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Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread


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Is anyone at the park for the final day today, and if so, pictures?

 

Peruse Twitter & Instagram...there are tons of pics and videos from both fans and the park.

 

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"Pittsburgh Dad" is an online comedy series that embodies the stingy-yet-caring persona and heavy accent of traditional blue-collar Pittsburgh fathers. It might be over the heads of people visiting the city today, but it's hilariously accurate to anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh. When people refer to "Yinzers," this is who they're talking about. Their numbers are dwindling as the generations evolve, but you can still find plenty of Pittsburgh Dads within the city's neighborhoods.

 

The man behind the series has been embraced by the sports teams and Kennywood. He portrayed Noah at the media event for the Noah's Ark rehab, and he returned to Kennywood to say goodbye to the Log Jammer:

 

 

Pittsburgh Dad's original Kennywood video (this is not merely an over-the-top stereotype...EVERYONE had or knew a father like this growing up in Pittsburgh):

 

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Is anyone at the park for the final day today, and if so, pictures?

 

Peruse Twitter & Instagram...there are tons of pics and videos from both fans and the park.

 

====

 

"Pittsburgh Dad" is an online comedy series that embodies the stingy-yet-caring persona and heavy accent of traditional blue-collar Pittsburgh fathers. It might be over the heads of people visiting the city today, but it's hilariously accurate to anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh. When people refer to "Yinzers," this is who they're talking about. Their numbers are dwindling as the generations evolve, but you can still find plenty of Pittsburgh Dads within the city's neighborhoods.

 

The man behind the series has been embraced by the sports teams and Kennywood. He portrayed Noah at the media event for the Noah's Ark rehab, and he returned to Kennywood to say goodbye to the Log Jammer:

 

 

Pittsburgh Dad's original Kennywood video (this is not merely an over-the-top stereotype...EVERYONE had or knew a father like this growing up in Pittsburgh):

 

Saw this video making the rounds yesterday and couldn't help but agree. As someone who once lived outside of Pittsburgh (and still says 'yinzers') I can relate on a deep level.

 

Never did I ever think I'd see the word 'yinzers' used on a internet forum not themed/related to the Burgh.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey!

 

I was thinking last night. That there has been a long rumor that KW will someday bring back the Turnpike. Has it been mentioned before that the old site of the log jammer would make a nice space for a new Turnpike. With a coaster behind it? If you look at on Google Maps, where the Log Jammer was has about the same footprint as where the turnpike used to be.

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So I am considering visiting Kennywood for Phantom Fright Nights tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had any tips. I don’t do indoor haunts, so I’m mainly going for the coasters, scare zones and atmosphere. I assume a VIP Coaster Tour pass is a necessity? How crowded does the park get? Are there live actors inside Ghostwood Estate? I have never been to PFF but have been to Kennywood several times and while I feel the park isn’t quite what it used to be, I still enjoy the park.

 

Thanks in advance for any info.

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I could see turnpike for 2018 and Coaster for 2019

 

I would guess that it will be the 2019 coaster before turnpike because if kennywood were to add the turnpike next year they would have hyped it up a bit at the end of the summer

 

If its anything like the real turnpike, they will start construction this fall. PennDOT will run over budget and it will be two years behind schedule. The blame will be put on crazy PA weather. Then a twitter campain using the hashtag #ItWillNeveropen will have begun on the TPR forums.

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So I am considering visiting Kennywood for Phantom Fright Nights tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had any tips. I don’t do indoor haunts, so I’m mainly going for the coasters, scare zones and atmosphere. I assume a VIP Coaster Tour pass is a necessity? How crowded does the park get? Are there live actors inside Ghostwood Estate? I have never been to PFF but have been to Kennywood several times and while I feel the park isn’t quite what it used to be, I still enjoy the park.

 

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

I was at Fright Nights the first weekend this year and the lines for the rides and even the haunts were incredibly short. Five minutes for Jack Rabbit, 10 minutes for Phantom, 15 for Thunderbolt. Haunts were about 30 minute waits. Have not been back since but seems that the locals have found other events to go to this year?

