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Ghost Town In The Sky Discussion Thread


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Hey everybody!

 

This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Ghost Town in the Sky, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. For pictures and videos of the park as well as past updates, see TPR's Park Index Page.

 

Official Park Website

 

Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy!

 

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2005

March 17th, 2005 - Park closed for three years may have a buyer - SEE BELOW!

 

2007

February 8th, 2007 - park plans to re-open with two new rides

 

2009

March 11th, 2009 - Ghostown files for bankruptcy protection

June 28th, 2009 - Cliffhanger Testing!

June 30th, 2009 - Cliffhanger to open tomorrow, unfortunately it is only for one day

 

2010

February 17th, 2010 - Creditors vote on future of the park

February 25th, 2010 - Mudslide nearby causes more problems for the park

March 10th, 2010 - Park has until June to stop foreclosure

April 21st, 2010 - Primary Owner wants to purchase park out of bankruptcy

May 4th, 2010 - Judge approves company's bid to buy the park

July 28th, 2010 - Al Harper takeover deal falls through

 

2012

February 7th, 2012 - Park gets new owner who helped open it originally

February 16th, 2012 - Alaska Presley speaks about plans to revive the park

March 9th, 2012 - Park revival plans include new religious aspects

March 22nd, 2012 - Dolly Parton's sister recruit to help reopen the park

April 11th, 2012 - Park aiming for a tentative June 2012 reopening

April 12th, 2012 - Alaska Presley officially holds title for park assets

July 9th, 2012 - Park re-opens, sort of. For now it's only the old chair lift and 3 newly installed zip lines

 

2013

April 25th, 2013 - Projected opening date & Old Western Town news!

 

2018

December 22nd, 2018 - Latest revival effort on hold as partner disappears

 

2019

July 11th, 2019 - Park up for sale once again, reopening plans on hold

October 14th, 2019 - Park under contract with period of due diligence

 

2021

November 15th, 2021 - Storyland Studios selected to redesign the park

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Original post:

 

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues ... group.html

 

Quote
A potential buyer might be on the horizon for Ghost Town, the Western theme amusement park above Maggie Valley that drew more than 300,000 visitors a year during its heyday. It closed in 2002 after a decade of gradual decline to the detriment of tourism regionwide.

 

The potential buyer is a real estate investment group from Florida, according to Wade Reece, owner of Quality Inn who announced the pending sale.

 

Ghost Town’s owner and founder, R.B. Coburn, would not comment on the record regarding the potential buyer. Coburn, 85, said it was inappropriate to discuss the sale publicly before the deed is signed and money changes hands.

 

Coburn did say that an article appearing in The Enterprise Mountaineer Monday (March 14) was inaccurate, however. The article stated that Ghost Town had been sold and a contract existed. The article was based on a press release sent to local media by Reece stating that Ghost Town had been sold.

 

Reece, a self-appointed volunteer who is marketing Ghost Town, found the investment group and orchestrated the potential deal with Coburn. Some of the partners in the investment group came to Haywood County one month ago to look at a $1 million, 102-acre vacation property that Reece owned. They decided not to buy the vacation property, but Reece showed them around Maggie Valley while they were here. They sat in the Ghost Town parking lot in Reece’s Denali for 30 minutes listening to Reece talk about the story behind Ghost Town and the history of tourism in Maggie Valley.

 

“They said ‘we’ll buy it,’” Reece recounted. “I said, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve heard that before. If you’re going to buy it, where is the money going to come from?’”

 

That’s when Reece learned these visitors in the market for vacation property run a development group with a circle of very wealthy — and some famous — investors. The group puts together multi-million dollar real estate deals — including golf courses, shopping malls and resorts — and then floats the projects to its circle of investors, who opt in or out on each deal.

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Thanks for this little ray of hope Robb. Ghost Town is one of my childhood parks which hold alot of great memories. Did you know that Burt Reynold's worked in the park as one of the gunfighters one summer before becoming famous? Red Devil has to be one of the most visually specatular coasters anywhere due to being perched on the side of the mountain. Holding out hope that this park will someday return to us. I somehow get a feeling that these investors may have an interest in this property for other purposes. Hope I'm wrong. Seems that I may have read somewhere before that the owner will only sell on the condition that the buyer keep property as a Theme Park?

