Lakemont Park to Reopen Two Classic Roller Coasters in 2019

© Lakemont Park

Pennsylvania's Lakemont Park, which has sat closed for two summer seasons now, is planning on reopening in 2019 - but not in the exact same form as when it closed.

The park is aiming to be more of a community center with an open campus that can host many events, family reunions, summer camps, and sports games on new basketball and volleyball courts.  So definitely not a traditional amusement park, but some of the most important rides will remain.

Leap The Dips, which was known as the world's oldest operating roller coaster, will still be at the park, along with Skyliner, a wooden coaster from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters built in 1987.  As a bonus, the park will also be keeping their children's coaster, the Little Leaper, an Allan Herschell ride.  The coasters, along with other attractions, will operate on an individual ticket basis.

As the map featured up top reveals, the park will reopen with several new attractions such as a a full sized miniature golf course, a children's mini-golf course, new water play area next to the pool and slides, go-karts, a walking trail, train ride, basketball and volleyball courts and a couple kiddie rides.

Before the park opens next year, it will host its annual Holiday Lights on the Lake celebration this winter.

The existing Lakemont Park © Google Maps

Lakemont Park Announces Major Renovations + Summer 2017 Closure

Lakemont Park and The Island Waterpark, located in Altoona, Pa, has announced that they will stay closed for the summer of 2017 in order to perform significant renovations to the park.

The park is well known for having one of the oldest wooden roller coasters still in operation, Leap the Dips, which dates back 1902.

The park plans to remove some of the older rides for attractions such as a "new miniature golf course, batting cages, playgrounds, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and expanded picnic areas," according to a post from the park on Facebook.   The park will keep and renovate many of the existing rides and attractions, including the roller coasters, water park, paddle boats, train, go-karts and antique cars.

Lakemont Park will reopen on November 17th, 2017 in time for their popular holiday themed Lights On The Lake event.  In coming years the park will have more of a community park feel, with attractions operating with individual fees and no gate admission.  The park hopes this leads to more guests being able to visit, due to the free general admission.  After the holiday season operations, the park is planning to reopen again in May of 2018.

In addition to Leap the Dips, the park also has Skyliner, a 1987 PTC designed wooden roller coaster.

Aerial Antics: DelGrosso's & Lakemont Park

Known as Bland's Park for the majority of its life, this family run amusement park was rechristened DelGrosso's Amusement Park in 2000 to better reflect its ownership.

The park sits in Tipton, PA, and is known for it's free admission policy (ride tickets and wristbands are available) and free parking.  The DelGrosso family is known for their Italian food products, but has owned and run the park since 1946.

DelGrosso's has a small water park area named the Tipton Waterworks.  Slides include Twin Twisters (right) and Midnight Express, Great White, and the Gravity Groove.

Guests must cross Route 220 via pedestrian bridge in order to reach the park proper. When they do the are greeted with many rides and attractions in a purely traditional park setting.  You can see the park's Kids Kingdom, which is one of the first things you'll encounter.

The rest of the park sits among mature trees, hiding many of the rides.  The park's largest coaster is the Crazy Mouse, added in 2004.  The park purchased the Revolution from Libertyland but has yet to build it.  DelGrosso's also has one of the few remaining Caterpillar rides left in the world known as Space Odessey.  Here's a link to the aerials.

Lakemont Park is located not too far from DelGrosso's in Altoona, PA.  The park has gained much notioriety for having Leap The Dips, currently the world's oldest operating roller coaster.  The park coexists well with its neighbors, which include a large baseball stadium, shopping area, and indoor ice venue.

Guests at those baseball games have a perfect view of the Skyliner coaster just in back of the outfield.  Scott and Carol recently posted a great history of this coaster, which if you haven't already you can read here.

Lakemont features a nice selection of rides and attractions that will entertain the whole family.  Don't head to the park looking for the latest in big thrill rides, instead Lakemont offers a selection of classic rides that have remained popular through the years.

The Island Waterpark may be small, but it's still great for cooling off on a warm summer day.  It's also situated right on the Lakemont Reservoir, which the famous Casino at Lakemont also borders.  Here's a link to the aerials for the park.

