Operating,Operated,SBNO... Repeat.

Oh... the process of finally getting to Conneaut Lake Park.
Where to even begin with this one... 

Over the past 11 years I've made 3 attempts at visiting the park, all unsuccessfully. This would be #4... And things were looking up (although in the original planning stages it seemed like I might in fact go 4 for 4.... And then once the park did actually open for the 2016 season... Its star attraction and reason for my visit... failed to open. Ugghhh) While Conneaut seemed to do fine as a small locals park for over 100 years.. In the mid 90's and into the 00's the park had been ravished with bankruptcies, fires/arson, losing dozens of rides, and going in and out of business. Either failing to make set opening dates... or just not opening at all, for seasons at a time. Yet somehow the park seems to get another one last chance.. A second chance of second chances. That being said, every year the park does indeed successfully open, I get nervous in not finding a way to work it into my plans. The park is typical only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and they don't seem to publish any operating schedule or even opening day, until a week or so before just...opening.. As with most others in the enthusiast community, I wonder just how much more life this park has as it continues its saga into its 125th season... or so.

Well, my motel for the night may have offered a free breakfast but in my drive in the night before I happened to see something... Something no free breakfast could surpass....

Glorious, GLORIOUS TIM HORTONS!
Canadian dining at its finest....

I might be a Dunks fanboy, born and raised..... But Timmy Ho's is amazing and I forget that they have stores in the Northeast/ Northern Midwest <3
Well, after shoving a half dozen donuts down my throat while drinking a massive iced tea.. I made the short 3 mile drive down into Conneaut Lake, PA and onward to the park where Mark, who I hadn't seen since last fall... would be waiting for me.

Woo...

Oh man... although this wouldn't be the first time I've seen signs like this... only to come up short.

! Its happening !
yeesss!!!!

Pulling into the parking lot, the remains of the parks Toboggan coaster can be seen in the back, The ride operated on and off for some 4 years in the park (02-06) and then sat unused for another 6 or 7 before being taken down and now abandoned in the parking lot.

Bucket List Park... checked off my list!
(Now hopefully the Bucket List Coaster can be checked off too!)

Blue Streak.
My most sought after un-ridden coaster.
(and an extremely good contender for being the next American wood coaster to permanently close....)

Conneaut is also home to a small water park, Splash City.
It opened this summer for the first time in 5 years, a few weeks after this photo was taken these slides, Cliffhanger Falls, were painted yellow and reopened as well.

Otter Creek Adventure River was open during our visit, as well as a smaller pool area.

Hotel Conneaut, built in 1902 (oh hey, I like that year!)
Room rates opening year were $1 a night, meals were 35¢

Oh, and Conneaut Lake Park was built on the shores of none other than Conneaut...Lake.

Creepy old water tower with the parks logo... kinda.. still painted on it.

Oh man! And ducks for sale in the gift shop!
Sadly, there wasn't much in the form of park specific items although I did mange to find a Christmas Ornament

Witch's Stew, the parks Tempest. I would have ridden it but we never saw it operate and we had somewhat limited time to hang around.
It was also listed for sale during the parks most recent closure.

There was also a Trabant but it seemed to be running slow, so I passed on it.

And we never saw the Paratrooper run either.

Devil's Den / Dr. Moriarity's Wild Ride, a rare Pretzel dark ride.
One of just two 'gravity' driven ones built by Pretzel left.

It features a chain lift as well as a drop/rise followed by a mouse-like zigzag dark ride... When I rode it, I did so as a classic dark ride.. but its since been added controversially to RCDB. Ehh, is it a coaster? no? did I count it?... no.
(Although I did add it to my C-C as a non-countable)

Kiddieland entrance

Kiddie Boats

Hot Pursuit

Conneaut is also home to this Herschell Little Dipper coaster.
The oldest operating steel coaster in the United States and third oldest in the world!

Sadly, its off limits to adults. While I normally wouldn't care... missing a kiddie ride. It would be neat just to have the oldest in the US, I'll have to settle with having ridden the second oldest.
Moving on....

!!!
Tumble Bug
Built in 1925
Probably the most exciting thing to me here outside of Blue Streak.
Conneaut Lake is home to one of just two reaming Traver Tumble Bugs (annddd I rode both, in the same day!) prior to my ride on this one... I hadn't ridden one in some 16 years, when Whalom Park still had theirs. After Whalom closed the ride was moved to down to Edaville USA and left to rot in their parking lot for nearly 10 years until it was tragically scrapped.
(I saw it still at Edaville in 2005 and was hopeful the ride would run again.... :/ )
The ride seemed somewhat slower than what I remembered from Whalom.. but I still laughed a bunch and was grateful to get to ride it. It seems to be one of the more hit-or-miss rides at Conneaut as the park continues its cycle of Operating, Operated, SBNO...

