Kennywood Entertainment Acquires Story Land

[LcHg5265]

Kennywood Entertainment Sees a Perfect Fit With Acquisition of Family Oriented Theme Park - Story Land - in New Hampshire

 

 

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter J. McAneny, president of

Kennywood Entertainment, and Nancy L. Morrell, president of Morrell

Corporation of Glen, NH, announce today a June 2007 closing is planned for

the sale of the Morrell Corporation and its Story Land children's theme

park to Kennywood Entertainment. McAneny stated, "Kennywood Entertainment

is in the business of operating clean, beautiful, family parks. I do not

think we could find a better fit for our organization than Story Land."

 

Morrell Corporation president Nancy Morrell, the daughter of the

company's late founders, and the successor to her late brother, R. Stoning

(Stoney) Morrell, announced the sale agreement to Story Land employees on

May 1, introducing Kennywood president Pete McAneny. "From Story Land's

standpoint, we view this more as a marriage into a larger family of theme

parks, than a sale," said Nancy Morrell. "We evaluated a number of options

to ensure the long-term success of the park that my parents and my brother

dedicated so much of their lives to, and believe Kennywood provides the

best opportunity to preserve their theme park legacy. We're honored that

Kennywood considers us a good fit."

 

About Story Land:

Story Land, now in its 54th season, is located in New Hampshire's White

Mountains region, on Route 16 in Glen, NH. Admission includes rides and

shows, numerous unique play areas, and live storybook characters. Founded

by Robert S. and Ruth T. Morrell in 1954, the park has operated

continuously under two generations of Morrell family ownership, growing

from a roadside attraction into one of New Hampshire's most popular summer

destinations. For more information, call 603-383-4186, or visit

http://www.storylandnh.com .

 

About Kennywood Entertainment:

Kennywood Entertainment Company, owns and operates parks in Pittsburgh:

Kennywood, internationally known as one of the finest traditional amusement

parks in the world, and Sandcastle Waterpark and Riverplex (an

old-fashioned picnic park) both located on former steel mill property along

the Monongahela River; in Ligonier, PA: Idlewild & SoakZone, ranked by

Amusement Today readers as the second best children's park in the world; in

Bristol, CT, America's oldest theme park, Lake Compounce. For more

information visit http://www.kennywood.com ,

http://www.sandcastlewaterpark.com , http://www.idlewild.com or

http://www.lakecompounce.com .

 

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-01-2007/0004578074&EDATE=

[Alexander Nagel]

wow never saw this one coming but I have to say having been to Storyland for the first time last year that it is a perfect fit into the Kennywood Family. Storyland is a great little of charming place and is very well kept unlike some of the other Storyland type park i've been to (actually it's not so little really, probably the same size or more in terms land as Kennywood). It's just very out of the way but seemed to be doing very well for it's self the day I was there. Oh and the Polar Coaster while nothing to write home about was a neat little coaster on the side of a hill that used it very well.

 

All and all it's nice to see Kennywood buy a new park seeing it's been over 10 years since that bought Lake Compounce.

[apollo210]

I'm actually not that surprised by this. The reason, the owner of Story Land died so the company might have wanted to sell it.

 

Alexander, I agree with you there. While I havn't been to Story Land in seven year (I've been there twice), I remember it being very well themed and a nice place to spend the day. I need to get back someday, I liked the park when I was little and its hopefully just as good as it was in the year 2000.

[LcHg5265]

From what Kennywood did with Lake Compounce, I am sure that Story Land will only get better from here.

[burningstroller]

shocking! Storyland is a very 'themey' little park, with a surprising selection of little kid style adult rides.

 

I wonder what the plans are for Heritage NH next door. They owned that attraction as well but closed it last year. Thats a pretty sizable chunk of land. I fear a waterpark.

[RollerC]

A small waterpark would be a good investment! I wonder if they will take storyland in the direction they took Idlewild in.

[burningstroller]

Nevermind the water park. They should put in a Hansel and Gretle themed bar and a bunch of dark rides. Nothing I want more than to guzzle down some vodka and tonics then go milk the cow.

 

 

...'milk the cow' reference is for anyone who grew up going to Storyland

[apollo210]

The only problem is with a water park is.... well, they are a lot of problems with a water park. First off, the last time I checked, they are about 4 waters parks in New Hampshire (including Castaway Island), 6 in Northern New England, and 11 overall in New England (including the new one in Danvers, MA). They're too many water parks in New England so Story Land would have to keep on adding every year to keep up with the demand. Second, You guys realize that Story Land is in the White Mountains area of New Hampshire? If they got a water park, it would not have a long operating schedule as The White Mountains get cold very quickly after the summer ends. Third, unless it was well themed, who would go? Story Land is a lovely, well themed kiddie park with several water rides and unless if the water park cane have the same feeling as Story Land, I doubt a water park will happen.

 

As for ideas, I can see Kennycorp adding a few new flats and maybe a coaster. A nice little family coaster that fits in with the park well like Polar Coaster would be nice for the park. This park is expanding rapidly and in a few years, it might just become the Disneyland of the North.

[kennywood!007]

Sounds like the park is gonna see better days to come!

 

 

 

--Zack "Wow I am such a fanboy of Kennywood!" Lloyd

[lilspike333]

^ As a whole New England is a decently sized area, so I don't think eleven waterparks is necessarily a large number considering the number of people that live in New England and its size. I also find it rather difficult to catagorize Castaway Island as a waterpark. It has maybe a couple small slides...hardly what I would consider an actual waterpark. Also, just because Story Land is in the White Mountains doesn't mean it can't have its own waterpark. Whales Tale is also in the White Mountains and seems to be doing pretty well for itself. A small waterpark would definitely make Story Land an even bigger draw for families. I'm very excited that KE purchased the park and can't wait to see what type of plans they have for it.

[apollo210]

^Yeah, actually, I was expressing my opinion. New England is pretty big, but the White Mountains just doesn't seem to be the right place to have a water park. Even though it has two already (Whale's Tail and Fort Splash), the White Mountains region is a pretty cold region of New England (Heck, the coastline of Maine near the boarder is warmer) and while Whale's Tail is a pretty decnet sized water park for the area (I hhaven'tbeen there, but I have drove pass it on the way to Cannon Mountain, you can see it from I-93). The White Mountains just isn't the place for a water park. I don't want to start a fight, I'm just expressing my opinion.

But yeah, I agree with you on the water park and familys. Story Land is probably the best family park in all of New England, with theming and a fairy tale charm. I was saying that the water park would be a good idea for familys, it just has to have that same charm that the dry park does IMO to attract family there.