Idora Park
Why? The park is in an economically depressed area that can't support a park. The coasters are either rotted beyond repair or half-burned down. When they were operational, they had a reputation for hurting people anyway.
It's sad that the park had to die, but it's just the way it has to be.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
It's sad that the park had to die, but it's just the way it has to be.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
That is very sad that Idora is closed. I wouldn't even mind if Six Flags bought it and fixed it up. That's much better than nothing. But that won't happen, because of SFO, SFKK, SFDL and SFGAm all less than 4 to 5 hours away. And of course, Cedar Point and Kennywood are fairly close too. Plus, PKI is not very far. Eliminates all major companies. Unless Disney or Universal wants anything to do with it. I *so* doubt it. We should just be glad that Ohio is coaster central. Has anyone driven by Idora lately. Does it look like anything much? There's probobly a dark shadow looming over it. Aww.
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Man, I wish I lived there. You have Cedar Point, Kings Island, SF...Oh yeah. I do live here. The Heart of...Everything! OHIO :)
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Man, I wish I lived there. You have Cedar Point, Kings Island, SF...Oh yeah. I do live here. The Heart of...Everything! OHIO :)
Idora is dead. Period. Memories will be around for years. If they would have survived, possibly Conneaut Lake or Waldameer would have closed. Idora was not the only casulty of the rust belt/theme park/highway/high real estate values/2 week vacation boom that crippled parks across the USA. Reality-----there were better parks that fell to those causes.
West View, Palasides, Rockaway, Riverview, Euclid Beach, Long Beach Pike, etc.. Worst parks, oh yeah, Cascade, Walbridge, Summit Beach, Rainbow Gardens, etc. Idora was a group picnic park. The owners never wanted any more, they handled what they could. They relied on the steel mills for weekend picnics, and the park was dead during the week. The mills closed, and since they had $0 debt, they tried to wait it out, but the Wildcat burning was the call to end gracefully.
They could have rebuilt that ride in about 1 month. They chose to just operate with in their means. I respect that. They knew what was coming. It was a great neighborhood park, but when you can't expand much, and the bus lines come from all over, your clientele will not improve. If this would have happened 10 years later, they could have opted to convert to a waterpark, or some similar family attraction, but in 1984 that would have been an outlandish idea for owners who were in the 70's.
Conneaut Lake is still working a proposal to move the Back Wabbit to their park. How? Well, some of the maintenence staff there worked at Idora. They are familiar with the structure, and it is okay. They have blueprints. They have land. Want to help. Visit Conneaut Lake, and tell friends to visit, so a cash flow is maintained, and financing is available. Conneaut Lake was fortunate to get some of those big compnay picnics that Idora had, so there is always a chance to visit an open gated park that grandparents and families can go together.
West View, Palasides, Rockaway, Riverview, Euclid Beach, Long Beach Pike, etc.. Worst parks, oh yeah, Cascade, Walbridge, Summit Beach, Rainbow Gardens, etc. Idora was a group picnic park. The owners never wanted any more, they handled what they could. They relied on the steel mills for weekend picnics, and the park was dead during the week. The mills closed, and since they had $0 debt, they tried to wait it out, but the Wildcat burning was the call to end gracefully.
They could have rebuilt that ride in about 1 month. They chose to just operate with in their means. I respect that. They knew what was coming. It was a great neighborhood park, but when you can't expand much, and the bus lines come from all over, your clientele will not improve. If this would have happened 10 years later, they could have opted to convert to a waterpark, or some similar family attraction, but in 1984 that would have been an outlandish idea for owners who were in the 70's.
Conneaut Lake is still working a proposal to move the Back Wabbit to their park. How? Well, some of the maintenence staff there worked at Idora. They are familiar with the structure, and it is okay. They have blueprints. They have land. Want to help. Visit Conneaut Lake, and tell friends to visit, so a cash flow is maintained, and financing is available. Conneaut Lake was fortunate to get some of those big compnay picnics that Idora had, so there is always a chance to visit an open gated park that grandparents and families can go together.