Take it easy,

DAC

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  • 10 months later...
  • 11 months later...

This is definatley good to hear that they want to make the improvements to the place. I dunno that I will make it there this year since I am pretty booked solid for my trips/summer, but I hope I can shoot over there next summer, or maybe find a free day to go there this year. I was confused on whether the new coaster is going to replace the old kiddie or if they will have both? Anyone know?

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Drop towers are great, but I wonder what the "family-friendly coaster" will turn out to be. It'll most likely be a small Zamperla or Vekoma creation, but there are quite a few possibilities. Anyhoo, it sounds great, adding a new coaster and a major ride like a large drop tower is a sure way to kick the park off on a good run.

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I bet you its probably going to be one of those ARM towers like at Cypress Gardens. I would not expect much, but sounds great for a park bound to reopen.

 

At least they didn't pull off a Cypress Gardens and have fifty carny-ish looking rides announced, such as the "Science Project Flyers."

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Their website is pretty cheesy, all it has is a bunch of pictures of the "old" ghost town, nothing new. I would think they would have some type of ride list and maybe some pictures of the future rides or something. They are also changing the name of the Red Devil Coaster. There is a contest to decide what to name the coaster, anyone can enter anything they like, here is the link.

 

http://www.ghosttowninthesky.com/special/promotions.html

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  • 2 years later...

I just received this info from the park's marketing director: b:roll:

 

* * *

 

As a direct result of the national credit crisis and economic decline, North Carolina's Ghost Town in the Sky announced today that, in order to address the financial and operational challenges associated re-opening and running a theme park that sat dormant five years prior to the company purchasing Ghost Town in August of 2006, they have filed for bankruptcy protection and reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Code on March 10, 2009.

 

Ghost Town has not been able to secure the capital financing needed as they had projected previously, which would have been used to pay off their outstanding debt restructure short-term debt, complete rides that will help broaden Ghost Town’s guest appeal and make the park run more efficiently, and prepare for all costs associated with operating and marketing a regional theme park.

 

“The economic uncertainty, coupled with the banking and credit crisis that has engulfed the nation, has made obtaining a lender very difficult,” states Steve Shiver, president and CEO of Ghost Town.

 

“It is with this economic impact, preserving our relationships with vendors and protecting all of our creditors in mind that we now find no alternative but to file for bankruptcy protection,” continues Shiver. “However, we feel that a reorganizational plan will allow us to open on schedule and over time, keep all creditor groups whole or as best as reasonably possible.”

 

During the reorganizational process, Ghost Town will take steps to improve its financial status by securing the funding needed for Ghost Town to complete all of its rides and transportation methods.

 

Once The Cliffhanger roller coaster is open, Ghost Town will appeal to a broader audience, including thrill-seekers, teenagers and pre-teens.

 

By completing the Incline Railway, Ghost Town will save a significant amount of money on bus transportation and will attract more school groups who, in the 2007 and 2008 season, had to be bussed to the top of the mountain where the Theme Park is located.

 

Ghost Town employs over 200 local residents during its season with payroll in excess of $2 million annually. They have continued to pay salaried employees during the winter months when the park is closed for the season to maintain the grounds and prepare for the upcoming season.

 

Since re-opening in May of 2007, Ghost Town also has paid over $125,000 in sales and amusement tax to the state of North Carolina and Haywood County. In addition, Haywood County has experienced hotel and motel occupancy growth and more revenue has been generated from the Occupancy Tax collected. “Ghost Town is part of the history of Western North Carolina,” states Lynn Sylvester, one of Ghost Town’s five managing partners, CPA and Controller. “We are committed to preserving our theme park through this re-organizational process. Given the mission of the Rural Development program to create and retain jobs, the USDA who has a 70% guarantee on the primary loan facility held by BB&T, has signified a willingness to participate in a restructured debt arrangement.”

