Thrill-Seekers Flock to Knott’s New Ride

Roller-coaster aficionados from around the country are putting Buena Park on their destination “A” list.

Their goal: the ups and downs of GhostRider, the wooden coaster that opened last December at Knott’s Berry Farm, which has been rated highly in surveys by enthusiast groups.

The latest group arrived Friday from points as far-flung as Alabama, Minnesota, Tennessee and Utah. Robb Alvey of Irvine, who helped organize the meeting, said officials at Knott’s seem somewhat surprised--though definitely pleased--by the popularity of GhostRider, which at a track length of 4,533 feet is billed as the West’s longest wooden roller coaster.

“For the first time in years, they’ve got something over there that’s a real draw nationally,” Alvey said.

With help from GhostRider and the Supreme Scream, another new thrill ride, Knott’s winter attendance was up sharply from a year earlier, when El Nino dampened results, Knott’s spokesman Bob Ochsner said. He said the crowds exceeded the expectations of Knott’s owner, Cedar Fair of Sandusky, Ohio, which hopes attendance will rise from 3.4 million to 4 million this year.