This was my first coaster ever i remember when i was 5 years old i rode it with my mom because i was afraid of the villain and i had my eyes closed the whole time.
I didn't read the comments, so sorry if this has already been addressed. Kennywood Park (either in West Mifflin or Duquesne), near Pittsburgh, PA, still has three wooded coasters. The Racer is a lot like the one in this video with lots of small dips. It has two trains that run parallel to each other. If you get in on the train on the left, when the ride is over, your train is on the right. The Jack Rabbit has a double dip, and the Thunderbolt squishes one rider on two banked curves.
The last time I was at Geauga Lake my back was bothering me so I figured I was gonna pay dearly when the day was over especially after I decided to make Big Dipper my sons 1st coaster because it had been mine and he was just barely tall enough so on we went. That thing threw me all over the place but the weird thing was when I went to bed that night my back felt better than it had in weeks.
@hypnoboy3 Depends on when the last time you were at the park. It was called "The Clipper" around the 1950's and early 1960's. Before that it was called "The Rocket" and after "The Big Dipper".
Ok update on big dipper. Financing for the purchase fell through. So the big dipper is still sitting near the park disassembled. It MAY go to Conneaut Lake Park,...if financing can be found to move it, which is no small feat. I have confirmed that the perspective owners have talked to CLP manangement about moving it.
@crawfordbureau Ya know..How hard would it be for Cedar Point to relocate this to their park??? All they would have to do is put it near the beach on the East side of the park. Same with the RWB...Both coasters are a wooden coasters dream.
It's so sad for me seeing that park closed after all the wonderful memories. :( The Big Dipper was one of the worst rollercoasters I ever rode on though! It jerked you around so f*cking much that your neck was throbbing by the time you stepped off.
@FunAndOnly Everyone I know comments on how rough a ride Mean Streak is... I can't agree with them - it's certainly harsher than Big Dipper or Ravine Flyer II (Waldameere), maybe somewhere close to Raging Wolf Bobs (Geauga Lake) which people also complained about. Blue Streak is just evil.
@BellaCroix Big Dipper felt a lot more harsh to me than Blue Streak. I ride Blue Streak regularly and enjoy it, while I only ever rode the BD a few times because it was so painful.
I hope this ride is saved and relocated, but I know I certainly won't be riding it again!
@jumpbacktome this ride still sits right where it always was, this ride and the Raging Wolf Bobs are still sitting in the abandoned park, rotting away
This just in...the Big Dipper has been purchased by two members of ACE and they are looking for a new home for it. I know where they are headed with it but cant say publicly just yet.
@crawfordbureau Can you tell us now, where it will be reconstructed? I live near Geauga Lake and the Big Dipper was the second coaster I had ever ridden (The Corkscrew being the first). My family used to get season passes for the park when it still had awesome rides and I'd venture to say that from 1996-2008 I rode The Big Dipper 100+ times and loved every minute of it. I would love to ride it once again.
I'm in FL now but I lived at Geauga Lake in the summer in the mid 70's. This brings back amazing memories, feelings, sensations, smells, sounds....wonderful seeing this point of view again! I heard that the Big Dipper was sold today and will be saved....thank God.
@jbrollercoasters I would totally buy that! But... 1. I don't have enough money. 2. I don't have enough land. 3. The mayor would probably make me have sex with him.
Wow, i loved the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake. Went there for many, many years since i was a kid till they closed. Many great memories of the monorail, the Sky Scraper?, The Gold Rush, Old Fashioned Cars, Ski lift, and the boat that went down the river into the lake, and so many more.
@oXoKeNZiEoXo Um... both of them? You had them install an extra for you? No wonder the ride sucked for you, it must have taken weeks before you even got off the boarding platform.
Lesson for everyone: when riding a coaster, do not ask them to install extra safety equipment for you.
You can't just move a coaster of this type and magnitude, I say it should stay where it belongs, just find a developer who's willing to develop an entertainment/shopping district around it.
@lukeauld: The Blackpool "Roller Coaster" opened in 1933, Geauga Lake's "Big Dipper" opened in 1925/1926 (Known as "The Rocket" at that time).
Unless someone had a time machine, no they didn't. Actually, the designer of Big Dipper, John Miller, patented the anti-roll back mechanism (the clicky-clack you hear when climbing the lift-hill on a wood coaster) so technically all other modern wooden coasters "copy" John Miller designs.
thank you sooooo much for this....brought back some of my favorite memories....i can smell the hot blacktop and the sticky cotton candy through my speakers!!!....AWSOME!!!!!!
this big dipper looks so fun, but, wht is that, that it's riding on wood or something ,well im going to cedarpoint next friday... and i wonder do they have this ride at cedarpoint?????????????? does anyone no??>>3
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but this rollercoaster is for sale. If you google "midway marketplace big dipper" you can find the site about it. I wish someone would buy it and install it in a new park... such an awesome piece of history shouldn't be left to die
its so sad that the park is closed...... and that no one is maintaining Ohios oldest roller coaster that was my first ride.........very sad hope one day i will get to ride that ride one more time.
i hope they dont tak it theres so many memories well when i was at wildwater kingom they almost had all of them and i just wanted to run across that bridge and hug them all but they cut half of the bridge off itz relly depressin theres 2 mny memories 4 everyone
This was the first roller coaster I ever rode. I was 12 years old in 6th grade and when we went for a class trip I had to ride it. I couldn't look like a chicken in front of the other guys. Now I can't stay away from roller coasters. I've ridden Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point so now there aren't any bigger ones around.
