mrzero

Been meaning to buy it from his site since he first posted the photo. I was there that night. Just let us know the specifics.

Always killing the Nevada park's castle. I'm traveling 3000 miles from Pa. the first week in Dec. just to go to the Nevada park and while I realize the castle in Wisconsin is larger in scale I'll be thrilled to hike the whole way down Main Street and see the 'Nevada castle'.

My mother-in-law wanted to go to a baby shower in Erie, Pa. on Sat. May 8th but since she is disabled from a stroke in 2001 she depends on others to get her around. Since I am a selfless soul I volunteered to drive 5+ hours so she could attend said baby shower. But hey, isn't there an amusement park in the area with a highly regarded roller coaster on the premises? Well that should give me something to do in the interim. Arrived at the park to traffic lights being out and wind driving the rain across the roadway. By the time I parked the rain had pretty much stopped for the day but that wind had staying power. Speaking of power the park had none from the time I arrived just before 1 pm until about 45 minutes later. I got about 10 rides on the Ravine Flyer II which of course was the reason for visiting the park. I actually wanted to try some flats but didn't relish the idea of riding the Tilt-a-Whirl by myself. I don't mean just alone in my car, I mean no one else on the ride. Or any ride. Pretty much people rode RFII. Saw two groups of 3 teens each whom I believe were locals, the rest appeared to be people who made the trek as coaster _________s. Use any description you like. As someone who loves Knoebels I will be looking for an excuse to get back to Waldameer. When I was in my 20's I would've frowned upon parks like these, poo-pooing the somewhat local Williams Grove in favor of Hersheypark but I now appreciate the value these parks have. I even took a detour off the interstate on Sunday just to drive over to Conneaut Lake to lament it's present state. Support these smaller parks while you can, they offer a better family experience than most larger parks could even dream of. Yeah, I'm at the right place. Get used to the crowds, I had to. Never been on a ride of this nature and I still haven't been. It never opened. Got one ride, wanted another but it was a really long walk. Oh wait, nothing is a long walk in this park. I really enjoyed this little wood coaster. What a great first coaster it would be for the youth of America. As a fourth grader I busted a front tooth when my brother slid into me on this ride and my mouth met the side. As someone in my mid 20's reaching out to touch a friends hand in a passing car we caught our arms so hard mine whipped back so hard I've had arthritis ever since. This is my ride of death...it's been awhile since we've danced together. There were more statues in the park of patrons than there were patrons. Honestly I don't believe there were more than 30 people in the park. Come out, come out, where ever you are! This is about 4 in the afternoon. The park was going to be open till 8 but shut down at 5. I was impressed they stayed open that long. I've read reports of bigger parks packing it in earlier than that with low crowds. I would've been interested in this ride but no power when I took this photo and never got back there again. Take notice of the flags on top of the lift hill, awfully stiff. Just brutal winds once you cleared the trees to the left of the lift hill. Lake Erie was a bit choppy. On my second ride which was my first in the back seat I was admiring the lake when I practically got ripped out of my seat as the rear of the train got pulled over the hill. This was the next to last ride of the day. Trains didn't go out much fuller than this all day. Got off, walked around, got back on. Oddly they only ran one train all day. I was so hoping they would send us out like this but about 3 more folks showed up. I got the wristband which has a SKU that you scan at each ride. Here is where you can get the new Wally cards that can be reloaded with points ($1 a point) that you also scan at each ride. Each ride has a point value that will be deducted from your card. If you buy certain benchmark amounts when you reload they give you bonus points. Like 100 points bought at once gives you 115 total. I don't know if this will be faster at each ride or not but missing the fumbling for tickets like I'm sure you did previously must be helpful. The parking lot when I got back about 4:15 after picking up my mother-in-law, dropping her off at the hotel and racing back to brave the crowds. Wearing shoes and shirts was not a tough decision for me this day. I chose layers of clothing. Stopped at a TA truck stop where the sign hanging on the Buckhorn restaurant stated that 'it's not homestyle if you can't have seconds'. So if I wanted another sandwich after this two pattie, 14 ounce beast I could've gotten one, no charge. But you couldn't take any of your seconds with you, had to be eaten there.

