Lake McClain Amusement Park - 1988 - Out in the Woods

[cookiecrispwizard]

In 1976, Great Adventure Park was opened as the first park from the YCN Amusements Company, built on a small plot of land on the shores of Lake McClain.

The park feature a quaint, alpine themed entrance with a carousel, at the end was the entrance to Lil' Cricket, an in-house junior coaster. Later in the year an expansion opened.

The Ferris Wheel and the Scrambler opened late due to construction costs, and were billed as a new expansion to the tiny, although bustling park. Also seen is a coming 1977 sign at the end of the short midway.

Rumors of expansion, leaked by the park themselves, spread like fire immediately after the park opened. Great things are in the future for Great Adventure Park.

Editor's Note: I actually already finished the expansion to the park and posted them in the r/rct subreddit if you want a spoiler. Just didn't want to post it on the same day as this starting post, don't know if there's a rule against that or not and I wanted to be safe. I used to be on ShyGuy's World, I posted Eaglewood which was a never finished RCT3 project that I eventually gave up on. Now I'm going to try and keep up with a story park due to the massive amount of free time I have coming up this summer. Cheers! :)

Edited June 7 by cookiecrispwizard

[Kablary]

I love parks that have a long historical timeline attached to them! How exactly do rumors spread like wildfire in 1977? 

48 minutes ago, cookiecrispwizard said:

Just didn't want to post it on the same day as this starting post, don't know if there's a rule against that or not and I wanted to be safe.

Generally, ParkCrafters doesn't have a "double post" or "multi-post" rule, so long as it's not spam. Posting several updates back to back is perfectly fine!

[cookiecrispwizard]

Word of mouth if I had to guess, maybe some teaser posters or something. 
 

Great to hear there’s no rule against posting the rest here on the same day. Not planning to spam the forum at all. I’ll post the other pictures from 1977-78 later.

2 hours ago, Kablary said:

I love parks that have a long historical timeline attached to them! How exactly do rumors spread like wildfire in 1977? 

Generally, ParkCrafters doesn't have a "double post" or "multi-post" rule, so long as it's not spam. Posting several updates back to back is perfectly fine!

 

 

[RobertaME]

8 hours ago, Kablary said:

How exactly do rumors spread like wildfire in 1977? 

Long before texting and the Internet, people used to communicate by making noises with their mouth. For a brief time in history people used primitive phones wired to the wall to make these noises at each other. They called it "phoning". A truly impressive amount of (mis)information was spread this way.

The More You Know... / ͡ * :^þ 

[wolfpaw]

4 hours ago, RobertaME said:

Long before texting and the Internet, people used to communicate by making noises with their mouth. For a brief time in history people used primitive phones wired to the wall to make these noises at each other. They called it "phoning". A truly impressive amount of (mis)information was spread this way.

The More You Know... / ͡ * :^þ 

Absolutely no rule against double posting if you have more things you want to show, we want to see all your creations! Park is looking awesome so far by the way!

[cookiecrispwizard]

5 hours ago, wolfpaw said:

Absolutely no rule against double posting if you have more things you want to show, we want to see all your creations! Park is looking awesome so far by the way!

Good to know that there’s no rules against double posting. I’ll have the next update in a couple of hours then.

[cookiecrispwizard]

In 1978, after a one year delay in 1977 due to hefty operating costs, Great Adventure Park opened its largest expansion yet in the American Midway.

The park finally reaches out all the way to Lake McClain. The new star attraction is Eagle, a Schwarzkopf flywheel launch coaster and the park's first large thrill coaster.

Also included on American Midway is a major dining experience, as Pizzeria Americana opens its doors offering pizza and soda to guests.

And finally, the park added another attraction to fill out more space and use up a budget surplus from spending down on costs in 1977.

This new attraction is Eagle's Eye View, an observation tower overlooking the park and the shores of Lake McClain.

Editor's Note: I also wanted to point out I use a different color of queue line based on what I rate the ride. Gentle rides are in blue (Carousel and Ferris Wheel), moderately thrilling attractions are in green (Lil' Cricket and Eagle's Eye View), thrilling attractions are in yellow (Scrambler), and extreme attractions are in red (Eagle.)

