originally posted on 7/16/2021 1:11:12 AM
Photo: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
If Coaster Con 43 weren’t enough to look forward to, how about beginning it with KennyKon XXXII, a pre-Con event at Kennywood? It seemed like a win-win choice to move KennyKon from its usual placement later in the summer to June to lure ACEers to a park not far from those of this all-Pennsylvania Coaster Con. For locals and out-of-towners who had never been to Kennywood, it was an opportunity to ride 2019’s record-breaking The Steel Curtain plus Kennywood’s classic rides and the three ACE Roller Coaster Landmark wooden coasters, Jack Rabbit, Racer and Thunderbolt.
The Steel Curtain.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
Racer.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
On an overcast morning with temperatures in the low 70s, 390 attendees from 28 states lined up at the West Mifflin park on June 19 to check in and greet fellow ACEers, many of whom they had not seen for more than a year. It was a happy crowd that entered the park and headed for a 90-minute ERT on Jack Rabbit and Racer. Jack Rabbit, also an ACE Coaster Classic, turned 100 in 2020 but is officially celebrating that anniversary this year. The final hour of ERT also included The Steel Curtain, which never opened in 2020 and thus was a thrill for the many attendees who had never experienced the black-and-gold, Pittsburgh Steelers-themed coaster with its record-breaking nine inversions.
Photo: Sarah Windisch. View full-sized image.
Jack Rabbit.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
Photo: Dan Brewer. View full-sized image.
KennyKon has many traditions, one of them being the likelihood that at some point in the day it will rain. Shortly before the park opened to the public at 11 a.m., the skies seriously clouded up and a short but intense downpour began, which postponed the group photo and delayed gathering for the informal takeover time (ITOT) on Thunderbolt. This 1968 Andy Vettel redesign of John Miller’s Pippin had undergone extensive trackwork during the winter and offered a powerful, smooth ride.
Etched pieces of Jack Rabbit wood were quite the collectible.
Photo: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
At 1 p.m. attendees gathered for a picnic lunch in Pavilion 5. The menu included chicken fingers, pulled pork, pasta, hot sausage and various sides plus unlimited soft drinks. While eating and socializing, attendees could peruse the silent auction items, which included wood from Thunderbolt, a prop from the old Garfield’s Nightmare and other signs. They could also support Give Kids The World by buying one of 25 blocks of Jack Rabbit wood with the 100th anniversary logo etched in it (the cost of the etching was generously donated by Adam Napotnik), which sold for $25 a piece.
Bill Linkenheimer III and Mark Pauls. View full-sized image.
Photos: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
ACE Western Pennsylvania Regional Rep Bill Linkenheimer III welcomed everyone to KennyKon XXXII and recognized key volunteers and his regional rep team. Kennywood’s general manager, Mark Pauls, added a welcome from the park, after which Linkenheimer announced other upcoming regional events. The auction raised a total of $565 that benefited a combination of the ACE Preservation Fund, the ACE Archives Fund and the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives.
Photo: Bill Linkenheimer. View full-sized image.
A number of KennyKon attendees had never been to Kennywood, so after lunch there was plenty of time to experience this 123-year-old National Historic Landmark amusement park. Rides celebrating significant anniversaries this year included some with big numbers: Old Mill (120 years), Whip (95), Auto Race (90), Noah’s Ark (85), Lil’ Phantom (25), The Phantom’s Revenge (20; adding in Steel Phantom years makes 30) and the youngest, Swing Shot (15).
ITOTs scheduled for the afternoon and evening were for Old Mill, the Premier Rides steel coaster Sky Rocket, the Reverchon indoor spinning mouse The Exterminator, Merry-Go-Round, Noah’s Ark, Whip and Turtle. The welcome surprise at Noah’s Ark was that the shaker boards were operating again after being dormant for a few years.
Photo: Bill Linkenheimer. View full-sized image.
When the park closed at 9 p.m., it wasn’t quite dark enough for true night rides on The Phantom’s Revenge, but rides on this Arrow/Morgan hypercoaster never disappoint. Attendees enjoyed an hour of ERT to close out the end of a fine day and a prelude to more exciting days to come at Coaster Con 43. Attendees were grateful to the ACE Western Pennsylvania regional rep team, the volunteers and Kennywood for their planning and hospitality.
— Lee Ann Draud, ACE Publications Director
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