A Blast From The Past - Lakemont Park's Skyliner

Founder and original owner, William Muar opened Lakeside Park in 1925, along the north shore of Canandaigua Lake in Canandaigua, New York with a dance hall and a few rides, The dance hall was named "Roseland" after the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Three years later that name had become such an integral part of the park's identity, Lakeside Park became Roseland Park.


As the years passed the park changed, new attractions replaced aging ones. A Ferris wheel,bumper cars, a miniature train, sky ride and the Carousel, which was purchased from the defunct Long Branch amusement park, in 1941.


In 1959, construction began on the park's signature attraction, The Skyliner. Designed by John Allen and built by PTC, this double out and back had a track length of 2400 feet, and a maximum height of 60 feet. While the Skyliner wasn't the first coaster Allen designed, it was his first major roller coaster. It's interesting to note PTC operated the Skyliner as a concession for a number of years.


On September 2, 1985 after a quarter century of thrilling riders, the Skyliner and Roseland Park closed. Two weeks later, all of the park's remains were auctioned off. Little of the old park remains in Canandaigua, a housing development now occupies the site. Although Roseland Park has been defunct for many years, the name still exists in the form of a waterpark.


Two of the park's most notable rides survived, Philadelphia Toboggan Company's carousel No. 18, originally built in 1909, was purchased at the auction for $397,500 by the Pyramid Companies of Syracuse, New York. It was refurbished and restored to its original colors. And, on October 15, 1990 installed at the Carousel Center Mall in Syracuse.


The Skyliner was purchased by Lakemont Park in Altoona Pennsylvania, the move was done by the Dinn Corporation, using the same crew that relocated Knoebel's Phoenix. At the time, enthusiasts were worried the Skyliner would suffer from the move. Dinn Corp's goal in all their relocation's wasn't to "tune them up" or change them, other than replacing bad wood and using all new steel track. They didn't want to mess with a proven ride.

Leonard Adams stated, "the goal was to rebuild them same as possible. At the new location all the ledgers are place in the same relative position, but the whole ride is retracked. Change some angles or hill heights and you play with the speed and forces. And you may end up with a ride that's not runable.

The Skylier was purchased to build up the park after the failed Boyertown USA project. Originally the Skyliner had two trains, but over the years one of the trains has been taken apart for parts. The train has three cars, each with three rows, and each row seats two abreast. Sitting at the edge of Lakemont's property, the Skyliner borders the outfield of the Blair County Ballpark, home of the Altoona Curve.

At 50, the Skyliner is a relatively new coaster, considering Lakemont is home to Leap The Dips, the oldest roller coaster in the world. Even after a half a century the Skyliner is running great!

Holiday Spin 12.1.09

I like to take my holidays one at a time. Accordingly, I allowed my brain to succumb to its annual turkey-induced coma and waited until the morning after Thanksgiving to begin my Christmas preparations in earnest. I began by doing what any normal human being who hates shopping and crowds would do on Black Friday: I spent the entire day at eastern PA's largest mall with my mom (and Henry the Octopus). Having survived that experience without inflicting permanent injury upon myself or anyone else, I capped off my highly productive first official weekend of the holiday season by tackling that most dreaded of all Christmas chores, stringing lights on the tree. Boo-ya!

But if you think that's impressive, you should see the transformations that have taken place at many of our parks over the past few weeks.

Let's begin with the most unlikely of winter wonderlands, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels. It's hard to believe that this park's Hill Counry Christmas event is only in its second year, as it is quite impressive. Drop into America's favorite water park this month and trade in those Master Blaster rides for a trip down the Bobsled Racer or the brand new Luge Sled Run. In between runs, you can check out one of the park's numerous holiday shows, including a spectacular light show along the banks of the Comal River that's choreographed to your favorite holiday tunes. Fellow character lovers, take note: Photo ops will be available with Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, and even--GASP!!--Schatze, Schlitterbahn's dashing dachshund himself! Did I mention that they have an outdoor ice skating rink too? In Texas? By the time you're done with all that, you just might need a soak in the Winter Wassail Hot Tub. San Antonians have it tough, I tell you.

