Recent Comments
- Tim on Welcome to the Aurora Ohio Blog
- jackie treiber on Moebius Nature Center
- Bman on Geauga Lake Rumours and Changes
- Theresa on OliveAurora Disappearing Act
- Pickle Aurora on ZZZZZZZ oh what? it’s over?
- olive on ZZZZZZZ oh what? it’s over?
- The Unblinking Eye on Aurora Teachers Contract Negotiations
- olive on Aurora Teachers Contract Negotiations
- Mom of a 2nd grader on Aurora Teachers Contract Negotiations
- me2 on Aurora Teachers Contract Negotiations
The Moebius Nature Center is looking for members.
Click on the ad link to the right
Geauga Lake topples a giant
Locals worry coaster’s move portends end of Cedar Fair park
Thursday, March 01, 2007
John Horton
Plain Dealer Reporter
The worker’s power tool whirred from a perch high above Geauga Lake amusement park. It wouldn’t be long now, crew foreman Bobby Fleek said between puffs on a cigarette.
Five minutes, Fleek guessed while looking up. Ten minutes, tops.
Then the thrill would be gone.
Some of the last remaining sections of the X-Flight roller coaster’s track disappeared from the park’s skyline Wednesday, hoisted down by a crane in preparation for a move 225 miles south. The ride is bound for Kings Island, another Cedar Fair LP park near Cincinnati.
In the next few months, another Geauga Lake giant – Steel Venom, just a few hundred feet from X-Flight along Ohio 43 – also will come down for relocation to an as-yet-unnamed Cedar Fair property.
The shrinking skyline follows three lackluster years at Geauga Lake, which straddles the border of Bainbridge Township and Aurora. Attendance remained stagnant last year at about 700,000 visitors, similar to the 2005 and 2004 seasons, park spokesman Bryan Edwards said.
During a February conference call to discuss Cedar Fair’s fourth-quarter earnings, Chairman Dick Kinzel said that Geauga Lake made progress last year but still “fell below expectations.” Kinzel said the park needed to reduce overhead costs and make adjustments to reflect visitation trends.
Edwards said Geauga Lake could not justify keeping X-Flight and Steel Venom – both expensive to maintain and operate – given the lack of use. Together, the coasters gave roughly 438,000 rides in 2006. By comparison, that’s less than the least-ridden adult coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky.
The dismantling of the rides is causing some in the community to speculate that Geauga Lake is in a death spiral.
Customers at Sirna’s Market and Deli across from the park’s front gate have watched X-Flight get picked apart over the past few months. Assistant Manager Jerry Kotar said the consensus is that this is the beginning of the end.
“People think they’re shutting the door on it,” Kotar said. “That’s what they see.”
Local leaders – including Aurora Mayor Lynn McGill and Bainbridge Township Trustee Christopher Horn – acknowledge they have heard similar chatter but are convinced the park is safe. Edwards said that Cedar Fair is committed to Geauga Lake, which it purchased in 2004 from Six Flags.
On Wednesday, the park issued a press release touting the upcoming season’s new offerings. They include a pair of shows; additional restaurants and food offerings; more “VIP cabanas” at the $30 million Wildwater Kingdome water park that opened two years ago; and a version of the popular game cornhole.
“When people come to the park this year,” Edwards said, “they’ll see that it has gotten better.”
Are there any plans for a community Rec Center in Aurora? I’m looking for a place with an outdoor pool and fitness center without being charged for a social membership, which is basically just forcing you to eat at their restaurant.
There is talk of a school/city rec center or pool of some sort but it is years away from starting. A few years ago the city proposed a tax levy to pay for a 18 million center. It was voted down by a landslide.
There is a pool membership at Marios Hotel, Hawthorn has a pool Barrington has a pool, 4 Seasons has a lake.
The Aurora Country Club has memberships.
We have joined a pool in Twinsburg called Redwood Pool.
