At the end of May I was well on my way in the planning stages for We Were Inverted. As I plotted out the site’s different sections, and what kind of content I wanted to include on this site, I kept coming back to the blog. For several years I served as the arts & entertainment editor for The Avenue News, a local newspaper in this region. At that time, the newspaper industry was doing better than what it is today. Our weekly circulation reached about 70,000 people. I was with the paper a little over three years before resigning. Sadly, that paper’s print numbers pale in comparison to the days when I worked there. They do, however, have an online presence, which they were only beginning to plan when I resigned. Times have changed for sure in that regard.
My Role at the Paper
The portion of the paper I oversaw during my tenure was called The Relaxer. The Relaxer was where the paper’s arts, entertainment, and dining themed articles were found. The overall weekly paper would fluctuate anywhere between 36 pages on a slow week, to over 72 on heavy weeks. The Relaxer portion would generally consist of 12 to 24 of those pages.
As the arts & entertainment editor, I was tasked with coming up with content and themes for The Relaxer and would often pre-plan topics months in advance. If there was a major movie coming out, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” for example, then we’d surely have our movie reviewer on that movie. I’d come up with some extra articles to coincide with his review, talking about anything from Star Wars collectibles to people’s favorite Sci-Fi movies.
Other weeks you could find anything from articles about museum gallery openings to skydiving. From independent wrestling to even amusement parks. You bet I was able to squeeze in a park trip or two during my years running The Relaxer. I even did a piece on coasters in general and talked to a local American Coaster Enthusiast (ACE) member that the organization themselves put me in contact with. I’m going to have to dig those articles up, if I still have them, on my old CD ROM back-ups. Sadly, however, my current PC doesn’t have a CD ROM drive, so I’ll have to figure something out.
In addition to the articles, I was also one of the main graphic designers at The Avenue News, focusing mostly on the page layout. We had an ad department that I’d assist at times, but I was the one who totally overhauled The Relaxer shortly after my arrival, giving it a brand new, permanent logo, and its own layout elements that ran throughout. I’d also layout all the articles found within and got quite creative with designs when compared to what was found in the main news sections of the paper.
What Does This Have to do With Knoebels?
So why am I talking about this in a blog that references Knoebels? Well, it’s because on Monday, August 10, 2020, something that was two and a half months in the making finally took place. I was able to meet with Knoebels Public Relations Director, Stacy Ososkie, about some feature articles I want to write for We Were Inverted. I miss writing and people often enjoyed reading what I wrote in the paper each and every week. So if I can do some more in depth pieces on amusement parks, roller coasters, and the hobby as a whole, I’m all for it. It’s something I’ve mentioned in some of the site’s pages and in other past blogs. Now, things are finally in motion to start making that a reality.
On the horizon you will be seeing numerous Knoebels-based blogs coming to We Were Inverted. When I initially reached out to the park, I had several ideas for some “every day people” themed articles. Sadly, however, with Covid-19 currently having the world a mess, the timing for those articles is not right. Still wanting to work with Knoebels sooner rather than later, I came up with several other article ideas and passed them along to Ososkie. She went out of her way, even conversing with Dick Knoebel, the president of Knoebels. That name should be one everyone knows throughout this hobby and I think it’s awesome that she went straight to “the man” to answer some of the questions I raised.
What Will be the Articles Themes?
I don’t want to tip my hand at the Knoebels-themed articles that will be coming your way. Just know that I got so much great information from Ososkie that I’ve already began seeing how I can pull an extra piece or two out of what we discussed. She really did supply me with a wealth of historic information, as well as the park’s perspective on a number of topics. And best of all, I was told that Knoebels would love to have me back once the current pandemic is under wraps for some of those original article ideas I pitched back in June.
Someone Else I'd Like to Thank
Before I close out this blog, I’d also like to personally thank Jamie Wood-Billman. Without her, I don’t know if all this would have been secured so quickly back at the end of May. You see, Wood-Billman, who worked in group sales and catering at the time, helped me arrange a catered Knoebels visit in June of 2019 for my workplace. We brought 63 people and everyone had an amazing time, and many of them were first timers at the park. She, like so many of Knoebels employees, went out of her way to make sure everything was to our liking. It was and so much more. People still talked about that trip months later. So many memories for so many people.
As I was in the planning phases for We Were Inverted, I got a little excited and emailed Wood-Billman about the possibility of putting me in contact with a public relations or media representative for the park. I shared my vision of We Were Inverted with her and within a day, I was put in contact with Ososkie, who was also eager to get something underway. I just wasn’t ready at the time, not thinking that Wood-Billman would jump right on my inquiry. If anything, I thought she might just send me email address and phone number to who I’d need to talk to. Instead, she forwarded my email, complete with the site’s vision, to Ososkie. Now I’m here.
My Feelings About Knoebels & Last Year's Group Trip
Knoebels really is a place like no other. I’m glad they’re the first park I reached out to in this manner. Every time I have visited the park I am wisped back to a time when I was just a kid, loving a park for the atmosphere and the rides. Back when I wasn’t worried about things like how much parking costs, or if it’s going to cost over $100 to feed a family of four lunch. You don’t have to worry about such things at Knoebels. Parking is free. Entry to the park is free. Food is affordable, and I’m going to say it, 100 times better than the food found at other parks.
I know I’m not the only one who feels the same way about this park. For the first time in the over 15 years that I arranged the annual workplace amusement park trips, my parents decided to come along for Knoebels in 2019. They brought my niece, Dalila, who was 7 at the time, and my cousin, Dan, who had just turned 12. They all had a good time and my parents, who don’t ride too many rides these days, still found some rides they could manage. My father, still to this day, talks about how much he loves Knoebels atmosphere and old time feel anytime I talk about the park. It is so nice seeing my parents so excited about an amusement park. They both said they’d like to go back. I haven’t seen that in many years, now that they’re older. Knoebels will do that to you!
As for my niece and cousin, both of them found plenty of rides to do together when they first arrived. When they caught up with my group of friends, they even got on the bigger rides. With my parents unable to ride everything, and an adult needing to be present with someone Dalila’s age on rides like Phoenix and Twister, I made sure that she got to experience those rides. She even decided to give Impulse a try, although she was wanting nothing to do with it when we arrived.
Finishing Up This "Ride"
I know this blog started off focusing on my return to journalism with We Were Inverted and detoured into talking about some of what happened during a 2019 visit to Knoebels. That’s okay! Sometimes the best rides feature a unique element during the course before returning you to the station. Talking about Knoebels made me want to share some of those things along this blog’s course and I think it served well in showing why I, along with many others, love Knoebels. I’m so excited to be featuring them in some upcoming articles here on We Were Inverted and I hope you give them a read.
I am going to go ahead and wrap this up so I can dedicate some time to covering my August 10 day at Knoebels from a rides perspective. Be on the lookout for that soon. And if you’re headed to Knoebels, keep me in mind…
You can be my wingman anytime! (Top Gun, 1986)
Patrick
