Longtime Pittsburgher appointed as general manager of Kennywood, Sandcastle

Kennywood Park and Sandcastle Water Park announced their new general manager on Monday.

Ricky Spicuzza, a Pittsburgh native, has worked in several leadership roles at each of Palace Entertainment’s Pittsburgh-based parks.

Spicuzza started his career at Kennywood as a food and beverage member in 2002. In 2010, he served as the aquatics manager at Idlewild & SoakZone before being promoted to director of operations in 2013. In 2016, Spicuzza was named general manager assistant general manager of Idlewild and in 2021, he was named the assistant general manager of Sandcastle Water Park.

Most recently, he served as the assistant general manager at Kennywood Park.

“After more than 22 seasons with Palace Entertainment, we are thrilled to name Ricky Spicuzza as general manager of Kennywood Park and Sandcastle Water Park,” said Vice President of Operations, Mark Pauls. “I believe Ricky is the perfect person to lead each of these beloved Pittsburgh institutions as we continue to invest in these properties with new capital projects, robust event lineups and more.”

According to Palace Entertainment, Spicuzza’s first order of business was to extend Kennywood’s park hours, which is now open daily until 10 p.m. through July 20.

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