PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) -- Kennywood celebrated its newest ride, the Steel Curtain, with a lot of familiar faces on Friday.
The park celebrated by allowing a select, lucky, few--from Pittsburgh Steelers players to the Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania--to test out the rollercoaster before it opens to the general public on Saturday.
"Wow. I rode this [ride] this morning…I live across the river with my family and we watched it grow and grow and grow. Talk about blowing away even the highest expectations," Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said at Friday's Steel Curtain Kickoff press conference. "What an amazing ride that is…that's crazy."
"It is my unique honor to be a resident of this amazing Mon Valley and to take a ride on the highest rollercoaster now in the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania...This, I got to tell you, blows the doors off of anything I've ever been on," Fetterman said in his continued praise of the new attraction.
Not only is the Steel Curtain now the highest rollercoaster in Pennsylvania at 220 feet, but it is setting other records as well.
Tim Timco, World Wide President of S&S and a former resident of Pittsburgh, stated that the 9 inversions on the coaster set a new North American record, and within the inversions, a new world record for the tallest inversion at 197ft.
The 4,000 ft of black and yellow track adds new excitement to the park. Not only because it is a new ride, but the pride that Kennywood takes in its rollercoasters, and the community it represents.
"Kennywood over the years has always been a special place, especially for rollercoasters. One thing that has always made us unique is how we've been able to incorporate coasters into our foot plan of the park," Kennywood's General Manager Jerome Gibas said.
"Part of this project obviously is our new association with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't know of two entities more ingrained in the community and this area than Kennywood and the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're so excited to be working with them."
The park will open Steelers Country later this summer, further tying the park to the hometown football team.
The Steel Curtain reaches speeds of 76 mph, and no matter what the lines look like, it will be "worth the wait," Timco said.
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