In 2007, Cedar Fair decided it was time to close the one of the oldest amusement parks in the United States, Geauga Lake, for good. The announcement of the closing came as a shock to everyone. However, they decided to keep the water park open. For the next ten years. Wildwater Kingdom gave something for families to do on hot summer days in the rural Ohio area of Aurora. Now it has been announced after September 5, 2016, Wildwater Kingdom will close forever.
This news has been disappointing to many people, and some are worried for what is going to happen to the property. Cedar Fair basically abandoned the Geauga Lake property to die. They sold some rides or reolcated them, but the historic rollar coaster, The Big Dipper, still stands, along with the main gates, the parking lot, some pillars for rides, and an empty water ride. It can all be seen in drone videos of the park.
To understand why it is a concern for what it is going to happen to the property, it is best to know some history. Geauga Lake has a long and confusing history. It was bought by many companies and changed many times during its run along with the water park. In short, Geauga Lake essentially began as a park in 1887 with a carousal being built two years later. In 1925, The Big Dipper, the rollar coast that is now abandanded, was built.
When FunTime Incorportated bought it in 1969, it really took off as a high-end amusement park and SeaWorld was built next to it in 1970. Then Geauga Lake was bought by Six Flags and then bought back by Cedar Fair as time went on. Wildwater Kingdom replaced SeaWorld in 2006, two years after Cedar Fair closed SeaWorld in 2004. Then Geauga Lake was finally closed in 2007.
Now that Wildwater Kingdom is closing, there have been many different options that could be done with the property. There is a lot of land to be put in use. Geauga Lake has about 540 acres, while WildWater Kingdom has 17 acres.
The big discussion right now is to decide what to do with the land now. At the end of the day, it is Cedar Fair's decision to what to do with the property since they own it. It is presumed that it will help Aurora and Bainbridge with what to do with the property this time around. At least, this is according to the official statement on on the Wildwater Kingdom website.
Many think that the property will be used for mixed use. Some areas, especially by the lake, maybe used for new residential areas. A boardwalk of some sort is also an option, according to Hilary Goldston of Channel 3 news. Retail has also been a large part of the discussion as the store, Meijer, offered Cedar Fair $41,000 for 41 acres, according to Emily Bamforth of cleveland.com.
Another big consideration for the land is for movie sound stages. According to Kabir Bhatia of wksu.org, Clevleand Film Comission CEO, Ivan Schwarz, is very interested in the property. If the state raises the tax-credit for movies to be shot in Ohio, this could be huge for the area of Aurora/Bainbridge. Many movie makers would love to film here as evident by Cleveland natives, the Russo Brothers, who have directed both Captain America: The Winter Soldier in Cleveland.
Personally, I would love to see the old Geauga Lake come alive again with something. If the sound stages could be built here, in my home town, I would probably cry with joy. I am looking into the media or film industry as a career, and having a film studio in my backyard would be amazing. It would be really easy to intern, and the area is super quiet. There is no highways around, and there is a lot of space to build buildings and parking. Also, the amount of jobs people could get would be through the roof. Also, if this happened, who knows what movies and stars would come here. I feel Marvel would shoot here often as the Russo Brothers love it here. Cleveland is their home.
Above all else, I do not want to see what was Geauga Lake, a once proud amusement park, to be abandoned anymore. I live about ten minutes away from the waterpark, and I do not want to see the Big Dipper drown in wildlife anymore. I want this land to be appreciated and remembered once again.
No one really knows what Cedar Fair was intending when they bought the park from Six Flags. People think Cedar Fair bought Geauga Lake only to close it so Cedar Point would not have competition anymore. Despite the rumors, they at least owe it to my hometown of Bainbridge, Ohio to clean up the site and treat it with respect. I am sick of seeing the skeletons of Geauga Lake. The main park has been left alone for almost ten years now. It is time to treat both parks with the respect it deserves. It has too much history to be left to rot away.
To learn more about Geauga Lake's history, I would highly suggest watching either Abandoned-Geauga Lake by Bright Sun Films or Geauga Lake: Worlds Once Adventured by RampaigingRex Productions.
