Highly Interesting Article to read

[Joe R]

This is an article that pertains to the in depth background of what happened for Gate Keeper to be, but the reason why it is being psted separately is due to the fact that they inexplicably lay something HUGE on us.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/OLI...&view=ZW50aXR5

Cedar Fair has a total of 11 projects for the coming years! Now, we know that Carowinds, Kings Dominion, Californias Great America and Cedar Point have all had either markers in the park, an announcement or have officially teased us. That means we have a total of 7 more parks to watch for in regards to announcements.

Knotts has come out and publicly acknowledged that Perilous Plunge is leaving for "future developement" come Labor Day. So that means we only have a possible 6 more parks to look out for.

So that leaves the question of which parks are going to give an announcement for a new project either later this year (possibly around September) or for one in the coming years. Will they be strictly under Oiumetts reign of will they have been started under Kinzels?

[hawkman]

Where is the teaser for Carowinds?

[tornbretto]

Joe, you read that wrong. The article says that he is involved with projects at the other 11 parks owned by Cedar Fair (the twelfth would be Cedar Point). That statement is then followed by a quote that says "We have projects planned for years down the road". So it's basically saying that all of the parks will be getting something in the next few years that they're presently planning out (doesn't mean it will be next year).

Hawkman, there have been markings up all over the place.

[Joe R]

I was typing mobile and I barely managed to edit in the website lol. Guess I missed that one

[tornbretto]

^It's ok. The exciting thing to take away from it all is that at least ALL the parks will be getting projects in the next few years

[hawkman]

They really need to invest in Michigans Adventure

[tornbretto]

^Why? The park is doing fine without any huge investments.

[hawkman]

They have only added one coaster in all of the 11 years they owned it. They never added a drop tower to it look it how much space they have for it. It is Cedar Fair's lowest preforming park

[tornbretto]

It is? I had no idea...considering it is one the most profitable in the chain.

The park doesn't need to fight for attendance, it has been breaking attendance and money records since 2008. The park is a business and it is in GREAT shape. Don't fix what isn't broke.

[hawkman]

Yes since 2008 since the Cedar Fair finally gave them a coaster for the first time in 10 years. Still it would not hurt to add a windseeker

[Joe R]

Again, don't fix what isn't broke. The park is doing fine with what they have, they don't have to readily worry about their patrons going elsewhere (just where IS the closest park to Michigans Adventure?), and they have no need for anything like WindSeeker or anything tall for that matter.

Going big will not always equate to being the better ride.

[Katie]

The closest operating "big chain" type park is Six Flags Great America and that is just over 100 miles.

Frankly, what Michigan's Adventure has works for their demographic. While it might have the lowest attendance rates throughout the chain, you have to realize this isn't really near a huge city nor a destination spot like Cedar Point is. MA has what the residents want. I rarely see any of the locals complain about what they don't have. They might not have the best coaster collection out there, they have what is needed to keep their park thriving and having their patrons come back year after year.

I will reiterate what the others keep saying....Don't fix what isn't broken.

[Thunderhawk]

Although it's 100 miles "as the crow flies", if you're going to drive it, it is substantially longer, about 240 miles. It took me almost 5 hours to drive between the two parks last year.

I'm by no means a local to Michigan's Adventure, however, I was lucky enough to visit it last year. As an enthusiast, I'd be much more interested in seeing Michigan's Adventure spend the money to refurbish Shivering Timbers rather than buy a new rollercoaster. Shivering Timbers could be one of the finest wooden coasters in the world, but isn't, because it suffers from roughess. Frankly, it suffers from large CCI syndrome. If they were to smooth out some of the valleys, the turnaround, and the helix, this would be among my favorite wooden coasters anywhere.

[Leo C]

I have a feeling Michigan Adventure could be along the lines of The Great Escape. I will see eventually.

[hawkman]

I think it is good on the coasters for awhile. What the park needs is either a Drop tower or a sky screamer. I say Sky Screamer because it does not make much noise so the locals would not have a problem with it

[Brian H]

What locals? The park is surrounded on three sides by woods and the fourth side by a golf course. The closest houses are near the waterpark, not the rides area, noise is not going to be a problem for this park.

I'd also like to point out the ferry that goes over Lake Michigan from Muskegon to Milwaukee, making it a 2+ hour boat ride and just over an hour of driving between the parks. The ferry is expensive though, cost the same as the gas for driving all the way.

[hawkman]

Still they could add a thrill to it