What goes on at Kennywood during winter?

By: Mark Frazee | Content Manager

Amidst a fresh blanket of newfallen snow, there's no screams flying from the Phantom's Revenge. No aroma of fresh-cut Potato Patch fries. Just un unfamiliar sense of silence occasionally interrupted by power tools, forklifts and machinery. Kennywood in the winter is quite different.

Kennywood in the winter is also quite busy!

From the moment Holiday Lights ends, it's full steam ahead to get ready for the next season. Have you ever wondered what exactly goes on at Kennywood in the middle of winter? Let's dive behind the scenes and see what our teams are up to.

Packing Up the Park

Perhaps the most obvious task on our to-do list is taking down all of our Holiday Lights decorations. The giant Christmas tree is deconstructed, the Gingerbread Village packed away, the lights taken down from the trees, the model train disappears - it's a long list! We swap all of the Christmas-colored lights back to white and make sure there's no garland to be seen. The food stands need to be winterized and properly packed away so that everything will be good to go come spring.

It's not just the decor that disappears, though - the rides come down, too!

Kangaroo vehicle arms, which attach the seats to the center of the ride, are lifted out of the ride area for annual inspections.

All of our rides are disassembled each offseason for winter inspections. As we were reminded last week, Pittsburgh winter weather can become harsh, so it's important to make sure everything is out of the elements. Most ride parts go to our pavilion area, where they await their trip to the maintenance shop.

If you've never seen them before, the winter appearance of our rides is quite bare and quite shocking. At the Kangaroo, for example, all that remains is the track!

The Kangaroo in its usual winter form. The ride vehicles, arms, lights and even center components are all removed from the elements once Holiday Lights ends.

Inspection Time! Winter Ride Maintenance

Every ride undergoes top-to-bottom inspections during the winter. In our Lost Kennywood maintenance shop, the Phantom's Revenge receives a lot of attention.

"Right now, we're working on the Phantom train parts," says Tanner Horneck, Ride Maintenance Technician. "We're making sure everything is good to go for 2024."

Ride Maintenance Technician Tanner Hornfeck inspects Phantom's Revenge train parts.

All of the coaster trains are removed from the track each winter. When it comes to the Phantom, the brakes, wheels, restraints and other essential ride components are thoroughly inspected. At the same time, testing occurs to ensure that the larger pieces of the ride are all in good shape. 

For the Phantom's Revenge, this work usually wraps up in mid-to-late March, when the trains will then be placed back on the tracks for spring test runs.

Testing occurs on the Phantom's Revenge train chassis. Notice the SwingShot seats in the background, which also head inside annually for winter work.

What's New? Park Projects

Aside from the usual winter work, January is when we crank other park projects into high gear. This year, our new Potato Patch-themed bumper cars are the star of the show. Right now, a lot of work is focused on the building: general repairs plus the replacement and improvement of a lot of the structure. Our marketing team, meanwhile, is planning ways to create hype and excitement for the yet-to-be-named new attraction.

Our reimagined bumper cars will retain the same 1970s design aesthetic from the Gran Prix.

Down in the paint shop, Ed Lisowski nears the end of our Turtle repainting project that's been underway since October. If you follow us on social media, you'll know that our 97 year-old tumble bug is undergoing a refurbishment project for 2024. In addition to sprucing up our resident reptiles, the ride's center foundation was successfully replaced prior to winter.

Last year, we showed you Ed's Whip repainting project. Ed's working on a few other ride parts this year, too - but that's another story for another time.

One of the six Turtle turtles just after a fresh coat of green was applied. They will all be refurbished and repainted ahead of Opening Day.

Our carpenters also stay busy during the winter months. About 10% of the Jack Rabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt and Old Mill's structures are replaced annually. This helps in preservation, maintenance, and ensuring smooth rides.

If you visited during Holiday Lights, you likely noticed this work occurring on the Thunderbolt's first drop after the lift hill, just behind the Potato Patch. Our carpenters build temporary structures to allow them to work through the winter elements. In addition to this area, the Thunderbolt's first turnaround is also being retracked. At the Racer, it's the right lift hill and turnaround over the station. At the Jack Rabbit, the final drop. And at the Old Mill, it's the area surrounding the scene with the former Gold Rusher train.

An active scene inside the Old Mill. This section of the through is being completely rebuilt.

Retracking work on the Thunderbolt. About 10% of each wooden coaster's track is replaced annually. The park is often highly praised for its smooth wooden coasters.

Some of the work isn't as flashy or exciting, but nonetheless super essential. Pipes, cables, roofs and more all receive attention this time of the year. And who knows, maybe there are some other construction projects underway we haven't told you about quite yet...

Company Picnics at Kennywood: Group Sales

Okay, that's what's going on inside the park. Up at the Main Gate, there's plenty of activity, too! The winter months are especially busy for our Group Sales team.

"We're working hard with companies, schools and organizations across the area to plan their spring, summer and fall Kennywood picnic days for 2024," says Broc Balta, Sales Account Executive. "We're re-signing existing clients, meeting with prospective new clients and going through the ins-and-outs to make sure all of our organizations have their best outing yet!"

Sales Account Executive Broc Balta spends the winter months assisting groups, schools and local organizations plan their 2024 Kennywood outing.

Our Group Sales team is responsible for facilitating all the possible details of a group outing - ticketing, pavilion rentals, catering, special entertainment, exclusive ride times and account services.

Side note: if your organization is interested in a 2024 outing, send our Group Sales team a note. They'd love to chat with you!

Building the Next Team: People and Organization

Another department that's busy right now? People and Organization! It's never too early to start hiring for 2024, and our human resources team is working to rehire returning Team Members from 2023 while also interviewing prospective new Team Members. Toward the end of February, orientations and trainings will also begin, with hiring events set to commence in early March.

"Right now, we're reorganizing our office space and processing candidate applications," says Ashley Hromiko, P&O Director. "We'll have an all new training room and interview rooms, too. Interviews will begin very soon!"

P&O Director Ashley Hromiko processes new candidate applications ahead of the 2024 Summer Season.

About 1,500 seasonal jobs are open for the 2024 Season. The largest departments - ride operations and food and beverage - are always in the highest demand, though a large variety of other positions also need to be filled including retail, security, janitorial, admissions and costumed characters. Hromiko and her team, for their part, will shift through applications, facilitate interviews and hiring events, and onboard new and returning Team Members for the new season.

Are you or someone you know interested in working at Kennywood or Sandcastle this season? Applications are now open! Apply online, anytime.

Wintertime Wonder: Snowy Sights Around the Park

Even though the park is closed right now, our teams are hard at work to ensure the 2024 Season is packed full of memories and good times. There's many more other projects going on, too: with other tasks like planning our summer event lineup to designing the 2024 souvenir cup, we definitely stay busy during winter! If you don't already, be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter for more behind-the-scenes fun all year.

Despite all the important work going on, it is also fun just to enjoy some peace and quiet. It's definitely a BIG change of pace from the hustle and bustle of a 90-degree July afternoon! Plan for warm summer days with a 2024 Season Pass, on sale now for 5 easy payments starting at just $20 each for a limited time. Stay tuned for announcements about Opening Day 2024 soon, too! For now, we'll leave you with a few more pictures from last week's snowfall:

The white trim in the process of returning to the Thunderbolt letters for 2024. They pop even more in the snow!

A frosty overlay of this iconic view. Note the retracking occurring on the Thunderbolt's first turnaround.

Dreaming of warm summer nights in Lost Kennywood.