Wyandot Lake auction
http://www.nortonauctioneers.com/upcoming.htm
What does this mean for the future of the park and, most importantly, the Sea Dragon?
The Zoo bought it!
Maybe they're selling off the kiddie rides and waterpark stuff, and keeping the coaster and other permanent rides for the Zoo?
I know for a fact the Zoo has stated they intend to keep the coaster and the carousel, and they've owned the land for years.
The listing has it as a Six Flags park, so maybe SF is tossing what they didn't sell.
When did the zoo state this for a fact?
Granted it's from June, maybe it fell through?
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Perhaps they will purchase New rides... They already want new waterpark attractions, it depends on how important rides are to them.
I've heard that the park may take a season off, while the zoo repositions itself with a new road, access, etc. If a re-do of Wyandot Lake is anything like the additions the Cols Zoo has made recently they'll take their good old sweet time.
I wouldn't be surprised if they lose most of their iron and some of the older water slides. The zoo knows they can't compete ride-wise with what's going on to the north and the south of us and they'll never try. An upgraded water park would be better for this market. It would be a shame to lose the Frolic, and I've heard they still have the Looper in storage from old Zoo Park days. Sea Dragon (Jonn Allen's Jet Flyer) will be ok. They recognize the historic significance of that little ride.
This is definitely something I'll watch with interest.
I may have said this before, but I work for a vendor that has business at WL. One day last spring I found myself in the gen. mgrs. office for a brief meeting and by my chair on the floor was a large beautiful rendering of a new entrance gate for WL. It was very Old World Italianate in design, and the great thing was that in the background, or "in" the park, you could see a Looping Starship and other rides that looked like SF cast offs! So I sez to him, "why look at that! that's interesting" and he was all like "ah well, yea, um, that's just someone's idea of something that might be someday".
Mind you, this was in the SF days and even though WL was the red headed stepchild of the chain, nobody had a clue then that they would do all this major dumpage. I'm sure that great design, whenever it was for, went in the trash. It would be nice tho if the Zoo would give their new area the proper treatment.
He talked about several "First of their kind" attractions combining rides or slides with animal enclosures. He would not elaborate much further, but talked about a water slide going through a new penguin enclosure.
He also added that some of the new exhibits *woud* be in place for next season. If you have seen the latest additions to the Zoo, you know that anything added to the Lake will be very well done.
With the addition of African Forrest, Islands of Southeast Asia and AsiaQuest, the Zoo has shown that they can design complete environments with the best of them.
I see WL turning the Lake into a jungle themed water park, think the former Congo area at KI.
The coaster isn't going anywhere.
To combine a water park and a real zoo is an interesting concept, the jungle theme certainly lends itself. (But do we really wanna see central Ohioans walking around the zoo in their swimsuits?!?!) Perhaps plans are to keep most of the swimming activity on the WL side of the road. Bringing animal exhibits to that side makes sense.
Haven't we all looked at the penguins sliding around their habitat and wished we could get in there too? The notion of a human waterslide amongst the penguins is a hoot. (warning, Columbus Zoo- if you haven't noticed, penguins don't smell all that great. Nose clips for a dollar at the top of the slide?)
Thanks again- are you able to say when the zoo plans to release any publicity about the WL takeover? Or did you already air something on 6 or 8 News?
I am trying to assign the story for sometime this week, but that all depends on how things go.
If they end up going to one gate, I would think there would be a dress code for the "Zoo" area like many amusement parks have.
If I can get something assigned I will let everyone know.
PREMiERdrum said:He would not elaborate much further, but talked about a water slide going through a new penguin enclosure.
Sa-weeeet! As long as it isn't an "ice body slide"....brrrrrrrrr!
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--Dave Althoff, Jr. <-- is 99% certain he knows who he's talking to... *** Edited 9/25/2006 6:20:23 PM UTC by RideMan***
I read something in the not too distant past that stated the waterpark would be an extra charge attraction. so even if the slides went through the penguin habitat, the access to the slides would probably be separated from the regular zoo. I don't think they plan on having zoo guests wandering around in bathing suits!
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