Tags: Hersheypark
A New Ride for a New Park: Trailblazer Roller Coaster
Did you know that Hersheypark has 12 (12!) roller coasters? And that most of them have been added to the park in the last 23 years? For most of the Park’s existence, only one roller coaster was present. Hershey Park’s first roller coaster, The Wild Cat, began operating in 1923. In 1946, it was disassembled to make way […]
Building an Audience: ZooAmerica’s “Creatures of the Night”
After ZooAmerica opened in 1978, funding was limited for the development of new exhibits. To promote interest in the zoo, ZooAmerica undertook a variety of novel marketing ventures to build a zoo audience. On Friday, October 31, 1980 the zoo launched Creatures of the Night, an educational alternative for Halloween. Visitors were invited to bring a flashlight and […]
Ho, Ho, Ho! It’s Time for Christmas Candylane
Every year in mid-November Hersheypark is transformed into a Christmas wonderland. Decorated with millions of lights, the Park offers a chance to visit Santa and his reindeer, musical performances and holiday themed amusement rides. The idea for Hersheypark Candylane grew out of the Park’s desire to expand their season. The concept was first proposed in 1976. Paul […]
Hershey Park: Bigger and Better. The Dentzel Carrousel
Hershey’s first merry-go-round was so successful that Milton Hershey soon decided that the Park needed a larger, more impressive carrousel. In 1912 Milton Hershey bought a new $10,000 carrousel for the park. This time he acquired one of the best carrousels that money could buy from William Dentzel of Philadelphia. Dentzel, who was known as “the Carrousel King,” […]
Working in Hershey, Part 1
Hershey Community Archives’ oral history collection is a rich resource for understanding the history of the community, its industries and activities. Excerpts of oral history interviews with factory workers, Hershey Estates employees, bookkeepers and bank tellers reveal what it is like to work in the “sweetest place on earth.” The stories of how people first got […]
Bigger and Faster: Hershey Park’s Comet Roller Coaster
The end of World War II was celebrated at Hershey Park with the addition of a new roller coaster, the Comet. Opening for the 1946 season, the Comet replaced the 1923 Wild Cat roller coaster. Like the park’s first coaster, this one was designed and constructed by Herbert Schmeck and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. One unique feature of this […]
Seeking Thrills: Hershey Park’s First Roller Coaster
Hershey celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1923, and Milton Hershey’s present to the town was a new roller coaster for Hershey Park. Named the Wild Cat, it was nearly a mile in length and it had “more dips and deeper dips than any of like construction in America.” It was put into operation on June […]
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