Tag Archives: Kennywood

Pittsburgh is on the clock for the NFL Draft, and it’s about time

The NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh is exciting for a lot of reasons.

There’s the football, of course. There’s the national attention. There’s the chance to welcome fans from across the country to a city that knows a thing or two about the game.

But more than anything, the draft gives Pittsburgh a chance to show people who we are now.

For too long, too many people have held onto an outdated image of Pittsburgh — smoky skies, steel mills and a city stuck in the past. That history matters. It shaped us. It gave this region its grit, its work ethic and its identity.

But Pittsburgh is not a smoggy old mill town waiting to be rediscovered.

We’ve been here all along.

And when the NFL Draft brings visitors, media and football fans to town, they’re going to see a city that is beautiful, lively and full of things to do.

They’ll see our rivers. They’ll see our skyline. They’ll see Downtown, the North Shore, Mount Washington and all sorts of areas that can tell the Pittsburgh story first-hand.

They’ll see a city and region that has changed without forgetting where it came from.

Downtown deserves the spotlight

Pittsburgh’s Downtown is made for a moment like this.

It’s walkable. It’s scenic. It’s packed with history, restaurants, hotels, theaters and riverfront views. You can stand at Point State Park and look out at the place where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio. You can walk across a bridge to the North Shore. You can look up and see hillsides rising around the city.

That’s not something every city can offer.

And for visitors coming in for the draft, Downtown will be more than a backdrop. It will be part of the experience.

They’ll be able to explore before and after events. They’ll be able to walk to restaurants, museums, bars, theaters and hotels. They’ll be able to see why so many of us love this place—even when we complain about construction, parking or which tunnel is backed up.

Because all of that makes Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.

We’re more than steel, even if steel helped make us

Pittsburgh should never run away from its steel history or blue-collar mindset.

The mills built communities. They brought families here. They helped create the work ethic people still associate with this region.

But the mistake is thinking the story stopped there.

Today’s Pittsburgh is a city of education, medicine, technology, arts, culture, research, food, sports and neighborhoods with strong identities. It is a place where old industrial buildings have found new life, where riverfronts have become gathering places and where people still feel connected to their communities.

That’s what the NFL Draft can help show.

It can show that Pittsburgh’s past is important, but it is not the only thing that defines us.

Let’s talk about “eds and meds”

People like to use the phrase “eds and meds” when they talk about Pittsburgh’s modern economy.

It can sound a little too simple, but there’s truth behind it.

Our universities, hospitals and research institutions have helped carry this region into a new era. They bring students, doctors, nurses, researchers, professors, patients, families and workers into Pittsburgh from all over the world.

Our museums are worth the trip

Pittsburgh also has museums that deserve national attention.

The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are one of the region’s great cultural assets. Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Kamin Science Center and The Andy Warhol Museum give visitors a little bit of everything — art, science, history, dinosaurs, innovation and one of Pittsburgh’s most famous creative voices.

The Heinz History Center tells the story of Western Pennsylvania in a way that helps people understand how this region grew, changed and contributed to the country.

And Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is one of the most beautiful places in the city. It is a reminder that Pittsburgh is greener, brighter and more alive than outsiders sometimes expect.

These are places that make Pittsburgh richer. They give families, students, visitors and longtime residents reasons to keep learning and exploring.

Don’t forget the libraries

Pittsburgh is also a library city.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system is one of the city’s most important civic resources. Its branches serve neighborhoods across the city and offer far more than books. They offer programming, public space, internet access, job resources, children’s activities and a place for people to gather.

Across the county, the Allegheny County Library Association and the network of suburban libraries do the same kind of work.

Libraries are one of the best measures of a community’s priorities. In Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, they remain vital pieces of public life.

When visitors come here, they may notice the stadiums first. That’s fine. They’re hard to miss.

But part of what makes Pittsburgh special is that our pride extends beyond sports. It includes the places that help people read, learn, connect and grow.

The arts are part of the city’s heartbeat

Let’s not forget about Pittsburgh’s arts scene.

The Cultural District has helped make Downtown a destination for theater, music, dance and public art. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been a major part of that transformation.

Pittsburgh CLO brings musical theater to generations of audiences. Heinz Hall remains one of Downtown’s great landmarks and the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Benedum Center, Byham Theater and other venues help keep the city’s arts scene active year-round.

This is another part of Pittsburgh that surprises people.

