Lakemont Park

Lakemont Park
Skyliner rollercoaster
Slogan Two Great Parks, Twice the Fun
Location Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates 40°28′18″N 78°23′44″W / 40.4717632°N 78.3954871°W / 40.4717632; -78.3954871Coordinates: 40°28′18″N 78°23′44″W / 40.4717632°N 78.3954871°W / 40.4717632; -78.3954871
Owner The City of Altoona
Opened 1894
Previous names Boyertown USA
Operating season

Summer Season: May until Labor Day

  • Holiday Lights on the Lake: Friday before Thanksgiving until First Sunday in January (unless the first Sunday is the 1st)
Area 51 acres (210,000 m2)
Rides
Total 30
Roller coasters 4
Water rides 3
Website http://www.lakemontparkfun.com

Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. On June 19, 1996, the roller coaster was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is one of only thirteen trolley parks still operating, and the 8th oldest amusement park in the United States. The park was owned by the Boyer Candy Company from May 23, 1986 until July 1, 1988, when it was called Boyertown USA.

History

Lakemont Park opened in 1894, was donated to Blair County in 1937, privatized in 1986, and is still in operation in 2016. The park closed for at the beginning of the 2017 season, as many rides and attractions were undergoing maintenance. In 2018, Lakemont Park announced that it would remain closed with plans to reopen as a "family entertainment location with some amusements" in the summer of 2019. Lakemont indicated it is planning on selling most of the rides except for Skyliner, Leap the Dips, Antique Cars, Miniature Train, Paddle Boats, Indy Go-Karts, Mini Indy Go-Karts, and the Waterpark. [1]

Current rides

The Sky Diver in the background, with the German Swings in the front.

Lakemont has numerous rides.

Current roller coasters

Ride Opened Description Ref(s)
Leap-The-Dips 1902 A wooden, figure-eight type ride with three, four-seat trains. Only two figure-eight type roller coasters still survive in the world. Leap-The-Dips features 1,980 feet (600 m) of track and is one of the few surviving roller coasters with side friction. The ride was closed for all but two weeks in 2005, because of maintenance. The ride was also closed from 1986 to 1998. The ride costs an additional $2.50 to ride, in order to help support the maintenance of the ride.
Toboggan 1971 A portable Chance Rides Toboggan coaster. The ride features four single cars.
Skyliner 1987 The Skyliner was relocated from Roseland Park in Canandaigua, New York, where it was built in 1960. The move was to build up the park for the failed Boyertown USA project. This marks one of the few instances of a moved wooden roller coaster in the 80s. Skyliner today borders the outfield of Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, next door.
Little Leaper Unknown A standard Allan Herschell Little Dipper kiddie coaster. The park currently does not allow adult riders on this coaster, or anyone over the age of 12.

Thrill/Family rides

Kiddie rides

Pay-extra rides

This list below does not include Leap-The-Dips since it is already listed above.

Ride Additional cost
(per person / round)
 Description Ref(s)
Tiger Belly Bounce $2.00 Inflatable [2]
Kid's Mini-Indy $2.50 A 3-minute race around the kid's track. [2]
Monster Motorway $4.00 3 and a half minute ride around the Go-Karts track. Riders must abide by the rules of the track and must be at least 56inches and 10 years old to drive the go-kart alone, or they must ride with a parent in a double car. The track is located near the Skyliner. [2]
Traintown Mini Golf $3.00 This is a miniature golf course inside the park. [2]
Paddle Boats $2.50 Boating on the lake, riders are permitted one lap around it. [2]

Water park

Ride Opened Description Ref(s)
Three Water Slides Unknown Must be 42 inches to ride. [2]
Pool Unknown [2]
Pirate's Cove Unknown Small Pirate Ship with Water Cannons and Palm Trees [2]

Former attractions

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Like any amusement park that has been open for many years, rides are removed for various reasons. Below is a list of some of these rides.

Former roller coasters

Ride Manufacturer Opened Closed Description Ref(s)
Gravity Road Amandus Sink 1894 1897 This was a switchback railroad-style roller coaster, owned and operated by Amandus Sink. The ride was torn down in 1897, likely because Sink went broke after losing a hotel business in a large fire. [3][4][5]
Twister Philadelphia Toboggan Company 1927 1935 Lakemont was once home to a Schmeck wooden roller coaster named "Twister" from 1927-1935. This ride was damaged in a flood on in March, 1936, before being removed a year later.
Mad Mouse Allan Herschell Company Unknown 2003 Closed in 2003 due to excessive maintenance.

Incidents at Lakemont Park

  • On September 2, 1991, a seventeen-year-old ride operator for the Little Leaper Coaster got dragged away by the rollercoaster and lost his right leg after it got mangled between the train and its track/chain. The incident is featured on Rescue 911.

References

  1. ↑ Stephens, Kay (March 7, 2018). "Lakemont to remain closed this year". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Lakemont Park and The Island Water Park". Lakemontparkfun.com. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  3. ↑ "Lakemont Park Is 25 Years Old Tomorrow. Popular Resort was Formally Opened on July 4, 1893, by Logan Valley Railway". Altoona Tribune. July 3, 1918. p. 12.
  4. ↑ "Plenty of Work Goes on Now at Lakemont Summer Fun Spot". Altoona Mirror. April 14, 1961. p. 16.
  5. ↑ "July 4 To Mark 60th Birthday Of County's Lakemont Park". Altoona Tribune. June 29, 1953. p. 12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.