Don't go there.

Metaphorically.

I'm not telling you not to go to the state.

GYK, who was banned.

Hey, who said I was calling this a bad thing? Things you find only in KY are some of the special things I love. It's the good kind of country folk you can find in some of the most unlikely places. For example, right down the road from KK is Mike Linning's, the best fish restaurant in my opinion south of the river and north of the mason dixon.

Wow.

19.95 pricing confirmed during fair, unless tickets bought in advance at select Kroger stores:

http://m.wave3.com/wave/pm_124579/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=nVnbjvYs

Kentucky Kingdom has really botched this messaging.

Sad.

For only 5 cents you can go to CP this weekend

And for only $49.94 more, you can have free drinks all day, too.

Or just buy a souvenir cup and be 20 dollars below that.

#profitslikeno

Cedar Point will likely have a 2016 season.

It most surely will. However this year I believe could have been much more profitable for the park, and for the chain.

By 2016 we'll probably be facing political ad campaigns promising us that democrats would have Cedar Point used for spare parts, with its rides distributed to the less fortunate.

"Do you really want Michigan's Adventure having your Millennium Force?!"

This thread has gotten Hartless.

Seriously, leave the CP talk somewhere else. What Kentucky Kingdom has done is egregious. Advertise an unqualified 9.99 admission price during the fair, then bait and switch to 19.99 at the gate.

PLEASE, talk about CP elsewhere.

This is a serious issue.

Just cross threading a bit.

But it is bs, but this will hopefully come to bite him in the ass here soon. Or at least one can hope.

His plan, we're led to believe, is to bait and switch daily guests and the state of Kentucky.

I imagine that Mr. Hart thought that Kentucky Kingdom would be a rousing success and that operators would be lined up begging to take it off his hands and fold it into their families. I truly think Mr. Hart planned to impress the hell out of the industry by saving a park, and that he knew he'd dump when the inevitable check was written. He thought the park's story would be one of a rousing success and that he could invest the taxpayer's money, assure himself hero status, then bail... again.

Is $9.99 a clever last tactic to fill the park for promotional photos? A veritable "Winterfest" of advertisement? If so, it's going to backfire, just like so many of the park's moves.

He's no doubt quaking in his boots now at the thought the he might be stuck with Kentucky Kingdom for another year or more. I don't think his plan was to go down with the ship, but if he's the captain when it happens this time...

You do get that 9.99 was advertised with NO qualifications until recently, but the gate price is 19.99?

I doubt the park will fill. Angry guests will be at the gate, unless the park relents and honors the advertised price. And the carnival midway opens well before the park, so many will have spent their budget on ride tickets before the Kingdom even opens.

While Kentucky Kingdom may indeed be in Kentucky, it is more important to note that it is Louisville, KY.

You do get that 9.99 was advertised with NO qualifications until recently, but the gate price is 19.99?

I doubt the park will fill. Angry guests will be at the gate, unless the park relents and honors the advertised price. And the carnival midway opens well before the park, so many will have spent their budget on ride tickets before the Kingdom even opens.

I knew that you had to get 19.99 at gate in early August. They just put that at the end of the article on the Louisville Buisness Courier back then. Just now other news stations are reporting about the 19.99 gate price which is a little absurd considering Hurricane Bay is not open.

Ads reportedly ran in the Lexington area and elsewhere that made no mention of requiring advance purchase at Kroger to get that price.

Ads reportedly ran in the Lexington area and elsewhere that made no mention of requiring advance purchase at Kroger to get that price.

Geuss it was their fault for misleading customers.

Ads are generally written by the company paying for them to be run. So if by "their fault" you mean Kentucky Kingdom's fault, I agree. If you're suggesting it is the fault of media outlets that ran the ads, I don't agree.

The way Kentucky Kingdom has been handling their business reminds me of this.

Ads are generally written by the company paying for them to be run. So if by "their fault" you mean Kentucky Kingdom's fault, I agree. If you're suggesting it is the fault of media outlets that ran the ads, I don't agree.

I meant the park.

The Kentucky State Fair starts today, and the story has changed yet again. Typically, Kroger discounted advance ticket sales end when the fair opens. Here, the park's PR "professional" says not this year, then goes on to trumpet the 19.99 (plus fair admission and parking, if applicable) gate price as being a great value:

http://www.wdrb.com/story/26272910/last-minute-preps-underway-for-kentucky-state-fair-2014

What a mess!

Glad I don't work Guest Relations for the fair or Kentucky Kingdom.

My head hurts following this mess.

My head hurts following this mess.

You're not alone.

Is there a warped way to think that all of the follies at KK are intentional? I can't make heads or tails of why many things have happened that could have easily been avoided. It's seems off to think a shrewd businessman could make so many poor choices in a place he was formerly involved with. Perhaps his family was held hostage and he's been forced to do this to save his family. Perhaps he lost a bet?

When you consider that midway rides are at least $20 (depending on whether you purchase tickets or a wristband, and what day you go), it makes sense that the "only at Kroger" restriction may have been a last-minute decision, and the "you can still get the discount while the fair is going" thing would be a compromise.

If you were running the midway rides, how would you like it if the group responsible for hiring you was allowing someone to directly compete for your business, but at half the price?

It will be very interesting to see how this works out. I feel sorry for the folks who will have to deal with angry guests who don't want to pay $20 to get in when it was originally advertised at $10.

To a brighter future for Kentucky Kingdom, we can only hope.

Maybe I am cynical, but I believe the entire time it was suppose to be only at Kroger but someone forgot to add that part in, during the initial run.

Is there a warped way to think that all of the follies at KK are intentional? I can't make heads or tails of why many things have happened that could have easily been avoided. It's seems off to think a shrewd businessman could make so many poor choices in a place he was formerly involved with. Perhaps his family was held hostage and he's been forced to do this to save his family. Perhaps he lost a bet?

Part of me believes he never thought he would be owning it this long so he didnt plan for all of this.

Nah, I figure he plans on owning it for a season or two. Once he can prove that he can put up numbers he'll sell it.

Cedar Fair Managed Kingdom?

I cannot imagine that unless Cedar Fair is paid a management fee regardless of profit or loss. I cannot imagine the Fair Board or the Commonwealth agreeing to that.

Not unless they got a deal that they could not refuse. Otherwise I don't think they'd seek out a partnership with them.