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Preservation Alert
Conneaut Lake Park
Help get the Blue Streak rolling again! Click here for details on how to donate.

 
Preservation Alert
The Dreamland Trust
Save Dreamland need our help! Click here to get Great Britain's oldest roller coaster back on track.

 
Clearance
ACE Calendar
Final clearance price!

ACE publishes an annual calendar featuring outstanding full-color coaster photographs by our members and park photographers. We typically feature coasters that recently opened, ones with significant anniversaries, and ones at parks hosting upcoming or recent ACE events.
 
Now available at a clearance price of only $5. Supplies are extremely limited, so order today! [Details]

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Event News & Reminders
ACE Day at the State Fair : Online registration is available. Event starts 9/26/2010.
Daredevil Daze : Online registration is available. Event starts 10/2/2010.
Smoky Mountain Coasterfest : Online registration is available. Event starts 11/20/2010.
Fall Thrillfest : Registration deadline is 9/16/2010. Event starts 10/2/2010.
Lone Star CoasterThon : Registration deadline is 9/17/2010. Event starts 9/25/2010.
ACE Day at the State Fair : Registration deadline is 9/24/2010. Event starts 9/26/2010.
Knott's Halloween Haunt : Registration deadline is 9/24/2010. Event starts 10/3/2010.
Daredevil Daze : Registration deadline is 9/27/2010. Event starts 10/2/2010.
KennyKon XXI / ACE Phantom Fright Night : Registration deadline is 9/30/2010. Event starts 10/10/2010.
ACE Fright Fest Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain : Registration deadline is 10/1/2010. Event starts 10/9/2010.
ACE Frightfest at Wild Waves Scream Park : Registration deadline is 10/1/2010. Event starts 10/16/2010.
Frightfest : Registration deadline is 10/5/2010. Event starts 10/16/2010.
Smoky Mountain Coasterfest : Registration deadline is 11/10/2010. Event starts 11/20/2010.
Coaster Con XXXIV : New event added since last visit. Event starts 6/19/2011.
Coaster Con XXXV : New event added since last visit. Event starts 6/17/2012.
Phoenix Phall Phunfest : New event added since last visit. Event starts 10/9/2010.
Winterfest : New event added since last visit. Event starts 1/29/2011.
Lights...Santa...Bubbles! : New event added since last visit. Event starts 12/4/2010.
ACE NJ Winter Oasis : New event added since last visit. Event starts 1/22/2011.
CoasterBash! XXII : New event added since last visit. Event starts 3/5/2011.
Celebrate America : New event added since last visit. Event starts 10/3/2010.
Carolina Coaster Classic : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 9/11/2010.
ACE Frightfest at Wild Waves Scream Park : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/16/2010.
ACE's Scandinavian Sojourn 2011 : New event added since last visit. Event starts 7/13/2011.
Riding of the Bull Dos : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 9/18/2010.
ACE Farewell to the Mad Mouse : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 9/25/2010.
ACE Summer Preservation Conference : New event added since last visit. Event starts 8/26/2011.
ACE Spring Conference : New event added since last visit. Event starts 4/8/2011.
Coaster Christmas : New event added since last visit. Event starts 12/4/2010.
ACE Fright Fest Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/9/2010.
Knott's Halloween Haunt : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/3/2010.
ACE Day at the State Fair : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 9/26/2010.
KennyKon XXI / ACE Phantom Fright Night : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/10/2010.
Lone Star CoasterThon : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 9/25/2010.
Smoky Mountain Coasterfest : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 11/20/2010.
Frightfest : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/16/2010.
No Coaster Con XXXII : New event added since last visit. Event starts 1/15/2011.
Eastcoaster 2011 : New event added since last visit. Event starts 2/5/2011.
Fall Thrillfest : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/2/2010.
Daredevil Daze : Event details/flier added since last visit. Event starts 10/2/2010.
   [show all]


MERCHANDISE NEWS
Life is good® Roller Coaster T Shirt now available!!! New color--Jungle Green--coming soon!! [details]
Request For ACE Merchandise Designs! [details]
New Items - ACE640 ACE Established T-shirt - Blocky style - now available in Tan. New Golf Shirt in Royal Blue available! [details]
NOW ON SALE!!!! [details]
ACE's Online General Store is always open!
Refer to the merchandise flier if you prefer to order the merchandise via mail-order or to pay for the merchandise via check or money order.
   [show all]

Welcome!

Welcome to the official site of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), the world's largest club of amusement ride enthusiasts. ACE was founded in 1978 as a not-for-profit, all volunteer club to foster and promote the conservation, appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden roller coaster and the contemporary steel coaster.

