Lakemont Park
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Location | Altoona, Pennsylvania |
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Website | http://www.lakemontparkfun.com |
Opened | 1894 |
Previous names | Boyertown USA |
Rides | total
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Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 (four years before Kennywood Park) as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States. The park was owned by the Boyer Candy Company from May 23, 1986 until July 1, 1988, when it was called Boyertown USA.
[edit] Roller Coasters
Ride | Opened | Description |
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Leap-The-Dips | 1902 | A wooden, figure-eight type ride with three, four-seat trains. Only two figure-eight type roller coasters still survive in the world. Leap-The-Dips is one of the few surviving roller coasters with side friction. It is a simple, gentle ride with 3/8 miles of track, or 1980 feet.That ride was closed for all but two weeks in 2005, because of maintenance on an old-age roller coaster. The ride was also SBNO from 1986 to 1998. |
Little Leaper | A standard Alan Herschel Little Dipper kiddie coaster. The park currently does not allow adult riders on this coaster. | |
Skyliner | 1987 | The Skyliner was relocated from Roseland Park in Canandaigua, New York, where it was built in 1960. The move was to build up the park for the failed Boyertown USA project. This marks one of the few instances of a moved wooden roller coaster in the 80's. Skyliner today borders the outfield of the Blair County Ballpark, home of the Altoona Curve, next door. |
Toboggan | 1971 | A portable Chance Rides Toboggan coaster. The ride features four trains with two seats per train. |
Lakemont was once home to a Schmeck wooden roller coaster named "Twister" from 1927-1935. This ride was damaged in a flood on in March, 1936, before being removed a year later. The park also had an Alan Herschel Mad Mouse, which closed in 2003.
[edit] Other Rides
![Sky Diver and a swing ride at Lakemont Park](../../../upload/thumb/3/3c/Lakemontparkrides.jpg/200px-Lakemontparkrides.jpg)
Lakemont has a number of other rides:
- Sky Diver
- Monster
- Twister
- Antique Cars
- Tilt-A-Whirl
- Go-Karts
- Round-Up