Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Future

With the recent new from Six Flags Astroworld closing down, one would have to wonder about other Six Flags parks. I would think some of the orginal parks would be safe, since they draw good attendance and are well established.

However some of the parks that were branded and have not performed extremely well could be sold or just closed down. Six Flags Ohio/Worlds of Adventure, was sold to Cedar Fair around 2 years ago. The Houston park was just another park, in probably a short list that could go. Which also makes some things a source told me, all the more interesting.

There has been speculation in the area that Six Flags has considered the idea of moving the entire Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom park to a more spacious location. My sources around the area have told me that the area near Sparta near the Kentucy Speedway is a possibility that they have considered moving the park too.

There is hundreds of acres of farmland, and the word going around the farmers in that area is that Six Flags will buy up that land and they will make it big. Although this is just a rumor, there is some reason for me to believe that it could be a possibility. The current location at the fair grounds and split between the highway has limited expansion room. The attendance of the park has been flat for the last few years and new rides would help it but they are not willing to expand to quickly there and use all the available land.

And with Six Flags under new leadership and evaluating their property and land, now would be the time to consider moving it. There has been a few cases where a park has moved most of their rides for land or other reasons. Elitch Gardens moved to a downtown location for that reason, although it was not that well received by Coaster Enthusiasts because the loss of the wooden coasters at the original park. To a certain degree, the decision to close Coney Island in cincinnati and create Kings Island with some existing rides and trees from the old park is another example.

So just thought I would let people know that there is a possibilty of them moving the entire park. Will it happen is any ones guess and right now I would not consider them to do it overnight, since these moves would take a few years of planning

They'll close it before they move it. SixFlags does not build parks and that is what you are suggesting.

^Agreed. SFI would just sell the park before going through all that trouble in moving the park.

I say they should close it and send Chang to a park where they know how to operate it...but that's just me.

-Nate

Do you think they'd go through the trouble of building new attractions in a park they were planning to move?

Honestly?

-'Playa

There has been speculation in the area that Six Flags has considered the idea of moving the entire Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom park to a more spacious location. My sources around the area have told me that the area near Sparta near the Kentucy Speedway is a possibility that they have considered moving the park too.

Six Flags is carrying massive debt. Considering the HUGE amount of money it would take to move the rides and the small marketplace the park caters to I wouldn't be holding your breath for this to happen.

Perhaps there was talk when SF was in a better financial situation of moving the park but it ain't gonna happen now and your sources have outdated and/or wrong info.

So does SF actually own KK or do they manage it? I know that might be a silly question, but I thought I saw somewhere that they didn't own it.

Someone will correct me if wrong but I believe they own all but the land the park sits on.

As of now and the near future, no other parks will be sold or scrapped. So stop speculating like there's no tomorrow!

I quote CEO Kieran Burke:

---

"While we continually review our properties in order to determine the best allocation of resources, it is important to note that a unique set of circumstances applies to the AstroWorld property and this action should not be considered indicative of our intentions for any of our other parks."

---

Source: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3350688

While nice for you to believe Burke's comments kRaXLe, I just don't trust any corporate CEO's. I'm much too cynical, and by no means am I an authority, but I've worked in the corporate world many years and still do. CEO's change their minds at the drop of a hat (and come and go likewise) because the bottom line is the dollar sign and whatever it takes to bring home the green.

Yes, I don't believe a word of it. That's basically the same thing he said when SFWOA was sold to Cedar Fair. At least that park got to survive under new ownership.

And it's the same thing he'll say next time SF sells a park or, worse, sells the land the park sits on.

Or, to paraphrase the Smiths:

He says he will never ever do it again/And of course he won't/not until the next time!

---

kRaXLeRidAh said:
As of now and the near future, no other parks will be sold or scrapped. So stop speculating like there's no tomorrow!

I quote CEO Kieran Burke:

---

"While we continually review our properties in order to determine the best allocation of resources, it is important to note that a unique set of circumstances applies to the AstroWorld property and this action should not be considered indicative of our intentions for any of our other parks."

---

Source: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3350688

---

If you believe this quote insists no other parks will be sold or scrapped, you're falling into a logic trap. All he's saying is that Astroworld's sale doesn't mean other parks are for sale. It also doesn't mean they aren't for sale. Other parks can have their own "unique set of circumstances" you know.

If I remember correctly I believe that the Expo center has some kind of ownership over the land along with Six Flags. Like if SFI wanted to do something to the park, they would have to get the Expo center's permission, along with obviously the city's.

Swoosh:

I never said they would build an entire new park from the ground up. Just move to a more roomy location so they have room to expand. Not out of the question if you consider some instances were exact same thing happened.

