Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread

[Philrad71]

^Love that entrance....very cool!

[PennStater]

Just wait until you see inside!!

[DarienLaker]

^ What, does th inside of that "cave" have like spider webs everwhere?

[Myself]

Sort of, but if you're a fan of classic dark rides (especially Bill Tracy designs) the inside is quite the sight to see.

[molemaster43]

The spider does make this look MUCH better. It looked cool before, but now it looks great. A nice little addition to top off the ride!

[skyrocket010]

That's going to be great for Fright Night. I can see the park hiding a cpl actors inside. I just worry that ppl with a phobia of spiders won't want to walk thru it.

[Rai Fox]

Lance at Screamscape posted that there was a notice that the Whip's last day is September 9th, but he hadn't seen the message himself. I just checked the sight, and this is in a yellow banner at the top of the screen.

 

"Kennywood is open Saturdays and Sundays through 9/16. The Volcano, Raging Rapids and Arcade are closed today. Last day for the Whip is Sept 9. See EVENTS page for Sept 16 BOGO coupon. Limited time offer."

 

Anyone know if they mean simply the last day for the season...or is this great classic ride leaving us, the oldest in the park, leaving us for good? There are other whips at other parks not too far away; I know Knoebels, Hershey, and Dorney all have them, but it would still be a shape to lose Kennywood's.

[A.J.]

I would say that Whip's just closed for the season early - if they were to remove it I'm sure they would have given a lot more notice and said, "Get your last rides in on the Whip before it closes forever!" or something.

[Myself]

Really, Screamscape?

 

Each year, the Whip closes early for Phantom Fright Nights. Lost Kennywood, where the ride is located, becomes Gory Park, which is supposed to be a run-down, almost "ghetto" carnival-esque park. A big wall goes up around the Whip, which is covered in graffiti (with a few in-jokes about park staff and a few previous rides). The wall will go up at some point during the week, so the Whip won't be open next weekend.

[Rai Fox]

Phew...I'm glad to hear that.

 

I really need to get to Kennywood during the Halloween season someyear very soon. It's one of my favorite parks, and Phantom Fright Nights looks amazing. So many parks, so little time...

[eddie200330]

To back up what Myself ^^ said, this was on my facebook today......

 

Let's clear something up really quick. Screamscape posted that the Whip is closing. This is NOT true. The Whip's last day for the season was yesterday, in preparation for Phantom Fright Nights. The ride is NOT being removed.

[Myself]

^That was our Facebook page. But the park did have an official response when someone asked about it on their official page:

 

The Whip is NOT being removed. It closed for Phantom Fright Nights setup, just like it does every year around this time. The Whip will definitely be back next summer!

[cal1br3tto]

I kinda suspected that, but I definitely had a bit of a scare last night! In fact, my immediate response was unprintable (began with the letter 'F'). This isn't really saying much, but it's one of the better Whips out there (somewhere in the middle ground between the violent Rye Whip and the pathetic Hershey Whip). At any rate, I'd be saddened to lose one.

 

Really, Screamscape?

[molemaster43]

I kinda suspected that, but I definitely had a bit of a scare last night! In fact, my immediate response was unprintable (began with the letter 'F'). This isn't really saying much, but it's one of the better Whips out there (somewhere in the middle ground between the violent Rye Whip and the pathetic Hershey Whip). At any rate, I'd be saddened to lose one.

 

Really, Screamscape?

 

^This

 

At first I was like, are you freaking kidding me? Thank God that it wasn't a removal. At first I thought it was a removal, then I thought maybe rehab, then this. So, phew.

[OISU8P]

According to the Screamscape news today he figured it all out for us.

 

Park News - (9/11/12) I’ve cleared up the whole Kennywood / Whip closing rumor mess today. Bottom line… The Whip is not leaving the park. The message posted on the park’s website however was worded very poorly however, as part of a crowded status update on 9/16 it mentioned that “The Volcano, Raging Rapids and Arcade are closed today. Last day for the Whip is Sept. 9.”

