originally posted on 5/17/2019
On Sunday, May 12, the 2019 ACE Preservation Conference concluded on a high note. The successful event found first-time visitors to Camden Park (Huntington, West Virginia) discovering the old-school thrills of Big Dipper — or returning members rediscovering all the classic nuances of this venerable machine. An afternoon ceremony captured the support and enthusiasm for Big Dipper as it was officially designated an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark.
In a stroke of good fortune, the expected rain failed to materialize. Occasional drizzle was the most conference attendees had to endure.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
After the posted plaque, positioned between the entrance and exit of Big Dipper, was revealed, ACE Historian Dave Hahner read the official wording to an audience of enthusiasts, park personnel and a member of the local media gathered on Camden Park’s midway.
Camden Park's Jack Boylin and Dev Boylin
Photo: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
Enduring more than six decades, Big Dipper is one of only three National Amusement Device (NAD) roller coasters remaining and operating in North America. One of the other two is Lil’ Dipper, also at Camden Park. Both NAD coasters were enjoyed during the morning’s ERT session.
[Coverage of the 2019 ACE Preservation Conference will be posted May 24.]
— Tim Baldwin
ACE News Editor
Photo: Adam Napotnik. View full-sized image.
PLAQUE TEXT
American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) recognizes Big Dipper at Camden Park as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historic significance.
In 1957, Camden Park owner John P. Boylin (1898-1986) decided that the park’s aging side friction coaster, The New Sensation, later called Roller Coaster, needed to be replaced. Boylin subsequently hired Aurel Vaszin (1885-1979) with the National Amusement Device Company (NAD) of Dayton, Ohio, to build a new wooden coaster for his park.
Vaszin, along with NAD construction supervisor Jerome A. “Eddie” Leis (1898-1973), created a modest-sized wooden roller coaster that would be a perfect fit for the park. Standing at 50 feet tall, Big Dipper features a 35-foot second drop as its largest, a midcourse elevated tunnel and several smaller airtime-producing hills along its 1,800 feet of track. The ride still operates one of two NAD Century Flyer trains that debuted with the coaster in May 1958.
ACE commends Camden Park and the Boylin family for continued operation of Big Dipper, West Virginia’s oldest roller coaster as well as one of the few remaining that was built by the NAD.
Presented by American Coaster Enthusiasts
2019 ACE Preservation Conference
May 12, 2019
@#$%&!
#ACENews