Even More Economic Casualties

Amusement Park news is typically always upbeat and exciting - but these days that's not so true anymore. Two more small parks have become casualties of tough economic times, although one plans to continue to operate this summer.

Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo, in Angola, IN, has announced via their website that they will not open for the 2009 season. The small amusement park would have been celebrating their 52nd year of operations this summer.

The park did not specifically say if this is permanent or just for the year, so at this point we can't be sure if the park will reopen or not.

Our next affected park is Ghost Town in the Sky, located in North Carolina, which just announced that they have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The park reopened in 2007 after sitting closed for 5 years.

The latest owners have struggled with being able to finance the operation of the park while keeping creditors paid. They plan on reopening May 15th with business mostly as usual. The park has also been working since reopening to bring the Cliff Hanger (an odd-ball Hopkins coaster) back to life.

I sincerely hope that the amusement park closing/bankruptcy announcements thus far aren't only the tip of the iceberg!