A Visit By A Centenarian
Tony Clark
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Grandpa Charles Kuebler is feeling great for being 100 years young. That's him about to slay the Skee Ball game in the arcade.
He came out with 100 points. Quite fitting, yes?
It turns out he's pretty good at a lot of the games here at the park. He even won his great-granddaughters some prizes at the Guessing Game (he totally fooled them into thinking he was 81 - not too shabby).
This is proof that anyone, yes anyone can have fun at Cedar Point. We are asked a lot about options for those who don't ride big roller coasters and thrill rides. The entertainment, whether that's literally our live shows, or things like playing games and spending time together, is priceless here.
This is Charles' story, thanks to granddaughter Tracey.
Charles is originally from Queens, New York, but now lives in Madison, Ohio. He's a World War II vet (thank you for your service, sir!), was an avid golfer and has been pretty active most of his life.
Back in the mid-70's, Charles and his wife Dorothy would take their eight grandchildren and additional family to Cedar Point each summer. Dorothy even had a coin bank that she named the "Cedar Point" bank. Every time she received change from a store (remember paying cash?), she'd put just the dimes in the bank and use that money to purchase park tickets.
It was the highlight of the summer for this family. They watched the weather carefully (like you probably still do) and the anticipation of visiting was intense.
When the family was younger, they all stuck together during the day. Then, when it was time, they split up and met for lunch and dinner. I didn't grow up here, but I remember doing the same thing at our local State Fair and the amusement park near our house.
Each trip always ended with Dorothy buying the family ice cream cones from the ice cream parlor near the park entrance.
Today, the family lives in different places, but they make it a point to continue the tradition of visiting as a family, with as many of them as possible. And this year, it was extra special. Half of the grandchildren and most of the great-grandchildren were at the park, and they all stayed for most of the day!
Charles absolutely loved his visit. Tracey jokes that even during the drive home, he had energy to spare and didn't sleep a second.
Here's to future visits with the family, Grandpa Charles - and thanks for making us a part of your family's history.