Lakemont Park won't operate historic rides in 2024

I can't think of a single instance of a park having improved financial results after closing their rides. This wait and see approach will last a year or two at best.

Congratulations to Jack Rabbit at Kennywood, soon to be the oldest existing roller coaster in North America.

Apparently there is a clause in that lease which requires the lessee to maintain Leap the Dips in some fashion. Given that they have to maintain it anyway, and that it commands a fairly hefty price to ride it, I wonder why it makes sense not to operate it.

I presume that the contract merely states that the coaster has to be maintained, not that it needs to operate. So I also presume that not operating it does not place the operator in material breach of the long term contract.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I believe that is correct - it has to be maintained but there is nothing that says it has to operate. Whether or not 'maintained' means it has to receive annual preventative maintenance, cycle, etc., or simply cut back the weeds that will grow around it.

I also wonder how it will be monitored that the maintenance is being done. I seem to remember Cedar Fair doing very, very minimal (but still something) maintenance to Big Dipper the first year after Geauga Lake closed. But that quickly went by the wayside.

I would not be surprised if"maintaining" can be interpreted as not letting it rot and fall over. I wouldn't get my hopes up for much more.

If somebody there has been “maintaining” it then I need to have a word with them. What should have been a pleasant, nostalgic ride from the past about broke my back. I needed that little side-friction to be OVER. Then when I had a similar experience over at Skyliner I realized that maybe they just weren’t interested in maintaining quality, even for historical reasons. If it absolutely has to stay then I reckon it might be doomed to sit as a museum piece.
I remember years ago when an angel or two showed up and provided Leap the Dips with a renovation that would restore the ride to proper status. It was a big deal. I don’t know who was owner then, maybe Boyer, but it turned out to be good money after bad. It seemed like it was never touched again.

It reopened in 1999 after sitting SBNO since the mid 80s. I rode it for the first time in 2000 and it was glass smooth - save for that last dip where the entire point was to leap the dip. I rode it again several more times from 2000-2006ish and it broke in a little, but was still being very well cared for and maintained during that time.

On the other side of the park, Skyliner always scared the s**t out of me. The airtime on the first drop and then again at the crest of the second hill was comically violent. The ride itself was kinda meh, but those two pops of airtime were some of the scariest (and fun) moments I've had on a coaster.

Maintaining it probably implies making sure the structure stays sound enough not to collapse. I don't think there would be any track work involved. As seen in the past, wooden coasters that sit dormant for awhile require a lot of money to be put back in operation so I hope this break they are taking is only for a season or two.