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On November 2, 2005, Mid South Fair announced they would be closing Libertyland, Memphis's amusement park of 30 years. This site is dedicated to the memories of Libertyland, a true example of the classic amusement park.
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News
4.14.07
thanks to www.DetourMemphis.com!
Check out www.thrillhunter.com for their new Libertyland section! It has a ton of video from a week before the auction.
Libertyland: Is the Ride Over?
1.27.07
Memphis - The up and down rollercoaster ride to save Libertyland seems to be at the end of the line. Memphians with the group "Save Libertyland" say it's a sharp turn of events they didn't see coming. "Just a month ago in December the Mayor asked us to represent our plan to move forward with the park," Denise Parkinson says.
But today the Director of Park Services, Cindy Buchanan told News Channel Three and Parkinson the only plan the city is moving forward with is their own. They're looking at a long term study to determine the best use for the property. "There is no interest in the city administration to re-create any sort of amusement park. In fact, we're looking at whether it even makes since to maintain the buildings that are even there," Buchanan says.
County Commissioner Steve Mulroy has been a big advocate of saving Libertyland. He says in a recent city parks committee meeting he was even led to believe the city was still interested in revamping the amusement park. "There was a whole discussion about how the city was going to take steps to preserve those assets that still remained at the park because they belonged to the city," Mulroy says. Buchanan tells a different story. "I don't believe that we ever told them that we were going to save the park in tact. I believe what we told them is we were no longer interested in having an amusement park there," Buchanan says. The folks with save Libertyland are, and they're not giving up on it yet. "It's like we are not going to give up on this. This is not ethical," Parkinson says.
www.wreg.com
Libertyland Wikipedia Article Edited
1.6.07
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertyland
I have edited the Libertyland article, check it out!
Joyland Deal Off
12.29.06
Just 10 days ago it appeared Joyland and the city of Memphis were ready to move forward, but now that initial agreement is off the table. In a December 27th email to the city's Chief Financial Officer, Joyland's chief wrote he was withdrawing his company's offer to re-open Libertyland in 2007. He says it's because of "extensive damage and removal of buildings".
"If they pulled out this early, it does make me believe that it was probably a doubtful project," says Memphis City Councilman, Scott McCormick. McCormick heads the parks committee that just last week approved Joyland's letter of intent to invest 5 million dollars in the amusement park.
McCormick adds, "What attracted me to the joyland offer is that it involved no city funds, we were just merely going to lease them the site...apparently now they would like the city to put money into the site to bring it up to a standard so that they could operate a park."
McCormick says it was no secret that the Mid-South Fair organization did remove some of the buildings and other infrastructure at Libertyland, with the city's permission. But Denise Parkinson with Saving Libertyland says when Joyland's ownership group made a second visit to the park last week, they just couldn't believe the difference.
"Plumbing, copper wiring, electrical all the fixtures, anything that could be ripped out," says Parkinson.
Still Parkinson's group is not giving up. Parkinson adds, "We are going to fight for this park, 2007 will be our year." Joyland says if the city repairs, what it is calling "damage" at Libertyland, or pays Joyland for the damage, the company would consider a 2008 opening, but McCormick says that's not likely to happen. The Save Libertyland group will present its plan to revive the park to the city council on January 19th.
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