The Interpreter Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Spin, spin, spin: Kentucky State Fair Attendance Likely Down Slightly ...Browne said fair officials doubt that a $2 increase in parking fees — $8 this year — kept anybody away. And Browne said he doubts that the closure of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, which had long been an extension of the midway during the State Fair, was much of a factor on any downturn in attendance. In fact, Browne said, “we had a lot of nice comments because North American Midway Entertainment (the midway operator) brought in additional rides.”... Poor guy is director of public relations and media for the Kentucky State Fair Board. He says what he is directed to say. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2010308300080 And the additional rides? Nothing of any consequence...though the Kentucky State Fair did have a Ring of Fire and a small mouse type coaster, the State Fair of West Virginia, while having three or four fewer rides, had a much broader assortment, including a Zipper.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 For those who read Screamscape and put any stock in it, this morning it says that at Kentucky Kingdom, "According to this report, the last major legal hurdle to clear the way for Kentucky Kingdom to reopen will take place in a heading on September by a bankruptcy judge..." It also cites as its source, this: http://www.fox41.com....asp?S=13050935 which, just coincidentally, I am sure, was posted here...above. Link to Screamscape: http://www.screamsca...cky_kingdom.htm Problems: a. That report, which he says the second part of the quoted sentence is his source for, does NOT say anything about that being the last legal hurdle. b. Given the financing, the negotiations with Ed Hart, the technical aspects of the bonds to be issued, the public/private partnership agreement, etc., to say the Six Flags bankruptcy hearing in September is "the last major legal hurdle" to reopening Kentucky Kingdom is perhaps the most hysterically funny thing I have ever heard. Period. And then to claim the Fox41 report is the source for such a conclusion is not just irresponsible, it is outrageous. Unless, of course, it is negligence of the first order in journalistic reporting. Last legal hurdle indeed! HAR HAR HAR. And that, my dear friends, is one of many, many reasons that when Lance Hart delves into analysis of the theme park industry or the legal aspects thereof, I pull up a chair, watch, and prepare to be entertained. Rest assured, there are many, many legal hurdles to be faced in any attempt by the Fair Board to reopen Kentucky Kingdom with Ed Hart. Especially given Kentucky's finances (virtually all state employees are being 'given' an unpaid holiday this Friday (aka furlough) because there is simply not enough money to pay them, while it is being proposed to use funds virtually all derived from or backed by the Commonwealth to reopen an amusement park....and Mr. Hart* doesn't realize there is apt to be at least one upset taxpayer apt to challenge that scenario in court? While state employees are going unpaid for several days due to lack of funds, they are going to sit idly by and watch a privately owned theme park operator be subsidized to compete for funds? Or a park operator in Bowling Green, say, is going to watch contently as his competitor is subsidized by the same Commonwealth he pays taxes to?) *Ed Hart? *Lance Hart? Yep, either way, it is a good question...the two are not related, I do not believe...if that were the case, there would be even more issues here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormaster Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 ^^ I agree, mainly because I do not really care for water parks AT ALL. Sure, I'll ride some water rides at a park but can do without tubes and slides. Just not my thing, if I wanna get wet I'll jump in a swimming pool. Preferably one not filled with hundreds of other people whose hygiene I know NOTHING about. Especially children, I wash my kids clothes, it takes YEARS for someone to learn how to properly wipe I'll be honest I love Bear Track Landing at the GWL. Why? Because its private, and I can ride the slides hundreds of time with little to no wait. However I am finding from my last trip to Boomerang bay I HATE public water parks? Why? Well why in gods name do I wanna wait an hour to get on a slide that lasts all of 3 seconds? To me you go to the water park to cool off, yet you find yourself standing in line and baking in the son for an hour, only to ride a 3 second (if that) slide. By the time you get to the slide the water's freezing cold because your body is no longer used to the water. And unlike the actual park, its hard to judge, if ever, when the waterpark is dead. IF you go to the park on a rainey day, most likely the waterpark will be closed because of the chance of thunder. IF you go on a hot day, well the waterpark will be packed because it's hot. If you go towards the end of regular season, you know its going to be packed because they are closing it soon, not the rest of the park. Typically when I go to boomerang bay, I just hit up the lazy river and wave pool. Its wet and I know I can hop right in without standing in the son for an