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Indiana Beach Closes alongside other Apex parks (or maybe not!)

davidm

davidm

Strata Poster
Breaking news....

www.wlfi.com

Indiana Beach closes after nearly a century

White County Economic Development Director Randy Mitchell confirmed that Apex Parks Group decided to close Indiana Beach
www.wlfi.com www.wlfi.com

MONTICELLO, Ind. (WLFI) — Indiana Beach closed for good on Wednesday afternoon. White County Economic Development Director Randy Mitchell confirmed that Apex Parks Group decided to close Indiana Beach after a search for buyers ended unsuccessfully. Apex Parks Senior Vice President Gregg Borman told Mitchell the closure was strictly for financial reasons.
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EDITED: As the threads have been merged to make more sense.

So the articles about Apex/Indiana Beach suggest that 3 other parks other than Indiana Beach have been closed. The obvious choice is Fantasy Island NY as they have been selling their rides off but there seem to be two others as well.

Articles here:

Page 6

Amusement Today, November Pre-IAAPA 2021

amusementtoday.com amusementtoday.com

www.wlfi.com

Indiana Beach closes after nearly a century

White County Economic Development Director Randy Mitchell confirmed that Apex Parks Group decided to close Indiana Beach
www.wlfi.com www.wlfi.com
"The future of their employment is uncertain, according to Mitchell. Mitchell also said Apex Parks closed three other amusement parks. "

Apparently Apex also own the three Boomers properties as well so I am guessing it's two of those. I can't find any reference to Indiana Beach or Fantasy Island on their website.
 
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That's so very sad. I'd heard great things about Hoosier Hurricane, Steel Hawg, Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, Tig'rr Coaster and Cornball Express; the park itself reminded me of an upscale Family Kingdom, a park near and dear to me. On the topic of relocations, I could easily see Steel Hawg finding a second home, as it's a thrilling, relatively new coaster; I hope that Knoebels purchases Tig'rr Coaster, as I'm not sure which other park would given its age. I'm certain that as good as I had heard they were, Cornball Express and Hoosier Hurricane will probably be scrapped rather than relocated.
 
SilverArrow said:
So the articles about Apex/Indiana Beach suggest that 3 other parks other than Indiana Beach have been closed. The obvious choice is Fantasy Island NY as they have been selling their rides off but there seem to be two others as well.

Articles here:

Page 6

Amusement Today, November Pre-IAAPA 2021

amusementtoday.com amusementtoday.com

www.wlfi.com

Indiana Beach closes after nearly a century

White County Economic Development Director Randy Mitchell confirmed that Apex Parks Group decided to close Indiana Beach
www.wlfi.com www.wlfi.com

Can't find any reference to Indiana Beach or Fantasy Island on their website.
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@davidm already posted the Indiana Beach article, but Fantasy Island NY hasn't been discussed yet. I'm sad to see another CCI go, alongside the 3 that are being scrapped with Indiana Beach's closure.
 
Gutted about this! So glad I visited last year for the first time! The park had that nice chilled old school local park feel to it with lots of interesting rides. Lost coaster is ridiculously crazy, Hoosier was shut the day I went but Cornball and Lost coaster were great! The park had a unique setting by the lake which was really pleasant, hope someone can buy it but it sounds like they've already been trying. Real big shame. Always felt like I'd go back some day and I know it was a fan favourite so I'm sure lots of people will be sad about this!
 
Merged to keep this as one thread. Appreciate they're different parks, but the whole lot can be discussed here.

This has come totally out of left field, what a shame.
 
Wow.. being a park very close to me, shocker! Lost Coaster was always a favorite and Cornball Express was always a favorite of mine. Fantasy Island was.. well it existed. Got the creds.
 
Can't see the 3 woodies being relocated from Indiana. Hurricane and Cornwall would have to move together really as they share quite a bit of structure. And with Lost Coaster the mountains a big part of that ride. Sad times.
 
STUNNED. JUST STUNNED.
Silver Comet is/was a hugely underrated little woodie and Indiana Beach was really something special. Cornball Express was for me a top ten woodie, and Lost Coaster is/was one of the strangest coasters on Earth.

AND I’ve already booked a hotel and scheduled in a stop at IB for my summer coaster trip. Just staggered.
 
Such a shame. It is sad there aren't enough people around interested in buying these parks. A park I'll never get to. It's a reminder for us to cherish the rides that existing parks have rather than always complaining what they don't have. Use it or lose it I guess.
 
AndrewRollercoaster said:
Such a shame. It is sad there aren't enough people around interested in buying these parks. A park I'll never get to. It's a reminder for us to cherish the rides that existing parks have rather than always complaining what they don't have. Use it or lose it I guess.
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I’m certainly grateful for and appreciative of the thrill rides at the big chain parks, but I always find myself most valuing the unique parks. These closures are another blow against uniqueness, another big step in the direction of homogeneity.

As if U.S. culture needs any more of that.
 
4 CCI coasters, ugh...and 3 had been in my top 10 at one point :(

Hopefully someone comes through and picks up Indiana beach as a whole. In my dreams I could see it being a Six Flags property ...kept like Great Escape or Frontier City, not necessarily flagged. Fantasy Island isn't a real loss, but Silver Comet is truly top wood 10 worthy. (Hmm. FUN SPOT America Niagara!)
 
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CanobieFan said:
4 CCI coasters, ugh...and had been in my top 10 at one point :(

Hopefully someone comes through and picks up Indiana beach as a whole. In my dreams I could see it being a Six Flags property ...kept like Great Escape or Frontier City, not necessarily flagged. Fantasy Island isn't a real loss, but Silver Comet is truly top wood 10 worthy. (Hmm. FUN SPOT America Niagara!)
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In an interview I read the local Indiana county development director said he was told by Apex that they would disassemble the rides this spring and take them to nine company parks in California and two in Florida. I imagine the water park rides will be going to Big Kahuna's and Sahara Sam's, with everything else going to the Boomers and Speed Zone parks. Hard to imagine those FECs or Go Kart parks big enough to accommodate anything other than a flat ride or two, so most everything will be sold off or scrapped. Can't imagine the CCIs going anywhere, so who knows what could happen? Silver Comet alone and it's location doesn't give me hope of ever seeing it operate again, but maybe a nearby park like Seabreeze or perhaps even Marineland could get it for pennies on the dollar since the listing says “Sell if possible”. I'm more likely to think that the Indiana woodies with their lakeside destination might see new life sometime in the future.
 
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