Joe Kinsey
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The Cedar Point trip portion of summer is in the books & my 9-year-old’s midway game streak continues
Saturday, after posting Saturday Screencaps Lite, we piled in the car to make the quick trip over to Sandusky to tackle one of the to-do items on the summer of FUN itinerary in the form of Cedar Point. I’ll save you guys from multiple paragraphs on our day. I’m just here to pump out the hits and quick-hitter thoughts on a Monday morning.
- Weather: Absolutely perfect. Honestly, it might’ve been the best day of weather in the history of Cedar Point. 75-77. Very little wind. No clouds when we got there. Few clouds later in the day, but nothing crazy. Wind fired up later in the day, but still plenty warm that my wife didn’t need her jacket like normal.
- Crowds: Didn’t feel crowded. There are always areas of the park that get congested, but it wasn’t anything crazy. Going in, I figured it was going to be jammed because of the weather. Then we got there at noon and it was relaxed. Parking was fine. Entry was fine.
- Lines: Nothing over 45 minutes that we saw. The first coaster of the day was Magnum and it couldn’t have been over 30 minutes. I’m thinking more like 25 minutes. Next up was a wooden roller coaster back in the Frontier area and it was like 30 minutes, which was surprising. And at the end of the day we knocked out Gatekeeper in approximately 35 minutes. It’s nothing like when I was a teen going to Cedar Point and two-hour lines for Magnum.
- People-watching: Still undefeated. I probably should get a season pass and park myself on one of the rocking chairs in the Frontier section of the park and just watch humanity pass by. I can’t get enough of the shirts people wear to the park. I can’t get enough of the families with wagons that now have canopies, drink holders, bag holders. The new wagons are like the Jeep Wagoneers of the amusement park industry.
- Tats: I’ve never seen so many people who look like they don’t have a pot to piss in yet they have 40 tats. Visiting Cedar Point is definitely an eye-opener for consumerism and what people spend their money on.
- Midway games: The last time we were at Cedar Point, 2019, our son would’ve been six and he wanted to play a midway game BAD. So we bent the knee and allowed him to pick a game. One and that’s it. He picked the milk bottles. My wife and I just looked at each other figuring there would be tears and it wouldn’t be pretty. Then he proceeds to step up and knocks all the bottles off with the first throw. It was easily one of the best sporting moments I’d ever seen with my own two eyes. I’m not one to brag very easily on my kids, but that moment is forever in my back pocket. So Saturday we allowed him to keep his streak alive. He picks the basketball game — make a shot, win a basketball. I even splurged and bought him three shots. Everyone knows the rim is tiny. My wife and I look at each other. Then our son steps up and hits the first shot, immediate winner and we’re off to ride the carousel and hit the parking lot.
- Landscaping: I’m to the age where I’m paying attention to just how many flowers Cedar Point plants. They’ve stepped up their game. The grounds looked incredible. I encourage those TNML members making Cedar Point trips to pay special attention to the small details from the CP grounds crew. They’re doing great work.
• Doug from Omaha writes:
I hope you have a blast at the Point! My 1st assignment after pilot training we chose to go to Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton OH. One reason was to see a different part of the country and my reason was to be close to some amusement parks because I love Rollercoasters. So at the time we had Kings Island, Six Flags Ohio/Geauga Lake and Cedar Point. I only made it to the Point twice, but it was my Heaven on Earth. Have a blast and I would love to hear from your family and which Rollercoaster is everyone’s favorite.
Because we had our 5-year-old, that meant we couldn’t knock out 10 coasters in a day. Plus, my body couldn’t take the beating much more after Magnum. I’ll say this, Gatekeeper is awesome. I could’ve ridden it a half-dozen times and wanted more. I love the feeling coming over that initial drop where the coaster turns you over and suspends you before dropping over and launching into a loop.
There might be a return trip this summer to get more of that.
• Mig writes:
Wanted to give you kudos for taking the family to Cedar Point on a Saturday. As a veteran of 4 kids within 2 hours of CP and a guy that worked there 2 summers in the 80’s, Saturday is absolutely the worst day to go to Cedar Point. This shows commitment above and beyond. Saturday is the day that any group that can fill a charter bus, school bus, short bus, or 15-passenger van show up, clogging the queue lines for the best rides. I commend your commitment to family..,
On a side note, back in the early 80’s college kids would actually fill most of the summer jobs at CP. They didn’t complain it was $3.35 an hour. Picture college kids from Toledo, BG, UM, MSU, PITT, OSU, Miami, Akron, Kent, and many other smaller nearby colleges, assembling for the summer with no school work and everyone gets a paycheck on Friday.. Cedar Fair Limited also had an employee activity center (bar and grill) on site where you got the same CP food at a discount and $2.72 for a 72 ounce pitcher of draft beer. You could hitch hike from the dorms on property to a dive called Louies for 25 cent beers and dogs. Rolling Rock if I remember.
There was a ballroom above the arcade on the main strip. On Wednesdays they would bring bands in for a dance and sell cans beer out of farm trough for .75 cents I think. Michael Stanley Band was there a couple times a summer. The dorms were separated by gender but the rules to get in and out of the dorms were very suspect.
I could go on but you get the picture. It was two great summers.
Times are changing, Mig. I saw multiple kids wearing video game t-shirts, including one that stuck out: “I paused my game to be here.” There were multiple blank faces of kids who don’t get out to live real-life entertainment very often.
The Vols go down to the Irish and fans are celebrating
• Bill H. writes:
Capitalizing on the Tennessee baseball team Delta Bravo image, some Vols fans proudly wore tees with “CLASSLESS VS CATHOLICS” printed on them, evoking the1998 “CATHOLICS VS CONVICTS” classic tees when ND played Miami in football. Some of the Vol players really put the “ass” in “class”, proving it with vigorous display several times throughout the regional and super regional games. Karma makes me laugh.
• Texas A&M fan, Chris B. in Houston, writes:
Vols we’re an amazing team, but they disrespected the game so much that the baseball gods struck them down. “Let the kids play” and have fun all day. But don’t let them be assholes.
Suburban victories
• Dane in Missouri writes:
So, my HOA recently switched trash services and, to put it lightly, most of the neighborhood isn’t happy about it. The previous service would happily take boxes, etc. as long as they were broken down and placed beside the bin. New service refuses to take anything that’s not in the bin, trying to upcharge residents for a second bin. I put them to the test this last week to see what they considered “in the bin” and I’m happy to report a win on this issue.
One of my proudest moments in sticking it to insufferable companies. I’m not really sure how it’s easier to take this than broken down smaller boxes on the side of the bin but I’ll take it. Best part of the ordeal was the HOA sending out an email touting the savings with the switch to the new provider, then sending a follow up email saying those savings wouldn’t be passed on to our dues. Definitely need some more HOA battle stories from readers. Congrats on the little league managerial debut.
Raise hell and praise Dale
• Harvey D. writes:
Cleaning out old pictures in my phone. I came across this one. Napoleon OH. Been some years ago 2017 I think. One classic tribute to another classic. The Chevette, what a P.O.S., but everybody and every car aspires for greatness! Those things were the common first car for those of us in the late 80’s. I don’t know whose car this is, but it’s still badass!
Tuesday’s Weather
How does Lake Erie affect the weather around here? Here’s a fun lesson on why my wife has to take a jacket pretty much at all times when we get anywhere within five miles of the lake. Vegas heat inland. Beautiful day for Cedar Point.
Let’s get the week rolling around here. The heat is officially on and it’s time to pump out some flaming-hot blog posts.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Just wanted to let you know that Screencaps was absolutely on Point today. Some of your best work up there, IMO.