Chippawa Lake Park - Fire - etc.

What if they all got leveled? What if everything you like to do dissapeared? Everything and everyplace that ever meant anything to you? Where would you go then? Wal-Mart is not the highest and best use of land.

I've heard the number one recreational activity in the United States is shopping. Don't we want any diversity?

Brett, the shallow and callous remark was not aimed at you. Sorry for the confusion.

But, I don't agree with saying all these old parks were the same and the only difference was their local flavor. While there is some truth in that the had the same type of attractions, they never installed mass produced roller coasters and named them all the same either. They also didn't have to theme themselves to repetitive ideas of Main Streets, Coney Malls, Star Trek, and Bernstein Bears. These parks all had character and individuality. Their wooden coasters were unique and thrilling and almost never duplicated.

Theme parks are for the mindless masses. They are shallow and hollow places for the most part. Too many Supermans, Batmans, X-Flights, and Boomerangs. Theme Parks don't sell unique items in their shops that you can purchase that would symbolize the area or park but rather a concept of mass media like Looney Tunes, and generic items that can be bought and sold in mass quantities. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a corporate park where all I saw was mass media and no originality. That's what society does now. Walmart, fast food chains, theater complexes, highway systems, it's all sterile.

One shopping center looks like the next all across this wonderful country of ours. I'm gettig tired of looking at the same buildings and companies all the time. Where is the originality?

Wood - anything else is an imitation *** Edited 2/4/2004 10:37:40 PM UTC by Thrillerman***

millrace: I didn't really read your response because after the first line I already could see the point I had to make in response to your question. My point is simply that things that are in the past, regardless of the subject matter, are not things that you can change or do anything about. The passage of time is not something you can do anything about. Therefore, I find that being "depressed" about any such thing is a total waste of time in light of the fact that I too will one day be gone and the more time passes, people will care less that I'm gone. Hell, some people wish I was gone now. We mourn, enjoy the memories, and move on.

There's nothing more to read into than that. Impulsive seems to get where I'm coming from. There's nothing more to extrapolate from what is my position, and you're free to agree or disagree. Which leads to my next point...

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Thrillerman said:
My comments aren't weak Jeff, yours are.You have a bad attitude to people you don't even know on this site, and you have the audasity to say to me when I call you out, that I have no right because I don't know you. Isn't that a little like the pot calling the kettle black? I'll bet half the people here kiss your behind because they don't want to confront your rude arrogant, condescending remarks. I'm not afraid to.

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See... you keep making it about me. I disagree with you, I make that known, and that makes me all of those naughty things you describe? I have a bad attitude because I have my own opinion and I share it? Keep in mind that you're the one who brings up time and time again how I don't like small parks or whatever (an assertion that is totally nonsense). You don't see me saying that you hate corporate parks or Cedar Point or whatever, and frankly if you did I really wouldn't care.

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You always act like you know more than anyone else here. I've never heard you even admit that you might be mistaken and apologize after beating people down you don't even know. Plain and simple. I'm not the only one who feels this way and I know "people who know too"!!

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Again... more about me. At what point did I say I was all-knowing? I'm looking for the post but I can't seem to find it. I can't be "mistaken" if I'm talking about my opinion, and I'm sure not going to apologize for having one.

Again, why don't you stick to the issues and opinions and not make it about me. *** Edited 2/4/2004 10:14:46 PM UTC by Jeff***

If anyone's interested I have a bunch of Chippewa Lake October 2002 Pictures up on http://www.negative-g.com in addition to pictures of North-East Ohio's other defunct park, Idora Park. I hope to get back there to Chippewa sometime this year to have a little more time to explore as I'm totally into exploring abandoned places.

Have Fun!

Paul Drabek

Did you ever get a chance to ride the Wildcat there? A guy I worked with and I had business in Youngstown a few years ago when I checked it out, and he said people were frequently hurt on the ride. Knowing how urban legends go, I wasn't sure if I should believe him or not. It was too hard to tell by looking what kind of ride it might have given.

I'm not sure how much there is to those urban legends... the fan curve was referred to as a "rib-cracker", but I can't help but wonder how many ribs were actually broken. Since the ride was so popular, I can't believe it was that vicious- I have a feeling that the ride was so good that people started stuff like that just so it would seem even better.

I never rode it, but it looks like a fantastic ride- it seemed to have had all the elements that make a great classic coaster- tunnels, speed hills, a fan curve, even a mean-looking camelback. Definitely one of the rides that remains on the top of my list of coasters I wish I had ridden...

I've talked with many friend from the area that grew up with Idora as their 'home park'. More than once I've heard how extreme the airtime on the second hill was. In one of the park videos, There is a shot looking back at the fan curves' exit as train negotiates into the drop. You can see people slamming around like rag dolls in the last rows of the train when it plummets into the drop. I would have loved to ride that coaster myself, but alas, another missed opportunity.

Wood - anything else is an imitation

Jeff, I've had the pleasure of riding the Wildcat at Idora Park. I was 12, 13 maybe 14 years old and don't remember it being a "rib-cracker" as the legend goes. However, I was much younger and could take the punishment better back then. My mom and I rode a few times the couple times we were there and I do remember it being very fun and wild. Boy would I love to ride it again.

I remember reading that the trains were slightly smaller than normal PTCs (I also think that this was one of only two PTC coasters to use two-bench cars)... I wonder if normal (current) PTCs would have made the design a little more "friendly" while retaining the thrill of the ride? As legendary as it is, I can't see anything on that design that would be too extreme for today's riders. I mean, was it really worse than, say, Texas Giant?

The Widcat did have a couple dead spots from what I recall my one buddy telling me. He grew up riding the coaster and is the one who keeps telling me how extreme the airtime was on the first speed hill. I never had the chance to ride the coaster, but knowing what I do about them, I would venture to say that the ride needed track work bad.

I've seen shots of the first drop that showed off all the wee wops going down the slope. Just watching that video I mentioned earlier, with the people being tossed about in the transition from curve to straight track, tells me the ride had issues. The story about the yellow train "shaving" wood off the track, backs that up even more. I still would like to have had the opportunity to ride that coaster though. I think all it really needed was some TLC.

Wood - anything else is an imitation