American Coaster Enthusiasts
Encyclopedia
The American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is an organization dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of roller coasters. Membership is open to anyone with payment of yearly dues, and membership benefits may include discounted admission to certain amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

s. ACE members often meet at various parks around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and other countries for special events, sometimes sponsored by the parks themselves.

History

ACE was founded in 1978 by Roy Brashears, Paul Greenwald, and Richard Munch. At the time, it was commonplace for thrill-seekers and prospective Guinness
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

 aspirants to participate in marathons on roller coasters. Such a marathon was arranged in 1977 on Rebel Yell
Rebel Yell (roller coaster)
Rebel Yell is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It opened with the park in 1975.Rebel Yell is a racing roller coaster featuring two individual tracks that parallel each other. Its design was inspired by the Racer, another wooden racing coaster at Kings...

 at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia
Doswell, Virginia
Doswell is an unincorporated community in Hanover County in the Central Region of the U.S. state of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad at a crossing of the Richmond,...

 to promote the release of the movie Rollercoaster, starring George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...

, Timothy Bottoms
Timothy Bottoms
-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...

, Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...

, Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...

, and Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...

. Rebel Yell was an exceedingly appropriate choice, as it was also featured in the film. Three of the participants in this marathon, the aforementioned Brashears, Greenwald, and Munch, discussed forming a club for those who have a passion for riding roller coasters. With that, the idea for ACE was born and Coaster Con I (where the group officially became an organization) was held a year later at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Purpose and membership

ACE is governed by five officers, four of which are directly elected and one indirectly elected by the club's membership. These officers are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Immediate Past President. Additionally, ACE currently has twelve Executive Committee positions, which are appointed by majority vote of the elected officers.

One such Executive Committee position is the Regional Rep Director, who oversees a system of ACE regions, Regional Representatives, and Assistant Regional Representatives. These regions and their reps often sponsor events at amusement parks, produce regional newsletters, and keep members within the region up to date via email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...

 and regional web sites.

ACE is almost entirely run by volunteers, only employing Offinger, a management firm, to run certain day-to-day operations regarding mailings, receipt of event payment/membership dues, and merchandise. Annual membership dues are available in individual, couple, family, and corporate memberships.

ACE offers a variety of club logo merchandise and back issues of its magazine, RollerCoaster!, for purchase to its members.

RollerCoaster! is published quarterly in full-color heavy stock glossy magazine format. The club's newsletter, ACE News, is published six times a year in black and white 8½" by 11" format.

ACE Regions
  • California Northern
  • California Southern (including Hawaii)
  • Canada (except British Columbia)
  • England (including Ireland and the United Kingdom)
  • Florida
  • Heart of America (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and southern Illinois)
  • Michigan
  • Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia)
  • Midwest (Indiana, Kentucky, parts of West Virginia)
  • New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont)
  • New Jersey
  • New York City
  • New York State (except New York City)
  • North Central (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota)
  • Northwest (Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
  • Ohio Northern
  • Ohio Southern
  • Pennsylvania Central
  • Pennsylvania Eastern
  • Pennsylvania Western (including parts of West Virginia)
  • South Central (Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and western Mississippi)
  • Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and parts of Florida and eastern Mississippi)
  • Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming)
  • Western Great Lakes (Wisconsin and northern Illinois)


Membership dues
Membership type 1 year 2 years 3 years
Individual (1 person) USD $60 USD $110 USD $160
Couple (2 people at the same address) USD $80 USD $145 USD $210
Family (3 people at the same address)

USD $5 for each additional person
USD $85 USD $155 USD $225
Corporate USD $90 n/a n/a

There is an annual publications postage fee of USD $10 for members in Canada or Mexico and USD $30 for members outside of North America.

Events

At the national level, ACE typically sponsors several events each year including an annual Convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

 (usually in June, starting on Father's Day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...

), two or three Conferences held at various times (often Spring Conference, Summer Conference, and Preservation Conference), and two winter non-riding events (No Coaster Con held near Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 in mid-January and Eastcoaster held near Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...

, PA in early February).

Coaster Con

The annual convention, called Coaster Con, usually features two or three host parks, but sometimes focuses on just one and other times may feature as many as seven. It is the most complete and extensive event that exists for coaster enthusiasts on an annual basis. Not only are ACErs admitted to the host parks, but Exclusive Ride Time
Exclusive Ride Time
Exclusive Ride Time is a term used to refer to time set aside by an amusement park to allow a club or group exclusive use of one or more amusement rides...

