Jon and Natasha Cain of Lancaster, Ohio built a backyard roller coaster for their children in 2009 over three weeks using wood, concrete, and PVC pipes for $700. The couple, who run a car dealership, taught themselves the basics of roller coaster construction without formal engineering training. The ride features twists and turns with its highest point at 12 feet. After initial hesitation, their daughter Olyvia loved it, and the video of their son enjoying the ride went viral on YouTube.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jon and Natasha Cain, parents from Lancaster, Ohio, built a homemade roller coaster in their backyard for their children using materials costing around $700 over several weekends in the summer of 2009. Despite having no engineering background, they taught themselves the basics required to construct the ride safely. The roller coaster features twists and turns with its highest point reaching 12 feet, taking three weeks to complete. Their goal was to provide their kids, Olyvia and Samual, an exciting experience without long lines at theme parks.
Written for “Homemade Roller Coaster Project” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 68238 · logged 2026-10-09
Some become parents by choice, and such parents give their children the best lives possible.
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parents → become → lives
How else would you describe an Ohio couple who built a roller coaster in their backyard for their kids?
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who → describe → kids
Jon and Natasha Cain of Lancaster, Ohio, spent a few weekends and $700 on something their kids would remember for years: a roller coaster in the backyard, according to a report by ABC News.
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kids → spend → News
They had no engineering training but had the willpower to teach themselves the basics of how a roller coaster works.
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coaster → have → basics
A summer project
Most kids would spend their summer holidays at a theme park.
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kids → spend → park
But often, the thrill of a ride is accompanied by a long queue.
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thrill → accompany → queue
In the summer of 2009, the Cains took on the project of building a roller coaster.
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Cains → take → coaster
They used readily available materials that one could pick up at a local store: wood, concrete and PVC pipes.
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one → use → store
They put it together for their two children, daughter Olyvia and son Samual.
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They → put → children
The finished track rises 12 feet at its highest point and winds through a series of twists and turns.
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track → rise → twists
They worked on the roller coaster for three weeks and spent $700.
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They → work → 700
But building a ride was not simple.
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building → build → ride
It had to hold a child, negotiate tight curves and remain upright throughout every ride.
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It → have → ride
Learning on the job
The Cains weren’t engineers.
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Cains → learn → job
The couple ran a car dealership, but they both enjoyed making things with their hands.
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they → run → hands
They are the kind of people who cannot say no to a good DIY project.
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who → say → project
That was enough for them to get started on the roller coaster.
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them → start → coaster
The couple began by planning the layout.
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couple → begin → layout
They went to a local store and bought the supplies they needed.
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they → go → supplies
The plan was to work out the rest as the project progressed.
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project → work → rest
They thought the whole thing could be built for about $300.
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thing → think → 300
But when the final bill came, it was more than double the estimated cost: $700.
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it → come → ?
Their kids could enjoy a ride without leaving the yard.
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kids → enjoy → yard
Olyvia was only three when the roller coaster was built, and she was unsure at first.
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she → build → ?
“My daughter was three when we built it and she loved it.
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she → build → it
At first, she was hesitant, but not scared,” Natasha said.
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Natasha → say → ?
Before building the roller coaster, the Cains also checked with local officials.
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Cains → build → officials
Rather than shutting them down, the city encouraged the project.
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city → shut → project
Jon later recalled receiving a simple go-ahead from officials.
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Jon → recall → officials
Once the roller coaster was complete, the Cains also filmed their children enjoying the ride.
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children → film → ride
They uploaded the video to YouTube, and it went viral.
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it → upload → YouTube
The video showed Jon pushing Samual through the 12-second run, with the boy squealing with joy.
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boy → show → joy
After successfully completing their DIY roller coaster, the couple moved on to their next project.
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couple → complete → project
They wanted to build a log cabin.
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They → want → cabin
But their DIY adventures didn’t end there.
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adventures → end → ?
“We did talk about doing a Ferris wheel at the new house … not like a ginormous one, just one that you could manually do,” Natasha added.
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Natasha → talk → that
The Aporia
