The Kentucky Kingdom amusement park has spent a second straight summer behind locked gates, as the state fair board seeks a new operator. Board officials say they’re committed to getting the park back up and running. It appears the park will stay closed for a third summer, with officials most likely looking toward a 2013 reopening. Kentucky Kingdom has been shut down since early last year, when its previous operator, Six Flags, declared bankruptcy.State Fair Board spokeswoman Amanda Storment says the property and remaining rides are being maintained in the meantime. "The grounds staff of the Kentucky Exposition Center continues the upkeep of the Kentucky Kingdom property, which includes our horticulture personnel, who maintain the physical grounds The operations staff, which includes plumbers and electricians, are now in the process of winterizing the park, and the property itself continues to be a part of our regular maintenance schedule," she said. The fair board and developer Ed Hart negotiated for months toward a deal that would have Hart’s company run the park, but the talks fell through late last month.Fair Board President Harold Workman has said there are other firms interested in operating the park.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.