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[BigRedDog]

I've heard the rumors that Cedar Point intended to put a facility of some kind in the Irish Hills.  Almost 500 acres would have been a good sized project.  The first reader comment in the Mlive article talks about the locals voting the project down 40 years ago...   that's a long time to hold on to the land for "investment"...  I wonder how much they paid for it when they bought it?

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2012/07/cedar_point_sells_irish_hills.html

http://www.lenconnect.com/topstories/x1602164858/Cedar-Point-sells-Cambridge-Township-property

[Flanders]

Wow I never knew that.  Hmm irish hills would have been an interesting location.

For those cedar point fans, better get there this year to ride Disaster Transport  and the Space Needle before they're taken down

[Mike Ingels]

For some reason, the Irish Hills always have weird rumors and theories surrounding them.  But this was probably never a really great idea.  It takes an hour to drive to the Irish Hills from Detroit and maybe two or three hours to Sandusky.  Just look at the awkward situation with the NASCAR races.  The area is just hard to get to.

And, honestly, I kind of think that the Irish Hills is really much nicer now that most of the schlock is gone and people can focus on the natural beauty of the area and the lake communities.  Just my opinion.

[eriemermaid]

I wonder what would have happened if that highway would have been built that was supposed to go from? Traverse City? to Myrtle Beach.  That would have helped (or hurt) the traffic situation around that area.

[jbs49238]

I will agree with Mike in that the Hills area does not in anyway need a Cedar Point type venue, but it does need a common focal point outside MIS (which only brings people in twice a year).  I think MIS is in a perfect location actually and it brings in a boatload of revenue to the region for the minimal amount of impact it creates.  Many of the NASCAR venues are "in the middle of nowhere" types.  Lenawee County would be in a serious hurt without the track since let's face it... no one is lifting a finger to make ANY effort to bring any type of industrial development here, or even infrastructure for it.  Natural beauty will only get you so far... eventually people need to work or they just leave.

As far as the I-73 project that gets brought up about every 3 years... the Lenawee County portion though labeled critical is oversold in terms of its importance.  Obtaining the land and finding a really good route would be tough, I think major upgrades to US-223, i.e. taking out all the 90 type curves and making it a 4 lane divided highway in the rural areas with only a few intersections would be just as adequate of an upgrade.  History has shown us in Michigan, that the quickest way to kill a small town is to bypass it with an expressway (St. John's anyone?) so I think you just keep traffic flowing right on through Adrian and Blissfield and keep those dollars in Lenawee County.

[Professor H]

Enjoyed a trip to Hidden Lake Gardens with the grandchildren, and some of the trails are set up for little ones (shorter distances).    Not sure if I'd like to see giant roller coasters in that area.

[T-M-T]

For those cedar point fans, better get there this year to ride Disaster Transport  and the Space Needle before they're taken down

Today was actually the last day for Disaster Transport.  It was never one of my favorites anyway and a poor imitation of Disney's Space Mountain, in my opinion.  From what I've heard, the roller coaster they are going to build sounds pretty cool.

Has anyone else been to CP this year?  I'm interested to hear if anyone has an opinion on the FastLane program they started this year.  For those not familiar, you can now pay an additional $55 (on top of the admission price) to be able to cut the lines to the major rides.  They only sell a limited number of these each day, but it seems like they sell hundreds of them from what I see.  We've tried it and waited no longer than 10 minutes for any ride, which is sweet, but we endured a few jeers from the others who were waiting in much longer lines. People on CP's Facebook page seem to hate it and many say they will no longer go to the park because of the new "two-class" system.

[ytrewq]

People on CP's Facebook page seem to hate it and many say they will no longer go to the park because of the new "two-class" system.

Good for them.  They can go to a better amusement park.  Oh wait, there isn't one.  And by the way many others have implemented this type of thing as well.

Disaster Transport was a disaster the last few years.  Smelled more like a factory than a ride, hot, and none of the special effects worked so basically you were in the dark the whole time.