SANDUSKY — While the good times are about to start rolling for the season at Cedar Point, another Sandusky business is hoping the park will bring more customers their way as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted across the state. 

Sandusky Segwave offers tours through town on Segways. The owners say bookings are already up from last year and they’re hiring more staff to serve the increase in guests. 

With a snap of the helmet and a crash course in riding, Segway novices Alyna Hook and Katrina Partin were ready to roll.

“No, I’m very bad balance, so it’s gonna be fun,” said Hook. “It’s gonna be interesting.”

“I”m also nervous, but I have better balance than she does,” said Partin. 

Jim Ervin is confident they’ll both get the hang of it once they start rolling. 

“I still giggle every day,” he said. “That’s how much fun it is.”

Ervin’s been leading tours on Segways for 11 years. This is his fifth season in Sandusky, sharing the town’s history as co-owner of Sandusky Segwave. He enjoys giving tours on two wheels. 

“They’re fun,” he said. “And it’s, you know, unlike any other ride. You always remember your first ride.”

Ervin led the ladies through town, weaving in facts along the way. He said he tries to keep things interesting. 

“I can usually tell when the group is, like, rolling their eyes,” he said. 

Speaking of history, 2020 was a year for the books. The health department put the brakes on the Segway business at the start of the pandemic.

“He kept saying, ‘You’re an outdoor activity,’” Ervin said of the health department. “And I said, ‘I’m not Cedar Point and I’m not a county fair. Why won’t you let us open? We’re socially distanced.’” 

Sandusky Segwave eventually got the green light after Memorial Day last year. 

Now, they’re looking ahead. 

“This year looks to be better,” said Ervin. “We’re hoping this is our breakout year. We had hoped last year would be, but then COVID hit and it was just devastating.”

Segway tours of the boardwalk outside Cedar Point can be booked through the park. Fewer guests at the amusement park last year took a toll on tours. 

“It did impact us a lot, honestly,” Ervin said. “The guys were busier downtown than I was out there at the park.”

But, with more people expected to travel in-state this year, Ervin is hoping more Ohioans, like Hook and Partin, take part in a summer of staycations.

“It only makes sense,” he said. “We’re here. You’ve gone by our shop many, many times. You’ve probably said we should do that sometime. This time, this summer, is the time to do it.”