Blogs

originally posted on 2/17/2025

Photo: Jill Ryan. View full-sized image.

ACE Roller Coaster Landmark Plaques Explained

Many members have been to parks and seen plaques outside of historic roller coasters loaded with facts and figures about the ride they’re about to conquer. Those plaques come from the ACE History Committee. Every year members provide suggestions for what rides should be next to be given the honor of an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark plaque. These ideas are debated by the History Committee and then sent to the Executive Committee for a vote. ACE works with the park and Events Committee to set up presenting the plaque and holding a small ceremony. Each of those plaques is designed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and cast in Cleveland, Ohio, before being delivered to the recipient park.

While spending time in amusement parks, it’s likely one will encounter an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark plaque, such as this one for Comet at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.

Plaques are presented at planned ceremonies, such as this one for Thunderhawk at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.

Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.

In 2024, the History Committee was responsible for selecting three ACE Roller Coaster Landmark plaques. During Summerfest, Pleasure Beach Resort (Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom) received two of ACE’s distinguished honors. The first went to Grand National, a 1935 Charles Paige mobius coaster, and the second went to the 1923 Big Dipper designed by John Miller. The third plaque was presented during the 2024 Preservation Conference at Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa, to Tornado. Designed by William Cobb and built in 1978, Tornado was the first roller coaster to be built in Iowa in 30 years. It marked 53 roller coasters having been honored as ACE Coaster Landmarks, with more to come in 2025.

Grand National and Big Dipper at Pleasure Beach Resort and Adventureland’s Tornado were three recipients of ACE Roller Coaster Landmark designations in 2024.
Photo: Robert Nagy. View full-sized image.

Photo: Jim McDonnell. View full-sized image.

Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.

ACE’s Recent Preservation Efforts

Promoting the continued operation and conservation of roller coasters is pivotal to ACE’s mission. When a park or roller coaster is in need of promotion or funding, the Preservation Committee steps in to assist. The newly expanded Preservation Committee now consists of 10 members from across the United States with a vast knowledge of roller coasters. Our members, however, are the organization’s greatest asset. For example, three of the four projects the Preservation Committee completed came from member suggestions and connections.

In 2024, ACE allocated $20,000 for maintenance work on Camden Park’s Big Dipper.
Photo: Chris Tilsley. View full-sized image.

Photo: Chris Tilsley. View full-sized image.

A park may also reach out to ACE about a grant for its project. In 2024, this happened with Camden Park (Huntington, West Virginia), which was performing some needed maintenance on its 1958 National Amusement Device Company Big Dipper. Working with the park on what was required, the team discussed how much ACE could contribute from its preservation funds and then went to the Executive Committee for approval. In the end, ACE decided to allocate Camden Park $20,000 toward its work.

Proving no preservation requirement is too small, Kiddie Park’s Little Fire Ball received new sprockets that enabled its continued operation.

Other projects assisted by ACE included $20,000 to Kirby Family Farm in Williston, Florida — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping children from around the county — for the restoration of its Flitzer, a $2,500 sponsorship to Playland Fresno (California) for welding work on its Dragon Coaster and $600 to Kiddie Park (Bartlesville, Oklahoma) for sprockets on its Little Fire Ball. Altogether, the Preservation Committee gave $43,100 in grants to parks for their projects. If you have any needs in your region, please reach out to joshbrown@aceonline.org with your ideas.

— Josh Brown, Preservation Director

#ACENews