The Art Of Matt Rusnak, Knoebels Full Time Artist

"Matt Rusnak might be called the Leonardo da Vinci of Knoebels Amusement Resort. While working at the park for more than 20 years, the 78-year-old Mount Carmel resident — who describes himself as an artist, engineer, sculptor and historian — has designed and created signs, characters, logos, historical paintings, murals and even a replica of the clock tower and bell that stood atop the former Eagle Silk Mill in Shamokin"   - The News Item, Sept 2003.

Matthew G. Rusnak was born August 24 1925 in Mount Carmel, the son of Mathew  Susan (Miscannon) Rusnak. He graduated from Mount Carmel High School in 1942, then went off to the Navy to serve in World War II. In 1954, he married Dolores Devers.  

A talented self taught artists, Rusnack worked for Thompsons Outdoor Advertising, creating billboard art for businesses throughout the region. He then opened his own business', making countless signs displayed throughout central Pa."

The sudden loss of his wife to cancer in 1986 left Rusnak severely depressed.

In an interview in 1991, Rusnak said "Coming here [Knoebels] really helped me through it.  It was a shock.  They discovered a brain tumor.  It was malignant.  She died within 6 months. I began to spend more and more time here at the park. "

In an interview in 2003, Rusnak said "I wanted to get away from reality and enter a world of fantasy, and working here has allowed me to do that"

Rusnaks first project at Knoebels was turning the concave-framed baker building into a huge loaf of bread. "That was a job.  I had no idea how it was going to turn out.  It was a matter of finding the right colors for the bread."

The Birthday Pavilion, in the shape of a huge birthday cake complete with 8 foot candles, is another of Rusnak's creations in the park.

The Birthday Cake Pavilion in 2022

The Hillbilly, 2022

The hillbilly for the shooting gallery was created by Rusnak in 1989.  At the time, he said it was his favorite piece, clarifying, "whatever I'm working on is my favorite"

Rusnak preferred to do sculpture work, but he also did a variety of paintings & murals throughout the park . Often he combined the two, adding 3d sculptures to his paintings.  

The Kiddie Carousel contains paintings of historical landmarks in Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Elysburg, Ashland, Catawissa, Berwick, Riverside, Bloomsburg, Kulpmont, Numidia, Sunbury, Danville, Lewisburg, Northumberland and Selinsgrove, all painted by Rusnak.

"I really love history, particularly local history pertaining to the mining industry.  A lot of my work, particularly the paintings at the Alamo Restaurant and signs on the small carousel, illustrate my love of history."

The Clock tower on top of Gasoline Alley, one of Rusnak's Creations, is a replica of the tower on the Eagle Silk Mill which once stood in Shamokin Pa. 

A photo of the Eagle Silk Mill in Shamokin, showing the clock tower. 

In 1988, Rusnak completed the  12 foot by 40 foot diorama of the Days Of Mining, in the new Anthracite Mining Museum at Knoebels.  

Part of the Mural in the entrance of the Anthracite Museum

Rusnak's Signature on the mural in the Anthracite Museum

The other end of the Anthracite Museum Mural/Diorama

The mural depicts an entire surface mining operation.  Rusnak painted the scene from an old photograph. It includes two three dimensional mules pulling a mine car from a tunnel

A Mule In The Mine

One of Rusnak's paintings in Anthracite Museum.  Not all of the murals and paintings in the museum were painted by Rusnak, but several were.

The Breaker Boy

One of Rusnak's paintings in Anthracite Museum. 

Miner

One of Rusnak's paintings in Anthracite Museum. 

There are other artists work in the Anthracite museum, in addition to Rusnak's pieces.  Some of these items, such as the dinosaur, I assumed are his work, but I don't know for certain that they are.  (The statue of liberty that you pass on the way to the museum is not Rusnak's  - not every piece in the park is.)

Other items may not be clearly marked as Rusnak's work, but definitely appear to be his style.   

"An artist has a certain style.  You can't conceal it.  It's almost like your signature.  You're born with it.  I just picked it up after I got my first paint set when I was 9 years old.  And I've been painting ever since."

- Rusnak

One of Rusnak's favorite pieces is the giant pirate that stands next to the Galleon.

Rusnak's Pirate, in 2022

Rusnak's sculptures are made of fiberglass, which he said can last forever, just like plastic.  They are painted with bulletin paints.

Postcard Of The Oasis Cafe, and Tree, At Knoebels

The Oasis Tree, a "bulging  piece of timber-textured fiberglass", replaced a real tree. Rusnak recalled, "There was a real tree there, but it was dry rotting.  They cut it down and Dick put a six-inch pipe there.  He comes to me one day and says 'Matt, make a tree'.  And so, Rusnak made a tree, reaching to the roof of a restaurant pavilion.  

"While I was working on it" he said "I thought of the Joyce Kilmer poem.  We had a sign, So only God can make a tree?'  I did it all in pieces and added the branches as I went along."

In 1991, Rusnak designed two new signs for the entrances to the park.  One of the 3D Billboards featured the Phoenix Roller Coaster hurtling off the sign, the other featured a line of carousel horses prancing into the air.

