Knoebels Discussion Thread

True, but I think the sight of the que spilling out into the midway keeps more people from joining since they judge the wait to be longer than it is, and thus keeps the wait a reasonable 20min for those who do join.

^ Secretly I like how that may deter people from joining, but then again, Twister has a long queue (in terms of length) and that ride has a similarly long wait on busy days.

Well, you have to admit that a Phoenix queue that is 15 Minutes would be about an hour in many other parks, maybe two hours in Holiday Park's Expedition GeForce.

So a 15 Minute queue is a lot of people. But I'll be glad to wait in a newly designed infield queue as soon as I'm back to Knoebels!

Another thing that apparently came out of a recent presentation from the park is that Impulse is receiving new trains that will allow riders from 48" to 52" to ride without booster seats.

 

It was cool enough that they had booster seats to begin with--this is even better!

 

Hopefully that's not the only improvement to those restraints. Ouch.

 

Agreed. I think I might be one of the only people who just doesn't like Impulse at all.

I've never seen a coaster with booster seats. Anyone got a pic? I've never seen something like that. Pretty cool.

I've never seen a coaster with booster seats. Anyone got a pic? I've never seen something like that. Pretty cool.

Here you go, courtesy of Chris' visit back in 2015 on his blog...

 

 

Another example, when Mission Space got its recent renovation, they added booster seats to the non-spinning Green Team so that smaller children could ride.

I've never seen a coaster with booster seats. Anyone got a pic? I've never seen something like that. Pretty cool.

 

google "Knoebel's Impulse Booster Seat". . . images will come up with the seat on the coaster

Edited March 4, 2020 by bert425

Cool. I looked at some photos but I don't think I realized what I was looking at. That's pretty neat.

Cool. I looked at some photos but I don't think I realized what I was looking at. That's pretty neat.

You can thank Lagoon for the Booster Seats and the New ART Trains. [emoji6]

 

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You can thank Lagoon for the Booster Seats and the New ART Trains. [emoji6]

 

 

What are ART trains? Anyone have a picture of the new trains? I'm wondering why they replaced the trains only after a few years. Like many new coasters, I rode Impulse while holding the lap bar away from me, as it gets too tight. (Just a comment, I'm sure lots of people like a tight lap bar).

You can thank Lagoon for the Booster Seats and the New ART Trains. [emoji6]

 

 

What are ART trains? Anyone have a picture of the new trains? I'm wondering why they replaced the trains only after a few years. Like many new coasters, I rode Impulse while holding the lap bar away from me, as it gets too tight. (Just a comment, I'm sure lots of people like a tight lap bar).

ART Engineering GmbH/ART Product GmbH. Lagoon worked with them on BomBora, Cannibal, and their upcoming new coaster, provided trains for BomBora and Cannibal, and provided new Bogies for Spider and Wicked a couple years ago.

 

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^Thank you for the explanation

^Thank you for the explanation

From what I've been told, Knoebels came out last fall to check out the new bogies on Wicked and checked out the trains on Cannibal. They certainly made the better decision, even after Lagoon replaced Wicked's Chassis 2 years ago, those ART Trains and Restraint System is just Superior to many others out there. I can hardly wait to see if they have the onboard hydraulic pumps and/or lighting.

 

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I knew they looked familiar. They're pretty much two-car Cannibal trains. Fascinating.

Knoebels has announced that the campground will be opening on June 11th, but the park will not be open yet at that time. There's no mention of the cottages, which I assume won't open until the park does since the office for them is in the main park, not the campground. Some sign of progress though.

 

 

Still hoping for something closer to normal by time my end of August cottage reservation comes around...crossing my fingers hard as I can here.

The amusement park is not accessible since it is an active construction zone.

That sounds interesting, I wonder what that construction could be referring to.

The amusement park is not accessible since it is an active construction zone.

That sounds interesting, I wonder what that construction could be referring to.

 

They had mentioned over the off season that they were upgrading all of their restrooms (which, as much as I love the park...did badly need it), but I wouldn't be surprised if they were taking the chance with the extended downtime to get some other projects done too. As far as I've seen they haven't actually announced anything as of yet, though.

^Agreed, a bathroom update/upgrade would be much appreciated.

