Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom logo

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown, is one of the most recognizable and popular amusement parks in the United States. It has a large number of elaborate and exciting roller coasters, large water parks and children's rides. Image File history File links Obtained from Dorney Park homepage under the Copyright Agreement provided here. ... South Whitehall Township is a township located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ... Nickname: The Queen City Political Statistics Founded 1762 County Lehigh County Mayor Ed Pawlowski Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 46. ... A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ...

History

Ownership

Dorney Park is owned by Cedar Fair LP. Cedar Fair purchased the park in July, 1992. Previous owners included Harris Weinstein 1985-1992, Robert F. Ott 1967-1984, Robert L. Plarr prior to 1967, and, before him, Jacob Plarr. The park originally was founded in 1884 by Solomon Dorney, for whom it is named, as a fish hatchery. Cedar Fair L.P is publicly traded company that owns and operates amusement parks in North America. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the year. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Ride history

Rides have come and gone at Dorney Park, such as the PTC Grande Carrousel which debuted at Dorney in 1932 from Shellpot Park in Wilmington, Delaware, but was destroyed in a September 1983 fire at the park. The "Bucket O' Blood" dark ride burned in the same fire. "The Iceberg" was a cuddle-up ride which was cold inside and had strobe lights and loud music. It was painted black and retitled "Meteorite" at the end of the 1980s and removed after the 1993 season. "The Journey to the Center of the Earth", which was located by the Coaster (now "Thunderhawk"), started out as the "Mill Chute" in 1927 and was rethemed in 1960. It was a boat ride through a dark tunnel with scary scenes behind glass, and a lift and drop at the end. It was razed following the 1992 season, after Cedar Fair, LP acquired the park. "The Gold Mine" was a scary walk-through under the arcade in the middle of the park near the Iceberg and "PTC Carrousel". It closed in the mid-1980s. "The Flying Dutchman" was a Pinfari compact steel coaster located where the Ferris Wheel is now. It was the largest of its kind. It was removed following the 1988 season due to mechanical problems and the debut of the Hercules wooden coaster in 1989. Hercules was later demolished at the end of the 2003 season due to high maintenance costs and low ridership, and was replaced by "Hydra the Revenge" in 2005. 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Flag Seal Motto: A Place To Be Somebody Location Coordinates , Government County New Castle County incorporated 1739 Mayor James M. Baker (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 44. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Hydra the Revenge

On May 7, 2005, Dorney Park opened "Hydra the Revenge", which is a $13 million floorless roller coaster. The half-a-mile length floorless coaster features a steep 105-foot drop. With the opening of Hydra, Dorney Park became home to nine roller coasters. May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Superman la Atracción de Acero Movie World Madrid The floorless roller coaster design is a modification of the standard multiple-inversion steel coaster that features cars with no floors for foot placement. ...

Hairspray

Dorney Park is featured as the park backdrop in the 1988 John Waters' film Hairspray. In the film, the character Franklin von Tussle, played by Sonny Bono, owns an amusement park. John Waters at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ... The American movie Hairspray (1988) was directed by John Waters. ... Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip Sonny Bono (February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American record producer, singer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades. ...

Dorney Park roller coasters

Dorney Park's five primary roller coasters are among the world's most recognizable and popular. They include: A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ...

Current

Hydra the Revenge is a steel floorless roller coaster at Dorney Park in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. ... Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) is a roller coaster manufacturer based in Monthey, Switzerland. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anton Schwarzkopf (1924-2001) was a prolific German roller coaster engineer and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, which built numerous amusement park rides and roller coasters. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steel Force is a roller coaster at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Talon is a steel inverted roller coaster at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. ... Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) is a roller coaster manufacturer based in Monthey, Switzerland. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Thunderhawk is a wooden out & back rollercoaster located at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown. ... The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing company in the world. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Past

Wildwater Kingdom

Dorney Park's Wildwater Kingdom, located on the park grounds, is one of the largest water parks in the country, with over a dozen water rides and pools. It opened in 1985. It has become a major summer attraction and is especially popular with residents from the local Lehigh Valley, as well as Allentown's two closest major cities, New York City and Philadelphia. A water park is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds (water playgrounds), lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing environments. ... This article is about the year. ... The Bethlehem Steel Corporation in the Lehigh Valley, once one of the worlds largest manufacturers of steel, closed in 2003. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ...

In the 2006 season, Wildwater Kingdom will introduce an additional wave pool (called Wildwater Cove) to accommodate the immense popularity of the park's existing wave pool. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Upgrades also are being made to the former Solomon Dorney Mansion Hotel and Restaurant, which housed the Gold Mine walkthrough in the basement and had food stands around its perimeter and an arcade inside the house. It is being removed for a new Subway and seating area. The building dated back to the park's humble beginning in 1884 and was the oldest surviving building in the park, but a spokesperson for the park stated that it would have been too expensive to renovate. Exterior of a typical Subway restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Locations of Subway stores Subway is the name of a multinational restaurant franchise that sells sandwiches and salads. ...

External links

• Dorney Park official website
• Unofficial Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Fan Site - Includes Pictures and Forums
• Dorney Park Photo Gallery