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I was at Fright Nights the first weekend this year and the lines for the rides and even the haunts were incredibly short. Five minutes for Jack Rabbit, 10 minutes for Phantom, 15 for Thunderbolt. Haunts were about 30 minute waits. Have not been back since but seems that the locals have found other events to go to this year?

 

there does seem to be a lot of things to do in the area around this time.

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New Roller Coaster Under Consideration to Replace Log Jammer, from Pittsburgh's local CBS branch.

 

If plans follow through and the park's spokesperson is taken at face value, it looks like 2019 at the earliest (not too surprising) for a new coaster. I can't see the park wanting to let the Log Jammer plot go undeveloped for multiple seasons, and I hope that the Plan A proposal will become a done deal.

 

From the article:

 

There’s speculation that Kennywood is interested in building North America’s largest wooden roller coaster, something that would clearly attract enthusiasts from all over.

 

Speculation may indeed be all this is, but that'd be a doozy. I think that Goliath's 180' topper track drop would be the target, right? A unique topper track wooden coaster could allow Kennywood to claim some wooden coaster records without having to wrestle with Steel Vengeance's stats in the hybrid category.

Edited by Samuel
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I really hope there is substance to this. KW's silence on the future of the Log Jammer site is a intriguing but a little unnerving. If 2019 is the earliest that a new roller coaster (or any replacement for the LJ) can open there, I hope, at the very least, that the site looks good and is well landscaped. However, I'm open to the idea of the park surprising us all (slightly) by renting a ride for that site just for one season.

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Any speculations pf whos building this? I would geuss GCI, gravity group or intamin but who would really undertake such a task like that?

 

Gravity Group, RMC and Intamin have the experience building 150 foot wooden coasters.

 

If you mention Son of Beast you get a free kick in the nads when I meet you.

Edited by larrygator
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Went to Kennywood for Phantom Fright Nights last night and it had its ups and downs.

 

Ups:

- Night rides on Jack Rabbit and Phantom’s Revenge are crazy. Both ride sites are pitch dark and add immensely to the ride experience. Plunging down the Phantom’s second drop felt like dropping into a black void. Awesome!

- The amount of fog underneath SkyRocket and the purple lighting used made for a creepy ride experience.

- Pumpkin Head and the Phantom himself are two of the coolest costumed characters I have seen at a Halloween event. Very well done.

- Purchasing the VIP Coaster Tour made for a much more pleasant evening. Longest I had to wait was about 10 minutes for SkyRocket.

- I absolutely loved the Haunted Carousel. Even though it does not operate, the fog and the creepy music make for a really cool display.

- Also enjoyed the entrance tunnel being fogged out with various scare actors. Makes for a nice welcome to the event!

- MOST of the employees I encountered were unusually pleasant, which is a rarity for Kennywood.

 

Downs:

- The Park is REALLY dark. I understand this is a Halloween event and the darkness is needed for the spooky atmosphere, but there are some spots where you can’t even see. The midway in front of Garfield’s Nightmare is so dark and foggy that even if a chainsaw wielding ghoul comes by, you can’t see them and guests that run could collide with others. It seemed mildly dangerous.

- The three outdoor scare zones were incredibly weak. The clown themed one was a small circle near the Kangaroo and had a few clowns threatening to hit guests with padded baseball bats. That seemed to be a common theme in the scare zones. The Gold Rush themed zone near Ghostwood Estate was incredibly short and aside from the one actor with knives stuck in him(kudos to him as you could tell he loved his job), the actors weren’t doing a heck of a lot. Same goes for Gory Park in Lost Kennywood. The actors were all just standing around. Very disappointing.

- The Park did not have anyone at SkyRocket to merge the VIP guests with the regular line. Thankfully I had some very nice folks in line tell me to go ahead.

