Today, Six Flags announced as it is moving through its restructuring process that it will reject the lease of Kentucky Kingdom from the Kentucky State Fair Board and that the park will close immediately.
In recent weeks, Six Flags presented new lease terms to the Fair Board but those offers were rejected. Six Flags believed that their offers would enhance the viability of the park into the future.
Instead, the operations of the park will cease, key employees will be relocated, and several of the 40 attractions of the park will be relocated to other Six Flags properties.
The park’s key attraction, the Chang roller coaster, was already removed and relocated at the end of this past 2009 season.
Six Flags CEO and President Mark Shapiro expressed disappointment of the company leaving the Louisville market but thanked the loyal, supporting guests and employees of the region for their years with the park. Shapiro reaffirmed the action was only related to Kentucky Kingdom and that the other parks on company owned land will open as scheduled for the 2010 season.
Tags: closure, lease, Louisville, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
I am lucky on my Southern Rock Tour vacation last year I visited Kentucky Kingdom for the second time in the evening hours and got Chang, the Roadrunner Express, and the Penguin's Blizzard River since Chang was removed in the off season. I hope this is only loss from my tour. I wonder what will happen to the classic Greezed Lightning coaster. Not many people care about T2. I am sorry for the loyal supporters, enthusiasts of that area.
I saw this coming...well not that specifically but I figured that Kentucky Kingdom was getting close to ending. After they took out Chang, I either saw the park going downhill and ultimately closing or six flags ending the park. Taking out major attractions like that has to have a big effect on ticket sales. I don't see how Six flags America stays in business. It hasn't received a new coaster in 10 years. I think that's kind of ridiculous...
Bring Greezed Lightnin' back to SFOG!!!! Hopefully this could relieve some debt.
PARC Management would have been an answer a couple years ago. Six Flags walked away. Maybe they even lowballed the State Board enough that it wasn't a serious bid after all. I don't know what SF/Funtime/Premier exactly put in since they started leasing the park. Maybe the State Board will continue to run it just devoid of the SF additions.
11,000th Post - haha
Did anyone NOT see this coming? After Chang was gone the writing was on the wall for this park...
Can Parks Annouce its their Last Year or Is That too Dumb?
Think About it:
- Six Flags Astroworld
- Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
- Geauga Lake
- Cypress Gardens
- Celebration City
- Bells
- Myrtle Beach Grand Prix
That was quite a swan song The Pavilion had.
Wow. Now I am extremely glad my friend and I visited this park on the spur of the moment after a day at Kings Island.
Absolutely no surprise here. After they removed their signature ride, I knew it would be a matter of time before they closed. I predicted this a long time ago. Next on my prediction is a certain amusement park in California... and not a Six Flags park either. Bottom line when a park starts to show neglect or ride removal by the parent owner, it is only a matter of time before it closes.
^haha, I know which one you're talking about and I agree.
I'm not surprised this happened, I am kind of surprised they just didn't dump the place when they did those park sell-offs a few years back. But as they were in a lease at the time, they might not have had that options.
Really Six Flags would do well to just keep their core of parks like the original flags and then try and sell the rest. I hate to see any park close, but just looking at this from a business standpoint.
And I'm with Racer, send us Viper back down to Georgia!!!! As much a bore and slow-loader as its replacement is *cough*Superman*cough* I'd be just fine with them relocating that and putting Viper back in its old spot. lol *ducks the fanboys*
Just keep the clouds paint job on the former station. Superman might just have to really swoop over its loop and tower.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...04823&t=h&z=18
Just another Six Flags park closing due to bad management on the part of the board. They must like dumping parks when they dont want them no more or if they think its gonna cost money to do something with it. Now, the nearest Six Flags park to anyone in Ohio is in Ill. This is why i hate Six Flags. You dont see Cedar Fair selling parks all the time. At least they try to keep a park going.
How about this? Viper's loop right over S:UF's entrance.
Send Chang down here to one of my area parks! We need a stand-up coaster.
I am so glad I got to go and ride the coasters last year. I kept a few park maps for souvieners too. I thought the park was clean and the folks were friendly but I just didn't care for the flat area. I'm in west Ky and for a day trip I go to Holiday World or Six Flags St. Louis. Of the three Six Flags parks I've been too (SFKK, SFSL, and SFGA) I am partial to St. Louis.
I am a little surprised. I expected to hear they are removing the big rides and having a small family park and water park Sorta like SF white water Atlanta an American Adventure. Turning it into just a water park wouldn't have been surprising . But, a complete shut down is a little surprising.
i guess we all know how SFI will afford it's big Anniversary expansions.
Why am I not suprised? Oh yeah, because they moved the only recognizable coaster to a park that already had a similar one. This park has been circling the drain since they severed the feet of that poor girl.
Flat rides wise I think at best someone is getting another Wiggles World if this a complete shutdown and a lease is not reworked with Six Flags or anybody else. Would an Enterprise be installed anywhere? Maybe the Pirate ship but that's just about it flat rides wise.
