Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort

Location	Elysburg, Pennsylvania
Website	http://www.knoebels.com/
Owner	Knoebel family
Opened	1926
Previous names	Knoebels Groves, Knoebels Amusement Park
Operating season	April-September
Rides	55 total 3 roller coasters 2 water rides
Slogan	Pennsylvania's Hometown Park

Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort is a family owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove and campground which is located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, the park boasts over 50 rides, free admission, two world-class wooden roller coasters, a 1913 carousel and a haunted house dark ride that has been featured on the Discovery Channel. The park and its rides have won many awards from organizations such as Amusement Today, American Coaster Enthusiasts and The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. This work is copyrighted. ... Elysburg is a census-designated place located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Friends and family gather for a picnic in a public park in Columbus, Ohio, c. ... A campsite (or campground) is a place used for camping. ... Elysburg is a census-designated place located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ... Carousel in Bobbejaanland, Belgium] (Bobbejaan Schoepen Archive) A carousel (or carrousel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A dark ride or darkride is an indoor amusement ride consisting of a vehicle traveling past animated scenes. ... Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel distributed by Discovery Communications that provides non-fiction variety programming focused primarily on the themes of popular science, history, and knowledge about the world, which is showcases uasually as documentaries. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

The amusement park is owned and operated by the Knoebel family, who also operate a lumber yard next door to the park. The name Knoebel is pronounced with the hard K sound (kuh-NO-bel.) The park's name has also traditionally been spelled Knoebels without the apostrophe, and appears that way on all official park advertising and correspondence.

Park history

Knoebels is located in a small wooded valley, in Central Pennsylvania. The valley, originally known as "Peggy's Farm," with its creek-fed swimming hole, became a popular picnic destination in the early part of the 20th century, attracting Sunday travelers and horse-drawn hayride wagons. Henry Knoebel, who had been farming the area, tended to the horses and later began to sell soft drinks, ice cream and snacks to the visitors. As the popularity of "Knoebel's Grove" grew, Knoebel leased plots of land along the creeks for use as summer cottage sites. Some of these privately owned cottages, as well as cottages Knoebel himself built and rented, still exist in the park. Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley A valley or a low area between two hills dale (in Scotland, a glen) is a landform, which can range from a few square kilometres to hundreds or even thousands of square kilometres in area. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... The primary meaning of stream is a body of water, confined within a bed and banks and having a detectable current. ... This article concentrates on human swimming. ... Friends and family gather for a picnic in a public park in Columbus, Ohio, c. ... A wagon (in British English waggon) or dray is a wheeled vehicle, ordinarily with four wheels, usually pulled by an animal, or animals, such as horses, mules or oxen and used for transport of heavy goods. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Summer is one of the four seasons of the year. ...

The year 1926 marks the official beginning of Knoebels Amusement Park. That year, Knoebel added a restaurant, a steam-powered Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel and a few simple games to his grove. On July 4 of that year, he opened a large concrete swimming pool on the site of the old swimming hole. Featuring a filtration system that provided clean water instead of muddy creek water, the pool was named "The Crystal Pool". Since then the park has developed around the pool, adding 50 more rides in addition to assorted games, concession stands and other attractions. A campground with six sites opened behind the amusement park in 1962, and as of 2004 the campground covered 160 acres (650,000 m²) with 500 sites. .^[1] Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Toms Restaurant, a restaurant in New York made familiar by Suzanne Vega and the television sitcom Seinfeld A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the premises. ... The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing company in the world. ... Carousel in Bobbejaanland, Belgium] (Bobbejaan Schoepen Archive) A carousel (or carrousel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A waterhole, in its simplest definition, is a hole filled with water. ...

