Funtime, Inc was an American amusement and entertainment company located in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.
The company was established in 1965. It owned several properties throughout its 31-year-long lifespan.
History
Funtime Inc. was established in 1965 when four former Cedar Point employees, including Gasper Lococo (1928–2016), a former military sergeant from
Huron
Huron may refer to:
People
* Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America
* Wyandot language, spoken by them
* Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec
* Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...
, pooled their resources and purchased
Geauga Lake
Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's fi ...
in
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
for $5 million. The park had previously been owned by members of the Kuhlman/Schryer family. In 1983, the company began managing
Wyandot Lake
Zoombezi Bay is a water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium near Powell, Ohio just north of Columbus. The park sits on the site of the former ''Wyandot Lake Adventure Park'', which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 2006. ...
in Columbus, Ohio. That same year FunTime acquired 50% controlling interest in
Darien Lake
Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It i ...
. In 1995, Funtime entered into an agreement to manage
Lake Compounce
Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut. Opened in 1846, it is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. It spans , which includes a beach and a water park called Crocodile ...
in Bristol, Connecticut.
[
]
Sale to Premier Parks
In August 1995 Funtime, Inc. was acquired by Premier Parks (later Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...
) for $60 million. The deal to manage Lake Compounce was canceled and the Kennywood Entertainment Company The Kennywood Entertainment Company was the operator of five United States amusement parks in Western Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.
History
Kennywood Entertainment Co. was effectively created when F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan ...
was awarded the contract.
Properties
References
Sources
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External links
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*{{cite web, url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/six-flags-inc-history/, website=fundinguniverse.com, title=History of Six Flags, Inc. – FundingUniverse, accessdate=2018-09-15
Companies based in Ohio
Entertainment companies established in 1968
Entertainment companies disestablished in 1996
Funtime, Inc.
Geauga Lake