originally posted on 7/8/2022 1:37:00 AM
Photo: Jill Ryan. View full-sized image.
On June 4, 2022, 195 ACE members and friends from 24 states came together at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia) to take part in the largest ACE Dives event in ACE Mid-Atlantic history! Attendees started off the day with ERT on Apollo’s
Chariot, Bolliger & Mabillard’s original hypercoaster. Owing to a delayed opening of Busch Garden’s newest roller coaster, Pantheon, attendees were gifted an hour of ERT on Tempesto, the nearby Premier Rides triple-launch coaster, as
well as the other flat rides in the area. ACEers were then allowed first rides on Pantheon as it became operational just before the park opened to the public.
Tempesto.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
Pantheon.
Photo: Jay Jacobs. View full-sized image.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
Immediately following ERT, members competed head-to-head at the “Whack-a-Hun” (Whack-a-Mole) game. The winner of the adult bracket was Jennifer Bock, and the winner of the junior division was Tommy Corack. Attendees then had some time to explore the park
before they met back for lunch in the Black Forest picnic area.
Ricky Cooper (center) holds up the hands of winners Jennifer Bock and Tommy Corack.
Photos: Jill Ryan. View full-sized image.
Park President Kevin Lembke addresses the crowd.
View full-sized image.
During a fried chicken and BBQ pulled pork lunch, members got to ask Park President Kevin Lembke about all things Busch Gardens Williamsburg. During this time, door prize winners were also periodically picked from a hat. A live auction followed the Q&A
— raising a total of $255. Lunch concluded with the group photo.
Loch Ness Monster.
Photo: Jay Jacobs. View full-sized image.
A pride ride was taken on Nessie.
Photo: Matthew Lambert. View full-sized image.
This year at ACE Dives, there were multiple Connected by Coasters peer group meetups and chances for members to connect and foster new and old friendships — a new member meetup at the France Train Station, an American Log Flume Enthusiast (ALFE) meetup
at Le Scoot, a pride ride on Loch Ness Monster, a youth ride on Verbolten as well as the informal takeover times (ITOTs) on Verbolten and Grover’s Alpine Express. Attendees were encouraged to go to any of these meetups
in hopes of building connections through coasters as they talked in line and rode together as members and as friends.
The night ended with ERT on the marquee ride, Griffon, the “dive” in ACE Dives. During ERT, some of the women of ACE took over almost all 30 seats for a women’s-only ride. Other members, exhausted from all of the day’s activities, sat and talked
about upcoming plans, such as the next day’s informal meetup at Kings Dominion (Doswell, Virginia), Coaster Con and life in general.
Griffon.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
Attendees were grateful to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and its staff for being so kind and gracious and to all of the volunteers who helped put on a spectacular event.
ACE Mid-Atlantic had a full weekend in store for members. In addition to ACE Dives, there were two informal events— ACE Drives at Go-Karts Plus in Williamsburg on Friday and an informal meetup at Kings Dominion on Sunday.
At ACE Drives, members were treated to a free ride on Python Pit coaster and 50 percent off two-hour, all-you-can-ride wristbands, which included unlimited rides on Super Indy Track, Figure-8 Track, Euro Track and Rookie Track Go-Karts as well
as the DISK'O, Python Pit kiddie coaster, Blaster Boat, Bumper Cars and Gold Rush Golf.
The ACE Mid-Atlantic team hopes that everyone had a great time.
— Madi Partington
#ACENews