© Olivia Buzzacco

As we know, Cedar Point is just one of the many amusement parks owned by Cedar Fair. For us Ohioans, we are fortunate to be so close to Cedar Point and Kings Island, both of which are amazing parks. However, this summer I had the opportunity to go to Kings Dominion, another Cedar Fair park in Doswell, Virginia. While Kings Dominion can be compared and contrasted to Cedar Point, it was one of the best experiences I had at any amusement park.

During the summer, my family usually vacations in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While we drive down there, we always pass Kings Dominion, seeing the tip of the sign above the trees that line the highway. We’ve been going to the Outer Banks for more than a decade, and with each year we’d pass the Kings Dominion sign, we’d become more and more curious about what the park was like. This past summer, we decided to change things up and went to Colonial Williamsburg for a week in July. During our stay, we decided to spend a day at Kings Dominion, as it was only an hour away from our resort (we were aware that Colonial Williamsburg had Busch Gardens close by, but my brother, who is as big of a Cedar Fair nut as I am, was working at Cedar Point that summer and got free admission to any Cedar Fair park). Tickets were a little pricier at Kings Dominion than they were at Cedar Point, but that didn’t stop us from going.

At first, I was skeptical about going to an amusement park in July. From working at Cedar Point in 2012 and 2013, I knew how crowded it would get around the 4th of July week. Also, it was extremely humid in Virginia and I wasn’t looking forward to waiting in long lines in extreme temperatures. But we were in for quite the surprise.

© CP Rundown

Have you ever been to Winter Chill Out at Cedar Point? This was my first time attending the event and it was one I will surely return to in the years to come. I had many questions before submitting my ticket request this year. Why should I pay to get into Cedar Point during the off season? Is it really worth the money spent? What makes it so special? I surely gained the answers to all these questions and more!

My son Robbie and I attended this amazing event on February 21st, 2015 with excitement. We anxiously awaited being able to get into the park to be able to see what happens when all seems to be sleeping. Tickets in hand, we walked into the Season Pass Center to check in. We received our lanyard with a credential, a ticket with the tour schedule, a new Rougarou hat, and a voucher to return at the end of the tour for a surprise thank you gift! Cedar Point knows how to welcome everyone with open arms!

We then began the snowy walk towards Midway Market where the groups were waiting to start their tour. We gathered in front of the Cedar Point sign for a quick group photo. As we stepped inside the gates, I heard the roar of Raptor inside my head, although no trains could be seen. We met with other park enthusiasts inside Midway Market. We were treated to hot chocolate and granola bars to warm ourselves up before the chilly walk. We compared each other’s schedules to see whose tour we were walking with. Our group was lead by Michael and was scheduled to leave at 10:45 AM.

Our tour began by walking down the main midway past Raptor. Cameras and video recorders were out trying to capture each exciting moment. We noticed many construction vehicles scattered about along with a snow covered police car. The Derby Downs horses were shrink wrapped as if they were swaddled in a blanket to avoid winter’s cold grip. Something we noticed was part of the building near Pagoda that housed a small gift shop was obviously under construction. What was going on? We looked through Corkscrew’s inversions to see the Dragster Midway and started to walk towards Millennium Force. Stop number one on the tour did not disappoint in its surprises!

© CP Rundown

As we rounded the corner we noticed that the Good Time Theatre was completely demolished. The only reminder of its existence was a sign on the walkway directing guests to where the theatre stood. Another shocking disappearing act was Dodgem! The entire structure was missing from this area of the park. The sign carefully placed on the ground out of the construction site. Was Dodgem the next on the list of rides to be removed from this mystery area? We continued walking until we reached stop #2. This stop included a brief look at Cedar Point’s newest attraction, Rougarou! We were not permitted into the station, but we learned that the tracks to Rougarou needed to be widened to accommodate the new floorless trains!

We had a long walk to get to stop #3, but the scenery was breathtaking. We stood before Millennium Force in awe as its snow covered structure begged for its riders of course, of course! We meandered through the Frontier Trail decorated in snow. Many people stopped to get their picture taken in the famous pillory, laughing as they captured the moment. We walked past Maverick and Mine Ride. We crossed the train tracks and behind the gates by Slingshot.

