tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post4164604072193363752..comments2023-06-10T04:46:12.274-04:00Comments on Adventure Into Relative Obscurity: The Reign of the Rotorman.Jamie Rockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11627209438419624988noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-90814126387915190092022-10-27T22:58:17.189-04:002022-10-27T22:58:17.189-04:00Checking in from 2023. Loved GL and the legend of ...Checking in from 2023. Loved GL and the legend of Rotorman. Got here via #rotorman on FB. Great article! Post the drawing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-37188970542019619852019-05-15T14:58:17.858-04:002019-05-15T14:58:17.858-04:00I worked on the rotor , I think 87? Fred was alway...I worked on the rotor , I think 87? Fred was always there!Linda mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-84566574739391904992018-07-26T09:48:38.640-04:002018-07-26T09:48:38.640-04:00So great that you've written this piece. This ...So great that you've written this piece. This takes me back to a magical place in a magical time of my life! How funny to find this on a nostalgic search into GA history! I must have ridden the Rotor at least 30 times with Fred over the years of my childhood growing up in Canton. We made at least 3 or 4 yearly trips to GA. Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00514283741564711492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-44781505032573258752017-12-03T10:52:02.144-05:002017-12-03T10:52:02.144-05:00Thank you for sharing your story. I worked at the ...Thank you for sharing your story. I worked at the park during the eighties and was the best job and memories I have ever had. I miss the park terribly. I very much remember Fred and he was harmless.Cliffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-822618795503167522017-10-17T15:06:41.028-04:002017-10-17T15:06:41.028-04:00You are awesome!You are awesome!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-30362744194456322542017-07-27T12:23:42.016-04:002017-07-27T12:23:42.016-04:00Rotorman lives!Rotorman lives!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-25382910362480747682017-07-04T16:47:38.599-04:002017-07-04T16:47:38.599-04:00Its 4th of July 2017....i saw and talked to fred t...Its 4th of July 2017....i saw and talked to fred today aka rotorman.....hes very sad geauga lake is gone.....hes father passed away few years ago....he was at hometown buffet in niles Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05545167943624657675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-67678568914856567822017-03-16T20:38:58.018-04:002017-03-16T20:38:58.018-04:00https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=102090...https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10209017978749490&id=1317943710Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-28432783985925722712017-02-04T20:15:46.204-05:002017-02-04T20:15:46.204-05:00I met fred tonight and did a magic trick for him a...I met fred tonight and did a magic trick for him at the Cahpion roller rink in Warren Ohio. Someone told me his story about being Rotorman. He helps out at the rink. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598198181339597413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-82004167537172509812016-09-01T21:01:01.493-04:002016-09-01T21:01:01.493-04:00They need to bring back both Geauga Lake and Sea W...They need to bring back both Geauga Lake and Sea World.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-34007349654581392832016-06-01T01:13:47.352-04:002016-06-01T01:13:47.352-04:00I worked the rotor back in 94-96. I loved the roto...I worked the rotor back in 94-96. I loved the rotor man. And I'd get mad at kids that made fun of him. And then kicked them off the ride. Anyone could ride again as long as they were polite to him. It was his job to ride and my job to keep an eye on him lol SelfTherapyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05848933109959466773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-3364702921744982562016-06-01T01:13:28.182-04:002016-06-01T01:13:28.182-04:00I worked the rotor back in 94-96. I loved the roto...I worked the rotor back in 94-96. I loved the rotor man. And I'd get mad at kids that made fun of him. And then kicked them off the ride. Anyone could ride again as long as they were polite to him. It was his job to ride and my job to keep an eye on him lol SelfTherapyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05848933109959466773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-79660609164712930992016-03-04T18:53:47.101-05:002016-03-04T18:53:47.101-05:00He hangs out at a local rollee rink!He hangs out at a local rollee rink!Heather Halstead, Creative Memories Consultanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03019263408171648234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-67215764255699779282016-03-04T18:52:33.314-05:002016-03-04T18:52:33.314-05:00He hangs out at a local rollee rink!He hangs out at a local rollee rink!Heather Halstead, Creative Memories Consultanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03019263408171648234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-5866190850205063352015-12-14T15:41:35.882-05:002015-12-14T15:41:35.882-05:00OH MY GOD I remember thinking it wasn't fair t...OH MY GOD I remember thinking it wasn't fair that he didnt even have to get off the rotor!! I remember him! God I wounder what ever happened to him???<br /><br />I was a teen then. I am now 45.<br /><br />DanDannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03179358216105862884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-54319554284245460042015-07-01T23:44:44.511-04:002015-07-01T23:44:44.511-04:00I remember him! I thought it was extremely unfair ...I remember him! I thought it was extremely unfair of someone to be able to ride a ride over and over again when nobody else could do it. And, honestly, no, there was something MUCH MORE wrong about him than the rest of us. At least the rest of me!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-48215303660421959942015-05-01T18:52:31.560-04:002015-05-01T18:52:31.560-04:00I believe Rotorman became HayBaler man after the R...I believe Rotorman became HayBaler man after the Rotor was removed. