spaceace12 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 http://www.funspotpark.com/ I was going to go there this year also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 From what I hear this place was pretty craptacular and they've been trying to sell it or auction off the rides for years...but there were no interested parties. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I love the economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noxegon Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Ironically it was on my list for this year too. Oh well... I had the opportunity to go to LeSourdsville Lake before it closed, but I went to PKI instead. I had the opportunity to do this one a few years ago too, but I chose Indiana Beach. Sods law... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilli82 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Craptacular, yes. But it was a fun place to go with the kids and was one of our planned day trips this year. The flyers are second best to Knoebels' and much closer to me (than Knoebels) in order to get my fix. I was hoping to put the fear of God into my three-year-old this summer on the flyers and have him get a second run at the glass house without smacking his head on the glass. I'm saddened that we won't be able to go this year. I believe it is home to Cedar Point's old Bayern Kurve... in pieces, since at least 2002. ~Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angryemobeaver Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I was just about to post this topic when I noticed you already did... I'm sad Fun Spot is closing, I never got to visit it, and I live in Indiana... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreditCrazy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I've always noticed this small little unknown park that never got any attention or was talked about. Sadly, it'll probably be talked about now more than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xizor_Racer Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Ok..... WOW!!! I live in Indiana and have never heard of this place. I was looking at the website and noticed that Afterburner and Zyklon look an awful lot like the Screamin' Demon and Bavarian Beetle from KI. ...... Lot of white too..... Sad, I hate to see rides sit being unloved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astat Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Well crap, there goes the only Arrow launched loop that I had a chance of getting on any time soon. There's only what, 4 of them left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I never got to visit it, and I live in Indiana... I've always noticed this small little unknown park that never got any attention or was talked about. Ok..... WOW!!! I live in Indiana and have never heard of this place. Me thinks this has more to do with the park closing than the "economy" does. It seems like the "economy" has been a GREAT bail out for many companies who weren't doing so well to begin with to finally call it quits and be able to place blame on something, other than themselves, as to why they had to close up shop. It may have been a fun little place for locals to take kids and stuff, sure, and I wish there were more places like this to be honest, but we had so many different opportunities to go and IMO nothing about it ever made it worth the stop, not even to get the credits. I think some parks need to realize that they can't just "build it and they will come" they need to build and BUILD IT UP and continue to do so over time. And I don't mean just keep building rides, but build the buzz, the awareness, etc, about the park. Little Amerricka is a GREAT example of this. That place doesn't look like much, but every time I see it, or every time I get an email from them, it really seems like they are trying really hard to move forward. Other small parks should follow this example. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Isn't Fun Spot one of those places that various enthusiasts have reported about over the years that when they tried to visit it during posted operating hours, they found it closed? Much like Miracle Strip, another place that's no longer around. Hardly a way to run a business. Have to agree with Robb here, "the economy" is a convenient excuse for some of these places that have had crap business plans for years, and have just been coasting along. Some times you really need to be more aggressive with your marketing and improvements or you'll just not survive, bad economy or not. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 ^Last year their published operating schedule only covered about 6-8 weeks and was mostly weekends. So the writing was certainly on the wall. I too finally planned to stop by this park later this summer, if only to get the credits (I rode Afterburner back in the Circus World days) and ride the flyers. Looks like I just saved about $20 and a couple of hours in my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterfan99 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I was planning to hit the park the Sunday after Coaster Mania on the way back home. Oh well, not much I can do about it now. Hope they can get the park re-opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Craptacular, yes. Hey, isn't that Rob?! Oh how I have fond memories of our trips there! From the Tilt-a-Whirl that didn't whirl, the air conditioned DDR, checking of restraints on the far side of Afterburner before being sent back through the loop, our Zyklon accident, the missing tubs on the flyers (at least they balanced it out, right?) and the "petting zoo." Sure the word "quality" isn't the first thing that came to mind, but you're right it was fun and I'll miss stopping by on the way to IB. Does anyone else find their statement and the method in which they posted it ...amusing? It's black and white, all right (). No press release, no "maybe next year" follow-up, no "thanks for the support all these years" ... nothing. Just flat-out due to the economy. God Bless America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLERLC1 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I just learned of this place about a month or two ago. It was on my vacation radar. I'm lacking an Arrow shuttle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality15 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I had the pleasure of going there back in 2006. I actually really liked the park, it was quirky in its own way and a lot of fun. I'm sad to see it going, I was hoping to get around to visiting again to take a spin on some of the rides. I'll upload the video I took to CoasterTube sometime soon, it has POVs of both of the big coasters as well as videos of some of the other rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilli82 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Kara, yes it is me. I'm a lurker. Great memories! That was my first ever DDR experience and look where it lead. I took Cindy, Jacob and a few other friends out there for the first time back in '07. Jacob was probably about 16 months old and he was able to ride the kiddie rides. The funniest thing that happened (which I didn't get on tape ) was in the glass house. He was walking around and we heard the loudest 'thud' and then him crying. He smacked his forehead hard on