Kennywood’s open; marathon weekend is off and running Friday.
Kennywood is open, with some developments for the 121st season that are pretty, well, fly.
The West Mifflin amusement park opens to the public at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Not open yet are the much-anticipated, record-setting Steel Curtain roller coaster and adjacent Steelers Country pro-football-themed area, which are to open later this summer to what’s sure to be great fanfare.
The park got rolling with a look back this past Saturday morning, before it opened to season-pass holders. The park and the Heinz History Center, along with with the American Coaster Enthusiasts and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), dedicated a new PHMC marker recognizing Frederick Ingersoll, who built the park’s first roller coasters (starting with a classic “figure 8” one in 1902) before going on to build amusement parks including the long-gone Luna Park that opened in 1905 in North Oakland. The marker to him joins two others honoring the park and Braddock’s Crossing in what Kennywood is calling its new Historical Marker Garden.
This weekend, everybody can enjoy the rides and shows, including two new short films in the 4-D Theater. “San Andreas 4D” is about a rescue-chopper pilot (Dwayne Johnson) making a dangerous journey to rescue his daughter in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and shows from 4 p.m. to park close daily. “Thomas & Friends 4-D: Bubbling Boilers” shows from opening to 4 p.m. daily.
Also new this season: Kennywood is a Certified Autism Center, having had staffers complete training with International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. That means they’ll be better able to understand and serve children on the autism spectrum, whose parents often are challenged by new experiences and new destinations due to their children’s sensory needs, dietary restrictions and safety concerns.
“They’re really communicating to those families and those individuals that we want you here ... and we’re going to do our best to serve you,” says Meredith Tekin, president of the IBCCES. It started two decades ago certifying health and education professionals and a couple of years ago started certifying places such as museums,
zoos and other amusement parks. (So far, they’ve worked with others in and around Philadelphia but not yet at this end of the state.)
In fact, she came to Pittsburgh last weekend to start an on-site review, the results of which her group will present to the park as it continues to improve its special services. The group will work up online sensory guides for each ride so families know what to expect in terms of sounds and other stimuli so they can decide what rides they might like and what ones to avoid.
“It’s kind of taking some of that mystery out of it,” for visitors, she said, noting that certification is an ongoing process.
Kennywood already provides sensory bags that include ear plugs, a fidget toy, squishy ball and coloring books and crayons. The park says that while it doesn’t have a designated quiet area, it is identifying lower-traffic areas for families to visit when in need of a break from the amusement park excitement.
“This is just the start,” said Ms. Tekin. “We really just want to empower the families and empower the staff ... so at the end of the day, everyone has options.”
Learn more at www.Kennywood.com/Certified-Autism-Center.
Kennywood is now listed on the IBCCES’ AutismTravel.com site that helps families find destinations and attractions that are trained and certified in autism and special needs care.
Kennywood spokesman Nick Paradise isn’t putting a date on when people can come ride the Steel Curtain coaster and visit Steelers Country. The coaster already is Pennsylvania’s tallest, at 220 feet, and when it’s running, it’ll run 24 riders at speeds of up to 76 mph through nine inversions, the most in North America and one of which is the tallest in the world at 197 feet.
While the Log Jammer is no more, as well as some picnic pavilions, thanks to this forthcoming coaster and Steelers Country, the other rides and attractions are there, including the Skycoaster, which marks its 25th year at the park this season of dropping people 180 feet.
The Kennywood calendar is full of special events, from the one-year birthday celebration of Thomas Town on May 12 to the Pittsburgh Pierogi Fest on Sept. 22.
For now, the park is only open on weekends, but it will be open daily by the end of May. For more information about rides, events and more, including ticket and pass prices and hours, visit Kennywood.com.