Dorney Park
Encyclopedia : D : DO : DOR : Dorney Park
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown, is one of the most recognizable and popular amusement parks in the United States. It has a large number of elaborate and exciting roller coasters, large water parks and children's rides.
History
Ownership
Dorney Park is owned by Cedar Fair LP. Cedar Fair purchased the park in July, 1992. Previous owners included Harris Weinstein 1985-1992, Robert F. Ott 1967-1984, Robert L. Plarr prior to 1967, and, before him, Jacob Plarr. The park originally was founded in 1884 by Solomon Dorney, for whom it is named, as a fish hatchery.
Ride history
Rides have come and gone at Dorney Park, such as the PTC Grande Carrousel which debuted at Dorney in 1932 from Shellpot Park in Wilmington, Delaware, but was destroyed in a September 1983 fire at the park. The "Bucket O' Blood" dark ride burned in the same fire. "The Iceberg" was a cuddle-up ride which was cold inside and had strobe lights and loud music. It was painted black and retitled "Meteorite" at the end of the 1980s and removed after the 1993 season. "The Journey to the Center of the Earth", which was located by the Coaster (now "Thunderhawk"), started out as the "Mill Chute" in 1927 and was rethemed in 1960. It was a boat ride through a dark tunnel with scary scenes behind glass, and a lift and drop at the end. It was razed following the 1992 season, after Cedar Fair, LP acquired the park. "The Gold Mine" was a scary walk-through under the arcade in the middle of the park near the Iceberg and "PTC Carrousel". It closed in the mid-1980s. "The Flying Dutchman" was a Pinfari compact steel coaster located where the Ferris Wheel is now. It was the largest of its kind. It was removed following the 1988 season due to mechanical problems and the debut of the Hercules wooden coaster in 1989. Hercules was later demolished at the end of the 2003 season due to high maintenance costs and low ridership, and was replaced by "Hydra the Revenge" in 2005.
Hydra the Revenge
On May 7, 2005, Dorney Park opened "Hydra the Revenge", which is a $13 million floorless roller coaster. The half-a-mile length floorless coaster features a steep 105-foot drop. With the opening of Hydra, Dorney Park became home to nine roller coasters.
Hairspray
Dorney Park is featured as the park backdrop in the 1988 John Waters' film Hairspray. In the film, the character Franklin von Tussle, played by Sonny Bono, owns an amusement park.
Dorney Park roller coasters
Dorney Park's five primary roller coasters are among the world's most recognizable and popular. They include:Current
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Design | Year Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydra: the Revenge | Bolliger & Mabillard | Steel | Sitdown (floorless) | 2005 |
| Laser | Schwarzkopf | Steel | Sitdown (looping) | 1986 |
| Steel Force | Morgan | Steel (hypercoaster) | Sitdown | 1997 |
| Talon: the Grip of Fear | Bolliger & Mabillard | Steel | Inverted | 2001 |
| Thunderhawk | Philadelphia Toboggan Company | Wooden | Sitdown | 1923 |
Past
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Design | Year Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hercules | Wooden | Sitdown | removed in 2003 |
| Roller coasters at Dorney Park |
|---|
| Hydra - Laser - Steel Force - Talon - Thunderhawk |
| Past: Hercules |
Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park's Wildwater Kingdom, located on the park grounds, is one of the largest water parks in the country, with over a dozen water rides and pools. It opened in 1985. It has become a major summer attraction and is especially popular with residents from the local Lehigh Valley, as well as Allentown's two closest major cities, New York City and Philadelphia.In the 2006 season, Wildwater Kingdom will introduce an additional wave pool (called Wildwater Cove) to accommodate the immense popularity of the park's existing wave pool.
Upgrades also are being made to the former Solomon Dorney Mansion Hotel and Restaurant, which housed the Gold Mine walkthrough in the basement and had food stands around its perimeter and an arcade inside the house. It is being removed for a new Subway and seating area. The building dated back to the park's humble beginning in 1884 and was the oldest surviving building in the park, but a spokesperson for the park stated that it would have been too expensive to renovate.
External links
- [Dorney Park official website]
- [Unofficial Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Fan Site - Includes Pictures and Forums]
- [Dorney Park Photo Gallery]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.