Right now I can goto Cedar Point and King's Island in Ohio and Kennywood and Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania. I'm so jealous of the people who go all over to ride.
My daughter me me ride Millenium Force 2 years ago after she made me ride Magnum. She was 10 and I couldn't wimp out in front of her. LOL She also made me ride Top Thrill Dragster. I liked that one more than she did.
Funny, the economy would have made a "local park" that much more attractive, especially considerig the $4 gas the following summer. $0 was spent on the ride side of GL the years before it was closed except to move rides and re-theme due to copyright laws. Any decrease in attendance could be easily attributed to the lack of investment after CF bought it. Check your numbers, GL's attendance was flat (at worst) in the last years of it's life. CF closed GL because they held a grude for decades.
i doubt they had a grudge because cedar point is so much better. Geauga Lake was closer to me and only took like 30 minutes to get to, but it sucked. I will always love Cedar Point so much more.
Geauga Lake and Cedar Point had different draws and were designed to attract different crowds. Cedar Fair wanted Geauga Lake gone ever since 4 employees of CF left that park to buy and develop Geauga Lake. CP has better coasters, sure... but last time I went there I waited 3 hours to ride one ride... I'm not avoilding CP because of GL's closure, I avoid it because the rides are just not worth the wait.
That's fine, I guess, but CP has the finest collection of roller coasters in the world...numerous awards and records can prove it.
So, might I ask, where would you go that has award-winning, excellent roller coasters with little to no wait? Please tell me, I'm dying to know.
By the way, if you are at CP and it has a 3 hour wait for a roller coaster, you're silly to go at a time when everyone else does. Why not go earlier or later in the season, or on off-crowded days? Simple solutions, really.
@BellaCroix I avoid Cedar Point for both reasons. Also, their food is way too expensive. If it was good food (as the food is at a Disney park) I would not mind paying the price.
SBNO. (Standing but not operating) still??? Heard of it as one of, maybe John Miller's best work. I can imaging the air time. Hope Cedar Fair moves it to one of their other parks. It is a National Historic Landmark I believe.
One of my all time fave coasters! Great air time. Too bad it is gone and no other classic park, like Kennywood, didn't adopt it like Knoebels did with The Phoenix. Designer and "father of the rollercoaster" , John Miller, must be "rolling" in his grave!
i live right down the street from the park and it really sucks that they closed the place down... me and my friends practically grew up there, i heard they didnt want it competing with cedar point or something since they had the same owners, i dunno tho
So what do you guys think of the CF stock on the rise daily. All it has done in the pasy few weeks has gone up up up. Same with CP attendance. It has been sky rocketing. KEEP up the good work CF!
I'm in Iraq and I was hoping to go back and hit up Cedar Point. I haven't been there since 2003 when I did the Marine Corps rifle manual for the National Anthem and the Ceremonial Tapping of the Keg for Oktoberfest. Oh well guess not now. I remember back when I was little kid there was not a single thing in this WORLD that got me as excited as seeing the Observation Tower from miles away as we (my family and usually my other friend's fam's) approached Geauga Lake. Very sad its gone.
Thanks. I went to Cedar point for Octoberfest....think it was a Saturday...brutal lines way too packed....I guess it would be fun to go on a Tuesday or Monday tho....Geauga Lake will always hold a place in my heart tho....plus its only 30 mins from my house
yea man geauga lake was about 30 mins from my house too...fun times there no doubt! yea definitely a tuesday would be the best day to go to cedar point. i hope u have time this summer to hit it up bro.
DAMN! Me and my friend were gunna ride this but we couldnt find the enterance. WE LOOKED EVERYWHERE! But no luck. Then my other friend told us we should have rode it, I explained the reason why, and he said "Its near El Dorado and Double loop! HOW COULD YOU MISS IT!" Well, we did, and I regret it...
Was there last year and rode it for the first time. What a classic she was...I loved it! I'm glad I got to ride it in it's last year but so sad it won't be there anymore. I will hold onto the memories as my kids will as well.
In all of the dozens and dozens of times I went there, I never rode any of the coasters. Now I wish I'd at least gone on the Dipper before the chance was gone...
hmmmm, im sad Geauga lake closed :( and this was the FIRST roller coaster I EVER went on... The Villian was also fun... Now its just a stupid water park. Why did they do that anyway? Not re-open it?
Depends on who you talk to. Cedar Fair claimed admission was down and operating expenses were up (although they didn't put any money into the dry side in years and most released attendance figures didn't add up). Most feel it likely they wanted to pull the "good stuff" out and eliminate a competitor that had been there before Cedar Point even opened. It's obvious they didn't care about the public with how they handled the closing with no announcement.
i must say when six flags owned the park in 2000 there were DEFINITELY a lot of thrilling coasters.
basically all the steel coasters packed a punch including X-flight, Steel venom, dominator and thunderhawk.
also Villan was one big woodie.
so i wouldnt exactly say it was a ride warrior in training park. It has the same great thrills (well, had) as cedar point, but just no as many coasters.
how i will miss the click a dee clicks of the chain, the smell of the grease on a hot summers day. the shaking of the cars. how i will miss my favorite coaster of all time
It's funny you mention the smell. I worked at the park for 7 seasons in the late-80's and early/mid-90's and one of the things I remember the most was the smell of the park after closing: the hot grease cooling on the rides, the hot grease cooling at Ala Burger, the smell of the lake... strange what strikes a memory.
