Kennywood temporarily closes Racer after coaster photo flap

Kennywood has shut down its iconic Racer after a picture circulating on social media this week showed a part of the nearly century-old wooden roller coaster’s wooden frame propped up on cement blocks.

The rust-colored wooden post appears to be resting on a piece of wood set off center atop two cement blocks.

A TribLive reporter who visited the park on Tuesday afternoon found more of the same, with several wooden supports propped on pieces of block or square stones.

Shannon Powers, a spokeswoman with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state’s amusement parks and rides, said Kennywood closed the ride temporarily on Wednesday.

The department received the social media photograph on Monday evening, Powers said, and the next day sent a quality control inspector to the park. An inspector returned on Wednesday.

“The inspection revealed that the support in question was not the primary structural support, but instead provided back-up support only,” Powers said. “As a result, the department determined the ride was safe for operation, and recommended minor, non-structural modifications.”

Kennywood closed the ride temporarily while the modifications are underway, Powers said.

Carpenters were seen working on it on Wednesday.

Tasha Pokrzywa, a spokeswoman for the park, on Wednesday refused to answer questions about the support structure or to make anyone available to address concerns raised by the image.

She released a written statement that said, “The safety of our attractions is our top priority. All rides at the park are inspected daily by Pennsylvania-certified state inspectors before opening so that they may be enjoyed safely by all guests.”

‘Like that for decades’

Bill Linkenheimer, of Ross, is the regional representative for American Coaster Enthusiasts and a frequent visitor to Kennywood.

The blocks under the Racer are not new, he said.

“To the best of my memory, that has been like that for decades and maybe even my entire life,” he said Wednesday night from the park, where he’d taken a friend from Cincinnati.

Linkenheimer said that after the image started circulating, he heard from a ton of friends and acquaintances asking him about it.

Linkenheimer explained that wooden roller coasters have a great deal of flex to them, and it is not uncommon to see structures supported the way the Racer is.

“It’s been there for everyone to see, but no one has ever seen it — or taken a picture of it,” he said.

Nathan Morrill, an expert in mechanical engineering based in Utah, is a member of the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.

Although he has no knowledge of the Racer, or the current situation with the ride, Morrill said on Wednesday that it is not unusual for ride operators to use “cribbing,” the process of using blocks to provide temporary support or footing to a structure, as the photo depicts.

“The cribbing might be perfectly adequate. As long as it is properly supported and meets the demands of the ride, it should be fine,” Morrill said. “It could be that they’re doing repairs, and they’ve cribbed it while they build a new support.”

Utah is home to the Roller Coaster, one of the oldest wooden coasters in the United States, at Lagoon Amusement Park.

Built in 1921, the coaster has individual sections replaced every five years, Morrill said.

“Upkeep and continuous maintenance need to be done to ensure safe operation,” he said. “Wood doesn’t last, and so they’re constantly replacing and repairing sections of the coaster.”

Second coaster controversy

The Racer’s surprise closure is the second roller coaster controversy for Kennywood in the last several months.

In April, a season-ticket holder sued the park a week after Kennywood announced that its flagship coaster, the Steel Curtain, which had already been closed for much of the 2023 season, would be shut down for this entire year, as well.

Park officials refused to explain why they closed the ride, saying only that it would undergo “an extensive modification project to increase ride longevity and reliability.”

Both instances — in which Kennywood officials revealed limited or no information — call into question the park’s transparency with the thousands of patrons it serves each week.

Brian Carothers, whose title is Yinzer in Chief with social media network OneBURGH, is the one who posted the viral picture of the Racer from this weekend.

He said in an interview that one of his organization’s members was standing in line for the coaster on Saturday when he snapped the photo.

For OneBURGH, which has a half-million followers on social media, Carothers said the picture got a lot of traction.

He was surprised Kennywood wouldn’t address the issue head-on.

“Why not be transparent with the hundreds of thousands of people who walk through there each week?” he asked.

Carothers’ feelings were similar about the Steel Curtain closure.

Kennywood used that ride, which began operating in 2019, for marketing purposes and to generate excitement, he said.

“For a place — a company — that holds the heartstrings of the city so tight, why abuse that?” Carothers asked. “People do love this park. It’s part of their summer tradition.”

Call for transparency

State Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Brighton Heights, who sits on the House agriculture committee, said she has not heard from any concerned constituents. She did see the photo circulating online.

“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but if a post of a roller coaster is being held up by cinder blocks, and it’s shifted slightly off-center, it’s concerning,” she said.

Kinkead also questioned why Kennywood has refused to explain what is wrong with the Steel Curtain.

“It’s been very strange. There’s a lot of people wondering why is it closed,” she said. “There comes a time when you have to explain what’s going on in the community.”

Kinkead said that park officials spoke publicly about security concerns following a shooting there in September 2022. She thinks the same should occur regarding ride safety.

“They explained everything they did to ensure folks are safe in the park,”she said. “There’s a certain point in time — season after season that it’s closed — that you should tell people.”

Kinkead said that more transparency could even benefit the park.

“Can we help? Is there something we can do? How do we support you guys in moving forward?”

“‘Is it a faulty design? Is there a part you need that’s hard to find?’ Maybe we can help.”

Linkenheimer, who has ridden more than 1,000 roller coasters around the world, is not surprised that Kennywood has remained tight-lipped about recent issues with their coasters.

“I’ve been around this industry a very long time,” he said. “Amusement parks, in general, never tell you what’s wrong. They just don’t.”

Linkenheimer said it’s common to run into issues on a unique ride like the Steel Curtain.

He gave Kennywood credit for announcing at the beginning of this season that the Steel Curtain would be closed instead of posting daily notices and keeping riders guessing.

“I think it’s great they’re being transparent like that.”

Third-party inspectors

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which handles the registration and safety inspections of the state’s amusement parks and rides, requires rides to be checked by a qualified inspector before they begin operation, and from then on, every 30 days.

Park owners are required to submit inspection affidavits that attest that the ride passed inspection.

The department said it is also common for operators to inspect their equipment daily.

In Pennsylvania, inspectors are licensed by the Department of Agriculture, but the majority are not employees. Instead it is common for a park to use its own employees to inspect its rides.

“There are more than 1,400 third-party inspectors, and with more than 10,000 rides and 800 owners around the state. This is how the system is set up — for third-party inspectors to be trained and certified,” said Powers, the department spokeswoman.

While ride operators are required to keep a copy of the most recent inspection for their rides, the Department of Agriculture does not retain them.

According to state records, the department has never issued a stop-use order for the Steel Curtain, and no stop-use orders of any kind had been issued for any ride at Kennywood dating back to at least 2019.

The Steel Curtain has not operated since a July 5, 2023, inspection, the Agriculture Department said.

In a report, the inspector wrote: “Maintenance discovered cracks at several welds,” and “Manufacturer approved repairs being performed.”

Kennywood has refused to divulge any more detail, and records provided by the Agriculture Department in response to a Right-to-Know request failed to shed any light on the issue.

According to the Department of Agriculture, no accidents related to the Steel Curtain have ever been reported.

“If you’re concerned about the safety of a ride, ask questions, look for that registration sticker,” Powers said. “That information is available to you.”