Gurnee Whizzer
The Gurnee Whizzer, at what is now Six Flags Great America, celebrated 30 years on May 29, 2006. It continues to thrill riders of all ages, and with the push toward more family-friendly entertainment by Six Flags C.E.O. Mark Shapiro, its future looks bright. However, that hasn’t always been the case. In August 2002, fueled by increasing maintenance costs, it was made public that the Whizzer would be removed to make way for a new attraction to open in 2003. The park wanted to give guests the opportunity to ride one of its more popular and nostalgic attractions one last time. Then, the park abruptly reversed their decision to remove the Whizzer and closed Shockwave, a large, seven-inversion steel roller coaster, instead. The park cited overwhelming public outcry as reason for the last-minute change. Superman Ultimate Flight took to the skies in 2003 over the spot where Shockwave once stood.
Read more about this topic: Whizzer (roller Coaster)