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CP officials say maXair will revive part of the park

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point's newest ride isn't just making riders happy, but company officials are smiling about reviving a section of the park that needed a facelift.

With the sun shining and a just a hint of a cool breeze, Friday's media day featured some of the better weather the park has had in its recent history of introducing new rides to journalists, coaster enthusiasts and local government officials. Cedar Point opens for its 136th season today.
 
"At Cedar Point we are very very proud of our roller coasters, but not every thrill ride is a roller coaster," said John Hildebrandt, the new general manager and vice president of Cedar Point, about maXair during the opening ceremony at 9:15 a.m. "We think our guests are going to have a lot of fun and a lot of thrills."

Hildebrandt said when he heard about the plan for the spinning thrill ride, he was skeptical about the proposed location off of the Main Midway, near Kiddy Kingdom and the Space Spiral. However, after seeing the 84-foot structure towering in front of the indoor roller coaster Disaster Transport and the Ferris wheel, he's happy with the result.

Hildebrandt said bringing more people to the northeast side of the park has been an ongoing process for Cedar Point that started with the introduction of the Wicked Twister roller coaster in 2002.

New for this year in that same section of that park is also a renovated game area with lighting that will help "showcase our games," he said.

Several games were relocated to make room for maXair.

Cedar Fair CEO and president Dick Kinzel said originally the park was considering a new water ride for the 2005 season, and that would have been in Frontierland. Kinzel said the park typically likes to keep water rides in one section so guests aren't walking around the park wet.

However, when the park learned of maXair, it liked the concept, and realized the spinning and swinging ride could go in a part of the park that was "old and tired," he said.

"This is a quiet part of the park," Kinzel said of the northeast section, noting that could change with maXair attracting riders for it and Wicked Twister.

Wilhelm Hundsdoerfer, chief operating officer of Huss of Bremen, Germany, the ride manufacturer, said it's an honor to be selected as a ride manufacturer for Cedar Point, which is the "icon of amusement parks."

Hundsdoerfer said he hopes Cedar Point guests enjoy the maXair, teasing eager riders by saying that it had "speeds that would certainly raise the eyebrows of a police officer."

Katie and Mark Bruno of Wadsworth, Ohio, were at the park Friday for business and pleasure. The Brunos, of Website Design and Development, are in charge of the Cedar Point Web site.

Mark Bruno said he didn't like the idea of the ride at first, but after being on it, he definitely will ride it again, but needs a break in between. Bruno said maXair is a combination of riding a roller coaster and Cedar Point's Rip Cord ride.

Tami Caruso, a nurse at Firelands Regional Medical Center, has been coming to Cedar Point for years, and was one of Friday's satisfied guests. She was invited for an inaugural ride, and said maXair will "absolutely" revive that section of the park.

Caruso, 46, was so excited about the new ride that after a 12-hour hospital shift, she went home, changed and left for Cedar Point.

"It is so incredible and smooth -- you come off your seat," Caruso said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com