 (ERT) is often granted on certain coasters before a park opens and/or after it closes. This is a time during which only registered attendees of Coaster Con may ride whichever roller coasters are offered. Coaster Con also generally includes a photo contest, video contest, Midway Olympics (where teams of participants play carnival game
Carnival game
A carnival game is a game of chance or skill that can be seen at a traveling carnival, charity fund raiser, amusement park, or on a state and county fair midway....

s for "Olympic Medals"), ACE annual business meeting, banquet (with presentations, awards, industry keynote speaker, and auction to benefit ACE's funds), workshops, discussion groups, displays, and memorabilia sales tables.
No. Dates Host parks
Upcoming Coaster Con events
XXXV June 17–22, 2012 Dollywood
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....

 (Pigeon Forge, TN), Carowinds
Past Coaster Con events
XXXIV June 19–22, 2011 Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...

, Sandy Lake Park (Dallas, TX)
XXXIII June 20–25, 2010 Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...

 (West Mifflin, PA), Idlewild and Soak Zone
Idlewild and Soak Zone
Idlewild and Soak Zone, commonly known as Idlewild Park or simply Idlewild, is a family amusement park situated in the Laurel Highlands near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States, about east of Pittsburgh, along US Route 30. Founded in 1878 as a campground along the Ligonier Valley Railroad by...

 (Ligonier, PA), Conneaut Lake Park
Conneaut Lake Park
Conneaut Lake Park is a summer amusement resort, located in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, USA. It has long served as a regional tourist destination, and is loved by roller coaster enthusiasts for its classic Blue Streak coaster, which was recently classified as "historic" by the group American...

, Waldameer Park
Waldameer Park
Waldameer Park and Water World is an amusement / water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, and the tenth oldest in the United States. The park is admission-free, with a busy midway, well-appointed grounds,...

 (Erie, PA)
XXXII June 21–26, 2009 Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West, Missouri, on Highway 76...

 (Branson, MO), Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...

 (Kansas City, MO)
XXXI June 15–20, 2008 Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....

, Wild Adventures
Wild Adventures
Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park is located from Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. The park features approximately 59 rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters, hundreds of exotic animals, shows, Splash Island water park and...

 (Valdosta, GA)
XXX June 17–23, 2007 Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...

, (Mason, OH), Stricker's Grove
Stricker's Grove
Stricker's Grove is a small family owned amusement park located in Ross, Ohio, USA. Unlike other amusement parks, Stricker's Grove is closed to the public for most of the year. Instead, it is rented out for private functions, such as weddings...

, (Ross, OH) Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari is a family owned and operated combination theme park and water park, located near Interstate 64 and U.S. 231 in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. The theme park is divided into four sections that celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July with...

 (Santa Claus, IN), Beech Bend Park
Beech Bend Park
Beech Bend Park is an amusement park, campground and automobile race track located in Warren County, Kentucky, USA, just outside the limits of the city of Bowling Green.-History:...

 (Bowling Green, KY)
XXIX June 18–24, 2006 Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...

, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...

, Old Town, Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...

, Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens was an American theme park near Winter Haven, Florida, that operated from 1936 to 2009.-History:Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie...

, (Winter Haven, FL), Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
XXVIII June 19–24, 2005 Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...

, (Gurnee, IL) Little Amerricka
Little Amerricka
Little Amerricka is an amusement park located in Marshall, Wisconsin, USA. Little Amerricka features The Whisky River Railway, a 1/3 size railroad operating an array of steam and diesel engines and proto-typical freight and passenger cars with over 3 miles of track on the ground...

, (Marshall, WI) Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
XXVII June 20–26, 2004 Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...

, (Sandusky, OH) Memphis Kiddie Park
Memphis Kiddie Park
Memphis Kiddie Park is an 11-ride amusement park located in Brooklyn, Ohio, designed specifically for children and families.Memphis Kiddie Park opened on May 28, 1952. The park was one of several designed and opened by Stuart Winter, who eventually closed all but the Memphis Kiddie Park to focus...

 (Brooklyn, OH), Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
Wildwater Kingdom is a waterpark located in Aurora, Ohio, United States, originally founded in 1888 as Geauga Lake.Geauga Lake had operated primarily as an amusement park...

 (Aurora, OH)
XXVI June 2003 Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Paramount's Kings Dominion
Paramount's Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia north of Richmond and south of Washington, DC off of Interstate 95.The park in Hanover County was originally built and owned in a joint venture between the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Kroger Company...

