Cedar Fair Honored for Having the World's Top Three Steel Roller Coasters in 1999

Sandusky, OH -- Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly traded partnership which owns and operates five amusement parks, has been recognized for having the three best steel roller coasters in the world, according to the 1999 survey of the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA).

NAPHA, which was founded in 1978, is an international organization of park enthusiasts dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of the amusement park industry. The NAPHA survey, which began in 1986, asks members to list their favorite coasters and attractions from parks around the world.

Members of NAPHA voted the Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point the No. 1 steel roller coaster for 1999. With its 205-foot-tall first hill and speeds in excess of 70 mph, Magnum has been voted the No. 1 steel roller coaster in the world for eight straight years by NAPHA.

At No. 2 on the list is Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force. This 200-foot-tall mega-coaster is another one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, and has soared to No. 2 on NAPHA's list after only its second season.

At third in NAPHA's 1999 poll is Cedar Point's Raptor. Originally introduced in 1994, Raptor is one of the tallest, fastest and steepest inverted roller coasters in the world, with six inversions over its 3,790 feet of track.

"We are obviously thrilled with the results of the NAPHA survey," said Richard L. Kinzel, president and chief executive officer. "At each of our parks, we are dedicated to providing the best thrill rides in the industry, and with a total of 33 roller coasters at our five parks, we have built a collection of some of the finest coasters in the world," concluded Kinzel.

Cedar Fair's five amusement parks are Cedar Point, located on Lake Erie between Cleveland and Toledo; Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, near Los Angeles; Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania; Valleyfair near Minneapolis / St. Paul; and Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, located in Kansas City, Missouri.