Thanks for the info.

In context of $2 billion, I think it's okay to call 7 million insignificant. lol

lol, it’s only significant in that it’s not a small sum of money in general and that it has been spent on land in an area intended for the park that’s not undergoing any kind of land speculation renaissance.

Just an aside here, but using Heartland in the name is a home run. I hear more and more people on the coasts using that name. As in, “I’ve never been much off the west or east coast, but I’d really like to make a trip into the heartland. Smaller cities, slower way of life. I’d like to see all that.” I hear some variation on this theme a lot more than I used to.

^^^^^^
...
I think that the guy (Bicknell) is quite possibly a billionaire with a "B." Again, he owned over 1,000 Pizza Huts and sold them just a few years ago. He owns media companies, entertainment companies, film and television production companies, and on and on. He is real.

That said, none of that means he is writing a check for all of this. And he has a proven ability to finance big things. He has also already clearly spent millions to get to this point on this park plan. I think he is quite serious about this development. And again, I think he/they may have enough horsepower. But the idea that he is personally writing a check for $2 billion is a bit silly on the surface. It's not something he will have to do if he doesn't want to.

Possibly. Within his family I can believe they have a billion if all the info about his various franchises and his son's business is accurate. His "media companies" do not impress me in the slightest, so I don't understand why people even bring them up. They look like placeholders to me. The animation arm of Mansion has produced one movie that I can see, and it's about Gene himself, LOL. Their television division has apparently created one show, and it was a live recording of a symphony that aired on public TV. What artists do they represent in their "sound" division? What do they distribute in their "distribution" arm, and where to? Where is their supposed movie studio?

Maybe some of this $2 billion is about building some of those things, particularly the studios. That would make more sense, especially if they are dipping into the "pureflix" line of business in creating a Christian media ecosystem.

^^^^^^^^^^^
"Media companies" referred to his radio stations.

83-year-old Gene Bicknell had a very outspoken podcast and social media accounts and as of a few months ago, all the content has been deleted. I suspect a great deal of what he has said and posted would not reflect well on this project.


GeneBicknell.com From a humble start in Baxter Springs, Kansas to becoming a multi-millionaire and the largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the world, Gene Bicknell made his own path through life. His journey has allowed him to see many sides of life and given him decades of business and life experience providing a unique perspective on political and social events of today.


Some of his podcast thumbnails, all from the last year and a half:

"I'm tired of this racist crap!"
Gene proclaims on his podcast today, "I'm Tired of this Racist Crap!" Listen why he feels this way, his own family history regarding racism, and how he feels this nation needs to move forward.

"Fake News Teaches Hate"
If you think Fake News is harmless, think again. It's more than just bad information, it plants seeds of division and hate. It paints a darker picture of our world that everyone is a bad person in disguise, rigging the systems so you can't succeed. But what is really going on?

"You Can't Create UNITY With DIVISION"
In today's Patriot Podcast Gene touches on a several issues and events taking place in our nation today that on the surface seem like nothing to warrant alarm. Is there an attack on our food supply? Are some of the policies that appear to encourage diversity actually creating more division?

"Our Country Has Gone Crazy!"
In today's Patriot Podcast with Gene Bicknell, Gene talks about the the status of our country. Our country has gone crazy! The social issues we're facing, the political choices being made, the level of unrest and economic problems and the lack of logic, reasoning and common sense just doesn't make any sense.

"The Academy Awards Are Dying - So Is The Nation"
Our outspoken patriot, Gene Bicknell, weighs in on his feelings about the Academy Awards and the Hollywood elite and their political correctness. The Academy Awards are dying and so is the nation. We have to return to the values and character that made this a great nation.

83-year-old Gene Bicknell had a very outspoken podcast and social media accounts and as of a few months ago, all the content has been deleted. I suspect a great deal of what he has said and posted would not reflect well on this project.




