No Coaster Con celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2026. It was ACE’s first midwinter event, established in 1981.
During this year’s function, held in January 2026 [see ACE News post, February 23, 2026], most of the primary movers and shakers for this long-lasting, middle-of-winter, coaster-appreciation gathering were present for a panel discussion detailing the event’s rich history: Randy Geisler, Marty Moltz, Richard McClowry, Bob Prentki and Scott Heck. First called the ACE Mid Winter Conference, No Coaster Con was a national ACE event, originated by ACEers in the Chicago area who wanted to hold a gathering that included presentations and speeches. It would offer an off-season opportunity to get together with fellow roller coaster and amusement park enthusiasts.
Richard McClowry and Marty Moltz joking around at No Coaster Con in 1996.
Photo: S. Madonna Horcher. View full-sized image.
Bob Prentki and Marty Moltz at No Coaster Con 2011.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
Geisler began the discussion, pointing out that the ACE Mid Winter Conference was started by Allen Ambrosini, one of ACE’s earliest members who was also publications director as well as magazine and, briefly, newsletter editor. Ambrosini asked Geisler to help run it and host it, which he did for the first five years. Initially, it was only ACEers who gave the presentations. Back in the day, that meant slide projector shows. A few people, such as Jim Bowen and Ambrosini, had a large number of slides to show. Then-ACE President Richard Munch showed up at one of the first ACE Mid Winter Cons, starting the tradition of ACE’s president attending this national event. Later some amusement industry folks started attending, such as Charlie Dinn from Custom Coasters International.
ACE Past Presidents Richard Munch, Carole Sanderson and Dave Altman appeared at No Coaster Con in 2012.
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After Geisler was elected ACE president, he asked for someone else to take over master-of-ceremony duties, and Moltz agreed. Moltz remarked that in those early years of the event, more ACE presenters stepped up (including Mike Danshaw and George Siesel), which helped give the event legitimacy.
Presenters Jeff Filicko (Kennywood) and Dick Knoebel (Knoebels Amusement Resort) caught up during a break at the 2012 No Coaster Con. Don Helbig from Kings Island is in the background.
Photos: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
Pete Owens from Dollywood and Mary Lou Rosemeyer from Kennywood spoke for their respective parks in 2008.
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One of the first park presenters was Ruth Voss from Kings Island (and later Don Helbig from the same Mason, Ohio, park). After that, other park officials from all over the U.S. began accepting invitations to present at No Coaster Con: Mary Lou Rosemeyer from Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania), Robin Innes and Bryan Edwards from Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) and the gang from Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, Pennsylvania), for example. Moltz commented, “Instead of slides, we were seeing actual films of what happened last year in the park, what's going to happen this year, what the park is planning. And, you know, it became, I think, just a great event.”
Marty Moltz received an ACE Honorary Membership, presented to him by Immediate Past President Robert Ulrich at the 2023 No Coaster Con.
Photo: Randy Geisler. View full-sized image.
McClowry later ran No Coaster Con. He was not present at the 2026 event, but his written remarks were read on his behalf. McClowry discussed changes that were made during his 15 years of running the event, starting in 1987. Prentki became the video expert, and McClowry became the administrator of the event, which included selecting and making arrangements with the hotel for space and meals and inviting parks and coaster industry presenters. Clowry remarked, “[At first] there was no lunch included. At lunchtime, we took a one-hour lunch break, and everyone would go out into the cold on their own to find a place to eat. About three or four years after taking responsibility [for] this event, we started to have lunchtime banquets.” And, of course, all the contacting of members and presenters was done by snail mail with written letters and envelopes that had to be addressed and stamped.
McClowry continued, “Another thing we changed was the name of the event. For the first 10 or so years, this event was called ACE Mid Winter Conference. Then we changed it to No Coaster Con, as it sounded more cool. In 1987, we upgraded our video equipment using the skills of Bob Prentki. We now had full-screen videos, and no more TVs for videos.”
The ACE General Store was among the sales tables at 2008’s No Coaster Con.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
An early park that presented regularly was Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Initially, the local ACE region sent invitations to parks to be presenters, but later some parks contacted the region to see if they could present. ACE members who had model roller coasters were encouraged to bring them to the event to display. Sales tables began appearing at the event: ACE with its merchandise; Ralph Lopez and the late Derek Gee for Chicago-area parks, such as Riverview; the late Paul Greenwald with his great films; and in recent years the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives with Kris Rowberry.
Bob Prentki received an ACE Honorary Membership during 2018 No Coaster Con. It was presented by then-ACE Vice President David Lipnicky, with Marty Moltz and RCDB.com's Duane Marden looking on.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
One of Prentki’s goals when he took over was to plan an event at which everyone would have fun. He tried to balance the price with the facility, the event charges and the lunch. He commented, “When I served as No Coaster Con coordinator, I made it a priority to introduce something new and engaging each year. One of the most successful additions was ‘ACE Feud,’ inspired by the hit television show ‘Family Feud.’ I designed and programmed a custom computer application that replicated the look, feel and interactive elements of the show. To ensure authenticity, I conducted a thorough survey of more than 100 ACE members to gather the top answers. On the day of No Coaster Con, attendees formed teams of five to compete. I emceed the event, complete with spontaneous reactions, playful banter and the unmistakable buzzer for incorrect answers.”
