Cedar Downs Racing Derby is the carousel at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH. It was built for Euclid Beach Park near Cleveland by Prior & Church in 1920. It moved to Cedar Point in 1967, two years before Euclid Beach Park closed, where it was restored to its original condition.
The ride reaches speeds of 15 mph, and is about 90 feet in diameter. According to the Cedar Point web site: "It has recently been discovered that the horses on Cedar Downsâ platform may have originated from the Williams Amusement Device Company in Denver. This company came to light when several carousel enthusiasts uncovered the mystery of a 1920 Denver Post newspaper photograph featuring carver Royle C. Williams. Photographs shared by the Williams family and copies of this article indicate that these horses were carved by the...
   Read moreThis was from our first time to Cedar Point two weeks ago. We celebrated my wife's birthday, and this was her absolute favorite ride of the park. Granted, she's not into thrill rides as she gets motion sickness. I thought that wasn't the case with this ride. We rode it so many times, and we could because it was a weekday.
We picked a horse and climbed on, much like a merry-go-round. I wasn't anticipating that much speed, but I thought wrong. The centrifugal force will pull you, and it is too much fun. I've never seen my wife so happy, and that was...
   Read moreOne of only two original Prior & Church Great American Racing Derbies left in existence. The other being the smaller and faster Racing Derby at Rye Playland in New York. There is a third Racing Derby at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the U.K. which is a modern built machine based off the Prior & Church design. Cedar Downs is truly a treasure! Nice to see Cedar Point continuing year after year taking such great care of Cedar Downs, and paying homage to the great...
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