Some of his podcast thumbnails, all from the last year and a half:

"I'm tired of this racist crap!"
Gene proclaims on his podcast today, "I'm Tired of this Racist Crap!" Listen why he feels this way, his own family history regarding racism, and how he feels this nation needs to move forward.

"Fake News Teaches Hate"
If you think Fake News is harmless, think again. It's more than just bad information, it plants seeds of division and hate. It paints a darker picture of our world that everyone is a bad person in disguise, rigging the systems so you can't succeed. But what is really going on?

"You Can't Create UNITY With DIVISION"
In today's Patriot Podcast Gene touches on a several issues and events taking place in our nation today that on the surface seem like nothing to warrant alarm. Is there an attack on our food supply? Are some of the policies that appear to encourage diversity actually creating more division?

"Our Country Has Gone Crazy!"
In today's Patriot Podcast with Gene Bicknell, Gene talks about the the status of our country. Our country has gone crazy! The social issues we're facing, the political choices being made, the level of unrest and economic problems and the lack of logic, reasoning and common sense just doesn't make any sense.

"The Academy Awards Are Dying - So Is The Nation"
Our outspoken patriot, Gene Bicknell, weighs in on his feelings about the Academy Awards and the Hollywood elite and their political correctness. The Academy Awards are dying and so is the nation. We have to return to the values and character that made this a great nation.

Definite old guy yelling at the clouds vibes LOL.

Bicknell is 91, not 83.

TexasLand theme park planned! Lmao
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-sized-fun-for-everyone-texas-theme-park-could-come-as-early-as-2026/3298299/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DFWBrand&fbclid=IwAR0gR7V_S144pUeW-GYN4c6GmuM_gAWttE1ZhGrz8k9GuUcxP08ZUW82Efk_aem_AUR IjltBxkQm0nq3kdlPPHauXW9iil8KtsS0aXs1fF0sK-yKAiczg3hFKhqIvDpuPn4&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Definite old guy yelling at the clouds vibes LOL.

Judging by his deleted Twitter account, it's more like old guy yelling at Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and George Soros with a healthy amount of conspiracy theories mixed in.

I met some folks verifiably connected to both the political field and the tourism industry in northeast Oklahoma, folks who also do much business with the Osage AND with the Cherokee. They told me they also know the developers involved in this project and that they are as real as real gets. Take that for what it’s worth.

I met some folks verifiably connected to both the political field and the tourism industry in northeast Oklahoma, folks who also do much business with the Osage AND with the Cherokee. They told me they also know the developers involved in this project and that they are as real as real gets. Take that for what it’s worth.

I've heard the same along with rides being worked on already which is why they feel like the 2026 date is realistic to accomplish. I wouldn't be surprised if they are looking at the Disney tax district model as well and is my guess to why we haven't seen much discussion about TIF, etc. Frankly, that's where the conservative vibes could help them get legislation through too. I had heard there was something possibly going to be thrown into the special session but ultimately it was too fast and didn't want to pollute it with the fact the session was about veto override. That's likely the point of bring Cathy onboard as a consultant to deal with how that would all work and they've been working with the Vinita state rep who was at the announcement. My guess is there will be legislation introduced next regular session.

So let's say a very modest estimate of 2 million visitors and they spend $50 average for entry pass and food/drink each - mostly likely the spend amount per person would be way higher than that, like probably $100/person or more - but that is $100,000,000 in sales and say they can set up a district that recovers nearly all city, county, state sales taxes with maybe a bit carved out to go back to the school district or city. So let's say 7% tax rate (with 0.50% to 1.0% carved out) goes back to American Heartland in the taxing district that is $7,000,000 a year in sales taxes alone. That's $175,000,000 over 25 years. Also, if the taxing district is set up where they don't have to pay any property taxes - you can easily see where this could all start adding up pretty quickly to allow them to leverage that to subsidize a big portion of the park and future developments. Add in them being able to recoup sales tax on the hotel/resort, RV camp ground, etc. etc. and all of that adds up really quick. Not hard to see how they can see $500 million or so in 'savings' in sales taxes alone over 25 years. If a special taxing district is set up then they can bond it just like a city government could, obviously with a dude and other family members combined wealth of $1 billion + I bet they'll get some banks interested in that pretty quickly.

