No Coasters, No Problem!

Willowbrook, Illinois, January 19th, 2013. It's cold. There is a forecast of snow. It's the middle of another Northern winter. Sounds like a great place to have a coaster bash right?

It's what the American Coaster Enthusiasts call "No Coaster Con" and the name says it all. These coaster and themepark fanatics love the amusement industry so much, that even when they can't ride, they still want to talk about their passion; coasters. Beginning at 9:00am, this ACE event brings speakers and invitees from parks and manufacturers across the country to give insights and tell stories about their business. Parks such as Silver Dollar City, Dollywood, and Schlitterbahn Waterparks and manufacturers like Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and Sally Corporation all joined the festivities to give updates. Of course, Waldameer & Water World was excited to be invited again to this awesome event as well.

President Steve Gorman speaking at No Coaster Con 2013

Steve Gorman gave an insider's look into Waldameer's 2012-2013 off season including photos from the installation of Waldameer's new ride, the Music Express, updates on the overhaul of the Ferris Wheel, and the re-tracking process on the Ravine Flyer II. All these juicy details and more were shared, giving the ACER's something to talk about until summer rolls around again.

To learn more about the American Coaster Enthusiasts, visit http://www.aceonline.org/default.aspx

Also, be sure to follow Waldameer on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for even more about Erie's favorite amusement park!

Accessible Family FUN!

Providing affordable family fun for everyone is a tradition that Waldameer & Water World prides itself in. Enjoying a day at the park with family and friends is what Waldameer is all about! To make sure every Guest that comes through our gates is able to enjoy our park, we have always made sure to do everything we can to make all aspects of the park accessible, especially for our Guests with disabilities. Providing special entrances to our attractions, building ramps, clearing pathways, and offering special wristbands for Guests who cannot wait in lines are only a few of the things we make available to make sure all our Guests enjoy everything Waldameer has to offer.

This coming March, the ADA (American's with Disabilities Act) will revise and update it's codes and laws pertaining to water attractions and accessibility in water facilities. These new rules update codes on ramps, pool lifts, and many other aspects of water facilities.

To make sure Water World continues to be accessible to all our Guests, Waldameer has made many changes in the past few years. The largest addition was the construction of the over 100' ramp to allow access to Water World's kiddie pools and Giant Body Slides. Another change was the Endless river bump steps allowing Guests in wheelchairs to "bump" down into the pool.

An example of a pool lift that will be installed at the Heated Relaxing Pool and the Inn's pool.

To make Water World's kiddie pool more accessible, the installation of a ramp was added to the pool. This will allow water wheelchairs and Guests unable to negotiate steps to enjoy the kiddie pools as well. Still to come for 2013 is the addition of two pool lifts to allow access to Water World's Heated Relaxing Pool as well as the Inn at Presque Isle's swimming pool. These lifts will be able to pick up a Guest and raise them into each pool so they can enjoy the water. These changes will cost over $15,000.00, but are well worth it in Waldameer's eyes. The more accessible Waldameer becomes, the more smiles and memories we can be a part of!

Waldameer Turns Up the Volume for 2013

First and foremost, apologies to all who follow the WaldaBlog and were disappointed to find no recent posts for almost six months. Thanks for not losing faith! More regularly scheduled post to come!

Now that we are back in the swing of things, how about an update on the main attraction for 2013?

The Music Express

Here is a photo of what our Music Express will look like. Hopefully they spelled "music" right!

Arriving on Friday, December 14th, the first two containers for the new Music Express were carefully unloaded and the parts were spread out all over the parking lot. Checker plate decking, fiberglass "gingerbread", light fixtures,  and plenty of steel structure were sorted, ready to be put together.

We Need a Leader!

9,000 lbs! (Don't strain your neck looking at the photo!)

Saturday, December 15th saw the arrival of Bertazzon's installer, Loris, who got right to work placing the first, and most important piece to the ride: the 9,000 lb. center. Once that important piece was in place, all of the base structure was put in place.

Raise the Roof!

So many colors!

Monday, December 17th was the day to raise the roof! The roof structure was assembled at ground level and then hoisted up using pulleys. Most of the fiberglass and lighting were put up before the roof was raised.

Party Planning
Today, December 18th looks like most of the track, decking, and cars will be put together. There are still many pieces of this puzzle to be put in place and the steady rain shower is not helping any. But never fear! The Music Express will be ready to go for it's Grand Opening on Saturday, December 22nd from 11:00am to 5:00pm. Any one wishing to brave the predicted cold weather this Saturday can ride the new Music Express. All you need is you 2013 Season Pass card and you get two free tickets to ride as well as two tickets for hot cocoa! How's that for a Holiday Gift! Learn more by visiting Waldameer's web page and be sure to check out the Event Details on Waldameer's Facebook Page.