 (Doswell, VA)
XXV June 2002 Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

, (Valencia, CA) Adventure City
Adventure City
Adventure City is a theme park located in Anaheim, California near the city of Stanton. The park's slogan is "The Little Theme Park that's BIG on Family Fun". Occupying an area of over , Adventure City is one of the smallest theme parks in California, and receives an average attendance of between...

, (Anaheim, CA) Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....

 (Buena Park, CA)
XXIV June 2001 Hersheypark
Hersheypark
Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened on April 24, 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, an American confectionery company. Later, the company decided to open the park to the...

, Williams Grove Amusement Park
Williams grove amusement park
The Williams family began hosting picnics in 1850 in a small grove located in the village of Williams Grove outside Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The grove would within a few years grow into a park. Within two decades the park had grown into the Mechanicsburg Fairgrounds. After World War I, the...

, (Mechanicsburg, PA) Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom....

, (Allentown, PA) Philadelphia Toboggan Company
Philadelphia Toboggan Company
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...

, (Hatfield, PA)
XXIII June 2000 Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...

, (Louisville, KY) Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari is a family owned and operated combination theme park and water park, located near Interstate 64 and U.S. 231 in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. The theme park is divided into four sections that celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July with...

XXII June 1999 Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land in San Antonio, Texas.Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the major entertainment component of USAA's La Cantera, a 1,600 acre master-planned development in northwest San Antonio...

, (San Antonio, TX) SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, located in the Westover Hills area of San Antonio, Texas. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group, and the world's...

XXI June 1998 Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...

, Idlewild
Idlewild and Soak Zone
Idlewild and Soak Zone, commonly known as Idlewild Park or simply Idlewild, is a family amusement park situated in the Laurel Highlands near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States, about east of Pittsburgh, along US Route 30. Founded in 1878 as a campground along the Ligonier Valley Railroad by...

, Sandcastle Waterpark
Sandcastle Waterpark
Sandcastle is a water park located in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Homestead. The park is located on a piece of land along the banks of the Monongahela River. Sandcastle is owned by Parques Reunidos, who purchased Kennywood Entertainment. The company runs its original sister parks, Kennywood,...

 (Homestead, PA)
XX June 1997 Paramount's Kings Dominion
Paramount's Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia north of Richmond and south of Washington, DC off of Interstate 95.The park in Hanover County was originally built and owned in a joint venture between the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Kroger Company...

, Busch Gardens Williamsburg
XIX June 1996 Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado near Denver. Originally named White City, it was opened in 1908 as a popular amusement resort adjacent to Lake Rhoda spearheaded by prominent Denver brewer Adolph Zang...

 (Denver, CO)
XVIII June 1995 Paramount's Carowinds
Paramount's Carowinds
Carowinds is a amusement park, located adjacent to Interstate 77 on the state line between North and South Carolina, in Charlotte and Fort Mill, respectively...

, Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Family Kingdom is an amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It is owned by Sea Mist OceanFront resort.-Rides:Family Kingdom has more than 30 rides...

, (Myrtle Beach, SC) Myrtle Beach Pavilion
Myrtle Beach Pavilion
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was an amusement park located on the corner of 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Considered by many as the "heart" of Myrtle Beach, the Pavilion sat one block away from the beach itself in a pedestrian-populated area, surrounded by similar...

XVII June 1994 Belmont Park (San Diego)
Belmont Park (San Diego)
Belmont Park is a historic oceanfront amusement park located in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, California. The park was developed by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels and opened on July 4, 1925 as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. In addition to providing recreation and amusement it also was...

, Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

, Paramount's Great America
Paramount's Great America
California's Great America is an amusement park located in Santa Clara, California that is owned and operated by JMA Ventures. It is one of four major amusement parks that operate around the San Francisco Bay Area. The other three are Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, the Santa Cruz Beach...

 (known now as California's Great America)
XVI June 1993 Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...

, (Kansas City, MO) Joyland Amusement Park (Wichita)
Joyland Amusement Park (Wichita)
Joyland Amusement Park opened in Wichita, Kansas, United States on June 12, 1949, and was in continuous operation for 55 years. The park closed in 2004 when its owners experienced financial difficulties due to declining attendance....

XV June 1992 Kings Dominion
XIV June 1991 Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...

XIII June 1990 Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...