It is a nice pool with seperate diving areas and kiddie pool. There is a grassy area for chairs and a snack bar. Also there is tennis and sand volleyball. Members come from Twinsburg, Hudson and Aurora. It’s nice, locally owned. It’s not far, located on Ravenna Rd. (Rt 14) east of Twinsburg.
The Community Collector Exhibit at the Aurora Historical Society represents more than just someone’s collection. It demonstrates changing trends, imagination, and popular culture. It also allows us to share someone else’s hobby and delight in simple pleasures. Everyone is encouraged to contact Director Marcelle Wilson at 330-995-3336 and loan their collections for a two or three month showing. Your collection does not need to be valuable, rare, or old to participate.
The Community Collector Exhibit
Recently a group of high school students visited the museum. They were pleasantly impressed with the artifacts and enjoyed looking at the various roles that children and students played during World War II. One exhibit that did not make much sense to them though was the Snoopy collectibles featured in the Community Collector exhibit. ‘What’s Snoopy got to do with history,? they asked. The answer is simple. The Community Collector exhibit is designed to showcase the many items that Aurora citizens collect and allow them to share their hobby with the community. It also allows the museum to change exhibits every two to three months, creating a reason for visitors to stop by and see what is new. The last and perhaps most important reason is that the items that people collect are a part of history and culture. Cheryl Chlysta’s Pez dispensers, Bev Chalabian’s Camels, Louise Leek’s Cut Out Dolls, and Lillian Papp’s Snoopy all reflect society and what we consider important, fun, enjoyable, or desirable. The history of the Pez mints goes back to Germany and 1927. By 1952, the company wanted to increase its sales and thus developed dispensers with characters, famous faces, and movie stars on them. Looking at the collection allows people to see how the manufacture of such dispensers has changed over time, people and characters popular in the past, and what seemed most likely to appeal to consumers. Pez dispensers reflect popular culture and society. The Camels Collection contained camels of many different materials, colors, styles, and from numerous countries. Camels mean different things to different ethnic groups and the way they were portrayed, whether as kindly, ugly, ideal, or with human features tells us something about the creator and his or her intended audience. What was perhaps most interesting was the fact that Chablian’s collection contained no camels from any commercial venture, such as Camel brand cigarettes. There are many that are available but Chablian choose not to add them to her assortment of beloved camels. Leek’s paper dolls were incredible and spanned a time frame of over one-hundred years. Paper dolls were fragile, childhood playthings, and relatively inexpensive when produced. The fact that some people kept them in good condition and retained many (or all) of their original parts is amazing. The fashions of the dolls help people see what was popular when they were created. They are also beautiful and it is understandable why they were so well-liked by children. I was amazed to see dolls with uniforms from World War II portraying WACs, WAVEs, and other female military occupations. Also represented by paper dolls are famous actresses such as Lucille Ball, Ann Taylor, Dinah Shore, and others as well as the Barbie character made popular in the late 1950s. Comparison of the material used to create the paper dolls over the decades, the changing styles of hair, clothing, and jewelry, methods used to fasten clothing and accessories as well as characters represented help tell the story of play-time, popular culture, and fashion overtime. Lillian Papp’s Snoopy collection spans the time period of the 1950s through today. Snoopy is still a popular character and many of us have happy memories of his antics and adventures with the Peanuts gang! His figure graced the front of lunch boxes, peanut butter jars, soap dispensers, snow cone makers, and many other items. Snoopy represents popular culture and what Americans thought was amusing and funny. His cartoon strip, created by Charles Shultz, was a daily staple for many people and it is sorely missed since Shultz’s death.
Take a Peek At Piglet!
Susan Elizabeth Chlysta has kindly loaned her delightful collection of Piglet to the Aurora Historical Society. This character has had a long and happy life as the best friend of Winnie-the-Pooh in the late 1920s books by British author, playwright, and poet Alan Alexander Milne. Milne was inspired by the various stuffed animals he played with as a child and wrote adventures for them. These books have been enjoyed by generations of children and adults alike. Piglet is an especially darling creature—he began as a pig with white skin and a green jumper. Later, Milne changed his attire to what audiences are familiar with today, his characteristic pink striped jumper and his cheerful pink complexion. Piglet is a shy, demur little pig but his appeal is really found in his desire to conquer his fears and act bravely.