As you can see from this video, which captured a previous year's event, Lakemont Park's Holiday Lights on the Lake is quite a spectacle!

Inching ever so slightly closer to the North Pole, kids from 1 to 92 are sure to enjoy Lakemont Park's annual Holiday Lights on the Lake event, which features 13 new displays this year. Just picture it: Cruising through 51 acres of twinkling lights and animated displays, singing along to the Christmas carols being broadcast over the park's radio network, keeping track of how many times you spot a certain red-nosed mammal in an effort to win some cold, hard cash...Oh, that last item caught your attention, did it? Well it's true! Rudolph is hiding all over the place, and if you're one of the lucky contestants who accurately counts all of his appearances, you could win a $250 shopping spree to Best Buy. But this particular Christmas event is not about greed--far from it. Each year, a portion of the proceeds from Holiday Lights on the Lake is donated to a selection of very deserving non-profit organizations. Kudos to Lakemont for exhibiting true holiday spirit.

Speaking of lights, the left coast will also be ablaze with merriment this December. Gilroy Gardens is heating up the holiday fun with Nights of Fire, a brand new laser light and fireworks extravaganza set to a holiday soundtrack. It's all part of the park's sixth annual Holiday Lights event, which begins on Friday, December 4. Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang will be on hand to treat kids of all ages to a charming musical performance, after which you can enjoy ice skating under the stars or even a visit with old St. Nick. Select rides and attractions will also be open. And what feast for the senses would be complete without an actual feast? Gilroy's version is of the all-you-can-eat variety, and takes place in a heated venue known as the Snowflake Palace. (Is that irony, or just a little Christmas magic?)

Now I've heard of Ice Queens (nothing good, I might add), but a Snow Queen? Or how about some Snow Princesses? They must be a different breed, because Santa himself invited them to join him at Six Flags Over Texas for this year's Holiday in the Park event. In addition to getting your picture taken with these guests of honor, you can hop aboard the Santa Express, where your leisurely rail journey will be punctuated by the singing of Christmas carols and a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas. If that's not enough of a show for you, check out one of the park's scheduled shows, some of which are so popular you may need to pick up your free admission ticket in advance to ensure you get a seat! Six Flags Over Texas has also cooked up something extra special this year, and I'm not talking about sugar cookies. They've built a sledding hill--with real snow! And those ornaments in the gift shop? Made from real Texas Giant wood, thank you very much. This park is all about keepin' it real. Real Christmasy.

And so am I, so I'll be bringing you much more in the way of glad tidings in the weeks to come!

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Lakemont Park 2008

This week's adventure in brochureland takes us to a traditional Pennsylvania park which didn't quite make it into our August trip itinerary. It's a real shame that we missed Lakemont Park this summer, but at least we can live vicariously through all the smiling faces in this brochure!

Lakemont Park may be "old fashioned", but fun never goes out of style and neither do its classic rides. One such ride is the Skyliner, a John Allen creation which originally operated at the now defunct Roseland Park in New York. Don't let this coaster's stats fool you. What it lacks in height and speed, it makes up for with a great ride experience. Perhaps it was the Skyliner that inspired the catch phrase on the cover of this brochure!

In light of Lakemont's incredibly affordable pricing structure, you'd think there would be no need for additional incentives. But they offer 'em anyway! "Dollar Day" Wednesdays have become an institution at this park, although nowadays they are technically Three Dollar Days. Nevertheless, that's a steal for an All Day Ride & Slide pass! Earlier this year, General Manager Barry Kumpf told us in an interview that this promotion continues to be wildly popular among park guests. In 2008 the park also launched Free Soda Fridays, which entitles guests to free unlimited soft drinks every Friday.

As time goes on, more and more parks are realizing the value of hosting seasonal events and Lakemont Park is no exception. The park now hosts an annual fall festival as well as an elaborate drive-through holiday lights display which runs throughout the Christmas season.

Wow, you guys sure do look funny with your heads all tilted sideways trying to check out that map on the last page! [Just kidding. I have yet to perfect my patented technology for X-ray internet vision, but it's getting there. I'm just assuming you look funny. Really...]