The "smiling bathing beauty" sitting next to the lawn chair above the Crystal Pool sign was not originally Rusnak's work. She dated back to the 60's.  But Rusnak gave her a redo in the 1980s, and in the early 90's she got another update.  Her hairstyle was changed each time.  (She is now in the Knoebels history museum located in the back of the Anthracite Museum)

  

Rusnack sculpted the fiberglass replica of the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima, for the 50th anniversary of V-J day.  

The sculpture took him a month and a half to complete and was dedicated in a ceremony on September 3rd 1995, with Rep. Merle Phillips as the speaker. 

"I was a little disappointed there was not much going on in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of V-J day.  I approached Dick Knoebel, who's an ex-Marine, and he agreed" - Rusnak

Matt Rusnak died in 2010, at the age of 85.  But his work can still be seen all throughout the park.  

 "His works can be found virtually everywhere in the park, including on rides and at the miniature golf course, concession areas, souvenir shops, dinning areas, ticket booths, snack stands, museums, and swimming pools. There are paintings, giant, three dimensional figures and plenty of signs"  

Rusnak also designed the annual park Christmas card, for many years.

More of Rusnak's Works  At Knoebels Include:

Paintings inside and outside the Alamo Restaurant

Creatures & Paintings inside the Haunted Mansion

Decorative characters and designs at Kozmos Klubhouse

The Viking At The Skloosh

Emblems for the Twister & Phoenix Roller Coasters

Festive Artwork at Christmas Cottage

Haunted House Sign

Krazy Kegs Game

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Additional Works By Rusnak

"Included among Matt's impressive body of work were a portrait of the late Bishop Lawrence Schott, a mural of the Scott Colliery located in the bank in Kulpmont and a large painting at the Two Guys restaurant in the Anthra Plaza of a scene in Venice. A beautiful series of paintings on Mollie Maguire themes commissioned by the former Mollie's restaurant in Locust Gap was destroyed in a fire. He designed the cover for the Holy Cross Church commemorative centennial booklet in 1992 and drew an editorial page cartoon for The News-Item in 1999, heralding the first morning edition of the newspaper."

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Standard Speaker, September 2003

MATTHEW RUSNAK OBITUARY

MOUNT CARMEL — Matthew G. Rusnak, 85, formerly of 342 S. Poplar St., died Monday evening Aug. 30, 2010, at Mount Carmel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Born Aug. 24, 1925, in Mount Carmel, he was a son of the late Matthew and Susan (Miscannon) Rusnak.

He was a 1942 graduate of Mount Carmel High School.

He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater in World War II aboard the USS Gosselin.

He was married in October 1954, in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church to the former Dolores Devers, who passed away Nov. 7, 1986.

He was a member of Divine Redeemer Church, Mount Carmel.

Matt was an extremely talented artist. When he worked for Thompson's Outdoor Advertising, he helped create billboard art for many businesses throughout the region. He later operated his own business in Mount Carmel.

Over many decades, he produced countless signs for businesses, large and small, some of which are still in use today. He was a master of lettering, which is now a dying art. He viewed his talent as a gift from God and was always generous in donating his services to nonprofit groups.

Included among Matt's impressive body of work were a portrait of the late Bishop Lawrence Schott, a mural of the Scott Colliery located in the bank in Kulpmont and a large painting at the Two Guys restaurant in the Anthra Plaza of a scene in Venice. A beautiful series of paintings on Mollie Maguire themes commissioned by the former Mollie's restaurant in Locust Gap was destroyed in a fire. He designed the cover for the Holy Cross Church commemorative centennial booklet in 1992 and drew an editorial page cartoon for The News-Item in 1999, heralding the first morning edition of the newspaper.

In later years, Matt was park artist at Knoebels Amusement Resort, a job he thoroughly enjoyed. His park art, which includes colorful signs, large-scale sculptures, such as the Iwo Jima memorial, the pirate in front of the Galleon ride and the Viking by the Skloosh; the displays in the miners museum and the frightful figures in the highly acclaimed haunted mansion provide a lasting legacy to his talent and creativity.

He continued to work at Knoebels, maintaining an active schedule, until the age of 81, when he suffered a stroke that affected his mobility.

He is survived by two daughters, Judy, and her husband, Jake, of Mount Carmel, and Janet, and her husband, Bob, of New Cumberland; two grandsons, Tim Betz and Ben Neidig; three sisters, Margaret Antanavage and her husband, Bob, of Cresswell Gardens, Frances Paul, of the Harrisburg area, and Theresa Greenbaum, of California, a brother, Bill, and his wife, Joan, of Collegeville, and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, John and Thomas, and a long-time friend and companion, Flo Fisher.

RUSNAK — Matthew George Rusnak, 85, formerly of 342 S. Poplar St., Mount Carmel. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in Divine Redeemer Church, 300 West Avenue, Mount Carmel, with the Rev. Robert Yohe officiating. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Mount Carmel Township. A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday in the C.J. Lucas Funeral Home Inc., 27 N. Vine St., Mount Carmel, C.J. Lucas IV, Supervisor. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society, 1948 E. Third St., Williamsport, Pa., 17701; Divine Redeemer Church, 438 West Avenue, Mount Carmel, Pa., 17851; or Mount Carmel Public Library, 30 S. Oak St., Mount Carmel, Pa., 17851. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.cjlucasfuneralhome.com.

Published by The News Item on Sep. 1, 2010.