The Last Splash

The Last Splash
Riders Say Goodbye to Kennywood's Log Jammer
By: Kristen Keleschenyi

It was a bittersweet weekend for Kennywood fans as it marked the end of another summer season and the final voyage for the Log Jammer. The powers that be have decided that the ride, installed back in 1975, will be removed to make room for something new. Their decision drove thousands to the park on an unseasonably warm September weekend to board a log one last time and take that plunge into a plume of Monongahela spray .

But for some, the final goodbyes did not go as planned. A number of malfunctions forced the closure of the ride a few times during the weekend causing a flurry of angry, desperate posts on social media. Many were upset that people were not told sooner about this being the final season for the Log Jammer, without a lot of time to enjoy it before it was gone.

Kennywood's Director of Public Relations and Social Media, Nick Paradise, says it has been an ongoing rumor that the ride was going to close. Management has been considering the removal of the ride on and off for years, with fans speculating just when the end would come.  But the decision became official just last week and did allow for many to experience the thrill one last time.

"We thought this weekend would be better than nothing, although I do wonder if the social media backlash would have been not so big had it [the announcement] been in the off season just because people aren't thinking about it as much," said Paradise.

The weekend was set up to be the perfect opportunity for the Vivis family,  from White Oak, to take their final ride. Amber and Walt had already planned to take their boys, Noah, 12, and Brody, 7, to the park with tickets they had to use since it was the final weekend for the season. Amber has fond memories of the ride during childhood summers spent at the park and was sad to hear it would be going away.

"It's been there as long as I can remember, it's one year younger than me so it's the nostalgia part of it that makes you think, 'Oh no, not the Log Jammer.'"

When they first arrived at the park on Saturday, buzz in the parking lot was that the ride was closed. Sure enough when they got into the park they saw for themselves - no line, no logs, no splashes. Later in the afternoon, once the ride reopened, Amber said the line was like nothing she had ever seen before. It didn't seem like the family of four would get their final ride in until around 9 o'clock when the line was a little shorter, so they took a chance. When they were three groups away from hopping on a log, the ride once again had to be shut down.

"All of a sudden you could hear some chattering and the kids working came back and said, 'it's broken. You can wait or you can leave,'" recalls Amber, who was surprised to find out that when the ride is shut down all the water drains out. "I thought there was water in there all the time."

The family waited for a few minutes, hoping the ride would once again be up and running. While watching people, who had been stranded when the ride was shut down, walking down ladders just to get off the ride, they decided to call it a night.

"The kids were disappointed," says Amber, " but I think Walt and I were more disappointed."

Paradise said, "It's a constant process for the maintenance team. These are very sophisticated, complicated  and sometimes sensitive machines. Sensitive I say because safety is so important, even the slightest thing off can trigger it to stop and not go back up until the computer systems say everything is ok."

For a ride like the Log Jammer, 42 years is about the typical life span. Although the wooden coasters have been at the park a lot longer, each year roughly 10 % of the lumber is replaced. Nothing on the coasters dates back to their debut, which for the Racer was 1927.

"It becomes a tough decision. Do you make a massive investment to potentially rebuild the entire ride essentially, or do you look toward the future, and we've decided to do the later."

Paradise would not speculate on what could possibly take the 'Jammer's' space, but does say removing the ride will open up that corner space in a park that is landlocked. In order to put something new in something old has to go, and for a place like Kennywood,  with many historic rides, it is a constant challenge.

Unlike the Vivis family, Melissa Morris, from Swissvale, and her son, Xavier, got their final splash on Sunday. Xavier just started liking roller coasters and fell in love with the Log Jammer.

Xavier says, "I like the big splash at the end."

Melissa laments, " We were really hoping it was going to have another couple of years so he could get used to it before he went on to the Racer or the Jack Rabbit. It's a good middle range ride for a little kid."

Paradise knows and appreciates that Pittsburghers are passionate about the things they love, whether it's their sports teams or their amusement parks.

"While we know it's hard right now, we think ultimately in time people will understand and accept the decision and be happy about what eventually comes in."

Many who have memories of their splashes on the Log Jammer, whether it was their first, last, or ones shared with special people, Melissa says , "This is the most Pittsburgh thing ever. It's this limping, disgusting, ancient ride, but whenever it's time to say goodbye everybody comes out for the wake. We're all here."