Nothing has been decided yet. The auction of this ride is scheduled for mid-June. Although it's HIGHLY unlikely that anyone will buy it to re-open it elsewhere it is still possible.
Dipper broke down semi-regularly. In fact, other than when I worked there I think every time I was at the part the ride stalled on the lift climb at least once. More than likely though you might be thinking of Raging Wolf Bobbs... it broke down A LOT (and was closed most of the park's last two seasons).
There was a dedication plaque mounted in the station. It was dedicated to a man named Tucker (Elmer was his first name I think).
When Six Flags changed the name, everything with the old Geauga Lake Funtime logo disappeared, including the memorial plaque.
It was never found...or so Six Flags said.
Apparently, Mr. Tucker was a lifelong employee, who did the maintenance & service on this coaster. And now, he may be spinning n his grave for what Cedar Point did to the park and his coaster.
Thanks for the kind words. I agree. I plan to have video later this summer of the auction of the ride and will post it here as well. The auction is scheduled for June so keep checking back. I'm also working on arranging other videos of historic rides (just wish I'd have known GL was closing so I could have gotten more).
I wish i could ride that :( I love wooden coasters and with all of them near extinction I'm sorta starting to miss them.
:( This means that Cedar Point wins. Ohio will have 2 ways to go. 1 is up to Erie and the other is head to Wheeling West Virginia when they get that park built sometime around 2099 -.-
Nothing is staying... a real estate company has already listed all 500+ acres of the park's holdings including the Geauga Lake Hotel, a few hundred acres of undeveloped land, land around the houses to the south of Wildwater Kingdom. It's all going to be sold within the next few months.
i still dont know how they are going to get away with turning 82 years of history into toothpicks. this ride should be a historical landmark. heck, the park itself should be one.
no i live right next to the park. they havent done anything. the total "level the place out for good" dat is set for the day before wild ater kingdom opens. so unless some life saving person buys the land beore that date, its bye, bye geauga.
While the park may be closing, rides like this can live on with a dedicated following. Look at Raging Wolf Bobs. It was based on the original design from Chicago built in 1924. There will always be small parks that will grow and need to add rides and without the money for the new OH-MY-GAWD roller coasters, they can reach back in time and build them again! I am not thrilled with what CF has done to Knott's in CA. I understand why everyone is so upset with how they have handled Geauga Lake.
and you say this a monster, hell yeah it was! I remember bashing my knee on the fixed position bar, because I was riding in back. I had a bruise on my right knee for a bout a week afterwards. crazy ride, and good fun too.
That's pretty hostile! Even if they donated it (all 500+ acres?) they've already stripped most of the rides from the park and it wouldn't be a viable park. At this point the best we can hope for is preserving The Dipper and maybe getting some investors to donate enough to open an ACE/Amusement Park museum.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Currently there are no (public) plans to level the ride. Most (public) releases say Cedar Fair is still attempting to sell the ride through a broker. There are polls and efforts by politicians to save the ride as "historic" but they're not doing well since CF is looking to sell the land pesumably soon and a coaster in a condo development probably won't do well. My guess is by the end of 2008 she won't be there anymore. Sad.
it just kills to know that some greedy company would want to close this historic 120 year old park down forever just because of money. greed is the killer of this park, and i hate knowing that it is all true. and if cedar point never exsited, not cedar point but cedar fair, this park could have still been opened. but you never know what a small group of people can do to make a difference...
I think you mean Cedar Fair.
coasterfreak49 1 month ago
Ahhhh child hood memories, I cry every time
I pass by. What a shame! Ceded point aught to be ashamed ,with all the money they make
They could have preserved our local history.
In stead of making it history.
RUSS30776 2 months ago
It's good apart from the shakiness of the camera
fourlions1000 3 months ago
Geauga lake was so much fun,i hope Ceder Point get hit by a huge tornado.
FDFPi1 3 months ago
This was my first coaster ever i remember when i was 5 years old i rode it with my mom because i was afraid of the villain and i had my eyes closed the whole time.
mw2master0 5 months ago
I didn't read the comments, so sorry if this has already been addressed. Kennywood Park (either in West Mifflin or Duquesne), near Pittsburgh, PA, still has three wooded coasters. The Racer is a lot like the one in this video with lots of small dips. It has two trains that run parallel to each other. If you get in on the train on the left, when the ride is over, your train is on the right. The Jack Rabbit has a double dip, and the Thunderbolt squishes one rider on two banked curves.
jarschmidt1 5 months ago
The last time I was at Geauga Lake my back was bothering me so I figured I was gonna pay dearly when the day was over especially after I decided to make Big Dipper my sons 1st coaster because it had been mine and he was just barely tall enough so on we went. That thing threw me all over the place but the weird thing was when I went to bed that night my back felt better than it had in weeks.