hour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Kentucky State Fair Attendance Likely Down Slightly... And the additional rides? Nothing of any consequence...though the Kentucky State Fair did have a Ring of Fire and a small mouse type coaster, the State Fair of West Virginia, while having three or four fewer rides, had a much broader assortment, including a Zipper.... I say attendance was way down. We went last Friday, the free concert barely had a crowd at all, they are normally packed to over crowding. The midway was all but dead, and some of the rides were just duplicates, 2 Delirium type rides, a Matterhorn and a Himalaya, etc. They had a Mouse, exact copy of the one located at a park in Bowling Green. It was my first ever ride on a Mouse and I will admit, I loved it. My entire time on the midway though, my eyes were drawn to the run down amusement park next door Very sad sight. This KK thing is a complete mess and as said before, I highly doubt anything will happen to the park. Except of course for it eventual razing. The economy in this state is a sinking ship as it is. Giving the park owners money while sending Police and other workers home would be a travesty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sccard01 Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 The park has been lacking for a while. I mean, the only thing that has change from viewing Kentucky Kingdom at the fair is that grass is growing and Six Flags promotions are gone. Rides have been rusted for years, and Six Flags never done anything about it! 7 months may not seem like a lot of time, but it is to me. None of us know how many people could be helping to revenorate the park. It could be 20, 30, 40, 50, or even 100. These rides are the only rides the really need work, The Giant Wheel just needs to be repainted and get LED lighting, and so does T2 and Mile High Falls. Some rides need to be relocated or will be such as 8 kids rides, along with Breakdance, Himalaya, Pirate Ship and the Bumper Cars. And the only thing left is repainting the park and also adding a new parks entrance. Some of you think Kentucky Kingdom should be turned into just a water park but what is the point of that? I mean, Kentucky Kingdom, the dry side, always used to be fun, but Six Flags hasn't invested anything new into the dry side. We were supposed to get X-Flight, and I believe Superman Ultimate Escape (Steel Venom) from profits the Kentucky Kingdom made on its own in the late 1990s/early 2000s! But, Six Flags put our profits in SFWOAv, and we lacked rides while Holiday World, and Kings Island were adding rides to attract guest. The only thing Six Flags did with Kentucky Kingdom was add a small used coaster, and also Two New Water major water rides! and our water park is still not your average size water park, its so freaking small! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigacoaster2k Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I'm reading this with my hands over my face and one eye showing between my fingers.. I can't bear the thought of Greezed Lightnin being scrapped, or worse yet, left there to rot.. isn't it one of the few Schwarzkopf weight drop shuttle launch coasters left in the world? But then again, it seems to me that no past, present, or future owners of KK have a soul.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormaster Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 The park has been lacking for a while. I mean, the only thing that has change from viewing Kentucky Kingdom at the fair is that grass is growing and Six Flags promotions are gone. Rides have been rusted for years, and Six Flags never done anything about it! 7 months may not seem like a lot of time, but it is to me. None of us know how many people could be helping to revenorate the park. It could be 20, 30, 40, 50, or even 100. These rides are the only rides the really need work, The Giant Wheel just needs to be repainted and get LED lighting, and so does T2 and Mile High Falls. Some rides need to be relocated or will be such as 8 kids rides, along with Breakdance, Himalaya, Pirate Ship and the Bumper Cars. And the only thing left is repainting the park and also adding a new parks entrance. Some of you think Kentucky Kingdom should be turned into just a water park but what is the point of that? I mean, Kentucky Kingdom, the dry side, always used to be fun, but Six Flags hasn't invested anything new into the dry side. We were supposed to get X-Flight, and I believe Superman Ultimate Escape (Steel Venom) from profits the Kentucky Kingdom made on its own in the late 1990s/early 2000s! But, Six Flags put our profits in SFWOAv, and we lacked rides while Holiday World, and Kings Island were adding rides to attract guest. The only thing Six Flags did with Kentucky Kingdom was add a small used coaster, and also Two New Water major water rides! and our water park is still not your average size water park, its so freaking small! Yeah I agree the park was really lacking. That was really my problem with it. I went in 1998, it was something new and refreshing since I usually went to Kings Island. But the next trip I went and a ocuple of the rides were broke down, when they didn't have many to begin with. Then as the years went by rides were removed, but nothing was added. The last thing they added was what an ancient shuttle coaster with a new coat of paint and name? When was that, 2004 or something? 