A glimpse into Cedar Point's new roller coaster

Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing CPFoodBlog.com and @CPFoodBlog on Twitter.[toutembed=5lzpb9]SANDUSKY — There has been a noticeable change blowing in from the west and landing on the banks of the Cedar Point peninsula.You can almost see the tumbleweeds blowing across the midways, and the western music telling us there is a new sheriff in town.A crane lifts a construction worker around the former Mean Streak ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.Chapter 1When the Mean Streak roller coaster debuted in May 1991 in Frontier Town at Cedar Point, it was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. After many rehabs over the years, it was time for the magnificent wooden structure to go down in a blaze of glory.On opening night of HalloWeekends, Sept. 16, 2016, after 25 years of service, the Mean Streak roller coaster gave guests their last chance to be among the more than 26 million riders. As guests bid farewell to Mean Streak, a crowd of people gathered for a first of its kind: a funeral for a roller coaster.Details about the transformation of the Mean Streak will be announced by the end of the Cedar Point season.U.R. Dade Funeral Home and Demolition Services hosted the service, which was surrounded by flower arrangements from friends and coworkers:• The Beast, a Kings Island famous wooden roller coaster wrote, "So sad to see my friend go away."• The carpenters' farewell read like this: "Don't get well..."• Even Sam Seagull sent an arrangement, which included a note: "Please accept our condolences. We will miss him very much."The ceremony was lead by Richard, Michael, Crosby and "Dead Tony," assumed to be Cedar Point's director of communications, Tony Clark, who gave a touching Mean Streak eulogy.Among an excerpt: "He endured. He endured the cold, the snow, the extreme heat of summer, the rain, the groans of his caretakers, our carpenters, as they thought to themselves, "If they would just take this damn ride down."Once the service was concluded, ride artifacts were lead in a procession to the ride cemetery at the front of Cedar Point, where the fate of Mean Streak was laid to rest, and the future was still unclear.Construction workers assemble parts of the new ride replacing the Mean Streak at Cedar Point on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Sandusky.Chapter 2With the fate of Mean Streak becoming an active "demolition" site, it quickly became clear selective removal was taking place during the late fall of 2016. We even witnessed new maroon-colored metal box track being installed in the former station and leading up to the lift hill.As any diehard roller coaster fan will learn, the new track making a debut on the Cedar Point peninsula is from a company called Rocky Mountain Construction, or RMC, for short. It was also no coincidence that a RMC crane truck was spotted on the Cedar Point property shortly after the last ride ceremony.So why is a RMC roller coaster company so important to Cedar Point, the peninsula and its parent company, Cedar Fair, as a whole?Cedar Point has always been known as the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World," and any guest will tell you the biggest, fastest and tallest rides in the world can all be experienced in Sandusky, Ohio. So the company is no stranger to pushing the envelope when it comes to ride technology.Construction continues on the former Mean Streak ride at Cedar Point on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Sandusky.That is why 2018, we presume, is going to not only be an epic year for Cedar Point but also Cedar Fair as a whole. You see, RMC has been making waves for a number of years by pushing the boundaries and transforming old, wooden roller coasters into iconic masterpieces of steel and wood.While RMC relies on some of the underlying wooden structure to craft their works of art, it adds steel track, allowing for never-before-experienced hills, twists and inversions at lightning-fast speeds with an incredible smoothness.As of now, we have what appears to be not one but at least two RMC roller coasters being installed at a Cedar Fair property: one at Cedar Point and another at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.Construction on a roller coaster, similar to the ongoing work happening on the former Mean Streak ride at Cedar Point, is taking place at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va., which is a Cedar Fair property. Cedar Fair is the parent company of both Cedar Point and Kings Dominion. (Provided photo/NICK COX)Chapter 3With it no secret at this point that our massive construction site is no longer deemed a demolition site and more of a colossal roller coaster retrofit, guests are getting more excited with each passing day.Cedar Point has remained tight-lipped though on the future of the Mean Streak site — until recently:• On April 1, yes April Fool's Day, Cedar Point posted a short 18-second video clip labeled #TheyreComing, marking the first acknowledgement that something, albeit unannounced, was happening in Frontier Town. (Go here to watch the video: https://twitter.com/cedarpoint/status/848203444003405824/)Cedar Point vice president and general manager Jason McClure talks about the transformation of the former Mean Streak Ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.• Then, on June 2, another #TheyreComing, 18-second video surfaced on the Cedar Point Twitter feed with "They're Wild and Unruly." (Go here to watch the video: https://twitter.com/cedarpoint/status/870777097031229442)• The latest 19-second #TheyreComing video claims "They're Rollin' in Like Thunder." (Go here to watch the video: https://twitter.com/cedarpoint/status/882630137874972672)Now new mysterious "WANTED" posters have been spotted throughout Frontier Town, offering rewards of $875 and $1,000 if captured. The black, shadowed character appears to be a direct tie in to the Battle for CP mobile app, in which guests choose a team based on their favorite roller coaster and complete tasks throughout their visit. Though these "WANTED" poster characters appear to be more steampunk style than some of their counterparts.New mysterious "WANTED" posters have been spotted throughout Frontier Town, offering a $875 reward if captured. The black, shadowed character appears to be a direct tie in to the Battle for CP mobile app, in which guests choose a team based on their favorite roller coaster and complete tasks throughout your visit.Could the Nos. 875 and 1,000 be a significant connection to the future of Frontier Town's newest roller coaster? Would the numbers somehow reflect an aspect of the new ride?Might we see three characters appear on "WANTED" posters with names connecting to RMC?The next chapter is being written fast and we are all excited to turn the page.Pieces of steel track sit near the active construction site at the former Mean Streak ride in Cedar Point on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.The sun shines through the former Mean Streak ride, which is being converted into a steel roller coaster, at Cedar Point on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.