- I entered The Exterminator line through the VIP entrance and was told by the girl there to go onto the platform, then I was immediately yelled at by some guy who said “Sir, will you just wait???” I had no idea what was going on, but it turned out a guest that had just exited was bleeding as there was blood on the platform. If that was the case, I should not have been allowed to go on the platform at all. To be fair, the girl may not have known, but dude did not need to yell at me like i was committing a crime.

 

Overall it was a good time and I am glad I went. Here’s a few pictures from the iPhone (not the best quality).

95E5E401-668E-4C14-96B7-EB7F445EB64F.thumb.jpeg.edc65041119cc7793a1ca010f726de95.jpeg

The Phantom was a very cool costume and welcomes guests to his Fright Nights

DBC213A4-D898-404E-BE1E-95C58760CED5.thumb.jpeg.c05588c08303e964dd2f75abe0d949b8.jpeg

SkyRocket has a great first half and a mediocre second half. Still a fun ride though.

F1ED1675-1E0F-4E1F-A48C-B5352FFC0D3A.thumb.jpeg.eebc87d6b057e49b8bbf47ea156f427a.jpeg

Black Widow is crazy. Much more intense than the Huss versions and offers a rather long ride cycle.

33AA61EF-D05C-4D57-87D5-3AB9237BDC3A.thumb.jpeg.c3714bbd7d045821bee1bc36f8cfc48e.jpeg

Fog rolls in as the Phantom’s Revenge climbs the lift hill. Phantom is a great ride by day and an absolutely incredible ride by night

3863646C-D151-4AB3-B775-DD5D17742F3C.thumb.jpeg.cf84728531e6794faa0df0ddfc391c24.jpeg

An example of the dark midway near Garfield. Seemed sort of unsafe especially considering chainsaw guys were chasing guests through the area

449FB79A-F656-49E9-9FDB-B8C6914AEEBB.thumb.jpeg.e17fc4a6db10852dd48d999ff39ca500.jpeg

Pirate and Volcano doing their thing

62D16B58-2291-4D63-BCA7-C0B9F60DE2F2.thumb.jpeg.e1cf7b56a7fa6dc9840c7021413dabb7.jpeg

Kangaroo, still thrilling riders after many years. Nice to see KW still keeping this classic going

5D02F447-87B4-4F14-9FCD-60E2A3B8E569.thumb.jpeg.076c206364fa944c9b6db1cd784b599f.jpeg

Musik Express looks great with its LED lights

3D850B8D-76E0-4916-BCD7-FF577572D3EC.thumb.jpeg.57d26368afd68678d8ac52377779709f.jpeg

Clown chases folks out of the very small Fear Fest scare zone

3FF1407D-03E5-4E04-A03C-F1AEA8E9FB39.thumb.jpeg.5a7cd6da2d72478f08db1e48701136ca.jpeg

Absolutely loved the Haunted Carousel. Such a cool visual

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- Night rides on Jack Rabbit and Phantom’s Revenge are crazy. Both ride sites are pitch dark and add immensely to the ride experience. Plunging down the Phantom’s second drop felt like dropping into a black void. Awesome!

 

- I absolutely loved the Haunted Carousel. Even though it does not operate, the fog and the creepy music make for a really cool display.

 

- Also enjoyed the entrance tunnel being fogged out with various scare actors. Makes for a nice welcome to the event!

 

- MOST of the employees I encountered were unusually pleasant, which is a rarity for Kennywood.

 

Thanks for the report, and I agreed on all of these accounts. Aside from the bummer outdoor scare actors that you reported, I've also noticed a general uptick in employee quality this past season. KW has some truly unique rides that are great for dark October nights; I had a blast last year. Good to see more Black Widow love, too -- that's one bonkers ride.

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 Questions:

 

Were there blacklights in the bathroom?

 

This is the only question I can answer and the answer is No. The washrooms all had red lights in them, which is really kind of odd when you're in there doing your business. It felt like my retinas were burning!

 

I did not see the Friday the 13th 4D movie nor did I bother getting anything to eat at the park as the lines were rather crazy.

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