by Ken Denton, denton@rowan.edu
I had the chance to visit Conneaut Lake Park this past Saturday as part of the Blue Streak Bash '93, an annual event sponsored by the Western New York Coaster Club.
CLP is located in extreme northwestern PA, between Erie and Mercer. Parking is $1, but I don't know the admission price. CLP is located adjacent to a lake (fancy that), and besides the roller coasters has: Scrambler, Tilt-a-Whirl, Paratrooper, Tumble Bug, Yo Yo, Dodge-ems, carousel, and a train ride. There is also a pool and some water slides near the front of the park, so combined with the lake activities makes for a lot to do if you want to splash around. If you wish to stay dry, however, there isn't that much to do at the park. The crowds during the day were not that bad, with maybe a 10 or 20 minute wait for the best rides. When evening came, and people started leaving the water area to do the rest of the park, the lines grew longer, but still not theme-park bad.
The Tumble Bug (operated by Tim the Tumble Bug Man) was both a treat and a disappointment. I was told before I went that it was perhaps the finest one around, so I had my expectations way up. Sure enough, it did run a lot faster than the one at Kennywood Park, but the seats inside were painted, instead of being plain aluminum. Now, if you know anything about the Tumble Bug, you will know why a painted textured surface would not be fun in shorts.
The Dodge-ems (bumper cars) were a major disappointment. The ride operator announces at the beginning of the session that these are not bumper cars and intentional bumping will not be tolerated. They did pretty much look the other way, but that took some of the fun out of it. To top if off, the cars were slow and the floor had at least one plate that was not level with the rest, making for a major jarring bump on every lap. Bumper car suspensions were not designed for rough surfaces.
The map of the park we had showed a Whip located near the midway, but none was to be found.
Food at the park varied from edible to really, really bad. If you go there, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES eat at the lakeside restaurant/bar at the park. We were tempted by the breezy location and outdoor tables, only to be disgusted by the food and drinks there. So far, CLP gets my 'Worst Park Food' vote.
My only other negative experience at the park was with one of the employees, a yonng lady working at one of the food concession areas. She saw my Kennywood shirt (and possibly the Blue Streak Bash badge as well), and it went something like this:
Her: Are you one of those people who goes around and rides roller coasters everywhere? (said with a sneer - I'm not kidding)
Me: Well, yes, as a matter of fact I came from New Jersey to visit your park and ride your coaster.
Her: The Blue Streak? It's not that good. You people are crazy.
I was bothered both by the fact that she treated me like I was a lunatic who really needed a doctor, and the fact that she was publicly putting down her park and employer. It just soured my mood for a while.
"Thank you for riding the tallest, fastest roller coaster....in Conneaut Lake Park" - Steve and Andy, 'Your Blue Streak Friends'
"Kids - for an extra treat - ride with your mouth open!" - Steve and Andy, 'Your Blue Streak Friends'
"Get out....please" - Steve and Andy, 'Your Blue Streak Friends'
The wooden coaster at CLP is the Blue Streak, an Ed Vettel out-and-back'er that is truly outstanding. From what you can see of the ride from the park and the picnic area, it's hard to see why the ride is such a treat. That's because the Blue Streak hides its best part from view, obscured by trees.
The Blue Streak uses NAD Century Flyer trains, of which there are two. One has the original 'headlight' front end (with a radio station bumper sticker!) and the other has a flat front with the CLP logo on it. You can choose your seat, and you can ride alone if you wish. There is only a lap bar, with no seat dividers or seat belts to get in the way. The last seat of every car does have sort of a headrest, as the structure of the car extends over the rider's head at the back. They were running two trains for most of the time we were there.
The station itself is a treat - great manual station brakes, no electronic controls. At the front of the station is an illustration of the track layout with light bulbs over certain points to indicate train progress, and a bell that rings when a train is approaching the station.
The ride begins with a long dim tunnel that is much better at night, when it becomes completely dark. In the daytime, however, it's not so effective. You exit the S-shaped tunnel onto the lift hill, and you're on you're way to the top. The first drop is excellent, seeming quite steep and going very close to the ground. The second drop is outstanding, faster than the first and seeming steeper still. The third drop is every bit as good as the second, and then you hit the turnaround.
Before we continue around the bend, let's recap. The Blue Streak begins with three absolutely killer drops (which you really can't see from off the ride), giving AMAZING air time in the back seats. Real out-of-your-seat-and-pressing- hard-against-the-lap-bar airtime. At night, these drops are fantastic, as the coaster is not lit at all, and you have the impression that you're plum- meting out of control to the ground, only to be wrenched skyward and repeat the process three times. The #2 drop on the Blue Streak is one of my favorite drops of all time.
After the descending turnaround, the train jogs to the left, giving some nice lateral G's, and then there's a few small hills. The last two hills before the brake run earned the nickname 'Lurchers' from our ride group. The train just gets sucked down the hill and yanked up them again, slamming you forward against the lap bar twice. Race through a fast covered turn and then onto the brakes. A world-class ride.
Adding to the fun of the Blue Streak were the operators for the evening, Steve and Andy ('Your Blue Streak Friends'). Their station announcements and platform behavior kept everyone entertained while waiting for the next train. Now I know what a train coming onto the station brake does to a penny. I'd like to see the operators try that at Six Flags.
On the down side, we had bad luck with the night ERT. The flyer I got said 2 hours night ERT, which I was looking forward to. When we arrived at the park, however, we were told that the Blue Streak can not run after 12:30, due to noise complaints. Since the park has a soft close policy, we may not get the full 2 hours. Well... The park closed at 11:30, so we figured we were in for a 1 hour ERT with 1 train. Since there were only about 60 or so people, that wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately, things did not go well. The second train of the ERT came back into the station smoking and sparking. A quick check by maintenance revealed that the dogs had been ripped off the front car by the track. [I am not an expert on coaster design, I may be using the wrong term or be completely misinformed.] When asked if they could put the other train on instead, we were told that the track would most likely rip the dogs off the other train as well. So, we had a 10 minute ERT on the Blue Streak. I'm glad I had the chance to ride it as much as we did during the time we were there, although I miss the experience of riding with a bunch of enthusiasts whooping and hollering and cheering. Maybe next year....
The other coaster at CLP is a small steel enclosed dark ride, similar in outward appearance to the Wizard's Cavern at Seaside Heights, NJ. Cars seating 2 abreast, similar to haunted house cars, carry you into a combination roller coaster and dark ride. The indoor portion is really well done, in total darkness the quick turns in the track are a treat. The scary stuff inside is pretty static and not that frightening. The scariest part of the ride is the lift hill that passes through the 'Famous Gum Wall', where you get to admire thousands of pieces of gum stuck to the wall. Really gross.
As always, comments are welcome at denton@rowan.edu