We were lead into the Planning and Design office building for stop #3. The sign outside of the building directly stated that there could be no recordings of what we were about to hear. We were ready to hear inside secrets from two of Cedar Point’s best – Jason McClure and Tony Clark. While waiting for other groups to arrive, Jason entertained questions from the crowd. The presentation began by having us raise our right hands and swear that we wouldn’t disclose what we were about to learn until 2PM. What are the things we learned before the rest of the world?

Most importantly, the ticket sales for Winter Chill Out went to an amazing organization that provides sick children the chance to enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to a Florida theme park. $27,000 was raised through our event alone! It feels good to be able to not only enjoy ourselves, but allow sick children to enjoy themselves along with their family.

Here’s a breakdown of the remaining announcements that were made at Winter Chill Out.

1. The Wicked Twister Midway is getting a huge makeover! The Dodgems are making a move to this midway where the Krazy Kars used to be in Kiddy Kingdom.

2. Speaking of Kiddy Kingdom, Sir-Rub-a-Dub’s Tubs have been retired.

3. The Krazy Kars are being renamed Joe Cool’s Dodgem School and will be moved to where the Gazebo food stand used to be. It will be connected with Planet Snoopy.

4. The Calypso is also being moved to the Wicked Twister Midway.They will be renamed Tiki Twirl.

5. The Turnpike Cars have also been retired. (This leaves a huge gap in this area – what can go there? It’s open for future expansion!)

6. Remember the area next to Pagoda that we noticed was under construction? This will be created into a candy store called “The Sweet Spot” where you can watch candy being made and of course purchase! Yum!

7. Friday, May 8th will be a HUGE day and night for Cedar Point. It’s not only the day before the park officially opens, but it holds many exciting events for everyone!

• The media will officially be in the park from 5AM to 10 AM. Some of the Winter Chill Out attendees will win a spot to be at this event.
• There will be a first rider auction on Rougarou benefitting the LeBron James Foundation. This will take place from 5PM to 7PM. The auctions are set to begin in March.
• There is a Season Passholder Preview Night from 7PM to 10PM. You can be one of the first season passholders to ride Rougarou! There will be other select rides to be open, although the rides are subject to change.

8. Millennium Walkback will only be taking place on Saturday mornings this season.

9. Maverick is getting new restraints that are similar to Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.

10. Hotel Breakers is being remodeled. There will be many exciting changes inside and out!

We were also treated to be the first “sitters” in a Rougarou train. Of course we were allowed to have our pictures taken on the train, but we couldn’t post or send them until 2PM. We all kept our promise until Tony sent a tweet that we were allowed to post those pictures!

After we discovered as many secrets as we could, we were then bused back to Chickie and Pete’s for a catered lunch. We had a salad, choice of sandwich, tortilla chips, white chicken chili, and even cookies for dessert! It was a perfect time to meet up with other groups to discuss what our favorite parts of the tour had been so far. When our lunch had settled in, we were then bused back to the Planning and Design area to continue the tour.

© CP Rundown

Our tour guides lead us down the Gemini Midway where we got amazing views. The snow was a perfect backdrop for pictures! Stop #4 was a quick peek at the Hotel Breakers construction. We weren’t allowed too close, but it’s amazing how much they already have done! Stop #5 lead us to the Maintenance Department. Here we were able to see coaster trains taken down to the chassis. It was fun to try to figure out which chassis went with a specific coaster. There was a wall of wheels from each coaster. A station was set up to help explain how Top Thrill Dragster launches and why specific wheels and parts are put on various coasters.

The tour continued past Planet Snoopy towards Wind Seeker. Stop #6 gave us a closer look at what’s going on with the new the new Lakeside Pavilion area. This promises to be a breathtaking view of Lake Erie and an amazing place to hold catered events! We continued down the Wicked Twister Midway to see more renovations in progress at stop #7. The Gazebo food stand is gone in preparation to relocate Joe Cool’s Dodgem School. The main structure of Dodgem stands in its new spot just waiting to return to operation. Calypso wasn’t still not visible. We were able to continue to admire Gatekeeper’s beautiful profile against the lake and in the snow.

