Liens pile on Wild West World, owner kept soliciting investments

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

One month into bankruptcy proceedings, Wild West World is dealing with new legal actions taken by Wichita-area businesses. Six companies have filed new mechanics' liens on the park and owner Thomas Etheredge, totaling more than $920,000.

Read more from Wichita Business Journal.

Thomas Etheredge borrowed $25,000 in February to meet his Wild West World payroll, a month after transferring the last of $410,000 to the park from its parent corporation, Restoration Farms. At the same time, he was urging his friends at Summit Church to invest their money into the financially strapped amusement park, calling it a "good investment."

Related parks

Wild West World

Whoah, it says a group from Ohio are the second party interested in the park, apart from Magic Springs. Cedar Fair, anyone? ;)

^ I doubt it. World of Fun is only 3 hours from WWW, and WWW is definitely not a CF caliber park.

What other park corporations are in Ohio? Is Great American stationed there?

The article doesn't say a "park group" is interested - just a group.

My guess? Investors of some kind.

Don't read more into it than is there. :)

Dang it Gonch. You and your fancy reading skills. ;)

I went to school for a while...and I even almost gadyeeated. ;)

The group is Great American Family Theme Parks whose operating person is based out of Aurora near Geauga Lake.....his name is Dale Van Vorhis and was a Fun Time exec ..

It says the people invested in the park last winter. BEFORE it opened. At that time, it was not know if it would be profitable or not. It was all based on studies, which have proven to be incorrect.

The first story is misleading IMO. The park was definitely losing money before it opened. What else could it do?

You must be logged in to post