Blog Archives

Blue Streak Damaged in Collision

4/28/2013

On Friday April 26th, the classic coaster, Blue Streak, at Cedar Point sustained damage after an accident with a construction vehicle. According to The Sandusky Register, a dump truck collided with the wooden supports when driving near the structure with its bed raised. According to Bryan Edwards, Cedar Point spokesman, "It was a fluke accident." Damage cannot be seen from the ground and occurred at the ride's turnaround. It is unknown how much the damage costs. The ride is already being repaired and the park is hopeful that the ride will open on Opening Day on May 11th. This though is dependent on an inspection by both park officials and the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Amusement Rides Safety Division. It is a yearly occurrence that every ride is inspected by officials, so this accident and subsequent inspection does not represent anything out of normal procedure.

Blue Streak, which was built in 1964, is many fans' favorite wooden ride at Cedar Point. The coaster was named after the Sandusky High School "Blue Streak" athletic teams. Blue Streak features a classic out and back layout that is heralded for its immense amount of airtime generated throughout the ride.

0 Comments

Shamu Has a Successful Day on Wall Street

4/19/2013

0 Comments

If you ever wanted to own Shamu, now it seems is your chance. After much debate as to sell the company outright or to simply offer an Initial Public Offering of stock, today SeaWorld Entertainment offered its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. According to CNN Money, SeaWorld Entertainment offered 26 million shares of stock at the starting price of $27 a share. At this price SeaWorld would be valued at about $2.5 billion. The sale was backed by private equity firm Blackstone Group who purchased the chain of eleven parks that include SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and assorted water parks throughout the country in 2009. With the sale, the company hopes to pay down its debt.

Before the market opened, SeaWorld brought a few of their favorite animals that they have become known for. Among those walking on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange were a lemur, a penguin and an Otter. After opening, there was no more monkeying around when prices surged 22% in early trading and eventually closing at 24%. Jim Atchison, CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment said, “These animals are the essence of our brand, connecting people to nature, and traders at the center of the capital markets turn into 6 year-olds when they see a penguin walking by. It's amazing.” He continued to say, “Also, to see our company listed and traded is important for our employees. I started at this company as a teenager, and have seen it through a lot of phases. Getting this tremendous response gives me a lot of pride in what we've all done.”

Since the purchase, Blackstone has led the company to increased revenue and profit including $77.5 billion in profit and $1.4 billion in revenue last year.

0 Comments

Blue Streak Damaged in Collision

Shamu Has a Successful Day on Wall Street

Archives

Categories