That being said, neither superpowers nor state-of-the-art technology were required to identify my one major complaint about this brochure: Where, oh where is Leap-The-Dips?? I know the general public doesn't appreciate the world's oldest roller coaster nearly as much as we do. But to me, Leap-The-Dips is synonymous with Lakemont Park and deserves a rightful "brochure spotlight" of its own. I expect this situation to be rectified in all future brochures!

Daily Spin 5.2.09

© 2009 Idlewild and SoakZone

Idlewild Park was the recipient of some unsolicited (but surely welcome!) fanfare this week, compliments of Wikipedia. The Idlewild and Soak Zone entry was Wikipedia's featured article on May 1, landing it front and center on the home page! In case you missed it, you can check out a screenshot on the park's blog. In other Idlewild news, the park has announced that its classic Rollo Coaster is being equipped to offer on-ride photos for the first time in 2009. As you can see in the image above, construction of the photo booth at the ride's exit is well underway.

NewsPlusNotes was not the only web site to get a facelift this year! Lakemont Park, Beech Bend Park, and Conneaut Lake Park have all relaunched their web sites recently, and I must say they all look fantastic! Not only are these new sites flashier and easier to navigate, but they also represent a continued commitment to keep these wonderful traditional parks both operational and competitive in today's tough economic climate.

Speaking of Beech Bend Park, it turns out their new 2009 ride--a Sea Dragon--has quite the interesting history. The park's web site confirms that this is the very same Sea Dragon which used to operate at none other than Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch! If that's not a reason to visit Beech Bend this summer, I don't know what is...

The good folks at Coaster Crew recently organized yet another successful Single Riders event, this year at Kings Dominion on April 26. The Single Riders are a charitable team of coaster enthusiasts who raise money for Give Kids the World Village by participating in coaster riding marathons. This year's event raised over $3000, with riders logging over 400 laps on Dominator, Shockwave, Anaconda, and Rebel Yell. This is a wonderful cause and we applaud their efforts! You can check out photos as well as a video of this year's event on Coaster Crew's web site.

Perhaps coaster marathoning isn't your thing, but fortunately the industry continues to provide us with many other opportunities to support a good cause. In a new twist on the "First Rider" auction, Cedar Point is holding a "First Anniversary Rider" auction in celebration of Magnum XL-200's 20th anniversary. All proceeds will benefit the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross. See the official auction web site for more details.

Does the name "Southern Star Amusement, Inc." ring a bell for anyone? If you'll recall, this is the development company which expressed an interest in taking over the shuttered Six Flags New Orleans property last year, and it looks like they've decided to give it another go. According to this press release, Southern Star has hopes of rehabbing and improving the existing rides and facilities and adding some water park rides, should their acquisition efforts be successful. Obviously at this point it's all talk, so we'll have to wait and see if the second time's the charm.

NPN Exclusive: An Interview with Lakemont Park's General Manager

NewPlusNotes is pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with Barry Kumpf, General Manager of Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA. Barry was kind enough to let us pick his brain on everything from the aftermath of Boyertown to the amount of work required to maintain the world's oldest roller coaster. Let's hear what he had to say!

NPN: Tell us about your personal history with Lakemont Park and how you came to be General Manager of the park.

Barry: It was 1994. The owner of Lakemont Park, Ralph J. Albarano, Jr., had decided that he needed a new General Manager. At the time, I did not know Mr. Albarano, nor had I ever been involved in the amusement industry. Mr. Albarano telephoned a mutual friend who is the director of a local YMCA and asked him if he would be interested in being the General Manager at Lakemont Park. This mutual friend told Mr. Albarano that he was not interested, but that he was aware of someone that was looking to make a career change and that this person would do him a very good job. That was me! The rest is history. I met Mr. Albarano in his office for an interview, he called me a week later and asked that I meet him at the park and he offered me the opportunity. I accepted. He met me at the park on June 20, 1994, handed me a set of keys, shook my hand and said, "Good Luck!"

