Holtskee Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Good grief, I can't honesty see the Hershends ever buying this place. If they did, it would be a novelty park, and probably not associated with the rest of the chain. Come on, that's like Disney buying this park, it's just no where near the likes of the rest of the parks. Yea, but like I said, don't forget that the Herschends bought the carnival-like Branson USA park and rebuilt it as Celebration City. HFE does seem to be looking for more theme parks at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 ^ If they do buy it, they will have their work cut out for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 ^^^I know, it should have ran better than it did, and if it weren't for the rain, they could have floated along for this year, until they got an actual thriller to draw in crowds next year. The park is nice, in it's own way, but you have to think, would a cautious investor really want to jump in the boat with a park that died in two months, regardless the cause? For a description of a novelty park, think of Frontier City during the big SF days. It was kinda the butt of the chain, never getting any new rides for decades at a time, and it was never even given the six flags branding. I'm not saying the Hershends would orphan it like SF did, but it would hurt their image to have a comparatively-crap park in Kansas in their portfolio, so I don't think they'd show it off or give it that much attention. ^^Yeahhhhh, but that was kinda different, what with it being so close to SDC an all, I think part of the reason they bought it was to stop any competition from coming in. Plus, they thought it would compliment SDC better than it does. ^Exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 How do you go 24 million into debt in two months? Yeesh. People I'd expect to buy WWW Kent Beuscher/Adventure Parks Group- If anybody is a real life RCT story, it would probably be this guy. WWW is just like a RCT scenario! Oh, boy, send more Zamperla and Vekoma rides to WWW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyrcf Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I hope your not saying they wouldn't buy it because the park is in Kansas. It's probably not why your saying it, but I mis-interpret what people write. The park has potential so it wouldn't be that bad. All parks start off small, they don't just decide hey lets build a park from scratch with 20 roller coasters, of course they are going to have their work cut out for them, they have their work cut out for any park. I personaly think it could be a hit if someone continued to work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 ^Agreed! This park struggled a lot and one of the rides wasn't even open yet! I can not say it enough but THIS PARK HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL!!! Go there and see what I mean, well I guess you can't, but look at my P:TR if you'd like. I'd say this park has more potential to be a great place than any other park that I've been to. WWW is in deep sh*t right now and someone needs to pull them out. The place took about two maybe three years to develop and construct. All of the time, work, and money is just to much to let the park die now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Long Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 From what I can see and have seen this is not much more than a "permanent ghetto Fair". It is unfortunate that you have no parks of substance near you. I sympathize. As a business person, this entire thing seems grossly mis-managed. If you would expect to make any kind of profit with this type of venture in the first year of operation you should have your head examined. Your daily expenses would have to run in the 1000's, if not 10's of thousands a day. If you open without enough capital to cover all your expenses for at least one full season you must be stupid. With out some (Major and I mean Major) draw (Coaster) you could never ever expect to get the size of crowds you would need just to cover operating expenses on a day to day basis. It would take 20 years for this to be a destination park, I mean the middle of Kansas , Gimme a break. Even if they sold 20,000 Passes at $50.00 (doubtful) that is only 1 million. not enough when you are 20 million plus in debt. This park will fade into a distant memory before summer is out. no company with the capital to bail them out will be dumb enough to invest in this place. Sorry I just couldn't take the unreality everyone was spewing. PS Comparing this place to SDC or DW is an insult to both places. Thats like comparing WDW and Any Six Flags, The differences are that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyrcf Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 You expect way to much out of a park. Just because it doesn't have a giant coaster doesn't mean it sucks. And don't blame it on being in Kansas, Kansas is a fun state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr.gumbo Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 The three major problems with the park are: 1-Its location (It isnt the brightest of ideas to build a park where it is exposed to Natures worst ) 2-Its lack of Gimmicks (If you tell them you've got the best ride out there the GP will beleive you, tell the truth that you have nothing that great the GP wont be impressed and wont come) 3-Managment (If you build a new park with nothing