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Rough Draft - Profile

This document discusses the history and roller coasters at Knoebels Amusement Park. It started as a lumber and sawmill business that added a swimming hole and rides. Today it has three wooden roller coasters: Phoenix (built in 1947 and moved to the park in 1985), Twister (built in 1998), and Flying Turns (opened in 2013 after years of construction issues). A new steel roller coaster, Stratosfear, will be the park's tallest ride yet at 148 feet. While many parks focus on high-thrill steel coasters, Knoebels remains popular for its classic wooden coasters and as the largest free-admission park in America.

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145 views4 pages

Rough Draft - Profile

This document discusses the history and roller coasters at Knoebels Amusement Park. It started as a lumber and sawmill business that added a swimming hole and rides. Today it has three wooden roller coasters: Phoenix (built in 1947 and moved to the park in 1985), Twister (built in 1998), and Flying Turns (opened in 2013 after years of construction issues). A new steel roller coaster, Stratosfear, will be the park's tallest ride yet at 148 feet. While many parks focus on high-thrill steel coasters, Knoebels remains popular for its classic wooden coasters and as the largest free-admission park in America.

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Houser 1

Megan L. Houser
Mr. Maslonka
Engl. 101 Section 1-N
3 November 2014
Knoebels Coasters
Every year around Memorial Day, Knoebels Amusement Park opens it gates to campers
and families from all around. This park has become the largest free admission park in America,
with three wooden coasters and one of the oldest and biggest handcrafted Carousels. Knoebels
started out as just a simple lumbering and sawmill business but quickly elevated to a swimming
hole where all the locals gathered to hot summer days to cool down due to the Roaring Creek
that ran down the middle, the family owned land added a restaurant and rides every year to
accommodate what people wanted in order to relax and have a fun time. (Knoebels 1) Today,
this park is still family owned and its home to 4th best wooden roller coaster in the world,
Phoenix.
The Phoenix wooden coaster was initially built in 1947 as the Rocket for Playland Park,
in San Antonio, Texas. Around the 1980s Knoebels has grown to be the largest park without a
major wooden coaster, it was then the opportunity came about to move the Phoenix from San
Antonio, Texas to Elysburg, Pennsylvania. (Knoebels 2) This was one of the largest coasters of
time to be moved from one place to another, many doubted it would make the long trip. On
June 12, 1985 the Phoenix had officially opened. (Knoebels 2) To this day the Phoenix is still one
of the best wooden coasters in the world, every year people enjoy its wicked turns and slight
thrill of coming up out of your seat as you fly across the bunny hills. The creaky wood and warn
in tracks give the Phoenix its thrill in addition to its max speed at 48 mph and height of 78.

Houser 2

While different from the Phoenix and built on the Knoebels grounds, the Twister was
added in 1998. The Twister was an in-house design and the wooden construction materials all
from the still standing lumbering and sawmill business located on the Knoebels grounds. This
coaster was inspired by Elitch Gardens and designed by Knoebels own John Fetterman. Twister
was opened July 24, 1999. (Knoebels 2) While the Twister isnt as old as the Phoenix it has its
kicks. The wooden coaster features a large double helix as well as an on ride photo right before
flying into the tunnel. Rain or shine that coaster flies at a max speed of 51 mph at 102. While
being the fastest wooden coaster the park has to offer its also the loudest by far, you can hear
the excitement and roar of the coaster tracks throughout the campground. As of 2013 the
Twister was named 39th in the top 100 Best Wooden Coasters in the world.
In addition to this fighting duo of beloved Wooden Coasters, Knoebels started to add a
third and probably their most backbreaking roller coaster, Flying Turns. The construction began
in 2006 and since day one guests stood around and watched the massive coaster begin to take
form, the kiosk that played its continuous video of what Flying Turns would offer stayed in the
same place for years. Flying Turns ran into its many issues during the construction, from the
train going off track to the floods that ruined the wood which later had to be placed. Guests
grew anxious over the years to try this insane construction of a wooden coaster, but also
became worry some that they may never get a chance to try it. Finally during their Halloween
Weekends in October 2013 they were able to open Flying Turns. The coaster features a
toboggan style train that is linked with three cars, the cars can hold up to 400 lbs. each. While
most coasters ride within a track of sorts Flying Turns does not, each car has wheels and it
depends on the weight to move around the turns and tunnels making each ride slightly
different. This year it was ranked #1 in the Golden Ticket Awards for Best New Ride. (

Houser 3

While extreme vertigo buffs are drawn to the exotically shaped super high-acceleration
coasters with steel rails, many amusement parks around the world find the older and newer
coasters built with old-fashioned wooden tracks are among the most popular. (Roller Coasters
1) For many years Knoebels has given their guests the thrill and rumble of the wooden coasters
with their clickity-clack of the wood and chains. However, this year they announced the parks
new addition of the parks tallest ride yet. At a towering 148 feet the new Stratosfear stands
well above the parks Giant Wheel. While this coaster will travel at incredible speeds and have
steep drops itll have a beautiful view of the Knoebels grounds. While it seems Knoebels is
moving into the future to keep up with bigger and high priced parks, it keeps to its family
owned roots with free admission and beloved wooden coasters.

Houser 4

Works Cited

History. History. Knoebels, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014

Roller Coasters (Special Report). World News Digest. Infobase Learning, June 1999. Web. 25
Oct. 2014.

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