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The final day of the ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala started with attendees showing off their cups/mugs from different parks and coasters and then proceeded into this year’s trivia. Participants were stumped by some challenging questions as they learned about the preservation efforts of ACE.
Image: courtesy Idlewild and SoakZone. View full-sized image.
After trivia, the discussion moved to a question-and-answer session with James Boyadjis, the attractions and entertainment manager at Idlewild and SoakZone (Ligonier, Pennsylvania). He shared his background in the amusement industry, including stints at Six Flags, Universal, SeaWorld and Merlin Entertainment, before moving to Idlewild for the last four years.
He pointed out some of the elements that make Idlewild unique, such as older operations that include rides still operated by hand. Rides at this park are managed by speed controllers and handbrakes, and Boyadjis stressed that these rides need constant monitoring. Some of the challenges of operating older rides include having animals impacting operations and limited weight distribution, both of which have been huge challenges, but his team has been able to overcome them. Specifically, he spoke to weight limits being an issue on the roller coaster and that the removal of some cars was a big help, along with additional track ties happening a few seasons ago. These efforts ensure families can ride together, and many younger riders were able to ride for the first time with a parent.
Boyadjis noted that the theming change from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is an evolution, not a rebrand, since Daniel Tiger was originally a character on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; the show benefits by keeping the message of Mister Rogers, given the its ties to the area. The shift to Daniel Tiger allowed for improvements to the guest experience and updates to animation rather than animatronics, which meant the visual presentation of the ride was able to continue to delight guests while staying special.
Boyadjis then turned the discussion to Storybook Forest, a special part of Idlewild. He was able to underscore the importance of sharing stories and bringing families and memories together through rides and experiences throughout the park.
Something special to the area and the park is the Scottish Highlands festival. This tradition was started because the area around Fort Ligonier has a connection with the 42nd Black Watch Regiment, a part of history that is integral to the creation of Pittsburgh. Boyadjis stressed that the historical and geographic significance of this festival is a major reason why it continues to be a part of the summer schedule. The park is transformed into a Scottish Games Festival, with features such as Haggis eating contests, bagpipes, keg tossing and much more.
A question was raised about the recent acquisition of Idlewild by Herschend Entertainment. Many attendees wanted to know what might be added to the food menu, and although there has been no official word on cinnamon bread being included in future offerings, Boyadjis noted it would be a good fit for the park.
The next fact shared by Boyadjis was surprising to many. The antique carousel is the ride with the highest throughput in the park. Many hands make operation possible, as multiple workers contribute, in particular Ed Ostriski, who has 40+ years of dedication hand painting the carousel horses to keep them looking fresh. The process has multiple layers, as each horse is removed from the ride, sanded and repainted fully, all in an effort to maintain the integrity of the original ride and ensure the enjoyment of rides for generations to come. The band organ on the Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, a Wurlitzer 103, has been in operation at the park since 1931.
Geographically, Idlewild is very large and, Boyadjis noted, is a park from the past. The perimeter is surrounded by picnic pavilions, where picnic baskets are still welcome. Originally a trolley park, Idlewild’s historical roots can be seen through different buildings that are still present. The trolley station is now being used by entertainment programs to house dressing rooms. Beyond the historically significant buildings, the feeling of the past is evident in the way the park has no defined boundaries. It's naturally quiet, with permanent rides that have the feeling of being from an “old-school” fair. The park has maintained a natural and organic nature without a corporate feel despite being corporate owned.
Preservation can also be seen in hand-painted cars on the Wild Mouse and the conservation of trees and local fauna. Tree conservation has been a particular challenge in recent years with drought conditions. The continued importance of maintaining the natural setting is balanced with visitor safety, which, Boyadjis stressed, has to be paramount for the park.
As the 150th anniversary of the park approaches, one of its challenges is that many people don’t know that Idlewild exists! ACE members can best support Idlewild by talking about it. Because of its proximity to larger parks with more rides, it can be missed.
Image: courtesy National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives. View full-sized image.
