Read a digital version of the newspaper on your computer tablet or smart phone using either an app or a web browser Cedar Point's Top Thrill 2 is expected to open today Said Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark: “The ride is licensed and will open The forecast in Sandusky today calls for cool temperatures and on-and-off rain throughout the day Most high-speed coasters do not operate in the rain which travels at a top speed of 120 mph and features two 420-foot-high hills is one of the most highly anticipated new rides of the 2025 amusement park season but operated for only a week before it was shut down due to concerns about its ride trains After modifications by ride manufacturer Zamperla the trains are back and have been testing on the track for several weeks Top Thrill 2 is a revamp of Top Thrill Dragster which was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world when it debuted in 2003 The ride was shut down in 2021 after an accident The new version features new trains, new track and a new launch system. For details: cedarpoint.com First ride: Flying high on Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point’s newest adrenaline rush (photos, video) New rides, slides and revamped coasters: 2025 guide to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood and Waldameer Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices SANDUSKY − Cedar Point is a gem of an amusement park nestled along the shores of Lake Erie offering grand views atop roller coasters and Americana ambience of food But the sprawling destination can be overwhelming for newbies And even repeat guests admit to discovering a new element each time they visit said she's been to the park more times than she can count "It feels like a new experience every time we come here," she said while waiting in line for the Top Thrill 2 roller coaster on Opening Day May 3 said Cedar Point is "a summertime destination." "There's nothing better to do than come here," she said Diehards and other amusement park lovers flock to Cedar Point But how can you pack the most into your day anytime you visit I scoured the soggy park on Opening Day for the 2025 season to find out the Top 5 tips for enjoying a day at Cedar Point Cedar Point coins itself as the coaster capital of the world But the top attraction currently is Top Thrill 2 a vaunted follow-up to its wickedly wild predecessor Known for its velocity and free-fall moments Top Thrill 2 operated only 10 days last year due to maintenance and mechanical issues The park touts it as the world's tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster Cedar Point: Eager fans line up early for rainy Opening Day and Top Thrill 2 a two-minute adventure compared to less than 30 seconds Among those willing to wait in the rain for more than an hour were Cowgiel and Cassady "It was amazing," Cassady said of riding Top Thrill 2 last year "Going backwards and getting to the top speeds" are the best part "You stay at that top speed," Cassady added Compared to the original Top Thrill Dragster but I'll hype myself up for it knowing it will be amazing coming off of it was bracing himself for his first trip on Top Thrill 2 "I'm shaking right now," he admitted with a smile said she couldn't wait to ride Top Thrill 2 again after earning a first rider pin last season "I rode it with my 15-year-old and the whole time he was like 'I can't breath,' and it literally likes takes your breath away but it's super exciting and exhilarating." there are plenty other cool coasters to experience Millennium Force has a petrifying 310-foot drop and reaches a top speed of 93 mph Maverick features two inversions and a 95-degree drop where twin trains zoom side by side up and through an assortment of dips and turns before careening down a 125-foot hill to the finish line a peak speed of 72 mph and stunning views of the lake And then there's the coaster that freaks me out (in a good way I promise) every time I board the beast − Steel Vengeance this one boogies and leaves you feeling as if you've stepped outside of your body and back into it again The hybrid coaster seems as if it will never end the park offers more than high-octane rides Classics include the Bluestreak wooden coaster dating to 1964 and located near the park's entrance from the white-and-blue color scheme to the cupola atop a 78-foot hill "Something that's a staple to any amusement park is a wooden roller coaster," Clark said That's also the first type of coaster that existed Our carpenters do a wonderful job maintaining that ride." Siren's Curse is comingCedar Point always tries to top itself in the thrill ride department This summer is no different. Siren's Curse is scheduled to open in early summer, Clark said. Updates will be posted on Cedar Point's social media accounts, including Facebook and Instagram The newest scream machine will be the tallest fastest and longest tilt coaster in North America and plunging and zooming on nearly 3,000 feet of track before reaching a maximum speed of 58 mph And there's more − 13 weightless airtime moments and two 360-degree Sounds more like NASA or SpaceX astronaut training than an amusement park ride We live in an era of foodies − culinary explorers are on television So where should you head when the belly grumbles? Happy Friar There's also a spot for their signature fresh-cut fries closer to the park entrance near the Raptor roller coaster The park has made the fry experience