Video Vault: Three decades of Cedar Point

SANDUSKY, Ohio - Summer 2011 is winding down. It won't be long until the kids are back in school, the leaves will begin to fall and snow will be forecast.

Let's try to make the nice weather and the feeling of summer last a bit longer with three clips in our video player.

All three clips are from our archives and all pertain to Cedar Point. I've divided them up so clip one has film from the 60s, clip two from the 70s and clip three is the early 80s. There are very few segments with audio until the late 70s footage.

1960s

The 60s begin with winter scenes of the park and the marina. Although I began going to the park in the mid-60s not much of the winter footage seems familiar to me.

The summer footage is marked 1961 and begins with the river cruise and a cute little guy clutching his baby bottle while on the cruise - that cute little guy is probably in his mid-50s today.

On to the midway and the long departed Sky Wheel double Ferris wheel along with the Twister, Antique Cars (which I recall being called Cadillac Cars) and then some very fancy editing gives us a quick montage of rides at the park.

Off the beautiful beach as we wrap up the summer fun along Lake Erie.

The 1965 season is over and we see the park is in hibernation at the end of the clip as we close with a 'thank you' to the 2 million guests at Cedar Point in 1965.

1970s

Clip 2 begins with construction of the IMAX theater in 1975. A helicopter is lowering pieces into place.

Three opening days are featured showcasing people and rides. The openings are the 108th, 109th and 110th seasons, 1977, 1978 and 1979 respectively. The Corkscrew and Witches Wheel are shown in their infancy.

Mark Koontz worked at WEWS in the 70s and early 80s. Besides doing weather, Mark also reported. Here is Mark riding the grand opening of the Gemini twin racing coaster.

By comparison to the coasters in the park today Gemini seems tame but Koontz description of Gemini calls it the biggest and fastest in the world.

The end of the clip has some midway and marina shots and we see a ride no longer in the park, the Mill Race flume ride.

1980s

The Demon Drop was new when WEWS reporter John Miller went to the Point to do a story on ride safety. John profiled the state of the art computer that controlled the Demon Drop.

John does an impressive job doing his stand up while riding the thrill ride.

The Demon Drop is no longer at Cedar Point and let’s hope it had a few computer upgrades during its run.

WEWS reporter Tom Shay closes out our Cedar Point time capsule with an employee job fair in December 1984.