© CP Rundown

The Giant Wheel’s cabins lined the entire gaming area under the awnings. It was like a guiding path to lead us to the end of our tour. We reentered the Main Midway, to finish where we began. We again walked past Raptor, Midway Market, and the Midway Carousel. We left the gates of Cedar Point, anxious to return in warmer weather. We were then able to return our voucher for special thank you gifts. We received a Winter Chill Out glass and a 2015 Cedar Point Calendar!

I return to my thoughts when deciding whether or not to purchase tickets to Winter Chill Out. Why should I pay to get into Cedar Point during the off season? Is it really worth the money spent? What makes it so special? It was worth the donation to an amazing cause to be able to experience Cedar Point during its winter slumber. Everyone benefits from Winter Chill Out and it is special in so many ways. Thank you Cedar Point, Tony Clark, Jason McClure, and the entire staff for allowing us to step into your winter wonderland! I will never forget it!

Click to see the rest of our Winter Chill Out photos!

By - Britt Hageman

© sanduskyhistory.blogspot.com

Before and After: Mill Race (1963-1993) to Raptor (1994-Present)

Do you recall the view of Cedar Point’s midway before Raptor was constructed? It seems as if Raptor has always ruled the skies at Cedar Point. I often think back to try to recall what Cedar Point looked like without the iconic roller coasters and various other rides we know and love today. I remember the days when my dad would get tickets to Cedar Point once a year to attend his company’s work picnic. Every time we would visit, we would be sure to take a ride on Mill Race. The sound of families laughing and shaking off water are memories that come “racing” back.

Mill Race

The Mill Race was a log flume ride manufactured by Arrow Dynamics that was in operation between 1963 and 1993. In 1963, it was the second in the world to be in operation and was voted a top attraction at Cedar Point numerous times in the 1960’s. It had a single lift hill that was 28 feet tall and had a total length of 1,230 feet. The total cost was around $300,000 to complete. In 1982, White Water Landing, Cedar Point’s second log flume ride, was built with a 50 foot lift hill. Snake River Falls became Cedar Point’s third log flume ride in 1993. At the end of the 1993 season, Mill Race was taken out for the construction of Raptor to be unveiled in May of 1994.

Raptor

Raptor is a steel inverted roller coaster that was designed by Bollinger & Mabillard. It was a record breaking roller coaster with many firsts in its design. It has a 3,790 foot track layout. It was the tallest, fastest, and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it began its operations in 1994. Raptor’s chain lift hill reaches a maximum height of 137 feet with a 119 foot drop. It reaches speeds of 57 miles per hour and has 6 inversions, including a cobra roll, which was a first for inverted roller coasters. There are 117 sections to complete the track for Raptor. The total cost to complete this record breaking roller coaster was between $11,500,000 and $12,000,000!

Raptor will forever rule my sky!

Click the link below to watch an amazing time lapse video of Mill Race’s clearing and the construction of Raptor!

Before: Mill Race

After: Raptor

By - Britt Hageman

© Tony Clark Twitter

Why should you follow Tony Clark on Twitter?

Tony Clark is the Director of Communications at Cedar Point, and you should follow him on Twitter. Why, you ask? Because by doing so, you will get to enjoy many more benefits of the park that non-followers of Tony Clark do not get to participate in. The most popular, of course, are tweet-ups.

Tweet-ups work like this: all throughout the operating season, sometimes at random and sometimes planned, Tony will tweet a time and location where followers must find him or another park employee in the park. Those who find him in the time given will receive a prize such as line skippies, commemorative coins, and even free food vouchers. There is one simple rule to keep in mind while playing this game…absolutely NO RUNNING IN THE PARK. This will disqualify you from the game.

Not only does Tony Clark use Twitter to organize tweet-ups, but from time to time he will tweet exclusive park updates both during the operating season and when the park is closed in the winter. During the operating season, you may exclusively find out from Tony the weather conditions that may affect which rides will be open or closed for the day. You may even be the first to find out about exclusive Cedar Point contests that you surely won’t want to miss out on. During the off-season, you will get to see pictures of the park during the winter and hear about the latest construction updates throughout the park.

Enjoy reading the blogs on Cedar Point’s websites? Do you find it thrilling to watch new PointCasts on Cedar Point’s YouTube channel? Be the first to find out when new blogs and videos are released from Cedar Point just by following Tony Clark on Twitter. You may find out about these things in advance before they are posted on Cedar Point’s Facebook page, or even Cedar Point’s website and their YouTube Channel.

