Hersheypark - 5/20

Ok, so if you all did not know, this is one of the weekends for Music in the Parks at Hersheypark. This of course means thousands of Middle/High school kids (myself included) swarming the park in the morning and afternoon, and then leaving to perform at local schools in the evening. Anyways, the weather was cold, rainy, and the crowds were heavy which didn't make for the best day at Hersheypark.

Our first ride attempt was Comet. I was excited to ride it again. However, everyone in my group (most of whom was their first time to the park) saw Great Bear so we went and waited.

First off, the line extended out of the switchbacks which were NOT open. Finally, they did open them to keep the crowds from going all the way down to the ampitheater close by. I was expecting a 20 minute wait until I discovered they were running a 1 train operation. Not the smartest idea, Hershey. Anyways, about 50 minutes later we finally got on. I forgot how intense this ride can be at times (especially when it's raining!). It was a fun way to start off the short day.

The rest of our morning was confusing and our group couldn't decide what to do. Eventually my friend and I just broke off and went to do Lightning Racer. Personally, I think Lightning Racer is running amazing this season. It seemed so out of control and smoother than last year. Re-tracking perhaps?? Good ride..

We then walked around the rest of the afternoon in the rain and riding some random flats. Then, the rain stopped, and the god of all coasters FINALLY opened for the day.... STORM RUNNER. This was also about a 45 minute wait that started with a 1 train op. but eventually became 2. I still love this ride. Insane airtime, intense pacing, and smooth transitions. Yay!

It was then time to leave, but I'll finish with some new updates I noticed..

- Founder's Circle looks very nice! It seems more open than before. It's sad though that there was no Turbulence to ride :( Everyone seemed to be enjoying the return of the classic kiddie rides, though (Starship America and Baloon Flite).

- Roller Soaker got a new coat of paint. I think the supports are the same color, but the track is now the same color blue as SooperDooperLooper.

- Storm Runner's queue was significantly expanded. It now takes up the entire area of Trailblazer's first drop/helix. It's kind of kewl to watch the train spiral down around the edges of the queue. However, with the crowds yesterday the queue STILL went out and down to the extra pathway that was used for overflow last season.

... and I think that's all I noticed. Thanks for reading! :)

By the way, were any of your schools at Music in the Parks?? My school, of course, was... *** Edited 5/21/2005 7:25:27 PM UTC by LightningRacer821***