one of the walls. Oh BTW, Zyklon had another accident while we were there. Even though it's a 2.5 hour drive from me, it was very well worth the drive. They had replaced the flyer tubs with the ones from Lesourdesville Lake and are now way better, almost on par with Knoebels. Good times! ~Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkscrew Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I'm surprised the park wasn't shut down by safety inspectors before the economy took its toll. I figured a derailing kiddie coaster, a Zyklon with faulty breaks, and a shuttle that gets stuck in the loop would be enough to sink the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilli82 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Nah, they'd just call Skip and he'd make it better ~Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatdan Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 While on one hand I find it sad to hear that it's closing, on the other hand even when I visited there a couple years ago (2006, I think) I couldn't believe it was open. The park looked like it had just been plopped down sorta in a field with no regard to how things went together. The two memorable things of the day was when my buddy got one of the flyers going back and forth so much it made the snapping noise and the ride operator stopped the ride, said he heard a weird noise, and then didn't let anyone else ride it. We went to eat nearby, watched him pick his nails for a few minutes, and then restart the ride without talking to anyone nor having anyone look at it. If he actually thought it was a problem, you would've thought he would've actually talked with someone. Ah well. The Afterburner was the reason I went, and it lived up to the hype (in my mind at least) and was actually a spectacularly fun ride for an old school Arrow coaster. The "Zoo" was horrible, as they had tigers and whatnot basically caged up in corn towers or whatever you call it. Not good looking conditions at all for them, and while I like zoos I only felt sorry for all the animals there. We left shortly after that and drove to Michigan's Adventure the same day, which we hadn't expected to do, but after about three hours at Fun Spot you were just basically done with the place, and it was time to move on. It was a fun little stop, but not one that I would make the trek on purpose for again any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboard83 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I was really bummed out when I heard about it. I went to Fun Spot this past August on a Cedar Point trip. Ended up I came away with a good impression of this place, and a horrible one of CP, oddly enough. Afterburner was fantastic. Wicked ejector airtime. Zyclon I actually found fun. Too bad I couldn't whore the kiddie coaster. I didn't get a chance to do the flyers, unfortunately, as they were down due to wind. Actually the park was pretty busy the day I was there, it was a Friday. I know after talking to some ride ops there, the owner was considering closing it after last year. It was a bad year last year for them. It was a rainy and cold season they said, and had some attendence issues. The end of the year associate party apparently was the week before we got there. The owner, at that time, said the park would open for the year, according to the ride ops who attended this party. The wording on the website kind of has me wondering if the park could re-open after the economy gets better. Lets face it, IN, OH, and MI have been hit some of the hardest in the country so it seems like the economy excuse could be true. Anyone know where I could find info on the "ride accidents" they have had? Zyclon apparently has accidents? kiddie coaster derails? Afterburner stuck in loop? is there truth to any of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkscrew Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I was really bummed out when I heard about it. I went to Fun Spot this past August on a Cedar Point trip. Ended up I came away with a good impression of this place, and a horrible one of CP, oddly enough. Afterburner was fantastic. Wicked ejector airtime. Zyclon I actually found fun. Too bad I couldn't whore the kiddie coaster. I didn't get a chance to do the flyers, unfortunately, as they were down due to wind. Actually the park was pretty busy the day I was there, it was a Friday. I know after talking to some ride ops there, the owner was considering closing it after last year. It was a bad year last year for them. It was a rainy and cold season they said, and had some attendence issues. The end of the year associate party apparently was the week before we got there. The owner, at that time, said the park would open for the year, according to the ride ops who attended this party. The wording on the website kind of has me wondering if the park could re-open after the economy gets better. Lets face it, IN, OH, and MI have been hit some of the hardest in the country so it seems like the economy excuse could be true. Anyone know where I could find info on the "ride accidents" they have had? Zyclon apparently has accidents? kiddie coaster derails? Afterburner stuck in loop? is there truth to any of this? The Zkylon brake failures and such I have read lots about in TRs, however, there is no solid proof. Here's a picture of the derailed kiddie coaster: http://i41.tinypic.com/30dgp7a.jpg And an article about Afterburner stuck in the loop: http://www.thrillnetwork.com/stories_view.php/1621 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboard83 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 ^^^Awesome Corkscrew. Thanks for the info!^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieP Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I say save Afterburner, save the flat rides that's worth saving, and scrap the rest. That is if they (Fun Spot) close for good. Never been there, but from what I heard, Afterburner was the only reason to go there in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 The Zkylon brake failures and such I have read lots about in TRs, however, there is no solid proof. I was taking onride and JUST MISSED getting our crash on tape. The ride was over so I was turning off my video camera just when it hapenned --you can only see us all freak out for about 1/2 second (we went right through the brakes no grab and slammed into the car infront of us). I have footage afterward of the cars not where they're supposed to be and the less-than-stellar maintenance team trying to winch the cars back to the appropriate spots. At the time, it was kind of funny...it felt like a really intense crash on the bumper cars. Unfortunately it ended up being pretty serious for a good friend of mine who was in the second row and couldn't see it coming so couldn't prepare for the impact. He had multiple doctor visits for his whiplash and couldn't ride coasters for over a year. It's not something you're used to happening-- I guess braking systems were something I took for granted before that day. It could have been a lot worse, so I'm thankful it turned out the way that it did...but looking back it was some pretty serious business and to hear that other people may have experienced the same problems is simply unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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