Wildcat at Hersheypark Closing July 31; RMC Imminent?
Wildcat at Hersheypark - Closing July 31 (Hersheypark)
After months of rumors and speculation, Hersheypark announced on July 8, 2022, Wildcat will be closing at the end of the month. Along with the closure announcement, they posed the following question on their social media: “Any suggestions on what we could do with 3,100 feet of wooden track?” Let’s piece together some clues to determine the site’s future.
The quote above suggests most of the wooden coaster track will be reused.
Directly following the closure announcement on Twitter, Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) tweeted “We have some ideas!”. RMC is known for their I-Box conversions of older wooden coasters to modern steel-hybrid coasters using most of a coaster’s existing structure.
Spray paint markings have been seen on a number of Wildcat’s footers in the 2022 season. This aligns with previous RMC conversions.
The ride photo building has already been demolished, which paired with a July 31 closing suggests an accelerated timeline with construction starting in early August. RMC uses their own team for these conversions, and the construction team should be finishing up their current project (Arie Force One at Fun Spot America Atlanta) around the end of July.
Based on these clues (and my heart), I believe Hersheypark and Rocky Mountain Construction have teamed up and will “RMC” the first Great Coasters International coaster. RMC has completed around 20 conversions and every one is met with rave reviews from park-goers and coaster enthusiasts. I personally have ridden 4 and find them to be the best ride at their respective parks. Steel Vengeance, an RMC conversion at Cedar Point, is currently my favorite of all time. These rides are butter-smooth, super-intense, and generally have insane moments of airtime.
Wildcat at Hersheypark (Hersheypark)
There are other options available, of course. The ride could be completely scrapped and the plot of land could be destined for another attraction. Hersheypark has rarely shied away from squeezing rides into odd plots of land (Great Bear, anyone?), so I don’t believe they suddenly need a large open area of land. GCI, the original manufacturers of Wildcat, have developed their own steel-tracked replacement called Titan Track. This track has been tested on sections of at least 3 coasters but there has yet to be a full re-tracking of a coaster with the Titan Track. Wildcat, being the first GCI, would be an ideal candidate for this inaugural conversion.
At the end of the day, I expect Wildcat to receive the RMC treatment and become a top-tier roller coaster, something that Hersheypark and RMC have delivered on multiple times in the last 13+ years. Creating a true draw to the Midway America section at the back of the park, we should expect another world-class coaster next year at The Sweetest Place on Earth. Now, I hope they continue their recent candy theming and call it Kit-Kat Coaster.
