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Natalie Koch responds:

Decision to bail wasn't unanimous.

Part of the fear was Mr. Workman, who she said has been "wonderful," isn't going to be with the Fair Board:

http://m.wdrb.com/default.aspx?pid=2705&wnfeedurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wdrb.com%2fstory%2f18805963%2fkoch-family-responds-to-bluegrass-boardwalk-decision%3fclienttype%3drssstory

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^I think you mean Jazzland! ;)

What makes the Fair Board so difficult to deal with? And who technically owns the park, now? If it's the Fair Board, and they have no intention to do anything with any of the rides, why not sell them to Kings Island? We desperately need a few more flats in the park.

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It is highly unlikely to continue under that corporate organization and name, other than winding up the activities it began: ending contracts, etc.

That does not mean the Kochs won't branch out to more sensible expansions in the future. Some of the family who were a part of this venture definitely learned some very valuable lessons this time. At least one apparently still wanted to proceed. Natalie noted the vote to end the effort was not unanimous. Surprisingly, she told the press this. I get the impression that this venture divided family members even more than I already realized.

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^

I would love to see the Koch Family running Indiana Beach...they have such a reputation for well-run, clean, and friendly amusement parks and those 3 things are IB's current "weak" points. Plus, Indiana Beach has some solid wooden coasters- something Holiday World is also known for.

My only gripe would be, that if IB got better & better, they would also likely become much more crowded, and I'm not sure how well their low-capacity rides like LoCo SuMo would handle that... (3+ hour wait on a normal weekend in May?)

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I see you didn't assess the likelihood of Disney, Merlin, or Universal leasing the park?

Disney's Kentucky Kingdom has quite a ring to it!

Har har har indeed! :P

"If you're thinking about buying this car, you better hurry! I've got another couple lined up at the door who will happily jump at the bit if you don't!" Seems like a pretty awful sales tactic at this point.

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I have a very difficult time believing that:

Cedar Fair? I doubt it.

Herschend? Way too smart to do it.

Six Flags? Har Har Har.

Busch? And they left Ohio?

Palace? No.

Maybe a carnival operator. Maybe. I doubt even that.

You forgot Paramount :)

Cedar Fair bought all rights to Paramount Parks in North America for 10 years as part of its 2006 acquisition.

Even overseas, Viacom, who has the rights elsewhere, is only interested in licensing its intellectual property, at least so far.

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I have a very difficult time believing that:

Cedar Fair? I doubt it.

Herschend? Way too smart to do it.

Six Flags? Har Har Har.

Busch? And they left Ohio?

Palace? No.

Maybe a carnival operator. Maybe. I doubt even that.

You forgot Paramount :)

Cedar Fair bought all rights to Paramount Parks in North America for 10 years as part of its 2006 acquisition.

Even overseas, Viacom, who has the rights elsewhere, is only interested in licensing its intellectual property, at least so far.

I know, I was kidding.

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I just think it's such a joke to imagine that two major, nationwide operators are suddenly getting googly eyes about this park that no one seems to be actively supporting anymore. One of the two previous lessees gave said it couldn't possibly be open until 2014, and that was contingent upon them taking control immediately. Any new suitor would have to travel the arduous paths of legal work and red-tape that took nearly a year apiece for each of the previous would-be tenants.

The fair board have been so opaque about this process and the park condition and now they're trying to sell this as a sought-after property? In their dreams, I'd say...

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What an unfortunate turn of events for the deserted park. With any luck, the fair board will see the writing on the wall (although, I'm not willing to hold my breath)- if a family with a history of successful business ventures in family entertainment is unwilling to sign a deal, the possibilities of others doing the same is very slim.

With all the pre-contract commentary from Mr. Hart, I'm surprised he is not talking now.

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