Rides of the 70's and 80's

I am glad to hear that they are using parts of the Pirate Ride during HalloWeekends. I go to CP every year, but have never been thier in October.

ya gotta go RPMguitar..you don't know what your missing!!

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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html

Jeffrey Spartan

Tim-
In response to the Blue Streak as it debuted in '64, I have a video history on the park and it shows the Blue streak was actually unpainted wood the first few years of operation. That must have been cool to see up close. All the brown wood used to build it. I can't imagine the wait for that ride when it first opened. The ride is seven years older than I am.

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Pet peeve of mine...

That "whooshing" sound you heard on the Satellite Jets/Super Jets/Star Voyager/whatever you called them? That's PNEUMATICS, not hydraulics. Hydraulics tend to be a lot quieter than pneumatics; the Witches Wheel, for instance, uses a high-pressure hydraulic system for the lift, as do Troika and Chaos. Wave Swinger, Ocean Motion, and Monster all use hydraulic drives; most of the rides that have lifting motion (the Monster being the most notable exception) use hydraulic lifting cylinders. Roller coaster brakes, on the other hand, are almost all pneumatic, as are the drive systems on Power Tower.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The Jumbo Jet was an excellent ride. I remember the first time I rode it I was scared to death. There were no seat belts, just padded bars. It was sort of a rough ride. I heard the reason the height requirement was 5' was that it had a tendency to break the collar bones of people shorter than that. I wish it was still there instead of Disappointment Transport.
The funhouse was a great place. Does anyone remember the one part where they had a foam rubber place in the floor and when you stepped on it, it made a hissing sound ?

Mark- I was seven years old when it opened. I don't remember anything about waiting. I just remember BS looked huge and was fun. I also remember my dad trying to talk my mom (who hates such things) into riding it. She did ride once and lost her sun glasses. I think that is why I, still to this day, take my glasses off whenever I ride a coaster.

I wish that I could remember the Funhouse. I can faintly remember the upside down room, and I can kind of picture the slides in my mind, but other than that, I have a hard time believing that I ever went through the funhouse that you are talking about. I do know that I did go through it, but that is about my only memory. I'm surprised that the hissing cushion thing didn't give me nightmares. I was deathly afraid of snakes (actually I still don't like them much).

As of today,two standard midway rides really top my favorites list. The first one, which most people today really don't like because they get sick, is the Witche's Wheel. I remember the first time I rode it (I think it was 1980 or 1981, a couple of years after it opened[Witches Wheel opened in '79], I sat with my oldest sister. I just loved the whole concept of it. Going upside down and around. It is such a quiet ride. I call it a huge fan because that is what it almost sounds like. My next favorite is the Cedar Downs Racing Derby, the fast merry-go-round. This is a ride is an institution in this park. You don't go and not ride Cedar Downs. Well, that's me really. I can't make you ride it, but I love it.
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Actually, Witches' Wheel opened in 1977. Geauga Lake unveiled an Enterprise for the 1979 season.....

ray p.

Schwabinchen-
I thought for sure it was '79. You know how the Witches Wheel sits at the back end of the Gemini? Well, I don't remember it being there, before the Gemini was built, and the Witches Wheel has always been in its current spot since it opened. If you don't mind my asking, how do you know it was '77. Are you a former employee from there? Or, do you remember riding it that year. I just don't remember it opening in '77. But you know what, I could very well be wrong. I am going to find out this year when I go exactly what year it opened. Oh, by the way, it still is my favorite midway ride regardless of it's opening year. I can eat something and still ride it and I don't get sick. I guess you could say I am immune to getting sick on that ride

Mark

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Sounds like we need to bring someone else in (Dave???). As far as I recall, this was the expansion list for 1976-1981:

1976: Corkscrew, Dodgem 1, Troika
1977: Witches' Wheel
1978: Gemini
1979: Wave Swinger, Jr. Gemini
1980: Ocena
1981: Ocean Motion

I just have all this stuff in my head from visiting the park every year. I'm sure someone else here could back me up on this-

ray p.

Schwabinchen is right, the Witches' Wheel opened in 1977, the year before Gemini opened. It was always in it's present location.

Does anybody remember any other dark rides at CP besides SF earthquake and The Pirate Ride? A friend of mine has a girlfriend whose parents use to own one of the dark rides, but he said none of those rides sounded famillar.

I think there used to be a Noah's Ark at CP during the 40's or 50's.

I believe the Wave Swinger opened in 1976 as well. I need to consult my Cedar Point book "The Queen of American Watering Places" and see what it says


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I've found this thread very interesting to read, and it's brought back to my mind many things I'd forgotten about. It's good to see other people fondly recalling things like the Tiki Twirl and Bayern Kurve, not to mention the Funhouse (which just about anyone could tell was facing extinction after they removed the mirrors from the mirrored room and just made it a bunch of posts to avoid--GOOD RIDDANCE to Kid Arthur's Court) and the Frontiertown Sky Ride. The existence of the Trabant and Tiki Twirl at CP always puzzled me, since (if I recall correctly) they were identical (or at least nearly so) to the Schwabinchen and Calypso, only with different theming.

Other random thoughts: Earthquake--always enjoyed it, but only remember the scene with the ballroom dancers and the tower that looked like it was about to fall on you.

Matterhorn--much better on the beach midway than where it is now.

Double Ferris Wheel--always a neat thing to see right when you enter the park, and so what if I puked when I was 7 after going on that immediately after eating something from the Hofbrau right across from it?? It was still a great ride!

Skyslide--"Do not touch the slide on the way down, as you may get a "faaar-iction" burn!" Damn the Bears--I blame them solely for the demise of Earthquake and the Skyslide, though this is far from the truth, I'm certain.

Frontiertown Sky Ride--I, too, miss this the most and considered it to be the quietest ride in the park, much(?) longer than the main midway version. The solitude and silence you'd experience while going over the island and lagoons was a great break from the hustle of the rest of the park. "Draggin' iron" was hardly (IMO) worth removing the FSR for, even though its demise would have eventually taken place anyway. I look at the old station in Frontiertown longingly, and miss seeing the gap in the trees you could see going up the first hill of the Mine Ride where you co?? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ????????? ???????????????????????? ? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ????????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ?????????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?????????????????????? ??????? ?????????????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??????????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???????????????????? ????????????? ????? ??????? ??????????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ??????? ???????????????????????????? ??? ??? ???????? ??????? ????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ?? ???????????????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ?????????? ???? ???? ????? ??????????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ??????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????????????????????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ? ???

I remember my sister apparently ignored the sign on the skyslide and touched the slide. It was our first and only visit to the first aid station!

Michigan Man,
You partly answered your own question. Yes, there was another ride in the "Million Dollar Midway" along with the Bayern Kurve and the Monster you had the Schwabinchen.