6 years with no new editions! Its one thing for say KI or Cedar Point to go a bit without any major additions, since they are well established parks. But at the point of time when KK stopped expanding, the park was still rather small, and pretty much the main reason I stopped going because everytime I went, it was the exact same park, with nothing new, maybe a few less rides! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I'm reading this with my hands over my face and one eye showing between my fingers.. I can't bear the thought of Greezed Lightnin being scrapped, or worse yet, left there to rot.. isn't it one of the few Schwarzkopf weight drop shuttle launch coasters left in the world? But then again, it seems to me that no past, present, or future owners of KK have a soul.. GL is one of the few rides that still looks pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 At least one of us here knows exactly how many people are involved in ongoing physical efforts to renovate Kentucky Kingdom at this time and also how many state employees in Frankfort, Kentucky and throughout the Commonwealth are getting an unpaid holiday on Friday (and several more to come this fiscal year). The former number is not 20, 15, 10 or even 5. The latter is in the tens of thousands. http://www2.wjtv.com...rloughs/189596/ Perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cormaster Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Man if it does re-open, I just can't see why I'd wanna go there. Its the same park, with one less coaster now, and not just any coaster, there BEST coaster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I understand what you mean...but....if they add more lame water attractions, it won't be the same park, lol. Honestly, if the park is hoping for state funds to open the park, it will probably be a tough sell. The cuts Terp has mentioned are painful, not to mention the state is putting all it's efforts towards BRAC and Ft Knox. As a taxpayer I don't feel that my money should go to a small Amusement Park while so many are losing money and work anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sccard01 Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 To me it feels like Kentucky Kingdom is were it was in 1995/1996. No hellavtor, No Chang, and no Twisted Twins, but I do believe me may see a couple of new flats or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Don't forget, there also will be no mousey. Six Flags got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 ^^And that is a shame, those little coasters are very fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I think that SF KK will be looking a lot like This in a few years. Lots of talk and ideas about re-opening ... but what ever comes of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 It looks like that already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Kentucky State Fair Attendance Down Nearly 19,000: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100903/NEWS01/309030060/State+fair+attendance+off+nearly+19+000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahank Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Fair officials said they doubted that a $2 higher fee to park at the fairgrounds or the unavailability of Kentucky Kingdom as part of the midway affected attendance. This one caught me off guard. I'm not sure how things are in Kentucky, but here in Indiana, the Midway is a pretty large reason as to why the fair attracts so many people year after year, among other things. I personally believe this would contribute to a fairly large drop in attendance. I, for one, had never been to SFKK, but I would imagine it would draw sizable crowds around state fair time, especially with it being part of the midway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Surprisingly, Kentucky Kingdom was usually virtually empty during the fair. Probably because the rides were an additional cost...and many in the area had Six Flags passes, which were not honored during the fair. In the early years, they were if you could prove you were from at least X miles away (usually 150). Later, they sold armbands, but ONLY if you had a season pass and lived X miles away. Everyone else had to buy individual ride tickets most days. In the last years, anyone could buy an armband. I think the constant change in policy also helped to contribute to the nearly empty park during the fair. Also, if the Fair Board REALLY believes the parking price increase did not contribute to the decline in attendance, they are smoking opium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Most everything at the Fairgrounds is ridiculously priced nowadays. The midway was empty the day we went to the fair. Which was nice in a way, no ghetto thugs were roaming around and no one was assaulted. Compare that to last year's mess and I loved the fair last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Interesting contemporaneous impressions of Kentucky Kingdom, Ed Hart, the Kentucky State Fair Board, Screamscape, and the Six Flags Bankruptcy.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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