originally posted on 8/18/2025
All photos: Elizabeth Ringas. View full-sized image.
What could be a more classic coaster experience than views of the ocean from a coaster? ACE Mid-Atlantic welcomed 21 members to two days of seaside fun on July 19 and 20.
Two parks in one day created an incredible first day. Jolly Roger’s two parks in Ocean City, Maryland, treated attendees to many unique experiences and classic rides — an incredible example of preservation. The day started with impending rain that created uncertainty but allowed for plenty of rides at the first stop: Jolly Roger at the Pier.
Jolly Roger at the Pier featured a dark ride, a Pinfari Zyklon Looping Star and many flat rides. A highlight of the authors’ day was Kraken, a modern-day ride simulating the traditional Kangaroo.
When rain finally began, many of the attendees were transitioning between parks.
Iron Horse train at Jolly Roger at 30th Street.
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Jolly Roger at 30th Street offered a fully immersive experience: a train ride, mini golf and four roller coasters, two of which are truly classic rides — a Schwarzkopf Wildcat and Barracuda, a Zierer coaster in its third home.
Attendees savored the pleasures of these two parks on their own. Several hopped over to Trimper’s Rides and Amusements to experience its unique dark ride on the pier and planned to return for an after-dark (and after-rain) experience of their other dark attraction and two roller coasters.
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As the all-you-can-ride wristband ended, all began to congregate under the pavilion tent to enjoy a dinner together, share stories of the day and engage in conversation.
Event organizer and ACE Mid-Atlantic Assistant Regional Rep Bill Galvin welcomed attendees, presented door prizes and shared a bit of history of the park.
As dinner wrapped up, all had plans to experience more from the area and ventured off after a day of shared experiences, stories and fun.
Funland has many classic flat rides for all ages.
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Although on Day One, Oceanfest attendees rode in the sun in Maryland, the agenda for Day Two in Delaware took a welcomed ghastly turn. Just before 10 a.m., it looked like a typical Rehoboth Beach morning for those set to bask in the sun, but attendees were excited for a different experience.
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From the outside, it’s hard to tell that behind Funland’s sturdy concrete walls await five generations of games, smiles and thrills. The curtain would soon be lifted on the signature attraction since 1979: the suspended dark ride, Haunted Mansion.
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Although an official ACE event, formality was replaced with a brand of friendliness only the Fasnacht family can provide. As attendees arrived, they were greeted by management before being whisked away for bonus ERT on Haunted Mansion with complimentary on-ride photos. Attendees included those who grew up on Rehoboth Beach as well as enthusiasts from as far away as Taiwan, plus some of the Mid-Atlantic regional rep team and ACE officers.
Randy Curry gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at all the features of Haunted Mansion.
Ian Curry, one of the fourth generation of family ownership, shared the origins of the ride and how his family wanted a two-story dark ride to serve as the park’s signature attraction. The tour continued into the loading station with a detailed mechanical look at how the ride has become an in-house labor of love with constant upkeep needed to keep the rare suspended ride running to the family’s high standards.
The nearly two-hour tour had the intimacy of a family reunion. Galvin, who had been behind the scenes before, remarked how this was the most informative tour he had been on, as Randy Curry, third-generation operator and head of maintenance, revealed a television season’s worth of history, facts and secrets.
Regional Rep Evangelos Ringas, Randy Curry and Assistant Regional Rep Bill Galvin in front of a questionable truck driver.
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Randy Curry shows off the props in Funland’s skull room.
As the tour crept through the illuminated hallways and rooms, attendees learned the history and purpose behind nearly every effect, gag and jump scare. Curry’s humility was on full display when he admitted how the ride’s truck scene was lifted from Knoebel’s Haunted Mansion, but his pride beamed when he added how Knoebels was, in turn, inspired by Funland’s skull-infested mirror room. While not a Bill Tracy dark ride, Haunted Mansion does feature some Bill Tracy props, which made their way from Pennsylvania. Toward the end of the tour, Curry shared that Benny Hill was the inspiration for the iconic water feature scene of a skeleton relieving himself to douse a fire.
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ACE events cover all things amusement parks, so it is not surprising that the topic of the state of Delaware not having any coasters was raised. Curry must be used to hearing it for he candidly said that they would love to feature a coaster at Funland. Although a manufacturer offered to install one on a roof, Funland is concerned with the nearby ocean and zoning restrictions. For now, the roof does its part by producing solar energy.
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Following the tour, Curry transformed into a ride operator, offering additional ERT. Upon gliding into the platform, riders didn't have to worry that their ERT had expired, for Curry smiled, “Wanna go again?”, with some taking a half-dozen spins. It was clear that the riders’ happiness was his enjoyment.
The amusement ride section wouldn’t open until 1 p.m., yet Funland purposefully staffed Guest Services, and attendees scoured the menagerie of unique Funland items, which was delightful to see for such a small family-owned amusement park. Curry’s unabridged and unedited behind-the-scenes stories left attendees hungry for more, so some purchased Chris Lindsley’s historical tome, Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages.
The festivities continued, as a handful of attendees stayed local to enjoy a coasterly chat for lunch and unlimited afternoon rides, while others sought the sand or drove to nearby Six Flags America to pay their respects.
For more behind-the-scenes secrets, curious enthusiasts should attend future ACE events. For those looking for the skeletons in the closet of Haunted Mansion, be sure to look for an elder statesman opening the shutters and spinning the wheels in the early morning.
— Elizabeth Ringas, ACE President, and Stephen Cravak
#ACENews