Fundraiser offers early rides on Cedar Point's new coaster

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point’s new “hyper-hybrid,” record-breaking roller coaster, Steel Vengeance, opens this year and guests will have a chance to ride it before the amusement park officially opens.

Cedar Point is hosting a “Steel Vengeance First Rider Benefit” as a fundraiser for the LeBron James Family Foundation on Friday, April 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. Cedar Point opens to the general public on May 5.

The benefit event will offer guests exclusive access to the new roller coaster, as well as rides on the Maverick roller coaster, food and drink, and a souvenir.

Tickets cost $75 per person and go on sale Monday, March 19, at cedarpoint.com. Additionally, tickets to ride the very first public train on Steel Vengeance are $250.

Tickets for the event are limited and are expected to sell out, according to a news release from Cedar Point.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for participants to experience this incredible roller coaster first,” said Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “The event helps us continue to create positive change for students and families in Northeast Ohio through our programming that continues to grow every day.”

If you miss out on the First Rider Benefit, Cedar Point will be offering a few other events that will include early access to ride Steel Vengeance.

On Monday through Wednesday, April 30 to May 2, Cedar Point is hosting a “FrontierTown Hoedown” for their season and platinum pass holders.

From 4 to 10 p.m. on one of those three days, guests can visit FrontierTown and ride Steel Vengeance, Maverick, the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Skyhawk, Antique Cars and Wave Swinger.

Food and drink, games and Steel Vengeance characters will also be at the hoedown. The event is free for those with season or platinum passes to Cedar Point, but tickets will only be available while supplies last.

Tickets for the “FrontierTown Hoedown” go on sale April 10.

For more information on either of the events, visit cedarpoint.com.

As a “hyper-hybrid” coaster, Steel Vengeance is constructed of both wood and steel, while topping more than 200 feet in height — the first coaster of its kind to do so.

It replaced Cedar Point’s once iconic Mean Streak, which closed in 2016 to make way for the new coaster. 

More:Cedar Point performs Mean Streak's 'Last Rites' funeral

More:Cedar Point building new steel coaster around old Mean Streak

Among wooden and steel hybrid coasters, Steel Vengeance is all of the world’s tallest at 205 feet, the fastest, reaching speeds of 74 miles per hour, the steepest, with a drop of 90 degrees, and the longest, with 5,740-feet of total track.

Steel Vengeance also features four inversions, the most of any hybrid, and will give riders a total airtime of 27.2 seconds, the most of any roller coaster in the world.

Jason McClure, Cedar Point general manager, described it as the “most intense wild ride” at the park.