The next speaker was Kris Rowberry from the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (NRCMA). He explained about sweat equity in making sure the cars and trains are looking as awesome as possible, maintaining history and preserving the past for future generations. Rowberry is an ACE member who is part of the ACE documentary team, and he started his presentation with a shoutout to another on the team, Robert Ingle.
Rowberry began his presentation with a slide showing the investments and goals of the museum. He spoke about the protection and accessibility of its rides. The museum just added an archway over the driveway that museum-goers now ride under as they enter the parking lot. They enter the area through a portion of Canobie Lake Park’s Canobie Corkscrew, which looks phenomenal as a result of some great restoration. Rowberry’s presentation illustrated this with an updated drone shot of the building, showing what the museum refers to as the long building and the large space behind the museum. Next to this space are the Larson and Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) facilities. These corporations have been loyal supporters of the NRCMA.
The presentation followed with a showing of photos of a few of the rides that have been restored and are displayed in the museum. A variety of cars and trains from all over the country are stored, including some from Kings Island, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and more. The museum includes coaster elements as a part of the building itself. The stairs in the museum are built from wood that was saved from the restoration of coasters from RMC updates, making this museum really “green.” Even the load-bearing elements in the corners are track pieces of the now-defunct Big Bad Wolf from Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Another room in the museum is full of models of rides from parks. Some are from IAAPA Expo displays, and some are from fans who donated them to the museum.
A favorite of visitors to the museum, The Buzz Bar is full of coaster pieces. The overhead lights are suspended with a repurposed coaster chain, and wood saved from Colossus (Six Flags Magic Mountain) constitutes the base of the bar. The scorch marks on the wood are evidence of the coaster’s update and subsequent fire. The bar itself is from Mean Streak (Cedar Point), while the bar stools are coaster wheels encased in resin.
Beyond being a place for visitors to learn about coasters of the past, the museum is a resource for parks that need reference photos and knowledge as they work on updates or changes to their rides. Rowberry stressed that it has been great to assist parks in their efforts to preserve the past while honoring the future.
Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington) offered a valuable addition to the collection, La Vibora. The park completed a ton of rehab on the cars before donating them. As the last bobsled, there was something special to maintain here, and the park put in extra efforts to make it gleam.
Other projects include the Iron Wolf restoration. The effort here was to bring the train back to retro condition, with the old-school square restraints that were part of the ride when it first opened. There was a hint that this project might be revealed for the first time during the 2026 ACE Spring Conference.
The presentation then included showing off the Schwarzkopf badges that have been championed by the museum. Pictures were shown of the badges adorning some coaster cars in different parks.
How can ACEers best support the museum? Help can come from volunteers, monetary support and special skills. The process is all about generating the best possible museum experience. Rowberry underscored that there are visceral moments in the museum that remind ACEers why they are enthusiasts and how important this museum is to the enthusiast community. He commented, “It's educational, but also a ride back in time. These are stories which aren’t told anymore. This is an opportunity for the public to remember how awesome [these rides] were.”
The digital event then announced the winners of the Preservation Photo Contest. First place went to Dan Brewer, second place to Laimis Belzinskas and third place to Derek Perry.
Tim Baldwin returned to announce the dates and location of the 2026 ACE Preservation Conference. The conference this year will be held Labor Day weekend because there is an overlap of fairs in the Northwest, which means more potential coaster credits and the ability to ride a few more ACE Coaster Classics.
The preservation conference will be held at Oaks Amusement Park (Portland, Oregon) and Wild Waves Amusement Park (Federal Way, Washington) on September 4 and 5, 2026. Wild Waves has announced that 2026 will be its final operating season, making the inclusion of this park a priority for this year. In addition, there will be an add-on event on Thursday, September 3, at Enchanted Forest Theme Park (Turner, Oregon) for those who have the time to extend the conference. On Sunday, many fairs (with potential coaster credits) will be open for ACEers to experience at their leisure.
The second annual ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala was grateful for its wonderful speakers, who described their education and preservation efforts. Follow the ACE events page for future digital events.
— Jes Niemiec, Online Events Coordinator
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