Park is Trying to Eliminate $2.4 Billion in Debt
Six Flags Amusement Park in Eureka, Missouri and I have had sort of a special relationship over the years. I used to go there when I was a kid. I took my first date there when I was a teenager. It has the first (and only) water park that I've ever been to. And when I got one of my first jobs managing a restaurant it was at a Wendy's right up the road from the park.At the restaurant the park was basically our main source of income. Because of the park, we were the busiest restaurant in the chain in the summer and the deadest in the winter. Every thing that we did was tied into what the park was doing. We even had a lot of cross promotions with them. The managers at my store used to gauge just how busy of a night they would have by the parking lot at Six Flags.
If the lot was barely full, then the night wouldn't be too busy. If it was full, then you had a busy night cut out for you. If they were parking out on the grass in front of the park, that meant that there was probably some kind of concert going on there that night and your life would basically be impossible until you closed.
Over the years the park had its ups and downs. Some years a new ride would open and we could look forward to a record summer, other years there would be a lull and that meant a slower than usual summer, and less money in our pockets. Sometimes there would be a tragedy at the park. I remember when an overweight, drunk, fat woman fell to her death out of one of the roller coaster rides when they couldn't get the restraint around her. The giant neon orange pumpkin face that they turned the ferris wheel into at Halloween seemed a little sadder that year.
Now Six Flags has become a victim of our economic times. They recently filed bankruptcy under Chapter 11. According to CNN, the plan would help with a $2.4 billion dollar debt that the company has inherited. According to company spokesmen the park will remain open business as usual. They hope that restructuring will make them financial stronger in the future. I hope so, because I'm sure the park holds a lot of precious memories for a lot of people, including me.
Source: http://www.slfp.com/SixFlags.htm
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