This odd looking Music Express wasn't running while we were at the park but it was unlike anything I've seen in my travels as far as I could think of.

But this was!!!
Blue Streak, the 17th oldest coaster in the US
And sadly, one of the most likely to be lost, given the parks troubled recent history.

The coaster is one of just two reaming Vettel coasters
(I managed to ride the other one last summer!)
It also has two trains, the one in use today is the NAD built train from the 60's. It used to feature a 4 car train but has since been shorten to 3 cars. From old reviews online the coaster once featured the most legendary of airtime... but with the fourth cars removal it has been somewhat tamed. The coasters other train is one of the original 1938 trains (The Red train seen behind the NAD train) last used around 2003. Apparently it tracks much better... but is currently inoperable.

But I'll take the less desirable train vs no train at all!

New for 2016, Blue Streak was offering a Floorless/Seatless option.

Oh hey, its Mark.. Oh, and uh, me?

Outside of the far turnaround, the coaster is hidden away in the woods and starts off with a loonnngggg tunnel leading to the lift hill and then 2 large air-filled hills leading to the turnaround. The photo above is from the third hill.

Woo, Blue Streak!
After years of waiting... I was finally able to ride it (three laps in total) My #1 most sought after coaster.. ridden. Guess I'll have to replace it with something new, unridden. Hmm....
(it was worth the effort :) )

Leftover track from Blue Streaks re-tracking, last summer.
Oh.. and then there's the battle scars. The saddest thing about this Little Park that Could.

Mark pointed out that this scar is leftover from where the parks Chance Yo-Yo swings were, the marks make it pretty obvious too.
I guess for the last few years it was standing, only the lower half of the ride was here, none of the sweeps/arms or swings were anywhere to be found.

This cave lead to the now closed off Jungle Island... Once started as a homemade Jungle Cruise type ride.. and then later a zoo type attraction on a small island. You can't really see anything more than this unless you ride Blue Streak.

Ride platform from some long gone kiddie ride...

Another missing kiddie ride.... Looks like it might have been the Pony Carts

And what seems like it would have been an adult sized ride plot.
Based off photos I've found online.. Even in the last 10 years or so the park was home to a Scrambler, Eli Wheel, and Round-Up. This plot looks like it would have been for a Spider ride (since it would be round but only need to load in the front half....) I found a video showing a Spider running at the park.. But couldn't tell where it was located at.
Maybe one day the park can truly get back on its feet and invest in replacement rides for some of these plots. (I'd love to see them go out and get 4 or 5 classic flats and almost run the place like a living amusement museum. Like how Rye was for a while....) 
But there are still a lot of other classic rides to be ridden in the park.

I wanted to take a ride on the Bessemer and Lake Erie Miniature Train as it pretty much does a lap around Blue Streak and seemed like a good way to get photos of the ride that is otherwise in the woods. As Mark and I walked up to it, it was dispatching... So we waited for it to return but something happened and we were told it would be closed for 45 minutes to an hour.
Moving on....

The parks Tilt-A-Whirl, built in 1949 and kept looking fantastic despite the parks history.

And before heading out, we took a quick ride on the parks Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooters. The only set I've ever come across with absolutely no restrictor.
(you could pretty much rotate the sail 200*s or so...)

And away I go... Off to Pittsburgh!
Right right, Pittsburgh.....

Yup, Conneaut Lake Park.
Get here... Get here, while you still have the chance. Historical value aside.. I came here for one thing and one thing only, Blue Streak... But I left with a real appreciation for the struggles this park has gone through and a real sense that its a place that could disappear off the face of the earth and what a true loss that would be. There really aren't any other parks like Conneaut left, there's something special about it. Small, old, not corporate.... The whole time I walked down its Midway's it made me think of how Whalom Park was for me growing up (albeit not as 'run down' ((if that is the right way to describe it))) and how devastating it was for me when that park closed for good after its 2000 season... Unannounced.
The closest thing I could compare Conneaut Lake with would be Arnolds Park or Sylvan Beach these small, almost community sized parks that used to dot the country, especially in the North East have in the last 20 years or so vanished and its a real shame.
but as far as I'm concerned Conneaut Lake is worth saving and I hope the park keeps fighting on so more people have the chance to experience it and that someday I can make a return visit.

(its also kinda depressing writing this out... thinking this may become a sorta time capsule of what was. Much like what became of my Libertyland post, revisited last year as a 10th year anniversary of that parks closure.) 

Oh.. And for fun, I've added a Blue Streak POV from CoasterForce :D

Woo.