Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's first roller coaster – the Big Dipper – was built in 1925. The park was sold to Funtime, Inc., in 1969 and was expanded over the years with additional rides and amenities. Funtime was acquired by Premier Parks in 1995, and for the 2000 season, they re-branded Geauga Lake as Six Flags Ohio, adding four new roller coasters. The following year, Six Flags bought the adjacent SeaWorld Ohio and combined the two parks under the name Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss, which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine, which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment.
The Bobs was a wooden roller coaster located at Riverview Park in Chicago, Illinois. It was built in 1924 and was demolished with the rest of the park in 1967. The Bobs was built by Prior and Church and designed by Fred Church. According to professional review of the blueprints the Bobs had a maximum height of 64.75 feet (19.74 m), a drop of 59.58 feet (18.16 m), and reached speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).
Timber Wolf is a wooden roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Timber Wolf was designed by Curtis D. Summers and was built by the Dinn Corporation. It opened on April 1, 1989.
The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) is an international organization dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the amusement and theme park industry – past, present and future.
Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster, originally constructed by Dinn Corporation as a wooden roller coaster, was rebuilt by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and opened to the public on May 5, 2018. It is a hybrid coaster, using RMC's steel I-Box track and a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records, including those for the tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster.
Dominator is a floorless roller coaster located at Kings Dominion amusement park in Doswell, Virginia. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it originally opened in 2000 as Batman: Knight Flight at Six Flags Ohio, in Aurora, Ohio. It was given its current name when Cedar Fair purchased the Ohio park in 2004. However, following Six Flags Ohio ’s eventual permanent closure in 2007, the coaster was relocated to Kings Dominion, where it reopened on May 24, 2008. Dominator is located fairly close to the park’s main entry plaza, in the area known as International Street.
Predator is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Darien Lake. It was designed by Curtis D. Summers and built by Dinn Corporation and opened on May 25, 1990.
Big Dipper was a wooden roller coaster located at the defunct Geauga Lake amusement park in Bainbridge Township, Ohio. Originally opened in 1925 as Sky Rocket, it was renamed Clipper in the late 1940s, and eventually Big Dipper in 1969. It was the oldest operating roller coaster in Ohio and seventh-oldest in the United States when it closed in 2007. Designed by John A. Miller, the Big Dipper was also one of the last remaining roller coasters in the world from the designer. American Coaster Enthusiasts awarded the coaster its ACE Coaster Classic and ACE Coaster Landmark designations. Efforts to sell, preserve, and restore the ride were unsuccessful. The ride was demolished on October 17, 2016.
Hercules was a wooden roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by the Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 6, 1989. It set a world record for the longest drop on a wooden coaster at 151 feet (46 m), surpassing the previous record of 147 feet (45 m) set by American Eagle at Six Flags Great America in 1981. Hercules was the third wooden coaster to be constructed at the park.
Double Loop was a steel roller coaster located at Geauga Lake amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. Built by Arrow Dynamics, it opened in 1977 as the first roller coaster in the world to feature two consecutive vertical loops. The roller coaster operated until the park closed permanently in 2007, and it was later sold for scrap at an auction a year later.
Villain was a wooden roller coaster at the Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio. It was designed by Custom Coasters International (CCI), and built by Rocky Mountain Construction. The ride opened as part of the four-coaster expansion Six Flags brought to Geauga Lake between 1999 and 2000. It was a wooden hybrid, with steel supports and wood track. When it originally opened, the ride was moderately smooth, but by 2001 it had deteriorated and was re-tracked during the off-season by Martin & Vleminckx. This was the second CCI coaster to feature a "trick track" element, where the track banks from one side to another while staying on an otherwise straight path. On June 17, 2008, Villain was sold for scrap to Cleveland Scrap for $2,500 following the closure of Geauga Lake in 2007. The ride has since been demolished.
Thunderhawk is an inverted roller coaster located at Michigan's Adventure amusement park in Muskegon, Michigan. Designed and built by Vekoma, the roller coaster originally debuted in 1998 as Serial Thriller at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. It was renamed Thunderhawk in 2004 following Cedar Fair's acquisition of the park. After Geauga Lake's permanent closure in 2007, Thunderhawk was dismantled and moved to Michigan's Adventure, where it reopened in 2008.
Roller Coaster is a steel roller coaster located Papéa Parc amusement park in Yvré-l'Evêque, France. It was formerly known as Beaver Land Mine Ride and Road Runner Express at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. It was a standard production model junior coaster from Zierer. It is known for having the longest train of any coaster at Papea Parc, and it is also the only coaster in the park to complete a full circuit twice while in operation.
SeaWorld Ohio was a theme park and marine zoological park located in Aurora, Ohio. It was owned and operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation. The Ohio location was the second SeaWorld park to be built in the chain, following SeaWorld San Diego, which opened six years earlier. The park was developed by George Millay, founder of the SeaWorld brand. After being purchased by Six Flags, the park was merged with Six Flags Ohio, an adjacent amusement park, to create Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Later, after the property was purchased by Cedar Fair, it was converted to a water park known as Wildwater Kingdom, which occupied the property until its closure in September 2016.
Firehawk was a flying roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Manufactured by Vekoma, it originally opened as X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure on May 26, 2001, billed as the Midwest's first and only flying roller coaster. Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Adventure in 2004 and began efforts to downsize the park. X-Flight was relocated to Kings Island following the 2006 season, where it reopened as Firehawk on May 26, 2007.
Possessed is an inverted impulse launched roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster originally debuted at Six Flags Ohio amusement park as Superman: Ultimate Escape on May 5, 2000. After Cedar Fair purchased the park and restored its Geauga Lake name in early 2004, the coaster was immediately renamed Steel Venom. The ride closed in 2006 and was moved to Dorney Park. It reopened in 2008 briefly under the name Voodoo, and was renamed Possessed for the 2009 season. The model is identical to five other impulse coaster installations at other amusement parks. A larger version called Wicked Twister was located at Cedar Point until its closure in September 2021.
Wolverine Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster at Michigan's Adventure, an amusement park near Muskegon, Michigan. It first opened in 1988 before Cedar Fair purchased the park. It is located in Timbertown, near the Timbertown Railway Station. It was the commonly referred to as the most thrilling ride at Michigan's Adventure until Shivering Timbers was built in 1998. The ride has a double out and back layout that is loosely based on the former Wildcat at Coney Island. Wolverine Wildcat celebrated its 30th year at Michigan's Adventure in 2018, which was also Shivering Timbers' 20th anniversary and Thunderhawk's 10th anniversary.
Dinn Corporation was a roller coaster designing and manufacturing company established in West Chester, Ohio, in 1983 by Charles Dinn. The company is noted for moving and rebuilding several existing wooden coasters and building ten new wooden roller coasters in the United States.
Martin & Vleminckx Ltd. is a thrill ride and roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Québec, Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a manufacturing facility in Orlando, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a warehouse in China.
