Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Connecticut, is to erect its first all-wood rollercoaster as part of a $5 million multi-year improvement plan at the lakeside park. In addition to the coaster, Quassy will add a 35ft drop tower and a “Bullet Bowl” water raft attraction as part of its Saturation Station water play area.
“These projects will be phased in over the next three years,” reveals Eric Anderson, one of Quassy’s co-owners. “We hope to have the drop tower on site for next year and construction for the coaster could begin as early as this year, or perhaps next spring.”
“We’re investing in the future of the property,” adds owner George Frantzis II. “These projects are necessary for us to remain competitive, and in the amusement park business you have to feature a family roller coaster.”
The last wooden rollercoaster to operate in the area was at Connecticut’s Lakewood Park. Built in 1930, it lasted only a few years before being dismantled and moved to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire, where it continues to operate today.
At least four other coaster manufacturers presented proposals, but in the end Quassy chose The Gravity Group to supply its new ride. “They came in with a couple of designs that immediately caught our eye,” says Anderson. “These engineers have a real passion for their trade and The Gravity Group has designed and built some of the best rides of the genre.”
The as-yet un-named coaster will feature 1,200ft of track and be 35ft at its highest point. However, due to the topography in this part of the park (near the Big Flush ride), the ride will actually drop around 40ft, obtaining a maximum speed of 35 mph. One three-car train with a capacity of 12 persons will run the course. The vendor for train has yet to be confirmed.
The wooden coaster will act a replacement for Quassy’s aging steel Mad Mouse, which has been operating at the park since 1983, delivered new to Playland in Rye, New York, in 1967 from Allan Herschell.
As for the other proposed new attractions, SBF/Visa is in line to supply the drop tower, and ProSlide the Bullet Bowl.