I'd love Chang for SFOT.
The park may not actually close. I know that is what Six Flags announced, and currently that looks like whats gonna happen, but things are being done to prevent that. Officials such as the mayor and governor are looking into it, to see if they can negotiate some kind of deal to keep it open, because they seriously don't want it to go. Its been apart of Louisville for around 22 years, and with its closing hundreds of jobs will be lost, and a serious tourist attraction, so their gonna do whatever they can to make it stay put. Not to long ago, our mayor negotiated for a general electric plant to stay in operation, so I figure if he can do that then just maybe he could do this. I'm hoping for the best in this situation, regardless its not yet a done deal, even if Shapiro may suggest it is.
It started circling the drain when Six Flags bought it.
I've got an idea for Six Flags, send it GL back to Georgia, paint it red and yellow and call it The Flash!
They have yet to make a Flash themed ride yet, even though they have the Flash Pass.
Anyone who thinks that there's a chance that the park will stay is a fool. Saying, "If you don't restructure our lease, we just might leave" is a potential bluff. Announcing that the park is closing and that you're working to relocate it's 55 Full-Time Team Members isn't a bluff. That's a declaration of action. The political posturing that is happening now is an insult to the citizens of Louisville. If they really wanted to save the park, they would have stepped in earlier when there was actually a chance for it to be saved.
It's sad to see this happen to a member of the Six Flags family. I wouldn't know what to do if my local park packed up and left. From the removal of Chang for the water park expansion, it seemed that the park was going to be Geagua Lake-ed, but with a difficult lease it seems that this was the time to cut ties. I'm curious if the SF offer was an extreme low-ball, or if the Kentucky State Fair Board really thought it was a huge bluff.
The scale of Viper there is way off. I looked up a clone of it (Nagashima Spa Land's Shuttle Loop) and it needs a 600*50 foot plot of land. The only place left at SFOG that has that amount of room is the space between Skull Island and GASM, but that's a very tight fit.
Hopefully it will remain, and NOT as a Six Flags park. Six Flags buying that place was the death sentence.
I'm not bashing Six Flags in general, because I know that they take good care of some of their parks. But I'll bash the way they took care of THAT park any time.
The real question is: What belongs to Six Flags and what doesn't? There was a park there before Six Flags arrived, and they obviously added rides to it. How much are things they can take, and how much would be left behind for a new potential owner? For all we know, after all is said and done there could be some stores and some pools left.
RJ, I wish I knew the assets list of the Kentucky State Fair Board as well because I wonder if they own any of the big older rides like Thunder Run, the Rollerskater, T2. It involves studying the park's timeline too. That remainder would be a collection for a smaller park and they could pick up a portable mouse off someone. I know it's more than let's say a sponsor coming off a football stadium naming rights deal and the stadium remains.
I believe in a Friday interview with the Mayor of Louisville may have revealed that it looks done.
Racer could Greezed Lightning fit behind Axis Arena and border the go carts and the rapids ride at SFOG? The entrance could be Gotham City. I would put it on ridiculous footers like on S:ROS at SFA for the flooding back there. If the coaster would require removing the go carts than Thomas town could expand and take the remaining space.
I believe in a Friday interview with the Mayor of Louisville may have revealed that it looks done.
Racer could Greezed Lightning fit behind Axis Arena and border the go carts and the rapids ride at SFOG? The entrance could be Gotham City. I would put it on ridiculous footers like on S:ROS at SFA for the flooding back there. If the coaster would require removing the go carts than Thomas town could expand and take the remaining space.
Theme Park Timelines
There are a handful of rides added pre premier including change. the water park was started also. Thing is many attraction and all the buildings are not goign to be movable. So selling them to the fair ground or to another operated is a good move on six flags part.
That's a great opening pic of a plane landing over Chang in that link you gave me Michael. That is nearly the same situation at Freestyle Music Park with a plane coming to the Myrtle Beach airport next door. So after the initial park crashed and the rides were mostly sold at auction, leaving mostly buildings, Ed Hart came in with partners and expanded the park before Premier-pre Six Flags acquisition bought the park. Hart put in the money for Thunder Run and Chang. Looks like Six Flags just leased the land but acquired the rides. You're right Michael about perhaps Six Flags could sell some ride/building assets then to the Fairgrounds.
Now I understand what that building was in the front, right end of the park, that I barely visited: it housed the Starchaser indoor rollercoaster. That was what eventually moved to The Great Escape as Nightmare at Crackaxle canyon. I rode that coaster. What did it host in the last decade? The breakdance flat near the pirate ship and what is now Roadrunner Express I noticed last time. It was a flashy model. Penguin's Blizzard River is so much better than Blizzard River at SFNE.
