My other posts here point to the need for emphasizing preservation once again, like we have in the past. It seems almost as though we saved Leap the Dips and then took our foot off the proverbial gas, proclaiming our work to be done. It isn't. I am alarmed by the number of wood coasters we've lost in recent years. Even more alarming is the fact that we've lost many of these rides not as a result of their host park closing but as a result of their host park deciding that these rides aren't important, that they don't generate enough profit. This is proof that we are failing in our educational mission with both the public and with industry decision-makers.
Wood coasters are treasures that cannot be replicated. With proper care and maintenance, they can run indefinitely for decades and remain the most popular ride in the park while other industry fads come and go. With neglect, on the other hand, management, the public, and even some misguided enthusiasts may perceive certain wood coasters as being beyond help and lacking any potential for greatness. In recent months and years, too many neglected wood coasters have been deemed lost causes, torn down, and replaced. Sometimes they are replaced with reasonably enjoyable steel coasters, though they'll never have that intangible excitement of a wood coaster. Sometimes they are replaced with nothing but a queue for another ride or maybe even nothing at all.
Take, by contrast, the amazingly great condition the wood coasters at Holiday World and Knoebels are in. Most of the wood coasters at each park have been around long enough that they could be in bad shape by now, but that hasn't happened. Management at both parks has recognized that a wood coaster is not a turnkey investment. Wood coasters must receive tender loving care every off-season. They cannot sit neglected and unloved. As a result of spending the proper amount of time and money on their woodies, they remain great and, in turn, remain popular with the public. The same approach at other parks would likely yield the same results. We need to do a better job of educating park management that an old wood coaster on their property isn't a liability, it's an asset--one that can drive revenue just as powerfully as any of their other assets if they're willing to invest time and money and consult with experts to keep those assets in tip-top shape. If we continue to under-perform in this regard, we will continue to hemorrhage losses of wood coaster after wood coaster--a bleak future indeed.
In the meantime, Conneaut Lake Park is hanging by a thread and is in as much jeopardy as its ever been in. The Blue Streak is a masterpiece that must be preserved. If Conneaut makes it though the current storm and lives to operate for the 2015 season, ACE should make a significant contribution from its Preservation Fund to the park. We have given to the park in the past and, as one of few parks set up as a non-profit trust, it's one of the few we can legally make a contribution to. Conneaut is one of the gems that make Pennsylvania such an amazing state for our hobby and we should do anything we can to aid in its survival. If you live near Conneaut Lake, please consider volunteering to help them when you can.
