Lakemont Park

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Lakemont Park
Image:LakemontPark logo.jpg‎
Location Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States Flag of the United States
Website http://www.lakemontparkfun.com
Opened 1894
Previous names Boyertown USA
Rides 14 total
  • 4 roller coasters

Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 (four years before Kennywood Park) as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest 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.

Contents

[edit] Roller Coasters

Ride Opened Description
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 is one of the few surviving roller coasters with side friction. It is a simple, gentle ride with 3/8 miles of track, or 1980 feet.That ride was closed for all but two weeks in 2005, because of maintenance on an old-age roller coaster. The ride was also SBNO from 1986 to 1998.
Little Leaper A standard Allan Herschell Little Dipper kiddie coaster. The park currently does not allow adult riders on this coaster.
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 80's. Skyliner today borders the outfield of the Blair County Ballpark, home of the Altoona Curve, next door.
Toboggan 1971 A portable Chance Rides Toboggan coaster. The ride features four trains with two seats per train.

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. The park also had an Allan Herschell Mad Mouse, which closed in 2003.

[edit] Other Rides

Sky Diver and a swing ride at Lakemont Park
Sky Diver and a swing ride at Lakemont Park

Lakemont has a number of other rides:

[edit] Criticism and Controversy

In early 2003, the owner of the park stirred up much controversy among the locals when he called the competitor park Delgrosso's Amusement Park "So DelGROSSo it makes me want to throw up. I mean, have you seen the trash in that place? All I can say is I'm very Delsgusted."

[edit] Links

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