Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread

[SharkTums]

Exciting!

 

I wish there was more interest in this project, it could end up being the sleeper hit of the year!

[Hercules]

I just think it's not your traditional Kennywood type coaster, which is why it looks so out of place (or at least it does to me). If you had told me Kennywood would ever get a launched coaster, I probably would have laughed pretty hard. Still looks like it might be a solid ride though.

 

I kind of have to half agree with you on this sentiment. However, you have to keep in mind that the park is being managed by Palace Entertainment now. Don't be surprised if there are many changes over the next 5-10 years that cause a change of feel within the park. There was a bit of a change last year, but I would expect the change to be more vast over time, and this ride is kind of the start of that.

[Fooz]

Even a park like kennywood will forgo tradition if they believe that it will net them more money overall. "We are quaint and historical" may have garnered all the attention it could, and "we have a launched looper with a top hat" will pack in more crowds (although I imagine folks were going through this tenfold with lazer loop/ steel phantom installation).

 

Edit: I just realized how funny "top hat" can make a description of a ride sound.

[AndCamSS]

This looks pretty sweet so far! I have to agree with Elissa, this could be a sleeper hit as there isn't much talk going on about it so far. Hopefully i'll get out there sometime later this year to try it out!

[Hercules]

Even a park like kennywood will forgo tradition if they believe that it will net them more money overall. "We are quaint and historical" may have garnered all the attention it could, and "we have a launched looper with a top hat" will pack in more crowds (although I imagine folks were going through this tenfold with lazer loop/ steel phantom installation).

 

Edit: I just realized how funny "top hat" can make a description of a ride sound.

 

Well that was kind of my point with my post. With the change in ownership and upper-level management, the whole behind the scenes operation in the park is changing, and it won't take too long to see a complete change in cultural within the park. That is purely my opinion, but I have to believe that it will happen, and Palace Entertainment is all about having full control and making a profit (though, that is typically the ultimate goal with just about any business). This is just some information from some park employees and management that I have spoken with, in terms of the way things are being run at this point. I think this coaster is one of many directional changes that will be seen in the park for years to come.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Wow, it's really getting built quickly. Now if only I could find a way to get myself up that way this summer........

[tatertot3710]

Can anyone give me any input about crowds on Friday, July 2? Will the fact that it's a Friday or during July 4th weekend have any major effect? Thanks!

[philthephorce]

First off, I think this ride will be awesome and will turn heads in a good way. I don't understand the talk of the change of culture at Kennywood though. Yes, I understand they have new owners and such, but it seems that everyone's insinuating that Sky Rocket is the first major result of these changes and that SR is out of character with the park, as far as the former owners values go. They've been mixing old and new since the "modernized" front on the racer (remember the huge polka dots? lol) and have shifted gradually to more of the "new" in recent years. I just don't see SR being that much of a departure from what the park's been doing for the past three decades, at least. The location of SR is a different story though.

 

I like the location as far as it not being built on a slab of concrete with no trees or atmosphere, but I don't like that it's so close to the tunnel. One of the things I like about Kennywood is how relatively quiet, scenic and old school things are as you enter the park from the tunnel...but as you progress further into the park you get surprised over and over as the atmosphere becomes more and more lively as you make your way to the other end of the park. This balance, IMO, has been disrupted a bit...but I can live with that.

[DenDen]

Exciting!

I wish there was more interest in this project, it could end up being the sleeper hit of the year!

That's exactly what I was thinking. But I always love it when that happens.

[DenDen]

Can anyone give me any input about crowds on Friday, July 2? Will the fact that it's a Friday or during July 4th weekend have any major effect? Thanks!

Actually, the 2nd will probably be WAY more crowded than the 4th. At least, that's how it was when I worked there. Holiday weekend had killer crowds, except for the actual holiday itself.

[DBru]

I wish there was more interest in this project, it could end up being the sleeper hit of the year!

 

Or next year...

[Movieguy]

Well, that's the beauty of Kennywood. They don't seem to feel the need to constantly be in the spotlight. They're content to simply let their current setup work for as long as possible, then make changes when they feel they're needed, and not necessarily as competition dictates.

 

They're adding Sky Rocket now because it feels right to do it now. I think it definitely will be a sleeper hit, because of this.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.pointparkglobe.com/sky-rocket-launch-delayed-for-kennywood-opening-1.1433814

 

This summer, long-time guests to Kennywood will have a new attraction to look forward to. Sky Rocket is set to open to the public this season and will be the first new roller coaster built in the park since the Exterminator in 1999. However, riders are going to have to wait until well into the season before they get a chance to conquer this multi-million dollar rocket.

