More news on mainstreet USA.

CKid: what makes you think a serial bankruptcy artist has "back up money"? And, perhaps I missed something, but "heated tunnels" doesn't sound like an indoor park to me.

Look, I want this park to be successful just as much as the next enthusaist. I also want Michigan to beat Ohio State next week. However, I'm pretty sure that neither one is going to happen.

I'm not sure where all the discussion about indoor rollercoasters and the like came from, how ever my understanding of the project as a resident of rosscommon county is this: The poject is supposed to be broken up into several phases with the whole of the planed project totalling $160 million. The first phase is supposed to be an indoor water park complex with possibly a hotell/resort being built at the same time. The park is expected to remain open all year following the example of Blackpool Pleasure Beach Park (which is ocean front property) In England, with the twist that one of the rollercoasters is expected to be converted into a ski run durring winter months. As for the company bankrolling the project, Main street America is a subsidiary of a Detroit based company who deals with the production of educational and religious videos called Axis Entertainment.

I saw previous discussion of it making sense that a park be built in or near Frankenmuth, and aparently the Zhender family is planning on doing exactly that immediatly off of downtown right next to their new mega resort hotell behind the Bavarian inn, which if they proceed with construction will create a triangle of parks with the construction of Main Street America and the already existing Michigan's Adventure much like the triad of Cedar Point, Geauga(sp?) Lake, and Kings Island that Ohio has.

If this project in Greyling does well, I can see it not remaining in private hands for very long as Cedar Fair LLC or Premier Parks inc. will likely attempt to snatch it up. Personally I'd rather see it be Cedar Fair LLC over Premier Parks as Premier Parks doesn't seem to have any pride in what they do *** Edited 11/17/2007 9:13:14 AM UTC by Dragonslighting***

Is there a list of attractions that the park is going to have? Or even a blueprint of the layout?

I'm sure they do have an initial rides and attractions list and blueprint rendering of the project, Unfortunately I wasn't able to see them as the meeting over the issue wasn't well advertised outside of Greyling, and I live only 15 min. south of there in South Higgins Lake. How ever what the news outlet reported from the public unveiling of the project at the city planning meeting included the following information: The park will be built on 1500 acres of currently state owned land on the east side of 4 mile road at the south end of Greyling. The project will start with a fully enclosed major water park, then develop out into a full adventure park with seven pavilions to be included honoring each of the branches of the armed forces(which considering its proximity to Michigan's largest active military base makes sense). The park is expected to operate year round with what I assume will be a bobsled roller coaster that will be converted into a ski run during the winter months.

While I would instinctively agree that going to a theme park in the middle of a Michigan winter is an insane idea, the precedent does exist that it can and does work. Between Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England that gets a similarly harsh winters combined with the biting wind coming right off the north Atlantic, and the fact that the local area already has a winter carnival complete with rides that thousands of tourists flock too annually, this project very well could work out beautifully.