TexasLand theme park planned! Lmao
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-sized-fun-for-everyone-texas-theme-park-could-come-as-early-as-2026/3298299/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DFWBrand&fbclid=IwAR0gR7V_S144pUeW-GYN4c6GmuM_gAWttE1ZhGrz8k9GuUcxP08ZUW82Efk_aem_AUR IjltBxkQm0nq3kdlPPHauXW9iil8KtsS0aXs1fF0sK-yKAiczg3hFKhqIvDpuPn4&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

LOL - a kickstarter by a college student.

https://www.fox23.com/news/local/groundbreaking-on-phase-one-of-vinita-theme-park-development-imminent-construction-jobs-already-being-filled/article_59ccc898-5349-11ee-b600-178f323ec0f7.html

According to this, construction on the RV park is slated to start within a few months.

My wife and I had this discussion several months ago and genuinely think the RV Park will be built as presented and then there will be budget concerns that will sideline the rest of the development.

The video interviews the Mayor of Vinita and says this, "He says work on theme park will likely begin in the spring, and the city is also helping other developers expedite the permitting process to build the necessary homes, restaurants, hotels and other infrastructure to support the town’s surge in population."

So, there will be an expedited process for building housing in the area for this development. I am in lending and would be hard pressed to find someone that would lend money on spec rental or for sale homes in an area with a potential theme park and really nothing else. The LTV would have to be pretty low, at least to start, until they started selling and then go from there. That is unless it is very close to Grand Lake and then it might be easier.

My wife and I had this discussion several months ago and genuinely think the RV Park will be built as presented and then there will be budget concerns that will sideline the rest of the development.

The video interviews the Mayor of Vinita and says this, "He says work on theme park will likely begin in the spring, and the city is also helping other developers expedite the permitting process to build the necessary homes, restaurants, hotels and other infrastructure to support the town’s surge in population."

So, there will be an expedited process for building housing in the area for this development. I am in lending and would be hard pressed to find someone that would lend money on spec rental or for sale homes in an area with a potential theme park and really nothing else. The LTV would have to be pretty low, at least to start, until they started selling and then go from there. That is unless it is very close to Grand Lake and then it might be easier.

Grand Lake?

Did you finish reading warreng88's comment? Because that is what he mentioned.

Did you finish reading warreng88's comment? Because that is what he mentioned.

:yeahthat:

This is the area it will be built in. Running the mileage, it is 6 miles from Vinita (Population 5,189 as of 2021) and 10 miles from Bernice, OK, which is the westernmost part of Grand Lake.
18260

Looking at the area, Three Ponies RV Park and Campground already has a pin dropped and a website: https://www.threeponiesrvparkandcampground.com/

I am also curious where the people who are doing the construction are going to come from or live? Will temp housing be built or will they have to commute in?

they are having ground breaking ceremony OCT 30th for the three ponies resort.

Very intriguing how this has pushed forward. They are apparently the real deal after all. Still a LONG ways to go before they get to a $2 billion resort, but I honestly expected little to come from all this. The plans that have been shown on social media are ambitious, but they seem to have done their homework and are talking to the right consultants at least. The descriptions of rides list the proper industry manufacturers at least, so they aren't just throwing out random concepts.

I am still pessimistic that the theme park will be anything like what was originally described, but I do feel confident they will build something. Should be something to rival SDC at least. Personally, I think it will be hard to beat SDC's charm and historic appeal, but this will be closer and I'll visit both.

