Big Dipper roller coaster auctioned off for $5,000
Five thousand dollars might be all it takes to buy a historic wooden roller coaster — but that price pales in comparison to the millions it will likely cost to move it.
A representative from a hauling company submitted the sole bid Tuesday on the 83-year-old Big Dipper at Geauga Lake amusement park.
Officials from Cedar Fair, the park’s parent company, have until 5 p.m. today to accept or decline the offer.
The bidder, Tom Woosnam of Apex Western Machinery Movers in Akron, made the offer on behalf of someone else and did not elaborate on the coaster’s proposed fate.
“It will be re-erected, but not as an operating coaster,” Woosnam said.
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Woosnam, whose company specializes in hauling amusement park rides and other equipment, said relocating and reconstructing a coaster of that size could take at least a year with the foundation work involved. He couldn’t speculate on reconstruction costs but said it was safe to say it would be a multi-million dollar project.
Other rides and memorabilia, ranging from signs and restaurant buildings to water slides and ferry boats, were also sold in the auction conducted by the Michigan-based Norton Auctioneers.
Compared to the wooden coaster, two steel coasters attracted much higher bids for their value in metal.
The Double Loop coaster went for $25,000, and the Villain went for $30,000 — both to scrap dealers.
Rick Davis, a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts who attended the auction, said he was sad to see them go.
“We had one of our members crying because she loved the Villain so much,” the Vienna, Ohio, resident said.
For some in the amusement industry, the auction was a chance to browse through a selection of unique rides and restock their parks with necessities, such as overhead doors and trash cans.
“We consider the needs of our park, the condition of the items, age and how much work it’ll take to get them into tip-top shape,” said Russell Melton of PARC Management, a company that owns eight theme parks. “So far, everything has been very reasonably priced.”
Timothy Bragg, who manages a moving company and came to help transport equipment, said he was pleasantly surprised he was able to buy 28 Thunder Alley racing cars for $4,800.
“I’ll probably keep a few for my grandkids, refurbish the rest and sell them on eBay,” he said. “NASCAR fans love this stuff.”
For others, the auction offered one last chance for photos and seemed to give a sense of closure.
Bill Gartroza of Twinsburg said he still recalls his first visit to Geauga Lake as a 10-year-old in 1932.
“It has a lot of history,” he said. “I just came to see the end of it.”
Cedar Fair is still reviewing sealed bids for the park’s 400-acre property, spokesman Robin Innes said.
