Leap-The-Dips and Skyliner not opening for Lakemont's 2024 season.

TheMillenniumRider:
Altoona could support making itself a destination town, as they are many large towns within a relatively short drive.

This definately is true. However, if you look at Major cities, Altoona has competition. Pittsburgh is about 2 hours away - and has Kennywood. Erie is slightly farther away, but has Waldameer. Harrisburg is 2 hours or so in the other direction - and has Hershey right there. And not that far away, maybe an hour, is Idlewild. As far as being a destination town, what is it's claim? I'll agree there is a lot of railroad history there, and that does interest some people. Beyond that, what really does it have to draw people there? I don't think it has skiing - and if it did that would not happen in the summer. Not sure about camping - though thyere is plenty of that in other parts of Pennsylvania.

Don't get me wrong, I really wish they were successful, but I will say I've stopped there twice. But on both occasions, it was going from point A to point B. From a day at Gettysburg in route to Pittsburgh. Or from a day in Harrisburg going to Pittsburgh.

Altoona has the Horseshoe Curve. That's about it. Train tracks were built in a giant curve on a mountain.

I put together punk* rock shows in Altoona when I was a young adult. I did that because aside from sports, Altoona had nothing to do for young people. It was a big complaint with young and old alike. My band had nowhere to play, so we created a space for us and other bands to play. Twice a month, I rented the now-demolished YWCA basement, scheduled different bands to play, and distributed flyers. A good turnout was two or three hundred. I'm sure my free shows at Lakemont Park got a thousand or so.

I also organized Halloween haunted house attractions to benefit charity each year. All of this went on for about twelve years, but in the end, the city just did not want to be changed. The local government kept intervening.

The city was dying thirty years ago. Because of its bad reputation, many people in my generation, and the following generations, left the city.

*The "punk" in "punk rock shows" was just what we called it. All kinds of genres played, punk, alternative, even a few new wave and alternative comedy music acts. We thought Altoona was the next Seattle. In hindsight, a lot of cities thought they were the next Seattle.

In an alternate universe we'd be flocking by the millions to visit a park owned by another beloved Altoona-based company, Sheetzpark! Make sure you take a ride on Leap the Dipz (get on faster with Shpeedy Pass) and get a hot dog on your way out.

The demographics argument makes sense, except for one thing, right down the road. I mean, yeah, Altoona has the Horseshoe Curve and all that railroad history. But what does Tipton have to offer? And yet I have never been to DelGrossos when it wasn't busy. How is it that they seem so much more successful than Lakemont?

I think I know, to be honest; that's almost more of a catered picnic grove with a midway attached. Of course, if that worked for DelGrosso's then why was Coney Island not able to persist with that model? (I think I know the answer to that one as well, and it's the same reason we lost Americana...).

An amusement park is a kind of a weird business. And I think sometimes the operators forget that, forget what business they are really in, and eventually they pay dearly for it.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

PhantomTails:

In an alternate universe we'd be flocking by the millions to visit a park owned by another beloved Altoona-based company, Sheetzpark

Which means that a few exits down the highway there would be Wawapark. And situated in between the two would be CircleKPark where all the coasters would just run one train.

PhantomTails:

Sheetzpark

The rides would have funny names, but at least the food would be good.

Fun fact that is relevant to the conversation... Hollidaysburg is very close to Altoona. The Slink toy is made in Hollidaysburg. The town also has an FEC called Slinky Action Zone. It's been around for probably around thirty years. It used to be for children and their parents, but after the pandemic, it was renovated to appeal to an older crowd as well, with a brewery, better food, and new arcade games.