Wild West World is now closed

[ghost007jas]

Well if you guys would support the park, it would not have closed .

[christianscoasters]

^Um, I had a season pass and I have been there five times, along with my mom, dad, and two brothers. And how are we to support the park? It was way too overpriced. People weren't concerned about the well-being of the park. They wanted to have fun, but they couldn't afford such a very high admission price for their whole family to go to a craptacular park.

[ECZenith]

I really hope this park gets saved, it would be a shame to see everything sold off so early in its life.

[christianscoasters]

^Yeah I'd be sad too. Not cause it's a "great" park, but to actually have a theme park near me is unbelievable especially in Kansas! Etheredge was/is in Italy looking for a buyer or something. Just look online dude!

[hemmy]

I went once but had no plans to visit again until massive improvements were made.

 

I would love to have supported them but $25 for a handful of carnival rides is ridiculous.

[christianscoasters]

^Agreed. I would have said to my family that the park wasn't that great, but my step mom gets so mad at every little thing I say, so I didn't. Here's something I found on screamscape:

Given the size of the park and the current state of the industry, I’m going to bet that the phone will be ringing from PARC Management / CNL before too long.

I honestly don't believe PARC would buy this piece of crap. Especially after they just bought all those Six Flags parks.

[ghost007jas]

If it's "such a piece of crap" why would you want it there anyway? You either like the park and want it there, or you don't like the park and hope it stays closed. There's not much of a middle of the road option on something like this.

 

And $25 isn't that much when its one of only FOUR existing parks in the entire state! Hell its 20 bucks for an all day wristband at the local Scandia, I would much rather pay the extra five dollars to go to WWW than, the alternative.

 

I'm sure someone will buy it, the park has a lot of potential, and I'm sure it could be very successful as long as the weather stays good .

[christianscoasters]

^Here's what I mean by "piece of crap". Let's say you go to a crappy theme park. You ride this ride that was a lot of fun. You get off saying "That ride was better than the park!" So what I'm saying is, we like being on the rides (some but not all cause some SUCK) but the park is still pretty bad.

[ghost007jas]

You know what they say "Beggers can't be choosers" .

[Shavethewhales]

^So picky...

 

Honestly, in two years, the park's landscaping would be so much better... Besides, if the rides are so good, who cares? It's not like there are a lot of other options.

[christianscoasters]

Besides, if the rides are so good, who cares? It's not like there are a lot of other options.

Do you like pain? And BTW, there are LOTS of other options. In fact, they had better rides planned. Here's there first original plan: (I took out some of the un-important stuff cause it's really long.

The owners of Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper say they intend to build a 30-acre cowboy theme park called Wild West World in Park City. Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge plan to break ground in May and open the theme park a year later. Its estimated cost is $15 million to $17 million. The park would eventually create up to 150 seasonal jobs and bring in an estimated $40 million to $50 million in its first five years, a consultant said.

 

"The American cowboy is one of our greatest opportunities for tourism. And because of that, Cheryl and I are putting 15 million dollars on the line," Thomas Etheredge said. "There's no greater icon than the American cowboy."

 

Purchase agreements were finalized Saturday for the Etheredges to buy nearly 100 acres with options on 40 more.

 

 

The initial concept calls for 20 adult rides and 10 children's rides, all with western themes. Two of the adult rides would be a three-story western carousel and a roller coaster with cars shaped like buckboard wagons, both manufactured specifically for Wild West World.

 

The park also would include restaurants, a theater and daily longhorn cattle drives through a town square.

 

The Etheredges, whose Prairie Rose music and dinner show is one of Kansas' fastest growing tourist attractions, say they have secured half the financing for the project. They plan to be the only shareholders. They already have spent $1.5 million on consulting fees, legal costs and plans.

 

Prairie Rose, started in 1999 in Benton, drew more than 50,000 guests last year and had a gross revenue of $1.2 million. The Etheredges say they plan for Prairie Rose to continue its current format and to remain separate from Wild West World.

