CP hopes for sunny days

Saturday, 20 May 2006

Rain almost constant since opening day.

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - The warm and sunny month of April would have been a great time to visit a theme park.

Too bad, Cedar Point opened May 6 and it's been raining almost ever since.

"Today will probably make 10 days of rain," Stacy Frole, director of investor relations for Cedar Fair, said Friday morning.

Frole can't discuss attendance and revenue figures, but said it's too early to determine the effect rain may have on attendance.

But attendance through May makes up only about 10 percent of the annual attendance at the partnership's seasonal parks, she said. Cedar Fair will release attendance figures for May after Memorial Day weekend.

Cedar Point's sister park, Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, opened last Saturday to rain. It cleared on Sunday, though, said park spokeswoman Lexi Robinson. Geauga Lake is open only on weekends until May 27.

"It certainly affected us," Robinson said Friday. "We didn't see the attendance we would see on a 80-degree sunny day."

However, those who bought advance tickets or had a scheduled group outing still came.

"Also, the rain doesn't stop the die-hard fans," Robinson said.

Cedar Point spokesman Bryan Edwards said guests are still coming to the park, despite the rain, in particular school groups, locals and those with season passes.

It hasn't rained constantly and only a few groups have canceled because of the weather and rescheduled for later in the season, he said.

Robin Innes, another Cedar Point spokesman, said Cedar Point guests can opt to buy a day pass to the indoor waterpark at Castaway Bay if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Thursday was the 21st annual Physics Day and sixth annual Middle School Math and Science Day at Cedar Point. Edwards said it was rainy, windy, sunny and cold at different points throughout the day.

"I think the kids are out there having fun," Edwards said Thursday. "There are some activities scheduled inside."

The Soak City waterpark at Cedar Point opens May 27. The weather is supposed to warm up and dry out next week.

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom will premiere its new 30,000-square-foot wave pool May 27, Robinson said. The ribbon-cutting is at 10: 30 a.m.

Admission to Geauga Lake includes the use of the waterpark. Soak City is a separate admission.

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