, Wonderland Park (Texas)
Wonderland Park (Texas)
Wonderland Park is an amusement park located in Thompson Memorial Park, Amarillo, Texas.- Park History :An amusement park was first established when Paul and Alethea Roads purchased some undeveloped grassland in Amarillo's Thompson Memorial Park...

 (Amarillo, TX)
XII 1989 Dorney Park, Clementon Lake Park (Clementon, NJ)
XI 1988 Geauga Lake, Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...

, Boblo Island Amusement Park
Boblo Island Amusement Park
Boblo Island Amusement Park was a theme park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994.The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River...

X 1987 Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

, Marriott's Great America (Santa Clara, CA)
IX 1986 Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....

, Lake Winnepesaukah
Lake Winnepesaukah
Lake Winnepesaukah is an amusement park located on Lakeview Drive in Lakeview, Georgia near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Winnepesaukah means "beautiful water." Carl and Minette Dixon opened the park to guests in 1925...

 (Rossville, GA)
VIII 1985 Lincoln Park (Dartmouth, Massachusetts), Rocky Point Amusement Park
Rocky Point Amusement Park
The Rocky Point Amusement Park was a highly popular amusement park on the Narragansett Bay side of Warwick, Rhode Island. It operated from the late 1840s until its close in 1995. The following year, the park filed for bankruptcy.- History :...

, (Warwick, RI) Whalom Park
Whalom Park
Whalom Park was an amusement park located on Lake Whalom in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, that operated from 1893 to 2000.Whalom Park was established in 1893 by the Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway as a traditional, English-style park of gardens and walking paths...

, (Lunenburg, MA), Mountain Park (Holyoke, Massachusetts)
VII 1984 Crystal Beach, Ontario
Crystal Beach, Ontario
Crystal Beach is a community within Fort Erie, Ontario with a population of 3,800. It was named for the "crystal-clear" water conditions present when it was founded on the northeast shore of Lake Erie, across from Buffalo....

, Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...

, Seabreeze Amusement Park
Seabreeze Amusement Park
Seabreeze Amusement Park, known locally as Seabreeze, is an historic amusement park in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States.Seabreeze is in northeast Irondequoit, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario...

, (Rochester, NY)
VI 1983 Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...

, Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado near Denver. Originally named White City, it was opened in 1908 as a popular amusement resort adjacent to Lake Rhoda spearheaded by prominent Denver brewer Adolph Zang...

 (Denver, CO)
V 1982 Hersheypark
Hersheypark
Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened on April 24, 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, an American confectionery company. Later, the company decided to open the park to the...

IV 1981 Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...

, Six Flags Astroworld
Six Flags Astroworld
AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...

, (Houston, TX), Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...

, (Dallas, TX)
III 1980 Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...

II 1979 Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...

I 1978 Busch Gardens Williamsburg (known at the time as Busch Gardens, The Old Country)

ACE supports riding roller coasters responsibly and following all posted ride rules, especially those regarding remaining seated at all times. To this end, ACE members must follow a code of conduct. Failure to do so may result in suspension or expulsion of the offending member from the club.

Coaster Classic

The Coaster Classic award was developed during a period when changes in the design, equipping, and operation of wood coasters threatened to erase these time-honored experiences and rituals. The award is designed to recognize coasters that still adhere to these principles, while allowing riders to safely experience the thrill of the classic wooden roller coaster ride. To be eligible for ACE Coaster Classic status, the coaster must meet the following criteria:
  • Traditional lap bars that allow riders to experience so-called airtime, or negative G's, the sensation of floating above the seat, must be installed. Individual, ratcheting lap bars do not meet this requirement.
  • Riders must be able to slide from side-to-side in their seats. A coaster with any restraint or device that restricts this freedom, like seat dividers between riders, does not meet this requirement.
  • Riders must be able to view upcoming drops and thrills. A coaster with headrests on every seat or the majority of seats that restrict this view does not meet this requirement.
  • Riders must be free to choose where they sit. A coaster where riders are assigned seats before boarding does not meet this requirement.


The amusement park or theme park operating a coaster that is recognized as a Coaster Classic is usually presented a custom plaque. The plaque typically states:
It has been noted, however, that most coasters usually have disqualifying racheting lap bars, seat dividers, and head rests to prevent people from trying to stand up during ride. For example, Rolling Thunder
Rolling Thunder (roller coaster)
Rolling Thunder is a racing wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Rolling Thunder is the park's first wooden coaster, and debuted in 1979 during the park's fifth anniversary season. The line for the ride begins at an adjoining entrance and has separate queues for each...

 at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...

 has Buzz bars which meet traditional lap bar Coaster Classic requirements, but it is not a classic because of headrests and seat dividers being added in 1981 to prevent people from standing up during the ride.