© Tony Clark Twitter

If these reasons haven’t convinced you to follow Tony Clark on Twitter by now, then how about this? Tony Clark is an asset to the park because he loves interacting with fans and many of his tweets can put a smile on your faces. I know they do for me. If you ever have a quick question regarding the park, feel free to send Tony a tweet. Chances are, if it is a question he can answer for you, he will do so, or even direct you to the appropriate park personnel that may have the answer for you.

So, if you haven’t already done so, head on over to Twitter, and follow Tony Clark (@TonyClarkCP) on Twitter today!

By - Jordan Smith

 

Do You Know What You're Missing?

I’ve heard this statement from some close friends for quite some time. "You don't know what you're missing! You need to join a coaster club!" Yeah, yeah, I'd think to myself. What's the big deal? I love going to Cedar Point like anybody else. I used my season pass to get into Cedar Point and Soak City and had a great time. I took many pictures of my family in the park and at the pool, and we all had smiles on our faces. Why should I join a coaster club? How can I afford a coaster club membership for my whole family? There can't be anything that fantastic about a little membership card in my wallet.

I finally did some research on coaster clubs and took a chance on that little card in my wallet. My family and I joined the Great Ohio Coaster Club in 2013 and we have had a blast since then! Our membership cards have been an entrance pass to a world that we never knew existed. Events, newsletters, new friends, new opportunities, many exciting memories and experiences have come into our lives since then. Others often ask me how I get to do all of these amazing things at Cedar Point and other parks, and I simply respond that we are members of the Great Ohio Coaster Club!

This last season has been a whirlwind of events and activities for my family. It started with the Cedar Point Media Day Preview to check out Pipe Scream and Lake Erie Eagles. We were amazed at the transformation of the Gemini Midway and all the work Cedar Point put into it! We then had a blast at CoasterMania in June, Coaster Campout in July, Fall Freakout and the Hexed Preview in September. I was also able to attend an event sponsored by the American Coaster Enthusiasts, or ACE, in August. Not only did we have time to ride some amazing coasters all to ourselves, we also participated in a Tweet-Up contest that had us running all over the park looking for the regional president, Scott Short, in order to get points. The top point earners won prizes! These events are full of exclusive ride times, some behind the scenes tours, delicious dinners, and many laughs with friends who enjoy coasters as much as we do.

CoasterMania Gift Box

Another amazing perk was to be a part of Tony Clark's Millennium Walkbacks on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We met Tony at the Marina gate 10 minutes before normal early entry. He would then walk us back to Millennium Force and we were treated to a few rides before the rest of the early entry participants were able to enter the park. He even took our picture in front of the Millennium Force sign and posted it to his Twitter account! Walkbacks in 2015 will only be on Saturdays, but anytime we can get a few extra rides in on Millennium Force is fine with us! This was only for coaster club members such as the Great Ohio Coaster Club and ACE. During the year we also receive The Streak, which is a publication of the Great Ohio Coaster Club. We are able to read articles, get updates on fellow enthusiasts and the milestones that they have made, and hear about future plans for the club.

While some events have costs attached to them like Fall Freak Out, the ACE event, Winter Chill Out, and the 2015 Coaster Campout, a majority of the Cedar Point events are free such as CoasterMania, Millennium Walkback, Media Preview Day, and the Hexed Preview event. Not only are these events a blast to attend, but the Cedar Point events usually give away free items! Last year we heard that they gave away a TON of stuff at Winter Chill Out, such as calendars, hats, gloves, and free skip the line passes for any ride and Slingshot. At Media Preview Day all the adults in our family got Cedar Point light zip up sweaters, while the kids got a stuffed Snoopy! The CoasterMania event was FULL of freebies. We received an entire BOX full of stuff! We got an awesome CoasterMania pullover, a CoasterMania glass, Coaster Crazy sunglasses, a Cedar Point T-Shirt, and a glasses strap for riding coasters! When we signed in for Coaster Campout, we all received an awesome blanket! At the Hexed Preview we all got awesome HalloWeekends hoodies! There's never a guarantee that we will get anything, but these prizes and FREE food are an added bonus to an already special day! (Thank you so much Tony, along with your staff!)

