originally posted on 10/28/2024
Photo: Miranda Winward. View full-sized image.
Mother Nature smiled down on Salem, New Hampshire, on Saturday, October 5, for ACE New England’s Festival of Screeems at Canobie Lake Park. Mild temperatures and mostly sunny skies made for an outstanding day and night.
Competition between parks at this “frightening” time of the year can cause some difficult decision-making on the part of ACE members. While a very PPPopular event in central Pennsylvania was happening on the same day, 73 attendees and their guests chose Festival of Screeems. Hailing from five of the six New England States plus New Jersey, Maryland and Canada, ACEers were in for a fright of a time!
Upon entering the park, attendees enjoyed ERT on Untamed and Yankee Cannonball (pictured).
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
At check-in, attendees received their event materials: admission ticket, wristband, ScreeemExpress pass and door prize ticket. At 2:45 p.m., all were let into the park to enjoy an hour of ERT on Untamed and ACE Roller Coaster Landmark Yankee Cannonball.
The park opened to the public at 4 p.m., at which time ACEers and their guests were invited into the Dancehall Theater for salad, pizza, cookies and soft drinks; a Q&A session with park staff; and drawings for door prizes.
Former regional representative Rus Ozana (who retired at the end of 2023 and is now an assistant regional representative) reintroduced Regional Representative Karen April to the crowd. April welcomed all to the event and was surprised by the hands raised when asked who was visiting Canobie Lake Park for the first time. Even more hands were raised when asked who was attending their first ACE event (six of the attendees were new to ACE since July). New members received regional ACE pins to welcome them to the region.
April turned the microphone over to Canobie’s brand manager, Chris Nicoli, who extolled the virtues of the new haunt for this season, the new “Time Winder” (a Zamperla NebulaZ) with its steampunk theming, and the park’s good fortune of having full staffing in 2024.
Numerous door prizes were donated by both Canobie Lake Park and Ozana. Those holding the “final four” tickets drawn were treated to a visit to the gift shop to choose from the abundance of goodies being offered.
In addition to providing entrance to the Dancehall Theater for lunch and the Q&A, following lunch Canobie also provided admission to a private, lights-on tour of the two Canobie haunted houses: Pinecrest Sanitarium and the new-for-2024 Carnivus 2. The interior of the original was totally gutted and renovated from foundation to ceiling, with some areas now being 20 feet high.
Throughout the day, ACEers spent time with Canobie rides old and new, from Yankee Cannonball to the new-for-2024 Time Winder — a Zamperla NebulaZ.
Photos: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
After the tour, attendees were free to enjoy the park at their leisure. The beautiful weather brought early crowds, but there was plenty to see and do between rides and Canobie’s ScreeemFest shows.
The inclusion of Screeem Express passes gave attendees front-of-the-line access to all five haunts, the two indoor houses and the two sequential haunts — The Breach and Facility 235 (one line, both haunts) — and Cargo, a stand-alone haunt.
Thanks were extended to Nicoli, Marketing/Entertainment Manager Miranda Winward and the entire Canobie ScreeemFest staff for the courtesies extended to ACE New England.
— Rus Ozana, ACE New England Assistant Regional Representative
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