Aparently Screechin Eagle and all remaining rides at Lesourdsville are for sale

There was news story the other day on WKRC TV in cincy stating that and that the park was to be transformed. I think he's selling it to a youth camp or something like that.

Someone tell Matt Crowther to contact Couch. I know of a park that has restored NAD trains and the Eagle is gauged for NAD.

Chuck, thinking about half the coaster would have to be rebuilt new but the first and second hills were new in 2002 and the motor replaced.

I'm glad the jerk decided to let the ride ROT for a few years' first.

Sorry, I don't normally like to come across as hostile....but what an absolute WASTE. Not even GCII or GG builds 80-90 year-old wooden coasters...and Eagle was a Miller *masterpiece*. While I'd love for someone to pick up this ride and its cousin from LeSourdsville...I doubt it'll happen.

Anyone want to pitch in for a couple John Millers, a Mangels Whip, a Traver Circle Swing, and an Old Mill? We'll call the place....I got it..."Americana".

Yeah, and Big Dipper would fit in well too. ;) ;)

middletownjournalarticle

Edit: Unbreaking the forums...

*** Edited 3/6/2008 11:53:16 PM UTC by pkidelirium***

I sure hope there is some future for the Eagle. It's easily the greatest of all the Eagle coasters (well, I guess in some ways).

In 1989, I rode it 64 times in one day. I could barely walk at the end of the day! I was 15 - we all do goofy things. I still love to do stuff like that. There aren't enough coasters that you would even want to do than on nowadays (too boring/run poorly, etc.)

I still have my Screechin' Eagle sticker - It's an Eagle with crutches and he's covered in bandages!

At one point in the early 90's the park installed these homemade headrests on the 3rd seat of each car. Ironically, if you wanted to put your head against them, they were very comfortable - unlike the mass produced woodie headrests of today.

I remember getting in by myself and the ride op said 'sit on that side' - there were no seat dividers but they wanted you to sit in front of a headrest!

^^^LOL. You know what I meant! ;)

Jerk.... :~P

Hehe, speaking of "whatever happened to John Miller", have to wonder what's going on with everything else left over from Zippin Pippin/Libertyland. That saga is beginning to rival the CLP/Whalom stories....and probably won't end any better...but at least (at most?) - Dolly Parton's brother is involved.

I've always been fascinated by this coaster. The steepness of the drops always looked more exaggerated than most wooden coasters from the era. Hope it can be saved.

Miller Coasters droped to the ground and often came back up to a highth that seemed unobtainable. Eagle had three great drops on the out run and a little dip that would stand you prior to the turn around, For a out and back it had a couple good latteral air pops (More like Ejector) So much so that even with dividers, If I sat on the left, I ususally ended in the right seat.

Big Dipper is fun in this way also to me, ZOOM to the ground, Pop over the top, Zoom to the ground and a ending that just made you giggle like Phoenix.

Chuck, saying Schmeck took his Q's from Miller, Allen lost something in the learning process

---

Charles Nungester said:
Miller Coasters droped to the ground and often came back up to a highth that seemed unobtainable. Eagle had three great drops on the out run and a little dip that would stand you prior to the turn around, For a out and back it had a couple good latteral air pops (More like Ejector) So much so that even with dividers, If I sat on the left, I ususally ended in the right seat.

Big Dipper is fun in this way also to me, ZOOM to the ground, Pop over the top, Zoom to the ground and a ending that just made you giggle like Phoenix.

Chuck, saying Schmeck took his Q's from Miller, Allen lost something in the learning process

---

I gotta agree with you Chuck! But when did the Eagle get seat dividers??

The drop off the turnaround and even the following drop were downright violent. You were jerked out (actually the term JERK also refers to a change in ACCELERATION - sometimes resulting in whiplash, etc - common in car accidents) then slammed back down pretty darn hard.

The John Allen coasters seem to be more family oriented. He didn't like curves - probably just preferred a more gentle ride. "Curves just don't do anything for people." hehehe :)

I visited the park late in year that it closed. I'm glad I went. I have desired many times to return and have grieved that it closed. I rode the Eagle several times and I remember it being a whole lot of fun. I had some photos for many years of the coaster of my dresser mirror that I took from the top of the slide.

