Last Gasp: Say goodbye to The Great Gasp at SFOG

If you love the Great Gasp at Six Flags Over Georgia, you better get to the park before August 14th for one last ride.

Unfortunatly, SFOG has announced the ride will be closing and will be removed after nearly 30 years of operation at the park. However, Great Gasp will be going out with a bang as the park has planned a two week long special event to salute the classic parachute drop.

The Press Satement (E-mailed to pass holders, should be up on the Six Flags website soon):

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Enjoy the Last Gasp of Summer at Six Flags

Say goodbye to summer and to The Great Gasp with two weeks of special events!

Atlanta - Six Flags Over Georgia is offering some great ways to end your summer on a high note this year. The Last Gasp of Summer marks the end of weekday operations at the park, and the final drops of The Great Gasp. Two weeks of special concerts and events are planned during the celebration!

During The Last Gasp of Summer, guests of the park will have an opportunity to be one of the last riders on The Great Gasp parachute drop ride. Riders on August 13 and 14 will receive a limited edition collector's button commemorating the final drops on The Great Gasp.

Built in 1976, The Great Gasp has been a favorite with guests seeking the thrill of a 200-foot parachute drop. Sporting magnificent views of the Atlanta skyline, the Great Gasp has stood as a local icon, carrying over 15 million riders to lofty heights and back. Final rides will take place August 13 and 14, after which The Great Gasp will be retired following almost 30 years of service.

Six Flags Over Georgia has teamed up with Publix supermarkets to deliver "School Supplies for Cool Kids." On July 31, receive $15 off a daily admission ticket at the park front gate with your gift of school supplies. Supplies will go to underprivileged children in the Atlanta area.

Kids Fest brings one last concert series of the summer to Six Flags Over Georgia! The fun starts Saturday, August 6 with pop star Aaron Carter at 5 p.m. Immediately following is recording artist Christy Carlson Romano. Wrapping up Sunday, August 7 is Atlanta native Raven-Symone at 5 p.m. All concerts are free with park admission.

In addition to the music, kids can drop by the Axis Arena during Kids Fest to play the all-new Kids Next Door trading card game at the interactive treehouse. Over in Bugs Bunny World kids will find balloon animals, games, modeling school tryouts, face painting and much, much more.

It's not too late to pack in multiple days of fun this summer! Get a season pass at Publix for just $54.99 and come both days. Six Flags Over Georgia is open for daily operation through August 14, then weekend operation through October 30. Please visit sixflags.com for a complete schedule.

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So-long Gasp...hello B&M hyper!

Does anybody know if they are going to melt it down for metal, or are they going to try to sale it.

-Jake

The information is now up on Six Flags.com, as well as some (small) construction pictures of Great Gasp from 1976.

That's really a shame. Great Gasp really was iconic for Six Flags over Georgia's skyline. I'm sure it won't be quite the same even with the B&M hyper dominating the skyline.

Here in Columbus we have Wyandot Lake, the red-headed stepchild of the Six Flags chain, and I hope they neither scrap or sell the Great Gasp. Provided it's in good mechanical order, it would make a great addition to our park. We're so neglected on the iron side of the park, and it seems with SF's penchant for ride rotation (and the number of flats that Six Flags removes) they could afford to make a kind donation or two.

WL is a very small place and landlocked for now. A suit there told me once that bigger water rides are on their wish-list. Shame. Six Flags flats and thrill rides would be new to this nearly saturated market, Ohioans have never seen the likes of a Looping Starship, a Parachute Drop, a Polyp, a Falling Star, or a Barnstormer, and with an upgrade in iron rides, attendance would surely increase.

WL should keep their coaster, of course, the Eli Wheel, and the Frolic. The rest can go.

I always rode the Gasp on visits to SFOG and I will miss it next time I'm there. Texas and New Jersey are the last ones, right?

Hate to see it go. I really wish they would save it and move it somewhere else in the park such as near GASM. GASM & GASP together...now that would be too cool.

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

Sorry folks. The only other appearance it's making, is in the local scrapyard.

~josh

Happiness is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth. Trip pics are here: http://www.pbase.com/jhbd99.

It's a sad thing to see it go but with its hard-to-come-by parts, and now with proposed construction, we had to know it was coming.

I am glad they told us in advance, unlike for Viper.

Looked on the Six Flags website and couldn't find anything about The Great Gasp or construction photos.

The link in my above post leads to the page.

Elsewhere somebody said that several pieces of the ride are being sold off as collector items.

I'm sure it'll be parted out to SFOT and SFGAdv..

So along with a couple Excalibur trains, an unusable enterprise, tons of untubed Rapids boats, the old Vampire train from the Vekoma Boomerang, and im sure tons more stuff, i forsee pieces making it to SFOT and joining our collection of crap. YAY!

Too bad they are taking it out since the press release itself states that it "has been a favorite with guests seeking the thrill of a 200-foot parachute drop. Has stood as a local icon, carrying over 15 million riders to lofty heights and back"

I know parts are an issue, but why hasen't someone else designed new ones of these... unless they have already

RCMAC:
Wyandot lake sits on land leased from the zoo. The zoo wants to expand, put in a new entrance which will cut through Wyandots picnic grove, and re-shape Wyandot Lake. There are 19 new acres up for grabs for Wyandot, but it's all on the zoo's hands. We may see something in 5 years or so.

Don't think the parts are the issue here....Even rides only a couple years old need custom parts. With the ride being 30 years old I'm sure the parts are not complicated to make. Sounds more like expansion issues.

Sounds more like expansion issues.

That's common with age.

Jophish said:
I am glad they told us in advance, unlike for Viper.

SFoG did let people know about the end of Viper. I was at the "Viper-thon" send off and was able to be on the last train launched out. Maybe you didnt get the memo. ;)

~josh

Happiness is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth. Trip pics are here: http://www.pbase.com/jhbd99.

Goodbye Gasp, sorry I didn't get to ride you.

Hello *****, can't wait to take a spin on you!

Rampage said:
SFoG did let people know about the end of Viper. I was at the "Viper-thon" send off and was able to be on the last train launched out. Maybe you didnt get the memo. ;)
~josh

I did, two days before not two and a half weeks.

But it appears that was the exception, not the rule, when it comes to invitations to the Viper goodbye. I don't think its something one can fault the park for.

And at least people can still *Ride* GreezedViperWave. And I highly suggest they do. As for the Great Gasp, it is going the way of Shockwave. Which, BTW, I'm mad I didn't get to say my proper goodbyes to. >8-(