They come expecting sports. They find theater, music, dance, galleries, festivals and public art.

That combination is what makes the city interesting. You can go from a football game on the North Shore to a show Downtown in the same night. You can spend one day at a museum and the next at Kennywood.

There’s plenty of fun here, too

Speaking of Kennywood, the isn’t limited to Downtown and the city’s limits.

Kennywood is one of the great Pittsburgh traditions. Generations of families have gone there for roller coasters, Potato Patch fries and summer nights that feel like childhood.

Just down the road from Kennywood, its water park, Sandcastle, gives the region a place to cool off along the Monongahela River. (Not in, though — let’s make that distinction, haha.)

And about an hour away from Kennywood is sister park Idlewild, which is part of the Western Pennsylvania family tradition, especially for younger kids and parents who want a day that feels a little slower and a little sweeter. Daniel Tiger and his friends are among the main attractions at Idlewild.

This is Pittsburgh’s moment

The NFL Draft will bring attention to Pittsburgh.

That is good for the city. It is good for restaurants, hotels, small businesses and attractions. It is good for the people who have been saying for years that Pittsburgh deserves more credit than it gets.

But the most exciting part is not just that people will come here, it is that they will see a city with three rivers, great neighborhoods, strong institutions, beautiful parks, serious culture and a sense of identity that cannot be — dare I say — manufactured.

They will see that Pittsburgh is not stuck in the past.

They will see that we are proud of where we came from and excited about where we are going.

And maybe, after a few days here, they’ll understand what we already know: Pittsburgh is a great place to visit, a great place to explore and a great place to call home.

Kennywood’s Racer gets final farewell … for now

Blending old and new in an amusement park probably isn’t easy.

And it’s especially not easy at Kennywood, where Pittsburghers aren’t always up for change.

But as the park preserves its past, routine maintenance is necessary.

And, as such, the park’s 96-year-old, only-one-left-in-America Racer won’t open for Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest.

Its last day was Sept. 16.

In a blog post, Kennywood explains that the roller coaster’s lift hills need replaced and retracked. More than 1,000 feet of lumber will be used. The work will be completed by the park’s in-house team.

“They’ll start with the left lift hill this year, followed by the right lift hill next year,” Mark Frazee, Kennywood’s content manager, wrote in the post.

Of course, it’s not Kennywood’s only restoration project this offseason.

In August, the park announced that the Turtle would undergo extensive off-season work.

And, Kennywood returned the Kangaroo to the park, adding to its “commitment to preserving the park’s past while moving toward the future.”

Kennywood’s tumble bug ride closed, will undergo preservation work

The world’s last remaining tumble bug ride has closed.

But fear not: The ride isn’t gone forever.

Kennywood Park announced in August that the 1927-built tumble bug would close to undergo necessary maintenance work.

After 96 years, the ride’s center foundation needs to be replaced, Kennywood said.

“Of course, the turtles and sweeps all attach to this structure – making it an essential part of the ride,” the park said. “Kennywood is committed to the preservation of the world’s last tumble bug, and this replacement project is a critical component of that commitment.”

See photos of the Turtle, and other records from Kennywood Park, in the Kennywood Park Records collection hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

The tumble bug at Kennywood is said to be the last operating ride of its kind. Many tumble bugs were built by the Traver Engineering Company in Beaver Falls.

Since the Turtle’s manufacturer is long-defunct, the project will be completed in-house by Kennywood’s team of carpenters, maintenance technicians and electricians.

“Because these crews need to disassemble most of the ride and dig approximately 15 feet underground, it’s much easier to get started now, before the ground freezes up during the winter months,” Kennywood said.

Once a staple at amusement parks, the only other known operating tumble bug was at Conneaut Lake Park. The currently defunct amusement park in Crawford County was home to the five-car Tumble Bug, which closed in 2019, making Kennywood’s Turtle the last full-size tumble bug remaining.

Other parks that once had a tumble bug include Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, Hersheypark and West View Park.

And, to clarify, the Turtle will reopen next season.

Kennywood to bid farewell to Log Jammer after 42 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like an unpleasant head-banging on the old Steel Phantom, Pittsburghers received a jolt Thursday when Kennywood Park announced it would remove the popular Log Jammer water ride.

After 42 years, the Log Jammer will glide down its massive 53-foot chute one final time on Sept. 17.