CoasterComet, The Coaster got dividers I think in 98 when they took the train from Elitch Wildcat and used it's body on the old NAD frame of a train that was litterally melted in the engine house fire. The morphadite NAD they were running was taken in payment by CCI and placed on a coaster in the Dells.

That old train was rougher than hell and broke my tail bone, In 2002 that coaster never ran smoother in it's life. Still had the ejector and floats but the literally slam and washboard was gone.

Chuck, who says yes the Eagle had more violent years, Took 75 years to figure it out :)

I remember riding the Eagle back as a kid several times in a row in the front seat. There were bolts on the front of the car that just kept digging into my knees. Still it was a fun ride.

Unfortunatley, I never got there to ride the eagle. I am bummed out, because this coaster looks like a lot of fun. It's interesting to listen to all the stories about the ride.

Never did ride it, and from the looks of it.....never will.

The guy is an absolute jerk. He didn't want to sell the ride because he supposedly had plans, and now it's going to get demolished. Why not have given someone the chance to buy it when it was still in great shape after the GCII rebuild?

I know, it's a business decision. But why not make a business decision that shows at least an ounce of respect for some form of history? It was supposedly a good ride and of all the SBNO wood coasters out there, it likely would have been an easy one to sell because of its condition.

^It's my *opinion* that some of the ACE money should go toward subsidizing relocations of historic rides. Yes, the park is a business and they're out to make money. But, much like recycling in other areas, it's often LESS costly to manufacture new than to re-use. If ACE (or other organizations, like NAPHA for instance) can help to offset the cost difference, it could help to CREATE a market for historic rides like SE, ZP, and BD. Three John Millers that I feel VERY fortunate to have ridden, and I'd like to think that some of YOUR kids could have that same opportunity.

1. Ace can only contact and help put two heads together on FOR PROFIT parks as they are billed a Not for Profit entity.

2. I won't deny that Couch made huge mistakes but it's also not solely his fault that ZONING Will not allow him to build his RV Resort. Couch spent three million to open in 2002, Hired a already bankrupt operator who failed to pay the bills. He took out another 25 million in loans to buy Fantasy Farm, drained the lake and escivated, Then the decision by Zoning that he couldn't. But My guess is he's stupid enough to get aproval before taking the loan.

Word is is't going to be some youth group property.

Theres some great rides there, That whip with a new motor is one of the BEST I've ever ridden only second to Camdens. The Skyride IMHO could be modified to TRAVERS the hill at HW and the swinging ship is second to none.

Several rides have been sold, I rode the Calypso at Fun Spot last year, Fixed but running slow.

EAgle IMHO could add a helix at the end, its got that much umph left Lets just hope someones interested, Maybe if he GIVES it away or accepts what he's got into it. (2002) work. Someone will take it and build it.

Here's the sticker I have - always loved this one!

http://tinyurl.com/2bs635

The picture is marked as private so we can't see it.
Chuck

^Hey Chuck, what is the easiest way to share pictures?

I posted them to my myspace account, but I guess you might have to be a member to view them.

I've tried photobucket, flickr, but they want so much info from me - this is all new to me!

---

rollergator said:
^It's my *opinion* that some of the ACE money should go toward subsidizing relocations of historic rides. If ACE (or other organizations, like NAPHA for instance) can help to offset the cost difference, it could help to CREATE a market for historic rides like SE, ZP, and BD.

---

I went through this with ACE a couple of years ago, and to this day I'm still not 100% sure I understand the goal of the Preservation Fund. I'm sure there is some kind of issue with a not-for-profit organization like ACE donating money to a business that's set up to make a profit, but maybe there are ways around that so the relocation/rebuilding of a classic wood coaster is more cost-effective to a park looking to install a new wood coaster. It's always bothered me a little that the money in the fund is there, yet wood coasters are still getting demolished. Then again, I also understand the solution isn't all that simple.