spectacular for $30,000,000 there is no way your going to pay it off anytime soon) What they should of done was buy a local park (if they could) and upgrade it slightly and claimed it as a new park! It would have been cheaper (in theory) than starting from scratch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyrcf Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 What they should of done was buy a local park (if they could) and upgrade it slightly and claimed it as a new park! It would have been cheaper (in theory) than starting from scratch! That would be smart, but the only park is Joyland, and they are having some issues with the neighborhood. I hope the owner knows what he's doing, since he's been getting rid of some of the ride there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias94 Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Awww, poor Wild West World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerC Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 It's really really hard to build parks from sratch now a days. I mean, it would of worked back in the 60's or 70's when parks were starting out but now its a lost cause. I mean your park has to be REALLY special for someone to consider going to it. I mean, why go to WWW when you can go to WOF for a bit more money and maybe a longer drive but get a FULL park and also a waterpark. I mean, it seems like parks built in the late 80, 90's and today run for about a year before their closed, with the exception of Universal or Disney where they can afford losses like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 ^I dunno dude, if I lived within 2 hours of the park, I'd probably go to it. I mean, why not? It wasn't that expensive, and it did actually have a few good rides. They say it didn't have anything outstanding, but it did have a frisbee, flyers, a good log flume, a small power surge, and several other good rides. Also, about Kansas being a bad place to build a park: Wichita really isn't that bad of a place. About 500,000 people live within that area, and many of them are the park-going kind, just not during downpours. It's not that susceptible to natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, or much of anything other than the occasional heavy winds. The rain this season was truly out of the ordinary though. I mean, who would have guessed that a low pressure system would get caught and spun around OK and KS for a full month? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 www.ksn.com has a TON of WWW videos. You may want to check em' out. There was some people on Monday that drove down from Kansas City for the park. They got here, and it was closed. I would be PISSED. On Saturday, a family bought 11 season passes. Etheredge should have said the park was closing a week or so prior to the closing itself. People probably would have came cause they know that this is their last chance, and this would increase income a little bit. Now I'm not saying that it would pay off their 24 million dollar debt, but it would help them when it comes to paying it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 People thought Bonfante Gardens was screwed when they closed doors only 3 months after the grand opening (this park took 23yrs of planning and 100 million to build!): http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2001/09/24/daily4.html Similar situation, a guy with a dream that didn't know anything about running a theme park. At least he was able to find a way to eventually make it work, hope those in charge of WWW will be able to do the same for you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 WWW should have had a better plan. Now these people are stuck here unless something is done. It looked grim early Tuesday for the eight Chinese acrobats who performed at Wild West World. When theme park owner Thomas Etheredge declared bankruptcy Monday, all money was frozen and the park closed to everyone. That left the acrobats without two weeks of pay. Their costumes and props were locked inside the park. It even looked as if the troupe might not be able to pay for its way back to China, and the acrobats didn't know how long they would have a home here. They were staying in a mobile home in Park City. The rent was paid by Wild West World. It made for a lot of phone calls for the group's manager, Sherman Wang of China Arts and Entertainment Group, as he tried to solve the problems. "Number one is to get home," he said. "Number two is to get the paycheck." But by late Tuesday, Wang said he had solved most of the problems. After a round of calls between Wang, Etheredge and the bankruptcy attorneys, Etheredge called Wang and told him he could get the uniforms and props from the park. The items are owned by the company and the acrobats, not Wild West World. Wang said he had enough cash -- about $2,700 -- to pay the airlines to change the return flight date on their round trip tickets from the end of September to next week. Unfortunately, he's spending the money set aside to pay the companies that employ the acrobat troupe. Wang, looking tired, said he expects there will be a lot of explaining to do when he gets home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemmy Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 That sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 ^I know. Thomas Etheredge was saying that season pass holders had two months to get their money's worth. Remember, two