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HalloWeekends opens next month at Cedar Point in Sandusky -- but without a Friday, Sept. 13 wedding ceremony.

(Cedar Point)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cedar Point was hoping to drum up interest in the park’s spooky fall festival, HalloWeekends.

Eric Morrison and Scott Kenimond, both of Akron, were hoping to commit themselves to each other at their favorite amusement park.

What they all got instead: a political dust-up over gay marriage that forced the cancellation of the event altogether.

Earlier this month, Cedar Point asked couples to apply to be included in a Friday, Sept. 13 wedding ceremony to kick off the opening of the park's popular HalloWeekends event. Thirteen couples would be selected to get married (by a zombie officiant) at the park.

Kenimond, a roller-coaster fanatic, saw the announcement – and immediately asked to be considered, along with fiance Morrison.

“We’re both huge Halloween fans. We’re both huge Cedar Point fans. We thought this would be the perfect thing,” said Morrison.

Cedar Point quickly turned them down, however, because same-sex marriage isn’t legal in Ohio.

Morrison and Kenimond then turned to the Internet to try to persuade Cedar Point executives to change their minds, lobbying park fans on PointBuzz and other websites to contact the park.

Morrison acknowledges that he and Kenimond, engaged for several months, cannot be married legally in Ohio. But Cedar Point, in its announcement, also invited already married couples to participate in a vow renewal ceremony on the same day.

Eric Morrison, left, and Scott Kenimond, both of Akron, won't be participating in a zombie wedding at Cedar Point's HalloWeekends this year -- and neither will anyone else.

Why not allow same-sex couples to take part in a commitment ceremony at the same time? suggested Morrison. Cedar Point’s response: It canceled the event.

“When the promotion logistics started to take on political undertones, as indicated by several guests who gave us feedback, it was decided that now is not the best time for this event,” said park spokesman Bryan Edwards in a statement released early this week.

Earlier in the month, Cedar Point's director of communications, Tony Clark, addressed the issue on PointBuzz, a website devoted to Cedar Point fans.

“We cannot legally have weddings here unless they are male/female couples,” he wrote. “It’s currently the law in Ohio, and we aren’t going to deviate from that. It’s their law, not ours. If it were legal in Ohio, of course we’d allow same-sex submissions. Nobody here is trying to discriminate against anyone or any guest. This is an issue that needs to be taken up with government, not Cedar Point.”

But Kenimond said he’s not asking Cedar Point to condone gay marriage.

“It’s not about taking a stand on gay marriage, it’s about including everybody,” he said. “People and companies need to be a little bit more fair in today’s society.”

Morrison, meanwhile, is still hoping Cedar Point officials might change their minds.

“It’s not Friday the 13th yet. It’s not too late for them to say, ‘We were wrong, we should have let you enter,’” said Morrison, who said he and Kenimond have been to Cedar Point 14 times already this year.

“I love Cedar Point. I wish them no harm. But I think this issue is very unfortunate for them.”

Many of the park’s employees and visitors are members of the gay community, said Morrison. “It’s really important that they’re unwilling to take a stand on this issue.”

If Cedar Point won’t reconsider, Morrison said he and Kenimond may choose to host their ceremony at another amusement park -- possibly Disneyland.