by Brent Hovey

Reporter

Bainbridge -- The Big Dipper, a popular roller coaster at Geauga Lake Park since it was erected in 1926, sold at auction for $5,000 June 17 and reportedly will be moved to an as-yet undisclosed location.

Norton Auctioneers of Michigan, in cooperation with Geauga Lake parent company Cedar Fair, began a two-day auction on the former amusement park grounds to sell a wide variety of items.

The Big Dipper was purchased by Tom Woosnam of APEX Western Machinery Movers. He said he bought it for an undisclosed company.

He added the coaster would not go to another amusement park, but the buyer might rebuild it somewhere else.

"It possibly will be re-erected," said Woosnam, adding he attended the auction specifically to bid on the Big Dipper. "Probably not to be ridden, but for nostalgic purposes."

Woosnam declined to say if it would stay in the area. He noted in about a week plans pertaining to the ride's future would be announced.

The Big Dipper has attracted a lot of attention, especially from the group American Coaster Enthusiasts, which has been trying to save the ride since Cedar Fair announced last September the park would close.

Woosnam also bought the Raging Wolf Bobs, a wooden coaster erected in 1988, for $2,500. Other bidders bought the Villain and the Arrow for $25,000 and $35,000, respectively.

"We are witnessing the end of an era," said auctioneer David A. Norton before the auction began. "Anything not tagged is being moved to another Cedar Fair park.

The Americana ferris wheel and the landmark Marcus Illions carousel were not tagged.

Cedar Fair is continuing to operate Wildwater Kingdom, a water park, on the old Sea World side of Geauga Lake.

As the rides and equipment were sold off last week, bids are being reviewed for purchase of more than 400 acres at the park.

Colliers-Ostendorf Morris accepted four bids May 16 and are meeting with the interested parties before recommending the best bid to Cedar Fair.

Nostalgic day at park

More than 400 people gathered at Geauga Lake June 17 to either bid or just observe the proceedings. They followed a pickup truck around as it carried the two auctioneers from Norton in its bed.

Instead of screams and laughter from riders that once filled the park, the only noise came from speakers on top of the truck as the auctioneers worked the crowd.

In the early part of the auction, the highest-priced item was a complex of three water slides purchased by Jeff Henry of Schlitterbahn Water Parks for $47,500. He said he plans to take them to a water park opening next year in Kansas City.

In an ironic twist of fate, Henry said he sold the same slides to Geauga Lake 15 years ago. The original price was $425,000.

"Nothing like buying your own slides," he said, as he moved on to bid on more water-related rides and equipment.

The first big attraction sold was the Skyscraper (space tower). Ralph Plumpton of RP Motors in Akron bought the structure, which has towered over the park since 1974, for $12,500. Plumpton said he planned to "Scrap it, or sell it to Nigeria."

The water fountain just inside the main gates of the former amusement park was purchased by Larry Rickard for $400, who went on to purchase several other items for a medieval fair just south of Geneva he owns.

"We have plans for some of this stuff, and we wanted to keep it close to home," Rickard said.

Even closer to home, Bernie Thompson of Aurora bought all the tables, booths and equipment inside the Checkers Diner for $450. He said he came to the auction looking just for that.

Unlike those who came to Geauga Lake with an idea of what they wanted to bid on, Scott Festa of Bedford just went with the flow. That lead him to buy a six-hoop basketball game for $100.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with this," he admitted. "I didn't plan on getting it. I don't even know how I'm going to get it out of here."

For Reminderville resident Mike Davison, the trip wasn't about buying anything, it was about being on the park grounds for one last time.

"This is my last trip to the park; it's unreal," he said. "This is more for nostalgic reasons than anything else. It's the closing of an icon. I never thought this day would come."

E-mail: bhovey@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3115