easier this year by expanding and enclosing the Happy Friar food stand Not only can you cool or dry off and wait inside pick your toppings and create a fry masterpiece Adding cheese and chili is a can't miss for the taste buds Some special toppings also might be offered periodically during the summer "They're not frozen," he said of the fries "They're fresh potatoes; they're cut in the back They're served pretty directly out of the fryer." Longtime Cedar Point visitors like Grant Pleasant Sr. said the fries are one of the reasons he returns to the park "This is probably my favorite snack in the park," he said "I've been eating these fries since I was 4 years old They're big and it's a big portion; they're crispy "You can put whatever toppings you want on there," Pleasant continued I've been getting ketchup and vinegar on these for 30 years." Another culinary standout is BackBeatQue where meat is smoked overnight and authentic barbecue fare is served as well as smoked sausage and rotisserie chicken Located between the Monster ride and Magnum XL-200 roller coaster cornbread muffins and house-made mac and cheese For park enthusiasts who spend all day at Cedar Point, I recommend purchasing the All Day Dining Plan for $33.99 which gives you access to BackBeat and other dining options Hugo's Italian Kitchen and The Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill Cedar Point tickets start at $50 for a daily visit, according to the park's website. Buying tickets online is cheaper than at the park Discounts are also posted on social media occasionally Gold passes previously were sold at a pre-season discounted rate of around $100 A couple of visits to the park will pay off that amount plus taxes and fees; it includes free parking and unlimited access to the amusement park through Labor Day as well as to Cedar Point Shores Waterpark and HalloWeekends in the fall and include free parking and unlimited access to the amusement park through Labor Day Passes also get you discounts on food and merchandise For more information and to buy passes, go to www.cedarpoint.com. Any day is a good day to go to Cedar Point weekdays typically mean an easier time finding parking and shorter wait times for rides than weekends Cedar Point will have limited weekday hours until the week of May 19 "Saturdays are our typically busiest day," he said Sunday is a great day to come with the family Wednesdays and Thursdays are probably the best days to visit Especially in May through early June and then again in August when we're open during the week You'll have less crowds as people go back to school and the season starts for the school year." Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com and follow on Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint The final chord of the National Anthem had just ended and the immortal words from Cedar Point's announcer for guests to "ride on" echoed through the Midway as the turnstiles opened and the sprint to be among the first in line to ride the Top Thrill 2 was on Cedar Point opened for the season on May 3 It was a soggy Opening Day with steady rain and temperatures in the 40s but that didn't dampen the spirit of thousands of diehard fans of the Sandusky amusement park who have waited all winter to once again ride the roller coasters And most had one coaster on their bucket list The Top Thrill 2 roller coaster reopened for the first time since its abrupt closure shortly after last season's debut for modifications to be made to its coaster trains Cedar Point: Roller coasters, fries and more: Top 5 ways to have a perfect day Most major rides — including the Top Thrill 2 — were in an hours-long rain delay But that didn't stop hundreds from getting into line anyway A long line of coaster enthusiasts snaked through the Midway for the Top Thrill 2 plotted their strategy on how to be first in line during their 1½-hour ride to the park to ensure they would be among the first through the gates into the park they walked briskly down the Midway to the Top Thrill 2 entrance was also right at the front of the line for Top Thrill 2 She loves roller coasters and hopes to one day help design and build them LaPrade visited Cedar Point some 36 times last year including its early opening for the solar eclipse "This is just the start of summer," she said It did finally open before the park closed for the night Park spokesman Tony Clark said Top Thrill 2 has passed all of its necessary inspections and testing and is ready for riders this season He said some of the park's coasters − particularly the extreme ones like Top Thrill 2 − close when it rains because its not very pleasant to be pelted by raindrops at 120 miles per hour Clark said there's something special about Opening Day — from the excitement of the guests who let out a loud cheer when the gates opened to the sounds of the rides roaring back to life "There's just a palpable excitement," he said Opening Day at Cedar Point can be romantic too A couple from Crawford County made the trek to the park before prom later in the night said they go to the park often together and thought visiting in their prom outfits would be a fun and memorable way to cap off their senior year at Colonel Crawford High School before heading off to Walsh University in North Canton in the fall "I wish we would have looked at the forecast before we decided to do it a week ago," Sutter said The park's newest roller coaster Siren's Curse