originally posted on 8/13/2021 1:41:27 AM
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
After a summer of unreasonably hot temperatures and rainy Saturdays, glorious sunshine and true seasonal temperatures greeted 78 ACEers and their four guests on Saturday, July 24, as they checked in at Quassy Amusement Park (Middlebury) for this year’s Two-fer Connecticut. The event was co-hosted by Lake Compounce (Bristol).
Once attendees picked up their badges and admission materials for the two parks, they were directed to a sales table for purchases of the newly minted ACE New England pins and Midway Moola (discounted Lake Compounce currency) and an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a 2022 Lake Compounce Season Pass.
Also available were bright green wristbands that read: “Here we go, rocketing into another fun-filled day of adventure,” a favorite phrase of the late ACE New England member Donna Piper. All proceeds from the sale of the bands are donated to the ACE Preservation Fund. This year’s contribution totaled $32.
The morning began at 8:30 with a continental breakfast, while ERT on Wooden Warrior began at 9 and lasted an hour and 45 minutes. With each train load of guests, two circuits were completed (with a brief double-check of restraints upon returning to the station).
ERT on Wooden Warrior.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Photo: Janice Good. View full-sized image.
ERT was followed by a very quick and easy group photo in the field behind Wooden Warrior. Attendees were then free to enjoy the rest of the park until the picnic lunch at noon. Meal offerings were grilled up on the spot before attendees’ eyes, and the lunch included free beer and wine (for those of proper age). A private catering area made for a great spot to dine and to meet and mingle with both old and new ACE members and friends.
With no scheduled activities at Lake Compounce until the dinner time meal, attendees were able to spend time at Quassy as long as they liked and then make their way to Lake Compounce at their leisure.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
Those who arrived at “The Lake” around 3 p.m. found the nearly one-mile, double-lane road leading to the ticket booths totally jammed with bumper-to-bumper cars. A combination of fantastic weather and the rainy forecast for the next day plus a Christmas in July fundraiser (with 30 Santas and their helpers roaming the park) certainly contributed to the massive crowds in the park (the ride to the ticket booths took over 45 minutes).
The crowds were everywhere but were heaviest in Crocodile Cove, the water park. Still, lines in the amusement park section were lengthy for both rides and food offerings.
It was a wonderful break from the crowds to head to the catering grove, where our buffet picnic began at 5 p.m. There was a change this year to how the buffet was set up, with “premium items” being served only inside our designated pavilion. Unfortunately, not everyone was made aware of this change, and many attendees filled their plates in the general buffet line before reaching our pavilion.
Photo: Rus Ozana collection. View full-sized image.
After dinner, a group photo was taken in front of the pavilion, followed by the awarding of door prizes. The available prizes came from an array of donated items from Quassy Amusement Park, a stack of envelopes containing various amounts of Midway Moola (from $5-$25) and an incredibly generous collection of goodies from Lake Compounce, including fresh-from-the-shipping-carton plush bears! Everyone in attendance received a door prize.
Those newly minted ACE New England pins? The ones offered at the morning sales table were silver toned, but a “limited edition” of gold-toned pins was also ordered. Three of these were awarded to the person who traveled the farthest to attend the event – Dewey Barfield (Atlanta, Georgia); the person who was first to register for the event – Jeremy Delong; and the person who correctly guessed the event attendance – Joe Greco.
The final item on the agenda was the much-anticipated drawing to announce the winner of the 2022 Lake Compounce season pass — Jan Good. Congratulations were given to all the winners.
ERT on Boulder Dash.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
By the time dinner was over, the crowds had thinned considerably in the park, but it was still busy. Anticipation was high for night ERT, which included Boulder Dash, Phobia Phear Coaster, Wild Cat and Kiddie Coaster. Zoomerang had been on the itinerary but had issues during the day and did not operate for ERT. The group gathered at the entrance to Boulder Dash while the queue emptied of members of the general public. Once cleared, most continued into the Boulder Dash queue, and the remainder sought out the other coasters. Like the rides on Wooden Warrior that morning, double rides were also given on Boulder Dash, and the two-train operation kept the queue wait to a minimum. The last half hour of the ERT seemed to include all but a few Phobia Phear Coaster die-hards, as the rest of the group was at Boulder Dash. The animated and enthusiastic ride ops made the waiting fun, and on occasion, they would hop on a train with riders for a circuit or two. And while a cart was set up with snacks during ERT, most attendees were too busy riding to stop for a pretzel.
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
All who attended gave many thanks and kudos to the management, catering cooks and ride operators of Quassy and Lake Compounce for making Two-fer Connecticut an outstanding event.
— Rus Ozana, ACE New England Regional Representative
Photo: Rus Ozana. View full-sized image.
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