Lakemont Park 8/17/02
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So my parents tell me they are going to a car show at Lakemont Park on Saturday and ask if we want to go. Well d'uh, yes we want to go. So Saturday morning we pack the car, throw in the kid and start our 2.5 hour drive to Altoona.
Now Steve and I attended Ridefest last season and half the rides were already dismantled so other than the coasters, we really didn't know what they had as far as flats and kiddie rides. We did agree that our daughter would enjoy this park and planned on taking her this year. We got our wrist bands for both the park and Leap-the-Dips and were on our merry way. My mom even rode some rides with us.
So our daughter, Jordan, is 3.5 and about 40" tall so we knew she'd be able to ride a lot but were amazed to find out that she could ride EVERYTHING, including Skyliner. But would she ride it, was the big question?
We started with Mad Mouse, which she wanted to ride again immediately. Hit the Monster and headed to Leap-the-Dips. She absolutely loved this 100 year old coaster (what's not to love) so of course, we rode it again.
We rode some more flats and then got in line for Toboggan. I thought she might flake on this one because of the tube the car climbs up vertically but she's a trooper. The car in front me wouldn't engage the lift so I had to give it a "boost." The op release my car which slammed into the car in front of me and it finally went up the chain...lol. The ride would end up blowing a tire later in the day so that was our only ride.
Went over to kiddie land and rode the ferris wheel, and Jordan rode a couple kid rides, but unfortunately the kiddie coaster was down all day for maintenance :(
Steve and Jordan got in line for the Tin Lizzies and took a spin on Skyliner. The first drop still bottoms out way to harsh but the rest of the ride was fine. I this point I still thought that Jordan wouldn't make the height requirement so I didn't even bother to check. I swapped places with Steve and he took a spin on Skyliner. He however noticed that you had to be a certain height unless accompanied by an adult. So he comes back, we are still waiting to ride the Tin Lizzies, and says she can ride it and that he even saw 3 people in a seat so we could both ride with her. Jordan didn't want to ride it at first, but once we told her she could ride with both of us, she changed her mind.
We chose 2.2 since it seemed to be the smoothest, and Jordan sat inbetween us. She closed her eyes and buried her head into my side for the first half of the ride. We got off and she wanted to ride again. So we got back in line and rode in 3.2. This time she was straining to see over the bar the entire ride and she even liked the airtime on the first hill. That's my girl.
We ended up riding Leap-the-Dips 7 times throughout the day, it was Jordan's favorite. Steve took Jordan on Mad Mouse again, but we had a 2.5 hour drive back home so it was time to leave.
We were there for about 5 hours and rode just about everything and lines weren't bad at all. This is definately a great family park, just could use some more shade.
I find it so amazing how this park can have absolutely no charm whatsoever, but its rides still have more than those at most other parks. Thanks a lot, Boyer. :(
Did you notice that Leap the Dips is smooth in the front seat, but rough in the back? Odd, for a single car ride.
My parents had never been there, so we stopped in one night when we were driving back through the area, it was about 7 and they closed at 8, but we got a whole lot of riding in thanks to a harsh storm about 6:30 that drove everyone out. I think we were literally 4 of about 20 people left riding. We got on all the coasters once, and got about 12 laps on Leap the Dips. (Even got an on ride photo, the first time I ever broke down and bought one.)
I can't help but think about people 100 years ago riding that amazing, state-of-the-art ride... what their lives consisted of, how much things are different now. If anyone visited this park while the ride was SBNO, you'd be so amazed and thankful that this thing is still here for yet another generation to enjoy.
(There was also a ball game going on at the time, what a great backdrop!)
Geez, I shoulda just written my own TR!
Glad you all enjoyed yourselves.
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"When I was growing up, we were taught something called manners. You'd understand that if you weren't such an idiot." - Jack Handey
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Kara (car-uh)
894 Laps
491 in '02
BuzzCon Frequent Flyer
Proud Co-Founder of the CoasterBuzz Street Team
Uh-oh, I guess I'd better have Jordan get me my credits on Lil Phantom and Jr Gemini before she gets too jaded to ride them :)
I said last year you were going to have a monster on your hands, Lori. And now you've got a 3-year-old riding bigger woodies like Skyliner with her eyes open...
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--Greg
"Now all I want is to find a way home, to warn Earth -- look upward, and share the wonders I see..."
My page
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All I need is 4.5 million bucks and a half a mile long sliver of land and maybe someone could build me my very own Shivering Timbers. ;)
When I read the book "Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania" (or is it "Pennsylvania Amusement Parks"?) by Jim (or is it John?) Furtell, I didn't know the details of the "Boyertown" fiasco. The Lakemont chapter tells how most of the trees were removed (giving it the "tundra" like appearance of today) and how the Boyertown owner (I forget his name) had plans to basically remove everything and start from scratch. I suppose that is why the park looks so... charmless... today.
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Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"
It really is painful to think of how nice that park was before the Boyertown thing. Lakemont has a nice selection of rides and the price is right! I just wish I could have visited it when it still had "charm" At least Boyer brought in the Skyliner - maybe the only positive thing they did.
Anybody know the current status of that "Main Street" section. Is it still a part of Lakemont?
I'll have to remember to go back in 50 years when some of the trees mature
The book is _Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania_ by Jim Futrell of NAPHA. Great book.
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everything's better with a banjo
*** This post was edited by millrace on 8/20/2002. ***
My homepark.
The "Main Street" area is now office and business space and is located outside the park gate. It looks real nice.
I will agree about the park being charmless. Compared to DelGrossoes, Lakemont is just a glorified carnival.
The trees have been matureing very well the past few years. Just imagine what how bad it was before they planted them..
Skyliner is pretty cool. It is definately an intense little coaster for such a run down park. It needs a little smoothing out though.
I do LOVE Leap-The-Dips though. I can ride it over and over and over.
And who designed the layout of this place? What were they thinking?.
Okay. I'll give in and say for what it is, Lakemont is an okay place to visit. I know that kids really like it. I wish that they would fix the park up a little. New paint just doesn't cut it. And I wish they would get a decent Merry-Go-Round that actually played music.
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I started out with nothing and still have most of it left.
*** This post was edited by millrace on 8/21/2002. ***
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