was not be ready to roll on Opening Day Clark said all the track pieces have now been installed but there's still more work to be done on the roller coaster Billed as the tallest, fastest and longest “tilt” roller coaster in America, this ride by Netherlands firm Vekoma will take thrill seekers up a 160-foot-tall lift hill where from the ground it appears they encounter a broken track that trails off to nowhere the tracks then tilts 90 degrees straight down as it connects to a twisted track below The coaster train will then plunge down along 2,966 feet of twisting track at a top speed of 58 mph riders will experience 13 instances of weightless or so-called airtime moments along with two 360-degree zero-gravity barrel rolls and a high-speed “triple-down” element with twisted and overbanked track The Happy Friar stand by the Gemini roller coaster − known for its fresh-cut fries − got a major facelift The stand is now cafeteria-style with an inside waiting area Clark said this improvement will allow for faster service and guests can select their special toppings To make room for the Siren's Curse roller coaster Cedar Point had to remove the large outdoor stage by the Iron Dragon The park is still planning a number of live shows and roving entertainers this season will take up residency in the Red Garter Saloon while Country Crossroads – Live at the Palace will feature classic and contemporary country hits in Frontier Town The show “Class of ’99 – Yearbook” will perform at the Jack Aldrich Theatre and feature '90’s music Other entertainment inside of the park will include Lusty Lil’s Western Roadshow along the Frontier Town trail and the Wild Mice brass band performing along the Boardwalk section There are 15 new games across the park Guests will visit a new redemption center to collect prizes a seagull-themed fishing game — are being added by the maXair ride some traditional carnival games are being added where guests swing a comically large hammer to test their strength and attempt to ring a bell atop of a tower There will be strength games for both kids and adults A Snoopy Balloon Pop game also has been added to the park's Camp Snoopy area Two new tube slides are coming to its Cedar Point Shores Waterpark when it opens for the season on May 24 The new slides have been added to the former “Crosscurrent” tower in the waterpark The slides will feature a multi-colored twisted layout with one having translucent sections that create a lighting effect Riders will have to be at least 48 inches tall in bare feet to ride the new slides The Millennium Force roller coaster will mark its 25th anniversary this season The roller coaster saw an upgrade to its control system including a new drive system and control panel in the off season Clark said these upgrades should help improve dispatch times for the coaster Cedar Point kicked off its 2025 season on May 3 The park will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in early May and begin daily operations on May 15 The last day of the summer season will be Labor Day before it begins weekend operations for the fall and Halloween season The park's last day of the 2025 season will be Nov a new reality series in collaboration with Trixie Mattel premiering May 22 and available for streaming on OutTV Ahead of the premiere of Wish You Were Queer Murray opened up about his path from small-town Ohio to the national comedy scene Cleveland Magazine: How did your journey into comedy and performance begin Tim Murray: I started doing stand-up back in fourth grade at my elementary school talent show and I was always writing — whether it was scripts or little bits of comedy I did more stand-up in high school at another talent show but it took a long time for me to really come back to it I remember being in The Importance of Being Earnest and always trying to get a laugh; that was always my goal I took improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade and eventually found my way back to stand-up after I turned 30 CM: What was the first moment you decided to combine music and comedy TM: I’ve always loved musical theater and musical comedy a lot of my friends were combining the two art forms who improvise full musicals based on audience suggestions Catherine Cohen and Matt Rogers doing their own comedy shows with original songs and I realized this was the combination of everything I loved It really took off for me when I wrote my solo show Witches which I debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival RELATED: 10 Cleveland TikTok Celebrities to Follow how has your Midwest background shaped your comedic voice it gave me this perspective that people are good and we should all be kind to each other my parents gave me this funny mix of perspectives My mom is a total people-pleaser and super positive while my dad is super sarcastic and cynical That balance definitely influenced my comedic voice after living in all these different corners of the country like New York I’ve had a chance to clash those cultures together in my comedy CM: When did you first start the Real Housewives TikTok series RELATED: Remembering Cleveland’s Viral TikTok Moments TM: In my new series, my comedy partner Michael Henry and I pitch the idea of doing a stand-up special to Trixie Mattel but are you funny everywhere else?" So she sends us off in an RV across middle America to find out We travel from Columbus to Louisville to Nashville and each city is its own episode where we test out our comedy for a new crowd sometimes we bomb — and that’s part of the fun we’re also gathering new material and getting a feel for what queer life looks like in the rest of the country CM: When and why did you first debut your original comedy Tim Murray is Witches?  