PianoShapedObject 5 months ago
rip geauga lake
badgerattoadhall 6 months ago
As a Kid It Was My First True Coaster
LilDueceThaRapper 6 months ago
that looks painful so sad they closed the park down and r letting this rot away
proSk8boarderboy 6 months ago
MY FIRST COASTER EVER ahh memories sad they closed down the park :(
Spud11357 7 months ago
Thank you for bringing back amazing childhood memories for me. RIP Geauga Lake.
takemeaway1601 7 months ago
Ohio's wooden coasters all seem like their purpose is to shorten your spine!
tgazampro 10 months ago
I remember when I was little riding this.. it would always lift me up out of my seat on the baby hills at the end!! I loved it!! miss it so much =(
JennLVsFC 10 months ago 2
i thought that sign said...''the clipper'' as you walked in?
hypnoboy3 10 months ago
@hypnoboy3 Depends on when the last time you were at the park. It was called "The Clipper" around the 1950's and early 1960's. Before that it was called "The Rocket" and after "The Big Dipper".
BellaCroix 6 months ago
@BellaCroix thank you! i was there in the 60s and knew i saw that sign saying ...the clipper!
hypnoboy3 6 months ago
i remember this being called ''the clipper'' when i was young?
hypnoboy3 10 months ago
Much love for the Turtle Beach shout out.
kenromito 10 months ago 2
Thank you for this upload!!! Sad this coaster & Raging Wolf Bobs were not saved. Two of the best classic woodie's around.
tribeisone 11 months ago
Ok update on big dipper. Financing for the purchase fell through. So the big dipper is still sitting near the park disassembled. It MAY go to Conneaut Lake Park,...if financing can be found to move it, which is no small feat. I have confirmed that the perspective owners have talked to CLP manangement about moving it.
crawfordbureau 11 months ago
@crawfordbureau Ya know..How hard would it be for Cedar Point to relocate this to their park??? All they would have to do is put it near the beach on the East side of the park. Same with the RWB...Both coasters are a wooden coasters dream.
tribeisone 11 months ago
It's so sad for me seeing that park closed after all the wonderful memories. :( The Big Dipper was one of the worst rollercoasters I ever rode on though! It jerked you around so f*cking much that your neck was throbbing by the time you stepped off.
Frizz90 1 year ago 9
@Frizz90: Heh... ever ride Blue Streak at Cedar Point? That thing will shorten your spine about 4".
BellaCroix 1 year ago
@BellaCroix really? you dont even mention mean streak?
FunAndOnly 1 year ago
@FunAndOnly Everyone I know comments on how rough a ride Mean Streak is... I can't agree with them - it's certainly harsher than Big Dipper or Ravine Flyer II (Waldameere), maybe somewhere close to Raging Wolf Bobs (Geauga Lake) which people also complained about. Blue Streak is just evil.
BellaCroix 1 year ago
@BellaCroix lmfao? blue streak is a small woodie, and not even very bumpy compared to a lot of woodies
FunAndOnly 1 year ago
@BellaCroix Big Dipper felt a lot more harsh to me than Blue Streak. I ride Blue Streak regularly and enjoy it, while I only ever rode the BD a few times because it was so painful.
I hope this ride is saved and relocated, but I know I certainly won't be riding it again!
jumpbacktome 8 months ago
@jumpbacktome this ride still sits right where it always was, this ride and the Raging Wolf Bobs are still sitting in the abandoned park, rotting away
dvs2920 7 months ago
This Is Ride Is So Corney No Disrespect
WWERatedBethPhoenix3 1 year ago
what a boring woodencoaster --. The only thing that happen is: up and down, up and down, up and down.
SmoothCriminal1994 1 year ago
oh the memories
DAFFYDC 1 year ago
This just in...the Big Dipper has been purchased by two members of ACE and they are looking for a new home for it. I know where they are headed with it but cant say publicly just yet.
crawfordbureau 1 year ago 3
@crawfordbureau Can you tell us now, where it will be reconstructed? I live near Geauga Lake and the Big Dipper was the second coaster I had ever ridden (The Corkscrew being the first). My family used to get season passes for the park when it still had awesome rides and I'd venture to say that from 1996-2008 I rode The Big Dipper 100+ times and loved every minute of it. I would love to ride it once again.
badreality2 11 months ago
I'm in FL now but I lived at Geauga Lake in the summer in the mid 70's. This brings back amazing memories, feelings, sensations, smells, sounds....wonderful seeing this point of view again! I heard that the Big Dipper was sold today and will be saved....thank God.
MommaLyd 1 year ago
Nobody's buying the coaster on ebay. It's going to be scrapped... :'(
badreality2 1 year ago
not the tallest, nor the fastest, but definitely the greatest
conweber54 1 year ago 3
The best hair dryer.......apart from Ferguson!
TheWhitehall 1 year ago
i went on this 8 times
lilmama21990 1 year ago
I got to ride it before it went.
MICmasterstorm 1 year ago
This coaster is for sale on ebay right now.
beatle11 1 year ago
The BIG DIPPER is going for only $9,500 on EBAY!
jbrollercoasters 1 year ago
@jbrollercoasters I would totally buy that! But... 1. I don't have enough money. 2. I don't have enough land. 3. The mayor would probably make me have sex with him.
O.o
TeamApparition 1 year ago
And 4. They just anounced it's slated for demolition because nobody wants it.
jbrollercoasters 1 year ago
wow, thanks for an old famaliar ride, i cant begin to count the number of times i went on the big dipper! miss geauga lake! class of 69
msredboot7 1 year ago
Why do the BEST rides have to die?
chipplake1 1 year ago
My favorite roller coaster ever-- best pacing and airtime galore. What a shame!
chipplake1 1 year ago
Wow, i loved the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake. Went there for many, many years since i was a kid till they closed. Many great memories of the monorail, the Sky Scraper?, The Gold Rush, Old Fashioned Cars, Ski lift, and the boat that went down the river into the lake, and so many more.
herecalico 1 year ago
Comment removed
oXoKeNZiEoXo 1 year ago
@oXoKeNZiEoXo Um... both of them? You had them install an extra for you? No wonder the ride sucked for you, it must have taken weeks before you even got off the boarding platform.
