originally posted on 1/13/2023
Photo: Jeffrey Eisenberg. View full-sized image.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022, 71 ACE members and guests arrived at Dutch Wonderland (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) to enjoy the first-ever Mayhem at Dutch Wonderland.
Attendees checked in at the park’s main entrance and were greeted by Director of Marketing Jeffrey Eisenberg. Registered attendees were provided a specially designed ACE Eastern Pennsylvania lanyard that features the region’s event logos.
Photo: Jessica Knouse. View full-sized image.
The day kicked off with an hour of ERT on Kingdom Coaster and Merlin’s Mayhem. Both coasters were running wonderfully, and attendees enjoyed multiple rides, thanks to the quick and fun operational teams.
Merlin’s Mayhem. View full-sized image.
Kingdom Coaster. Photos: Jessica Knouse. View full-sized image.
The morning also brought a few scattered showers, causing a very memorable informal takeover time (ITOT) on Joust. The rain and heavier-than-normal train brought it to a halt at the top of the first hill. Dutch Wonderland’s maintenance team was quick to resolve the issue, and the ITOT continued as normal. Other ITOTs were scheduled throughout the day on rides such as the Bumper Cars and Wonderland Special Train Ride. Unfortunately, heavier rain after lunch caused the other two ITOTs on Double Splash Flume and photo ITOT at the giant pretzel to be canceled.
Photo: Kathy Wagner. View full-sized image.
Photo: Jessica Knouse. View full-sized image.
The group photo was rained out. Photo: Mike Matscherz. View full-sized image.
Lunch was served at noon in the Mill Stream Catering area. The park’s catering department treated attendees to an amazing meal that included a mac ‘n cheese bar with crumbled sausage, bacon and pulled pork; corn dog nuggets; sides; and root beer or orange soda floats. The smoked, slow-cooked pulled pork was especially delicious! Eisenberg and James Paulding, Dutch Wonderland’s general manager, welcomed attendees to the park and spoke about the park’s history, entertained a few thoughtfully crafted questions from the crowd and tested the attendees’ knowledge of the park’s history. Winners were able to choose from a large variety of used parts from Kingdom Coaster. Announcements and recognition were made, which included a special welcome to the 16 attendees who were attending their very first ACE event. The park also gave all of the attendees a Duke the Dragon pin, magnet, wristband and luggage tag.
Jeffrey Eisenberg. Photos: Janine Matscherz. View full-sized image.
Ride Operations Manager Jeff Adams. View full-sized image.
Janine Matscherz, James Paulding and Mike Matscherz discuss coaster parts. Photo: John Salzberg. View full-sized image.
After lunch, Eisenberg led attendees on a personalized photo walkback of Kingdom Coaster and a behind-the-scenes tour of Merlin’s Mayhem’s control room. Luckily, everyone was able to complete the tours before it started to rain again. Many of the attendees chose to leave the park, but a few stuck out the rain, and the sun started to peek out in the mid-afternoon.
A walkback of Kingdom Coaster was a fun perk. Photos: Jessica Knouse. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Attendees enjoyed a look inside the control room of Merlin’s Mayhem. Photo: Jessica Knouse. View full-sized image.
The ACE Eastern Pennsylvania regional rep team offered a huge thank you to Eisenberg, Paulding and the operations teams at Dutch Wonderland for going above and beyond in welcoming attendees. Everything from the ERT to the lunch and giveaways made the event truly magical!
— Mike Matscherz, ACE Eastern Pennsylvania Regional Representative
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