[Jonathan]

The cat seems to be out of the bag on social media and the season is coming to an end today, so I guess we can move on to our first big piece of offseason news: Mike Fehnel will be returning to Dorney Park as General Manager for next season and current Dorney GM Brad Marcy will move to Charlotte to take over at Carowinds. Mike had some great things to say about Brad and I'm sure we'll all look forward to seeing him at the park next year.

I think we can all appreciate what an outstanding job Mike did leading Carowinds through its biggest year ever and wish him the best of luck as he returns home!

[tarheel1231]

This news made me legitimately sad. I hope Brad likes trees.

[RollerBee]

^I second Tarheel's feelings.

[Matt929]

I'm very disappointed. Mike wasn't here long but I was definitely a fan.

[sccoasterbear]

So sad to hear this. Mike is such a class act and genuinely seemed to care about the fans and GP alike. I don't think one season was enough. Best wishes to him though and i hope he knows he was appreciated for his enthusiasm and heart he brought to our little park in the south. I hope the next GM will love us and work as hard to reach out and embrace the community. We need someone who listens and cares and understands when we don't agree it doesn't mean we dislike you. Take care Mike and visit often.

[chknwing]

he's done a great job. any idea as to why hes moving back?

[Chris]

Dammit Amos, this is all your fault. Seriously sad to see him go. He seems like a genuinely good guy who cares about the park and enjoys what he does.
Odd to see Cedar Fair move him back to DP, though. I wonder if this was a personal request by Mike or if CF always had it in mind that Mike with be an Interim General Manager? Or none of the above?

[tarheel1231]

Being GM of Dorney seemed to be Mike's dream job, so maybe it was a personal request? I'm sure all of the other managers are great at what they do but Mike was the type of guy you'd expect to see at a park like Holiday World. I'm sure Brad is also great but I don't think any other manager in the chain could embody southern hospitality like Mike did. He really seemed to fit.

[shane235]

^ I agree. Mike seemed to be the perfect fit for the job at Carowinds. I'm very sad to hear this news. Mike, John, and Laresa were the perfect management trio.

[FamousAmos]

He is leaving this week. It was a personal request, though I won't go into the details. Our new GM will be great and he should be coming down sometime this week, if he's not here already.

[pproteinc]

I kind of upset however understand these things happen in the industry. Might of been tough on his family to be so far away from home. I know that feeling especially when you have no other family where you are like me living in Charlotte being from NYC. You get home sick when there's no relatives to go and visit. Who knows? I'm very proud of what he's accomplished at Carowinds and hope the best for him and his family. I do hope Brad likes trees as well.

[tarheel1231]

He is leaving this week. It was a personal request, though I won't go into the details.

Do the details include a 400+ mile restraining order?

[FamousAmos]

That's not very nice. But no.

[arby]

I don't know if Mike will see this, and while I have his direct email address, I find it unprofessional to email executives directly without good reason. Their job is demanding and I appreciate that fact.

I would like to thank Mike for all the great things he brought to Carowinds that many people may not notice, but I did. There was fresh paint in places that I haven't seen fresh paint on since Cedar Fair took over. As a whole, the park took on a look that reminded me of my last visit to Dorney Park, one of the best maintained parks in the Cedar Fair chain. I also appreciate the personal greeting that he extended to me every time he saw me.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this was planned all along. The park needed to make a quick change and put a great leader in place to get the ball rolling on the new direction it wanted to take Carowinds. Mike was a perfect fit for this until they could take the time needed to fill the role permanently. Since Mike loves Dorney Park and the area up there, I have no doubt that is where he wanted to be all along. However, like any great leader, he did what was asked, despite any inconvenience to himself and his family, and gave it all he had.

Thank you for all that you have done for Carowinds, Mike, and I look forward to my next visit to Dorney Park. Just know that you will be missed!

[TheCoasterMan1]

Mike may have been sent down here to prepare him for a Dorney transformation...You never know???