originally posted on 8/12/2022 1:51:00 AM
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
On July 16, at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Ohio), ACE
dedicated Sea Dragon as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark. With 66
attendees from seven different states joining the event, the vast majority of
them braved the rain to watch the dedication. A few members of the local media
were on hand for the dedication as well. The park chose to display the plaque
in the ride queue, and it is mounted to the station itself.
Photo: Cassie Titko. View full-sized image.
Photo: Cassie Titko. View full-sized image.
Vice President of Waterpark Operations and Guest Services
Anthony Sabo began the dedication by thanking everyone who attended and ACE for
its preservation efforts. Next to speak was ACE Eastern Great Lakes Regional
Representative and Preservation Manager Jimmy Titko, who thanked the Columbus Zoo
for its efforts to preserve this historic ride, acknowledging the time and
effort it takes to keep Sea Dragon running in top form. Robert Ulrich,
ACE president, spoke to how impressive it is that a zoo has been able to
maintain a wooden coaster. ACE Historian Dave Hahner read the plaque text before
it was officially unveiled:
American Coaster Enthusiasts
(ACE) recognizes Sea Dragon at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as an ACE
Roller Coaster Landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historic
significance.
During the height of the
postwar baby boom of the 1950s, amusement parks began adding junior-sized
roller coasters designed for younger riders. John Allen (1907-1979), president
of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC), began designing his own coaster
creations after taking control of PTC in 1954. Among Allen’s first designs were
three nearly identical junior wood coasters that opened in 1956-1957 at three
different parks. The first of this trio was at Zoo Amusement Park located
adjacent to the Columbus Zoo in Powell, Ohio, with construction supervised by
PTC’s Frank Hoover (1903-1987). The park, dating back to 1896 as a picnic
grove, was made into a small traditional amusement park in 1946 by carnival
operator Floyd Gooding (1895-1972).
Originally called Jet Flyer,
the coaster was built at a height of 37 feet, reaching a top speed of 25 mph
along 1,320 feet of track. After Gooding’s death, the park was sold to the city
of Columbus and the zoo in 1981. The park was leased to Funtime, Inc. in 1984
and rebranded to Wyandot Lake with the coaster renamed Sea Dragon.
Control of Wyandot Lake was taken over by Six Flags from 1996 until 2006. A
year later, management returned to the Columbus Zoo, which annexed the park and
included a complete refurbishment for the coaster. Sea Dragon is also
considered an ACE Coaster Classic because of its traditional operating methods,
including hand-pulled manual brakes and no seat dividers.
ACE salutes Columbus Zoo and
Aquarium for continuing to preserve and maintain John Allen’s first solo roller
coaster design.
Presented by American Coaster Enthusiasts
July 16, 2022
A highlight of the morning followed the presentation when
media members needed some footage of Sea Dragon running. ACEers didn’t
have to be asked more than once for that opportunity. However, the rain made it
challenging. One ride was had on Sea Dragon because the rain was
significantly slowing down the train. Thankfully, a wise enthusiast suggested
doubling up in the front half of the train for added weight and momentum.
Riders made it back to the station with a roaring round of applause.
Immediately after that, the ride was shut down because it barely made it back!
ERT was held in the evening at the regional event, ACE Goes Wild at the Columbus
Zoo, and many rides were had.
— Jimmy Titko, ACE Eastern Great Lakes Regional Representative
Sea Dragon is a rare example of a coaster being both a rare ACE Coaster Classic and an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark.
Photo: Cassie Titko. View full-sized image.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
#ACENews