Blue Streak was the signature attraction at Conneaut Lake Park. This out-and-back wood coaster
was a mainstay at the park for over 80 years, but it sadly burned down yesterday. In this video,
I will discuss the history of Blue Streak and my experience on this historic attraction.
Blue Streak opened in 1938. Designed by Edward Vettel, this coaster replacing the
park’s former Scenic Railway coaster. Since Blue Streak occupied the same location,
it’s possible part of Scenic Railway’s wood structure was repurposed for this new coaster.
Blue Streak had an unconventional track design compared to most wood coasters. Two
sections of stacked wood layers were joined by horizontal cross-ties. Cyclone at Lakeside Park,
which is the last remaining Edward Vettel coaster, also uses the same track construction.
Much like Conneaut Lake Park, Blue Streak has had a tumultuous history over the past 3 decades.
The park and coaster operated consistently until the 1990s. Conneaut Lake Park was floundering.
The Flynn family owned the park and were in debt, so new additions became sparse. And the park made
a controversial decision to abandon the free admission policy in favor of gated admission.
These two factors led to a decline in attendance. The Flynn family announced a plan to replace the
amusement rides, including Blue Streak which needed nearly $100,000 in repairs,
with a new family entertainment complex. But local businessmen instead purchased the park from Flynn
and saved many of the park’s classic rides. They invested $1 million into the park,
but attendance continued to dwindle and the owners declared bankruptcy in 1995.
Conneaut would remain closed for the 1995 season, but Summer Resorts Inc and Gary Harris purchased
and reopened the park for the 1996 season. However, Blue Streak wouldn’t reopen until
the 1997 season due to repairs. That same year, Harris was convicted of tax evasion and he gave
the amusement park to the community, so Conneaut Lake Park began operating as a non-profit.
But the financial troubles continued for the next decade. Conneaut managed to open every year-
even if it was just for a few days- until 2007. Conneaut Lake Park remained closed for the entire
2007 and 2008 seasons. While the park reopened in 2009, Blue Streak needed extensive repairs. The
park won a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project and the park raised additional funds
to repair Blue Streak so the coaster could reopen for Labor Day weekend 2010.
Blue Streak then operated annually until Conneaut Lake Park was doomed by the covid-19 pandemic.
This was the final nail in the coffin for the Blue Streak. Todd Joseph and Keldon Holdings LLC
purchased the park for $1.2 million from the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park
during a US Bankruptcy Court hearing. Joseph’s plans for the park were centered
around concerts and events, not amusement rides. Blue Streak remained closed for the 2021 season
and Joseph said a team of structural engineers would review the coaster’s structural integrity
later that year to determine if it was worth saving.
Locals were protesting against Blue Streak being demolished and yesterday, the owners were in the
process of tearing down Blue Streak...possibly without a permit from the news outlets I’ve seen.
During a controlled burn of the ride’s wood that had already been dismantled, a fire spread
and engulfed portions they hadn’t yet torn down. Joseph now has a permit to demolish what remains
of Blue Streak. It seems like a convenient accident to accomplish his ultimate goal.
Unfortunately, the coaster that seemingly had 9 lives finally saw its demise yesterday.
Because of Conneaut’s tumultuous future, I made it a priority in 2019. And I’m glad I did.
I was rained out in 2017, but I was able to visit on Memorial Day weekend 2019.
This is routinely one of the busiest weekends of the year for amusement parks.
While the beach attached to Conneaut Lake Park was bustling, the amusement rides
were pretty quiet. And that was with the park charging just $5-10 for wristbands.
Most places would be packed to the gills with a deal like that.
While I heard Conneaut was on the upswing in 2019- at least compared to the prior few seasons- the
park still looked dated and dilapidated. Asphalt was cracked. Heck, I saw a guy picking up pieces
of asphalt as souvenirs. And almost everything was in dire need of paint, including Blue Streak.
Blue Streak’s station looked like it was on the verge of collapse with its unlevel appearance, but
I loved the striking blue sign. It was bright and shiny unlike everything else with this coaster.