Lesson for everyone: when riding a coaster, do not ask them to install extra safety equipment for you.
BellaCroix 1 year ago
@BellaCroix theres definatly a buckle then a metal bar diptard. what are you like 10?
oXoKeNZiEoXo 1 year ago
You can't just move a coaster of this type and magnitude, I say it should stay where it belongs, just find a developer who's willing to develop an entertainment/shopping district around it.
neurodistortion 1 year ago
Ahhh, my first coaster ride. Good times...even though we almost got thrown out of the car and almost went of the track. XD
IAmOnlyMe15 1 year ago
This looks like the racers at Kings Island.
Isuck232 1 year ago
this was the first rollercoaster i ever rode! good times...
HereWeGoCleveland 1 year ago
They copied Blackpool
lukeauld 1 year ago
@lukeauld: The Blackpool "Roller Coaster" opened in 1933, Geauga Lake's "Big Dipper" opened in 1925/1926 (Known as "The Rocket" at that time).
Unless someone had a time machine, no they didn't. Actually, the designer of Big Dipper, John Miller, patented the anti-roll back mechanism (the clicky-clack you hear when climbing the lift-hill on a wood coaster) so technically all other modern wooden coasters "copy" John Miller designs.
BellaCroix 1 year ago 2
thank you sooooo much for this....brought back some of my favorite memories....i can smell the hot blacktop and the sticky cotton candy through my speakers!!!....AWSOME!!!!!!
area51750 1 year ago
Needs a paint job. Lol
iamasquare 1 year ago
this big dipper looks so fun, but, wht is that, that it's riding on wood or something ,well im going to cedarpoint next friday... and i wonder do they have this ride at cedarpoint?????????????? does anyone no??>>3
bignate1566 1 year ago
@bignate1566: No, the closest ride to this at Cedar Point is "Blue Streak"... a basic out-and-back wood coaster.
"Blue Streak" is about 40 years younger that "Big Dipper" and a MUCH rougher ride.
BellaCroix 1 year ago
@BellaCroix blue streak is not rough compared to most woodies lol
FunAndOnly 1 year ago
i rode this and it was my second coaster ever and i just cant handle that weightlessness in my stomach... i hated it
DIEGOxRULES 1 year ago
i like wooden rollercoasters the best :)
blunklaura 1 year ago 4
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but this rollercoaster is for sale. If you google "midway marketplace big dipper" you can find the site about it. I wish someone would buy it and install it in a new park... such an awesome piece of history shouldn't be left to die
murdkipz 1 year ago
its so sad that the park is closed...... and that no one is maintaining Ohios oldest roller coaster that was my first ride.........very sad hope one day i will get to ride that ride one more time.
gun714thc 1 year ago 13
The first roller coaster I rode.
The first coaster my nephew rode.
The first coaster my daughter rode and now my youngest daughter will never get the chance to ride the best roller coaster that ever existed.
Sure there are now bigger and faster coasters out there, but they can never replace great memories.
fatesrush 1 year ago
i hope they dont tak it theres so many memories well when i was at wildwater kingom they almost had all of them and i just wanted to run across that bridge and hug them all but they cut half of the bridge off itz relly depressin theres 2 mny memories 4 everyone
familyrules90 1 year ago
my firs rolle coaster and they too it away:(
familyrules90 2 years ago
Its nothing like the one from blackpool!
danpmbo 2 years ago
This ride should be rebuilt somewhere and repainted. Revive this ride.
HorrorReviews123 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
PumpinSwagger 2 years ago
lov this ride
joyfulsound69 2 years ago
omg brings back sooo many childhood memories...AND IM ONLY 13!!!!!!!!!!!
alexpwnsall1 2 years ago 7
i remember years ago,,,this was called the clipper.
hypnoboy3 2 years ago 2
same as blackpool
lewisDchristian 2 years ago
its the exact same as he one in blackpool it has the same name to
but the one in blackpool might be getting shut down because it crashed :(
YNWAIJOSEPHICFC 2 years ago
this roller coaster is exactly like da yankee canonball at canobie lake park
brocktonboy508 2 years ago
my brothers first roller coaster.
mine was road runner and cyote.
cheseeproductions 2 years ago
It is so sad to think of the Big Dipper just sitting there rotting away. Still cant believe CF killed a park that had been in existance since 1888.
raptorjo 2 years ago
This was the first roller coaster I ever rode. I was 12 years old in 6th grade and when we went for a class trip I had to ride it. I couldn't look like a chicken in front of the other guys. Now I can't stay away from roller coasters. I've ridden Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point so now there aren't any bigger ones around.
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
humph ... try Kingda Ka :)
Thomas55Pham 2 years ago
I would love to. If I could I would ride every roller coaster in the US and Canada. I've come a long way since I was that 12 year kid.
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
ha who wouldnt do that? :P But i can't lol
Thomas55Pham 2 years ago
Right now I can goto Cedar Point and King's Island in Ohio and Kennywood and Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania. I'm so jealous of the people who go all over to ride.
