Park Hoppin’
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Park Hoppin’ with Debbie Evans
In association with I
Fueling my ride met Paul Ruben in the spring of 1998.
My goal of living in a quaint waterfront town led me to move from my lifelong home in Atlanta to the charming city of Annapolis. My experience in the tourism industry, and a recommendation from my friend who’s first job was at Geauga Lake, landed me a role as the public relations manager at Adventure World (soon to become Six Flags America), just 20 minutes outside Annapolis. I knew very little about amusement parks, aside from their appeal as part of an overall tourist destination, and absolutely zero about roller coasters.
Just a few weeks into this new chapter of my life and career, I was contacted by Paul Ruben. I had no idea who he was. Paul invited himself over for a visit to coincide with his trip to Washington DC. As a well-known (just not to me) theme park historian, Paul was booked to present a programme on the history of roller coasters as part of an arrangement with the Smithsonian Museum.
Truth be told, I thought Paul was a bit odd. I could not imagine “coaster enthusiasts” travelling around the world just to ride roller coasters, and I didn’t know a bunny hop from an Easter basket. As Paul patiently poured just a tiny bit of his immense knowledge into my gaping brain I had no idea just how lucky I was. In essence, Paul was my Roller Coaster 101 (and 201 and 301) instructor.
Paul and I kept in touch, spending many new coaster launch press days together and collaborating on outlandish quotes about the “roller coaster arms race.” He was a theme park publicists’ best friend and always a sure bet for a quirky comment or two. As my career evolved I was less and less likely to be at roller coaster openings and more and more likely to be staring at a spreadsheet or consulting long distance with clients across the country. We would exchange emails but somehow managed not to run into each other in person for several years.
The last time I saw Paul was at the 2019 IAAPA Expo in Orlando. I walked up to Paul and said “hello.” He stared at me as if he had never seen me before. I introduced myself and he immediately knew who I was. I pulled out my 6-year-old business card, featuring a 7-year-old headshot (longer hair, fewer wrinkles and a few pounds the lighter). He pointed at the picture and said “I’d know that babe anywhere, now I remember you.” True Paul.
I owe a lot to Paul. He was kind, brilliant, passionate and persistent. Luck placed him in my path when I needed a teacher and his instruction set me on a journey to the moon and back. While Paul is just one of countless amusement industry experts that have fuelled my ride, he was by far the most knowledgeable and certainly the most entertaining.
(Left) ROAR, the coaster that was under construction at Adventure World when I met Paul. This was the coaster we used as the first chapter in my Roller Coaster 101 lesson. The coaster is still called ROAR, the park is now called Six Flags America.
4 IAAPA EXPO EUROPE EDITION
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