Volume 3, No. 8. April 25, 2003
Cypress Adventures
Annual passholders
at his park suggested to Kent Buescher that he look into purchasing just-closed
Cypress Gardens. The president of Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia,
was a bidder last year for the bankrupt Visionland Theme Park in Birmingham,
Alabama, and he’s always on the lookout for growth opportunities. “I’m
interested in growing our business, both here in Valdosta and growing at other
locales,” he said. “We’ve explored a number of alternatives,
and continue to do so.”
However, he couldn’t explore Cypress Gardens because his calls to the park’s
owners went unreturned, he said. When he told Amusement Today of his
frustration, a reporter for the paper mentioned Buescher’s desire to the
Orlando Sentinel newspaper, and overnight the man who built a tiny south
Georgia amusement park into a 1.2 million-drawing theme park in a half dozen
years was seen as the potential Cypress savior.
“I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of calls from people who want to save
that thing and asking me, ‘What can we do to help you?’ I’ve
had good conversations with state officials. I’ve gotten preliminary commitment
from lenders to pursue a purchase. We have spoken with a lot of folks, but not
with anybody who has a stake of ownership in the park. I’m interested,
but I can’t buy it unless you’ve got a willing seller, and right now
it doesn’t appear there’s a willing seller.”
While noting he cannot adequately evaluate whether such a purchase would be
viable without more research, he believes Cypress Garden has potential. “You
can’t take Cypress Gardens and turn it into Wild Adventures and get it
to fly. Obviously it would have to build upon the heritage of the park that’s
there. One, you have to preserve the water ski show. Two, you’d have to
preserve the gardens. Three, the project has to have broad appeal that would
include the seniors that make up its historical attendance and bring families
back into the mix in a strong way. Rides would be a part of it, but it wouldn’t
be a hard ride park.”
He cites Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as a perfect model of blending
a theme park with heritage and nature “in a way that’s seamless.”
“If I can help preserve that park and keep operating it as a park, I’d
be interested in that,” Buescher said of Cypress Gardens. “I don’t
know if I’ll have the opportunity.”
Even if he doesn’t get the opportunity, he’s accomplished a marketing
coup for his Valdosta park. Buescher has conducted several news interviews,
and Wild Adventures’ Public Relations Coordinator Sara Sumner spent most
of her days this week on the phone telling the park’s story to dozens of
Florida media outlets. “He’s certainly made my job easier,” she
said.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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