 

Sky Rocket was designed by Premier Rides. This new thriller will launch riders 55 miles per hour in three seconds and then send them 95 feet skyward. From there, riders will experience three inversions, several highly banked curves and numerous moments of weightlessness as they blast through the 2,100-foot course.

 

While the park’s opening day is set for May 8, Sky Rocket currently has an estimated opening time of early June. Major delays in construction were encountered due to the massive amounts of snow that crippled the east coast this past winter.

 

The national organization known as the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) has been eagerly awaiting its chance to experience this new attraction since it was announced in August. Bill Linkenheimer III, former national president and current regional representative for ACE, said he is “ecstatic that Kennywood is finally putting in a new coaster.”

 

Linkenheimer also admires how the park “manages to blend the old and the new together” with the coexistence of older, classic rides and the newer high-tech rides currently on the market for amusement parks.

 

While many people are thrilled with the idea of a major new roller coaster being erected at Kennywood, the new addition does not come without sacrifice. Sky Rocket will be located on the site of a longtime favorite of the younger riders, the Turnpike. This choice was met with mixed emotions from the general public. Opened in 1966, the Turnpike was an antique car ride that took Kennywood by storm with its scenic course and the opportunity for children to drive. Jeff Filicko, a Kennywood public relations spokesman, said the choice to remove the Turnpike was made due to space restrictions in the park.

 

“It was all about compromise,” Filicko said. “You can’t put a big new ride in here without changing the land in some way.”

 

Kristina Brown, a junior jazz dance major at Point Park University, is not sorry to see the classic ride go.

 

“I’m more of a coaster person, [and] I think they need to update their rides more often,” she said.

 

ACE historian David P. Hahner, Jr. called the departure of the Turnpike “bittersweet.”

 

“I’m excited to see a new coaster opening at Kennywood, but I am also sad to see Kennywood’s first ‘theme park-style’ ride be removed,” Hahner said. “It’s good to know that it’s not only being replaced with what promises to be an exciting addition for the park, but that it may return in some form in the very near future.”

 

King Kahuna has also been removed from Kennywood due to its lack of popularity and high maintenance costs.

 

“It’s sad that they have to get rid of so much at once,” Michael Mann, a sophomore education major who never had the chance to ride King Kahuna, said.

 

It is currently unknown exactly what the empty space left on King Kahuna’s site will be used for. Phantom’s Revenge has also undergone what Filicko referred to as “surgery” on its second hill to fix a small bump in the ride that was the result of a re-tracking that the coaster underwent the previous winter.

 

Kennywood will open to the public on May 8 with FunDay passes set at a price of $35.99 and Night Rider tickets costing $20.99. Limited season passes are also currently on sale for $89.99.

The new Kennywood roller coaster, the Sky Rocket, is being placed in the location of the former Turnpike and is expected to be open in the summer of 2010.

 

Photo by Joel Brenton

Photo by Joel Brenton

Edited April 30, 2010 by jedimaster1227

[DenDen]

While the park’s opening day is set for May 8, Sky Rocket currently has an estimated opening time of early June. Major delays in construction were encountered due to the massive amounts of snow that crippled the east coast this past winter.

 

That's not so bad! JULY would be bad. hehehe

[EastCoastn07]

http://www.pointparkglobe.com/sky-rocket-launch-delayed-for-kennywood-opening-1.1433814

 

This summer, long-time guests to Kennywood will have a new attraction to look forward to. Sky Rocket is set to open to the public this season and will be the first new roller coaster built in the park since the Exterminator in 1999. However, riders are going to have to wait until well into the season before they get a chance to conquer this multi-million dollar rocket.

 

Sky Rocket was designed by Premier Rides. This new thriller will launch riders 55 miles per hour in three seconds and then send them 95 feet skyward. From there, riders will experience three inversions, several highly banked curves and numerous moments of weightlessness as they blast through the 2,100-foot course.

 

While the park’s opening day is set for May 8, Sky Rocket currently has an estimated opening time of early June. Major delays in construction were encountered due to the massive amounts of snow that crippled the east coast this past winter.

 

The national organization known as the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) has been eagerly awaiting its chance to experience this new attraction since it was announced in August. Bill Linkenheimer III, former national president and current regional representative for ACE, said he is “ecstatic that Kennywood is finally putting in a new coaster.”