There's another puzzle piece that I forgot to mention last time: Land. Since Six Flags does own parcels of land here and there, that further complicates the process. If your ride sits on my land, is it mine or yours now? Especially since they're not walking away from the property...but they still have land there. If Six Flags has land on State Fair property, can they go on that property to remove it? If the State Fair has rides on Six Flags property, same thing.
Or, you could put Greeze'd Lightnin' in that spot with no extra supports, but you would have to do several things to make it fit:
1: Move that storage/maintenance building next to S:UF's first drop.
2: reroute the maintenance access path to behind the Shoot the Chutes ride.
3: Reroute S:UF's queue line to go all the way around the back side of Greezed Lightnin' and then around the front, which could be up to a quarter of a mile of new pavement.
4: Remove that entire large rectangular building "under" the photoshopped Greezed Lightnin' to not only allow space for the coaster, but to give a point that the trucks etc. can enter the park from that rerouted maintenance access road, because otherwise that area would be blocked off.
Or, you could shift the whole thing about 300 feet forward. You would spare the maintenance building near S:uF's first drop, but you still have to do the following:
1: Destroy that large rectangular building "under" the photoshopped Greezed Lightnin' for the same reasons as above.
2: Reroute S:UF's queue for the same reasons as above, although not as much as a quarter mile.
3: Make a new maintenance access road as stated above.
4: Remove the Sky Coaster.
5: Heavily modify GASM's brake run... or remove the whole ride altogether because the end would cut straight through the brake run, right behind the station.
The things that you'd have to do to put it there are FAR too much for adding a simple shuttle coaster that won't seem very innovative to the area, seeing as they already have crazy stuff like flying coasters, hyper coasters, stand up coasters and inverts. Again, the only viable option would be to put it between GASM and Skull Island. But, as I said before, it's a very tight fit. But there's some land there that would be fenced off because of that ride that they could fit in a kiddie area, some family rides, and (if they are creative enough) a compact coaster in there as well, either family or kiddie.
And remember, they already decided to truck the ride away almost ten years ago, so it's not exactly like they have much enthusiasm over the ride.
And we lose another park. I got to visit Kentucky Kingdom in 2008 and spent the better part of an afternoon and evening there. I actually liked the park and didn't get why it was so badmouthed. Sure, it wasn't an all day park, but it was good for half a day or so. I liked Chang and Greezed Lightning, and was really impressed by Thunder Run. I thought that was the hidden gem of the park, to be honest.
Any time we lose a park it is not a good thing, but let's hope the rides are relocated and that another park comes to that market eventually.
Tanks I'm chuckling. That maintenance building by S:UF's first drop was VIPER's station before. They should disassemble and relocate it to the new location. It's the same color as Deja Vu. They could recycle the name and signage.
This report by a local news station is saying the rides are the property of the fair grounds. It seems change was only approved for removal because of the preapproved water park expansion.
What's next for Six Flags? No signs of reversal in closing decision | WHAS11 Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana News | Local News
THAT was how they got the chance to remove Chang? Showed the Board the plans and they got the approval to move it. Did they really pull off a take it and run move?
^^^ Well, I never went to the park before, so I wouldn't know. I stand corrected. However, you still have all the other factors to worry about.
^^^^ Length wise, that one would actually fit. But that "diagonal" building next to that show arena (batman? Again, I never went to the park) would have to be moved where the go karts are, which would require the go karts to be removed for not only that building, but a way to re-route the maintenance road that it would otherwise block off. And maybe they could stuff a kiddie ride or two in there as well.
What's next for Six Flags? No signs of reversal in closing decision | WHAS11 Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana News | Local News
You beat me to it, I was just about to quote that very article. To me, this is good news to hear, that could possibly force Six Flags to sell it. They can't claim the rides if they don't own them, so selling the park would really be the only thing they could do. Personally, they should send Chang back to Kentucky, since they didn't follow through with their proposals, and ended up bailing on the park rather than expanding. To me, that just seems like stealing when you say you are gonna do something, so you can get a certain ride, then they don't even do it.
Depending on how the contract and the Removal approval was written up they might be out of change completely. but you might see the few rides they added after the sale simple stay to make up for the inconvenience.
Screamscape threw out there that a chain from European may be looking into running it.
A short news report I saw this morning clams a few companies have contacted teh fair grounds to operate the park.
On Screamscape there is a chart someone created for the SFKK page that shows what parcels SF owns and what the Fair Board owns. It makes sense now that the section Six Flags closed off with Twisted Twins and the Mile High Falls was theirs. It's easier to cut operational costs for the park closing the sections you entirely own. The lease was probably strict with keeping the rides on the Fair Board's side open. That chart shows that Penguin's Blizzard River, T2, and Chang's land was owned by Six Flags as well. I'm elated about Blizzard River because I would like effects like that for Congo Rapids at SFGADV.
to make everyone's lives easier her is the image.
Without the Six Flags properties I could imagine how much of a headliner Vampire was as the inverting coaster.