NPN: Despite its brevity, the "Boyertown USA" era brought some profound negative changes to Lakemont. Among other things, many people have lamented the loss of trees and landscaping which occurred during that period. Now that twenty years have passed since the demise of Boyertown, how far has the park come in recovering from this "damage"?

Barry: I am asked about the trees more times every year than the Disney staff is asked, "What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?" While it is true that the Boyertown era brought with it the loss of many beautiful trees at Lakemont Park, we have planted nearly 200 trees since my arrival and some of the ones that we planted in the early to mid-1990s are now over 20 feet tall. Soon, these trees will completely shade the main walkway coming into the park. The other thing that Boyertown did that was positive is that they put all new plumbing in the park and removed all of the overhead electricity and telephone lines and put them underground.

NPN: Blair County Ballpark [home of the Altoona Curve] has been your next-door neighbor for nearly ten years now. How has the presence of a minor league baseball team affected Lakemont's business and attendance?

Barry: There is no question that Blair County Ballpark and the Altoona Curve have become a great asset to the quality of life in the Altoona/Blair County marketplace. As far as its effect on the park, it actually "cuts both ways". On the negative side, we know that we have lost some group business to the ballpark. On the positive side, we know that we have visitors to the amusement park that we would not otherwise have, if they had not "built a day" around both the amusement park and the ballpark.

NPN: While other parks' admission prices continue to skyrocket, guests can still enjoy everything that Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark have to offer for less than $10 a day, or even as little as $3 if they visit on a Wednesday. How do you manage to keep your prices so low?

Barry: We prefer to say "Family Affordable". You have to know your market. There is a reason that there is Wal-Mart and Neiman Marcus. A $39.99 or $49.99 per person amusement park would simply not work in our marketplace, even with the most elaborate of today's attractions. When we started "Dollar Day" many years ago, we offered the program on one Wednesday per month. During those years, our average guest count for that one Wednesday per month was 9100. There were one and two hour waits to ride some of the rides. That simply is not the product that we want to deliver, so we began offering the special promotion every Wednesday. Now our Wednesday guest count is closer to 5000 persons and all of our guests enjoy their day much more!

NPN: Your annual Holiday Lights on the Lake event continues to be a great success. How did this event originate? Do you have plans to further expand it?

Barry: I was sitting at my desk one day in the middle of winter, paying bills. I said to myself, "This is ridiculous!! We have this 51 acre property sitting here dormant and we still have bills coming in, there must be something that we can do to generate some revenue." So I started to give it some thought and found that there were other similar venues offering Christmas programs and I began to explore the possibility. I found a light display vendor who was willing to work with me on a "revenue share" program. That first year, our budget was $25,000. We had 21 corporate sponsors and just over 10,000 vehicles went through the display. This past year, our budget was much greater than $25,000, we had 135 corporate sponsors and just under 30,000 vehicles toured the display!


NPN: You were General Manager during the years that Leap-The-Dips underwent its massive restoration. What was it like to be part of a team that accomplished such a daunting historical feat?

Barry: I was very proud to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Leap-The-Dips Preservation Foundation, the non-profit group comprised of local business leaders that raised the funds necessary to restore Leap-The-Dips. Those people met every month, had fundraisers, gave of their time, talent and treasures, to help assure that this roller coaster had a home here at Lakemont Park. It was actually quite a rewarding experience!!

NPN: What are some of the unique challenges that come with maintaining a roller coaster as old as Leap-The-Dips?

Barry: Although quite smaller than our other wooden roller coaster (the Skyliner), the Leap-The-Dips requires much more maintenance than the Skyliner. Every year it seems as though we are replacing several pallet loads of lumber and the cars require constant maintenance. Our staff does a very good job in assuring that the Leap-The-Dips is operational nearly every day as we understand that we have guests that travel long distances on occasion just to ride it.

NPN: The enthusiast community obviously has a very healthy appreciation for Leap-The-Dips. What is the general public's reaction to this last-of-its-kind classic ride? Do you think they appreciate its significance?

Barry: I can't say enough about how wonderful the park enthusiasts in general and the coaster enthusiasts in particular have been at supporting the effort to restore the Leap-The-Dips and to patronize the park now that the Leap-The-Dips is operational. Unfortunately, I don't believe that the local community has this same passion for what has been accomplished here.