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
Cedar Point Rocks!
Millenium force... GREAT!!!
Thomas55Pham 2 years ago
My daughter me me ride Millenium Force 2 years ago after she made me ride Magnum. She was 10 and I couldn't wimp out in front of her. LOL She also made me ride Top Thrill Dragster. I liked that one more than she did.
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
Nice :P I also love top thrill..
i've only been in USA for two weeks, this summer.. too bad..
Thomas55Pham 2 years ago
Where are you from?
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
Denmark... lolz
Thomas55Pham 2 years ago
wow. that looks ok. kinda similar to the small ride of th blue streak at cedar point
nickixxluvsnickij 2 years ago
It was smaller than the blue streak but it still was a good ride.
Reubenhubert 2 years ago
wood rc scare me cause they might break, i mean its wood not steel
Takador 2 years ago
Just love this coaster! I grew up at Geauga Lake and this was my first coaster ride. Geauga Lake will be really missed :-(
MoviesMusicNature 2 years ago
Bye Bye Geauga Lake Thanks for the ride.....
20OnELoVe12 2 years ago
Funny, the economy would have made a "local park" that much more attractive, especially considerig the $4 gas the following summer. $0 was spent on the ride side of GL the years before it was closed except to move rides and re-theme due to copyright laws. Any decrease in attendance could be easily attributed to the lack of investment after CF bought it. Check your numbers, GL's attendance was flat (at worst) in the last years of it's life. CF closed GL because they held a grude for decades.
BellaCroix 2 years ago
SO SO TRUE!!!
MoviesMusicNature 2 years ago
i doubt they had a grudge because cedar point is so much better. Geauga Lake was closer to me and only took like 30 minutes to get to, but it sucked. I will always love Cedar Point so much more.
tom32669 2 years ago
Geauga Lake and Cedar Point had different draws and were designed to attract different crowds. Cedar Fair wanted Geauga Lake gone ever since 4 employees of CF left that park to buy and develop Geauga Lake. CP has better coasters, sure... but last time I went there I waited 3 hours to ride one ride... I'm not avoilding CP because of GL's closure, I avoid it because the rides are just not worth the wait.
BellaCroix 2 years ago
That's fine, I guess, but CP has the finest collection of roller coasters in the world...numerous awards and records can prove it.
So, might I ask, where would you go that has award-winning, excellent roller coasters with little to no wait? Please tell me, I'm dying to know.
By the way, if you are at CP and it has a 3 hour wait for a roller coaster, you're silly to go at a time when everyone else does. Why not go earlier or later in the season, or on off-crowded days? Simple solutions, really.
WillRocks123456 2 years ago
@BellaCroix I avoid Cedar Point for both reasons. Also, their food is way too expensive. If it was good food (as the food is at a Disney park) I would not mind paying the price.
JunkyardKid 1 year ago
Great ride
CrazyToiletSmasher 2 years ago
I loved this ride! I rode it when I was 11 and 12 years old. It was a good one in it's day! So sad Geauga Lake is no more.
ellieb1961 2 years ago
SBNO. (Standing but not operating) still??? Heard of it as one of, maybe John Miller's best work. I can imaging the air time. Hope Cedar Fair moves it to one of their other parks. It is a National Historic Landmark I believe.
koasterkav 2 years ago
it should be. and if it was a landmark it would not be moved.
PianoOriginals 2 years ago
Classic coaster. That thing was awesome.
Insurrection02 2 years ago
Thanks for the info! I heard Cleveland Steel bought it for a measly $5 K so I assumed it was already scrapped.
pinkfreud62 2 years ago
Cleveland Steel bought the Double Loop and the Villain.
There's really not enough metal in the Dipper to be worth that much to a scrap company.
hiromasaki 2 years ago
One of my all time fave coasters! Great air time. Too bad it is gone and no other classic park, like Kennywood, didn't adopt it like Knoebels did with The Phoenix. Designer and "father of the rollercoaster" , John Miller, must be "rolling" in his grave!
pinkfreud62 2 years ago
this ride is just like the blue streak but backwards lol
KSGDawg 2 years ago
i live right down the street from the park and it really sucks that they closed the place down... me and my friends practically grew up there, i heard they didnt want it competing with cedar point or something since they had the same owners, i dunno tho
mushroomhead3 2 years ago
I remember as a kid flying out of the seat after every hill. Good memories.
josephhopkins1 2 years ago
I used to call this "the clacker" when I was younger lol
poisonedtattoo 2 years ago
Great pacing! I love old-school out-and-back layouts with speed and airtime :D
AwesomeCoasters 3 years ago
that was my first coaster...scary.why did they have to close it?!?!!?!!
kakuzufangirl 3 years ago
It prob got old and could break? LOL
JoeCentraI 3 years ago
not funny at all
cps6290 2 years ago
My first roller coaster ever to go on and NOW ITS GONe....(crying) why why did they do this
hollister4554 3 years ago
I don't know why, but wooden rides just don't amuse me as much anymore. I love them though. They just don't thrill me as much as metal ones.
spgdsoad11 3 years ago
What a classic...
ravenclaw109 3 years ago
omg i went on thth it was sooo fun
hannahchic54321 3 years ago
This ride is pretty good for how old it is i'm sad that it is gone now
TatsuFreak101 3 years ago
surprisingly i thought this was an amazing wooden coaster it looked really boring before i rode it
loganstrauss 3 years ago
i would not trust that ride!
heatherm33 3 years ago
Why wouldn't you. mMst older coasters safer that newer coasters. And the BD was were well built.
