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AURORA, Ohio -- "A already admirable abyssal activity esplanade [had] angry into ruins. It was like walking through a apparition boondocks of some of the greatest memories of my life, including my childhood. It was unreal," said Nico Maragos, a above SeaWorld Ohio agent who acquired admission to the alone affair park in Aurora afresh to booty photos.
Ten years ago SeaWorld Ohio bankrupt assuredly in Aurora. Although the abyssal affair esplanade bankrupt in 2000, the aforementioned amplitude was acclimated for Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom from 2005-2016.
Through Maragos's camera lens, the abasement of the 50-acre affair esplanade is credible in afore and afterwards side-by-side pictures.
The esplanade aboriginal opened May 29, 1970. It took three years to body and amount $5.5 million.
More than a actor visitors would go to SeaWorld Ohio amid Memorial Day and Labor Day every summer in the acme of the park's success to see attractions like Shamu, Dolphin Cove, the Pearl Diving Pool, Shark Encounter, Patagonia Passage, the Wild Wings Bird Show and Flamingo Lagoon.
Maragos started alive at SeaWorld in 1993 in operations and confused on to become a bird trainer at the Wild Wings Bird Show. In 1997, he confused to the beastly affliction administration to booty affliction of the dolphins at Dolphin Cove and eventually he became an beastly trainer for the dolphins and sea lions accident during the aboriginal division of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
The annihilation of the esplanade started alike afore the altercation over the analysis of abyssal activity afterwards accepting acute burden from activists.
In 1996, a baptize ski achievement went awfully amiss and a speedboat went over a balustrade into the assemblage in the advanced row and 23 bodies were hurt.
That, accompanying with the altercation over orca shows, and the disability to add roller coasters like added parks in the United States because of an acceding with Geauga Lake abutting aperture started the abatement for the park.
Maragos, who now lives in Detroit, visited the Cleveland breadth and was accustomed permission to booty a attending around. The 43-year-old posted added than 35 photos on Facebook and they instantly went viral with added than 800 shares.
"As you can see from the comments bodies are posting, it’s still actual abundant talked about and missed," he said.
"Working at SeaWorld was the complete best job anytime and the assembly were one ample family. I additionally met my wife there (married 18 years [Nov. 27]) and she concluded up alive in the accounting department. Even admitting it was a job with a lot of adamantine assignment and algid winters (I formed year-round), it was consistently a blessed place," said Maragos. "Sometimes my wife would accompany me and advice me with some breach sessions with the dolphins during her breach and added times I would accompany some of the birds to her appointment to sing. Where abroad could you do that?"
Maragos said he was consistently analytical about what the esplanade looked like afterwards leaving.
"I could see some capacity through Google Earth but I capital to airing the pathways already added and bethink the greatest memories of my life. Unfortunately, what I saw was depressing," he said.
Despite its deterioration, Maragos said the barrio didn't accomplish SeaWorld a appropriate abode for him.
"SeaWorld was appropriate because of the bodies and the memories that fabricated it appropriate and that can't be taken away," he said.
So what's the approaching for the now alone property?
It's still accepted to be replaced by a Meijer superstore and a cine soundstage but redevelopment affairs for the acreage endemic by Cedar Fair accept been adjourned because of an assets tax acquirement agitation amid Bainbridge Township and Aurora. The above Geauga Lake and SeaWorld Ohio acreage straddles the two communities.
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