Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread

[SharkTums]

I totally get the maintenance nightmare aspect of many of these rides, but especially with a ride that is so historic and helps you claim to be a national historic landmark, figure something out!  Ask for donations, make it an upcharge, have a display that explains why it's special, etc.  There are solutions.  This isn't just some crappy old boomerang or something. People actually care!  Where are the Geauga Lake fanboys with their pick up trucks to save this!?!?

 

Oh and I'm also jumping on the "Knoebels come grab these" bandwagon!

[CenturyFlyer]

They slipped it in on election day, but Pittsburgh Facebook pages are blowing up. Did Parques really lose so much money that they need to do something this drastic? Maybe, just maybe, next season will be better and they will eventually recover costs. But in all honesty, these rides formed the heart and soul of Kennywood. I have a free season pass for next year and have no plans to use it if Conneaut opens.

[WolfBobs]

I'm hoping someone picks up Kangaroo.  It is one of my favorite flats.  It isn't all that mechanically complicated so I imagine it can't be too awfully expensive to keep it going.  This is just lazy budget cuts.  

Fingers crossed Knoebels swoops in and buys it.  It would be perfect there.  But in general if any park buys it and keeps it going I would be happy.  

Kennywood has nosedived in the last few years.  It's a shame really.  My first visit was in 2001 and I fell in love with the park.  I went a few times a summer from Cleveland.  I went last season for the first time since about 2013 and it was just so different.  I was really disappointed in every aspect of the park.  Operations, food quality, Potato Patch.. 

With this news I really don't see myself going back anytime soon.  Maybe to credit whore a new coaster whenever another one is installed but that's about it.  

[coasterbill]

14 hours ago, CenturyFlyer said:

Did Parques really lose so much money that they need to do something this drastic? Maybe, just maybe, next season will be better and they will eventually recover costs.

This has been standard operating procedure for years. It's not like if they recover costs they'll stop doing every possible thing to run their parks as poorly as possible and remove as many rides / benefits as possible while still tricking people into going there. I love the PR spin they put on it though... "Part of the evolution is a continuous examination of the sustainability, capacity and popularity of our attraction lineup."

Yeah, the park that runs one train on their hypercoaster and the chain that is so bad at running two trains on Boulder Dash that they forgot how to even do it and ended up crashing them into eachother is super-worried about the capacity of a Paratrooper... f*ck off. I'm sure Paratroopers are super expensive rides to run and maintain though as only the wealthiest of parks like Conneaut Lake, Old Town, Camden Park and Fun Spot Atlanta can handle the upkeep. Hell, Knoebels had to jack the price up all the way to two entire dollars to make a profit on theirs.

[cfc]

18 hours ago, SharkTums said:

I totally get the maintenance nightmare aspect of many of these rides, but especially with a ride that is so historic and helps you claim to be a national historic landmark, figure something out!  Ask for donations, make it an upcharge, have a display that explains why it's special, etc.  There are solutions.  This isn't just some crappy old boomerang or something. People actually care!  Where are the Geauga Lake fanboys with their pick up trucks to save this!?!?

 

Oh and I'm also jumping on the "Knoebels come grab these" bandwagon!

I'd love to see Knoebels take these rides, too. Kangaroo and the Bayern Kurve are two flats I like.

[michaellynn4]

Glad I rode these back when I visited a few years ago. Knoebels seems like a natural fit, but we'll see what ends up happening.

[Canobie Coaster]

With Kennywood and Idlewild announcing removals, I'm just waiting for Lake Compounce to follow considering that park removed their best water slide and unique sky ride in the past few years.

Kangaroo is the one I'm saddest to see go because it was the last of its kind.  Unfortunately, it was closed for my visits this year and I'd love to see a park pick that ride up.

[CenturyFlyer]

I wonder if Palace would be willing for someone (you know....) to take the Kurve and Kangaroo off their hands for cheap.

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[JT325]

I signed the petition, can't hurt.  It helped with Whizzer (despite what some nasties still say, that SFGAmerica had that set up, they didn't).  Kangaroo rocks.  Take it down, spend a couple years refurbishing (or completely rebuilding it) and re-introduce it.  It'd be the hugest thing since... I dunno.  It'd be popular out there.

Back when I worked at CP (90s!) if we could get a day off (is that still legal in Sandusky?) we'd zap out to Kennywood.  4 of us could squeeze in those seats, good times.

[palmerleeberry]

Kennywood is doing WHAT!?!  I read the news from Screamscape and I couldn't believe what I was reading.  I can understand with three of those flat rides, but the Kangaroo is going as well?