[wolfpaw]

If I was in the 70s and saw the Eagle in real life, I'd probably have a heart attack but the second I got off it I would want to go on it again 

Lovely update!

[cookiecrispwizard]

Great Adventure Park - 1979 - Going Full Circle (or Square)

The year 1979 was a rather quiet one for Great Adventure, given all the expansion going on with each year. 1979 did feature an expanded park though as Great Adventure had finally come full circle in the form of a completely connected path system.

The entrance has been updated a bit, with new foliage planted and a few statues to fill in the empty land inside the park, a product of not spending so much on landscaping in the past years. 

The bustling American Midway is ever popular due to Eagle's presence. The Schwarzkopf flywheel launch coaster was last year's big addition, and drew the first 500,000 guest year for Great Adventure.

Eagle's Eye View stands tall, the tallest attraction in the park. It also draws crowds to the park, as it provides a view of the entire park and the nature surrounding the shores of Lake McClain.

This is the park's big new addition for the year, Adventure Gardens, a walkthrough sculpture garden that in planning was not thought to be that popular, only added to provide less crowding in the park, yet it has proved to be very popular with the general public, with younger and older guests alike finding enjoyment in the small, nature based attraction. 

Here, you can see the park's new path addition in its entirety. The fence is there to keep the guests away from future construction. Not that there's any going on right now ;). 

That's all folks, hope you enjoyed the small update. Leave comments if you have any suggestions for additions or name ideas.

Edited May 22 by cookiecrispwizard

[Kablary]

What a difference all of that maturing foliage makes! Wonderful progression being shown here. I know it's subtle, but the dirt patch you added under Lil' Cricket lends a nice touch of contrast and variety to the landscape.

[cookiecrispwizard]

4 minutes ago, Kablary said:

What a difference all of that maturing foliage makes! Wonderful progression being shown here. I know it's subtle, but the dirt patch you added under Lil' Cricket lends a nice touch of contrast and variety to the landscape.

Thanks! I recently took the time to learn about a little bit of landscaping, so the sand is just there as the grass levels out. You'll see some more of stuff like that in the next update. Get excited, it'll be a good one!

[cookiecrispwizard]

Great Adventure Park - 1980 - All Aboard the Arrow Special Coaster System- I Mean, Mine Train!

The year 1980 was a time of great cheer for Great Adventure, as the largest expansion to date opened its doors for the first time. As always though, let's start with an entrance photo. You never know when it might change! What's that in the corner, though? 

Nothing changed around Eagle, yet for the same reason, here's a photo. 

Neither has anything changed around Lil' Cricket. The handymen want you to know the good reception to the foliage was much appreciated. 

Now, what you've all been waiting for... drumroll, please...

Presenting the Lowcountry Midway, featuring star attraction Ted Lasso's Electric Roller Ride!

Lasso, as it's been called by the general public due to the wordy name, is an Arrow Special Coaster System, or you could just call it a mine train like the rest of them. Great Adventure specifically requested that Arrow not build a mine train layout but rather a thrill coaster, to add to a considerably weak lineup that the park had in the late 70s and 80s compared to other amusement parks. YCN Amusements had a tight budget for the park most years and could only afford to put in million dollar expansions every few years after the first half-decade of Great Adventure's existence. You'll find out the reason why later. For now though, more Lasso photos!

The Lowcountry Midway also includes a new major dining experience called Sunshine Plaza, and a thrill ride called Around the World in 80 Days. 

When it came time for the park to decide whether to build on its eastern side past the sculpture gardens or on the west side past Eagle, they chose to go west and jut out the new coaster towards the connection/exit road to Interstate 77. 

The park painted the coaster in a sheer steel color to make it shine in the sunlight, and it really did a look incredible. All that intertwining steel was sure to twist your stomach in the dips and turns and put some fear in you when you entered the parking lot.

