Indiana Beach Cornball Express Media Day: May 18, 2001

Indiana…who would have thought that this state would have four Custom Coasters, let alone four very unique ones (although they are custom coasters...so maybe it makes sense!)? I tried to remain optimistic that I would ride the newest one as I sped on two-lane highways and I-65 towards the town of Monticello, Indiana. The traffic was not too bad, but between the weather and my few hours of sleep after the bar it was a bit of a struggle to not turn around when the rain came so hard I could not see the semis in front of me until they were a few feet away. The drizzle cleared as I pulled under the Hoosier Hurricane’s loading station and I prayed to the man upstairs that he would give me several rides in the few hours I had at the park.

Being my first media day and first visit to the park while it was operating (I had been there three times previously…just not during the “on”-season) I followed the herd into the ballroom where I took my seat. The PR Director ran the show (I cannot remember his name, but he was funny and used to work at Michigan’s Adventure). He was quite insistent we learn the Cornball Express song, as they had paid good money for it…I believe it went something along the lines of:

“From the brickyard down in Indy,
To the wide Chicago shore.
You can hear the engine ridin’
You can hear its mighty roar,
She’s a rollin’, twistin’, turnin’,
So might we both suggest,
You get your fannies down here
And ride the Cornball Express!”


The classic lines of the out and back Hoosier Hurricane mesh great with the new twister, Cornball Express.	Cornball climbs the lift hill.

After hearing speeches by the Indiana Board of Tourism, a local state government rep., Denise Dinn-Larrick of C.C.I., the Coca Cola rep. and Mr. Tom Spackman, Sr. (and of course I.B. Crow & Cornball Jones) we headed out to the station. This is newest coaster I have been on. Before today it was the Legend during last year’s Stark Raven Mad, but I got to see the welders putting the finishing touches on the stair supports as we walked up. After the ribbon cutting the first train left and a few trains later I was in the back seat for my first ride on the Cornball Express. The trains were comfortable standard 2-bench P.T.C.’s with seat dividers, personal seat belts, buzz bars (!) and one individual locking lapbar. The train picked up nice speed as it left the station and did a u-turn up onto the lift. We made our way up the lift but I barely had time to enjoy the crest because the back of the train was hauled over the top (and I was hauled up into the lapbar) for some great airtime. We sped back up into the steep second hill, did a little dive and went up into the fourth turn. This dive parallels the lake and we flew down into a great headchopper and seemingly WAY up into the Hurricane’s structure. After another turn we dove out into the open and then up into the helix. Here the ride really picks up speed and gives some nice laterals. Out of the helix the train dives down, yes…more airtime, and up into the brakes. This ride is a keeper!

C.C.I. did an amazing job on the coaster, as it is out-and-out fun. It is a family coaster that everyone can enjoy, but the folks at C.C.I. did not mistake family with forceless and have given me another reason why “bigger is better” just does not hold true.

A view of the park from the ferris wheel. Working left to right we see: the Hoosier Hurricane, Cornball Express, the Skycoaster, the Double Shot in the distance, the waterslides that wrap around the Galaxi and the Water Swing.

Because the line was long I headed off to see the rest of the park. The lines for the skyride were not too long, so I waited about 10 minutes and stepped aboard. It was an interesting journey above the midway and I got a lot of good photos of the coasters. I disembarked and stepped on the Ferris Wheel (Chance). I got a lot of rotations, some more good pictures and really got to examine the “lines” of the Hoosier Hurricane. Even though this ride did not give the air I had hoped (more on that later) it is still has the look of a classic out and backer which (to this traditionalist) is really a thing of beauty.