TM: Witches has kind of become my hour of musical comedy It’s a showcase of everything I love to do: stand-up I really wanted to come up with a themed comedy show and I challenged myself to see if I could create a full Halloween-themed hour I’m obsessed with the musical Wicked Bewitched — there’s just something about witches that gay people gravitate toward and it started sparking memories of growing up in Ohio playing X-Men or Power Rangers but secretly wanting to play witches instead and feeling like That feeling became the throughline of the show so it’s about growing up in a small town It’s about realizing the parts of you people told you were wrong or bad are actually special I'm still touring Witches every fall season and my goal is to eventually have it produced as a full special on T.V CM: Do you prefer performing live or creating sketches for TikTok What I always say about online comedy is that it has to be relatable It has to be something that people find true because it has to be relatable and true and then have a very unique point of view and twist But if somebody is not laughing when they're five feet in front of you so what's great about the internet is a lot of people can find something that I do funny and share it with their friends you have to try to make it as objective as possible by trying to make as many people in the room laugh There's really nothing like performing live CM: Who are some of your biggest inspirations in the LGBTQ+ comedy or performance world who’s blowing up right now with their play Oh It’s this hilarious queer take on Mary Todd Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln.  Cole has always just done their own thing I also came up doing improv a little bit with Bowen Yang What Bowen is doing on Saturday Night Live — bringing queer sketches and perspectives that apply to us — is exactly what so many of us dream of Wanda Sykes has always been a huge inspiration to me CM: What’s been your most memorable performance TM: My mom came to see Witches in Edinburgh Which was really a crazy feeling in Scotland so the word of mouth of the show had gotten popular enough to sell out For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features helpful guides and beautiful photography and design COLUMBUS – Amid hundreds of allegations of improper conduct in the workplace a Sandusky County judge will face the Ohio Supreme Court's professional conduct board later this month Sandusky County Common Pleas Court Judge Jon Ickes is scheduled for a hearing May 19 The six counts against him cover a variety of behavior from vulgar language and disrespectful conduct toward employees to “going drinking and chasing whores" with another judge at a conference The three-member Board of Professional Conduct will consider Ickes' alleged misconduct as violations of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct and the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct “Allegations include harassing a pregnant employee fostering an inappropriate and unprofessional work environment using a racial slur within the earshot of a criminal defendant engaging in lewd and vulgar characterizations of a child-rape case and failing to disqualify himself from a criminal case in which his stepson testified as a law enforcement witness for the State,” the complaint stated In the process of responding to the 6 counts based off 235 allegations Ickes admitted to many of them while denying others Involved parties indicate anxiety-producing situations one of which involved the use of a Nerf gun to shoot at a person which Ickes admitted to when responding to allegation No and acknowledged rumors of his keeping a real firearm Instances of “an inappropriate and unprofessional work environment” and using a racial slur were in many of the allegations Ickes quoted and sang portions from the 1974 Mel Brooks film "Blazing Saddles." 88 noted that Ickes and another judge were leaving for a conference and “going drinking and chasing whores.” Ickes admitted to saying it but denied that he “said this regularly,” and then denied “any and all other allegations in paragraph 88 of the Amended Complaint.” Among the subheadings of various allegations are “inappropriate comments to courthouse and probation staff.” Ickes admitted to sending a text message about one staff member saying she “sat a chair sexy” and that she wore “sultry makeup.” Ickes also admitted to vulgar references via text about a potential juror in a child-rape case describing the juror as the one wearing a “tan shirt with the porn stash” and the “next Christian creeper.” There was also an admission of creating his own titles and acronyms for staff members such as: Adult Supervision Specialist (A.S.S.) Pretrial Intensive Supervision Specialist (P.I.S.S.) and Presentence Investigation Supervision Specialist (P.I.S.S.) Ickes was appointed to the Sandusky County Common Pleas Court on July 6, 2020, and was elected to a full term starting on Jan. 1, 2021. The allegations date back to 2021. He faced similar allegations in another ethics complaint filed in 2024 Further objections and their responses may take place before the May 19 hearing