Cedar Point Information and News

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Family fun will be “out of this world” at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, when Planet Snoopy™ debuts this summer as the park’s newest children’s area. Featuring a PEANUTS™-themed environment, Planet Snoopy will spin into orbit at the former PEANUTS Playground.

Planet Snoopy will feature seven rides, including a mini-tea cup-style ride, miniature train, 4 x 4 trucks, a bouncing tower, spinning balloons, rocket ships and a crazy sub ride. Planet Snoopy will also feature games, themed décor showcasing Snoopy’s worldly travels and special live appearances by the PEANUTS characters. Planet Snoopy’s 1.25 acres will also feature a family center with changing stations and private areas to feed children in a quiet atmosphere.

“This is the tenth year of Snoopy here at Cedar Point and we’re extremely excited to offer our fourth children’s area for those who aren’t yet ready to ride the park’s bigger rides and coasters,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “We’re known around the world for our roller coasters – but we’re also a destination for families looking for a wide range of thrills. Planet Snoopy will be a great start for the young thrill-seeker this summer.”

In addition to the attractions at Planet Snoopy, a new restaurant will satisfy the rumble in the tummy. Kids will be the boss at a new themed restaurant, which will feature a children-only menu. Parents don’t need to worry – there’s a small “adult-only” section on the menu just for them! The interior of the new restaurant will cater to the ultimate PEANUTS fan with graphics from the world-famous comic strip.

The terrestrial fun extends beyond Planet Snoopy next season with four new live shows. “Snoopy’s Big Bow Wow On Ice” will skate into the Good Time Theatre. Snoopy, along with 14 world-class skaters, will be featured in a brand-new ice skating extravaganza with amazing skating routines, familiar music and the fun and excitement of a summer party.

Next to Planet Snoopy, “All Wheels Extreme” is set to wow guests young and old in the former aquatic stadium. Skilled stunt bikers, skateboarders and rollerbladers will perform flips, tricks and unbelievable stunts in this high-energy BMX-style show.

In the Centennial Theatre, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” will feature live singers and dancers in a spectacular stage show celebrating music of the ‘50s and ‘60s, while the Red Garter Saloon will showcase an all-new musical revue.

In addition to the new attractions, a two-year refurbishment at the Sandcastle Suites Hotel will be completed by this summer. The $3 million in renovations include an improved lobby and registration area, upgraded suites and rest rooms and newly decorated hallways. Last summer, the exterior of Sandcastle Suites was upgraded.

Located on the tip of the Cedar Point Peninsula, Sandcastle Suites has 187 guest suites, including three Grand Vista Suites that include an indoor Jacuzzi and a wraparound deck or patio. The hotel also includes an outdoor pool and whirlpool spa, tennis courts, a romantic gazebo, scenic boardwalk and shuttle service to the gates of the park.

Including Planet Snoopy, the park will spend approximately $5.2 million in capital improvements for the 2008 season.

Cedar Point will open for its 139th summer on Saturday, May 10. For a complete operating calendar and more information on what’s new for 2008, log on to cedarpoint.com or call 419.627.2350.

http://www.thepointol.com/news/2008/4.html

The grand opening of Kalahari Resorts' expanded indoor waterpark mixed a variety of opposites Thursday afternoon.

Business suits and swimsuits, Christmas carols and 85 degree weather, stilts walkers and cirque performers all added to the eye feast that was the unveiling of the nation's largest indoor waterpark.

At 173,000 square feet, the waterpark's newest additions include a wave pool with eight ocean-like wave settings, an extreme mat racer slide, another FlowRider surfing attraction, Kalahari's longest tube slide, a basketball pool, a children's play area and indoor/outdoor spas with a swim-up bar, among other things.

Please read the complete article at The Point Online News.

A Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Dec. 19 -- Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, provides more than thrills for its guests. It also gives food and assistance to those who need it most during the holiday season. Cedar Point recently announced that it will donate nearly $6,800 from its 2007 Loose Change Fund to the Victory Temple Soup Kitchen in Sandusky.

In addition to the monetary donation, Cedar Point has also donated two truckloads of kitchen hardware and food to the Victory Temple Soup Kitchen. In all, the donated goods totaled more than one ton of food and supplies.

"We are extremely appreciative of the donations that Cedar Point has made," said Rev. Lonnie R. Walters, senior pastor of the Victory Temple Church. "These gifts definitely help us get through the year and provide much-needed assistance to the less fortunate people in the area."

During the season, Cedar Point employees collect and turn in any loose change found underneath rides, in the park's fountain or along the midway to the Loose Change Fund. Since 1988, Cedar Point has collected and donated more than $177,000 from the Loose Change Fund to local organizations.

Cedar Point will also make a donation of more than $1,400 to the Northwest Ohio Aluminum Cans for Burned Children Fund of the Burn Care and Reconstructive Center at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo.

Aluminum Cans for Burned Children is a special recycling program conducted by northwest Ohio firefighters and area businesses. Money earned from recycling aluminum beverage cans helps purchase non-medical items and services not covered by insurance that are essential to each patient's recovery. The fund is also used to provide burn prevention education programs for children throughout northwest Ohio and helps send recovering burn survivors to a regional summer camp designed especially for burned children between the ages of 6-18.

During the season, aluminum cans were collected from recycling bins placed in employee break areas. Since 1989, Cedar Point has donated more than $28,000 from the recycling program.

On Friday, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. stock closed at $21.08 a share -- the lowest it's been since Cedar Fair closed at $20.30 in 2002, according to Yahoo! Finance.