 

The theme park is the Etheredges' second attempt to expand their market from Prairie Rose. They planned a second operation in a Branson, Mo., theater last year but eventually decided they wouldn't be able to re-create the same experience. Soon after, they began focusing on a theme park in south-central Kansas.

 

They formed a corporation in early November called Wild West World Inc., secured Internet rights and started targeting communities, specifically Wichita, Bel Aire and Park City.

 

"Park City brought to the table some things that we felt very comfortable with in regards to their aggressiveness towards economic development and towards their commitment of being the entertainment capital of Kansas," Etheredge said.

 

 

Planning the park

 

 

Economic Consulting Services from Newport Beach, Calif., led by Don Stewart, is offering advice on the park's financial feasibility.

 

Stewart's client list includes Disney World in Florida, Six Flags parks in Texas and New Jersey, Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, Pa., Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City.

 

Stewart came to Wichita earlier this year to look over potential sites and to analyze what size park the area could sustain.

 

He determined that a park in the Wichita market could draw about 288,000 visitors in its first year.

 

Based on those tourism numbers, he decided a park in the Wichita area would need to be at least 23.17 acres and require more than 1,100 parking spaces.

 

"One of the realities of these parks is that if you size them to the market, they do fine," Stewart said. "The size of the park being relative to the size of the market is really the trick."

 

 

Robinson said his goal in designing the park was to create a captivating, Wild West experience for the visitor.

 

"We're really creating live theater," he said. "You're going to feel like you're really there." (Even though I didn't he he)

 

One of the features in Robinson's mock-up is a three-and-a-half- story waving cowboy sign along I-135. It's actually about 75 feet.

 

"I'd like it to be seen from Salina, if possible," Etheredge said. Salina is more than an hour away.

 

In addition to the roller coaster and tall carousel, the park could have stagecoach rides, whitewater canoes, a passenger train similar to the one on the Kansas State Fairgrounds and pony rides.

 

An Old West town square, similar in design to Old Cowtown Museum's main street, would house two restaurants, several souvenir shops and a number of craftsmen shops. One of the restaurants would feature Prairie Rose's barbecue menu.

 

Plans call for Texas longhorn cattle to be herded through the center of the town square twice daily.

 

In addition, a 300- to 500-seat venue tentatively called The Johnny Western Concert Hall would be built for musical entertainment. Johnny Western is a longtime local radio personality and singer-songwriter.

 

A frontage area will remain between the park and the interstate. Etheredge said he hopes that area will be developed by other businesses, such as hotels and restaurants.

 

Some of this stuff is weird, yet it would be really neat.[/i]

The original concept.

[Scaparri]

It's a neat concept, and the art makes it look pretty cool, but there wasn't a chance in hell they were going to be able to pull that all off with a $15-17 million budget.

[Shavethewhales]

^^Don't tell me all the rides were bad. I know for a fact that the park had a frisbee, flyers, a good pirate ship, and plenty of other good rides.

 

Yeah, it sounds like something really dropped out somewhere along the lines. Damn though, if he had just restructured things right...

[Airtime&Gravity]

Great concept, but how the hell did they plan to build it for 17 million. They didn't even build the entire concept, and they already spent 30 million, so I would like to know who came up with the finances for the park. It is sad that the park closed, and I'm sure if it remained open, then the other attractions that were not built would have been added in the following years. The park seemed to have a decent selection of flats, but the weather doomed the park from opening day.

[christianscoasters]

Great concept, but how the hell did they plan to build it for 17 million. They didn't even build the entire concept, and they already spent 30 million, so I would like to know who came up with the finances for the park.

He originally thought he could do it for $12 million .

 

^^Um, most of the rides are bad. The Flyers were "meh" and got boring after two rides IMO. The Frisbee was fun, but they didn't run it long. The pirate ship is definitely the best I've ever been on. Heck, maybe even the best in the park. It's one of my favs. And what do you mean by plenty of "good" rides. The ferris wheel is nice, but it's a ferris wheel. The himilaya is fun, yet again, they don't run it very long or fast for that matter. Bumper cars were too small and crowded. Maybe if the Condor opened, my opinion would be different. They said it would be the fastest ride in the park.