Looks like they are building a new bathroom and new pavilion.

 

facebook post

^Agreed, a bathroom update/upgrade would be much appreciated.

 

Seriously. As much as I like Knoebels, most of their restrooms seem to date back to WWII.

Interesting article about Knoebels, not a ton of new info but it is interesting how they will work out dealing with different guidelines in the two counties the park resides in.

 

Knoebels Summer Plans Still Uncertain

 

ELYSBURG — The re-opening of Knoebels Amusement Resort for its 94th season remains an uncertainty during the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

The state Department of Health indicated that amusement parks can operate in the green, or the final, phase of reopening, but the park is situated between Northumberland and Columbia counties. Northumberland has been in the yellow phase since May 8 and Columbia County since May 15, so it’s unlikely both counties will move to green at the same time.

 

“It’s tough to say what will happen,” said Knoebels Public Relations Manager Stacy Ososkie. “The business’s physical address is in Northumberland County. The challenge is half our rides and attractions are in one county and the other half in another.”

 

Roaring Creek divides the park in half. The main parking lot and popular rides like Impulse, the Grand Carousel and the Ferris Wheel are on the Columbia County side.

 

The earliest opening date for the amusement park is June 29, but that’s if it’s announced this week that Northumberland County has a planned date to enter the green phase, said Ososkie.

 

“We are gradually inviting back our full-time team to complete projects as permitted by state guidelines,” said Ososkie. “However, we’re doing so in a cautious manner, taking into account the unclear timeframe we have to prepare the park. Though some projects have resumed, much park prep remains on hold due to the uncertainly of when amusement parks will be permitted to open.”

 

Ososkie said the park is updating its calendar week by week at http://www.knoebels.com/TodayAtK.

 

Another question is the logistics of keeping park visitors socially distanced. The park is free admission with no gates or fences, so Knoebels does not keep a record of park attendance, only estimates based on cars in the parking lots.

 

“We have discussed options for managing attendance, but we haven’t made any definite decisions on that just yet,” said Ososkie.

 

The park has 2,300 employees during a typical year, including seasonal workers. Some have been re-hired through one in-person event before the shutdown. Two physical job fairs were canceled and employees were hired through virtual interviews, she said.

 

“Safety is always our top priority,” she said. “We don’t know what the requirements will be, but we’ll be prepared to follow them. We have a team planning and investigating operational adjustments for the park. We have 150 hand sanitizer stations that we will place around the park. We’re working on enhancing our cleaning and sanitizing routines.”

 

Buddy Knoebel, third generation owner and co-manager, said he looks forward to re-opening.

 

“I miss the people — seeing smiles on their faces and families enjoying time together,” he said. “I miss the sound of roller coasters, and the laughter as you travel throughout the park. I miss the interaction with our guests, and witnessing the results of our team’s efforts to make our guests happy. I miss the team who makes this all happen. The park is an outlet; people visit here to experience joy. It really all comes down to being about the people.”

 

New ride

 

The park’s new “Tornado” ride is still in Colorado where it was being manufactured. The 32-passenger ride will be located near the StratosFear. Visitors need to be 38 inches tall to ride Tornado with an adult, and 48 inches to ride alone.

 

“Prior to everything shutting down, we received a video of it being tested,” said Ososkie. “It seems to be in good shape. We believe it is a possibility to have it here this season.”

 

Other Knoebel businesses

 

The park’s related businesses are opened or will be opening soon with restrictions and precautions.

 

Three Ponds Golf Course opened May 1. Knoebel Lumber and Nickleplate Bar and Grill remained open as essential businesses with Nickleplate only offering takeout.

 

Lake Glory Campground reopened on May 22 and the park campground reopens June 11. There are reservations, she said.

 

“The amusement park is closed, but many families can still enjoy spending quality time together in the great outdoors,” said Ososkie.

 

The park’s social media page on Facebook is also keeping visitors and park enthusiasts engaged, she said.

Break out the "Waiting for parts from Colorado" sign.

Edited May 27, 2020 by coasterbill

No mention of virtual queuing.

any word on when/if knoebels will be opening?

I’m having trouble linking to it but on their Facebook page, the calendar shows the earliest they could open is July 3rd