VIDEO: Former Cedar Point GM Talks About His Book In Interview
John Hildebrandt, the former general manager of Cedar Point, wrote a book a few months ago about his decades of work at the park, titled “Always Cedar Point”. Always Cedar Point, a Memoir of the Midway gives the reader a rare insider’s view of the operations of one of the world’s greatest amusement parks, Cedar Point.
When John began work in February 1974, there was no “Cedar Fair,” just a single amusement park, Cedar Point. The best thrill ride was a steel coaster called the Jungle Jet. Eventually, a second amusement park was acquired, and the company grew until it owned 11 parks. Cedar Point added a water park, additional hotels and campgrounds. Hildebrandt was there for almost all of it, beginning as a ride operator and eventually becoming the park’s general manager, until he retired 35 years later in 2013. Hildebrandt brings the reader inside the fascinating world of what it takes to market and operate a destination built for fun.
This morning he made an appearance on Donovan Live, a tv segment at WKYC News in Cleveland. In the interview, John talks about how he started his career at the park, some of the jobs he performed, as well as his favorite rides!
John collected a lifetime of stories and now he tells all with humor, history, disappointment, thrills, and excitement through his storytelling. Always Cedar Point is filled with many inside stories and even a closely-guarded secret or two. Hildebrandt walked the midway every day for 40 seasons, talking to guests and employees. Our own, Dan Hower had the chance to catch up with John as he walked the midway before retiring.
Always Cedar Point is an insider’s look at the amusement park business filed with 40 years of stories, drama, humor and a few secrets. Readers learn how John and his team created marketing campaigns that helped establish Cedar Point as “America’s Roller Coast” and “the best amusement park in the world”.
Part memoir, part history, part business brief, part autobiography, Always Cedar Point is also Hildebrandt’s love poem to a remarkable place, a nearly 150-year old amusement park and resort in Sandusky Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie.
Always Cedar Point is available in local bookstores, independent retailers, or can be purchased online at Amazon by clicking here. or from Barnes & Noble here.
For more information, visit Johns official website “Always Cedar Point” by clicking here.
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