I'm not holding my breath on any of this. An RV park is super easy to build, and can be expanded on your masterplan in as many phases as you want. They can open a 30 slip shop and say they're "open for business". But that's not the same as opening a theme park of this size with no support base to staff it or even customers to visit it.

Someone mentioned Branson as a comparison. Well Branson got it's start as a collection of attractions that organically grew into what you see today. One big tourist trap of expense bull crap. Opening a theme park of this size is absolutely not the same thing. There are so many other places this could have gone to help it be more successful. They really chose an area in a corner of the state, where it stands the least. I'm sure they thought they will be drawing NW AR and Tulsa, SW MO, etc. But all of those together, make for a small MSA. Even putting them all together, you only get OKC.

If I'm going to drive 3 hours, i'm going to Six Flags, no Vinita.

First phase of American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita begins construction: See the plans so far

They're not holding their horses, the developers promising a rip roaring, head-turning, doubt-inspiring, $2 billion — with a "b" — entertainment destination in Vinita called American Heartland Theme Park and Resort.

With an annexation debate with the city of Vinita behind them — the Vinita City Council approved annexing a little more than 6 square miles on Sept. 26 — American Heartland started construction this week on the first phase of the ambitious project:

Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, planned to open in 2025, followed the next year by the main 125-acre theme park meant to rival Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in California.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/business/real-estate/2023/11/02/vinita-ok-american-heartland-theme-park-construction-phase-one-opening-2025/71398880007/

Surprised no one talked about it yet on here. The American Heartland theme Park Mansion corp was the Grand Finale float at the Rose Bowl New Years Parade. It got a lot of attention plus they hired award winning singers like Jordan Sparks and Tanya Tucker to sing on the float and ride the float. The float had the three ponies on it for the three ponies resort they are building next to the park and the the American Heartland Theme Park sign, I know the station I was watching the parade the commentator mentioned Oklahoma and the new Theme park. I thought it was neat that Oklahoma was the Finale talk at the End of the Rose Bowl Parade.

Surprised no one talked about it yet on here. The American Heartland theme Park Mansion corp was the Grand Finale float at the Rose Bowl New Years Parade. It got a lot of attention plus they hired award winning singers like Jordan Sparks and Tanya Tucker to sing on the float and ride the float. The float had the three ponies on it for the three ponies resort they are building next to the park and the the American Heartland Theme Park sign, I know the station I was watching the parade the commentator mentioned Oklahoma and the new Theme park. I thought it was neat that Oklahoma was the Finale talk at the End of the Rose Bowl Parade.

Oklahoma was also represented at the end of the London New Year's Day Parade (and throughout it). :)

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=7290&p=1254846#post1254846

Surprised no one talked about it yet on here. The American Heartland theme Park Mansion corp was the Grand Finale float at the Rose Bowl New Years Parade. It got a lot of attention plus they hired award winning singers like Jordan Sparks and Tanya Tucker to sing on the float and ride the float. The float had the three ponies on it for the three ponies resort they are building next to the park and the the American Heartland Theme Park sign, I know the station I was watching the parade the commentator mentioned Oklahoma and the new Theme park. I thought it was neat that Oklahoma was the Finale talk at the End of the Rose Bowl Parade.

I mean, that's cool, but what an odd marketing splurge.

Currently the construction is on-going, but it looks like all they have done so far is lay out a big gravel pad. Obviously very, very early in the game, and having any dirt moving at all is a big step, but still not enough yet to convince any doubters.

This summer will be the telling point. RV park should have some major progress by then on some of the buildings and they should be announcing the start of the theme park construction by then I presume. Actually, if they are going to open in 2026, they should have already started on it...

Just noticed that these guys appear to have also purchased the Cherokee Spur Ranch/Lodge and some adjacent properties all between Cleora and Bernice early last year which includes over 1000 acres and 2+ miles of lake frontage on Grand Lake. So apparently they are planning more than just a theme park near Vinita which is about 8 miles from this area. It seems that a massive resort with a casino on a desirable part of Grand Lake would've been a much more realistic starting point...but what do I know lol.

