It's just a change in ownership.
Here's another story about the sale:
Story Land sale set
By LORNA COLQUHOUN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
17 hours, 33 minutes ago
BARTLETT ? After more than a half-century of family ownership, one of the White Mountains region's most popular attractions is being sold to a Pennsylvania amusement park company later this spring.
Story Land, founded by Bob and Ruth Morrell on the site of an old saw mill in 1954, has reached an agreement with Kennywood Entertainment of West Mifflin, Pa., near Pittsburgh. The sale price was not disclosed.
"It's a very nice match," said Story Land spokesman Jim Miller "They really value what we do here."
Nancy L. Morrell, president of Morrell Corp., Story Land's parent company, and Peter J. McAney, president of Kennywood, made the announcement to employees yesterday.
"From Story Land's standpoint, we view this more as a marriage into a larger family of theme parks with similar values and philosophies to our own, rather than a sale," Morrell said.
Like several other attractions in the region, such as Santa's Village and Six Gun City in Jefferson and Clark's Trading Post in Lincoln, Story Land has remained in the founding family for two generations. Bob Morrell, fresh out of the 10th Mountain Division, was selling ice cream with his wife in North Conway, considering ways to earn a living in the Mount Washington Valley.
While stationed in Germany, Bob Morrell bought 25 dolls from a woman who created them as if from the pages of fairy tales. She suggested that he open a village for those dolls. Story Land opened in 1954, creating a park based on some of those popular characters of childhood story books.
In time for the 1976 Bicentennial, Morrell opened Heritage New Hampshire next door to Story Land. It operated for the next 30 years, before the decision was made last year to close its doors because of the changing demand in entertainment to more action-based attractions.
The Morrells' son, Stoney, took over the family business after his parents' deaths in the 1990s. He died last October and his sister, Nancy, stepped in as president of the corporation.
The pending sale of a summer attraction in the region is a first, according to Dick Hamilton, former president of White Mountain Attractions in North Woodstock, noting that second and third generations continue to operate similar venues.
"The ski areas are now owned by corporations, but this is the first time we have seen an attraction move in that direction," Hamilton said.
Like Story Land, Kennywood is also a family owned company.
"It has a similar history,'' Miller said. "It's been family-owned since 1898."
McAney said adding Story Land is a natural fit.
"Kennywood Entertainment is in the business of operating clean, beautiful, family parks,'' he said. "I do not think we could find a better fit for our organization than Story Land.''
Kennywood's slogan is "America's Favorite Traditional Amusement Park," and it is known for being home to several wooden roller coasters still in working order, as well as the steel roller coaster, Phantom's Revenge, and the indoor coaster, the Exterminator.
In 2004, Theme Park Magazine's readers' choice awards ranked Kennywood second to Ohio's Cedar Point in the category of "favorite park.'' Kennywood is also one of two amusement parks listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In addition to Kennywood in Pittsburgh, the company owns and operates several other seasonal parks, including Lake Compounce in Connecticut, the nation's oldest theme park; Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier, Pa., named by Amusement Today magazine as one of the nation's best children's parks; and Sandcastle Waterpark and Riverplex in Pittsburgh.
Story Land opens for its 54th season on Memorial Day weekend.
Topic: Kennywood acquires Story Land (Read 1171 times)