originally posted on 8/17/2019
Photo: Garrett Sauers. View full-sized image.
Will it or won’t it be open? The KennyKon event web page promised the usual fun of ride anniversaries, the two I’s: Ice Cream for Breakfast and informal takeover times (ITOTS), morning and evening ERTs and great food and fun with friends, but it couldn’t promise that The Steel Curtain, the spectacular new Steelers-themed coaster, would be ready to open, not to mention whether there would be ERT. It did and there was – and unlike recent past years, there was no rain in the forecast!
The 30th anniversary of ACE Western Pennsylvania’s flagship event drew 388 eager attendees from 23 U.S. states and Canadian provinces to Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on a hot and humid July 20 for what promised to be an extraordinary day. After checking in, slurping down some ice cream before it melted (benefitting Give Kids The World) and picking up preordered KennyKon XXX commemorative T-shirts and scavenger hunt forms (the goal: find the 30 numbered KennyKon XXX logos hidden in the park), attendees made a beeline for ERT on The Steel Curtain, the new S&S Worldwide (multi) record-setting coaster that is the focus of Steelers Country, a new section of the park themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers National Football League team (see ACE News, July 27). The Steel Curtain did not disappoint, as was evident from the happy faces of exiting riders. These same riders were also happy to see the large water containers Kennywood had placed at the bottom of the exit ramp. It was already hot! For those wanting a classic ride experience, the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark Racer was also available for morning ERT.
Photo: Bill Linkenheimer III. View full-sized image.
After a morning ITOT on the Reverchon spinning coaster, The Exterminator (celebrating 20 years), ACEers gathered at the Kennyville stage for a mysterious special presentation. A surprised General Manager Jerome Gibas smiled broadly when Regional Representative Bill Linkenheimer III presented him with the region’s first Industry Appreciation Award for his many years of behind-the-scenes support of the ACE Western Pennsylvania region. Thanks for everything, Jerome! Oh, and if the morning hadn’t been busy enough, Joel Brewton and Ken Riling also got married on Kennywood’s classic Dentzel Merry-Go-Round! Congratulations!
Photo: Aaron Maricic. View full-sized image.
Afternoon ITOTs followed: on Journey with Thomas (the train); Sky Rocket, the Premier Rides launch coaster that had recently reopened; Garfield’s Nightmare (celebrating 15 years); Gran Prix (bumper cars); Bayern Kurve, a favorite flat ride; and the one-of-a-kind Kangaroo, a “flying coaster” (45 years!).
Because of the large attendance, dinner had to be split into two sessions, one beginning at 5 and the other at 6. Attendees enjoyed a meal of chicken tenders, smoked beef brisket, pasta along with side dishes and watermelon for dessert, plus unlimited soft drinks. Linkenheimer welcomed everyone and recognized and thanked all the ACE volunteers and his regional rep team. He also thanked Kennywood representatives Meaghan Collins, Nick Paradise and Marie Ruby for their contributions toward making KennyKon such a special event.
Paradise presented ACEer Roseanne Nyczaj with The Golden Kenny award for enthusiasm for and support of Kennywood and ACE Western Pennsylvania, as originally announced at CoasterBash! in March. With a surprise three-way tie for the scavenger hunt contest (no one found all 30 logos), David Rager, Kim Simone and family, and Jim Augustine and Sue Macumber received their prize: front-of-the-line passes for The Steel Curtain!
Photo: Bill Linkenheimer III. View full-sized image.
After being introduced, Gibas thanked everyone for coming and acknowledged the expertise ACEers possess about roller coasters. He also recalled that he was a Thunderbolt ride operator in 1980 for Coaster Con III!
Kennywood’s beloved flume, Log Jammer, was the ride that had to be removed to build The Steel Curtain, and many still regret its loss. After the second dinner session, there was a live auction of a Log Jammer boat. Linkenheimer explained the auction rules and remarked that the log boat was “extremely heavy” and that whoever won was responsible for removing it from the park. Then he listened in amazement as the bidding war escalated into the thousands. The winner was Ken Riling, the winning bid $5,600. Added to the $391 raised at Ice Cream for Breakfast, the combined total raised for Give Kids The World and the ACE Preservation Fund was $5,991.
Evening ITOTs were scheduled on the ACE Coaster Classic and ACE Roller Coaster Landmark Jack Rabbit (which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020), Merry-Go-Round, Wave Swinger (celebrating 35 years) and Turtle (a Traver Tumble Bug). Although no ITOTs were scheduled on the other Landmark Coaster, Thunderbolt, it’s safe to say that most attendees found time to ride it, too. The Steel Curtain was down for part of the afternoon and evening, but there were plenty of other rides to fill in.
Photo: Bill Linkenheimer III. View full-sized image.
By the time the park closed at 10, it had cooled down a bit, and the hour of ERT on the Arrow/Morgan hypercoaster, The Phantom’s Revenge, with its 85-mph top speed, was guaranteed to provide even more relief – not to mention major fun. Night rides on the The Phantom are beyond description. As attendees exited the park through Kennywood’s iconic tunnel (celebrating 120 years!), the brightly illuminated “goodnight” heart sent them on their way with happy memories of an awesome day. Thanks to Kennywood and all the volunteers for another memorable KennyKon.
— Lee Ann Draud
ACE Publications Director
@#$%&!
#ACENews