Here's a better look at Sunshine Plaza and Around the World in 80 Days. The designers went for an awkward, 80s looking building, sort of a stucco glass fusion that made for a weird looking building. Also the park made sure to keep up with its recent foliage enhancements when they constructed the new midway, not wishing for the park to look as bland as it has at times. The grass under Lasso though is there, it's just being leveled with sand and at the time of this photo had yet to set in. 

Ted Lasso's Electric Roller Ride was an exciting coaster too, when it opened it was the talk of the state, being featured in many local broadcasts over the summer and bringing in loads of thrill seekers to the park, who also got to experience the launched coaster Eagle as well. 

Here's a park map from the time of Lasso's opening. Because of the new ride and all of the park enhancements and strong word of mouth, the park let in a record attendance of 750,000 guests in the year 1980. Great things are always on the horizon at Great Adventure!

(Editors note: This was a big update. Took me a while to think out a coherent story and research attractions to add in. Not sure it's all accurate to the time but at the very least every coaster will be. I'm very open to taking suggestions for additions or ride names or whatever. Especially on the additions front. At this point I'm kind of stuck but I kind of also have an idea for at least next year's expansion. Send ideas in!)

[JB]

I see that a balloon stand (or two) has opened up for the 1980 season. Everybody has a colorful balloon! Nice update. 

[cookiecrispwizard]

17 hours ago, JB said:

I see that a balloon stand (or two) has opened up for the 1980 season. Everybody has a colorful balloon! Nice update. 

Yeah I gave everyone balloons using an in-game chest. I was worried it would look out of place for whatever reason but it didn’t. Proper balloon stands on the way! (Also thanks for the compliment lol)

[cookiecrispwizard]

Great Adventure Park - 1981 - Down Year? What Down Year?

The year 1981 has come, and along with it, another great year ahead for Great Adventure Park. 

Here's the entrance as always. Many guests come and go here, the entrance is iconic and will likely be here to stay for quite a while. The newly named McClain Grill, seen on the right side of the entrance, received enhancements over the last two seasons.

Lil' Cricket also has finally had it's grass grown in after many years of sitting on plain sand. More foliage enhancements should be coming soon as well. Adventure Gardens on the left is also ever popular. This is also the last year for the Ferris Wheel, which will be either removed or relocated at the end of the season.

The Great American Midway has also received enhancements as well, mainly at the major dining experience Pizzeria Americana. The old blue tinted windows were quietly changed to a grey tint. Eagle also got some new parts supplied over the offseason as well.

Ted Lasso's Electric Roller Ride has also seen its Bermuda grass finally growing in. Sunshine Plaza right now is the most popular area in the park, and looks great too, only a year after it opened.

The big new addition for 1981 is an Arrow Log Flume located towards the back of the Lowcountry Midway, called Erie River Falls. It features open air loading and unloading stations, a winding layout around Erie Pond that goes 50 feet into the air and out into the woods, and a 50 foot drop back into Erie Pond. At the very back of the midway is the McClain Railroad, also featuring an open-air station.

The McClain Railroad travels by the pond...

Then it goes back into the woods and behind Erie River Falls and Eagle...

And then it pops out by Lake McClain and onto the Great American Midway, terminating at McClain Station.

Here's the 1981 Park Map. The log flume and railroad expansion would be the last expansion on the west side of the park for the 1980s. Every expansion up until 1990 would be located on the park's east side. Of course minor enhancements are made every season and there was the odd relocation every one in a blue moon, but for the most part things remained very quiet on the west side. Hope you all enjoyed this update.

(Editor's Note: here's where I officially have gotten stuck. I know what will happen with the story and all, but rides and expansions for the Eastside are something I need to figure out for a while. I'll have some polls up and if y'all could answer I would be happy to build whatever gets chosen. Cheers!)

[wolfpaw]

I've voted at the top! I feel like every old great park needs at least one woodie! The new park map is coming along beautifully, can't wait for future updates!

[cookiecrispwizard]

Thanks, wolfpaw. I always appreciate feedback on the park.

[Lancer]

On 5/15/2024 at 11:38 PM, Kablary said:

I love parks that have a long historical timeline attached to them! How exactly do rumors spread like wildfire in 1977? 