On June 22, 1972, the creeks that run through Knoebels overflowed six feet over their banks, swollen with heavy rains from Hurricane Agnes. The flood destroyed six cottages and damaged many other buildings, including 24 out of 25 rides and the park's roller rink. Work began on a new building but it was later decided that the original roller rink could not be reused, and the new building under construction became the Haunted Mansion. The roller rink building was refloored and used as a skating rink until the mid 1980's when it was converted into the "Roaring Creek Saloon", which now hosts a concession stand, an arcade, the XD Theater, and free performances. To prove that the park had recovered from the flood, the "Haunted Mansion" dark ride was opened in 1973. The ride has been recognized as one of America's best dark rides by organizations such as Dark Ride and Funhouse Enthusiasts and The National Amusement Park Historical Association. is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. ... The Haunted Mansion at Knoebels Family Park was built in 1973 and opened June 30th, 1973, on Rick Knoebels birthday. ...

The park again suffered major flooding in 1975, 1996, 2004 and 2006. Each caused substantial damage but at least the 1975 and 1996 floods occurred during the off-season. The January 1996 flood cause substantial damage but the worst part may have been that as soon as the waters receded, everything froze making cleanup and repair throughout the amusement park even more difficult. The September 2004 flood, caused by what was left of Hurricane Ivan, was only a half -day affair and Knoebels staff had the amusement park partially reopened by mid-afternoon and allowed any remaining patrons to ride for free. But by then picnics had been called off.

On June 28, 2006 a flood second only to the Agnes flood struck Knoebels. About 90 percent of the amusement park was under water just prior to the July 4th weekend. As the waters began to recede Wednesday morning, Knoebels staff jumped into action. Expending over 11,000 man hours in just a few days the park was able to reopen over 60 percent of its attractions by 6:00 pm Friday. By Sunday evening over 90 percent of the amusement park was operational. The Crystal Pool took 10 days to get back in business. Over 100 tons of mud had to be dug out of the pool. The last ride to return to operation was the Kiddie Panther Cars. The entire track for this ride had been undermined and was a twisted mess. Repairs took almost three weeks. is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Admissions

Knoebels boasts free admission into the park, free parking and free entertainment. Visitors are able to ride the park's attractions by purchasing either all-day/unlimited hand stamp passes or books of tickets, with hand stamp costs for the 2006 season varying depending on the height of the rider. Knoebels has several other options such as "Sundown Plan" and "Bargain Nights", when the park offers discounts of regular ride passes. Knoebels's all-day passes do not include the Haunted Mansion, the Scenic Skyway, and the Crystal Pool and the wooden roller coasters (Twister and Phoenix) are only included with an extra fee.

Roller Coasters

Knoebels currently has two roller coasters with a new one under construction. The park is unusual for having no major steel coaster and no roller coaster with an inversion. However, Knoebel's two wooden roller coasters are well known and are on multiple top 100 lists. [2] [3] A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ... Roller coaster inversions are features of roller coasters that in some form or fashion, inverts (turns upside-down) its riders. ...

Carousels

Knoebels has two carousels: one small merry-go-round in Kiddieland (added in 1976) which was built by Stein & Goldstein in 1910; and the Grand Carousel, a 1912/1913 carousel built by Kramer Carousel Works in Brooklyn, with a frame by Charles I. D. Looff and 63 hand-carved horses by Charles Carmel. It was purchased in 1941 from Riverview Park in Rahway, New Jersey and relocated to Knoebels. It is one of the few carousels remaining with a working ring dispenser, allowing riders on the outside row of horses to reach out and grab iron rings as they pass. The rider who grabs the brass ring is allowed to ride again free of charge. Three band organs provide music for the riders. Carousel in Bobbejaanland, Belgium] (Bobbejaan Schoepen Archive) A carousel (or carrousel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Charles I. D. Looff (b. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Coordinates: Country United States State New Jersey County Union Incorporated 1858 Government  - Mayor James J. Kennedy Area    - City  4. ... // Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. ...

Trains

• Old Smokey, an anthracite coal-fueled miniature steam locomotive narrow gauge train ride, whose track meanders through part of the park. Old Smokey replaced the Nickel Plate which had been installed in 1946.

• Pioneer, a gasoline-powered narrow gauge railroad installed around 1960. The track travels from near the edge of the park into a wooded area where there are feeders for viewing the local wildlife.

