On May 22, an announcement shook the theme park industry: Ohio-based Cedar Fair had sealed a deal to buy Paramount's five parks at a cost of $1.24 billion. Three days later, during the grand-opening ceremony for the new Italian Job Turbo Coaster at Paramount's Kings Dominion in Doswell, Pete Turrill shrugged off the acquisition. "Cedar Point [Cedar Fair's flagship amusement park] is the best in the world," he said. "If they run them all like they run Cedar Point "