As the Memphis park aged and eventually closed, Green Bay's Mayor, Jim Schmitt facilitated the purchase of the name and the blueprints for this ride. This roller coaster would be rebuilt at the Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay. The deal included the original cars and other salvageable parts from this roller coaster for $3.5 million dollars.
The newly constructed Zippin Pippin officially opened in Green Bay in May of 2011. Ridership was expected around 250,000 riders for the season. With construction, rain delays, and a cold spring the ride opened slightly behind schedule by a few weeks. As the city held their collective breath, the rider numbers soared through the season! With a ticket price at a slight $1.00 per ride, the year end number of riders exceeded 550,000 and increased overall amusement park by about 42% over the previous year. Bay Beach Amusement Park is a public park with a 100+year history. A wooden roller coaster previously was the main attraction here about 80 years prior, but that ride had been dismantled more than 50 years ago. The resurgence of this park has sparked development in the area of the city that stagnated for many decades. Now, in addition to locals enjoying the park with generations of family members playing together, riders are coming from many states and various countries to "collect" this coaster's riding experience. August of 2011 saw the first night, illuminated ride. Donors gave and installed lighting that highlighted the track. An event was held that celebrated Elvis' birthday to coincide with the night ride. This themed attracted a new batch of Elvis riders to the coaster.
Have you been on the Zippin Pippin yet? It's a screamin' good time!
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