Big Dipper to Cedar Point?

As I recall, MiAdv practically begged Cedar Fair to buy them.

Paramount Parks, on the other hand, was for sale, and just who else would have been a likely buyer?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

^Busch

The thought of buying the whole chain just to close PKD must have had them drooling ultra beer

^^Although maybe Jeff's right and CF would never do something so sinister - in fact, Busch probably had more noble intentions of operating Boardwalk and Baseball for a few years before deciding otherwise...yeah....that's it.

Oh man, the Kings parks under Busch..that would have been a beautiful thing.

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Rye.D.Ziner said:

^^Although maybe Jeff's right and CF would never do something so sinister - in fact, Busch probably had more noble intentions of operating Boardwalk and Baseball for a few years before deciding otherwise...yeah....that's it.

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Hmm, let's think about this. In 2004, when CF bought Geauga Lake, Cedar Point already was (arguably) the best amusement park destination in Ohio. Six Flags Worlds of Adventure was tanking. Sure, they had a couple good years of attendance, but it was getting worse each year. So Six Flags quite simply wanted out.

So you're saying that you think that Cedar Fair spent $145 million to buy their competition to help improve the bottom line of the most successful park in the company? That makes no sense.

Cedar Fair bought Geauga Lake (and the Paramount Parks) for two reasons: to grow their business and to diversify their holdings. Kind of like what a smart person does on the stock market - they invest their money in many little things so they can protect him/herself from softness in certain markets and to grow their portfolio.

Putting all your eggs in one basket is never a good idea. Cedar Fair has made all the acquisitions that they have made so they could put their eggs in multiple baskets - right now, they're up to 17 baskets.

That's exactly what I'm saying, and it made perfect sense-look how much B&B cost along with the shamu parks:

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Anheuser-Busch will gained Sea World parks in San Diego, CA; Orlando, FL; San Antonio, TX; and Aurora, OH. The sale also included Boardwalk and Baseball park in Orlando and Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, FL. These parks will be added to Anheuser-Busch's Busch Garden parks in Tampa, FL and Williamsburg, VA. They will reportedly pay $975 million for the parks and an additional $125 million for land surrounding some of the parks

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145 million to CF to eliminate their closest and most threatening competition was a bargain

That's an interesting theory, except that it wasn't competition, at least not in the normal sense of "competition." For another business interest to be competition, it has to be viable.

Busch sold off Sea World because they decided it wasn't viable. Six Flags sold at literally fire-sale prices because they decided it wasn't viable. Cedar Fair closed it because---wait fo it---they decided it wasn't viable.

It would be one thing if this property had had a recent history of gangbuster returns, but it hasn't. It's a thrice-over failure, nothing more.

That's sad, because it was a pretty nice little park, with several good attractions and a nice chunk of history here and there. But business doesn't care about sad, or history. Business is just business.

As has been stated before, Seaworld gave Geauga Lake a couple extra decades of life it probably wouldn't have had otherwise. Without out Seaworld's prescence it would have met the same fate as Euclid Beach, Puritas Springs and the rest of the parks in the area that ceased to exist in that era. That fact has now been confirmed.

I wouldn't consider Sea World a failure in the least. It survived quite nicely for 30 years. It just wasn't meeting Busch's expectations for growth in its final years due to its seasonal nature and 'no ride' lease agreement with Geauga Lake. They decided to sell it when the right price was offered by Six Flags. Six Flags is mainly to blame for both parks eventual 'failure' when they were merged together. Had they been retained as separate gates, I truly feel that both parks would still be here today.

Absolutely! Sea World was easily the first or second most attended park in Ohio. The problem with the park, besides being the only seasonal SW, was that it was in an economically stagnant market and families just could not afford to attend it more than once a year as the gate prices naturally grew higher over the decades. Busch finally came to the realization that it's operating costs for year-round veterinary care and feeding all those animals far outpaced the meager increase that they could justify each year in ticket prices for that area.

^Technically, the SW in Ohio wasn't the only seasonal park. Sea World San Antonio also closes although it's only a few months.

They also do weekend operation for some of the time that they are open.

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Rye.D.Ziner said:
...it's operating costs for year-round veterinary care and feeding all those animals far outpaced the meager increase that they could justify each year in ticket prices for that area.

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Ummm, isn't that the very definition of business failure?

Good points for both two replies, but the topic is not about Sea World anyway. I say forget Cedar Point for an potential home and move the Dipper to the Wildwater Kingdom side of Geauga Lake, which used to be Sea World, but now will be simply known as Geauga Lake anyway, so it seems a good fit !

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Jeff said:
"...Precious Ohio masterpiece of Engineering history..." Hahahahahahahah! Nice one. Yeah, masterpiece if you're about 5'3" and don't mind getting beat up a bit.

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Rideability has nothing to do with it, case in point the preservation of Steeplechase Parachute Drop in Coney Island. When it comes to a kickass fun ride on a good wooden coaster, I certainly don't mind anyway ;)

Dipper is for sale on IRG's site.

http://www.intermarkridegroup.com/used-rides/roller-coasters/the-big-dipper-rc1114.html

I guess Apex gave up trying to get someone to pay them to relocate and rebuild it.

So is 150K high, low, or on target? My guess would be low. I would think they just want to unload it at this point.

Considering it only went for $5K at auction, I would say it's high.

To me, BD wouldn't be BD without those or simular trains. No dividers, No Highbacks. Lots of padding. Getting tossed around the seat. Slid from one side to the other on the turn around was everything that coaster was meant to be.

But CP has another coaster like that. (NOT ANYMORE) but it was Blue Streak.

Lookie here. BD for sale again http://www.intermarkridegroup.com/used-rides/roller-coasters/the-bi...c1114.html

A few other links too...

The Big Dipper, own and operate a piece of history

(which links to http://www.midwaymarketplace.com/spgm/index.php?spgmGal=Big_Dipper )

One interesting thing on this page is, "or possible operation on site." I'm not sure if that means CF is considering splitting up the parcel since they haven't had a satisfactory bid for the whole site, or if that's just something the seller threw out there.

The guy who runs midwaymarketplace.com was posting in this thread over at GLT.

So it appears to be listed on at least three used ride sites, with two of them listing a price of $150k.

150k seems like an aweful lot for wood that's been sitting idle for over two years with no maintennace.

Granted, I have no clue as to what the cars/trains are worth.

History or not, it's not much more than warped wood as it is.