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Kennywood is an Amusement Park near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , in the borough of West Mifflin . It ranked second to Cedar Point in the category of "Favorite Park" in Theme Park Magazine's 2004 Reader's Choice Awards.1 Kennywood uses the slogan "America's Finest Traditional Amusement Park." It features a number of old Wooden Coasters (3) still in working order, along with a newer steel coaster, the Phantom's Revenge (2001), and one indoor coaster, the Exterminator (1999). There is also a variety of other unique family-type rides, 32 attractions total. Kennywood is also famous for their Fresh Cut French Fries at the "Potato Patch" stand. The fries are cut fresh and served in a basket with an option of up to eight toppings. The Potato Patch Fries have become so well known that Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle grocery stores began selling Potato Patch Fries in frozen food form in 2001. From the 1960s through the early 1990s, Kennywood's slogan was "The Roller Coaster Capital of the World". Kennywood is one of two amusement parks listed in the National Register Of Historic Places , the other being Rye Playland Park . It is also one of the few amusement parks that still allow guests to bring their own picnic lunch into the park and is alcohol-free. {Link without Title} LOCATION Kennywood is approximately 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh , in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania . The park is located on PA State Route 837, known as Kennywood Boulevard from the Whitaker/West Mifflin borough line to Hoffman Blvd. The closest interstate exit is Interstate 376 's Swissvale Exit #7. Despite the park's obscure location — it was once the terminus of a Streetcar Line — it is rather easy to find for two reasons. First, it is located on the " Green Belt ", part of the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Belt System . Second, Kennywood has blanketed the neighboring area with yellow wooden "Kennywood" arrows (formerly an extended arm with pointing finger), to the point where the yellow arrow has become the park's logo. Several Port Authority bus lines run up to or near the park. One line, the 61C, stops at park bus shelter, while the 55B, 55E and 59A stop a nearby strip mall that is less than a quarter of a mile from the park, while the 58C, 58P and 58V express lines (running only during rush hour) stop at a Route 837 intersection about 100 yards from the park entrance. Kennywood Park is located at 40°23'15" North, 79°51'51" West. HISTORY Before becoming a park, the Kenny family owned a grove of trees overlooking the river. People began picnicking here, and eventually a trolley line was added. Kennywood Park began in 1898 as a Trolley Park that catered to local industrial workers and their families. Originally built at the end of a trolley line to encourage ridership, the park began to generate more revenue than the trolley business itself. Yet the Pittsburgh Street Railway Company wanted out of the amusement park business and sold it to A.S. McSwigan and Frederick W. Henninger in 1906. The two would work to expand the park into the Kennywood known today. Many Pittsburghers see Kennywood as a great and fun-filled place and the park has a loyal local fan base. From its origin as a Working-class Picnic destination, the park grew in the first half of the Twentieth Century into a popular entertainment site that combined technological thrill rides with recreation venues like Swimming Pool s and Dance Hall s. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the park remained successful by adding rides like the Log Jammer, the Raging Rapids, the Steel Phantom (later turned into the Phantom's Revenge) and the Pitt Fall. Kennywood is also known for its scenery and mascot Kenny Kangaroo. Today the park features a nostalgic atmosphere and is supported by a loyal local fan base. Kennywood Entertainment also runs and the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America. After the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL in 2006 , Steelers safety Mike Logan , a native of McKeesport, Pennsylvania , near Kennywood, made a humorous riff on the " I'm Going To Disney World! " advertising campaign usually associated with the Super Bowl, saying, "Forget Disney World , I want them to open up Kennywood!" PROPOSED EXPANSION In July 2005 , Kennywood was in negotiations to buy brownsfield land that would increase the size of the park from 92 to up to 140 acres, and carry it into the neighboring city of Duquesne . Kennywood officials, however, insist that the proposal is contingent on the completion of the long-delayed Mon-Fayette Expressway to pass within feet of the park. As of March 2006 , Kennywood had bought 15 acres and is in the process of acquiring another 28 acres of the Union Railroad yard. Its $60 million expansion plan, all contingent on taxes and the Mon-Fayette Expressway, includes a hotel, an indoor water park, and a new signature thrill ride. The new water park would be separate from the much larger Sandcastle Waterpark and would be built at the site of the former Kmart . West-to-West Coalition , a collection of 22 municipal governments, has announced that it is working with Kennywood on its expansion plan. GALLERY |
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