Anthracite coal Anthracite (Greek Ανθρακίτης, literally a form of coal, from Anthrax [Άνθραξ], coal) is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster. ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ... Comparison of standard gauge (blue) and one common narrow gauge (red) width. ... Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ...

Other rides and attractions

In addition to a 110' Ferris Wheel, a log flume and a boat flume ride named "Sklooosh!", the park maintains over 50 rides including many classic amusements: A Ferris wheel on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey, USA. A Ferris wheel (or, more commonly in the UK, big wheel) is a nonbuilding structure consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas suspended from the rim. ... A log flume ride A log flume is a horizontal structure that has a cavity for flowing water to carry lumber and logs and generally spans a long distance. ...

• a William F. Mangels "Whip" ride
• a set of Lusse Auto Scooters (bumper cars)
• the "Flyer" (one of the fastest running flying scooter rides in operation)
• the "Satellite" (a Lee Eyerly Roll-O-Plane)
• the "Roto-Jet" (1952)
• a restored vintage Allan Herschell Looper flat ride called "The Looper"
• The Haunted Mansion
• and one of the last remaining Fascination parlors in the United States

William F. Mangels (1866-1958), amusement manufacturer and inventor, worked at Coney Island and was a major player in the development of American amusement parks at the turn of the twentieth century. ... Bumper car at a small town fair Bumper car is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars that draw their power from an overhead grid, which is turned off by the operator at the end of a session. ... Lee U. Eyerly (1892-1963) was an Oregon civil aviation pioneer and amusement ride manufacturer. ... A 1920s Allan Herschell Company merry-go-round at Trail Dust Town The The Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels. ... The Haunted Mansion at Knoebels Family Park was built in 1973 and opened June 30th, 1973, on Rick Knoebels birthday. ... Fascination is a game commonly found in North American amusement parks, boardwalks and arcades. ...

Restaurants

Knoebels also has a great variety of restaurants throughout the park, both sit-down and counter service in nature. These eateries have contributed toward the park winning numerous awards from organizations which judge amusement park food, including Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Food every year since 1999. The 2006 GTA logo The Golden Ticket Awards is an annual set of awards given out by Amusement Today, a newspaper published for the amusement industry. ...

The primary sit-down restaurant at the park is the Alamo, which has a storied history in and of itself. Counter service restaurants include Cesari's Pizza, Oasis Cafeteria, Phoenix Junction Steakhouse and the International Food Court. Food ranges from "Famous Fresh Cut French Fries" and potato cakes to Bison sandwiches and Ostrichburgers to milkshakes and homemade fudge.

Accident History

Two major cases have been reported regarding accidents during the park's recent history.

In 1999, an attorney representing two girls who sustained injuries while riding a water slide at a Pennsylvania amusement park discovered a history of complaints of injuries made by riders after they had ridden the same ride. Fifteen injuries had been reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Ride and Measurement Standards in recent years, including six other reports of injuries to riders' genital areas. The Speed Slide, also known as the Super Slide, is a 40-foot vertical drop water slide attraction. The tort lawsuit filed sought $9,200 in medical costs and at least $50,000 in damages on behalf of one girl, age 11. The suit also sought $5,300 in medical costs and at least $100,000 in damages on behalf of the other girl, age 12. The park was charged with negligence, failure to monitor the amount of force of the water and its effect on riders, failure to fix defects, and failure to provide adequate warnings to riders. [5]

Then in 2003, a man was seriously injured in a 30-foot-fall from the Scenic Skyway chairlift, which had opened two weeks prior. The man was a member of a group home for mentally disabled people and was riding alone.[6] The man was airlifted to a local hospital and made a full recovery. Inspectors found no problems with the ride.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Knoebels Amusement Resort official site including Park history
• AirPhoenix - Unofficial Guide to Knoebels Amusement Resort
• Project Page for the Flying Turns Construction
• Photos of the Twister and Phoenix rollercoasters
• General Park Photos
• Flying Turns Construction Photos
• The Grand Carousel pictures and review
• Ride Rehab: Old Amusement Park Attractions Ride Again at Knoebels from Baltimore City Paper