KenJones1990 3 years ago
RIP Big Dipper....
tribeisone 3 years ago
I love the sound this makes when you ride it. I believe it's the only woodie I ever went on and man it's awesome.
darragh44 3 years ago
i loved that ride soo fuckin much i rode it evry day yes i whent there every day the guy who bought that is a a cockass
666mecrazy666 3 years ago
So what do you guys think of the CF stock on the rise daily. All it has done in the pasy few weeks has gone up up up. Same with CP attendance. It has been sky rocketing. KEEP up the good work CF!
MyLifeRules76 3 years ago
well that is VERY GOOD for cedar point!
but dont you think you think you have a little bit of an obsession problem?
although i do LOVE cedar point, its just scary that you love an amuesment park that much... :\
ClevelandROCKS88 3 years ago 2
I'm in Iraq and I was hoping to go back and hit up Cedar Point. I haven't been there since 2003 when I did the Marine Corps rifle manual for the National Anthem and the Ceremonial Tapping of the Keg for Oktoberfest. Oh well guess not now. I remember back when I was little kid there was not a single thing in this WORLD that got me as excited as seeing the Observation Tower from miles away as we (my family and usually my other friend's fam's) approached Geauga Lake. Very sad its gone.
arvydas0069 3 years ago
hey dude, just because Geauga Lake is gone doesn't mean u can't visit Cedar Point tho. Also thanks for serving our country!
cps6290 2 years ago
Thanks. I went to Cedar point for Octoberfest....think it was a Saturday...brutal lines way too packed....I guess it would be fun to go on a Tuesday or Monday tho....Geauga Lake will always hold a place in my heart tho....plus its only 30 mins from my house
arvydas0069 2 years ago 2
yea man geauga lake was about 30 mins from my house too...fun times there no doubt! yea definitely a tuesday would be the best day to go to cedar point. i hope u have time this summer to hit it up bro.
cps6290 2 years ago
I was really looking forward to riding this, but the 2 times that I did goto Geagua Lake And Then Six Flags Ohio, didn't get around to it :(
stormmoss 3 years ago
DAMN! Me and my friend were gunna ride this but we couldnt find the enterance. WE LOOKED EVERYWHERE! But no luck. Then my other friend told us we should have rode it, I explained the reason why, and he said "Its near El Dorado and Double loop! HOW COULD YOU MISS IT!" Well, we did, and I regret it...
sorasgirl13 3 years ago
how do you not find it
neverquit22 3 years ago
ummm Big Dipper is no where near Double Loop. The entrance was right by Shipwreck Falls
cps6290 2 years ago
Was there last year and rode it for the first time. What a classic she was...I loved it! I'm glad I got to ride it in it's last year but so sad it won't be there anymore. I will hold onto the memories as my kids will as well.
funkeytoad08 3 years ago
In all of the dozens and dozens of times I went there, I never rode any of the coasters. Now I wish I'd at least gone on the Dipper before the chance was gone...
arothmanmusic 3 years ago
hmmmm, im sad Geauga lake closed :( and this was the FIRST roller coaster I EVER went on... The Villian was also fun... Now its just a stupid water park. Why did they do that anyway? Not re-open it?
zulonz 3 years ago
Depends on who you talk to. Cedar Fair claimed admission was down and operating expenses were up (although they didn't put any money into the dry side in years and most released attendance figures didn't add up). Most feel it likely they wanted to pull the "good stuff" out and eliminate a competitor that had been there before Cedar Point even opened. It's obvious they didn't care about the public with how they handled the closing with no announcement.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
I thought Cedar Fair owned Geauge Lake. Why would they shut down their own copatition?!
My friend said Cedar is for the Ride Warriors. Geauge was more for younger ones and the Ride Warriors in trainging. :D
sorasgirl13 3 years ago
well not exactly.
i must say when six flags owned the park in 2000 there were DEFINITELY a lot of thrilling coasters.
basically all the steel coasters packed a punch including X-flight, Steel venom, dominator and thunderhawk.
also Villan was one big woodie.
so i wouldnt exactly say it was a ride warrior in training park. It has the same great thrills (well, had) as cedar point, but just no as many coasters.
and yes, Cedar fair owned geauga lake.
i just guess they were to stupid to do that.
meowin5 3 years ago
First coaster I ever rode, I will miss it. I hope it finds a new home.
undertakerofevil 3 years ago
how i will miss the click a dee clicks of the chain, the smell of the grease on a hot summers day. the shaking of the cars. how i will miss my favorite coaster of all time
bullittguy 3 years ago
It's funny you mention the smell. I worked at the park for 7 seasons in the late-80's and early/mid-90's and one of the things I remember the most was the smell of the park after closing: the hot grease cooling on the rides, the hot grease cooling at Ala Burger, the smell of the lake... strange what strikes a memory.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
The ride rode AWESOME on the Saturday before it closed. I will miss you Geauga Lake.
JRobs88 3 years ago
That was a great weekend for her. I took my last 3 rides on her the Sunday after you.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
cant believe its closed
chivez37 3 years ago
i was there as a kid and it is hard 2 believe
tod4533 3 years ago
that actually fun
{i hate rollercoasters}
i think wood ones r safter
blounde14 3 years ago 2
wood rules!
tod4533 3 years ago
this ride is soon to be bulldozed!