[Swoosh]

If he hadn't alienated so many people he probably would have succeeded. BUT, he decided to commit business suicide... oh well at least it wasn't open long enough for people to get too attached to it.

[christianscoasters]

Wow. I'm really starting to feel sorry for the Etheredges.

BENTON, Kansas, July 23, 2007 – Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge have been forced to shut down the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper. It's another blow to the couple since losing Wild West World just two weeks ago.

 

Over the last eight years, thousands from Kansas and neighboring states visited the Chuckwagon Supper for good, clean, family fun. But the next time you'll see the public here, will be in late August, when an auction is held. The couple's home is also on the block.

 

"Thomas and Cheryl are in our hearts," Orin Friesen, Prairie Rose Wranglers member, said. "They've been with us the whole time. They've done some great things for us."

 

The Wranglers were the main attraction at the Chuckwagon Supper, performing nearly every week since it opened.

 

Even though Friesen is sad about the Supper's closing, he is looking forward to new opportunities.

 

"We've got a lot of opportunities on the table right now," Friesen said. "We're just going to have to sort through it all. My phone is full right now."

 

We also spoke to well-known country music personality Johnny Western, who occasionally played with the Wranglers here at the Chuckwagon Supper.

 

Despite what has happened, Western says it's very important to remember the good Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge brought to the Wichita area.

 

"Thomas Etheredge was a visionary," Western said. "Here's a guy who took a little bit of land, put an expansive family entertainment thing on it. It lasted for eight years."

 

Western believes the final curtain has indeed fallen on the Chuckwagon Supper, believing nobody but the Etheredges has the kind of vision to keep it going.

 

On another note, Orin Friesen says the Wranglers will make every attempt to honor reservations that have already been made for Christmas, saying the group is seeking alternate venues.

 

Even their home OMG!

[Vekoma Fan Boy]

How did this guy think he could get away with this on a 12 mill budget? He obviously had no idea on exactly how much roller coasters cost. Heck, Maverick, which is a single was almost twice the projected price of the park.

[carolinacaniac]

maybe he would have done better starting with an FEC type of facility with some rides, and then build it up as he started making money.

[ghost007jas]

^^Um, most of the rides are bad. The Flyers were "meh" and got boring after two rides IMO. The Frisbee was fun, but they didn't run it long. The pirate ship is definitely the best I've ever been on. Heck, maybe even the best in the park. It's one of my favs. And what do you mean by plenty of "good" rides. The ferris wheel is nice, but it's a ferris wheel. The himilaya is fun, yet again, they don't run it very long or fast for that matter. Bumper cars were too small and crowded. Maybe if the Condor opened, my opinion would be different. They said it would be the fastest ride in the park.

 

My God your such a baby! You need to accept what you have (had) and enjoy it. Not every park can afford to open 21 million dollar roller coasters, hell they couldn't even afford the rides they have (had) now! I'm sorry to see this park go, it looked like in a few years it would have been very nice. Oh well, thats life.

[Ccron10]

SOunds like the state of Kansas is park-less after the closing of Joyland and now this place. Sad because there's so much open space out there.

[Airtime&Gravity]

^You have All-Star Adventures which looks like a nice FEC, but they got rid of(resold or scrapped) their Schwarzkopf City Jet coaster, so they just have two kiddie coasters. While the coasters might not be great, two kiddie coasters are better than none, and who knows, maybe it will get a "major"(L&T/ Pinfari) coaster within a few years.

[christianscoasters]

^Yeah All Star Adventures has enough room for a pinfari. I consider ASA more of an entertainment complex more than a park. The part with rides is really nice though. Their spider is a lot of fun. The Schwarzkopf was always sitting behind the go-karts. Everything was uncovered. Track, cars, supports. So sad...

[bgwfreak]

They should use this as an example in Business 101 of what NOT to do when starting a business.

 

Sad.

[christianscoasters]

^It would work very well too. This guy's house is being auctioned off because of this!