NPN: What prompted the decision to remove the Mad Mouse back in 2003? Will we ever see another full-scale steel coaster at Lakemont?

Barry: We took the Mad Mouse out after an independent engineering firm had inspected the ride and had advised us that within a very short period of time (2-3 years), the ride was going to require considerably more annual maintenance. Barring any unforseen circumstances, there is no chance that you will ever see a "full-scale" steel coaster at Lakemont Park.


NPN: Will we see anything new at Lakemont Park or the Island Waterpark in 2009?

Barry: As you may or may not be aware, the road that runs parallel to Lakemont Park (Park Avenue) is in the process of being converted from a two lane road to a five lane road with adjacent bicycle path and "green space". As we do not know what kind of impact this construction will have on our guests' ability to visit with us, we have opted not to pursue any new rides or attractions until the construction is complete in 2010 or 2011. Guests to the park will probably notice a change in our food and beverage operations. After 11 seasons with Boston Culinary as our food and beverage concessionaire, we have made a change to Bailey's Concessions. This change will result in new menu selections and more competitive pricing as well as food promotions throughout the season.
[Editor's Note: Read more about the Park Avenue expansion in our Lakemont Park update from a couple weeks ago.]

NPN: Do you foresee Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark expanding in the future? Is the real estate even available for such an expansion?

Barry: We have PLENTY OF ROOM to expand, what we need is a government bailout!!!

NPN: If money and real estate were both freely available, what ride/attraction would you love to bring to Lakemont Park and/or the Island Waterpark, and why?

Barry: If money were not an issue, I would add a wave pool and a steel coaster. These two attractions would seperate us from our two closest competitors, DelGrosso's and Idlewild.


NPN: Do you have any additional comments or information you'd like to share with our readers?

Barry: I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited Lakemont Park in the past. If you haven't visited with us in the past number of years, please plan to do so. While we do not have any of the major thrill rides of today, we do have a very nice product at a very competitive price. Stop in the office, ask for me, say that you read my interview on NewsPlusNotes and I will be happy to show you around!!

The NewPlusNotes team sincerely thanks Barry Kumpf for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts with the enthusiast community. Lakemont Park truly is a gem, and we wish the best of luck to Barry and his staff as they lead this wonderful traditional park into the future. If you happen to be traveling through Pennsylvania this summer, be sure to pay them a visit! One spin on Leap-The-Dips and you just may fall in love with the industry all over again...

Lakemont Park Update

If you ever visit a novelty shop in the state of Pennsylvania, you may encounter a line of T-shirts claiming that our residents enjoy four seasons: "Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction". There may be more than a grain of truth to this longstanding joke, but fortunately our friends at Lakemont Park in Altoona stand to benefit from it!

Lakemont's annual "Holiday Lights on the Lake" event wrapped up just a few short weeks ago, and the park was pleased to inform us that 2008 marked the most successful year in the event's 12-year history. Holiday Lights on the Lake--a drive-through attraction featuring fifty-one acres of twinkling lights and animated displays--has become a central PA tradition, and boy does it draw the crowds! More than 26,000 vehicles visited Lakemont between Thanksgiving and New Year's to enjoy this spectacle, which was made possible through the support of 135 corporate sponsors.

But wait... Did somebody say "construction"? No, Lakemont Park is not erecting a hypercoaster, or any other type of coaster for that matter! It will, however, be a beneficiary of an ongoing, multi-year construction project aimed at widening the road which runs parallel to the park, appropriately named "Park Avenue". This massive effort, scheduled to be completed by 2010, will transform the existing two-lane road into a five-lane road and will certainly alleviate some traffic congestion in the area. All of the homes which formerly sat across Park Avenue from Lakemont have been purchased and demolished in order to make way for the widened thoroughfare.

Below is an aerial view of Lakemont and the surrounding area [apparently Mike's Live Local obsession is contagious!] that shows the location of the road which has gone under the knife. Park Avenue runs right down the middle, while Lakemont Park and Blair County Ballpark (home of the Altoona Curve minor league baseball team) sit to the left.