Cedar Fair spokeswoman Stacy Frole said reasons behind the low price can be viewed differently by stockholders, and the amount does not include the company's dividend statements.

Please read the complete article at The Point Online News.

There are two things every lifeguard needs to have while working at Great Wolf Lodge. A bathing suit and, more importantly, a whistle. “If you don’t have a whistle, you get yelled at,” said Zach Ray, 17. “It’s the one requirement besides a bathing suit.”

There are several whistle alerts the lifeguards need to know before they can work a pool location.

Please read the complete article at The Point Online News.

A Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Does your wish list for Santa Claus include a tropical vacation, complete with something fun for the entire family? If so, your present has arrived! Just in time for Christmas, Castaway Bay, Cedar Point’s year-round indoor waterpark resort, has been transformed into a holiday oasis with special displays, activities and events planned to help guests celebrate the season.

Highlighting the festivities is “The Parrots Who Stole Christmas,” a live show performed on Friday and Saturday nights through Dec. 22 in the resort’s lobby. (Special presentations are scheduled for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 23-24.) “The Parrots Who Stole Christmas” is the story about the misadventures of two malcontent parrot puppets who scheme to kidnap Mrs. Claus and sabotage her sleigh. With the help of the kids at Castaway Bay and a little Christmas spirit, Mrs. Claus is saved and teaches the parrots the true meaning of Christmas. The show’s finale will leave the audience in awe as it appears to snow inside the lobby!

Castaway Bay will also get special visits from the big guy himself, Santa Claus! Santa will make special appearances in the Castaway Bay lobby on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 23. During his visits, kids can tell Santa what they want for Christmas or they can fill out their own wish list and put it in Santa’s Polar Express mailbox.

On Friday and Saturdays, the entire family can join their favorite PEANUTS characters in the resort’s lobby for the tree-lighting ceremony, followed by the singing of Christmas carols. For those who can’t get enough of those Christmas classics, Castaway Bay features Caroling Karaoke each night at 7:05 p.m. through Dec. 25.

In Camp Castaway, kids have the opportunity to compete in a coloring contest. Winners will be determined on Dec. 31 and will be rewarded with a prize by mail. The winners of the coloring contest will also have their entries displayed on the Castaway Bay web site.

Cedar Point Mrs. Clause chats with an unbelieving parrot during a presentation of “The Parrots Who Stole Christmas” at the year-round Castaway Bay indoor waterpark resort in Sandusky, Ohio.

Every night through Christmas, kids can play in a Pass the Present game, where everyone has a chance to win a prize or create their own special Christmas ornament that they can purchase and take home as their special souvenir of their holiday vacation with the family.

Other activities scheduled include cookies and hot chocolate with Snoopy, a Christmas scavenger hunt, gingerbread house-making and much more.

Castaway Bay will be the perfect place for families to ring in the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, children will enjoy creating their own New Year’s party cup and trail mix for the big celebration. A kids’ dance party will be held at Club Castaway from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., complete with a mini-balloon drop at midnight. In the waterpark, special games will be held throughout the day. For late night revelers, the popular local band, The CoCoBeanos, will be performing live at Castaway Bay on New Year’s Eve from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Balloons will fill the air at midnight as The CoCoBeanos rock guests into the New Year.

Featuring 237 hotel rooms and suites, including family-oriented units, a 38,000-square-foot indoor waterpark loaded with water activities for all ages, a day spa, fitness center, state-of-the-art arcade, restaurants and retail shops, Castaway Bay is a tropical getaway that the entire family will enjoy.

For reservations, special package offers and hotel information, guests can call 419.627.2106 or visit www.castawaybay.com.

Cedar Point released the schedule for Cedar Point and Soak City for the 2008 season. Opening Day for Cedar Point this year is Saturday, May 10. For the first time in park history, Cedar Point will remain open into the month of November. There will be eight HalloWeekends, which is also more than ever. Closing Day will be on Sunday, November 2008.

Please view the 2008 Calendar at CedarPoint.com.

Also be sure to check out The Point Online's 2008 Crowd Expectation Guide.

Sandusky Register
By Janet Nguyen
December 5, 2007

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is urging Cedar Fair officials to preserve a piece of roller coaster history.

Last month Brown, D-Ohio, addressed a letter to Cedar Fair chairman, president and chief executive officer Dick Kinzel asking the company to develop a plan for Geauga Lake's historic wooden roller coaster, The Big Dipper. In the letter Brown said he hopes company officials will keep the ride at its current location or have it moved to another site where it can continue to operate.

Please read the complete article at The Point Online News.

Coaster enthusiasts hope Cedar Fair officials will preserve Geauga Lake's historic ride, the Big Dipper, while embracing a mixed-use development that would include retail stores and restaurants.

Richard Munch, historian for the American Coaster Enthusiasts group, said the organization is searching for a local developer interested in keeping the nostalgic wooden coaster and building a mixed-use project around it.

Please read the complete article at The Point Online News.

I know this is a little late, but I have added the IAAPA 2004 photos to Point Pics. Previously the photos were solely on a page on The Point Online, but now they are easier to access along with the rest of our photos.

http://pointpics.com/categories.php?cat_id=455

Also of interest in the photos is the prototype from the new Harry Potter Ride at Universals Islands of Adventure. Back in 2004 this was the second big year for the Kuka Robotic Arm. The photo features the arm mounted on a roller coaster track, allowing for unlimited configurations and ride designs.

http://pointpics.com/details.php?image_id=6413

-Mike