MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – The future is here at the click of your finger!
You can take a front seat ride on Quassy Amusement Park's planned new family wooden roller coaster via the Internet.
A virtual ride, created by coaster designer The Gravity Group of Cincinnati, Ohio, is currently up and running for roller coaster and amusement park enthusiasts.
The video has been uploaded at www.youtube.com and www.facebook.com. It is easily accessed on YouTube by searching for "Quassy Roller Coaster." The video title is "Virtual Ride On Wooden Roller Coaster Coming To Quassy Amusement Park." The YouTube link is also listed on the Home Page at www.quassy.com. Facebook users can type in Quassy Amusement Park in the search, which takes them to the park's Fan Page where the video is also running. A direct link to the video will be added to Quassy's Home Page in the near future.
"We want to share the step-by-step excitement of this project with everyone as soon as possible," said Eric Anderson, a co-owner of the lakeside park. "The virtual ride delivers a couple of different angles showing the coaster layout, plus a full ride from the front seat."
The video, with authentic coaster sounds, runs a little more than two minutes in highlighting the one-of-a-kind ride that will be constructed at Quassy. The wood-frame structure will have 1,200 feet of track and rise more than 30 feet above the old entrance road to the park. The coaster will drop nearly 40 feet as it descends into the field area behind the park's "Grand Carousel."
The Gravity Group's design was selected last year from a number of proposals presented by roller coasters builders from throughout the world.
"We believe we will get the best product for our investment from The Gravity Group," Anderson noted. "It's a ride for children, parents and grandparents alike."
A groundbreaking date for the ride has yet to be determined.
The coaster is one of three projects Quassy plans on installing over the next several years. The park has also received town approval to install a free fall drop tower as well as a "Bullet Bowl" water raft ride, which will be an addition to the popular "Saturation Station" waterpark.
The new roller coaster will be the first all-wood coaster ever constructed at Quassy and the first wooden coaster in the greater Waterbury, Conn., area since the 1930s.
Beneficiaries Of Auction To Ride
Once completed, Quassy will stage an auction for the first rides on the thriller. Beneficiaries of the coaster auction will be the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut, Connecticut Food Bank and Connecticut Public Television. School children will have a chance to name the coaster in a contest that will be announced at a later date.
For more information about the new projects, visit the Press Room at www.quassy.com.
101 Years
Quassy Amusement Park is in its 101st season of operation and features more than two-dozen rides and attractions. The park also has an arcade, restaurant, beach, games, special events and live entertainment.
Admission to the amusement park is free with parking $5. There are fees for rides, Quassy Beach, "Saturation Station," games, attractions and food.
Group outings and birthday parties are currently being booked by calling 203-758-2913.