Yeah, especially when you consider the multiple, several billion dollar developments on lake Texoma.

Been pretty quiet this month. I just did a search for updated progress photos and couldn't find any. I'm not expecting much since it's January and the weather has sucked, but by now they should have a bunch of dirt moved around at the very least. They had bulldozed a few acres of rectangular area early this month. With the great weather this week they should be making good progress. Supposedly the concrete batch plant shows up in March.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni8Vj3C-C_o&ab_channel=AmericanHeartlandThemeParkandResort
Found their supposed official youtube channel. I have to be honest.. for a $2,000,000,000 investment, if this is their actual official account its quite amateur.
Another big thing is why did they mark their videos as made for kids? That cuts them out of the youtube algorithm limiting their reach, removes the ability to display most ads, and disables all comments.

For those who are unaware when you upload a video onto youtube a button appears with a slider that states "This video is made for Kids". Having videos of construction equipment moving gravel around for an RV park doesn't make sense to have under that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni8Vj3C-C_o&ab_channel=AmericanHeartlandThemeParkandResort
Found their supposed official youtube channel. I have to be honest.. for a $2,000,000,000 investment, if this is their actual official account its quite amateur.
Another big thing is why did they mark their videos as made for kids? That cuts them out of the youtube algorithm limiting their reach, removes the ability to display most ads, and disables all comments.

For those who are unaware when you upload a video onto youtube a button appears with a slider that states "This video is made for Kids". Having videos of construction equipment moving gravel around for an RV park doesn't make sense to have under that.

As an aside, Made for Kids videos also turns off the ability to play videos in the background or as Picture-In-Picture which has been annoying at times. There are a couple of engineering channels that label all of their videos as Made for Kids and I don't know why as their content is pretty advanced.

There are plenty of kids that enjoy advanced content. Smarter Every Day often times has his elementary-aged kids on his episodes and they can be "advanced" for kids. He is a pretty good science communicator. The most embarrassing thing he has taught me is that if there is a helium balloon in a vehicle and you hit the brakes, the balloon will rush towards the rear of the vehicle instead of the front. It's obvious when you think about it, but I just had never considered that.

^^^^^^^
I remember that when I first learned of this in a class I could not wait to run out and buy balloons and try it for myself (yes, I was of driving age before I learned this simple scientific principal). To tag on to what you posted, for anyone who is aware of this phenomenon the reason for this action is that the G force attained by slamming on the brakes causes the air in the cabin to rush to the front. Even though you don't feel air movement, there is enough to cause something lighter-than-air to move in the opposite direction. The exact opposite happens when you hit the gas; air flows to the back of the passenger cabin, causing the balloons to move forward toward the windshield. It's a fun trick.

Anyway, some of the locals on the various Facebook groups around Vinita have posted a few drive by vids lately. There's not much to see. The gravel pad that was prepared earlier sits pretty much empty. I think there's one small construction trailer and one piece of equipment sitting idle out there right now. There's lots of orange construction fencing marking the bounds of the project sitting out there, but that is about the only sign that construction is "happening". According to someone who mentioned speaking with a construction worker at one point, they are waiting on the arrival of the concrete plant in March to start more serious work.

Seems odd to me. Why rush to break ground, then have it sit for 2-3 months before starting the real work? Kinda seems like they just wanted to make the video shown above of things happening so they could legitimize themselves. This looks worse to anyone paying attention, IMO. We better see some serious activity in March. I know they have a year before opening, but it still takes awhile based on the scale of what they have proposed.

Or, like most of us think, its all just smoke and mirrors to try to attract buzz and investment on a project that has absolutely zero chance of happening.

^^^^
The sheer numbers of visitors to make this a success would have to be Disneyesque. They would never get those numbers.

