Cedar Point deals with power outage

Thursday, 14 August 2003

Cedar Point closed at 7:30 p.m. tonight due to the power outage that affected much of the eastern United States and parts of Canada, according to the Sandusky Register. It marks the first time the park has ever been forced to close early due to a power outage.

"Based on what we were hearing about when the power would come back on, we decided it would be best to close the park," Cedar Point spokeswoman Janice Witherow told the Register.

Cedar Point estimates that there were 30,000 guests at the park.

"Our guests were really troopers," Witherow said.

Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes told the Register that, when the power outages occurred, many guests were left stuck on rides. Witherow said guests with the longest delay were on Space Spiral, where riders were stranded for about an hour.

Witherow did not know if the park would issue refunds. Cedar Point staff collected names, addresses, and phone numbers as guests exited park.

The park had been preparing flashlights and other emergency equipment for resort guests when power was restored.

Cedar Point will be open on Friday.