Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio, will become exclusively a water park

CEDAR FAIR ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTION FOR GEAUGA LAKE


SANDUSKY, OHIO, September 21, 2007 – Cedar Fair Entertainment Company announced today that Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio, will become exclusively a water park attraction beginning with the 2008 season.
“After four years of operating Geauga Lake as a combined water park/amusement park attraction, we have concluded that its future should be entirely as a water park,” said Dick Kinzel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. “Visiting Geauga Lake is a 119-year-old tradition in northeastern Ohio. That tradition will continue, but in a new and exciting way.”
“Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom has been recognized as one of the finest water parks in the country,” Kinzel said. “Over the past three seasons, we have invested approximately $25 million to create and develop the premiere water park in northeastern Ohio. Since its opening in 2005, Wildwater Kingdom has been the park’s highest rated attribute.”
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom attractions will include Tidal Wave Bay, a 30,000 square-foot wave pool featuring seven different types of wave patterns; Liquid Lightning, a 60-foot-tall tornado slide; Thunder Falls, Ohio’s tallest water slide complex; an activity pool; an action river; and a multi-story play structure. The park will also provide a catering facility and picnic pavilions for group outings and poolside cabanas will be made available for daily rental.
Water parks are very important to Cedar Fair. In addition to parks where the water park is incorporated into the amusement park, the company owns and operates five separately gated water parks: three in California, one in Ohio (Soak City at Cedar Point) and one in Missouri.
Kinzel added, “Water parks traditionally draw from a closer geographic market than amusement parks, and we believe Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom will continue to be successful in drawing visitors from the greater Cleveland, Youngstown and Akron-Canton areas.”
Geauga Lake’s 2008 operating schedule, admission pricing, group programs and other operating details will be announced at a later date. However, the water park season is traditionally Memorial Day to Labor Day.
As part of the changeover to exclusively water park attractions, a number of the rides at Geauga Lake will be introduced at other Cedar Fair parks.
The property not necessary for the operation of the water park is being reviewed for other uses and development.
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom, Cedar Fair owns and operates 11 amusement parks, five other water parks, one indoor water park resort, and six hotels. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, and operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.
http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases...mp;story_id=133

I am sorry to see another park go, but some of these rides might end up at Knott's or the other Cedar Fair parks.

They had already been moving some of the coasters, like x-flight out. It is no surprise they are getting rid of the rest. Raging Wolf Bobs and the other old woodie (Great Dipper? ) were painful to ride and I won't miss them much. Whne I went there a few years ago it was still Six Flags Worlds of Adventure and it was the best Six Flags I had been too.

I wish that I had made time to visit during my Roller Coaster Road Trip last year. We stayed very close, but were coastered out.

While disapointing news, it's not unexpected. The area simpley can no longer support the number of parks it once did. Many people will blame CF, other's will blame SF, and Busch for bailing out of the area. Funtime which sold it to Premier (now known as SF) probably saw the handwriting on the wall when they were made an offer they couldn't refuse. There were a lot of small to medium size parksin their death throws if not already dead in that area. They took the money and ran.

I heard that a lot of the rides will end up at King's Island like X-Flight did. Although, if it were true, you'd think they would already be clearing the land for it.