Piglet’s influence on popular is small but notable. He has appeared in numerous books, television programs, movies, and in several different types of games. Author Benjamin Hoff wrote the Te of Piglet in 1992, which illustrates Piglet’s Taoist concept in the positive aspects of being small. Piglet’s effect has extended to collectors as well. Looking on the internet, Piglet fans have created many website dedicated to this tiny pig. His impact on Susan Chlysta is also big. She has collected over one-hundred Piglets and delights in showing her collection to others.
To see this collection of small Piglets, large Piglets, and even in-between sized Piglets, stop by the Aurora Historical Society’s museum located in the lower level of the Aurora Memorial Library. He will be here from April through June of 2007. Museum hours—Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 – 4:00, one Saturday per month, and by appointment. Call 330-995-3336 for more information!
tead DOWN geauga lake. it brings in a bad crowd and is a black eye to the city, good riddens
The merchants of Liberty Corners will be joining together to raise money for The Hattie Larlham Foundation (http://www.hattielarlham.org ). This Event will take place Saturday August 18th from 11am-5pm. Liberty Corners Plaza is located at the corner of SR 43 & Market Square Drive in Streetsboro
We are asking fellow Chamber of Commerce members for donations, either monetary or tangible, to be raffled off at our event. Proceeds from the event will be donated to The Hattie Larlham Foundation.
We are also looking for local businesses to get involved! If you would like to donate your time or become a Corporate Sponsor, please contact Lara Allen 330-626-4444 or pwlcstreetsboro@sbcglobal.net. Corporate Sponsors can purchase a 2’ X 4’ Banner with their name on it for $150 or provide their own. The proceeds will be donated to the foundation. This is a way to get your business exposed and give back to the community as well. We are one member helping another!
Are you a woman looking for an opportunity to make an impact in the lives of others in the Aurora area and enjoy long-lasting friendships?
Look no further than the Aurora Women’s League, a unique volunteer organization for women. Our members participate in large community projects that make a significant contribution to the community. We are a service / social group that welcomes women from Aurora and surrounding areas – especially those who are new to the area. A variety of topics and speakers can be heard at the monthly meetings, along with socializing and refreshments. Please feel free to join us at our monthly meetings, just visit our Calendar Page on our website to find out when they are and where.
If you are interested in becoming a member, please email me at kimberleefranz(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Please visit our website http://www.aurorawomensleague.com
Sincerely,
Kim Franz, President
Redwood pool is a joke and I would never pay the money to join there. It is very run down with no place for toddlers to safely use the pool wihtout parents holding them. Moving from a community (south euclid) that had an outdoor pool with zero entry, multiple slides, diving well, and nice grounds, and only charged 50 dollars a resident for a summer memebership there is no comparison.
This was the only drawback I had moving to aurora was having no community pool and a poor park/playground system for toddlers compared to almost every other community in the surrounding area. Of note. Geauga Lake is only charging 45 dollars a adult and 35 a child next year for their water park for a summer membership. this includes free parking. This should be a nice fit for aurora residents until we get our own pool.
SS
Missing Cat
We have a male neutered 3/4 siamese cat that is missing. He has all the markings of a siamese but without the angular face. He is a big “talker.” He is 13 years old. He has no collar. He has a black dot on his otherwise pink nose. If anyone finds him there is a 7 year old missing her cat. Please post here or email missingsiamese(at)gmail(dot)com Thanks!
I should have put the area he is missing from. We are in Weston Woods (near the Lakes for the newer residents) off of Cochran. It is completely out of character for him to not be at the door first thing for his breakfast. He likes going out when the weather is nice. We are hoping someone saw him and took him in rather than the worst. He is a sweetheart — very affectionate.
Found!