Generally, ParkCrafters doesn't have a "double post" or "multi-post" rule, so long as it's not spam. Posting several updates back to back is perfectly fine!

In '77 I would go to the end of the road and enter a small red windowed box, slot a coin into the apparatus, lift a receiver, finger dial a number and tell the voice at the other end my news

News was also spread in local newspapers and tabloids that you had to read. Posters, billboards and door to door flyers were common too. 

[cookiecrispwizard]

Great Adventure Park - 1982 - A Change is Gonna Come...

A tight budget was the result of heavy legal fees (and fines) that YCN Amusements had to pay to Six Flags Great Adventure and the Six Flags Company in 1982-83 over the name of Great Adventure, as YCN Amusements was sued for copyright infringement by Six Flags in a massive court battle that nearly bankrupted the park. For now though, the park was still operating, yet on a shoestring budget. Money was still spent on the park, but major changes would be coming to Great Adventure in the near future.

The park chose cheaper upgrades to make, with the first visible enhancements made to the park's alpine-themed entrance. Once you entered the park, you could forget about the woes of owing Six Flags and a bunch of lawyers and law firms millions of dollars in fees and fines.

The first casualty in the years of trials and terrors was the Ferris Wheel. It was sold to another, still unknown park. Put in its place was a sitting area extension off of McClain Grill's seating area.

Eagle operated only when the park was at a higher capacity, this was taken during peak season in July around Independence Day, 1982.

Great Adventure was not willing to sacrifice the highest capacity rides in the park, Ted Lasso's Electric Roller Ride or Erie River Falls, to budget cuts or seasonal operations. Ticket prices increased this season to make up for losses incurred from operating two of the most expensive rides in the park, over 1.2 million guests attended in 1982, down two percent from last year's attendance numbers.

Sunshine Plaza on the Lowcountry Midway received enhancements, mostly on its roof. It was still the most popular area of the park, even with the new addition on the east side of the park.

Erie River Falls was the most ridden attraction of the 1982 season, seeing its highest ridership in July with temperatures in the 80s and 90s all summer (yes, I actually researched 1982 temperatures in Ohio for this.)

Behold, the new addition for 1982 was a new food court, done cheap and dirty, along with some chairswings called Flying Trapeze. (shown below)

The Flying Trapeze was popular with families and kids, rated as a mildly thrilling ride by the green color of the queue line. Getting to the ride on the new Mini Midway required guests to cross the tracks of the McClain Railway.

Here you can see an overview of the main square of the park in 1982. Despite attendance numbers still going strong in 1982, the closure of rides and shifting of operation schedules, along with the shoestring budget for FY 1982 left a looming air of uncertainty around the park. Rumors swarmed around the park and conversations could be heard everywhere about the park's steep legal battle with Six Flags, and the huge costs it took to keep the park open while fighting in courtrooms over the park's future. Will the park close? Will the rides be removed? Who knows?

The 1982 Park Map for Great Adventure Park.

[wolfpaw]

I hope the park doesn't close, it's coming along nicely!! We should start a petition 

[cookiecrispwizard]

Great Adventure Park - 1985 - Abandoned

1982 was the last season of operation for Great Adventure Park. YCN was forced to close the park in order to pay back massive legal fees from fighting Six Flags over copyright infringement of the Great Adventure name. YCN Amusements settled the case with Six Flags, though, coming to an agreement to pay a fee of $1 million USD with the option to sell the majority of their flat rides to Six Flags to cover the fee. By 1985, the park was near completely abandoned.

There are no words to convey the massive loss the state of Ohio suffered by losing another theme park, yet YCN Amusements was quietly still active around the property, mostly cutting down overgrowth and doing cheap maintenance. By their agreement with Six Flags, they could not operate rides at the park for a period of 1 year. 

In 1984, rumblings of a new development were going around the state of Ohio. YCN Amusements had been in negotiations with Lake McClain Township to operate its rides as a part of routine maintenance, but nothing was concrete until 1985. 

