 2004
In the News |
Park’s owner hopeful By
Eric Robinette LeSourdsville Lake owner Jerry Couch plans to make an effort to have the amusement park open again, he said Thursday. While he stopped short of promising a future opening, Couch said: “I am pursuing some more avenues on the park and am pursuing every avenue I can to keep the park from going away.” Couch’s remarks came a week after Monroe City Councilwoman Suzi Rubin spoke to him after attending a meeting of park supporters who hope to resurrect LeSourdsville Lake, which has been closed since 2002. Rubin said Thursday she talked to Couch by phone last week. “He said he would like to keep the park open and was interested in what the group was doing,” Rubin said. Couch confirmed he had spoken to Rubin and has been reading newspaper articles about the park, so he is aware of the interest in having it reopen, he said. Thursday was the first time in two years he had spoken to The Journal about his possible future plans for the park, formerly known as Americana. However, Couch has reasons for not being in a hurry to open the park, said Rocky J. Hall, who owns Premier Recovery Concepts, a repossession business in Gratis in Preble County. Hall said this week that starting in 2002, not long after the park closed, Hall repossessed about a half-dozen of the park’s rides. These include the Music Express, the Zipper, the Western Express Train, the Tip Top, the Mini Indy and a fun house. These were all portable rides on the park’s midway. Hall emphasized the repossessed rides did not belong to Couch but to the management group that operated the park in 2002, the Pugh family based in Lancaster. Hall said the Pugh family was bankrupt, and several banks have been in touch with Hall about repossessing the rides and other equipment, such as trailers and concession stands. More permanent fixtures, such as the Screechin’ Eagle roller coaster, the skyway and the log ride, are part of park property, Hall said. Butler County Common Pleas Court records show that Couch’s JACE Corporation had filed suit against the Pughs in 2003 for non-payment of bills and rental fees amounting to more than $100,000. The suit was dismissed because the Pughs filed for bankruptcy. “In fairness to Jerry Couch, he didn’t see it coming. He suffered a considerable financial loss at the hands of the Pughs,” said Hall. Although some rides were repossessed, Hall said the park could still reopen because Couch has left it in good physical shape. “He could reopen the park without a doubt. He’s done so much restoration work, that park’s as clean as a pen,” Hall said. However, Hall theorized that the 2002 season “was so much aggravation and so much stress for him that reopening is not a prime concern at this point.” Scott Fowler, a former park employee who is heading up the effort to save LeSourdsville, said: “I think as a group, we want to show Mr. Couch that we have an enthusiasm and love for the park, and we wouldn’t want him to lose any money. We have the typical LeSourdsville Lake visitor’s views, and those are the views that can help make the park a success if he so chooses.” In an e-mail Rubin sent to Fowler, Rubin wrote: “It seems that an appraiser for an auction company stopped in recently to inquire about an auction, and while there gave him an idea of what the equipment was worth. “However, there has been no deal struck to auction the rides, nor is there any intention to do so at this time. I suspect that this walk-through was the cause of the rumors (that the park was up for auction). Mr. Couch assured me that if he decides in the future to liquidate the park, he would announce it publicly.” William H. Robinson of Hamilton, a former LeSourdsville official who owns a business that handles marketing for small amusement parks said: “It would be wonderful for Middletown and Butler County because people really want to go to that type of facility. But you can’t buy a park for an investment because it’s not going to pay you back that fast.” ______________________________________________________________________________________ Shuttered Amusement Park No Closer to Re-Opening By Eric Robinette Last month, Carl Jennings, the owner of Nebraska's Peony Park, announced his interest in buying the park formerly called Americana. He said he contacted Couch and was waiting to receive park financial records. However, on Monday, Couch said, "There has never been anything with Mr. Jennings and me .... I have had no dealings with Mr. Jennings." Couch did not want to comment further on LeSourdsville, which he has owned since 2000. It has been closed since 1999, save for a season in 2002, which ended early after management at the time had problems, including trouble paying employees. Jennings did not return calls seeking comment Monday, and has not responded to repeated calls over several weeks. He had said he wanted to buy the park and operate it himself, hoping especially to capitalize on group picnics as a revenue generator. "It's not so much opening the park to ride
the rides, it's the picnics," he had said. "That's where
