CoasterCon Park 2: Williams Grove -- 6/18
Associated parks:
None
This was my first trip to William's Grove, and won't be my last.
William's Grove is apparently closed on Mondays. However, for the con, they opened up for ACE to give exclusive PARK time. Everyone involved, from attendees to employees, had a good time. We heard later that the rideop for the Kiddie Coaster had never enjoyed a day at the park more.
William's Grove is a small, hidden park in the middle of Nowhere, PA (actually Mechanicsburg, but you get the idea). I suspect just FINDING it would have been interesting if most of the group I was with hadn't been there already.
However, once you get there, you land in a true traditional park of old. From a walk-through funhouse with all sorts of tilting and rocking floors, and even a working barrel hall (I passed on that segment), to a wave swinger that couldn't lift us off the ground significantly (we were "walking" at the start and end). The park actually has 3 coasters, one of which was a surprise to me:
Cyclone (4 laps) -- This little woodie was funny. It's rough, it bangs you around, and it's worth every second. As much as I hate to be beaten up by abominations like Mean Streak or Hercules (Hurt-Me-Please, but I'm 2 or 3 reports ahead of myself with that comment), I loved it on Cyclone. The difference is that Cyclone isn't big, and it's OLD. It's amazing the thing still stands, but it does, and it's actually not in bad shape -- I certainly didn't feel unsafe on it, at least.
The ride op was also the maintenance guy for the ride, and he was funny to talk to. He said it takes him 2 weeks to go around the ride, tightening every bolt, and by the time he's done going around, it's time to do it again. When asked why the newer wood isn't painted, he replied "because when it's painted I can't see any stress cracks". Heh. Makes sense.
Kiddie Coaster (1 lap, special bonus coaster!) -- This is a typical tiny kid's steel coaster, the kind that some parks don't let adults on at all. I didn't even know William's Grove HAD one, since it isn't in the CoasterBuzz listing (ahem, contribution on the way). They were only allowing 3 adults on at a time. It's not thrilling, but it IS a coaster. Ding.
Wildcat (2 laps) -- A small steel coaster, very much like the Wildcat that Cedar Point has. 2 cars were running, and we ended up with one lap on each. One car was MUCH slower than the other, and our 2nd lap resulted in the single most scary ride in the entire con. I was CONVINCED we were going to roll back several times, it was moving SO slow. The location of this coaster is weird. It's off in a remote corner of the park, by itself. You literally pass a house to get to it.
William's Grove also provided dinner. My hot dog tasted funny to me, so I stocked up on the yummy fruit salad instead (wasn't in the mood for fried chicken, which looked pretty good).
William's Grove was on odd place. It's certainly run down, but the rides are fun, and don't feel dangerous. The park setting off in the woods is pleasant. I'll be back.
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--Greg
http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/
William's Grove is apparently closed on Mondays. However, for the con, they opened up for ACE to give exclusive PARK time. Everyone involved, from attendees to employees, had a good time. We heard later that the rideop for the Kiddie Coaster had never enjoyed a day at the park more.
William's Grove is a small, hidden park in the middle of Nowhere, PA (actually Mechanicsburg, but you get the idea). I suspect just FINDING it would have been interesting if most of the group I was with hadn't been there already.
However, once you get there, you land in a true traditional park of old. From a walk-through funhouse with all sorts of tilting and rocking floors, and even a working barrel hall (I passed on that segment), to a wave swinger that couldn't lift us off the ground significantly (we were "walking" at the start and end). The park actually has 3 coasters, one of which was a surprise to me:
Cyclone (4 laps) -- This little woodie was funny. It's rough, it bangs you around, and it's worth every second. As much as I hate to be beaten up by abominations like Mean Streak or Hercules (Hurt-Me-Please, but I'm 2 or 3 reports ahead of myself with that comment), I loved it on Cyclone. The difference is that Cyclone isn't big, and it's OLD. It's amazing the thing still stands, but it does, and it's actually not in bad shape -- I certainly didn't feel unsafe on it, at least.
The ride op was also the maintenance guy for the ride, and he was funny to talk to. He said it takes him 2 weeks to go around the ride, tightening every bolt, and by the time he's done going around, it's time to do it again. When asked why the newer wood isn't painted, he replied "because when it's painted I can't see any stress cracks". Heh. Makes sense.
Kiddie Coaster (1 lap, special bonus coaster!) -- This is a typical tiny kid's steel coaster, the kind that some parks don't let adults on at all. I didn't even know William's Grove HAD one, since it isn't in the CoasterBuzz listing (ahem, contribution on the way). They were only allowing 3 adults on at a time. It's not thrilling, but it IS a coaster. Ding.
Wildcat (2 laps) -- A small steel coaster, very much like the Wildcat that Cedar Point has. 2 cars were running, and we ended up with one lap on each. One car was MUCH slower than the other, and our 2nd lap resulted in the single most scary ride in the entire con. I was CONVINCED we were going to roll back several times, it was moving SO slow. The location of this coaster is weird. It's off in a remote corner of the park, by itself. You literally pass a house to get to it.
William's Grove also provided dinner. My hot dog tasted funny to me, so I stocked up on the yummy fruit salad instead (wasn't in the mood for fried chicken, which looked pretty good).
William's Grove was on odd place. It's certainly run down, but the rides are fun, and don't feel dangerous. The park setting off in the woods is pleasant. I'll be back.
-------------
--Greg
http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/
Your doin pretty good so far can't wait for the rest of the reports. I also liked your phantom phantic shirt you wore one day at hershey. I got to find 3 more trips to Kennywood sometime to get mine.
Thanks. I was wondering if anyone spotted that shirt. For a freebie it's pretty cool :)
-------------
--Greg
http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/
-------------
--Greg
http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/
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