MyLifeRules76 3 years ago
Nothing has been decided yet. The auction of this ride is scheduled for mid-June. Although it's HIGHLY unlikely that anyone will buy it to re-open it elsewhere it is still possible.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
i think the last time i was at Geauga Lake this ride broke down. it might have been a different one though
AquaQueen23 3 years ago
Dipper broke down semi-regularly. In fact, other than when I worked there I think every time I was at the part the ride stalled on the lift climb at least once. More than likely though you might be thinking of Raging Wolf Bobbs... it broke down A LOT (and was closed most of the park's last two seasons).
BellaCroix 3 years ago
There was a dedication plaque mounted in the station. It was dedicated to a man named Tucker (Elmer was his first name I think).
When Six Flags changed the name, everything with the old Geauga Lake Funtime logo disappeared, including the memorial plaque.
It was never found...or so Six Flags said.
Apparently, Mr. Tucker was a lifelong employee, who did the maintenance & service on this coaster. And now, he may be spinning n his grave for what Cedar Point did to the park and his coaster.
Downlinker 3 years ago
A truley important video. It may remain the only way anyone will ever ride this coaster again! Thanks!!!!
misterrnr 3 years ago
Thanks for the kind words. I agree. I plan to have video later this summer of the auction of the ride and will post it here as well. The auction is scheduled for June so keep checking back. I'm also working on arranging other videos of historic rides (just wish I'd have known GL was closing so I could have gotten more).
BellaCroix 3 years ago
I wish i could ride that :( I love wooden coasters and with all of them near extinction I'm sorta starting to miss them.
:( This means that Cedar Point wins. Ohio will have 2 ways to go. 1 is up to Erie and the other is head to Wheeling West Virginia when they get that park built sometime around 2099 -.-
OriginalAlphathewolf 3 years ago
this is the absolute best ride they've ever made!
54spiritedwill54 3 years ago
Nothing is staying... a real estate company has already listed all 500+ acres of the park's holdings including the Geauga Lake Hotel, a few hundred acres of undeveloped land, land around the houses to the south of Wildwater Kingdom. It's all going to be sold within the next few months.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
The Carousel is going nowhere.
ab36000 3 years ago
i still dont know how they are going to get away with turning 82 years of history into toothpicks. this ride should be a historical landmark. heck, the park itself should be one.
meowin5 3 years ago
yeah
its the oldest roller coaster in ohio
It should be a historical landmark
to bad its probbably already half gone
coastrkid104 3 years ago
no i live right next to the park. they havent done anything. the total "level the place out for good" dat is set for the day before wild ater kingdom opens. so unless some life saving person buys the land beore that date, its bye, bye geauga.
meowin5 3 years ago
who knows
mabee they will keep big dipper
coastrkid104 3 years ago
I loved this coaster... all i have to say is...
CEDAR FAIR DESTROYS THEME PARKS!
BionicLunchbox 3 years ago
While the park may be closing, rides like this can live on with a dedicated following. Look at Raging Wolf Bobs. It was based on the original design from Chicago built in 1924. There will always be small parks that will grow and need to add rides and without the money for the new OH-MY-GAWD roller coasters, they can reach back in time and build them again! I am not thrilled with what CF has done to Knott's in CA. I understand why everyone is so upset with how they have handled Geauga Lake.
chefstar 3 years ago
16000 views... thanks everyone! Glad you've all been able to share this ride with me.
BellaCroix 3 years ago
and you say this a monster, hell yeah it was! I remember bashing my knee on the fixed position bar, because I was riding in back. I had a bruise on my right knee for a bout a week afterwards. crazy ride, and good fun too.
Bendyournoodle 4 years ago
I went to GL back during the World of Adventures days and it was one my best park visits and best visit to a 6 Flags in a Looonnnggg time.
Shame that's it gone, but it'll always be in my heart for sure. It was a cute, fun park without saying!
Bendyournoodle 4 years ago
What a classic ride, I hope they never destroy it!
WickedTwister08 4 years ago
That's pretty hostile! Even if they donated it (all 500+ acres?) they've already stripped most of the rides from the park and it wouldn't be a viable park. At this point the best we can hope for is preserving The Dipper and maybe getting some investors to donate enough to open an ACE/Amusement Park museum.
BellaCroix 4 years ago
so, when are they going to tear it down? that is sad. i enjoyed it growing up as a kid. now i live in az. nice ride thanks whoever sent this
DAVENEVA 4 years ago
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Currently there are no (public) plans to level the ride. Most (public) releases say Cedar Fair is still attempting to sell the ride through a broker. There are polls and efforts by politicians to save the ride as "historic" but they're not doing well since CF is looking to sell the land pesumably soon and a coaster in a condo development probably won't do well. My guess is by the end of 2008 she won't be there anymore. Sad.
BellaCroix 4 years ago
i meant, *if cedar point never exsited, not cedar FAIR but cedar POINT.
ok that makes it easier to understand. lol
meowin5 4 years ago
it just kills to know that some greedy company would want to close this historic 120 year old park down forever just because of money. greed is the killer of this park, and i hate knowing that it is all true. and if cedar point never exsited, not cedar point but cedar fair, this park could have still been opened. but you never know what a small group of people can do to make a difference...
meowin5 4 years ago
Cedar Point came b