Kennywood has always been a part of my life. One of my earliest memories is of a trip to Kennywood that almost didn't happen. I was probably around 5 or 6 and I was playing with my younger brother. We were on the steps and when I yelled 'boo' he was so startled that he fell down the wooden steps sustaining a small cut. This made my mother very angry and she yelled, "Kennywood is cancelled!"
I was shocked at what happened to my brother. Causing him to fall down the steps was not my goal. My grandparents were at our house because they were going to the park too. My grandpap, Nick, came into my room where I was crying and told me it was going to be ok. He was going to smooth things over so we could still have fun. We ended up at Kennywood that day and the chaos from earlier was forgotten. I remember riding the replica Cadillac cars in Kiddieland with my brother. We laughed as we pretended to be our next door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Gastel, an older couple who had an actual Cadillac.
I remember countless school picnics, of course with matching outfits, and photos taken that would end up in a keychain picture viewer - which would immortalize that moment in time. I remember wasting countless dollars on the wiffle ball toss game just so I could win a Bangles cassette that I could have bought for much less. I remember the little yarn admission bands that predated the sticker bands and who could forget purchasing books of tickets. We went through so many tickets during a day at Kennywood, but at the end of the night there were always an odd number left in your pocket.
I also remember the time my brother chickened out of riding the Ferris Wheel. He and I waited in line, along with his friend, Mike, to get on board one of the colorful gondolas. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the front of the line the more their anxiety about heights grew. Midway to the front of the line, my brother bailed. Mike bailed just as he and I were about to board. My desire to be braver than my brother was greater than my fear of being stuck with a group of strangers. The all boy trio I was stuck with did not, as they repeated constantly, value life and decided to stand up and shake our gondola when we got to the very top. My ride from hell did not end in death, luckily, but I learned a valuable lesson that day....boys are stupid.
Living near Kennywood has afforded me a few privileges - getting to be a part of the Fall Fantasy parades as a member of McKeesport High School's Marching Band and also getting to take photos at the park as a member of the local media. But what I treasure most is getting to share what I love about Kennywood with my kids. Watching their joy as they devour Potato Patch fries, screaming with my daughter on the Racer, laughing with my son as the whistle blows when the Bayern Kurve reaches maximum speed, and seeing my little guy imitate World War II 'Flying Ace' Snoopy on the Red Baron ride. This year we added a family trip through Noah's Ark.
Although things have changed about Kennywood during my lifetime, there is enough of the magic from my childhood that remains. We are so lucky to have Kennywood and what it represents only a short distance from our homes. As I get older, my nostalgia for the past increases and only a few places remain that take me back to a simpler time - a time when you met at a ride when a certain song came on, you ate cotton candy until your stomach hurt and a roller coaster plunge 90 feet down a ravine, is met with fearless abandon and the desire to do it again!
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