Hard Rock Park sale official Watch Video Read Comments
ADVERTISEMENT
Photo
By Joel Allen
Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 4:11 p.m.

Read more: Local, Hard Rock Park, Sold, Ticket, Season, Rides, Baker

It's official. The "i's" are all dotted and the "t's" crossed. Hard Rock Park has a new owner.

Bankruptcy judge Kevin Carey signed off on the deal Thursday afternoon, that will transfer ownership of the park to a new company called FPI MB Entertainment.

Company officials say they had been looking at buying the park ever since it declared bankruptcy last September.

They say they'll do work on some rides, but the park is in great shape and restaurants and shops simply need to be restocked before opening.

They say they have money set aside to make any necessary changes for this season and a strategy for future years.

There's so much interest in will happen at Hard Rock Park, we decided to spell out in detail just what we know.

Here then is our top ten list of questions and answers about the new Hard Rock Park.

1. Let's start with annual passes. Will those season passes from last year still be good? Yes, they will be honored. Steve Baker, who heads the management team, says they want season ticket holders back.

2. What about ticket prices? General admission, walk-up tickets will cost around $39. Season passes will be $75, half the price from last year.

3. Will there be a parking charge? Probably. "We're pretty sure we're gonna have a parking charge. We're discussing what that charge will be. On the annual passes, it'll be free, of course," said Baker.

4. Will the park add any more rides? Baker says, one of the biggest complaints from last year was that there wasn't enough for kids to do.. So the park will add 3 or 4 new children's rides and update some existing rides to make them more family friendly.

5. Another common complaint was about the former owner's marketing strategy. Baker says the new team will partner with hotels, restaurants, time shares, AAA "anybody and everybody" to market the park.

6. What will be the new park's name? The new owners are working on a deal with Hard Rock Café International to keep the Hard Rock Brand. "We want to keep it a music park, and it would be difficult to overnight not be a Hard Rock Park," said Baker.

7. Will the new owners change the look of the park? They're working on plans that include changes to landscaping, water features and shops.

8. Now, on to employment. Who will they hire? They'll have around 750 to 1,000 employees, young and old, college students, high school kids, Baker says, "anybody who wants to work." Hiring will start around 6 weeks prior to the opening on Memorial Day Weekend.

9. Will there be a preference for former employees? Yes. Baker says they want to hire local and regional people and past employees will be given a good look.

10. Finally, how do you apply for a job at Hard Rock Park? That's what so many people want to know, but it just hasn't been worked out yet. The owners have promised to inform NewsChannel 15 just as soon as they have a hiring plan set up.

When all is said and done, Baker says the new team is determined not to repeat the errors of the former owners. "We're very cognizant of the mistakes that were made and to us they were very basic: not becoming part of the community, not asking for the assistance, not taking advantage of what exists here," said Baker.

Baker says he made up a thick book, several hundred pages, of complaints about the park from patrons and employees.

He gave a copy of the book to everyone on his core team, and told them, here's what we're not going to do.

 

SPONSORED CONTENT
4 Comments on this Story
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; they are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, WPDE, its directors or employees. If you believe a comment violates the Barrington Terms of Use, please report it here.

Attention New Owners...Follow these steps to success!!

Posted by Hopeful Resident, Myrtle Beach - Friday, February 20, 2009 at 11:25 a.m.

It will only succeed this time if the following steps are followed:

1st - Tickets should be NO MORE than $25 for adults, and less for children!!
2nd - Parking should be NO MORE than $5!!
3rd - There HAS to be more rides and attractions...for ALL ages!!
4th - LET THE PARK BE SEEN!! Don't hide it behind all that trashy area of empty buildings, and Big gates. They NEED to TEAR DOWN that ridiculous ancient, mostly abandoned "Mall" area and spread the park out on that property. They own it, so USE it!! It's a HUGE eyesore and no one can even see the park! That was one major mistake in the design of the park to begin with!!

The Cedar Point park in Sandusky, Ohio of which there are over 20 major roller coaster and thrill rides and WAY more, only charges $40 for adults, plus has kids pricing, and it's worth it!!!!! This park won't be able to be nearly as big or elaborate as that one, so the new owners need to do their research and be fair in pricing based on what this park is truly worth.

Hopefully these new owners realize they got this park at a steal and put the necessary rides, attractions, and redevelopment into the property that's needed, or it will fail again.

glad

Posted by Former Employee, myrtle beach - Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 11:24 p.m.

glad they decided to buy the park...i am hopeing on working there again this summer, it was so much fun seeing all those smiling faces last year. They do need to put in some cooler rides though with all the extra space they have!

former proud employee

Posted by Revonda Mace, Conway, S.C. - Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 7:42 p.m.

Thank goodness somone bought HRP. It is time we put Myrtle Beach back on the map and encourage people to visit. Working together with the community to ensure familes enjoy their stay and come back for years to come.

Not right

Posted by Ellen Smith, Conway, SC - Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 5:57 p.m.

what a way of getting out of paying your bills,file bankruptcy than rebuy for less than what you owe.
Hiles and Duncan were two of the founding members of the original Hard Rock Park and Duncan served on the board of directors of the park.

LOCAL SPONSORS
The Cat’s Meow, located at 1141 Highway 544 in Myrtle Beach, has an experienced staff of veterinarians and vet technicians that work to better your cat’s health. More Details



SPONSORED LINKS
EMAIL & TEXT ALERTS
Weather Call
News
ADVERTISEMENT

PopularCommented


CONSUMER INFO