Holiday World Sings the Blues for KY Park

Years of benign neglect from Six Flags and the Kentucky State Fair Board led to the sad decline of Kentucky Kingdom. Six Flags coasted away altogether before the start of the 2010 season, and the shuttered amusement park has been in limbo ever since. A couple of false starts led to some hope that the click-clack-click sounds of coaster lift hills might once again emanate from the park. The latest revival effort, however, has stalled.

The Koch family, the folks behind Indiana's nearby Holiday World, proposed to lease the property from the fair, inject some fresh capital and ideas, and reopen the park as Bluegrass Boardwalk. Last week, however, they decided to abandon the project. According to a statement released by the Kochs, burdensome government regulations and stipulations led to their decision to walk away.

It's a shame, because Holiday World demonstrates that the Kochs are visionaries and wonderful stewards of their much-praised park. And the world -- and Kentucky in particular -- would be a richer place with one more amusement park in operation. It must be sad for people in the area to drive past the abandoned park. Here's hoping that viable revitalization plans get click-clack-clicking soon.

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Photo: Bluegrass Boardwalk