Perhaps I can shed a little light on the general state of band organs
in big amusement parks.  As the "band organ guy" at another amusement
park in Pennsylvania (not Knoebels), I can tell you the following:

- Organs on an outdoor ride are very difficult to keep in tune.
Aside from the fact that it can only be tuned early in the morning
or very late in the evening, the ever-changing weather (especially
in Pennsylvania) presents huge challenges in keeping the trumpets
in line.  It can sound great at midnight (when I'm finished tuning),
but really bad at 3 o'clock in the afternoon when the temperature
and humidity have changed dramatically.

- Modern amusement parks are not interested in funding the
maintenance required to keep an organ playing, and that can get
pretty pricey if it needs some major overhaul.  Remember, this is an
80-year-old mechanical instrument playing twelve hours a day, seven
days a week -- way more than ever intended when it left the factory!

I am fortunate in that (so far) my park is still willing to foot the
bill for having pumps releathered and new valves and such.  I can even
buy a new roll or two once in a while!  Most parks find it cheaper to
buy a CD player and amplifier, especially when the organ repair cost
will go past a thousand or so.  (Fifteen thousand?  Yeah, right!).

- People who are knowledgeable about organs or even interested in them
rarely exist at today's amusement parks.  I have grown up with them and
come to understand them (with coaching from Bill Black, Mike Kitner,
and even my dad), but most don't have that good fortune.  I daresay
that "my" 153 would not be playing anymore were it not for Bill and
myself.  CD players are cheap.

- I noted a comment about Lake Compounce's organ.  My understanding is
that it was "restored" in the not too distant past.  The "restoration"
included removing the transfer block, which would cause the blips
and blurps of notes you heard if the other roll was rewinding, and the
pumps were replaced by a blower (which makes tuning a bit tricky --
do you tune it cool or wait till the blower heats the air up?).  This
kind of "restoration" doesn't help the cause, yet it happens time and
time again (possibly at Idlewild?).

- It's not just foreign companies.  Look at all of the carrousels
operating across the country at big parks (and little ones, too) that
have a band organ that's not playing.  Kings Island and Dominion come
to mind, and my understanding is that Cedar Point and it's sister parks
are experiencing the same lack of interest.

This is where the mechanical music enthusiast must get involved.
Contact the parks that have organs or other mechanical music, playing
or not, and express your interest.  No, they're not going to let you
work on it, or change the rolls (can't be in the center of the ride
when it's running unless you're an employee, says OSHA), but they need
to know that someone out there is interested.

That's what the Guest Services building (or park office) is for.  File
a complaint or a compliment (if it's still playing) and let them know
that someone is listening.  Whether it's in tune or not, the fact that
they're still playing it is a great thing in today's world!

Just some food for thought...

Rich Sitler