 

Linkenheimer also admires how the park “manages to blend the old and the new together” with the coexistence of older, classic rides and the newer high-tech rides currently on the market for amusement parks.

 

While many people are thrilled with the idea of a major new roller coaster being erected at Kennywood, the new addition does not come without sacrifice. Sky Rocket will be located on the site of a longtime favorite of the younger riders, the Turnpike. This choice was met with mixed emotions from the general public. Opened in 1966, the Turnpike was an antique car ride that took Kennywood by storm with its scenic course and the opportunity for children to drive. Jeff Filicko, a Kennywood public relations spokesman, said the choice to remove the Turnpike was made due to space restrictions in the park.

 

“It was all about compromise,” Filicko said. “You can’t put a big new ride in here without changing the land in some way.”

 

Kristina Brown, a junior jazz dance major at Point Park University, is not sorry to see the classic ride go.

 

“I’m more of a coaster person, [and] I think they need to update their rides more often,” she said.

 

ACE historian David P. Hahner, Jr. called the departure of the Turnpike “bittersweet.”

 

“I’m excited to see a new coaster opening at Kennywood, but I am also sad to see Kennywood’s first ‘theme park-style’ ride be removed,” Hahner said. “It’s good to know that it’s not only being replaced with what promises to be an exciting addition for the park, but that it may return in some form in the very near future.”

 

King Kahuna has also been removed from Kennywood due to its lack of popularity and high maintenance costs.

 

“It’s sad that they have to get rid of so much at once,” Michael Mann, a sophomore education major who never had the chance to ride King Kahuna, said.

 

It is currently unknown exactly what the empty space left on King Kahuna’s site will be used for. Phantom’s Revenge has also undergone what Filicko referred to as “surgery” on its second hill to fix a small bump in the ride that was the result of a re-tracking that the coaster underwent the previous winter.

 

Kennywood will open to the public on May 8 with FunDay passes set at a price of $35.99 and Night Rider tickets costing $20.99. Limited season passes are also currently on sale for $89.99.

 

Those are extremely old pictures...You really should check out KPConnection.com, they've been posting new pictures just about every day. They have just about half the track up already and from what I've been hearing most of coaster, with the exception of the first hill and barrel roll should be up by Tuesday. I won't be surprised if this whole coaster is up by the second weekend the park is open, which leaves the station, queue line and other remaining stuff to be built, testing and of course training to do by the time it can open. I'd say that an opening in the first or second week of June is highly likely at this point.

[Zack44]

Frankly, the changing of Sky Rocket's opening day isn't a surprise considering the fact that the first pieces of track came much sooner than expected (just a couple of months ago, right?)

[sixflagsguy5]

That's sad to hear, because I was planning on running into Kennywood on the way home from King's Dominion in late May. I guess we'll have to add a different park on the way home or stay out East another day.

[coasterfanryan]

Looks like the inverted top hat now has track. This is going together pretty quick. Shouldn't betooblong before it is complete.

Edited May 1, 2010 by coasterfanryan

[EastCoastn07]

^ I understand you are trying to keep everyone in the loop, but I might advise that you might actually want to ask the owner of those pictures (Myself) before you start posting them around on other forums.

[KPfreak519]

Holy crap at this rate I wouldn't be surprised to see a soft opening by the end of May...they don't need that long to test do they, only like 2 weeks right? They'll almost certainly be 100% done with circuit construction by the end of next week...

[Dailey Enterprizes]

Is the track gauge as narrow as it looks in these pictures? It kind of reminds me of the Maurer Söhne track.

[Oreos]

Is the track gauge as narrow as it looks in these pictures? It kind of reminds me of the Maurer Söhne track.

 

I don't think it's that narrow.

[coasterfanryan]

I'm terribly sorry EastCoastn07. It honestly did not come to mind. I will delete them if you want me to. Again sorry.

[EastCoastn07]

I'm terribly sorry EastCoastn07. It honestly did not come to mind. I will delete them if you want me to. Again sorry.

 

They're not my pictures, but I just wanted to let you know that it might be best to ask for his permission before posting them. I just know sometimes people get angry about this kinda stuff so I'm just watching your back for you.

[coasterfanryan]

I'm terribly sorry EastCoastn07. It honestly did not come to mind. I will delete them if you want me to. Again sorry.

 

They're not my pictures, but I just wanted to let you know that it might be best to ask for his permission before posting them. I just know sometimes people get angry about this kinda stuff so I'm just watching your back for you.

 

thanks, I get what you mean. I wouldn't be happy if other people were posting my pictures on other forums. Haha