It’s a milestone year for a Cedar Point roller coaster.
And the often-overlooked ride is about to get a well-deserved honor.
When the Corkscrew roller coaster opened at the Six Flags park it broke world records.
But as the Sandusky amusement park has grown over the ensuing years, the iconic coaster over the midway has become dwarfed by other faster and taller scream machines.
When the Corkscrew opened in 1976 with its red, white and blue color scheme for the nation’s bicentennial, it literally turned heads as the first coaster in the world that featured three inversions.
It was also the first to cross over a midway.
The American Coaster Enthusiasts club plans to gather at Cedar Point on Sept. 12 as part of its Coasterpalooza to unveil a plaque naming the Corkscrew a Landmark roller coaster.
Other Ohio roller coasters that have been awarded Landmark status by ACE include: the Beast at Kings Island, the former Big Dipper at the former Geauga Lake Park, the Blue Streak at Cedar Point, the Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point and the Racer at Kings Island.
Corkscrew by the numbers
The Corkscrew broke records when it opened on May 15, 1976.
Built by Arrow Development, it was designed by coaster designer Ron Toomer.
The coaster has a top speed of 48 mph and is 85 feet tall at its peak.
The coaster covers some 2,050 feet in about two minutes.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedar Point’s historic Corkscrew roller coaster earns ‘landmark’ status
Reporting by Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
