On Election Day of 2020, Kennywood announced the removal of 4 rides. These rides are Kangaroo, Paratrooper, Bayern Kurve, and Volcano. I haven't really shared my thoughts on this, so I want to do that today.
Part 1: Overview of the Rides
First, let's take a look at what these rides were. Volcano was a Huss Enterprise. It is weird that they removed it, though. In 2016, they relocated the enterprise from Lake Compounce to Kennywood due to reliability issues. To be removing a ride so soon after being brought in is just odd.
Kangaroo was an old Flying Coaster type flat ride. This ride was very fun. You go around a circular circuit, where you then go up half a bunny hill. It then has a steep decline, where you keep going again.
Paratrooper was an old Paratrooper flat ride. These aren't that common, but they're not uncommon, either. You can find a clone of it just an hour away at Idlewild, one of Kennywood's sister parks.
Finally, there was Bayern Kurve. This is a rare Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve. There are less than 10 left in the world, and this was one of only 2 left at a permanent park.
Part 2: The Thoughts of Many
If you go to Kennywood's social media pages and look at the comments on the ride removal announcements, it is just negativity. If you look at any YouTube videos about it right now, they are just bashing Kennywood and saying how bad of a decision this is. Many people have even said that they won't go to Kennywood anymore because of this. There is even an online petition to save the rides that is almost to 20,000 signatures (as of 6:00 P.M. on November 25th).
Many people are saying that people go to Kennywood for the classic and rare rides. I agree with that. Kennywood is well loved for having rides such as Jackrabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Turtle, Noah's Ark, Whip, Kangaroo, and Paratrooper. After the removal of Kangaroo, Paratrooper, Volcano, and Bayern Kurve, people are worried that Kennywood just won't be the same.
Part 3: My Thoughts on These Claims
Just because Kennywood is removing these rides doesn't mean that Kennywood isn't Kennywood. These are classic, fun attractions, but that doesn't mean that Kennywood isn't going to be the same. All of these rides were great, but I don't see much wrong with removing rides.
Now, while I can't fault Kennywood for removing the rides, what I can fault them for is how they did it. For those who do not know, Kennywood cancelled Holiday Lights, Phantom Fright Nights, and Happy Hauntings for this year. They should have made decisions before the season ended and let people enjoy a final send off. That is now what they did, though. They instead made posts online where they buried the fact that they are removing some of these rides. They went on about how they have been spending a lot on new additions, but hid the fact that they are removing these rides. That is why I am upset with them.
Part 4: Looking Forward
Many people are upset, but I want to look at what they might do. A few things I want to mention:
-Laser Loop was put up for sale, so they may want to buy it back.
-Volcano was unreliable, so they wanted to get a new, more reliable ride.
-Kennywood works a lot with Zamperla, so they may add some new Zamperla flats.
-We know that Kennywood wants to work with S&S, so maybe they will add a new Family Invert.
Now, something I want to tell you is that these rides might return. Due to a confidentiality notice, I can't show you the email, but I did email Kennywood and got some responses. There are some important things to tell you, though these are paraphrased.
Firstly, they only made the decision because they lost a lot of money from Covid. They needed to take out unreliable and costly rides. Kangaroo and Paratrooper are old and costly. Bayern Kurve and Volcano are unreliable. They are just removing these so that they can stay open.
Second is that these rides will not be scrapped. In an email, Nick Paradise (Kennywood's spokesperson) had told me that they are not scrapping these rides. The future is not known for these rides, but they won't be scrapped.
Finally, I was told that they are planning new attractions. I was told that they wanted to add new attractions with broad appeal.
Kennywood hopes that people will give them another chance. This park does still have historically significant rides, attractions, and buildings. If we keep asking for them to bring the rides back and we keep supporting them, we may get to ride these rides again.