I think back to 2012 often. Yes, we had a great time as platinum passholders. I can only imagine the fun we missed out on. Thinking ahead to 2015 makes us extremely excited. We have short waits between closing day and opening day. We have mini-milestones to get us through our coaster withdrawal. What are we looking forward to? We loved celebrating the holidays at the Great Ohio Coaster Club and ACE holiday parties. We are counting down to Winter Chill out in February where we can get a behind the scenes tour of Cedar Point. We will happily donate money to a fabulous cause to get a sneak peak at what goes on while the park seems to be sleeping! We also look forward to the 2015 Media Preview Day to be some of the first people to check out Rougarou! We also plan on attending the CoasterStock event at Cedar Point's sister park, Kings Island, in May!

Winter Chillout

Take a moment and reflect on your experiences at Cedar Point. Did you have an amazing time at the greatest amusement park in the world? Can you take that amazing feeling and multiply it many times over? Think about joining a coaster club like we did. You won't regret it and you will wish you had that little card in your wallet sooner!

Please know there are other amazing coaster clubs out there! Make sure to check them out as well. If you read any of Tony's blog posts, he will list the clubs that are allowed to register for his events. These are the two clubs that I have had experience with and LOVED! :)

Great Ohio Coaster Club: greatohiocoasterclub.org/join

American Coaster Enthusiasts: aceonline.org/JoinACE

Don't forget to follow Tony Clark on Twitter for his park information, tweetups during the season, and blog posts with tons of information: twitter.com/TonyClarkCP.

By - Britt Hageman

 

Want to be a part of something amazing this summer?

It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for returning Cedar Point employees to fill out their applications to return once again to the park for another summer of fun. Returning employees begin filling out their applications to come back to the park not long after Cedar Point closes its gates. So if you’re looking for a summer job where you can make new friends, meet people from all over the world, and work for an amazing amusement park, Cedar Point is the place for you.

I’ve been going to Cedar Point ever since I was 6 months old. My family and I go up to Sandusky every summer, and we loved it. The summer I graduated from high school, I decided that I wanted to work at the park after my first year of college. I thought it would be fun to work on the roller coasters, so I talked to some current ride hosts who helped me understand how the hiring process and the job itself worked. In December of 2011, I applied for a ride host position, eager to learn how the rides worked and to spend the whole summer somewhere I loved. After a phone interview months later, I was hired to work as a ride host on Raptor. I was elated and could not wait for May to roll around.

I worked at Cedar Point in 2012 (on Raptor) and 2013 (on Blue Streak). Both of these rides were great to work on, and working at the park was an amazing experience for me. During my time there, several guests would ask me if I liked my job, and I told them I did. In fact, I loved it. It was a whole new experience for me, and it was interesting being on the other side of the amusement park industry. I’m a shy person, but working as a ride host really opened me up to being more comfortable talking to people, which really strengthened my communication skills. As a ride host, you are constantly interacting and communication with people, whether it’s your coworkers, supervisors, managers, or guests. Working at Cedar Point helped me to become a leader when it came to working with groups of people, which I do constantly in my major at school. It also taught me how to work as a team, as we had experiences on both Raptor and Blue Streak where we had to work together to take care of problems that occurred. In the end, it was rewarding.

 

I also made friends that I will never forget. My first summer there, I became friends with ride hosts from Sky Ride, traffic hosts with great humor and stories, and the stage manager from All Wheels Extreme. My second year I became close with my crew on Blue Streak, which made every day more enjoyable than the last. I still talk to many of these people on a daily basis, and I’ll never forget them and all the fun we had together.

I encourage people all the time to work at Cedar Point if they are as passionate about the park as I am. When I was in the marching band at Bowling Green State University, one of the girls in my section asked me about working at the park. She turned out to be a huge fan of Cedar Point, so I told her several times to go and apply, as I knew she would love it as I did. In the end, she did apply and was hired to work in merchandise. She loved every minute of it and it made me so glad to see that she was enjoying it so much.

So if you’re passionate about roller coasters and need some extra money this summer, I highly encourage you to work at Cedar Point or any of their other sister parks. There are many different departments to work with as well, with jobs such as ride host, sweeps, foods, accommodations, hotel services, lifeguards, marketing, usher, and many many more. The pay is great, and the benefits are rewarding. Employees get housing and bussing accommodations to get to and from work, free uniform laundry service, dollar menus at the employee cafeteria, free entry to Cedar Point and any other Cedar Fair park, employee ride nights, and more. You’ll make friends to last a lifetime and memories you’ll never forget.

