originally posted on 6/2/2023
World Roller Coaster Appreciation Month kicks off a month-long celebration of one important facet of our lives, roller coasters! Whether we love to ride, photograph or write about them, they hold a special place in our hearts, and this month is the perfect time to gather with friends and enjoy them.
This month advances ACE’s mission of preservation and education by bringing attention to what roller coasters bring to our lives. Many regions will hold events or informal meetups, online events with trivia or speakers will occur, our 45th Coaster Con will be held at Dollywood and Carowinds and the second annual world’s largest ride will take place at parks across the country. How will you celebrate? I encourage you to join an event and celebrate your passion for roller coasters. Most of all HAVE FUN and make memories!
Events like this are special to me because they allow enthusiasts to voice our love of coasters and open a conversation about why they are so special! I can’t lie that I love a conversation around roller coasters and seeing others' eyes light up as they remember a ride they took recently or as a child. I feel this is one of the little benefits that we can bring in sharing our passion — being part of when someone slows down and takes in a memory.
Starting these conversations and encouraging others to slow down and remember or dream is one of the reasons that our photographic history display was created. If you are in the Sevierville, Tennessee, area this month, stop by the King Family Library to take a look and watch the visitors take it in. If you would like to bring the display to a library near you, drop an email to pschramm@aceonline.org and he will help arrange it.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on some special memories when you see a photo on your social media feed or in one of your albums — enjoy how it touches all your senses. What smells and sounds accompany your memory? Amusement parks generate such strong memories because they strike all our senses. For me, I can still feel the fear and excitement run through my body as my dad pulls the lap bar down on Thunder Road. I see the Bayern Kurve as I look around from the lift hill and wonder if this will be the year that my friends will ride it with me. I hear the clickity-clack of the lift hill chain. I smell the foods that were such a treat to me as a child. All this evokes so many special memories of other parts of my annual visit to Carowinds like enjoying an ice cream cone with my friends, climbing the hill again and again to ride Carolina Goldrusher or the hilarious picture of my mom holding onto her glasses the first time she rode Hurler. These memories built a foundation in me to do what you love and do it as much as you can!
What stands out in your mind about your memories of roller coaster rides?
— Elizabeth Ringas, ACE President
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