 

Over $20 million has already been invested in the park since Ghost Town’s re-opening in 2007. The immensity of the project coupled with the 2008 season’s rising gas prices and shortages in the area, in addition to economic downturn, are all factors that have contributed to the current situation.

 

“This has been a very hard decision, and we’ve exhausted all other alternative actions. This is the only chance we truly have to pay people back the money we owe,” said Shiver. “We at least have a fighting chance to reopen and our decision to file is in the best interest of all parties involved.”

 

Ghost Town plans to re-open for the 2009 season on May 15 and is currently selling 2009 Season Passes and Daily Admission Tickets through its website.

 

More information on Ghost Town can be found online: http://www.ghosttowninthesky.com.

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Once The Cliffhanger roller coaster is open, Ghost Town will appeal to a broader audience, including thrill-seekers, teenagers and pre-teens.

 

Isn't this one of the biggest "ifs" about this park? It's been listed as "opening soon" since last season, I think.

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Cliffhanger or no, I am determined to get over to GTiTS this year.

 

That's probably a very good idea. If they don't get that ride approved and/or add new rides to attract people with $$, I fear this unique park is history.

 

A bit of trivia here: before the addition of the Red Devil/Cliff Hanger, which was supposed to be an Arrow coaster but the price was to steep for the former owner, GT was home to the short-lived Silver Bullet coaster. Sponsored by Coors Light, the Silver Bullet was a monorail/Alpine slide gravity ride that followed much the same path as the later Red Devil. In fact, much of the pipe track/support structure/footers can still be found on the site. According to a former employee and guests who saw the ride operate, it was wayyyy too fast and -- despite water braking -- tore itself apart and never opened to the public.

 

I would LOVE to find shots of the actual ride before it was demolished to make way for the Hopkins coaster.

 

-S

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Cliffhanger or no, I am determined to get over to GTiTS this year.

 

That's probably a very good idea. If they don't get that ride approved and/or add new rides to attract people with $$, I fear this unique park is history.

 

A bit of trivia here: before the addition of the Red Devil/Cliff Hanger, which was supposed to be an Arrow coaster but the price was to steep for the former owner, GT was home to the short-lived Silver Bullet coaster. Sponsored by Coors Light, the Silver Bullet was a monorail/Alpine slide gravity ride that followed much the same path as the later Red Devil. In fact, much of the pipe track/support structure/footers can still be found on the site. According to a former employee and guests who saw the ride operate, it was wayyyy too fast and -- despite water braking -- tore itself apart and never opened to the public.

 

I would LOVE to find shots of the actual ride before it was demolished to make way for the Hopkins coaster.

 

-S

 

Ok, I just located the pics I shot of the remains of the Silver Bullet coaster (referenced in my earlier post). If anyone has any more info on this, I'm sure we'd all be very interested ...

100_2201.JPG.edf19027eca176a3c87c2500f628b288.JPG

More track

100_2202.JPG.d0ad787cbf2fd1f024090674f8adbab6.JPG

Silver Bullet support (sans track)

100_2200.JPG.7a09dcaaab0c0aba87573e9742d4be6f.JPG

Finned pipe track

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I am not surprised, and I wonder if this is reason that Red Devil and a few other rides have yet to reopen. It seems to me that they underesimated how much money it would take to get the park fully functional. However, I am surprised that they are staying open. I do hope they get to, as I am still dying to ride Red Devil.

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I'm not surprised by this news since I was there in 2007 and I left that park feeling very disappointed due to the low number of rides they had running that day.

 

"I paid $27 bucks for a day's admission and all I got to ride was the sky ride leading up to the park, the two flat rides they had in the park, and the sky ride leading down from the park. A week ago, I was at Lake Winnie, rode tons of rides, and only paid $15! At least the shows were good, but(your favorite expression here) I wanted to ride!!!

 

Added to the fact that we've been waiting two (your second favorite expression here) years to ride the Cliffhanger and all we got was broken promises that the ride will open this season.

 

I have many parks to visit this season, but no plans to visit Ghost Town in the Sky unless I have $30 I wanted to give away.

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