Fun for All

Waldameer has been around for 116 years, providing fun and entertainment to plenty of families over the years. As the park has grown, it has always tried to make as much available to all of its Guests, including those with a disability. When constructing new rides or extending the midway, it is standard procedure to follow all of the rules and guidelines to make Waldameer accessible to all Guests. Waldameer loves to see families enjoying the park together and by making the park accessible, more families can do just that.

With new regulations and guidelines that went into effect in March of this year, Waldameer made some changes again in order to make the water park more accessible and more enjoyable to more of its Guests. You may have seen a photo or two of the new bridge that spans the Endless River, allowing strollers, wheelchairs, and wagons to cross over into the Kiddie Pool area.

Another project that will be completed before Water World opens for the season will be a special set of steps to allow Guests in wheelchairs to get into the Endless River. These bump steps, as they are called, will be located in the Kiddie Pool area and will make the Endless River more accessible.

These projects are big jobs but will provide big improvements to the water park. The more Guests can enjoy Waldameer's family fun atmosphere, the better!

Roller Coaster Physics: The Best Kind of Science!

We all remember parts of our school days, learning about all sorts of things that make the world go round. Some things were more interesting than others. Most of the time, recess and lunch topped the "Favorite Subjects" list. But not for the Fourth Graders at Fairview Elementary School. Yesterday, they would all say their favorite subject was physics! Potential energy, friction, and gravitational forces... sounds like a blast, right? Not really? How about when the President of Waldameer comes and teaches you about physics and how it relates to roller coasters! Now we are taking!

Learning all about kinetic energy and the effects of friction.

To bring a real cool, real world example of physics to the students, Steve Gorman visited the school for an hour of fun taking about everything dealing with roller coasters. With a background in mechanical engineering and over 16 years of experience of amusement parks, Mr. Gorman kept the fourth graders on the edge of their seats while they learned about air time, centripetal forces, and how roller coasters stay on the tracks.


Up close and personal with parts of Waldameer's roller coasters.

Seeing some parts from Waldameer's coasters and learning all about how roller coaster designers use physics to make coasters safe made everyone excited for the upcoming season at Waldameer. With a new appreciating of how roller coasters work, maybe the students will ride the Ravine Flyer II this summer and pay more attention to the moments of greatest potential and kinetic energy and when the most friction occurs between the screams and laughter... then again, maybe not!

Happy Photos From Boonton, New Jersey

Well, it's official. Zamperla IS making Waldameer a Happy Swing for this coming summer! Not that anyone had any doubts!



These photos were taken in Zamperla's Boonton, New Jersey shop as they tested the lighting package they just finished installing. The ride will be the center of attention in Kiddieland this summer with its brilliant white LED lights. This is Waldameer's first time trying out an LED lighting package on a ride.

When designing the ride, most of the standard theming was used from Zamperla, including the wave behind the "Happy Swing" letters. There could have been a dolphin jumping the wave above the "Happy Swing" letters, but after a second thought, there aren't any dolphins in Lake Erie!

The sides of the ride were customized to make this Happy Swing truly Waldameer's with the signature colored logo on the right side. This fits right with the color scheme of the children's ride. And adults, don't worry, you can ride too! Just like the Frog Hopper, the Happy Swing has larger seats to let you ride with your kids!




The ride fits just perfectly into the area in front of the Ravine Flyer 3 kiddie coaster where everyone can see the beautiful ride. You can see all of the construction photos as we prepare for the summer on our Facebook page.

Comet Brakes Make Their Final Stop



That is the most brakes I have seen on a truck!

Yesterday afternoon, Velocity magnetics delivered the nine brake sections that will eventually be installed on the 61 year-old Comet. These sleek new brake sections are stacked along the Comet's brake run as two of Waldameer's excelent maintenance staff remove about 175 feet of track steel along the brake run and station. Removing the running steel will allow the new brake sections to be bolted underneath the track stack.

So shiny and new!

Tomorrow, a member of the Velocity Magnetics' maintenance staff will be on site to help install a few of the new brakes. This won't be an easy task. Each brake section weighs about 700lbs each and if you know the Comet, some of the brake run is built over a small ravine. If you ask how our guys are going to install these cumbersome brakes, they all will reply, "Very carefully."