What becomes of the space is anybody’s guess. (A quick internet search offers some rumors.)

“While no final decisions have been made regarding what will replace the Log Jammer, Kennywood is committed to enhancing our guests’ experiences while preserving our signature balance of modern thrills and traditional family favorites,” Kennywood General Manager Jerome Gibas said in a statement.

The park’s PR guy Nick Paradise said, “…in order to truly move towards the future, you have to leave some things behind.”

Log Jammer has long been one of those first rides children did in a transition phase from Kiddieland to bigger rides throughout the park. It’s exciting and pleasant for any age.

So it’s no surprise Pittsburghers didn’t take too kindly to news of its demise.

Perhaps Pittsburghers also are attached to Log Jammer because it seemed like one of those iconic attractions — like the Jack Rabbit and Thunderbolt — that would remain with the park for generations to come even though it held no records, made no “best of” lists and wasn’t nearly as unique as Thunderbolt.

But, oh, those Kennywood memories.

It’s one of the few rides I remember sharing with my grandmother when I was young. You’d get just enough wet to cool you off, but not soaked to your underwear wet like the Raging Rapids, so it was perfect for grandmas and grandkids!

Of the park’s three water rides (Raging Rapids and Pittsburg Plunge are the other two), Log Jammer was the Goldilocks ride: it wasn’t too hot; it wasn’t too cold; it was just right.

Log Jammer was Kennywood’s first ride to cost $1 million. It opened May 22, 1975. The 1,650-foot course meanders mostly through the trees in a back corner of the West Mifflin park’s property and features two drops — a 27-foot drop in the middle of the ride and a 53-drop to end the ride before turning into the station. It was designed by Arrow Dynamics — the now-defunct company that also constructed the Steel Phantom.

Hearing the news that Log Jammer would be gone was pretty stunning. Knowing my sometimes ridiculously obnoxious love of Kennywood, several friends checked in to get my reaction.

It’s too bad the park waited until just before the final two summer operating days (Sept. 16 and 17) to make the announcement. A proper farewell to a much beloved ride would have been a wonderful end to such a memorable part of the park.

Also, if you’re wondering, I won’t be that yinzer.

 

I don’t mind the rain

I realized something today that I think I’ve probably always known: I like rain.

No, I don’t like flooding or monsoon-type conditions. But a nice, cloudy day with hit or miss showers and some thunder and lightning really are nice.

There’s something about hearing the rain pelt off a roof or windowsill that allows me to be at peace and still accomplish the day’s tasks. That pitt-pitt-pitt noise of the drips coming from an overhang help me to imagine that I’m sitting on a wraparound porch on a wooden lounge chair (sometimes a swinging chair) with a nice, soft cushion as a light breeze dances through.

Off in the distance, I can see a large body of water (at times, it is Lake Erie, and other times, it is an ocean) with constant waves marching to the shore.

I’ve always wanted a patio with a protective cover. My family has a nice deck on the side of our house that is fantastic for the summer sun. But when it rains, we scatter indoors as a few of our neighbors remain outside watching the rain fall.

At an apartment I once lived in, there was a front porch area where I’d often sit and take in the views the rain offered.

Lightning and thunder add to the views, too. And, while I know it is dangerous to be outside in a storm, I still can escape an opportunity to sit outside in a thunderstorm.

Of course, the muddy yard is a less than desirable after effect of a rain fall, but that’s to be expected, I suppose. Puddles always are fun unless you’re standing at a street corner as a car whizzes by. That happened once to me — I was waiting to cross when a car’s tire hit a puddle. From the waist down, it looked as though I couldn’t wait to use the restroom.

Probably, the only time rain disgusts me is during a day at Kennywood Park. There’s nothing more upsetting than to be in line for the Thunderbolt or Jack Rabbit and hear the ride attendants talk about an impending storm.

I’ve waited out the rain a handful of times at Kennywood. Those were the times you filed into the Penny Arcade or the cafeteria. Of course, so did everybody else.

No matter how long the rain lasts, I know it won’t be around forever. It’s just part of the constantly changing weather. Besides, come August, we’ll be longing for a good, steady rainfall to help the plant life grow.

If for nothing else, I finally was able to use a Christmas gift my friend Jim Lokay gave me — an umbrella with a fun map of Pittsburgh on the underside. Kept looking up when I should have watched where I was going!

I’ll need a few more rain falls to look at what other landmarks the map offers.