Clementon Park Sold - Jack Rabbit may run again

Clementon Park Sold - jack rabbit * MAY or may not * run again
anyone that works or lives in Clementon knows this news already this includes me.
Yes I was wrong on the Six Flags but the New owner is related in some way to Six through Chase Bank.

-Jack Rabbit will need 1.5 million to run again
-Water park expansion some rides will be removed for this
-New buildings to replace old ones
-20 Million to be spent on the park
-Not sure if this was the sale price but I know it was up for sale 2 years ago for 15 million.
J2 will have work done in the off season.
J2 May open in the Next few days after getting work done on the 2nd hill. Call before you go if in the area for the ACE Preservation event.

Sale to be finalized in the next 10 days
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- *** Edited 8/2/2007 3:28:48 PM UTC by PcMan***

Just out of curiosity, do you have a link or can you tell us where all this info is coming from?

Tom

Same here. Not that I'm going to question any of this (the details sound legit- certainly not the kind of stuff that gets concocted for the sake of b.s.-ing people), but it'd be nice to see the whole story, including who the buyer happens to be.

Yes if you live and work in Clementon which is a very small town you know many people that work in the park and in the local government.
News will be out soon.

I lived in the town for 35 years a few blocks away from the park.
and been going to the park since the 60's

The buyer is a Chase Bank executive.
believe me I to want to see news and Plans/drwings etc.
I very excited the last owner didn't do much except adding J2.
All my childhood memories are in that park *** Edited 8/2/2007 2:48:54 PM UTC by PcMan***

This could be great news but also I would love to see more flats added to the park, not removed, but there isn't room there to expand the waterpark and add flats.

Jack Rabbit running again would be a major plus for the park.

Interesting. And if this happens to be the real deal and the sale goes through, I like the potential.

Clementon is a terrible park. J2 is the only compelling reason to go, and even that's not enough to make it more than a quick stop on the way to something else. A revitalized Jack Rabbit would be very nice (giving the park a mild alternative to the ultra-intense J2 coaster) and $20 million in improvements would surely buy some good flats that the park currently lacks. A waterpark expansion is a no-brainer- the waterpark is probably the single reason the park is still around.

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. As that part of south Jersey seems to be attracting a lot of new development, I was sure the park would be sold for the land. If the park remains a park, I'll be happy regardless of how bad the park is. If the park remains a park and gets better, I'll be absolutely thrilled.

Yes with the Jack Rabbit being the 2nd oldest coaster in the world and a more Family coaster.
They will have to add upstop wheels and other major work to get it going.
It was to be demolished
but the new owner wants to TRY to get it going again.
I just hope so.

I hope he goes a bit beyond "trying". After sitting idle for so long, that alone will make the Jack Rabbit a huge project. Adding upstop wheels and modern mechanicals? I just hope that doesn't push the cost of the project beyond what the new owner expects.

Jack Rabbit is the second-oldest coaster in the country and one of the few remaining John Miller coasters still around. It would serve as a great family coaster for the park so that alone should make it a worthwhile preservation project.

I sincerely HOPE you're right about JackRabbit. My instinct was always that the cost of getting the ride up to code would cost as much as building a new wooden coaster (~4M), and that the expense was the reason Clementon went with Tsunami in the first place. At 1.5M, it's seemingly a no-brainer...how they're going to get concrete footers poured (and the coaster literally torn down and re-assembled on top of them) for that price...I'm still dubious...but nonethless hopeful... :)

I'm fairly certain the ride would have to be completely rebuilt from the footers up, meaning it'd be a "new" 1919 John Miller coaster. A new medium-size wood coaster could probably be built for the same amount but this ride has a history behind it and surely means something to many locals. Yeah, a no-brainer if you ask me.

Please provide a link. I'm from SJ and heard nothing about this. The only news I've heard of sale was CF (owners of Dorney) selling out.

here is a very quick history read on the park.

www.clementonpark.com/history.html

This is where I learned how to swim
my first coaster
the first time I found money on the ground (a $5 bill) LOL
They had the BEST Flyers anywhere and I got kicked off them many times.
they had a great miniature golf.
in the summertime they had fireworks EVERY Friday night.
this is where I learned to play pinball and become "Tommy" minis the hat
and it was free to get in.
The park the way it was when I was a kid in the early 70's rminds me of how Knobels is now.
Free to get in you could relax under a shade tree all within walking distance from your home.
it was just a place for locals to hang out young and old.
And there was/is 5 bars within a fews blocks LOL if you got thirsty.
ok I'm done going down memory lane.

I can confirm most of what pcman is saying. Hugh Bleemer is purchasing Clementon. He wants to spend 5 million each year for the next 3 years, to improve both the amusement park and waterpark. He does NOT have plans to save the Jack Rabbit, unfortunately. The entire parking lot and park will be repaved for next year. New ride for waterpark next year and possibly for amusement park. For the past two months, he's been in and around the park, and he really wants to fix it up.

There's no link but I think most of us can consider this to be somewhat credible information. If there's no link, there's no link. That's not to say there won't be in the near future.

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Crashmando said:
Please provide a link. I'm from SJ and heard nothing about this. The only news I've heard of sale was CF (owners of Dorney) selling out.

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No link but it will be out soon.
but get to the park ASAP and ride Tsunami just incase the ride changes with the work that is being done in the off season
Always call ahead since the park on some days is closed to the public for company picnics.
only $10 after 5pm with coupon

www.clementonpark.com/coupons.html

FYI. I think today state inspectors are there approving the work that was done the last 3 weeks.

So now I have to ask... what's the real deal regarding the Jack Rabbit? That's where things seem to get a little fuzzy.

Yes now I would like to know whats up
I guess we have to wait a for more weeks or more to see whats up.
If you read the Title it say MAY run again then I go on to say it will cost 1.5 mil .
So only time will tell

fyi
Hugh Bleemer, executive vice president of co-branding at Bank One

Hughs name is mentioned in this Six Flags link
maybe that's how the SIX connection came about ?

www.sixflags.com/national/footerNav/chase.aspx

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*** Edited 8/2/2007 3:25:04 PM UTC by PcMan*** *** Edited 8/2/2007 3:26:44 PM UTC by PcMan***

I wonder what would make a former bank executive want to get into amusements?

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PcMan said:

The park the way it was when I was a kid in the early 70's rminds me of how Knobels is now.

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That statement says a lot about how bad the place has become.