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Kentucky Kingdom


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I like it how they refer to HCB as "The Bay" oh the nostalgia, and oh the confusion to the commoner. Look, I like the park, it's small but it has some attractions that I like. I just don't understand how is it that Hart is trying to bring in less than a million visitors, I mean come on I'm sure that Tri-County gets more visitors than KK! The State Fair alone should allow guests into the park and have a broad spectrum of guests to enter and make some hard cash or KK will flop. Bad juju here, bad bad bad, I smell a flood coming, an Ark too?

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The lowballing for the 2015 attendance goal is to assure it is met so that the tax incentives don't have to be repaid. Tell the state one thing while being a bombastic showman at the Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and the country club. Not at alll unlike the barber with two sets of books. Or the movie studio with three or more.

Oh, wait, what other business are Hart, Lunsford & Co. in? Yep. Movies. A mere coincidence, I'm sure.

Kentucky Kingdom: The best in Frankfort/Louisville Democrat Politics: Now Playing. Where the bombast of Ed Hart meets the thrill park of the Nineties. At the Fairgrounds. Get there while you still can. And please tell the Gatekeeper if you are from out of state! Please.

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I could imagine it now, Keys To The Kingdom*, coming to a movie theater near you!

*Kentucky Kingdom

I see what you're saying Terp, and I am not expecting KK to really have a good year if they cannot get more than 600k. I wonder, what are the attendance records for Beech Bend? Or better yet, that small little park on the River.

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The lowballing for the 2015 attendance goal is to assure it is met so that the tax incentives don't have to be repaid.

They will be hard pressed to meet the measly attendance goal. The newness has worn off and the new attractions this year will not be enough to jump attendance 50,000 - 75,000 visitors. The reduced staffing will impact in-park experience, the fair attendance is on a downward spiral, and Marketing is not their strong suit; these are just a few factors that will impact this season that Hart and company have no idea how to compensate for.

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I am very optimistic. The question is do outsiders know that Kentucky Kingdom has reopen? Most of you guys have stated that you have seen nothing about Kentucky Kingdom last summer in your areas in terms of advertising etc. The park has already stated that they have not marketed outside the boundaries of the Louisville area. I remember when I was at the sea lion show at the park last summer an instructor asked the crowd who was outside of the Louisville area. No one had raised their hand to her question. If it is true that outsiders have no idea of the parks reopening, the park should be in good standing. I doubt the Louisville crowd will back away from the park. I cant tell you all how many people in Louisville have stated they will wait to see how the first year of operations will go since it has been closed so long.Think about it, a commercial to untouched markets by the kingdom of our countries tallest body slide, along with many new attractions from last season (including the sea lions), on top of the 7/4 additions this upcoming season.

I dont expect the park to hit 1 million in attendance until a significant ride is added. But the park is expanding fast, and I bet that attraction is coming soon

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Subway is rapidly going downhill for me. Gone is the $5 foot long in exchange for the $6 six inch. Breakfast value menu is gone, etc. $10 for some lunch meat and tiny bag of Chips.

The six-inches are not $6 (unless you're at a Cedar Fair park :P). They're $4 to $5. $6 is for a full meal with a side and drink (on selected subs). And you can't expect $5 footlongs to last forever with inflation. Heck, I'm surprised that they lasted as long as they did.

I can typically eat at a regular Subway (i.e. not one in an amusement park) for about $7, including a "high-end" six-inch sub, soft drink, and 6.75% dine-in sales tax. For less than a dollar more I can add a bag of chips if I'm extra-hungry, or for around $9 I can get a footlong and drink, eat half of the sub in-store, and take the other half home and stick it in the fridge for another meal, at a cost of about $4.50 per meal.

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Typing on my phone is highly annoying, so I cut that response short.

Downhill to me is mostly because my last few visits have been terrible. Poor quality lunch meat, crappy bread. They cannot properly prepare an egg based sandwich to save their lives.

Sucks because I used to be a Subway addict. I bet I have eaten more subs from there than Jared. The one near the base in Va Beach was next door to a bar. The place stayed open until 3AM. Needless to say, I was on a first name basis with the Manager and my Sandwich was made by the time I walked into the door. I was very happy when they started to cut their Bread open like normal Human Beings.

On a side note, glad that a tiny six inch sandwich fills you up. Not me, lol.

I knew the FDFL would be gone eventually. They make way more money selling people smaller sandwiches with a bag of vending machine chips and tiny drink for more money. Same way companies keep packaging the same size while shrinking the amount of product inside.

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I can assure you that outside of the Louisville districts, there is no advertising of Kentucky Kingdom. Also, in one of the booming markets, NKY, it has yet to see a Kentucky Kingdom advertisement, and many in the region do not even know of its' opening. Only by word of mouth or by people actually going to Louisville is how people are getting this information. I really expected to see more KK signs going through KY, Florence, Lexington even, but none are there.

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Exactly, commercials. I am driving down the highway, or maybe I stop in Lexington, driving around, I may see a sign for Creation Museum, or maybe a local venue. But I am also looking for theme parks, I don't see any if i am just passing through looking for something to do. It is just very bizarre how KK isn't reaching out to the Kentuckians, but rather in a market where they will scrape up little to no revenue compared to the other markets in Kentucky.

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Kentucky Kingdom MUST draw 25 percent out-of-state visitors, beginning this year, or it isn't eligible for some of the incentives it has applied for. I'm not surprised about the lack of Lexington or Northern Kentucky advertising. Paradoxically, each three Kentucky visitors the park gets means that the park must attract one from out-of-state.

It's gonna be an interesting year. The most important day this year for the Kingdom is the first Tuesday in November. By far.

That day can completely and forevermore determine that place's future, if any. From Mr. Hart's actions, it appears he knows that, and has decided that unless Mr. Lunsford's comrades carry the day, it's hopeless. He has, therefore, donned the blue colored glasses, applied for more incentives, and decided to whistle "Happy Days Are Here Again!" That or he has simply decided not even to think about the possibility he (and Lunsford) could be facing a Republican governor and a Republican Cabinet (most importantly, a Republican Attorney General) who may not look too kindly at a Democrat affiliated park operating on state property with state incentives.

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I know they (the person that I bought my ticket from at the gate) asked my zip code when I went to Dollywood a few years ago, but I don't recall this happening when I went to Kentucky Kingdom last year.

Did you pay by credit? I've seen more and more places around where I live start to ask for zip code when you pay with credit, regardless of the amount.

I agree with Aaron, I don't know how you can accurately tell where the visitors come from.

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I know they (the person that I bought my ticket from at the gate) asked my zip code when I went to Dollywood a few years ago, but I don't recall this happening when I went to Kentucky Kingdom last year.

Did you pay by credit? I've seen more and more places around where I live start to ask for zip code when you pay with credit, regardless of the amount.

I agree with Aaron, I don't know how you can accurately tell where the visitors come from.

I paid with my debit card.

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