Six Flags St. Louis Celebrates 30th Birthday of Screamin' Eagle

St. Louis, MO -- Six Flags St. Louis celebrates the 30th Birthday of the world-famous Screamin' Eagle roller coaster with a 30-Hour Ride-A-Thon on Thursday and Friday, July 20th and 21st. Members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, who consider classic wooden coasters an "endangered species," travel cross-country to ride the three-quarter mile long wooden coaster beginning at 8:00 am July 20 and ending at 2:00 pm July 21.

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Opened in 1976, The Screamin' Eagle was the last creation of famed coaster designer John Allen and said to be his favorite. Standing at 110-feet tall, 3,872-feet long and flying at a maximum speed of 62-mph, the Screamin' Eagle earned the title of "Longest, Tallest, Fastest Roller Coaster in the World" in the Guinness Book of World Records. This classic figure-eight roller coaster swoops over 11 lifts and 10 lows including an 87 and 100 foot plunge, the two longest drops known at the time of the coaster's opening. Today, the Screamin' Eagle stands in the shadow of The Boss sporting its original red, white and blue colors that it opened with in that bicentennial year. One of the most popular rides at the theme park, the Screamin' Eagle is the opponent that park goers of all ages must conquer before earning their place as a true thrill seeker.

On July 20 and 21, American Coaster Enthusiasts from around the country take a seat on this great American coaster and mark 30 years with 30 hours of consecutive riding. Representing California, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, Louisiana, New York and St. Louis, 20 riders make the coaster and its ups and downs, twists and turns home with only one food and bathroom break per hour. ACE, founded in 1978, is a non-profit organization with over 8,000 members involved in activities including award-winning publications, events and exhaustive preservation efforts of wooden roller coasters. In the early 1920's some 2,000 wooden coasters existed, fewer than 125 exist today. ACE has made saving or relocating endangered coasters, an integral part of Americana, a goal and major part of their purpose as an organization!

For more information, visit sixflags.com/stlouis