Roller Coaster Landmark

In 2002, ACE introduced the Roller Coaster Landmark award. The award is designed to recognize coasters of historical significance that may not qualify for ACE Coaster Classic status.
Coaster Park Opened Awarded Status
Batman: The Ride
Batman: The Ride
Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted roller coaster found in many Six Flags theme parks, as well as other parks around the world, including Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Fiesta Texas , Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags...

Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...

May 2, 1992 June 20, 2005 Operating
The Beast Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...

April 14, 1979 October 2, 2004 Operating
Blue Streak
Blue Streak (Conneaut Lake)
Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster built in 1937 at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. It is the only wooden coaster operating in the park. Blue Streak follows the out and back design...

Conneaut Lake Park
Conneaut Lake Park
Conneaut Lake Park is a summer amusement resort, located in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, USA. It has long served as a regional tourist destination, and is loved by roller coaster enthusiasts for its classic Blue Streak coaster, which was recently classified as "historic" by the group American...

1938 June 24, 2010 Operating
The Coaster Playland (Vancouver)
Playland (Vancouver)
Playland is an amusement park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in Hastings Park and is the oldest amusement park in Canada....

1958 July 11, 2009 Operating
Coney Island Cyclone
Coney Island Cyclone
The Coney Island Cyclone is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City...

Astroland
Astroland
Astroland was a amusement park in Coney Island first opened in 1962. It was located at 1000 Surf Avenue on the boardwalk...

June 26, 1927 June 29, 2002 Operating
Corkscrew
Corkscrew (Silverwood)
Corkscrew is the name of an Arrow Dynamics roller coaster formerly located at Knott's Berry Farm and currently located at Silverwood. Developed by Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics, a Utah based design firm, the "Corkscrew" was the first steel inverting roller coaster open to the public.Many identical...

Silverwood Theme Park Built 1975, relocated 1990 August 2011 Operating
Cyclone Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado near Denver. Originally named White City, it was opened in 1908 as a popular amusement resort adjacent to Lake Rhoda spearheaded by prominent Denver brewer Adolph Zang...

May 17, 1940 August 2, 2003 Operating
Giant Dipper
Giant Dipper
The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It opened on May 17, 1924. It is the fifth-oldest roller coaster in the United States; over 55 million riders have ridden it since its opening...

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

May 17, 1924 May 5, 2007 Operating
Jack Rabbit
Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)
Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.Designed and built by John Miller in 1920, it is one of the oldest still-running roller coasters in the world, opening on June 18, 1920. The ride's three trains were manufactured by...

Kennywood Park 1920 June 21, 2010 Operating
Leap-The-Dips
Leap-The-Dips
Leap-The-Dips is the world's oldest operating wooden roller coaster and North America's last surviving side friction roller coaster. It is located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania and was built in 1902 by the E. Joy Morris Company. Leap-the-Dips operated until 1985, when it closed due to...

Lakemont Park
Lakemont Park
Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States...

1902 May 26, 2002 Operating
Legend Arnolds Park 1927 August 6, 2006 Operating
Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)
The Loch Ness Monster is a roller coaster located of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Designed by Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics, the Loch Ness Monster was the world's tallest roller coaster when it opened in 1978. It was the first continuous circuit coaster and is a coaster to contain interlocking loops...

Busch Gardens Williamsburg May 20, 1978 June 17, 2003 Operating
Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200 is an Arrow Dynamics steel hypercoaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1989, it was the first complete circuit roller coaster to break the barrier...

Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...

May 6, 1989 June 21, 2004 Operating
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Matterhorn Bobsleds
The Matterhorn Bobsleds or the Matterhorn is an attraction composed of two intertwining steel roller coasters, which opened in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps...

Disneyland June 14, 1959 TBD Operating
Mind Bender
Mind Bender (Six Flags Over Georgia)
Mind Bender is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta, Georgia. Billed as "the world's first triple-loop roller coaster" when it opened on March 31, 1978, Mind Bender maintains its popularity some three decades after it opened...

Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....

March 31, 1978 June 17, 2008 Operating
Phoenix
Phoenix (roller coaster)
The Phoenix is a wooden roller coaster located at the Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to its purchase by Knoebels and its subsequent relocation in the mid-1980s, it was operated under the name "The Rocket" at Playland Park in San Antonio, TX.-History:Designed and built...

