Six arrested after fight at Cedar Point

Perfect, they have completed their rite of passage to becoming a proper Six Flags park.

Add this to the list I guess. Within the last month, there were two instances of massive fights at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and one 300+ person brawl at Kings Dominion. One of the fights at BGW resulted in an 18 year old being stabbed.

From the article:

Police say in the report that the woman, who had a “strong odor of intoxicants,”

Shocking. In some ways, you would hope this is the case because you don't want to think any sober person would get in a fight at an amusement park. Unfortunately, that isn't the case though.

I’ve never understood why alcohol is needed at amusement parks and when flying, both of which require customers to be sober for safety and emergency purposes. Side note, the under 35 demographic is moving away from alcohol consumption as science and doctors report how damaging it is to our health.

TheMillenniumRider:

Perfect, they have completed their rite of passage to becoming a proper Six Flags park.

I literally submitted the news item planning to make this wisecrack, and you beat me to it. 😠

Gunkey Monkey:

I’ve never understood why alcohol is needed at amusement parks

I haven't read the article, but I assume it doesn't indicate whether the woman's "strong odor of intoxicants" began before or after entering the park.

Gunkey Monkey:

I’ve never understood why alcohol is needed at amusement parks and when flying, both of which require customers to be sober for safety and emergency purposes.

Ooh, I'll take this one. Because responsible adults who understand their limits and don't suffer from addiction may like to tie one on now and then. It's OK if you don't feel the same way. Furthermore, and we've been over this a thousand times, consuming alcohol doesn't automatically mean getting drunk. The kid who started the fight was probably not drunk. There's no obvious causality here. I've been drunk at Cedar Point (we miss you, Pete), and never been in a fight there. Come to think of it, I've been drunk a lot of places and never been in a fight. Or been in a fight sober. Oh, and if amusement parks and airlines "required" people to be sober, I doubt either one would sell alcohol.

Side note, the under 35 demographic is moving away from alcohol consumption as science and doctors report how damaging it is to our health.

That sure needs some nuance. The science about alcohol hasn't changed in decades. The bottles still have warnings in most countries. (And don't bring up the red wine thing... there was never solid science on that.) Furthermore, "moving away" is an exaggeration. The sampling of studies I can find show over the last 20 years a decline in the under-35 crown from low-70% to mid-60% now. If two-thirds are still consuming, that's hardly the abandonment you suggest.

Gunkey Monkey:

I’ve never understood why alcohol is needed at amusement parks and when flying

It's the money obviously.

Vater:
"strong odor of intoxicants" began before or after entering the park

Right. There's nothing stopping anyone from getting wasted in the parking lot or hotel and it's also easy to get bottles through security. At the same time I don't think the bartenders at Cedar Point are really looking to cut people off either. They are often working alone and don't have anyone to help back them up in case someone gets argumentative. It's easier to just move them along and let them become someone else's problem.

@Vater

There was no 300+ person brawl at KD, they did have to escort a lot of teenagers out due to the chaperone policy. The statement from the police department is below.

"We initially responded to a fight inside the arcade," "We had a deputy that was right there, he came across the radio asking for assistance because he had, what he said, estimated to be about 300 people."
"We had a handful of people fighting surrounded by hundreds of people that were encouraging it, egging it on, being disorderly, being difficult for us to get through the crowd to get to the middle of what was going on," Wills continued. "And then as we start flushing them out of the arcade, that group goes outside and it just spreads to the outside now.... and then somebody screams ‘gun!" and next thing you know you have a flood of all these people we just kicked out of the arcade come rushing back in as we are trying to restore order and get outside to see if there is somebody with a gun. It was just mass chaos."

I consume alcohol frequently but haven't been drunk in over 20 years. I just enjoy a beer, cocktail or glass of wine with a meal. I don't drink soda and water isn't satisfying. I won't buy liquor on a plane, but if I get it in a premium seat I'll drink it over juice. I agree with Jeff. Wanting to have a drink has little to do with drinking in excess.

While alcohol can be an issue during Halloween events, the majority of the problems are caused by unsupervised kids who want to go in droves and cause problems. Alcohol bans aren't going to change this. Strictly enforced parent/guardian rules are the only way forward and even they aren't perfect. It's sad, because I used to go to my local park as a kid by myself and now that's not possible for the current generation of kids.

sxcymike:

There was no 300+ person brawl at KD

Just repeating what several news stories reported. Still, hundreds of juveniles created a mob scene that began with a fight and resulted in police calling in backup and took around 2 hours to diffuse.

Gunkey Monkey:

Side note, the under 35 demographic is moving away from alcohol consumption as science and doctors report how damaging it is to our health.

Probably because they've discovered how healthy vaping is.

Gunkey Monkey:

I’ve never understood why alcohol is needed at amusement parks

It’s not needed. But these parks make a ton of profit from it now. So unfortunately there is no going back.

What do you mean going back? Was there a time they didn't sell alcohol? MAKE CEDAR POINT DRY AGAIN!

"Unfortunately?" I'd love to know the stratospheric number of individuals at amusement parks who have both been intoxicated and caused problems.

Imagine if Jeff was drunk when he had to evac off Superman.

Man, when the Magic Kingdom finally started selling alcohol (2012, when my kids were 10 and 7...not that I was paying that close of attention) my trips improved. Again, I don't drink in excess but if I can have an overpriced beer with an overpriced meal, I just feel a little better about the experience.

Just booked a hotel for my November Food & Wine visit. Can't wait!

Jeff:

Was there a time they didn't sell alcohol?

Well, Cedar Point did exist during prohibition….