the money is made. The days of going out just to ride the rollercoaster
are over." William H. Robinson of Hamilton, who owns a consulting business that deals with small amusement parks, and worked at LeSourdsville as a vice president from the 1960s to the 1980s, said, "If he (Jennings) can open the park and make it work, that's wonderful. I don't see it happening." Jennings said Peony Park in Wahoo, Neb., measured 20 acres and featured a picnic grove with an outdoor dance area, volleyball courts, and some small rides. ___________________________________________________________________ Supporters of Monroe Amusement Park Push for Reopening By Eric Robinette Scott Fowler, park historian and former employee, said Thursday he wants to get supporters together to hear ideas, get park fans on the same page, and let park owner Jerry Couch know they want the Monroe amusement park back. "Our purpose will be to let the public know what's going on with the park, and try to convince Jerry Couch that the park is a gold mine if it's managed right," Fowler said. Fowler runs an unofficial park Web site -- www.americanaamusementpark.com -- on which there is a message board in which several people have expressed interest in "what we can do to save LeSourdsville Lake," as one topic header reads. "Everyone kind of has their own ideas, and I think we need a concentrated effort," Fowler said. "We need to go over some ground rules." The meeting is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. June 3 at the McDonald's near the Ohio 63/Interstate 75 interchange in Monroe, not far from the park on Ohio 4. Many park observers, including Fowler, say LeSourdsville fills a niche market for families and picnic groups and is not meant to be a mega-park like Paramount's Kings Island, where the general admission price for one adult is $42.99. When LeSourdsville was last opened, it charged $2.95 for admission, with ride tickets available separately. "Not every family can afford Kings Island, and they don't want to pay exorbitant prices to have a nice day," Fowler said. "It's an inexpensive alternative for families. I'm not ripping down Kings Island. They're priced in that upper bracket. PKI is a theme park." Except for one somewhat shortened season, LeSourdsville
Lake, formerly known as Americana, has been closed since 1999.
Couch bought the park in 2000 and opened it in 2002 with management
by the Pugh family, of Lancaster. However, the season ended early
amid reported financial problems. Couch has not returned phone messages left this week. ___________________________________________________________________ Owner Still Silent about Plans for Park By Eric Robinette The park has an unofficial Web site at www.americanaamusmentpark.com, named for the park's former moniker. On that Web site is a message board in which the park's fans circulate rumors ranging from the park being put up for auction to possible buyers for the property. Whatever the far-off future holds, an opening in the immediate future looks increasingly unlikely. Melanie Wilt, spokeswoman for the ride safety division of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, said Tuesday no one has contacted the department about ride inspections mandated by law. Typically, Wilt said, parks contact the department at least 30 days before a planned opening, although inspections are possible within a shorter time frame. One of those keeping his hopes high is the Web site's owner, Scott Fowler, a park historian and former employee. "If it opens in 2005, it would certainly be a welcome relief. Everyone who hasn't experienced it yet can come," he said. If an opening is in the offing, Fowler thinks the park needs to be promoted more heavily than the last time it was open in 2002, when the Pugh family operated it. "I think the major problem in 2002 was they didn't advertise. If they put a few extra dollars toward it, that wouldn't be a cure-all, but it would help," said Fowler. The park had an initial flurry of advertising when the opening was announced, but after that, "it kind of died off. There was nothing on the radio, and nothing on TV and in newspapers. There was nothing to draw people after that initial opening," Fowler said. But getting people to come to the park isn't the problem, said Bill Robinson, whose Hamilton-based business, William H. Robinson Inc., handles marketing for small parks like LeSourdsville. Robinson was also the vice president of marketing and operations for LeSourdsville from the 1960s to the 1980s. He's less than optimistic about an opening. "I think we're all beating a dead horse because he (LeSourdsville Lake owner Jerry Couch) is never going to let it happen," Robinson said. Although Robinson calls Couch a "good businessman," Couch does not have the expertise to run an amusement park, Robinson said. "Every small amusement park worth its salt has been operated by families that have been in business for generations. Every client I've got has families that owned (the parks) since they've started them," he said. Couch did not return calls seeking