Cedar Point officials this afternoon sent out a cryptic
email to season passholders promising that "August 18, 2015 will be a historic day."
And: "All will become clear for 2016."
It's expected that's the day park officials will reveal the highly anticipated new ride for 2016 –
largely speculated by park fans to be a dive coaster or a dark ride.
Park spokesman Bryan Edwards declined to comment further on the email, saying, "More details coming. Stay tuned."
Walt Schmidt, a co-founder of PointBuzz, a Cedar Point fan website, said the announcement of the announcement suggests something big.
"The last time Cedar Point had an announcement event on this scale, they unleashed GateKeeper. So I'm expecting big news here."
On Cedar Point's Facebook page, speculation was running rampant, though most guesses centered on the two most talked-about possibilities: a dive coaster or a dark ride.
A dark ride – two have been added to Cedar Fair parks in the past two years – are themed, indoor rides, similar to what Disney parks are famous for. Cedar Point's will likely feature a pirate, Lake Erie theme.
A dive coaster is a type of coaster created by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard that features wide, four-person-abreast trains and at least one 90-degree drop.
Last year, the park tore down its Good Time Theatre and removed Turnpike Cars, which left a large piece of vacant land where the new ride (or rides) are expected to be located.
Then, earlier this year, Cedar Point trademarked the name "Valravn," a supernatural raven in Danish folklore, which is widely believed to be the name of a new ride.