Trip Report: Chippewa Lake (and a broken down car)

My friend who has a video project to do for a class at CSU decided to do a bit on amusement parks, and more specifically, smaller family amusement parks, with the Cedar Fair purchase of Geauga Lake being an example of a family park returning.

Well, my friend had bugged me to get out to a defunct park, and today we drove down to Chippewa Lake, a park that has not been operating since 1978. We got some good stills from outside of the park of what looked like a pretty nice wooden roller coaster, and what appeared to be the old front gate. We did not go inside the park, as it is private property, and I didn't feel like going to jail.

Anyway, we have some cool stills I can share if people would like. Unfortunately, after we left the park, I noticed my car started leaking gas, which it has done in the past. AAA would not tow me back to Cleveland without paying cash, because I had the wrong type of membership, although on my last tow I was told I did have the Plus membership. Anyway, my car is stuck at a mechanic's near the park, but we did get some nice footage, and talk to some nice people about the park. It is a shame that it is just sitting there rotting, when it could at least be made into a nice picnic park, even without rides.

-Sam

Chippewa Lake is a sad sight to see....sorry to hear about your car also.

Out of curiosity what kind of car is it? Its not a Ford is it...

1995 Dodge Caravan SE with lots and lots of miles. Unlike a Ford, it only needs to be repaired weekly, not daily.

-Sam

where can i see these photos?

My friend has them on his site, but I can't post the URL here, as he only has DSL, and doesn't want all the hits.

EDIT: By his site, I mean the web server he runs at home. Hosting it on DSL, he doesn't have much bandwidth, and I don't think he wants hundreds of enthusiasts bogging down his DSL when he needs it for things like mail.

IM or Email me, and I can let you see the photos.

-Sam *** Edited 4/19/2004 2:08:32 PM UTC by Avalanche Sam***

Hey now........don't knock Fords........mine is 12 years old now. ;-) Although it's showing it's age (mechanically and cosmetically) it has taken me to many, many places and has only begun to break down on a regular basis....;-)

Anyway, you probably could have entered the park as long as you don't make yourself too known (act like an enthusiass or one of the locals who seem to like to party in the park). Then again maybe the locals are more fussy about visitors.

When I was there I talked to some of the locals who were OK that I was there as long as I didn't start trouble. This was not long after the ballroom was torched. :-( There is a lot to see, so I would recommend a trip back, especially in the fall when the leaves are just turning colors

-Tina

*** Edited 4/20/2004 10:48:36 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***