Kennywood and Sandcastle to host job fair (with Potato Patch Fries!) as park schedules expand to daily operations in June

By | June 7, 2021

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Amid growing demand to head outdoors for family fun, Kennywood and Sandcastle are adding more hours and days to their Summer 2021 operating schedules, and offering a delicious incentive to bring in more new Team Members.

Kennywood will host a job fair at the historic Parkside Café from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 7. People interested in a position at America’s Most Thrilling Historic Landmark can do more than interview for the Kennywood or Sandcastle teams: they can dig in to free Potato Patch fries, grab a complimentary cotton candy, and try a few rounds at one of the park’s popular midway games.

The fresh [cut fries] approach to hiring in today’s competitive job market comes with another bump in the parks’ pay rates for Food & Beverage and Lifeguards staff, where high school graduates now start at $14 and $15 an hour, respectively. Pay rates for high school grads are now at least $13 an hour at Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier.

The uptick in applicants and new Team Members brought on board, coupled with increasing consumer demand, allows the parks to expand the operating schedules beyond the conservative plans crafted during the offseason. Kennywood will now begin daily operations on Wednesday, June 9, with Sandcastle following on June 12 and Idlewild on June 17.

“Our season is off to a strong start,” says Kennywood/Sandcastle General Manager Mark Pauls. “Coming off a successful opening weekend for this month’s Bites and Pints Food & Drink Festival and the expansion to daily operations, we’re looking to this June 7 Job Fair and Free Fries event to bring in the last batch of applicants to make a great summer at our parks.”

In April, parent company Palace Entertainment increased wages at its properties nationwide, including boosting the starting seasonal pay rate for Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild & SoakZone to at least $13 an hour for high school graduates (or those at least 18 years old). Further, targeted increases will now pay Food & Beverage Team Members at Kennywood and Sandcastle $10 an hour for 16 and 17-year-olds, and $14 an hour for 18 and up. Lifeguards now make at least $15 an hour at Sandcastle and $14/hour at Idlewild.

The surge in applicants and new hires led Kennywood to add nine summer operating days to the 2021 schedule. Now, the park will extend hours on Fridays to 9 p.m., with daily operations from June 9 – August 23. Beginning July 4, the park will add an hour to Sunday through Thursday operations, closing at 8 p.m. Kennywood will be open weekends through the end of October and, along with Idlewild, host Halloween events after being canceled in 2020. Idlewild has also added fourteen additional summer operating days to the summer months.

Those interested can apply online at the park of their choice: Kennywood, Sandcastle or Idlewild, or stop at the job fair June 7 for free Potato Patch fries and a great job opportunity!