SANDUSKY, Ohio, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE:FUN), a publicly traded leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, is waking more than 4,000 corpses and gathering the ghosts as it prepares to open the most intense amusement park Halloween events across the country. Cedar Fair's Halloween season is recognized as the best in the industry with something for everyone in the family. Bone-chilling haunted houses, live (and dead) shows and terrifying scare zones will leave teens and adults begging for more. But it's not all about the blood-curdling screams - special activities for children, kid's costume contests and a family-friendly parade round out the fun at the Company's parks. Each fall, 10 Cedar Fair parks are transformed into Halloween havens, featuring seasonal decorations, friendly (and not-so-friendly) monsters and mesmerizing music. In total, the parks showcase 74 haunted houses, 38 outdoor scare zones, 42 live shows, over 4,200 roaming monsters, 40,250 pumpkins, 24,225 bales of hay, 1,775 skeletons and 185,800 cornstalks around every corner. The sensory mix of scary and not-so-scary events can be enjoyed from coast to coast. Knott's Berry Farm, Carowinds, California's Great America, Kings Dominion, Valleyfair, Kings Island, Canada's Wonderland, Worlds of Fun and Dorney Park are all "business as usual" during the day - guests can challenge the world's greatest collection of rides and roller coasters. Plus, families can enjoy the special activities just for them. But then at night, guests will cautiously traverse the midways as things turn a bit evil. "Simply put, we have the best Halloween events in North America," said Jack Falfas, chief operating officer for Cedar Fair. "We know our guests' expectations are high for scares, thrills and family fun, and we deliver - hands (and skulls) down." The nation's first and longest-running amusement park Halloween event, The Haunt at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, will celebrate 37 terrifying years in 2009, introducing four new haunted houses - bringing the total number to an unlucky 13. The Haunt also boasts three outdoor scare zones, six live shows, including the ever-popular "The Hanging," and over 1,000 ghastly characters roaming the midways. The season for scaring reaches a new level at the Company's flagship park, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Two all-new haunted houses will debut at its HalloWeekends event. Happy Jack's Toy Factory takes guests into the fun, yet twisted world of toy manufacturing where good toys go "bad." The park's founder, George A. Boeckling, is forever remembered in the new G. A. Boeckling's Eerie Estate. Guests will walk through the hallowed halls of this old mansion, encountering maniacal maids, brash butlers and sinister spirits that continue to haunt the mansion. Even though Cedar Point has upped the ante in scares, HalloWeekends is still the premier family-friendly Halloween park event. Kids can participate in a costume contest, watch fun shows where they can be a part of the action, enjoy the Monster Midway Invasion Celebration parade or try their skills at the Hay Bale Maze and the Magical House on Boo Hill. Halloween has become its own popular season for Cedar Fair, entertaining more than 2,000,000 guests each fall. It begins with Cedar Point's HalloWeekends on September 18th with most park events continuing through Sunday, November 1. For complete details on each park's Halloween events, please visit cedarfair.com. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE:FUN) is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Partnership, which owns and operates eleven amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina / South Carolina, Virginia / District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, California under a management contract. Cedar Fair's flagship park, Cedar Point, has been voted the "Best Amusement Park in the World" for twelve consecutive years in a prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper. This press release and prior press releases are available online at http://www.cedarfair.com/. Contacts: Lee Alexakos: (419) 627-2218 Tony Clark: (419) 627-2225 DATASOURCE: Cedar Fair Entertainment Company CONTACT: Lee Alexakos, +1-419-627-2218, or Tony Clark, +1-419-627-2225, both of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Web Site: http://www.cedarfair.com/

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