At 10 am we parked next to the stadium. By 1:30 pm when my nephew picked me up outside Chocolate World so I could give him his tickets we drove back around to the parking lot. Picture the furtherest corner away from the park entrance, by the traffic light at the Giant Center. We were about 12 spots in from there!

Yeah, the fabulous Harley Davidson picnic with free ice cream included is what got me there Sat.. Not sure if I would have braved attending based on the early part of the day being cold and wet but it appears many others who weren't with Harley had no problem showing up.

We visited Hersheypark this past Sat. for my wife's company picnic which also was Springtime In The Park. Past years the picnic was held the week previous to this thus the whole park was 'ours'. When that was the case all rides were open with the exception of water rides which may have opened if the weather warranted it. I know for a fact one year they opened Canyon River Rapids (R.I.P.) on a warm April day. Sat. was not a warm April day. My goal was not so much riding as helping the total of 13 family members that attended have a good time. Some had never been to the park before and I wanted them to enjoy it. Free parking, free admission and free catering always increases the chances for a pleasant day. Of course this is family I was spending the day with and you never know what bomb will be dropped to liven things up. Before we get to the pictures please let me apologize as this is my first trip report and I foolishly neglected to include food during my photography. That alone may have the site administrators deleting this post. Shame on me! No, thank you. And thank you for looking. Keith The whole motley crew. That's me on your right, with one of those pocketed vests which makes you look like you're going on safari. The man who made all this possible, and one sweet chocolate bar I might add. Honestly, is it to much for you folks in the foreground to know that I don't want you in the picture and just part like the Red Sea? Not as nice as Great Adventures but it's o.k.. YES I'm kidding! Geesh! My nephew and his son, my great nephew who until this day had only ever been on Knoebels High Speed Thrill Coaster (again, R.I.P.). They didn't really let any of us know because he didn't want to be kidded in case he backed out. His first coaster was Sidewinder then in no particular order Wildcat, Lightning Racer, Great Bear and Sooperdooperlooper. I'd say he appears to have conquered his fears. This photo getting off the Great Bear. Monorails. Simple and enjoyable. Just good, clean fun. The colorful Falcon. While it's a shame they took out the rapids these two attractions should help with capacity at the waterpark. I so wanted to be the first on my block to show photos of the new wave pool and lazy river being installed. Ferris wheel gives a nice look back over The Boardwalk. Not that I took the time to ride and give you a picture but take my word for it. Great Bear. I know some people knock it but I enjoy it. Love the way they fit it into it's space. Remember when this was a thrill ride to us? Watching the Comet while people rode Sooperdooperlooper. I'm 47 years old but I can remember a time when I had to work up to getting this far through the loop with my eyes open. Nerdy shot of footers or did I miss the train go by? You decide. My group in the rear again. I suggested the Sooperdooperlooper for a shorter wait. The younger kids loved it. Long lines at the Comet as usual, we passed. IF only I wasn't getting free food today. Hershey joining the cutting edge technology age. My family members in the last two cars. Sidewinder. When my brother first rode this last year we walked right on after getting off Storm Runner. He never knew it went backwards till we started that reverse fall. Several Fahrenheit pics even though it was closed today. Some 'sweet' curves. Really, that's just a whole mess of twisted track. It's actually hard to follow from this view. Later in the day when the weather improved greatly. From the entrance to the catering area. Along the top of the trees a not so good shot of the old museum/even older ballroom attached to the Arena. Made sure I got to the arena recently for a high school basketball game since I feel that facility's time left on this earth is very limited (i.e. park expansion). Looking back to Chocolate World. I didn't ride the 'singing cows' attraction today but I do enjoy it. Lighthouse outside the entrance where the swimming pool used to be. Poor attempt to take a photo of some guys Kisses balloon while we waited out the rain at Chocolate World.

Hope you had a good time at 'our' fair. I live in York and attended the fair 5 times this year. Really, for me, it's all about the food. Supporting the locals fundraising efforts, I had a York Little Theater steak sandwich and a York Jaycees baked potato, all five visits. Never even considered a ride, just can't warm up to those prices. When the Power Surge costs you $5 a pop and I can ride it at Knoebels for about $1.40, that's a tough $3.60 to give away. Of course, the food I previously mentioned was WAY overpriced but it is for fundraising so I can justify it.