Bonfante Gardens closes after investor pulls out

I am a couple hours from there and was looking foward to eventullay getting there. I am confident the park will re open but I am real concerned that all the gardens and plants will all die. It is really what happens when you come to a place like No Cal and try to have a butiful park rather than a thrilling one.

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God Bless America....

For whatever reason, I don't think it will be closed forever.
I am sure that some company will want it, though I thought it was cool to be an independent park.
Shows how hard it is to start up an independent park these days!

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Knotts Halloween Haunt!!
29 years and still screaming.

That totally sucks.

If  somebody doesnt step up to fund this park, would this be a record for the shortest term of a park?
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"The Peoples Elbow" or "The Spinaroonie?. Cant decide which is the most electrifying move in sports entertainment!!! LOL

I'm sure Michael Bonfante has enough money left over to water the plants in the off season.

Does anyone have a good website with pics of the park and the rides?

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"Get off of my moor you michtevous weeins." We prefer to stay" (eyes begin glowing) "Your thinking of hurting us." "Now your thinking, how did they know what I was thinking?" " But now your thinking, I hope that's Shepards Pie in my knickers"

bummer, i wanted to go there too

The other investors are still in. That should be a good sign.
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G.Bush:We will find those who did it, smoke them out of their holes, get them running, and bring them to justice.
I pray that I will never see a Six Flags Conneaut Lake

Man...I've always passed on this park. I've looked at the list of rides (without ever seeing any) and just assumed it was like some rinky-dink park in the middle of Garlicland (Gilroy, makers of the best hot sauce in the world...Pepper Plant!!!...anyway) Why couldn't I ever find pics of the rides or of the apparently "most beautiful park in the universe" settings? Their homepage looks like someone turned the Olive Garden into a playland of sorts.

Ok. I basically passed on this park because the lack of thrills. So, now all y'all are just gushing about how sad that it's closed now and it makes me wonder what did I miss out on? Well? What did I miss out on?

Anywho, hopefully someone will buy it and put in some wicked coaster creations and widen that little road leading to the park and replace the garlic smell with taffy smells and plants that water themselves and less flammable mimes. I'd certainly go to it then. I suppose it would be cool if Busch bought it above all the other companies.

Lastly...though i thought I made it obvious ...any pictures ANYWHERE? Of ANYTHING? Guess they didn't get enough media attention cause I never knew there was a park an hour from me until I came to THIS website. You'd think I'd know before some guy from Ohio knew and/or went to it already.

Wait is it closed already? Can I go tomorrow? Guess not.

From the press release:

"After 23 years of planning and development, Michael Bonfante opened Phase I of his highly-anticipated, 75-acre Bonfante Gardens Theme Park on June 15, 2001. Over the course of those 23 years, over $100 million has been invested in the park including the proceeds of a $27,920,000 bond offering in January 2001. "

23 years of planning and it goes down after it's first season? OF COURSE it will open again. $100 million dollars! There's $100 million dollars worth of amusement park sitting in Gilroy? And it kind of didn't work? Because of a months delay? $28 million bond offering? From who?

All I can say is...I wish I saw this park! Luckily Bonfante seems optimistic. Whoa...I ranted about a park I never went to. That's got to be a first!

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Soup is good...but consider soup

Check out  http://www.agkoolaid.com/bonfante/index.htm  if you are looking for some great pictures and review of the park

Bonfante Gardens is not an extreme thrill park, so if that's what you were looking for, you wouldn't find it. Instead it was possibly the best family park that I've ever seen, outside of maybe Disney. And the landscaping and atmosphere was unbeatable.

I seriously doubt that you will see a corporation buy the park, notably Busch. That is not what they are looking for, they are looking for an investor to buy "bonds" to be paid back- in essence a loan to help them get started and get going.

Additionally, I don't think that a corporation could buy the park. It's a non-profit organization, which I don't think can be changed. And that would preclude a for-profit organization from buying it.

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Willow? Yes, my name is Willow. Would you stop pecking on me on this big droooopppppppppp......