Video: Demolition of Geauga Lake amusement park nearly completed

BAINBRIDGE -- It's the end of the first week of August and the demolition of Geauga Lake amusement park is almost done.

Cedar Fair, the company that owns Cedar Point and dozens of amusement parks across North America, closed the park in September 2007, then auctioned off the rides and equipment this summer on June 17-18.

What's still standing? Basically, just the historic Big Dipper roller coaster, the Raging Wolf Bobs roller coaster, the Skyscraper observation tower and the main entrance building.

Last week, large, orange-colored, spray-painted "X's" appeared on most of the remaining buildings and large demolition equipment has arrived at the park.

The Americana Ferris wheel has been dismantled and moved to another park. The fate of the carousel is unknown but it, like the Americana, was not auctioned off.

The Big Dipper and the Raging Wolf Bobs were sold June 17 to the same unnamed buyer for $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.

Tom Woosnam, of Akron-based Apex Western Machinery Movers, made the successful bids on behalf of the unknown buyer.

Woosnam said the Big Dipper, built by John A. Miller, erected in 1926, and one of the oldest roller coasters in existence, would be moved to an undisclosed location.

It's still there at Geauga Lake and Woosnam has offered the Big Dipper to anyone who wants to buy it.

Last month, one piece of the Raging Wolf Bobs' "extra" track was sold on eBay for $250.

Also on June 17, the 1974 Itamin Skyscraper observation tower was sold for scrap for $12,500. Now its owner is offering it on eBay for $50,000.

During the auction, Michigan-based Norton Auctioneers said the land needed to be cleared as soon as possible so all the rides were to be moved, removed or demolished.

The 600-acre park land is being sold for re-development. It was divided into three parcels and the 11-acre parcel with the Geauga Lake Hotel on it is under contract by a non-profit group.

The remaining acreage? About 110 acres on the west end of the park is under contract to an unnamed developer for retail development and the 440 other acres, between the 110 acres and the hotel, is under contract to an unnamed developer for a residential development.

As of today (Friday), a contractor continued to remove the steel tracks from the Raging Wolf Bobs to sell for scrap.

The Villain roller coaster is long gone.

Geauga Lake was known as Geauga Lake from 1888 to 1999, then became Six Flags Ohio in 2000. From 2001 to 2003, it was known as Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

In 2004, after Cedar Fair bought it, it became Geauga Lake again, then Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in 2005 until Cedar Fair closed the amusment park side.