comment. Earlier this year, a Nebraska businessman, Carl Jennings, expressed interest in buying LeSourdsville Lake. However, nothing came of the inquiry. Couch, in one of his few public comments about the park since 2002, said he had "no dealings" with Jennings, who owns Peony Park, which Jennings said was largely a picnic grove. Jennings did not return several calls from The Journal after revealing his interest in LeSourdsville. But even if Couch did sell the park, Robinson thinks it wouldn't succeed because Couch's vehicles for his RV dealership there, have cut into the parking lot. Park experts have noted that a sizable part of LeSourdsville's income has come from company picnics. "If he sold it to you or me tomorrow, we couldn't make it work because there's no place to park ... If they booked Cinergy for their company outing, where are they going to park them?" Robinson asked. "If he's not going to open the park, why let the equipment just sit there? Why not sell it off?" Robinson said. Whatever Couch's plans are for the park, Robinson
thinks something turned Couch off of the amusement park business,
and he thinks Couch may not be inclined to open the park if his
camper sales are good. Robinson said with a laugh. "He's a good businessman, and he has reasons for not doing it, but he's not sharing it with anyone." ___________________________________________________________________ Nebraska Businessman May Reopen Closed Middletown, Ohio, Amusement Park By Eric Robinette If Nebraska businessman Carl Jennings has his way, the blank signs on the highway will say "LeSourdsville Lake" again by this summer -- and a local park watcher is excited at the prospect. But the prospect will become reality only if current park owner Jerry Couch agrees to any sale. When reached by phone Thursday, he said he did not wish to comment at this time, but may make a statement later. In the meantime, Jennings, who revived Peony Park in Wahoo, Neb., is interested in reviving the Monroe amusement park as well. "Your park needs to have an owner and become
part of the community," Jennings said of LeSourdsville, which
has been dormant since 1999, except for one season in 2002 under
Couch. "He's got a shot at doing it if he's got everything in place and he's got his personnel picked out," said Scott Fowler, a park historian. "I think he would be viable and knowledgeable." But Hamilton businessman Bill Robinson isn't 100 percent sure, as he's not familiar with Jennings. Robinson's business, William H. Robinson, Inc. runs marketing for several small amusement parks in the Midwest, and Robinson used to work at LeSourdsville as the vice president of marketing and operations there from the '60s to the '80s, he said. "If he can open the park and make it work,
that's wonderful. I don't see it happening," Robinson said.
Whether LeSourdsville's rides could pass inspection in time for a Memorial Day opening, which is Jennings' hope, is difficult to gauge, said Melanie Wilt, a spokeswoman for the ride safety division of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Wilt noted that some, but not all rides were
operational when the park opened in 2002. The famous Screechin'
Eagle roller coaster was one of the rides that was not open the
first day. "I was told a great deal of money had been spent on it, and I've had people tell me all about that coaster," he said. Even if some of the rides aren't ready to go by this summer, Jennings says a key to LeSourdsville's success would come from group picnics. "It's not so much opening the park to ride the rides, it's the picnics. That's where the money is made. The days of going
out just to ride the roller coaster are over," he said. "An owner's got to be there and grow and learn about the park," Jennings said. This is not the first time Jennings expressed interest in LeSourdsville. He said he was offered the park when Park River Corp. put it up for sale. However, Park River was more interested in selling
the park to someone local, Fowler said. Now, Jennings represents a good opportunity for the park, but he needs to act soon, since other area parks, like Paramount's Kings Island and The Beach will be hiring soon, said Fowler. Jennings, who grew up in the amusement park business, is very eager to save old-fashioned places like LeSourdsville which have died off by the hundreds over the years. "You can"t find a park this historically significant. These types of parks are disappearing," he said. Last month, the Ohio Department of Transportation covered the signs on Interstate 75 that pointed the way to LeSourdsville because a park had not been operating there for some time, a traffic technician said. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Buyer interested in LeSourdsville Lake By
