Latest news with #Corkscrew
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Remembering Ohio's Geauga Lake, once the world's largest theme park. Look back at photos
For more than 100 years, Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, was an amusement park destination. From its earliest days in the late 19th century, when Geauga Lake was just a train stop with picnic tables and boats to rent, the park grew. Its first ride was a steam-powered carousel, added in 1889. Its first roller coaster didn't come until 1925 with the Big Dipper, which entertained thrill-seekers until the park closed down. And in 2001, Geauga Lake absorbed the neighboring Sea World, when the latter closed its Ohio park. That made Geauga Lake the largest theme park in the world by area at the time, covering some 700 acres on both sides of the lake. Less than a decade later, the fun was over. In 2007, the park shut down after rounds of ownership changes and park expansion. Now, what's left of Geauga Lake Park may return to its 19th-century roots. The City of Aurora has purchased the former Geauga Lake and Sea World land, with the intent of making it a public park. Here's a look back at the history of Geauga Lake, as reported in previous Beacon Journal articles. Looking back at Geauga Lake Park in Ohio; its first roller coaster, the Big Dipper, debuted in 1925 Here's a brief history of Geauga Lake: 1887: The northeast side of Geauga Lake is first called Picnic Lake or Giles Pond, a place where visitors camped, went fishing or picnicked. 1889: The park's first ride is added, a steam-powered carousel. 1925: Geauga Lake's first roller coaster is built. The Big Dipper was the largest wooden roller coaster built at the time, at 2,800 feet long and a height of 65 feet. 1939: A dance hall and ballroom are built. 1969: Funtime Inc. purchases the park. 1977: The Double Loop — Ohio's first looping steel coaster — opens. 1978: The Corkscrew steel coaster debuts. 1984: The Wave, the first pool of its kind that creates 6-foot waves, opens. 1988: The park celebrates its 100th year and welcomes the Raging Wolf Bobs wooden roller coaster. 1995: Geauga Lake is purchased by Premier Parks Inc. 1998: Premier Parks purchases Six Flags Theme Parks. 2000: Park changes name to Six Flags Ohio. 2001: Six Flags purchases SeaWorld Cleveland, renamed to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. 2004: Six Flags sells the park to Cedar Fair, at the time the owner of Cedar Point. The name is changed back to Geauga Lake. 2005: Cedar Fair revamps the old Sea World into a water park called Wildwater Kingdom. 2007: The ride side of Geauga Lake closes. 2016: Wildwater Kingdom closes. SOURCES: Aurora Historical Society and Akron Beacon Journal archives. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Remembering Ohio's Geauga Lake with photos from its century of history Solve the daily Crossword
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
More climbs, time trial feature in beefed-up Tour
Multiple hilly circuits and a prologue time trial have been added to the men's Tour Down Under after riders lobbied for a more attacking race. The Tour's iconic Queen stage south of Adelaide will feature three climbs up Willunga Hill for the first time in race history, before its summit finish. Previously, the stage had no more than two Willunga climbs. The last stage in the Adelaide Hills will feature eight laps of the 21km Stirling circuit - again the most times that course has been used on one day. Another famous Tour Down Under climb, Corkscrew, will feature twice in stage two. A twilight prologue time trial was introduced to the Tour in 2023, but wet conditions spoiled the spectacle and it was shelved for the last two editions. The new 3.6km prologue course will start at the Victoria Square race headquarters in the Adelaide CBD and end at the old Victoria Park racecourse. "Feedback from men's teams was they wanted a more attacking race, so we have brought the prologue back which creates an opportunity for riders targeting the (leader's) ochre jersey to take time from the very first day," race director Stuart O'Grady said. "We've also added some new challenges like two climbs up Corkscrew Road that will be a real GC (general classification) shaker, and the final day has moved from a sprint-friendly stage in the city to a really hard circuit around Stirling where anything could happen." The women's Tour will also feature all 15 WorldTour-level teams for the first time. Its third and final stage will feature two Corkscrew Hill climbs, another first for them. The women will race from January 17-19, with the men's Tour from the 20th to the 25th.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Is Now The Official Car Of Laguna Seca
Read the full story on Backfire News WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has a new official car, Porsche, in a move that's not surprising but is admittedly interesting. After all, the California track has enjoyed a good relationship with the German brand, including hosting Rennsport Reunion annually since 2011. Now Porsche has more buy-in and incentive to make things an official sponsor of the track, Porsche's first duty as the official car of Laguna Seca will be to supply the safety car for the Monterey Sportscar Championship IMSA race this coming weekend, May 9 through 11. One of the big changes coming from this development is a Porsche Driving Center launching at Laguna Seca in 2026. That means you can sign up for courses ranging from beginner driving instruction all the way to advanced track skills. The latter is especially appropriate with the ability to practice on the legendary Corkscrew. Perhaps the center will be a place where Porsche drivers from across the country can come to learn how to handle their vehicles better. We hate seeing crashes on or off the track, especially when they're the result of someone who doesn't understand their vehicle's handling dynamics well enough. With Porsche's involvement at Laguna Seca growing, we wonder if Rennsport Reunion will become even larger or more elaborate. Porsche says back in 2023 the seventh gathering saw over 91,000 attendees over the span of four days, so that's the number to beat. Likely, more changes are coming. Porsche will be supporting Friends of Laguna Seca, an organization which has been working to revitalize both the track and the recreation area adjacent to it. In other words, visiting the motorsports facility might be a much more enjoyable experience before too long, all thanks to the automaker. At a time when we hear too often tracks are closing down after years of sitting in disrepair, news like this is wonderful. Image via Porsche