The Gravity Group's Michael Graham showed off the coaster car (for Kentucky Kingdom's Kentucky Flyer woodie) he brought all the way to Chicagoland's 2019 No Coaster Con.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
Prentki added, “Building on that momentum, I created ‘Who Wants to Be a Coaster Millionaire,’ modeled after ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.’ Once again, I developed a custom program to mirror the show’s format and atmosphere. Drawing on my knowledge of roller coasters, amusement parks and industry history, I wrote a series of 15 progressively challenging questions leading to the coveted ‘million-dollar’ level. These interactive game shows provided a refreshing change of pace from the traditional schedule of park and industry presentations.”
Jeffrey Siebert (currently regional general manager for the Six Flags Texas parks) was one of the earliest industry presenters, representing (at first) Americana and later the Paramount parks, especially Kings Island. In his recollections of past presentations at No Coaster Con, Siebert commented, “Looking back on all the years at the American Coaster Enthusiasts’ No Coaster event in Chicago, it’s impossible not to smile at the sheer amount of fun, energy and camaraderie that filled every gathering. No Coaster has always been a rare kind of event — one where fans, friends, and industry colleagues come together in the dead of winter and somehow create the same thrill and excitement you’d expect from a summer day in the park.”
The always smiling Jeffrey Siebert presenting at 2009's No Coaster Con.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
Siebert recalled some of the milestone years when he represented the Paramount parks. “Celebrating the park’s big achievements with the ACE community brought a special kind of magic — equal parts pride, nostalgia and shared passion for the industry. And of course, nothing will ever quite top the year we showed up with a Borg from ‘Star Trek.’ Seeing a fully costumed drone walk into No Coaster was a moment no one saw coming, and it electrified the room. It was the perfect way to build hype for the new Borg Assimilator flying coaster at Carowinds, and the reactions — laughter, surprise, and a few playful ‘resistance is futile’ exchanges — made the whole thing unforgettable.”
“Through all the presentations, celebrations, late‑night conversations and inside jokes that seem to last decades, No Coaster has always been about the people who gather there. It’s a tradition built on shared enthusiasm and genuine connection, and every year has been a reminder of just how special this community really is,” Siebert concluded.
Television feature reporter and ACE member Marcus Leshock interviewed Don Helbig at 2020’s No Coaster Con.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
No Coaster Con received media coverage. Marcus Leshock, reporter for Chicago-area TV station WGN, who is also a coaster fan and a member of ACE, attended No Coaster Con and usually interviewed presenters and event organizers, after which he reported enthusiastically on the event for later broadcast on the morning news.
In 2011, Scott Heck and Marty Moltz welcomed Elvis (played by the late ACEer Ray Pacelli), who was thrilled that his favorite coaster, Zippin Pippin, had been rebuilt at Bay Beach in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
Heck brought the historical review up to the current day, “I don’t have as much to say as these guys, because we’re the newcomers, Jackie Hodge and I.” In recent years, No Coaster Con became a regional event, under the leadership of the ACE Western Great Lakes region. Heck specifically mentioned Jeff Peters, formerly ACE Western Great Lakes’ regional rep, “for making No Coaster Con what it is and what it’s become. … The reason we're still making this the 45th anniversary is because we made it through COVID. I mean, we found a way to keep No Coaster Con going, even in a time when this whole country was shut down.”
In fact, No Coaster Con has run uninterrupted for the last 45 years (it was virtual for a couple of years but still offered a full day of presentations). Thus, other than ACE’s annual convention (Coaster Con), No Coaster Con is the second longest-running annual event in ACE’s history and the only one that has run without any interruption (Coaster Con was not held in 2020 owing to COVID). Heck added, “With all the technical advancements that have taken place the last number of years with the internet, streaming and social media, the one thing that makes No Coaster Con (and all in-person ACE events ) special is the live interaction amongst friends and park representatives.”
Then-Regional Rep Jeffrey Peters, also one of the main organizers of No Coaster Con in recent years, explained the housekeeping rules at the 2025 No Coaster Con.
Photo: Randy Geisler. View full-sized image.
Geisler added, “We are really proud that we have had presenters who come here year after year. This year [in 2026], again, we have Great America. We have Cedar Point, Kings Island and Tom Rebbie for Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. Tom Rebbie has been the grand-finale, finishing-off presenter for No Coaster Con for 34 years now. Tom may be the single individual who has presented the most at No Coaster Con over the years.”
Tom Rebbie of Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. holding forth at the 2009 No Coaster Con.
Photo: courtesy ACE photo archives. View full-sized image.
In closing, Geisler mentioned the ripple effect of No Coaster Con: “And the idea really took off. Later, Eastcoaster established itself (1983, in eastern Pennsylvania, first called ACE Con East I) and ended up being very successful. In subsequent years, other regional events popped up: CoasterBash! in western Pennsylvania, the Great Nor’Easter in New England, Winterfest in Texas and events in other regions.”
“But I’m proud that we started it.”
— Randy Geisler
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