Dorney Park's 136th Opening Day: A Look at the Park as 2019 Season Starts

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Here we are at the opening weekend for Dorney Park's 136th operating season, what a feat to have something stay around for 136 years!  The 2019 season at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom will be marked by two large special events that will bring a new type of limited engagement entertainment to the park, and both events are surely not to be missed.

While visiting the park this weekend the push for the first of the new events, Grand Carnivale, is evident.  This sign is located at the flower bed that leads to Wildwater Kingdom, just inside the park's gates.

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This is sure to grab the attention of guests arriving at the park, and the sign even includes this awesome jester statue.  Grand Carnivale will start at 5:00 pm each evening, which is also about the time that guests start to pack up from Wildwater Kingdom and head into Dorney Park - this jester guy will help them remember what they're headed to!

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But seriously, the park is advertising the event very heavily inside the park, and technically outside as well.  These large billboards that are on the back of the Good Time Theater remind guests the benefits of a season pass, but also in a bold pink color remind them that Grand Carnivale will run from July 20th through August 11th.

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And while you're in the park it's hard not to see all the other advertisements for the event as well.  The above advertisements are just some of what I noticed while in the park.  And to be clear, I'm not complaining as Grand Carnivale is truly an unprecedented event for Dorney Park, and the more people know about it the better.

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While it doesn't start for another eleven or so weeks, the park is already making preparations for the festivities.  The Main Midway will be the focal point of the celebration, with the parade ending in this area and then the street party starting using some of the parade floats, plus a whole lot more.  In order to support various stages, food stands, colorful lighting, new music, and all that jazz, the park has beefed up their electrical capabilities here.  You'll notice (in red above) many new boxes in the area, where all that fun can be plugged in.  I'm sure the set up also allows for other technological hook ups, but I'm not well versed in that so I just think of them as big outlets.

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Lastly, visitors will notice that the former water-fountain-turned-into-a-flower-bed has been covered up right now.  While this is still very much a work in progress and not a finished product, this will be a stage for Grand Carnivale, to feature some of the event's carnival and other general entertainment.

Is it July 20th yet?  I'm rather excited to see the event in person - we will be sure to give more updates as the event draws closer.

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Moving on to other changes and random things we noticed - Rita's Italian Ice has moved into the Main Midway, replacing sweetFrog which had frozen yogurt.  Rita's remains very popular at the park, and this location joins at several other existing ones in both Dorney Park and in Wildwater Kingdom.

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Is it ever too early to think about Halloween Haunt?  Perhaps, since it is only opening weekend.  Still, the 2019 Haunt will start on September 14th and run all the way through November 3rd, so mark your calendars!  I haven't heard any rumblings about changes for this year, but the simple fact that Monster Jam Thunder Alley will be on the lower midway means that those giant pirate ships must sail to somewhere new.

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Dorney Park has continued to make new signs for photo spots, this adorable sign is located in the planter just outside the lower entrance to Planet Snoopy.   This will look really great once all the flowers have some time to grow in.

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This spring the park is featuring a variety of local artists at Center Stage.  This sign out front shows the lineup through the start of next month.  The park is also opening two new shows in Planet Snoopy and has brought back the live entertainment in Wildwater Kingdom as well.

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Dorney Park noted earlier in the year on their social media that Steel Force's lift hill was getting some love in the form of an all new paint job.  Granted it's not super easy to tell since the supports are gray, but you can catch a good look at it when the sun shines.  Nice to see the ride get a refresher for its 23rd operating season, hopefully we will see other improvements in the future!

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No surprise here, Dinosaurs Alive has gone extinct.  Since the attraction was tucked in the very back of the park, it's not easy to get photo of the site now, but it's really just a lot of trees with no dinosaurs now anyway.  The path that led to the attraction is still open as it feeds to a set of restrooms back there.

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The former DinoStore, which was at the entrance/exit to Dinosaurs Alive is now the Solomon Center.  Named after the founder of the park, it is not an area open to the public, instead it is used for training and other employee related activities.

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The Monster was not ready to be fully awake from its winter slumber this weekend, but it looks like its well on its way to twirling riders once again soon.

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The Stinger Field is still... a field.  That's some good looking grass, though!  Kidding aside, this area is quiet for now but this fall will be home to the track that the trucks will follow when giving rides during Monster Jam Thunder Alley.

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The park has been featuring their history in the large Good Time Gifts store over the past few seasons, and that trend continues in 2019.  This is one of the displays that is up in the area, featuring a small recreation of the famous Alfundo sign that used to greet visitors, plus some cool old images of the park.

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While on the subject of the park's history, they are also celebrating The Whip's 100th operating season at the park.  To do so, they created this fantastic sign at the entrance to the attraction, detailing much of its history.

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Some potions of the sign, like these above, give history of The Whip at Dorney Park, which opened in 1920.  The ride was built by the W. F. Mangles Company and is one of many Whip rides that opened during the time period.  Not too many of the originals still exist, so it's amazing to see Dorney Park's reach 100 seasons.

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The sign also includes photos of The Whip though the many decades that it has been in operation.  The building surrounding the ride has changed over time, as is evident in these photos, but the thrills it gives families are timeless.

Stay tuned for more Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom updates as the season progresses, especially as we get closer to the start of this year's big special events!