Sure sounded like they were closing it for good, doesn’t it? Turns out that the Whip is simply being closed for the remainder of the season, as one of several rides that are shut down during the fall Phantom Fright Nights event. On a side note… there have been a few people claiming that the Whip may be moved to a new location for 2013, to be enclosed in an all new structure, possibly to make room for something else on the way in 2013. Time will tell…

 

http://screamscape.com/html/kennywood.htm

[PhantomNick]

Well, thank heavens for Screamscape clearing all that up!! Here's a crazy thought - why not do that same fact checking before posting it in the first place!

 

On a side note, I guess I can take down the "Save the Whip" Facebook page I started when this "breaking news" hit yesterday......

[PennStater]

I wouldn't ever believe something Screamscape posts about Kennywood for certain without checking with me or Myself first. Oh yeah, and the Whip won't be moving, either. We're pretty sure that just originated as someones "thought" posted by a KPConnection member for a possible change the park could make.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Kennywood-Park-starts-selling-beer/-/10927008/15603254/-/bg2okwz/-/index.html?absolute=true

 

Kennywood Park is ending its summer season with a new item on the menu: beer.

 

After months of debate and political negotiations, the amusement park began selling alcohol for the first time last weekend, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

 

Earlier, Kennywood agreed to limit beer sales to satisfy state Sen. Jim Ferlo, who planned to fight the park's application with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to transfer a liquor license from a closed McKeesport restaurant.

 

Some of the key conditions are limiting sales to two beers per person, using an electronic scanning device to check IDs, and limiting sales to a "beer garden" area near the lagoon. Employees also went through the PLCB's alcohol management program.

 

The cost is $7 for a 16-ounce cup. The beer garden opens at 1 p.m. and closes no later than two hours before the park closes for the night.

 

Sunday is Kennywood's last day of the season. The park will reopen in the fall for Phantom Fright Nights but will not sell beer then.

[larrygator]

I was amused watching a marathon of Shipping Wars the other night and one shipper was tasked with delivering the spider from New Jersey.

Edited October 13, 2012 by larrygator

[eddie200330]

I was amused watching a marathon of Shipping Wars the other night and one shipper was tasked with delivering the spider from New Jersey.

 

It wasn't as amusing as the poor girl trying to haul the mini ferris wheel though!!!

[disneyfan1313]

The whole beer thing is really bizarre - is the Pittsburg area really that conservative when it comes to issues like that? Most major parks sell beer without any issues so I am surprised that they are making it seem like such a big one there!

[cfc]

^People will get their noses out of joint over all sorts of stupid stuff. I remember when Hooters was planning to come to Modesto, Calif., and the local bluenoses threw a fit about how the chain didn't "meet community standards."

 

"Standards"? "Modesto"? Now there are two words that don't go together in a sentence.

 

It is pretty strange to think that a town that built itself on hard work and the steel industry would have issues with an amusement park serving beer.

[kidcoaster 2]

The whole beer thing is really bizarre - is the Pittsburg area really that conservative when it comes to issues like that? Most major parks sell beer without any issues so I am surprised that they are making it seem like such a big one there!

 

Pittsburgh is one of my favorite places to drink. There is so many great places to visit especially the south side so I find it very odd they have been getting the uproar as they have... but than again it's already been pointed out that people always needs to find something whine about.

[simon8899]

Only 2 half liters for a whole day - MEH!!!

[Meteornotes]

The whole beer thing is really bizarre - is the Pittsburg area really that conservative when it comes to issues like that? Most major parks sell beer without any issues so I am surprised that they are making it seem like such a big one there!

 

PA seriously has some of the most backwards and outdated liquor laws in the US. It's also a much more conservative state than many people know, unless they've lived there. I'm not surprised at all they have such a dumb system in place in the park.

 

As someone that grew up in PA, this quote from a book I read recently pretty much sums it up: Pennsylvania - Philadelphia on one side, Pittsburg on the other, and Kentucky in between.

 

dt