By 1985, with the Six Flags settlement out of the way, YCN Amusements had an agreement with Lake McClain Township that they would be able to operate the rides inside the park for 3 years without having to refile permits, and the city relaxed zoning regulations on the land the park sat on for an unknown reason, rumored to be a new coaster by the enthusiasts in the area.

This piece of land, outside current park borders but still park property, had been in development in 1981 but the park was forced to shut down it's development of the land when YCN Amusements was sued by Six Flags. The park would have to cut down the overgrowth but the land was still OKed by the city for development on a new addition to the park in the next 3 years.

Here you can see that the overgrowth extended out to the parking lots, which were fenced and chained up except for a back entrance for YCN staff and maintenance crews.

Spoiler

 

[wolfpaw]

Nooooo they lost the battle! But glad to see new rumblings are happening! Excited to see where this leads (I'm all invested in this story now, haha)

[cookiecrispwizard]

7 hours ago, wolfpaw said:

Nooooo they lost the battle! But glad to see new rumblings are happening! Excited to see where this leads (I'm all invested in this story now, haha)

Worry not Wolfpaw! More story on the way soon (probably today or tomorrow)!

[cookiecrispwizard]

Lake McClain Amusement Park held it's Grand Re-Opening Ceremonies on July 4, 1987 after about 2 months of being softly re-opened to the public. YCN Amusements, which had filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in the aftermath of the Six Flags lawsuit, re-emerged from bankruptcy as the YCN Corporation, headed by the man who will take you through the history of the park from this report forward, CEO Michael Thompson. 

To expound further on the park's 5 year shutdown, YCN Amusements had opened 3 other amusement parks around the United States in the lead-up to their showdown with Six Flags in 1981-82, and they simply could not afford to keep the park open on the budget they had, and yet had no potential buyers lined up. Six Flags would not even touch the park when the prospect of buying it came up in negotiations. Finally, as YCN Corporation emerged out of bankruptcy, Michael Thompson and the Lake McClain Land Development Company bought 50% of YCN's shares, and Thompson became CEO of the newly reorganized corporation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Private photo album of Michael Thompson, graciously granted to Lake McClain Historical Society for archiving

This year has been a pleasant year for the new YCN Corporation and our flagship park, the new Lake McClain Amusement Park in Lake McClain Township, Ohio.

I decided as President of the McClain Land Development Company that it was in our best interests to buy up a controlling stake in the YCN Corporation to save them from going completely bankrupt, and give them a much needed cash infusion of around $200 million USD to keep all four YCN parks open and add something new to every single park, along with reopening the flagship Lake McClain.

You can see in the last few pictures we've given the entrance to the park a complete overhaul, and added in 3 new flat rides for the season. The Great Swings and the Carousel were both added to the entrance in place of the last Carousel, and the spot of the Scrambler. We also gave the launched looping coaster Eagle a new coat of paint for the new reopening.

We also reopened the Food Court and let in local vendors, and of course put Mister Twister, a Scrambler, in the old spot of the Flying Trapeze.

But, our biggest new addition was the $10 million dollar Dinn Corporation wooden roller coaster called Sasquatch, themed to a legendary cryptid running around the woods of Ohio.

Here you can see the coaster's 78 foot first drop into a high speed, high G-force turnaround and up into the first hill. Then the coaster carries rides out and back into the woods twice before returning to the station. I'm told the last big drop off Sasquatch Hill in the middle of the ride gives an intense pop of air time to riders.

A train crests over the lift and into the hands of the Sasquatch.

We also were proud to re-open the staple Arrow family coaster Ted Lasso's Electric Roller Ride, bit of a wordy name in my opinion but you can't fix what's not broken, it's top three in popularity among park guests.

And finally, probably the most popular ride in the park was Erie River Falls. It's such an expensive ride to operate yet it brings in the most of our clients, the general public. Forty-eight percent of respondents in our park surveys this season said they thought Erie River Falls was the best attraction in the park.

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End update. 

[wolfpaw]

Woohoo, she lives - and a rebrand too! Sasquatch is probably my favorite out of the bunch, love seeing big bad woodies, they can be so intimating!