Elliott was found today by a very nice family on Pinehurst in the Lakes! There is a very happy 7 year old. If the family (who I won’t name here) reads this THANK YOU! You wouldn’t accept a reward but we are grateful beyond words!
Hello, my name is Jessica and I am a writer for a local paper. I am going to be writing an article about the closing of Geauga Lake within the next week. If you would like to contribute stories, memories, emotions or rememberences of other parks long gone, please feel free to contact me. You can remain anonymous in the article if you do not wish to state your name. Email me at jnye08(at)gmail(dot)com and please answer all of the following questions for me:
1. How many times have you ever been to Geauga Lake? (estimate if you have to)
2. How did you feel when you first heard the ride side was closing and the park was turning into just a water park?
3. Any special memories you’ve had there?
4. Are you going to go to any other parks this year instead (i.e. Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood, Six Flags Great America)?
5. What was your favorite ride at Geauga Lake?
6. Did you (or your parents) ever go to another park that closed in the past? (i.e. Myers Lake Park, Kiddyland, etc.)
7. Your name and city of residence (if you are comfortable sharing that- if not, just a first name or anonymous with town of residence is fine).
Thank you ahead of time!
Great new store open in Aurora, Amish Furniture, So beautiful Amish made furniture right in our own back yard, located in the old Mary Hallmark, great people and prices just happen to stumble upon it … and wow was very impressed. I encourage everyone to stop in this beutiful store and welcome the nice couple who run it.
Patti Schaefer’s Performing Arts Studio
Presents Performing Arts Classes at The Aurora Community Theatre
Tuesdays from September 23, 2008
through May 2009
For children in grades 1-5
4:30-5:30pm or 6:00-7:00 pm
in association with the Aurora Community Theatre
Classes consist of vocal instruction and choreography for stage performance. Classes will also focus
on the development of self-confidence, stage presence and body awareness. There will be two recitals per year on the ACT stage. Recital themes are chosen on the basis of their positive message to children.
For further information click here
Does anybody know where Paper Expresions has moved to or are they out of business? They started in Streetsboro and moved to Aurora Farms and then they just moved to the white building across from remax on Route 43 in July and now they are gone from there. I really loved that store they had such nice scrapbooking supplies. Thanks.
The scrap book store went out of business.
The annual Have a Heart for Hattie Luncheon and Fashion Show,
featuring spring fashions by Toni of Chagrin Falls, will be from 10:30
a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 7, 2009, at the Twinsburg, Ohio, Hilton Garden
Inn.
Tickets start at $45. All proceeds benefit Hattie Larlham, a
nonprofit organization that provides services throughout Ohio to
people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Hosted by WKYC meteorologist and celebrity model Betsy Kling,
the afternoon will feature live and silent auctions, a luncheon and a
fashion show. Auction items include a Cleveland Indians loge for 12
and a Worth Cashmere Wrap valued at $900.
Have a Heart for Hattie was created by the Hattie Larlham League of
Hudson, a local charity that has raised more than $600,000 for Hattie
Larlham. Hudson League members Ginny Hicks and Pam Bellin are this
year’s fashion show co-chairpersons.
“I wish everyone could see first hand what a truly remarkable warm
and loving home Hattie Larlham is,” Hicks said. “It is such a
wonderful cause.”
More than 250 people attended last year’s show, raising more than $18,000.
For more information, call Ginny Hicks at 330.650.0006 or visit
http://www.leagueofhudson.com.
About Hattie Larlham
Established in 1961, Hattie Larlham is a Mantua, Ohio, nonprofit
organization that provides services throughout the state to 1,500
children and adults with mental retardation and developmental
disabilities. Hattie Larlham was one of the top 99 Northeast Ohio
organizations to work for in 2008. For more information, visit
http://www.hattielarlham.org.
###
I have a question is their anywhere in this city that offers swim lessons to the general public? I wish the rec department would offer them.
yes wildwater kingdom offers them
they are pretty resonable too
you could also check the hawthorn pool or four season