The two crewmembers working Blue Streak were incredible. They were some of the nicest I
encountered at any park. They were constantly joking and interacting with the guests.
About a third of the jokes were at the expense of themselves and the other two thirds were
at the expense of the ride they were working. It was clear Blue Streak was not in the best of
condition. The wood had chipped paint and was creaking. However, the ride went out into the
woods. It’s a nice setting on-ride and it sort of conceals the ride’s appearance. The classic
NAD train looked to be in rough shape. The train looked like an ancient relic with the dirt,
faded paint, and missing lightbulb. However, the trains thankfully rode well.
The ride ran a 3 car, 3 bench NAD train seating up to 18 riders. The seats were super cushiony.
As for restraints, you had a comically loose seatbelt that basically wasn’t there
and then you had a buzz bar several inches above the lap of most riders.
This was ideal for airtime. To dispatch the train, the operators
needed to manually push the train out of the station. That alone is rare. But I’ve never
seen an operator do this while carrying a drink. I guess they have some good water in Conneaut.
The coaster began with a super slow and bumpy tunnel. When a ride jackhammers this much going
5 mph, you know you’re in for a rough ride. Every valley was littered with jackhammering
and any change of direction was downright violent. It was clear the ride needed a full retracking.
The ride was more tolerable but still bumpy up front. Then the ride was pretty brutal in back.
However, I rode it twice in the back because of the insane airtime on the outward leg.
The airtime was worth the abuse. After cresting the 77 foot or 23 meter tall lift,
you traversed an incredible first drop. Here’s a play-by-play how airtime works on Blue Streak.
- The train crests the drop. - Your body then starts
lifting upwards from the negative Gs. - Remember, your seatbelt is so loose that
you just keep going when you hit it. - At the same time, the physical seat
starts getting airtime. - Your thighs then smash into the buzz bar.
- A profanity may be yelled. - Your butt is then spanked by the seat.
- Another profanity may be yelled. - Both the rider and seat
return to the train together. - You then get thrown in a blender in the valley.
I mean, just look at this transition at the bottom of the first drop. It did not look right.
I had always heard Blue Streak’s first three drops were loaded with ejector airtime and
they sure were. I was basically getting standing airtime. But you had to ride in the back car.
The two camelbacks only offered mild pops of air up front.
You then rose into the far turnaround. The front would get an abrupt pop of airtime.
This would be their strongest but final bit of airtime. The far turn
was slow but it felt like you were turning on a cobblestone road with how much you shook.
You then traversed this gradual drop and twisted upwards to the left. And
this transition had a painfully violent jolt of laterals. You can hear wincing on most POVs here.
You then had a relatively straight shot back to the station. It was still bumpy,
but the slower speed and lack of turns certainly helped in the comfort department.
There were four consecutive bunny hills. They were too slow to offer any airtime up front,
but their kinks offered faint pops of airtime in the back. You then jumped into the brake run,
ending the 2900 foot or 880 meter long coaster. So what would I rate Blue Streak? I would give
this coaster a 6 out of 10. Blue Streak was a very flawed ride. It looked flawed. Anyone
could tell this ride was rough and honestly, it looked even rougher than it looked. Every time
the train changed direction, you were in for a beating. The same could be said on any valley.
However, the ride had some redeeming qualities. It was historic. It had a wonderful setting in the
woods. And most importantly, it had some of the craziest airtime you could get on any coaster if
you rode in the back car. Those first three drops offered strong airtime and the way it played out
is an experience I will never forget. There were some smaller pops too, but Blue Streak was all
about that first drop and two camelbacks for me. While I’m sad I’ll never get to experience those
hills again, the reality was that Blue Streak was too rough for many.
It was a one-and-done for my fiancee and I know plenty of enthusiasts who despised this ride too.
I definitely wish this coaster could have gotten a full retracking, but it never seemed
likely with the financial struggles that plagued Conneaut over the past 3 decades.
So those are my thoughts and a brief history on Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park.
What are your thoughts on this historic coaster- whether it be about the ride’s demise
or how it rode? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!