Knoebels
Knoebels
Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and -operated amusement park, picnic grove and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, the park has more than 57 rides, free admission, two wooden roller coasters, a 1913 carousel and a haunted house dark ride that was featured on the...

August 1947 October 8, 2005 Operating
Racer Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...

April 29, 1972 June 18, 2007 Operating
Rebel Yell
Rebel Yell (roller coaster)
Rebel Yell is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It opened with the park in 1975.Rebel Yell is a racing roller coaster featuring two individual tracks that parallel each other. Its design was inspired by the Racer, another wooden racing coaster at Kings...

Kings Dominion May 8, 1975 June 20, 2003 Operating
Revolution
Revolution (roller coaster)
The Revolution, formerly known as Great American Revolution and La Revolución, is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf of Germany and designed by Werner Stengel. The coaster is located in the Baja Ridge area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California...

Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

May 8, 1976 June 16, 2002 Operating
Roller Coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

Lagoon Amusement Park
Lagoon Amusement Park
Lagoon is an amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States located about seventeen miles north of Salt Lake City. It is privately owned...

May 28, 1921 July 30, 2005 Operating
Runaway Mine Train Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...

July 1966 September 9, 2006 Operating
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt (Six Flags New England)
Thunderbolt is a wooden roller coaster currently located at Six Flags New England. Opened in 1941, Thunderbolt is currently the oldest roller coaster at Six Flags New England. It is also the oldest roller coaster in any Six Flags park...

Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...

1941 August 2, 2008 Operating
Wildcat
Wildcat (Lake Compounce)
Wildcat is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. It was built in 1927 and is the park's centerpiece. It is one of the world's oldest operating roller coasters . With a first drop of only 73 feet, it's not too intense making it popular with younger...

Lake Compounce
Lake Compounce
Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol, Connecticut, United States and a part of the neighboring town of Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, having operated every year...

April 1927 August 1, 2008 Operating

The amusement park or theme park operating a coaster that is recognized as a Roller Coaster Landmark is presented a custom plaque. The plaque typically makes a statement about the award and provides information about the coaster and its opening.

Golden Age Coaster

The Golden Age Coaster award, a prequel to the Roller Coaster Landmark award, was established to recognize significant roller coasters that were built during the 1920s. Giant Dipper
Giant Dipper
The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It opened on May 17, 1924. It is the fifth-oldest roller coaster in the United States; over 55 million riders have ridden it since its opening...

 at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

 received the Golden Age Coaster award in addition to the Roller Coaster Landmark award. Giant Dipper
Giant Dipper
The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It opened on May 17, 1924. It is the fifth-oldest roller coaster in the United States; over 55 million riders have ridden it since its opening...

 at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...

 also received the Golden Age Coaster award.

Preservation

ACE takes an active role in the preservation of endangered roller coasters. Since 1985, the club has either directly or indirectly helped to save more than half a dozen coasters. Most notable among these are the Phoenix
Phoenix (roller coaster)
The Phoenix is a wooden roller coaster located at the Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to its purchase by Knoebels and its subsequent relocation in the mid-1980s, it was operated under the name "The Rocket" at Playland Park in San Antonio, TX.-History:Designed and built...

 at Knoebels
Knoebels
Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and -operated amusement park, picnic grove and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, the park has more than 57 rides, free admission, two wooden roller coasters, a 1913 carousel and a haunted house dark ride that was featured on the...

 in Elysburg, PA, the first wood coaster to be relocated from a significant distance away (San Antonio, TX) in modern times; and Leap the Dips, the world's oldest operating wooden coaster, located at Lakemont Park
Lakemont Park
Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States...

 in Altoona, PA. On occasion, some parks have also sought the opinions of ACE members about the design of new coasters. Most notable among these is The Legend
The Legend (roller coaster)
The Legend is a wooden roller coaster at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. It was designed and built beginning in 1999 by the now-defunct roller coaster manufacturer Custom Coasters International, with the help of designers Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill; it opened on...

 at Holiday World in Santa Claus
Santa Claus, Indiana
Santa Claus is a town in Carter, Clay and Harrison townships, Spencer County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, between Interstate 64 and the Ohio River. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census.Santa Claus was established in 1854...

, IN.

Because opinions on what makes a coaster great are many and varied among coaster fans, ACE does not officially rate or rank roller coasters.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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