Libertyland
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Libertyland was Memphis, Tennessee's only amusement park. Opened in 1976, it was located at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd. It was structured under the nonprofit 501(c)4 US tax code. The park closed due to financial reasons in 2005.
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[edit] History
Libertyland opened as an amusement park on the Mid-South Fairgrounds in 1976. Before then, the fair had operated on the land, including the Zippin Pippin and the carousel. The city of Memphis decided it was time for an amusement park for the city. The park opened in 1976 with several rides, including the pre-existing rides that had operated in that place before. The Zippin Pippin was widely popular as it was Elvis' favorite wooden roller coaster. The Denztel Carousel was also a classic and was widely appreciated. The park gradually drew in decent crowds over the years, but never made a great profit. The park continued to add attractions such as one called Revolution and others. During the late 1990's, the park added a topsin ride, dubbed "Tidal Wave", the ride was removed later, and in April, 2002, the drop tower Rebellion was added. The ride featured a 90 foot drop and drew larger crowds to the park.
[edit] Attractions
Libertyland featured around 24 attractions
- Park's Peak
- The Thriller
- Surf City Water Slide
- Wipeout
- Zippin Pippin
- Big Bumper Boats
- Old Hickory Log Flume
- Tennessee Tilt
- Twain's Twister
- Revolution
- Rebellion
- Sea Dragon
- Paratrooper
- Kamikaze
- Little Bumper Boats
- Car-Go-Round
- Pirate Ship
- Red Baron
- Umbrella Ride
- Dragon Wagon
- Casey's Cannonball
- Grand Carousel
- Turnpike Antique Cars
- Fun Run
[edit] Financial Troubles
For many years, it was widely known that Libertyland was having financial difficulties, namely it was not turning a profit. New attractions were not being added, and crowds began to diminish. In 2005, the park invested in a firm to redo the parks image. A new logo was designed, buildings were repainted, but the effort did not bring in enough of a profit, if any.
[edit] Closure
The park operated its last day for a corporate day on October 29, 2005. In early November, a meeting was called before the Mid-South Fair board of committee to close the park. The vote was passed and the announcement was made public. Their reasonings included lack of profit, a steady decline of attendance, and they wanted to extend the midway for the annual Mid-South Fair which operates adjacent to the Libertyland site for 10 days in October.
[edit] Grass-Roots Effort
Within days of the announcement to close the park, a group formed to save the park. The group, Save Libertyland!, fought against Mid-South Fair to keep the park open, citing that the park drew in hundreds of jobs for the Memphis area teens and was one of the few places for families to spend time in Memphis. Several benefits were held to gain support for the movement. The park brought in a few companies willing to purchase the park, mainly Joyland, Inc. (T-Rex Entertainment), which was known for buying financially-troubled amusement parks and turning them around. Though there was a debate over who actually had rights to the rides, since in reality, the city actually owned some of the rides, Mid-South Fair did not back down and went on with plans to auction the assets off.
[edit] Auction & Post-Movement
Mid-South Fair brought in an auctioneer group and the auction was held on June 21, 2005. Most rides were sold, including the Zippin Pippin, which sold for only $2,500. The ride was bought by a traveling rock museum who only wanted one car of the train. Carolina Crossroads later bought Zippin Pippin and will be moving it there in the near future. The Revolution was bought by DelGrosso's Amusement Park and will be opening there in 2008. Other rides were dispersed to other locations around the country.
In December of 2006, Joyland Inc. made a bold move and sent the city a letter of intent stating their intention of reopening Libertyland, more as a new amusement park on the former Libertyland site. The deal was to be completed on a three-year lease plan. However, upon viewing the park in person, Joyland Inc. pulled out of the deal due to extensive damage including infrastructure damage, wiring, and plumbing.
[edit] Future
The future of the Libertyland site is uncertain, redevelopment plans for the fairground have been presented, but nothing has been set. The Zippin Pippin will be moving to Carolina Crossroads, and the carousel is expected to stay in Memphis.