I don't see how they could build a modern theme park in less than 2 years that is actually competitive. I know Epic Universe is huge in comparison, but that has been under construction for 3 years now with a completion date of next summer 2025. If they didn't get it built that fast, its just going to be a bunch of cookie cutter off the shelf rides.

So... on their facebook page a few days ago they announced that they are already projected to go overbudget and are therefor looking to raise capital soon. They have barely even broken ground. Still no sign of new activity at the RV site where they made a big show of pushing a bit of dirt around earlier.

I was holding out a bit of hope for them, but to already have to raise funds instead of just re-organizing the project to spread things out a bit more looks really dumb. The timeline is still so silly.

This is the post from their FB page; sounds like they are trying to get more public money:


American Heartland Theme Park
2/19/24
·
We’ve been a little quiet, and we know everyone looks forward to updates. Those of you who have been involved with or have knowledge about large projects will understand that progress is happening, even if we can’t see it on the site. So, here are the facts of what’s currently happening.

The scope of the American heartland project has grown. Because of this, the cost to support the project is also growing. Mansion Entertainment Group is continuing to engage with local and state leaders to make sure funding is available to make this project a success. Oklahoma has never seen a project of this size and we want to make sure we work together to do it right. The theme park, rv resort and hotel capacities have all increased. While this is good news, as a result, project development costs are trending beyond the originally projected $2B. In the coming months, Mansion Entertainment Group will estimate and reissue a warranted investment figure that aligns with updated financial projections and increased attendance and costs.

We are excited to announce that PepsiCo will be our exclusive soft drink provider for the resorts and we look forward to announcing many more partnerships in the upcoming months.

"The scope of the American heartland project has grown."

How could the scope possibly grow more? lol

"The scope of the American heartland project has grown."

How could the scope possibly grow more? lol

They are adding a "legendary Tower"? Sorry I'm thinking of different pie in the sky. :)

"The scope of the American heartland project has grown."

How could the scope possibly grow more? lol

$2 billion wasn't big enough so they increased their scope while admitting they need help with the financing.

Makes sense.

$2 billion wasn't big enough so they increased their scope while admitting they need help with the financing.

Makes sense.

Apparently the scope increasing is related to them buying a huge section of land fronting Grand Lake one the western shoreline in the Cleora/Bernice area. What is being communicated is that site will be a resort, housing, commercial development bigger than Shangri-La and likely come with upgrades to Highway 60 between those areas to connect them. A grand lake resort frankly seems way more feasible than the theme park. The entire thing is just odd anyways. I know the guy/family behind this is very wealthy but I don't see how they can do even a small chunk of this without significant help from the state or outside investors.

This is the post from their FB page; sounds like they are trying to get more public money:

No diet coke. I'm out! :rolleyes:

No diet coke. I'm out! :rolleyes:

Priorities you know. Have to get those beverage agreements in place 3 years before you even open.

Apparently the scope increasing is related to them buying a huge section of land fronting Grand Lake one the western shoreline in the Cleora/Bernice area. What is being communicated is that site will be a resort, housing, commercial development bigger than Shangri-La and likely come with upgrades to Highway 60 between those areas to connect them. A grand lake resort frankly seems way more feasible than the theme park. The entire thing is just odd anyways. I know the guy/family behind this is very wealthy but I don't see how they can do even a small chunk of this without significant help from the state or outside investors.

Yeah I didn’t realize that the Cherokee spur ranch was part of the plan until a few months ago. A lake development, or at least doing that first, makes a ton more sense.

Yeah I didn’t realize that the Cherokee spur ranch was part of the plan until a few months ago. A lake development, or at least doing that first, makes a ton more sense.

