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Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It is and has been America's largest free-admission park for 89 years of operation. Opened in 1926, the park has more than 60 rides, two wooden roller coasters, a 1913 carousel, and a haunted house dark ride that was featured on the Discovery Channel. The park and its rides have won awards from organizations such as ''Amusement Today'', American Coaster Enthusiasts, and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. In 2014, Travel Channel rated Knoebels number 2 out of their Top 10 Family Friendly Amusement Parks in the United States.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Top 10 Amusement Parks )〕 The amusement park is owned and operated by the Knoebel (pronounced ''kuh-NO-bel'') family, who also operate a lumber yard next to the park. The park's name has traditionally been spelled "Knoebels" without the apostrophe, and appears that way on all official park advertising and correspondence. The park straddles two counties: Northumberland and Columbia. The complex is mainly in the Columbia County townships of Cleveland and Franklin and is in Ralpho Township on the Northumberland County side of the South Branch Roaring Creek. == Park history == Knoebels is located in a small wooded valley in central Pennsylvania. The valley, originally known as "Peggy's Farm", with its creek-fed swimming hole, was a popular picnic destination in the early 20th century, attracting Sunday travelers and horse-drawn hayride wagons. Henry Knoebel, who farmed in the area, tended the horses and later sold soft drinks, ice cream, and snacks to the visitors. As the popularity of "Knoebels Grove" grew, Knoebel leased plots of land along the creeks for use as summer cottage sites. Some of these privately owned cottages, as well as cottages Knoebel built and rented, still exist in the park. In 1926, Knoebel added a restaurant, a steam-powered Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, and a few simple games to his grove, marking the beginning of Knoebels Amusement Park. On July 4, 1926, he opened a large concrete swimming pool on the site of the old swimming hole. Featuring a filtration system that provided clean water instead of muddy creek water, the pool was named "The Crystal Pool". Since then, the park has developed around the pool, adding 50 rides, assorted games, concession stands, and other attractions. A campground with six sites opened behind the amusement park in 1962, and as of 2004, the campground covered with 500 sites. On June 22, 1972, the creeks that run through Knoebels, swollen with heavy rains from Hurricane Agnes, rose over their banks. The flood destroyed six cottages and damaged many other buildings, including 24 of 25 rides and the park's roller rink. The roller rink building was re-floored and used as a skating rink until the mid-1980s, when it was converted into the "Roaring Creek Saloon", which now contains a concession stand, an arcade, the XD Theater, and performances. A new building constructed after the flood became the Haunted Mansion, where the Haunted Mansion dark ride opened in 1973. The ride has been recognized as one of America's best dark rides by organizations such as Dark Ride and Funhouse Enthusiasts and the National Amusement Park Historical Association. The park again suffered major flooding in 1975, 1996, 2004, 2006, and 2011. Each caused substantial damage, but the 1975 and 1996 floods occurred during the off-season. Although the January 1996 flood left substantial damage, the worst occurred after the waters receded, when everything froze, making cleanup and repair throughout the amusement park difficult. The September 2004 flood, caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, was only a half-day affair and Knoebels staff had the amusement park partially reopened by mid-afternoon. On June 28, 2006, a flood second only to the Agnes flood struck Knoebels. About 90 percent of the amusement park was under water just prior to the July 4th weekend. As the waters began to recede, Knoebels staff was able to reopen over 60 percent of its attractions within two days and 90 percent within four days. Because over 100 tons of mud had to be dug out of the Crystal Pool, it required 10 days to be operational. The last ride to return to operation was the Kiddie Panther Cars, whose repairs took almost three weeks. Another flood happened on March 11, 2011. The park had minor damage, due to heavy snow, followed by a rise in temperature bringing heavy rain and sleet. According to Knoebels' Twitter account, the Mini Golf was eight inches under water, as well as at the door of the Country Store. On September 7, 2011, Knoebels experienced its most recent flood, caused by Tropical Storm Lee. Water levels neared those of the flood of 1972 and damages exceeded that flood. The majority of the park reopened the following weekend, having missed only two days of operation. For the 2013 season, Knoebels added StratosFear, the park's tallest ride at , which quickly became a top thrill for everyone. In 2015 a new roller coaster opened, named the "Impulse", that replaced two former rides, the bumper boats and boat tag, both of which had been losing popularity, while maintenance costs became increasingly high. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Knoebels Amusement Resort」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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