Cedar Point History - 1980's

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1980

The IMAX movie "To Fly" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Final season for Sky Wheel

Saturday, 17 May 1980
The $3 million Oceana complex opens. Oceana includes an aquarium, 1,600-seat stadium, and is highlighted by four Atlantic bottlenose dolphins: Striker, Coco, Misty, and Breeze.
Saturday, 17 May 1980
Cedar Point opens for 111th season.
Saturday, 07 June 1980
An Akron woman is killed and five others are injured by a falling tree limb at Cedar Point Marina during a severe storm.
Friday, 22 August 1980
MCA, Inc. sells its shares of Cedar Point, Inc to Whitehall Holdings, Ltd. for $11.2 million. The company had made a tender offer for shares earlier in the year and had accumulated 313,615 shares, 9.5-percent of Cedar Point, Inc.'s outstanding shares.
Sunday, 24 August 1980
Five riders receive minor injuries when two trains on Blue Streak collide in the station. A park spokesman said the accident occurred when an angry customer interfered with a rider operator. The roller coaster reopened the next day.
Sunday, 14 September 1980
Final day of 1980 operating season
1981

The IMAX movie "Living Planet" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Final season for Fun House

Final season for original Shoot-the-Rapids

Kiddieland Carousel is restored.

Thursday, 26 February 1981
Cedar Point Inc. reaches agreement to allow S. Pearson & Son Ltd. of London to purchase 15 percent of the company's common stock. The acquisition will increase Pearson's interest to about 25 percent of the outstanding stock.
Saturday, 16 May 1981
Ocean Motion opens next to Oceana.
Saturday, 16 May 1981
Cedar Point opens for 112th season
Tuesday, 25 August 1981
Two riders were evaluated at a local hospital after the Corkscrew train they were riding in disengaged. A park spokesman said there was no collision and the disengaged train did not go through the entire length of the ride. A nursing supervisor at Sandusky Memorial Hospital reported, "mostly they were just shaken up." The cause of the mishap was determined to be a faulty weld on a hitch pin in the ride's coupling.
Thursday, 17 September 1981
Cedar Point's Bavarian Funfest opens. The two-day event features German food and entertainment by German-style polka bands.
Sunday, 20 September 1981
Final day of 1981 operating season
Monday, 02 November 1981
Cedar Point announces White Water Landing, a $3.4 million flume ride, will be built for the 1982 season.
1982

The IMAX movie, "Hail Columbia" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Thursday, 22 April 1982
Hotel Breakers is added to the National Register of Historic Places by the Secretary of the Interior.
Saturday, 15 May 1982
Cedar Point opens for 113th season
Sunday, 04 July 1982
Kid Arthur's Court, a children's activity area, opens on the Oceana Midway adjacent to Kiddieland.
Saturday, 10 July 1982
The G. A. Beockling is welcomed back to Sandusky. The steamer, which carried passengers between Cedar Point and Sandusky from 1909-1951, is open for tours.
Monday, 13 September 1982
The second annual and final Bavarian Funfest opens. The event ran through September 17 and featured "America's Polka King," Frankie Yankovic.
Sunday, 19 September 1982
Final day of 1982 operating season
1983

The IMAX movie "Flyers" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Demon Drop opens

Cedar Fair, L. P. is formed. Robert Munger is the first CEO.

Berenstain Bears introduced

Sunday, 15 May 1983
Cedar Point opens for 114th season
Sunday, 18 September 1983
Final day of 1983 operating season
1984

The IMAX movie "Man Belongs to Earth" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Cedar Point celebrates the 100th year of the roller coaster

Final season for original Tiki Twirl

Final season for San Francisco Earthquake

Monday, 06 February 1984
Col. Larry Tetzlaff, better known as "Jungle Larry," dies at the age of 65.
Saturday, 12 May 1984
Cedar Point opens for 115th season
Sunday, 16 September 1984
Final day of 1984 operating season
Monday, 15 October 1984
Cedar Point announces $3.4 million Avalanche Run, a bobsled roller coaster, new for 1985.
Sunday, 16 December 1984
George A. Roose dies at the age of 89.
1985

Final season for Rotor

Final season for Bayern Kurve

Avalanche Run opens (late June).

The IMAX movie "Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Safari Canyon opens at Jungle Larry's African Safari.

WildCat relocated near CP&LE Main Midway Station to accommodate Avalanche Run

Schwabinchen relocated from near CP&LE Main Midway Station to near Oceana Stadium.

Matterhorn relocated from near Space Spiral to area near Scrambler.

Super Himalaya relocated from near Space Spiral to location across from Gemini

Final season for Frontier Lift

Saturday, 11 May 1985
Eye Spy Photo opens
Saturday, 11 May 1985
Avalanche Eatery opens
Saturday, 11 May 1985
Cedar Point opens for 116th season
Saturday, 18 May 1985
Nine riders and a ride operator were stuck on Space Spiral for more than seven hours after the motor that drives the elevator malfunctioned. The evacuation took about two hours as riders were removed one at a time. Some climbed down the 285-foot ladder located inside the tower, while others were lowered with a winch and harness.
Saturday, 29 June 1985
Berenstain Bear Country opens. The $500,000 indoor children's participation area included storytelling, puzzles, games, coloring projects, a science fair, and, of course, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear.
Sunday, 15 September 1985
Final day of 1985 operating season
1986

The IMAX movie "The Dream Is Alive" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Final season for Star Voyager

Saturday, 10 May 1986
Cedar Point opens for 117th season
Saturday, 10 May 1986
Thunder Canyon opens
Sunday, 14 September 1986
Final day of 1986 operating season
1987

The IMAX movie "On the Wing" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Monster relocated to present day location near Gemini to accommodate Iron Dragon

Western Cruise relocated to Gemini Midway to accommodate Iron Dragon. It is also renamed Paddlewheel Excursions.

Friday, 27 February 1987
Hotel Breakers is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior.
Wednesday, 29 April 1987
Cedar Fair, L. P. begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Saturday, 09 May 1987
Iron Dragon opens
Saturday, 09 May 1987
Cedar Point opens for 118th season
Sunday, 20 September 1987
Final day of 1987 operating season
1988

The IMAX movie "Skyward" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Soak City opens

Off-season fire at Hotel Breakers causes $80,000 damage

Saturday, 07 May 1988
Cedar Point opens for 119th season
Tuesday, 16 August 1988
Cedar Point announces Magnum XL-200, the highest and fastest roller coaster in the world, will be built for the 1989 season.
Sunday, 25 September 1988
Final day of 1988 operating season
Saturday, 01 October 1988
Postal Service issues a block of four 25-cent Carousel Animals commemorative stamps during a dedication ceremony at Cedar Point. The block of stamps included the King Armored horse by Daniel Muller, a rare carousel figure originally part of Cedar Point’s Kiddy Kingdom carousel.
1989

Cedar Point announces that Avalanche Run will be renovated, enclosed, and renamed Disaster Transport for the 1990 season

The first "Big Bash" event is held. It is an annual end-of-the-year party for employees.

The IMAX movie "North of Superior" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Saturday, 06 May 1989
Cedar Point opens for 120th season
Saturday, 06 May 1989
Magnum XL-200 opens as the world's tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster. It is the first roller coaster in the world to exceed 200 feet in height.
Friday, 02 June 1989
Magnum XL-200 is officially measured for the Guinness Book of World Records.
Sunday, 01 October 1989
Final day of 1989 operating season. It is the first time the operating season has extended into October.