I visited Kennywood in August of this year and was disappointed that the Kangaroo wasn't in operation.  In fact, that visit didn't feel like a Kennywood visit because I couldn't ride the Kangaroo (  Noah's Ark was closed due to COVID-19 concerns, Black Widow was still down, and I skipped the Tumble Bug).  At least I finally got to ride The Exterminator and the new Old Mill ride.

I wonder if someone would step in, take those four rides off Kennywood's hands, and put them inside their own park?  I'm hoping that park is Knoebels.

[KPfan]

There's not been confirmation on what will become of those rides. I would think that the park will retain Kangaroo and Bayern Kurve due to their uniqueness. Maybe refurb them over time and unretire them at a later date.

Paratrooper and Volcano were both fairly old and have had some reliability issues. I can understand wanting more reliable operations and not being nickel and dimed for non-warranty repairs. But you can still buy brand new versions from Huss and Beston if they really wanted to.



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[JT325]

The petition has over 18,000 votes.  Do these ever get this high?  Oh well, can't hurt.  https://www.change.org/p/palace-entertainment-save-the-kangaroo-and-paratrooper-at-kennywood-park

[bert425]

^ hate to tell you, but 18K is not much.  (certainly not enough that a Corporate Park will care about in the least).

Case in point that 18K is not much?  -  yet. . she's STILL dead.

[JT325]

Don't hurt though.  I know, my opinion is very unpopular, but for the folks that say "couldn't hurt" hear me.

[thrillseeker4552]

I am currently in the early stages of planning a trip this June that would start in NJ and end in OH. Of course, I am looking to visit Kennywood along the way. But I will admit it is discouraging to hear the park going downhill. If it weren't for Phantom and Steel Curtain I would probably skip the park entirely.

Fingers crossed Steel Curtain will actually be open next summer...

[bert425]

3 hours ago, JT325 said:

Don't hurt though.  I know, my opinion is very unpopular, but for the folks that say "couldn't hurt" hear me.

oh, I signed the Petition.

 

but I don't have any hope it will make a difference.

I'm in the camp of just hoping Knoebel's swoops in to save it (and Bayern Kurve)

[blue-cactus]

Bayern Kurve is indeed my favorite flat ride... so naturally was disturbed about Kennywood's actions. It has come full circle since I "lost" my Kurves at Cedar Point, Kings Island, Geauga Lake, Canada's Wonderland, etc when I was young. The happiness I felt the first time I went to Kennywood and saw, even from the road, that this park had one. Back in the old pre-internet days, you didn't know what the park had til you got there.

Kennywood was always on the list to visit once I learned they took special care of the historical rides... Kangaroo, Noah's Ark, Old Mill, Paratrooper, Whip ... happy that my kids also got to enjoy these rides as we often visited while traveling from Connecticut back to the families in Ohio each year.

Always afraid that Kennywood would go full corporate like Six Flags and Cedar Fair, and surprised it took so long to do so...

Sorry... had to rant on my first post of any kind on this website.. and agree, if Kennywood can't do it anymore... sell the rides to Knoebels-- they know and care about preserving the classics!

 

[Djwadeknox]

Very cool special on Kennywood from 1988. It’s amazing to see what they got away with back in the day. https://youtu.be/2DA00XuTM-A

[KBrylczyk]

On 11/21/2020 at 11:08 AM, Djwadeknox said:

Very cool special on Kennywood from 1988. It’s amazing to see what they got away with back in the day. https://youtu.be/2DA00XuTM-A

Holy hell, not only in operations but clothing as well.

 

[Nrthwnd]

Interesting that their mascot Kenny, was played by (at least) three young women back then.

And their hair! If that isn't the 80's, then I don't know the 80's!

[bert425]

oh look. . I got a survey from Kennywood asking me what type of "events" I'd prefer they do to get me coming to the park most often.

luckily, there's a space on the last page to give some feedback on what other new special events I'd like to see at Kennywood:

[dlasflyer]

The Kenny’s Parkway chairlift is also being removed.

[KBrylczyk]

Man this park seems to be jumping off a cliff with the new owners.  Such a shame.

[KPfan]

Man this park seems to be jumping off a cliff with the new owners.  Such a shame.

No, just cleaning up years of neglect and bad decisions.

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[Canobie Coaster]

On 12/12/2020 at 6:59 AM, dlasflyer said:

The Kenny’s Parkway chairlift is also being removed.

When was the last time that even operated?  I've never seen it going once in my visits to the park over the past decade.