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-66810879078412800492015-02-03T15:52:03.200-05:002015-02-03T15:52:03.200-05:00Fred appears to be alive and well, living in Niles...Fred appears to be alive and well, living in Niles, OH. Sean Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03641742563890594581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-46809997458595448452014-12-30T15:52:43.377-05:002014-12-30T15:52:43.377-05:00What happened to the sketch?What happened to the sketch?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-51146291199916104422014-12-17T23:40:02.237-05:002014-12-17T23:40:02.237-05:00Your not the only one, lol. There are a few of us...Your not the only one, lol. There are a few of us who I know are. If you find anything please post (even though this is 2 years old) Ben Chasteenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02637025379707847498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-92086828120067336682014-10-07T19:02:00.700-04:002014-10-07T19:02:00.700-04:00I worked at Geauga Lake from 1983 to 1986, 4 seaso...I worked at Geauga Lake from 1983 to 1986, 4 seasons. I was ride operator on the Rotor for the first two years. Fred was a great fixture. He had a bit of a scary look to him, but I found him completely harmless. The Rotor was a two person ride to operate. One to press the controls that made it spin and made the floor drop, the other to open the doors. When it was break time, the operator had to climb up and down and do double duty opening the doors as well as operating the ride. Fred, without hesitation, would help you opening and closing the doors. He would also tell newbies to stand against the wall and when the ride was full, he would close the door from the inside. He really helped the operators out a lot. <br /><br />Mind you, that ride was on the west side of the park when I ran it, and it was a tall ride that had no shade trees around it. With the combination of a hot summer, lots of spinning motion, and the fine food and alcohol offered at the park, the operators would have to shut down the ride for vomit clean-up. Fred would be the first to notice it, tell the operator, and head out the door. He would show back up in around a half hour to check out if the ride was clean. Each year, the operators would tally up the number of pukes, usually numbering on average about one per day.<br /><br />Fred was never much of a talker, but in the mid eighties, he would always wear a Niles Ohio Red Dragons t-shirt to the park. We all assumed that is where he lived, and he confirmed that. He lived in Niles, Ohio, somewhere with his mother. Every day, he would drive from Niles, probably taking route 82 from Warren to Aurora. He would stop at the various bars along the route and gather up aluminum cans. His car always smelled like beer because of this. He would then wander around the park with a trash bag, popping his head into trash cans looking for more aluminum cans. At some point, some supervisor at the park asked him to stop doing this and he complied. He would often tell you how much aluminum was going for at the local scrap yards. He would save his pennies and the scrapping would pay for his season pass, gas, and food. I think he mentioned that he had a part time job at times cleaning a building.<br /><br />At some point during the summer he would show up with a box containing a cake that his mom had made for him for his birthday. The two years I worked on the Rotor, it was a really great chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It never even occurred to me not to take a slice. As odd as he seemed, I never felt afraid of him. As the water park was in full swing at that time, he would head to the water park, get wet, spin dry in the Rotor, head back to the water park and repeat the process all day. He was never mean, angry, or upset. Sure, he was a little off, but no more than the rest of us. I consider Fred to be one of those "Strange, interesting, harmless, souls" that you meet on life's journey that makes life worth living.<br /><br />As a side note, did anybody ever mention anything to you about RotorGirl? During 83-86, a park employee had an older teen aged daughter named Dorothy who also loved the Rotor just as much as Fred. Dorothy might have been deaf, I could never tell. She was just as kind, sweet, helpful, and harmless as Fred.Trent Andersonhttp://www.amishtaxi.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-83439185356017114732014-07-29T22:48:58.559-04:002014-07-29T22:48:58.559-04:00Great stuff. I vividly remember him. He must have ...Great stuff. I vividly remember him. He must have been keeping a count or something of how many times he road it. After each ride as the rest of us were getting off the ride I remember him writing with his finger a number? On the wall or door. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-87843136687266546582014-06-07T23:31:30.701-04:002014-06-07T23:31:30.701-04:00Fred still goes to Champion Skate just about every...Fred still goes to Champion Skate just about every time their open. He helps them pick up and put away skates when they close. Memehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00721410991917668515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-2238412236866562862013-08-19T15:54:33.319-04:002013-08-19T15:54:33.319-04:00I'm a few years late reading this, but this wa...I'm a few years late reading this, but this was a great article! I used to go to Geauga Lake every year until I was about 11, but I knew Fred outside of the Rotor. I lived in Champion and lived at the Champion skating rink..where Fred seemed to be..daily. I remember my peers, and probably myself, at times, would be afraid of him, skating in circles, open to close..knowing who he was in the summer, as I got a little older, i would tryvmy hardest to carry on conversations with him..but he wasn't a big talker :) Id likr to know what happened to him, and how he took the closing of his seemingly reason for beingkellienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294641037582675119.post-90520486854035753102013-07-05T13:58:22.464-04:002013-07-05T13:58:22.464-04:00DUDE! Where is the sketch? I appreciate the story....DUDE! Where is the sketch? I appreciate the story. Geauga Lake visitor, 1985 to 1989.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com