John Kiesewetter MONROE - A Nebraska amusement park owner has asked about buying LeSourdsville Lake, the 82-year-old Butler County park that has been closed for three of the past four summers. "I truly feel this is a park that is ready to reopen," said Carl Jennings, 49, owner of Peony Park in Wahoo, Neb. The 68-acre amusement park, a local icon, has operated for only one brief season, in 2002, since it was purchased in 2000 by Jerry Couch, owner of Couch's Camper Sales in St. Clair Township. Couch has built a camper dealership next to the park on Ohio 4. Jennings said he talked last month to Couch, who promised to send him park financial records. Couch could not be reached for comment. The Nebraska businesssaid he's eager to review the materials and decide whether he could acquire the property in time to open by Memorial Day. "I think it's 50-50," he said about the chances he could take ownership. Timing is critical, he said, because the park's core business should be company or group picnics and reunions. Groups will soon be making their summer plans, he said. "You can't just open the park and say, 'OK people, show up!' If you don't start booking picnics now, your season is dead," he said. Jennings has never seen the old park, along the Great Miami River between Hamilton and Middletown. He plans to make a trip here later this month, he said. "A hundred people have told me about it. I'm told it's well-kept, and clean and new. It just needs to have someone stay, and stick with it." Jennings, who began working at Omaha's historic Peony Park at age 14, says LeSourdsville can't compete on a scale with a huge regional tourist attraction like Paramount's Kings Island. But it could find a niche with families and groups. "So why do it? Because of the nostalgia, and the Americana - no pun intended," Jennings says. "You're not going to make $1 million on it, but you could keep a historic entity open and make a little money." ______________________________________________________________________________________ Although Ohio Park's Signs Are Covered, Hope Lingers that It May Reopen By
Eric Robinette The Ohio Department of Transportation covered up the signs earlier this month, knowing that the park had not been operating for some time, said Ted Scarce, a traffic technician for the department. The brown signs, which point to recreation sites around Ohio, in this case are located on the north and south sides of the interstate, and on the north and south Ohio 63 exit ramps. However, Scarce said, he was not acting on information that the park would not open. He said the department decided on its own to cover the signs to keep from "misleading motorists." Scarce has not heard from Couch or anyone in his organization since last year, he said. "I stopped by probably six months ago and was told (the park) possibly could reopen. They didn't get back with me, so I took it upon myself to cover the signs," Scarce said. An employee at Couch's Campers in Hamilton said Couch had been at a recreational vehicle show in Indiana earlier this week. He was back in Hamilton Thursday, the employee said, but did return messages left by The Journal this week. The ride safety division of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which performs the required inspections of amusement park rides, has not heard from anyone affiliated with LeSourdsville since 2002, the last year the park was open, spokeswoman Debbie Skufca said. The fact that no one has contacted the department does not necessarily mean the park will not open this year, Skufca said. But if plans are made to open the park, representatives must contact the ride safety division at least 30 days before opening. Couch bought the park, formerly called Americana, in 2000 after Park River Corp. closed it one year earlier, citing disappointing attendance. Couch reopened the park in May 2002, but ended up closing it earlier than planned after problems arose, including nonpayment of employees. The LeSourdsville Management Group, run by the Pugh family, operated the park that year. In April 2003, the Expo Management & Ad Agency of Cincinnati, speaking on Couch's behalf, said that the park was seeking new management, and exploring three options: investing in the park and updating the rides, running the park as is with the proper management company, or selling the park to another organization. Some management groups were interviewed last year, Melanie Atkinson, a representative of Expo, said at that time. A press release stated, "With the proper management, investment and marketing, our intention is to watch generations of children and adults enjoy the area." Atkinson this week said her organization no longer represents Couch and that Couch speaks for himself on park matters. Scott Fowler, a park historian and former park employee, said he has heard nothing about the park since last year, when Couch's representatives said they were seeking new management. Jay Stewart, Monroe's development director and acting finance director, said he has heard nothing about the park, except for the occasional rumor that it would be sold. "I've been hearing that ever since they bought the property," Stewart said. Regarding the park's prospects, Stewart said: "You never want to see the property sit vacant. We want to see it get developed, and if it's not going to be a park, we'd like to see some actual commercial development." |