Our club has grown from a handful of members to nearly 7,000 members representing all 50 states, DC, and 12 countries. We publish a bimonthly newsletter and a quarterly magazine for our members. We also sponsor several events at parks each year. If you love the thrill of the twists, turns, drops, and loops of a roller coaster, this club (and this site) is for you!

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Subscribe to RSS feeds for ACE News Now.

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Good news from Conneaut Lake Park    This article contains photos!

Blue Streak will be open to the public for Labor Day weekend.

Posted 9/2/2010

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Dare Devil Dive Coaster Coming to Georgia    This article contains photos!

The park's 11th coaster will be a custom Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter.

Posted 9/2/2010

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Tower of Terror to Run Backwards    This article contains photos!

The 14-year-old Intamin Reverse Freefall Coaster Tower of Terror in Australia will close for four weeks in order to reconfigure the vehicles to launch backwards.

Posted 8/11/2010

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Gröna Lund Announces Gravity Group Woodie    This article contains photos!

The park's seventh coaster will be located on the water's edge.

Posted 8/9/2010

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ACE Election Results    This article contains photos!

ACE will welcome new officers but familiar faces to the executive committee.

Posted 8/7/2010

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Offers Sneak Peek    This article contains photos!

Park President Jim Dean gives us a construction tour of the park's latest attraction.

Posted 8/3/2010

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The Ride is Over for Jersey's Great American Scream Machine    This article contains photos!

The once record-breaking multi-looper will close on Sunday, July 18, 2010

Posted 7/9/2010

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ACE Donates $5,000 to the Save Dreamland Campaign    This article contains photos!

On Saturday July 3, as the Scenic Railway celebrates its 90th birthday the Save Dreamland Campaign announced the donation of $5,000 to help restore the historic coaster.

Posted 7/3/2010

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Coaster Con XXXIII a Huge Success    This article contains photos!

Three landmark plaque presentations and an advance ride on Sky Rocket highlight the week.

Posted 7/1/2010

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ACE donates $10,000 to Conneaut Lake Park for Restoration of Blue Streak    This article contains photos!

Conneaut Lake Park is one of four parks hosting this year's annual convention. During the club's visit, the park was told ACE was doubling its original pledge.

Posted 6/26/2010

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Kennywood Presented With Two Landmark Plaques    This article contains photos!

Well-known for its outstanding collection of well-maintained wood coasters, two of those coasters were honored for their historic significance.

Posted 6/25/2010

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Holiday World Park President Will Koch Dies    This article contains photos!

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari owner and president, Will Koch, passed away Sunday evening at his home.

Posted 6/14/2010

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Shapiro Resigns from Six Flags    This article contains photos!

Mark Shapiro has resigned and former Paramount Parks' CEO Al Weber has been named interim CEO of Six Flags. Posted 5/12/2010

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Six Flags Reorganizes, Snyder Leaving Board    This article contains photos!

Six Flags, Inc. resolved the final objections to its reorganization plan, clearing the way for the bankrupt theme-park owner to leave court protection. When the company exits bankruptcy, it will have debt of about $1.15 billion, down from $2.7 billion when the company filed for bankruptcy last June.

Posted 5/3/2010

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Zippin Pippin Rebuild Proceeding    This article contains photos!

Martin & Vleminckx has been hired to rebuild the historic coaster at Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Posted 4/21/2010

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Eagle's Fortress to be Removed    This article contains photos!

One of the most exciting Arrow suspended coasters ever constructed is now history.

Posted 4/19/2010


Featured Coaster
Giant Dipper at Belmont Park

Giant Dipper
Belmont Park
by Dave Hahner with Tim Cole

Built during the “Golden Age” of roller coasters in 1925 at what was then called Mission Beach Amusement Center, Giant Dipper is one of the few remaining seaside wooden roller coasters still in operation in the United States and one of only three coasters designed by legendary coaster designer, Frederick Church that continues to operate today. Rising to a height of 73-feet, it features a twisting tunnel, highly banked turns and graceful, yet powerful curving drops along its winding 2600-feet course.

The coaster suffered serious damage from fire in 1955 and was almost demolished. Sadly, the coaster sat dormant for many years, suffering from two more fires in 1981, and faced near extinction until a group of local citizens formed the “Save the Coaster Committee” (STCC) to help preserve this engineering marvel. Today, Giant Dipper remains a popular and vital component of Belmont Park and Mission Beach and is an important and successful milestone of historic coaster preservation.

ACE has recogized Giant Dipper as both a Golden Age Coaster and a Coaster Landmark.

View complete article

Giant Dipper at Belmont Park