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Clementon Park to close?

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
Saw on Screamscape today that Clementon Park has appeared to close without warning:

Screamscape said:
Something is apparently not right with Clementon Park. Currently the park’s website says that they are closed for the season, where the park’s last day of operations was on Sept. 8th, 2019. However an odd new story surfaced the other day about a family who had bought tickets online weeks ago for a special priced last-day of the season “Appreciation Day” event set for Sunday, Sept. 15th. Guests who bought tickets and traveled to the park were met with a closed sign and security guards telling them that the park was closed for the season.
While I’m unable to pull up any kind of previous operational calendar that may have been posted earlier this year, I’ve heard elsewhere that the park normally used to run their season into late September or even October in years past, so this early closing is already a bit strange.
Today I received a report from an anonymous source that telling us that on Monday park owner Kieran Burke arrived on site and gathered all of the park’s year-round Full-Time staff and informed everyone that they were being let go, and final checks were handed out. According to this source, at the start of the season the park’s schedule had them open as late as October 19th, but that date was suddenly pushed up just a few weeks ago.
And while the Clementon Park website is still up and running, the park’s Twitter account has suddenly been changed to a “protected” status, where only those approved can see their tweets. The park’s Instagram account has officially been closed/removed, and even the park’s Facebook page appears to have been deleted.
For all intents and purposes, Clementon Park appears to be NO MORE. But is it closed for good? Or perhaps we have to ask if the park in the middle of being sold to a new owner… or even a land developer? The fact that the website isn’t even trying to sell 2020 Season Passes really is telling. If anyone knows more about what is going on, please let us know.

Screamscape said:
A new article posted to 42Freeway.com was able to take the information we dug up regarding the status of Clementon Park and add in even more pieces of the puzzle. In addition to being able to verify the information we shared on Screamscape last week, they were also able to interview the person in charge of the Clementon Fall Festival event which was to be held at the park this October.
Unfortunately they confirmed that not has the Clementon Fall Festival been forced to cancel this year’s event due to the park’s early closure this year, but they were also informed that the corporation that owns the park (Premier Parks) has been looking for buyers for some time for Clementon Park, and while they’ve had a little interest, there have been no takers thus far. They also reported being told that since Premier Parks was unable to sell the park, “they had to let it go to bank ownership” which is expected to take place at the end of this month.

Source: http://www.screamscape.com/html/smaller_parks.htm#Clementon
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
I mean.....meh.
I made *one* visit to the place, back in 2006, spent less than an hour there just to ride J2 (four times) before leaving. Never felt the need to make a return visit.
 
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CanobieFan

Strata Poster
but a particularly sad thing about this one is that it only leaves two S&S wooden coasters operating; Timberhawk at Wild Waves and Falken at Farup Sommerland!
Ah, but that loss is the reason I never made a return visit to the park... J2 was soooo insane and insanely good when I rode it... I never went back, because I knew the park hadn't done *any* sort of up keep on the ride... and then they added trims..and I believe the re-profiled the second hill. I feared my legendary/legacy ride memories would be replaced with the crap ride it became.. So I just never returned.

But for what its worth, Avalanche was a *much* better ride and one I actually mourned the loss of. Timberhawk is pretty... Meh. it looks fantastic (it's pretty and it's in a pretty setting) but the ride is rather forgettable, sadly.
 

Kw6sTheater

Hyper Poster
Ah, but that loss is the reason I never made a return visit to the park... J2 was soooo insane and insanely good when I rode it... I never went back, because I knew the park hadn't done *any* sort of up keep on the ride... and then they added trims..and I believe the re-profiled the second hill. I feared my legendary/legacy ride memories would be replaced with the crap ride it became.. So I just never returned.

But for what its worth, Avalanche was a *much* better ride and one I actually mourned the loss of. Timberhawk is pretty... Meh. it looks fantastic (it's pretty and it's in a pretty setting) but the ride is rather forgettable, sadly.
If I may ask, where did you rank J2 among your favorite wooden coasters? What was the ride experience most comparable to, back in its glory days?
 

Chris Coasters

Strata Poster
I went a couple years ago and was there all of 5 minutes to ride Hell Cat and leave. It was probably one of the most expensive creds I've gotten as it was like $10 to park and around $36 for admission. Not a fun ride by any means. When I left and the guy at the gate was like "are you coming back?" I replied "never". Not sad to see it go.
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
If I may ask, where did you rank J2 among your favorite wooden coasters? What was the ride experience most comparable to, back in its glory days?

At the time I had ridden some 600 coasters less than I have now... But I did enjoy the ride. I think I had it in my top 15-20 (Avalanche was top 10) It was smooth...ish but aggressive, I wouldnt say it was rough or unriderable... it felt kinda off in a way haha.
First drop was good but not amazing... the hill after was so oddly shaped that you ended up getting *3 or 4* pops of airtime going up over it! it was very WTF haha... the back to back helix was the most intense part, pretty awesome and super banked... the floater hill after it was great. standup airtime but as floater not ejector.

Avalanche in the Dells was a better ride and had better airtime but J2 was for sure more intense / aggressive.
 

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
New update, looks like their trying to sell the park:

Screamscape said:
(9/25/19) While we learned nothing new about the status of Clementon Park at this time, we are starting to hear rumors that Premier Parks may have been looking to sell off not just Clementon Park, but the other three parks they do own: Wet ‘n’ Wild Toronto, Ocean Breeze and Nashville Shores. While the Toronto park just reopened in 2017 after being brought back by Premier Parks, they have failed to add anything new to any of these parks for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In fact they went so far as to announce they were working on a Proslide Mammoth slide for Ocean Breeze intended for the 2018 season, but then failed to build anything at all.
Rumor has it that both Cedar Fair and Six Flags may be considering possible offers for some of these properties, though it looks like there were no takers for Clementon Park, or at least not yet.

Agree that park doesn't look like much and have heard bad things about the place but it's still sad to see any coaster close. Would be nice to see Hellcat saved though
 

VonRolland

Hyper Poster
Big boy bump.
According to the article the park is to have an Auction Scheduled for March 23rd 'Offered in it's Entirety or Separate Pieces'
Addition details include that the auction is scheduled for Tuesday March 23, 2021 at 10am, with an inspection set for Friday March 19th, and the following are up for grabs:

a 52 Acre site with 23 Acres spring fed lake
4,000 sq ft historic 3 bath house
Full Alcohol license
Thrill Rides (Thunder Drop, Ring of Fire Loop Ride, Sea Dragon, Flying Pharaoh, HellCat Coaster and Cars)
Family Rides (Classic Carousel, Giant Ferris Wheel, Tilt a whirl, scrambler, Dragon Kids Coaster, Spin Tower, Train System and Track
Kiddie Rides (Mini Pirate Swing Ride, Flying Elephants, Cars and Trucks, Space Ship, Race Car ride, Safari Train narrow gauge train)
Water Park (Vertical Drop Tube Ride, Viper Bobsled style, Sky River Rapids, Pirate’s Landing)


 

TPoseOnTantrum

Giga Poster
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