Lakemont Park employees Taylor Shildt (left) of Bellwood and Hannah Adams of Altoona ride the Leap The Dips historic roller coaster on Thursday at precisely 2 p.m. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

LAKEMONT — Lakemont Park’s Leap the Dips and Skyliner roller coasters joined rides from amusement parks ranging from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California to The Funplex Mount Laurel in New Jersey in setting a world record for the largest simultaneous roller coaster ride Thursday afternoon.

The event, which included at least 24 rides in 21 parks across 12 states, was coordinated by the American Coaster Enthusiasts to celebrate World Roller Coaster Appreciation Month, Lakemont Park General Manager Melanie Shildt said.

“We’re here at the historic Leap the Dips, and there were 21 other parks across the country also participating, and we all set a roller coaster ride off promptly at 2 p.m.,” she said. “This is the first time this has happened, at least here for us at Lakemont Park.”

Michael Burkey, an Altoona-based roller coaster enthusiast, was in the park for the event.

“Skyliner has been down for a while. I’ve been eager to ride that,” Burkey said, adding that he finds the thrill of roller coasters fascinating.

The event was this season’s first run for the Skyliner, Shildt said.

The American Coaster Enthusiasts, a membership-based group, invited Lakemont Park to join in on the event, sending out invitations saying it would need to register its participating coasters beforehand, Shildt said.

“We love being a part of history,” she said. “We have one of the biggest pieces of history here at Lakemont Park with Leap the Dips, which is the oldest operating wooden coaster in the entire world, so anytime we can have the opportunity to participate with American Coaster Enthusiasts, who are a huge supporter of our park and our coasters, we take that opportunity to do so.”

Built in 1902, Leap the Dips was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996 and received the Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark awards from ACE.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.