn’t seem the same without the Blue Streak rolling down the hill.”

 

Some of the Wizard players will be at Conneaut Lake Elementary and High School and Alice P. Schafer Elementary in Linesville on Monday for a promotional visit. They will then be visiting students at several other county schools, including the Crawford County Career and Technical Center, on Wednesday.

 

Tickets are available online at conneautlakepark.com, or at the Meadville Area Recreation Complex, Saegertown Subway, Bambino’s Pizza in Cambridge Springs, Conneaut Lake Hollywood Video or the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

 

Allegheny College’s gym seats around 900 people, and Rawson warned that there may not be enough tickets to offer any at the door.

 

n More information: Call Rawson at (814) 464-4496.

 

 

 

T.J. Turrisi can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 276 or by e-mail at tjturrisi@meadvilletribune.com.

 

meadvilletribune.com/homepage/x563624704/Teachers-take-on-Wizards-to-benefit-Blue-Streak-restoration

[kidcoaster 2]

SUNDAY ISSUE: How do you feel about Conneaut Lake Park's future?

By Pete Chiodo

Meadville Tribune

 

CONNEAUT LAKE — CONNEAUT LAKE — Connie Lewis grabs the tip of a white, wooden slat and wiggles it to see if it’s loose. Then she moves a couple inches to her left and examines the next one. Then the one after that. And the one after that.

 

“Some of these are in good shape, some of them are in really bad shape,” she says, following the fence along a curving stretch of track near the Bessemer and Lake Erie train ride station at Conneaut Lake Park.

 

Connie and her husband, Ted, traveled a few hundred miles to do this, all the way from Lake Waynoka, Ohio, just east of Cincinnati.

 

“It’s not so bad,” she said, a few spare slats tucked under one arm. “There are worse jobs.”

 

The Lewises were just two of an estimated 80 volunteers spending Saturday and today sprucing up the 118-year-old amusement park in preparation for its Memorial Day weekend opening.

 

“It’s always amazing how many people come out and how much effort they put into cleaning up the park and getting it ready for spring” said Jack Moyers, president of Conneaut Lake Park’s board of trustees. “It just shows you how much support this park has.”

 

The Lewises are not alone in traveling a fair distance in order to lend a hand, either.

 

“We have volunteers here from New Jersey, from West Virginia, from Cleveland,” said Laura Gramelt, one of the weekend’s coordinators, herself from Girard, Ohio.

 

In fact, a lot of the people you run into the park this weekend are from out of town — Pittsburgh; New Castle; Youngstown, Ohio. Indeed, one has to do a bit of searching to find a volunteer who is actually from Crawford County.

 

It’s a fact that organizers seem a little uncomfortable talking about.

 

They’re quick to change the subject to the folks who actually turned out, the ones who are putting in a couple days of free manual labor for a place that, for various reasons, they have deep feelings for.

 

“We love this park and we want to see it continue,” said Kevin Huwe, another of the weekend’s coordinators and a member of the Conneaut Lake Institute, which supports the park and promotes cultural activities in the Conneaut Lake area.

 

He’s been volunteering at the park during the offseason since about 1998.

 

“There used to be several different groups that wanted to take care of different areas,” Huwe said. “There was a group that wanted to take care of the carousel, a group that wanted to take care of the Blue Streak, a group that was willing to come in during the spring and take care of the leaves.

 

“Now all of us get together this weekend because we all love the park.”

 

And there is plenty of love to go around.

 

“It’s constant,” Huwe said. “It’s a very old facility. There are parts of this park that are 100 years old. ... And winter is hard on the park.”

 

There are leaves that need to be blown off the miniature golf course. The picnic shelters need a new coat of paint. The lazy river needs swept out. The flower beds around Hotel Conneaut need planted. Even the horses in the carousel need a bath.

 

“If it wasn’t for these volunteers, we’d be really behind,” said Tim Lisko, one of the owners of Lisko Entertainment, which leases the park’s rides.

 

“It’s like a family,” Gramelt said about the volunteers who show up each year to help out. “We’ve been doing this for so many years. You see the same people. I have people calling all the time, ‘When’s the cleanup weekend?’

 

“The commitment of the people that come here,” she said, “it’s just awesome.”

 

 

 

Pete Chiodo can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pchiodo@meadvilletribune.com.

 

meadvilletribune.com/homepage/x1612551054/SUNDAY-ISSUE-How-do-you-feel-about-Conneaut-Lake-Parks-future

 

I was able to make it today and alot of work was done around the property and the park looks amazing! But the highlight was giving the Carousel some much needed TLC and looks like new!

[kidcoaster 2]

 

Hopefully there will be a good turnout.

[AlphaMaster]

The Blue Streak will fly again!

From today's Meadville Tribune:

MEADVILLE — Most of the familiar sounds were there — the electric buzzing of the Tumble Bug, the high-pitched toot of the train whistle, the clattering woosh of the cars dropping into the heart of the Devil’s Den.

 

Yet, when Conneaut Lake Park reopened last season after a two-year dormancy, there was one important note missing from it’s summertime symphony: the screams. The terrified screams of those plummeting down the first hill of Conneaut Lake Park’s biggest thrill, the Blue Streak.

 

The venerable old roller coaster stood silent last season due to a lack of the funds needed to get it running. However, Conneaut Lake Park will once again be echoing with those fright-filled howls when the Blue Streak returns this summer.

 

The coaster will not be ready in time for Friday’s opening day. But crews are currently at work restoring the 72-year-old wooden out-and-back ride.

 

“They’re saying (it will be ready) in six weeks, but we’ll see,” said Tim Lisko, co-owner of Lisko Entertainment LLC, which leases the rides at the park. “Mother Nature has a lot to do with it.”

 

Jack Moyers, president of Conneaut Lake Park’s board of trustees, wasn’t ready to set a date for the coaster’s return either.

 

“It’s really premature to promise anything,” he said. “The contract states that the Blue Streak will be operational at some point in the 2010 season. It doesn’t say if it will be at the beginning or the end of the season.”

 

Since January, the park’s trustees have been seeking financial help for the Blue Streak from the public. They’ve generated thousands of dollars in donations from across the U.S. so far. And a recent benefit show by the Harlem Wizards basketball team brought in somewhere around $3,500 more.

 

However, the group is still well short of the $125,000 that officials say it will cost to get the roller coaster back in shape.

 

It is hoped that a strong summer season at Conneaut Lake will help finance its restoration, and bring those big thrills back to the park.

 

“The main thing,” said Lisko, “is getting the Blue Streak going.”

[robbalvey]

Great news!

 

Any word on which train the ride could open with? I certainly felt the ride was significantly better with the NAD trains and kind of just "meh" with those other trains.

 

--Robb

[AlphaMaster]

On CLP Junction there was a post that stated it would be the NAD train running, and that post also said the coaster was being worked on prior to any news reports - so I'd at least consider it a reputable source. I'll take either train, as long as I can ride!

[robbalvey]

I'll take either train, as long as I can ride!

I agree! But I think the park might get a few more return customers and better online reviews with that NAD train running...

[larrygator]

I suggest that CLP have a fundraiser all season long allowing adults to ride Little Dipper for $5.

 

I assume adults still can not normally ride Little Dipper.

[FlyingScooter]

^Been there, done that.

Hurts almost as much for an adult as the Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie park.

[kidcoaster 2]

Thanks for posting the news story!

[Jim S.]

According to Coastin' Steve on RRC, the Blue Streak work is being done by Structural Technologies Inc. (Len Adams of Knoebels fame.)