months of rain and storms. So now he's mad at season pass holders wanting refunded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 And don't blame it on being in Kansas, Kansas is a fun state. HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! Oh wait, you were serious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rileybrands Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Now, season passes are paid for in full when you buy them so as to ensure access to the park for the whole operating season. People who bought the season passes expected and planned to be able to have until the end of September (was that when the season was supposed to end?) to enjoy their time in the park. Isn't the length of the operating season considered when pricing the season pass...? Also, I would bet that a majority of the people who bought season passes don't live close enough to the park where they go every week or so (especially considering this was really Kansas's only amusement park). For example, I have a season pass to Six Flags (based at Fiesta Texas), and it's a little over an hour drive to the park, which isn't bad, but I usually only make it to the park about once a month, and I'm lucky if I make it there twice a month. I know a lot of people here in Austin who are in that same predicament, and I'm sure it's a situation a lot of season pass holders are in: they want to go multiple times throughout the season but know that they won't be able to drop everything they're doing and go over to the park for a couple hours. In other words, they have to make a day out of going to the park. If WWW gets a corporate buyer, I wonder how they'll deal with the whole season pass issue. Only time will tell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 About the acrobats, They were living in a trailor park. That is the nicest place the park could put them up at. I know some parks are nice. Atleast they got thier stuff back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 IDK if I will be going to this, seems how I've seen them like three times already, but I'm glad that they're going home. (If you haven't heard, China, yes China, agreed to pay for the airline ticket changes) The City of Wichita, Century II is pleased to announce two benefit performances for the Chinese acrobats who have struggled with finances since the close of Wild West World. Sherman Wang, troupe manager and Park City manager Dee Stuart met with Century II officials and have agreed to hold a 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. performance on Saturday, July 21 in the Century II Convention Hall. Century II will donate the facility and staffing to make sure the acrobats have enough money to make it back home. The troupe's performances will allow them to recoup some of their losses and be able to go back home knowing that Kansans are very generous and compassionate. In addition, the I.A.T.S.E local 190 stage hand union will donate their services in managing sound, lighting and stage issues. The Greater Wichita CVB will donate staff to sell novelties for the troupe and K. Duncan House Management Services will provide ushers. Local media are also encouraged to donate on-air time and promotional space to help publicize this event and ensure its success. Tickets will go on sale at the Century II box office Friday, July 13, 2007 at 12:00 noon. Tickets may be purchased 24 hours a day at www.wichitatix.com Tickets General Admission $6.00/ day of show $8.00 Wild West World Season Pass Holder $5.00 Main Floor $10.00/day of show $12.00 Box Office Hours 24-hours a day at www.wichitatix.com Walk-up or telephone sales (316) 219-4849. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 About the acrobats, They were living in a trailor park. That is the nicest place the park could put them up at. I know some parks are nice. Atleast they got thier stuff back. A trailer park in Kansas. They're just lucky they weren't swallowed up by a tornado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandyrcf Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 And don't blame it on being in Kansas, Kansas is a fun state. HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! Oh wait, you were serious? Yes I'm serious. Kansas may not be as fun as New York or California, but it's not a North Dakota. I;ve been to all three of those states. California in my opinion, sucks. Not the people, just the state. New York was okay. Kansas was fun, it wasn't New York, but the people are really nice. People expect way too much when they hear the word "fun." I find learning languages fun while everyone else thinks it isn't. That's the one negative to theme parks and roller coasters, they build a higher expectation of the word "fun" And this will probably sound really corny after I read this again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Okay something really odd happened to me today. I saw the chinese acrobats, BUT they were in... Wal-Mart? Actually the health and beauty section of Wally World. You would think that they're trailer is in north wichita or even park city, but not the southern part of Wichita!?!? Anyway, the you can tell that the park is closed just by driving by. The grass isn't cut, the signs are down or off. I'm just really wanting a theme park. Can't SOMEONE just make one and not a permanent carnival? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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