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Sandusky The building housing the museum was constructed in the 1920s (at the peak of the hand carved carousel) for use as Sandusky's United States Post Office. Possibly the only post office in the nation to have a rounded front facade, the building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The post office vacated the building in 1987, when it moved to new, more spacious facilities. Only a few basic structural changes were made to the building to make it into the Merry-Go-Round Museum. Four large supporting posts were removed in the main exhibit area to accommodate the size of the carousel, and two steel beams, 36-inches wide and 60-feet long were installed in the ceiling. Each of these beams weighed 200 pounds per foot. Additional support was also installed into the basement to carry the weight of the carousel. A ceiling walkway that ran the entire length of the building's main floor was also removed. Access to the walkway was by metal ladders inside the walls. Postal inspectors used the walkway to monitor activity at the work stations below to make sure that all of the employees were doing their jobs properly. Also located in Sandusky, on a Lake Erie peninsula, Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park/resort that's home to the largest collection of rides (60) and roller coasters (12) in the world! In 1998 , Cedar Point debuted Power Tower, a 300-foot-tall mega-thriller consisting of four 240-foot towers, two of which blasts riders UP its structure and two of which will thrust riders DOWN - all in 3 seconds at more than 50 mph! But, Cedar Point is more than just thrill rides. You'll also find live stage shows, a strip of white sand beach, water rides, two children's areas with pint-sized rides, craftspeople, award-winning landscaping, shopping, dining from fast-food to sit-down restaurants, an IMAX theater, the adjacent Soak City water park and Challenge Park, an entertainment complex which includes miniature golf courses and a go-kart raceway. And, Cedar Point makes it easy to stay where you play by offering three resort hotels along with a campground and Cedar Point Marina. Cedar Point can once again lay claim to the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world when the park opens for the 2000 season. Officials recently unveiled plans for Millennium Force, a 310-foot tall coaster that will take riders at speeds reaching 92 mph over 6,595 feet of track. The first plunge will be 300 feet at an angle of 80 degrees. This is the world's only roller coaster to break the 300-foot barrier, according to Cedar Point. The park's 14th coaster will feature some unique elements for both the park and the thrill ride world. Instead of the traditional chain lift on most of Cedar Point's coasters, Millennium Force will have an elevator cable system to carry the three 36-passenger trains up the first hill. Cedar Point officials said the system, reminiscent of Sky Ride's cable, will give a smoother, faster ride to the top. A second major hill will be 169 feet high -- compared to the 161-foot lift hill on Mean Streak -- and the third hill will be 182 feet high. The trains will feature stadium seating, where the second rows on each of the nine cars in a train will be raised above the first to give an unobstructed view for the 2 minute and 45 second ride. The braking system will use magnets instead of friction. This is a first for any Cedar Point coaster. Trains with a stainless steel, red, blue and yellow color scheme will go through two tunnels, and the track goes over the Frontier Trail between the blacksmith's shop and Cedar Junction outdoor theater to reach the island. Passenger restraints will be lap bars and seat belts. The newest scream machine will displace Giant Wheel, which will be relocated next to Disaster Transport. Innes said decisions are still being made if other rides in that new location will be affected. Millennium Force has an out-and-back design similar to the ever-popular Magnum XL-200. The track will be blue with silver framework. There are no inversions -- elements that turn riders upside down -- but the design does have the steepest non-inversion banked turn on a coaster at 122 degrees. |
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