If you’re interested in applying, you can get started here: jobs.cedarfair.com/cedarpoint/ You’ll start on the left hand side of the screen. The application process is easy to follow, and it also creates an account for you so you can check on the status of your application.

If you want to know more about the jobs Cedar Point has to offer, check out their page at cedarpoint.com/jobs.

By Olivia Buzzacco

On Monday, November 24, 2014, Cedar Point announced in an online blog that this off-season they will be demolishing the Good Time Theatre, which opened in 1975, for future park expansion. To give you a little snippet of history about the Good Time Theatre for those of you who are not familiar with it, the Good Time Theatre debuted as “Cedar Point Cinema” in 1975 and featured IMAX movies. In 2002, it was converted and renamed as the “Good Time Theatre” and featured a variety of ice-skating shows, such as “Snoopy Rocks! One Ice.” This past 2014 HalloWeekends season, the Good Time Theatre was the location of a new popular show to Cedar Point, “Midnight Syndicate LIVE! A Legacy of Shadows.”

While the removal of the Good Time Theatre means that these ice-skating shows had their final curtain call this past 2014 season at Cedar Point, the park stated in their online blog that they will be offering more entertainment in the park and they will provide more details about those plans as things move along. The park did not give specifics at this time as to what will be taking the place of the Good Time Theatre, but of course, many fans have their own thoughts and opinions of what could be going there next. One of the most popular predictions at this time is a new dark ride in the near future, as a few other Cedar Fair parks have recently introduced or announced the addition of new dark attractions to their parks. In 2012, Cedar Point demolished their indoor dark roller coaster, Disaster Transport, to make way for the debut of GateKeeper, a wing coaster, in May 2013.

Stay tuned to CP Rundown as we will provide you with more details on all the latest happenings at Cedar Point as soon as the park releases more information.

-Jordan Smith

It’s time for 2015 plans at America’s Roller Coast. And while no official announcements have been made yet, rumors have been going around all year…and the park has started tweeting some teasers online. If you’re a little behind on the rumors and speculations of what could be coming to Cedar Point in 2015, here’s a little CP Rundown. See what I did there?

It’s that time of the amusement park season yet again! It’s time for 2015 plans at America’s Roller Coast. And while no official announcements have been made yet, rumors have been going around all year…and the park has started tweeting some teasers online. If you’re a little behind on the rumors and speculations of what could be coming to Cedar Point in 2015, here’s a little CP Rundown. See what I did there?

First, with the demolition of Disaster Transport back in 2012 for the debut of GateKeeper in 2013, everyone seems to be expecting that Cedar Point will be bringing in a new dark ride soon. I have heard a rumor that a dark ride could be going into the Cedar Point ballroom/arcade building located on the main midway. However, I am not convinced yet that the park will do this, mainly because of the historical value of the building and the ballroom. Plus, an amusement park just wouldn’t officially be an amusement park without an arcade…right?

 

Another rumor I have heard here and there this year is that this is the final year for Challenge Park, in order to make room for future improvements. Additionally and more specifically, I have heard that this will be the final season for the Go-Karts and Mini Golf attractions in Challenge Park, and that RipCord will stay, and become a part of the main park. I believe this a little more than the ballroom rumor, specifically because Challenge Park does not appear to be too popular, in my opinion, probably because of the additional costs charged for the individual attractions in Challenge Park. Also, there would be plenty of room in the Challenge Park area for a major ride, or a few small to moderate size thrill rides.

 

Next, there have been rumors throughout this season that Mantis will be painted and/or converted to a floorless coaster for the 2015 season. Recently, it has been spotted that some test painting has been going on at Mantis. It can be viewed from the CP&LE Railroad that a small portion of Mantis’s track has been test painted bright green. This could mean one of two things, or both: Mantis could receive a new coat of paint, with a brand new color scheme AND/OR Mantis will be painted and converted to a floorless coaster. Something is definitely going on over at Mantis, but other than the visual evidence of new test paint, nothing else can be confirmed about Mantis at this current time.