Coney Island in cincinnati moved to a more spacious and less flooded location north, and built Kings Island. They moved orginal attractions from coney island including those trees, and even built a section dedicated to its past with old coney/coney mall.

A more recent example is Six Flags Elitch Gardens. They moved from the old park, and left the wooden coasters, to a downtown location, when Premier/Six Flags Inc., aquired the park.

So why would this be out of the question? You would move the rides that are good and are not too hard to move, and just get rid of the rest. It makes sense to me.

Also listening to Snyder discuss the direction he wants to go in, this seems to fit the plan. He wants to evaluate each property and its land. If it makes sense to sell the property for financial reasons, he is willing to do it. This way they can sell the land and make money off of that, and keep the good rides, all while moving to a location that has room to expand and grow.

BeastFan - Just moving to a new location is a bit more complicated and expensive than moving out of your baby brother's room and getting a room all to yourself.

Your post is so wrong in so many ways I'll leave it to someone else [Cap't O?] to tell you how and make fun of you.

Oh, your mom wants you now. Get off the computer...its time for dinner and finishing your homework.

mOOSH

That is cool with me as long as they move Chang to SFGAm for Iron wolf.

Mamoosh:

Well I trust the person who told this to me. Now that does not mean they will do this tomorrow or that it is a done deal. It is just something they consider doing, and the next few years might be the time. The source told this to me a month ago or so. So the information is current, and not from say 5 years ago.

From what I can gather, the farmers in the area I am talking about, are the ones that think this could happen. They perhaps could have been offered from Six Flags Inc, or no more first hand information. It is not unreasonable to think that they might know something about this, considering that Six Flags would have to buy their land before thinking about moving the park there.

Lets not get carried away now. The old saying in the amusement industry is "the people who know don't talk, and the people who talk, don't know". I of course don't know for sure, hence I am the one talking about this possibility. And really unless you work for Six Flags Inc, or work or have friends in the amusement park industry, you don't know what Six Flags is going to do with their underperforming parks that they still own.

There is a trend that shows that they are willing to sell or close them. Moving one of them doesn't seem out of the question, and have done it before with SFEG. I guess we will just have to wait and see what they will do.

Who knows, 10 years from now, Kentucky Kingdom could be in its current location owned by Six Flags, in its current location owned by a different owner, in a new location but owned by Six Flags, or closed.

*** Edited 9/13/2005 11:31:15 PM UTC by Beast Fan*** *** Edited 9/13/2005 11:46:28 PM UTC by Beast Fan***

Elitch Gardens moved after the 1994 season. Premier Parks purchased the park in 1996. The move proved to be more costly and troublesome for the owner to keep the park alive so he sold it.

^True, but SFEG wasn't on the same scale that SFKK is, and neither was Coney Island. Those parks didn't have to move a Vekoma SLC, B&M stand-up, 3 wooden coasters, and several flat rides, just to name a few things.

Wait, what am I thinking? Why would they keep the SLC???

Mamoosh

I just read your latest post, and want to comment. I am 21 and a mechanical engineering college student. I thought my post was intelligent and was not sure what gave you the idea that I was some kid. I am just reporting what a friend that happens to be an electrical engineer and does work for electrical engineering company told me recently.

He was doing some work at a job site over there, and just reported what some people told him. He is not really associated with the amusement park industry but he and his company have done a little work. The company that he works for improved power factor and lag for Outer Limits Flight of Fear, He worked on electrical stuff for flying scooters ride at Stricters Grove.

Also when certain jobs are being bidded on, the information can leak. Tomb Radier the Ride was a perfect example. The job was being bidded on before announcement, and was co-named inferno and was for Kings Island. He did not know what it was but someone told him and then he told me that it was going to be "an indoor ride where they have all these effects and really whip you around and stuff". That was before all the screamscape rumors and stuff. Screamscape probably got this information from someone else in the area who heard about it from the building and ride being bidded on. I should clarify that the ride building was what was being bidded on, Huss I am sure had a contract for the actual ride unit.

I could not post that then, because I worked at Kings Island from 2001 to 2003, but I knew about it before hand. I did not know the theme of course, but I put it together when people starting discussing the media day invite they got for the ride, and how it hinted at Tomb Raider. I actually was more confused the day of the announcement when they said it was going to be "a totally immersive dark ride experience", but eventually realized that was just marketing talk. That was just a clever way of saying they are building a well themed giant flat ride.

Anyway it is not easy to just move a park. I think I never said that, nor do I think it is an easy or cheap thing to do. So I have a question , 10 years from now, what do you predit for the park. To still be in the same location? Still Owned by Six Flags? Or none of the above? *** Edited 9/13/2005 11:50:47 PM UTC by Beast Fan*** *** Edited 9/13/2005 11:52:20 PM UTC by Beast Fan***