Agreed - Grand Lake has a ton of demand for more housing and there really isn't much lodging options. The renovations at Shangri-La were well received but it's also the only 'sizable' hotel beside the new casino on the north end of the lake but it's also not really a 'lake' resort as there's no marina or anything given the low water levels that far north. Hopefully it's a well thought out development and looks more like say a Carlton Landing when it comes to any housing built but that could be a good support housing area for the park (if it ever is built) and even if it's not built a resort on it's own on Grand would likely do just fine. With some minor upgrades to Highway 60 and maybe straightening/widening 85&85A that would be the easiest accessible development area on Grand given the distance between shoreline to I-44. Even though Grove/Monkey Island and the southeast shore in the Ketchum area is the primary development area those are both much more difficult to access than this area so it's always been surprising it's never been a more active development area. Going through Adair to get to the southern parts of the lake is a pain.

No diet coke. I'm out! :rolleyes:

Pepsi seems to be taking up all of the soda pouring right contracts for venues like theaters, ballparks, hotels, restaurants, and well theme parks. They must be underbidding Coca-Cola or giving a higher margin of sale.

In a place like this, I'll guess you settle for Pepsi if you are a Coke fan. The good news is, if you like Dr. Pepper, Tulsa area Pepsi bottlers have the pouring/distribution rights as opposed to Southwest Beverage/Great Plains Coca-Cola having Dr. Pepper in OKC area.

So as of today there is still no movement on site. The contractor showed up months ago and setup some initial erosion control and the staging area, and then pulled all the equipment besides an office trailer and left. Very odd. Some speculated they were waiting on better weather or the arrival of their own concrete batch plant, but the weather has been great and there is a plant literally across the street that could cover at least their short term needs.

From what I can piece together they are still negotiating with the state regarding public money for infrastructure improvements. The contractor is supposedly still on board, but I know you can't play around with start dates too much with any major contractor - they will take on other work and their manpower will get allocated elsewhere. Could add on a few months to their schedule just for missing the original start date, whatever that was. That wouldn't be as big a deal if it weren't for them promising to open at least part of this NEXT YEAR. It's going to come up quick...

https://ktul.com/news/local/one-state-representative-is-pushing-for-more-vinita-infrastructure-american-heartland-theme-park-oklahoma-rusty-cornwell-american-rescue-plan-act-funds-crossland-construction-oklahoma-attractions

Isn't the state senate kind of dead locked right now? What are the chances of that bill making it through soon?

Pepsi seems to be taking up all of the soda pouring right contracts for venues like theaters, ballparks, hotels, restaurants, and well theme parks. They must be underbidding Coca-Cola or giving a higher margin of sale.

In a place like this, I'll guess you settle for Pepsi if you are a Coke fan. The good news is, if you like Dr. Pepper, Tulsa area Pepsi bottlers have the pouring/distribution rights as opposed to Southwest Beverage/Great Plains Coca-Cola having Dr. Pepper in OKC area.

I am on the Pepsi side of the fence, so this is good to hear. Seems like Coca-Cola does have the restaurant industry sewed up, so Pepsi has no choice to get theaters, theme parks, sports venues. Very rarely that I go to sit down casual restaurant or even a fast food joint, and they sell Pepsi products.

Pepsi seems to be taking up all of the soda pouring right contracts for venues like theaters, ballparks, hotels, restaurants, and well theme parks. They must be underbidding Coca-Cola or giving a higher margin of sale.

In a place like this, I'll guess you settle for Pepsi if you are a Coke fan. The good news is, if you like Dr. Pepper, Tulsa area Pepsi bottlers have the pouring/distribution rights as opposed to Southwest Beverage/Great Plains Coca-Cola having Dr. Pepper in OKC area.

We are going on a Carnival cruise in June and they have Pepsi products and there is not a Dr. Pepper substitute.

We are going on a Carnival cruise in June and they have Pepsi products and there is not a Dr. Pepper substitute.

They used to have Mr. Pibb. "Extra" which still sucked but that's disappointing.

I hear the beers and drinks are good though lol.

