Lakemont Park is an amusement park located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in 1899. It is one of only thirteen trolley parks still operating, and the 8th oldest amusement park in the United States. The park was closed from 2017 to 2018, but re-opened in summer 2019.[1] It closed for the 2024 season.
Lakemont Park opened in 1894 as a trolley park, and became an amusement park in 1899. It was donated to Blair County in 1937. It was privatized on May 23, 1986 when it was purchased by the Boyer Candy Company, at which point it was called Boyertown USA. Although it was sold on July 1, 1988, it remained in continuous operation through 2016. The park was closed for the 2017 season, as many rides and attractions were undergoing maintenance. In 2018, Lakemont Park announced that it would remain closed for the season, with plans to reopen as a "family entertainment location with some amusements" in the summer of 2019. The park sold a lot of its former rides and attractions.[2] It successfully reopened in the summer of 2019.[3] The park did not operate during the 2024 season due to a lack of funds for ride maintenance.
Lakemont Park is also known for its 51-acre drive-through holiday light display, Holiday Lights on the Lake, which operates from November to January.
Current rides and attractions
The German Swings, with the Sky Diver in the background.
A wooden, figure-eight type coaster with three four-seat trains. Only two figure-eight type roller coasters still survive in the world. Leap-The-Dips features 1,452 feet (443 m) of track and is one of the few surviving roller coasters with side friction. The ride was closed for all but two weeks in 2005, because of maintenance. The ride was also closed from 1986 to 1998.[4]
A wooden coaster. Skyliner was relocated from Roseland Park in Canandaigua, New York, where it was built in 1960. It was moved to build up the park for the failed Boyertown USA project. This marks one of the few instances of a wooden roller coaster being moved.
Like any amusement park that has been open for many years, some of Lakemont Park's roller coasters have been removed over the years for various reasons.
Ride
Manufacturer
Opened
Closed
Description
Ref(s)
Gravity Road
Amandus Sink
1894
1897
A switchback railroad-style roller coaster built by Amandus Sink. The ride was torn down in 1897.
A Herbert Schmeck wooden roller coaster named "Twister" from 1927 to 1935. The ride was destroyed in a flood in March of 1936, and was removed a year later.
A steel spinning coaster. The ride closed in 2003 due to increasing maintenance needs.
Incidents at Lakemont Park
On July 23, 1959, a twelve-year-old boy named Frank Vestri drowned in the water park swimming pool, despite a life guard being on duty.
On September 2, 1991, a seventeen-year-old ride operator named Chris Whitfield was injured by the Little Leaper coaster. He lost his right leg after it was caught between the train and its chain. The accident was featured on the television series Rescue 911 on CBS in 1992.[citation needed]
^"Lakemont Park Is 25 Years Old Tomorrow. Popular Resort was Formally Opened on July 4, 1893, by Logan Valley Railway". Altoona Tribune. July 3, 1918. p. 12.
^"Plenty of Work Goes on Now at Lakemont Summer Fun Spot". Altoona Mirror. April 14, 1961. p. 16.
^"July 4 To Mark 60th Birthday Of County's Lakemont Park". Altoona Tribune. June 29, 1953. p. 12.