Most recently, it has been rumored that there is some construction prep going on near the front portion of the park. I have been told, but have not seen any visual evidence yet, that a portion of the Point Pavilion has been fenced off, and that some beams have been seen going up. Again, there have not been any confirmations of this yet. It has been said that the Point Pavilion, along with Hurricane Hannah’s, Bayou Refreshments and the theatre near the front of the park, will be torn down for future improvements. At this point, I highly doubt this rumor will end up being true, mainly for it being an extremely recent rumor and lack of any visual proof or confirmations from park officials.

Now, as for teasers, the park has tweeted a few of them here and there on Twitter lately. Tony Clark (@TonyClarkCP on Twitter), the park’s Digital Communications Manager has tweeted a few clues lately, including tweets such as “No tweetups today, kids. Working on a "verRrrry hard assignment” (with emphasis on the “R”) as well as “I'm just gonna leave this over here =======> #CP2015.” Very small clues, but they definitely mean something. Last but not least, we are all anxiously awaiting an announcement date for 2015 plans. I have not heard any confirmations yet. I have only heard a rumored announcement date of August 7, 2014. However, the park has not yet confirmed any announcement dates for 2015 plans.

Keep in mind that everything you have just read is only a list of RUMORS and SPECULATIONS that I have heard throughout the 2014 season, and Cedar Point has not yet confirmed anything for 2015. The only thing that Cedar Point has told us about 2015 is that we can expect a thrill ride geared towards teens and other hardcore enthusiasts. At this point, we have no idea what Cedar Point has up their sleeves for us in 2015, but the teasers have begun, and we are getting closer to August…so I guess the only way to find out what’s coming to America’s Roller Coast in 2015 is to wait for the big announcement.

By Jordan Smith

This week we are off and running to Castaway Bay for some waterpark fun. Castaway Bay is Cedar Point’s Caribbean-themed indoor waterpark resort. Castaway Bay has 237 hotel rooms and suites, a spa, a fitness center, a 6,000 square foot arcade, children’s activity center, retail shops and three restaurants.

The center of all the fun, and the best way to beat the winter chill, is their 38,000 square foot indoor waterpark, which is always 82 degrees. The waterpark features a wave pool, three body slides, a toddler’s play area, a family funhouse area with a dump bucket, two long slides, two short slides, an indoor/outdoor hot tub, a pool featuring basketball hoops and creatures to climb on, and an interactive play area where guests can cross the pool using flotation crates and a cargo net. The key to helping the Cedar Point fan in all of us is Rendezvous Run, Castaway Bay’s water roller coaster. This unique coaster twists and turns through the waterpark-- even going outside in an enclosed tube. The 35 foot high, 520 feet long coaster, sends riders uphill on a jet of water, providing plenty of fun and air time. It is a must to fill the winter coaster void.

Castaway Bay offers the opportunity to purchase day passes to the waterpark if are not staying the night. For information visit castawaybay.com So, if you are looking for a way to cure the winter coaster blues and beat the chill in the air, take the time to visit Castaway Bay.

-Michelle Triplett

This week we are off and running…well rolling! Roller skating is another activity that the CP Rundown staff enjoys in the off season. There are a few different roller skating rinks in the area we will start with Country Skateland (countryskateland.com) in Pittsfield, Ohio. This skating rink has been around since 1988 and some of our staff members actually worked here. From time to time we still visit this rink! It has a great wood floor there is plenty of room. This place always feels like home. Another great rink in the area is Brookpark Skateland (brookparkskateland.com). This rink has the largest skating surface in northern Ohio and is celebrating 53 years of family fun. You may see some of our staff members rolling around here on the weekends during the off season.

Of course, we can’t talk about roller skating rinks without mentioning Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky. This place is so much more than a skating rink though. They have an interactive 3D blacklight mini-golf adventure where you have to save the wizard. For our little fans, 12 and under, they have a bounce house obstacle course. There is an XD 4D Theater where you can cure your roller coaster withdrawal by choosing to experience one of their coaster movies. And the big attraction is the Ghostly Manor Haunted House, which is one of the top rated haunts in the United States and is open year around. For more information on Ghostly Manor visit their website at (ghostlymanor.com)

So lace up those skates and take a roll this off season at some of our favorite skating rinks!!

-Michelle Triplett