First Annual Amusement Park Outing Last-Minute Notes			Directions Get to the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike. You can take I-476 (the Blue Route) or I-76 (The Schuykill) depending on your risk tolerance. Take the NE Extension past Allentown to I-80. Take I-80 west to any of the Bloomsburg exits. Least twisty is Exit 34 Buckhorn. Take PA 42 south to Catawissa. Cross bridge and watch for 487 South to bear right up the incline. PA 487 South for 6 miles. Turn left into Knoebels. Total distance is about 200 miles, 180 of which is highway. Figure on 3-4 hours depending on your grandma-ness. If you're leaving anytime near rush hour Friday expect nasty traffic near Philly.
When:	Saturday, June 10, 2000
Where:	Knoebels Grove, Elysburg, PA

Deb and I thought it would it would be fun to turn this year's trip to Knoebels into an outing for all our friends. Some of you have already been there with us and know how great a place this is. The rest of you are in for a nice surprise.

Knoebels is located 10 miles south of Bloomsburg, PA, or about 3 and 1/2 hours from Glassboro. It's a family-run park that has consistently been rated "Best Traditional Amusement Park" by the industry. Admission is free, with rides on an pay-as-you-go basis or you can purchase a POP (under $20). The park is lushly shaded, never any lines (maybe a 10-minute wait on the worst day), and also has good food at reasonable prices. It's also a small enough park that as a group we could "take over" some of the rides for some ERT (Exclusive Rowan Time). The park is also very kid-friendly, so those of you with little ones should bring them. Some of the best features of the park are:

• The Phoenix - a classic 1940's wooden coaster that rates in the top 5 of almost every enthusiast (it's my #2 out of almost 200). The Phoenix is all about airtime and consistent speed. I even have a video from on the ride (20MB).
• Twister - a new wooden coaster copied from the now-bulldozed Mr. Twister in Denver, Co. Twister is a fast, powerful ride with lots of lateral g's.
• Haunted Mansion - outside of Disney, perhaps the best haunted house ride
• Skooters - THE BEST bumper cars of any park. Classic 1940's Lusse cars with a track so slick you can smell the graphite 50' away.
• Flyers - a deceptively simple ride that allows you enough control to scare the s**t out of yourself.
• Carousels - Knoebels has 2 carousels, and operates one of the last remaining "grab the brass ring" machines left.
• High Speed Thrill Coaster - a "kiddie coaster" that adults will find a complete hoot.

Right now we're just looking for who will attend, we'll send out more info as the day approaches. Deb and I are figuring on heading up Friday evening, staying Friday and Saturday, and returning Sunday. Anyone wanting to catch a ride with us or caravan should let us know soon. The rides are open 11am-10pm, but the park opens earler. We'll plan to meet in front of the ferris wheel by 11. To use Leigh's model, at 11 we've left the ferris wheel for the rest of the park.

If you have any questions, please e-mail or call me or Deb. I can't say enough nice things about this park, it's truly a treasure.

Lodging is available nearby in Danville or Bloomsburg, about a 15 minute ride from the park. I've checked MapQuest's directions to the park; they suck. I'll send out complete directions as the day approaches.