MICK FOLEY’s MYSPACE BLOG 6/10/09
- 06/10/2009 (12:40:51 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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June 10, 2009 - Wednesday
 | Let's give this thing another try. From the chapter, "A Few of my Favorite Things", from the book "Crossing the Line", due in Winter/Spring 2010 from Grand Central Publishing, here is a look at Knoebel's Grove Amusement Resort. Knoebel's Grove - Elysburg, Pa. It's just a tad off the beaten path, but this amazing place has been family owned and operated since 1926, when it opened as a local swimming hole. Brian Knoebel, the great, great grandson of the park's founder told me his dad had only few requests/non-negotiable demands when or if he ever hands over the reigns at the Grove. 1) No charging a fee for parking 2) No mandatory admission charge. 3) No fencing the park in The more I see of this place (one visit in 2000, twice in 2008, one in 2009) the more of its history I feel with every step I make, and every ride I take. Knoebel's may be on every park enthusiast's check-list now, but the Knoebel's family still appreciates and values its hard working, multi-generational clientele, and doesn't want a mom or a dad, or their mom or dad to pay an admission to simply watch their children or grandchildren enjoying the rides. As a thankyou for my uncanny Halloween contest judging ability at the Phoenix Phall Phun Phest (the Phoenix is the name of a coaster,not an indication of a poor spelling epidemic in the Elysburg area) the previous evening, I was given the opportunity to ride the Twister - an incredible wooden coaster put together with wood from the Knoebel's family lumberyard- about an hour before official opening time the next morning. As the Twister's train began its steep ascent, I took in the beautiful morning; the fog perched like fat marshmallows atop mountain peaks, beatuiful fall foliage painting the park in luminous shades of reds, oranges and yellows. As the train finished its climb, I took in a view of much of the park from the rides apex. Campfire smoke drifting up into the sky, tiny streams meandering along walkways and under wooden bridges, an eclectic collection of rides, some older, some new - all of them an intergral part of this unique American puzzle. Than whoosh! We plunge down, faster, still faster, as this great home made thrill ride enters the first of its many twists and turns. And it dawns on me that if not for the Phoenix and Twister, this entire wonderful scene would be a well kept secret, hidden away from all but the local faithful and a few diehard fans. Because the Phoenix, and later, the Twister I'm told, changed everything, serving as the unofficial park beacon, calling out to people accross the land who love a great ride. And then, once those ride lovers arrive, they can take in and enjoy everything else that the place has to offer; the history, the mountains, the campground, the cabins, the eclectic collection of rides. Maybe that's my role in TNA - to help serve as a beacon of sorts for the company, calling out to wrestling fans young and old, to give our place a try. Maybe I'm like one of those wooden coaster, like the Phoenix, which was purchased from an older park, shipped to Elysburg and rebuilt, piece by piece at Knoebel's Grove. Cynics said it couldn't be done, but were proven wrong; indeed the Phoenix arose from the ashes of obscurity better and faster than ever, attracting fans who otherwise would never have given the place a thought, let alone a try. Okay, so maybe I'm not faster and better than ever, but I do feel like I've been rebuilt and given a second chance at TNA. And my hope is that I can help lure new fans into the fairly well kept secret that in some ways TNA still is. Then, once they're in, they can appreciate all our place has to offer.
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