So as of today there is still no movement on site. The contractor showed up months ago and setup some initial erosion control and the staging area, and then pulled all the equipment besides an office trailer and left. Very odd. Some speculated they were waiting on better weather or the arrival of their own concrete batch plant, but the weather has been great and there is a plant literally across the street that could cover at least their short term needs.

From what I can piece together they are still negotiating with the state regarding public money for infrastructure improvements. The contractor is supposedly still on board, but I know you can't play around with start dates too much with any major contractor - they will take on other work and their manpower will get allocated elsewhere. Could add on a few months to their schedule just for missing the original start date, whatever that was. That wouldn't be as big a deal if it weren't for them promising to open at least part of this NEXT YEAR. It's going to come up quick...

https://ktul.com/news/local/one-state-representative-is-pushing-for-more-vinita-infrastructure-american-heartland-theme-park-oklahoma-rusty-cornwell-american-rescue-plan-act-funds-crossland-construction-oklahoma-attractions

Isn't the state senate kind of dead locked right now? What are the chances of that bill making it through soon?

Probably slim odds it gets passed, but it might. They killed funding for OKPOP and some other tourism related stuff already. Senate isn't dead locked but they have been very clear that anything that negatively impacts the budget any further in terms of tax cuts, etc. is dead on arrival from the house. So, depends how the bills language is written/impacts it causes.

They used to have Mr. Pibb. "Extra" which still sucked but that's disappointing.

I hear the beers and drinks are good though lol.

Mr. Pibb "Extra" has always been a Coke product. That's why it's hard to find in OK, because Dr. Pepper eats up a lot of fountains vs. Pibb Extra.

Mr. Pibb "Extra" has always been a Coke product. That's why it's hard to find in OK, because Dr. Pepper eats up a lot of fountains vs. Pibb Extra.

I guess I should’ve specified. Carnival used to carry coke products. Not sure when they switched.

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/american-heartland-theme-park-and-resort-announced-1.jpg

The proposed $2 billion, one thousand acres on which the 125-acre theme park sits will be a great addition to Oklahoma; especially a tourist boost to 5,180 residents of Vinita in the Tulsa MSA area.

Ground was broken (October 23, 2023) on the Three Ponies RV Park portion, a precursor to the AHTP.

Kansas City is getting a new "Mattel" theme park:

https://www.kmbc.com/article/mattel-adventure-park-kansas-city-bonner-springs-barbie-hotwheels-rollercoaster/60254507

^That's really interesting. Will definitely shake things up a bit between WOF/SFStL/SDC. The one in Pheonix took forever to get off the ground, but is supposedly opening this year. Wonder how many they are going to end up building around the country, but I assume an east coast location is next. These parks aren't huge, but they have several high caliber attractions and of course are loaded with pop culture IP that make them much more obvious destinations to families than some random "American Heartland" theme.

Still waiting on American Heartland to put up or shut up. They need more than just vague ideas and big promises at this point.

I guess I should’ve specified. Carnival used to carry coke products. Not sure when they switched.

Couple of years ago, I believe, and if I'm not mistaken, you can still get Dr. Pepper if you sail out of Galveston.

Couple of years ago, I believe, and if I'm not mistaken, you can still get Dr. Pepper if you sail out of Galveston.

Smart on their part lol

https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/project-development-costs-increasing-for-amusement-rv-parks-in-vinita?fbclid=IwAR285DKJzxLrO6s67cM-l1YvLOqCidM6Ma48QrU8DA0mcpKR_6sp2ioceJ8_aem_ASB6VY nJY-T6YhtT5qpHEs03kJRVOkBzkZdIXk5_zkDeFb6tRDW84iJ94iOm XGHXh3Q

The timelines are definitely slipping now. Here we are in April and nothing is happening on site. Looks like the wheels are coming off... The thing is, they have the money to do something. A few hundred million into a resort complex would go a LONG way and supposedly they have that much on hand or can raise it easily. I don't understand what they are playing at anymore, but patience is going to wear thin VERY quickly.