Back in the "Good Ole Days", yes, but major bus service wiped out many a good park. Ex; Kennywood was just far enough away from major public transportation to keep the rowdy away. (see Riverview, Euclid Beach). Hey bus service is okay, Sea World Florida is even on a line, but when anyone at anytime can come out, controls are lost. Busses good---bus loads bad. Just a reality in society. Lokk at SF America. On the line. Oouuch.
Agent Johnson said:
"Busses good---bus loads bad. Just a reality in society. Lokk at SF America. On the line. Oouuch."
That's a bunch of mularkey. You take away the bus line to SFA and you would still have the same type of crowd. I've taken the bus to SFA several times, most times taking the last bus that leaves the park (~7:30pm on Sat) and only once was the bus near full (~60 people if that) take into account that there are only 8 busses that leave the park on those days and you are only talking about 500 people max. That's nothing in a park that serves thousands daily. Most of those "rowdy unsupervised teenagers" that people often allude to, either have cars or get dropped off and picked up by friends/family. So sorry, I dont buy the 'busline theory'.
Furthermore, look at SFMM, this park is notorious for "rowdy, unsupervised teens" and there is no public transportation to that park that I'm aware of.
lata,
jeremy
--Dont blame the bus, blame the parents
I think my point was that Idora fell victim to 'urban sprawl' Kind of like what was hapening to Elitch Gardens. I am not trying to offend public transportation participants. If you can avoid the parking fees, more power to you. I was trying to make a point that Idora would have been squeezed to death with time, like West View in Pittsburgh. It was a happy place in its day.
*** This post was edited by Agent Johnson on 1/29/2001. ***
I would agree with you on a number of things, Agent Johnson, except the Kennywood example. It was built by a streetcar company. For years Pittsburghers rode the Route 68 cars to Kennywood.It was always easy to get to Kennywood by public tranportation, even today Port Authority Transit has frequent service to 4800 Kennywood Blvd.
They had minimal room to work with. There just is not enough population to support an expansion, which results in higher prices. That county had probably 25% unemployment at one time, and when Cedar Point is rocking and rolling, Sea World is pulling in families, and Geauga Lake is growing up, it is tough to compete.
The difference also is that Conneaut Lake had week long visitors, bigger picnic capacity.Geneva on the Lake has ride now. Waldameer has a state park going right by. It is crap weather, skip the state park, go to Waldameer. Only park I know that makes money in the rain. They never gated for a reason. No rainchecks.
There is just not enough market today to support a park that is in such a competetive region. The Great Lakes is the most hostile of all markets. You fight weather, state parks, staff problems, there is freakin park every 50 miles.
Think. Bob-LO was a great park. Had new stuff. Well, one season, their whole market decided to go to Cedar Point. They never came back. The whole demographics can change in one season.
I again apologize on the bus issue. All those parks had trolley service. The point I am trying to make is that, well some parks fall victim to their surroundings. And Kennywood has minimal bus service. They own the terminal, and they tell Port Authority how many busses and from where they will come. They are reasonable, but that 'you can't buy a general admission if you are under 18' policy is there for a reason. *** This post was edited by Agent Johnson on 1/30/2001. ***
The difference also is that Conneaut Lake had week long visitors, bigger picnic capacity.Geneva on the Lake has ride now. Waldameer has a state park going right by. It is crap weather, skip the state park, go to Waldameer. Only park I know that makes money in the rain. They never gated for a reason. No rainchecks.
There is just not enough market today to support a park that is in such a competetive region. The Great Lakes is the most hostile of all markets. You fight weather, state parks, staff problems, there is freakin park every 50 miles.
Think. Bob-LO was a great park. Had new stuff. Well, one season, their whole market decided to go to Cedar Point. They never came back. The whole demographics can change in one season.
I again apologize on the bus issue. All those parks had trolley service. The point I am trying to make is that, well some parks fall victim to their surroundings. And Kennywood has minimal bus service. They own the terminal, and they tell Port Authority how many busses and from where they will come. They are reasonable, but that 'you can't buy a general admission if you are under 18' policy is there for a reason. *** This post was edited by Agent Johnson on 1/30/2001. ***
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