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Park News - (9/3/10) Blue Streak reopened late Thursday afternoon after being closed for the past three years. To celebrate Conneaut Lake Park is making a special offer to all ACE members to visit the park this (Sept. 4) Saturday for a special treat… nighttime ERT on Blue Streak from 10-11pm. Also anyone who has donated $100 or more to the Blue Streak restoration fund can now get a free all-day ride wristband good for one day this weekend only, including free rides on Blue Streak.
    (9/2/10) Thanks to everyone for helping Conneaut Lake win the $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant, which will help pay for the cost of the renovations to the Blue Streak. Even better news… the Blue Streak could possibly open in the next day or two if it passes inspection, just in time for the busy Labor Day Weekend. Rides on the Blue Streak will not be included in the existing ride wristband program and is expected to cost $3 to ride. I’ve also got two new pictures to share (from a reader), showing the work taking place on the coaster taken last week.
    (8/31/10) Good news from Conneaut Lake, on top of still being in the #1 spot with one day to go with this month’s $50k Pepsi Refresh (Vote one more time) project, I’ve been told that they did another test run on the Blue Streak and the train completed the entire course. There is now a chance that if they can complete 100 test runs and get it inspected in time, they may be able to reopen it for Labor Day Weekend.
    (8/28/10) I’ve heard from a reader that the current rehab work on the Blue Streak is going well. The decided to test out some of their work with one of the NAD cars which apparently made it through the first two hills before getting stuck on the third. They were not expecting it to make it though on the first try, but this was a good sign and more testing will take place soon.
    (8/25/10) The Blue Streak is doing great this month in a quest to win a $50,000 rehab grant from Pepsi. Currently the Blue Streak is ranked at #1 on the list, but a lot can change between now and the 31st, so to ensure that it stays at the top, please try to vote daily between now and the end of the month.
    (8/13/10) According to this article about the Blue Streak, officials are hopeful that it could reopen later this year if they are able to secure all the funds needed for the project, including the Pepsi Refresh $50,000 grant.
    (8/7/10) Good news Blue Streak fans… currently the race to win $50k to refurbish the coaster from Pepsi is going well and the Blue Streak is in 2nd place. So vote again this month… daily if you remember to.
    (8/4/10) The votes for the Pepsi Refresh grant of $50k to repair the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake came up a little short, leaving the Blue Streak in 15th place. However it seems that since I came in so close to the Top 10 slot, it has qualified for another attempt in August. So head back over and vote again this month… daily if you remember to. Currently it’s ranked 152, but spread the word and we’ll see if it can rise up again.
    (7/22/10) Blue Streak needs you help… as of today the effort to win funding from Pepsi to reopen the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake has them in 19th place. Only the top 10 will win funding, so get out there and vote… every day through to the end of the month.
    (7/13/10) Another way to help raise money to revive the Blue Streak has been announced. Purchase a print of the latest work from artist Linda Barnicott, titled “Blue Streak Thrills at Conneaut Lake Park” and 15% of the profits will be donated to the restoration of the park’s historic Blue Streak coaster. Check out the beautiful painting and purchase your limited edition print here.
    (7/2/10) Conneaut Lake Park’s Blue Streak renovation project is in the running to win a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant award. The Pepsi sponsored program awards are decided by a public vote and the Blue Streak Restoration Project has now qualified for the July voting period. The top 10 voted projects by the end of July will each receive $50,000 in funding. To help bring the coaster back to life, go here and vote every day this month. The site has a leaderboard too that will let us know where the Blue Streak stands.
    (6/28/10) ACE gathered at the Conneaut Lake Blue Streak this past week and while they were not able to ride, they arrived with gifts to help bring Blue Streak back to life in the form of a additional $5,000 donation on top of a previous $5,000 donation.
    (6/4/10) Conneaut Lake Park has begun the work needed to fix and restore their popular Blue Streak wooden coaster at last. Unfortunately this also means that the Blue Streak will not be up and running for the visit by ACE in a couple of weeks. You can see the work (sidebar) already beginning on the turn around as sent in by a Screamscape reader.
    While the work has started, I’ve heard that the park has not raised the entire amount they need to fully restore the coaster yet so they’re still accepting any and all donations.
    (3/12/10) Conneaut Lake has set April 24 & 25th for their Volunteer park clean-up event date, 9am to 5pm each day. Volunteer meet each day at the veranda of the hotel.
The following is information from the park -
Things to bring - any gardening tools, trash bags, paint brushes & rollers, if you have carpentry tools we have picnic tables to be repaired. If you would like to donate flowers you can bring them (as for planting them we may have to wait). If you want your tools back please put your name on them.
Lunches will be provided.
Rooms are available at the hotel Conneaut at a discounted rate: $35.00/night or $65.00/Friday and Saturday. Contact the hotel at 814-213-0120. You must tell them you are a volunteer to receive the discount. We have 5 free cabins at camperland and free sites. Contact the park at 814-382-5115 and leave a message it is first come first serve. RSVP for cleanup is not required but it is appreciated to help us plan for lunches.
If you have any questions please call Laura at 330-718-1003 or e-mail at orie942@hotmail.com
    (3/10/10) Good news for Conneaut Lake, I’m told that ACE has pledged $5,000 towards the restoration of the Blue Streak. If the park can raise the needed $150,000, the plan is to reopen the wooden coaster for the 2010 season as it is considered essential to the long term survivability of the park. They are currently also accepting donations online via PayPal, find out more here.
    (1/26/10) The Conneaut Lake trustees have kicked off a new program to get the Blue Streak “Back On Track” in an effort to meet the fundraising goal of $125,000 needed to bring it back to life. I’ve embedded a great video of the Blue Streak below showing it off as it ran back in 2004. You’ve just got to love any classic woodie that starts off by dropping you into a dark tunnel for about 30 seconds or more before the lift hill. (Though I think my favorite pre-ride tunnel has to be on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Giant Dipper, followed by Belmont Park’s Giant Dipper in San Diego.)