After a slow, steady decline in visitors, and reaching a settlement with its landlord, Heritage Amusement Park says it's closing its gates June 30 forever.
The announcement from management came via Facebook, where hundreds of people shared memories of the park on the post:
We have recently reached a settlement with our landlord, Martin Marietta Materials. After 20 years in business, it is with both sadness and excitement that we announce Heritage Amusement Park and the Garden Grill will permanently close its doors on Saturday June 30th, 2018 at 7pm.
It is now time to say a fond farewell to our home of almost two decades. We are so grateful to our customers, employees, family & friends who have made the experience of running this Amusement Park so rewarding.
As CPR News reported last year, Marietta owns the neighboring Spec Agg Quarry, having purchased the land encompassing the mine and Heritage Square in fall of 2011. In the years that followed, things began to disappear. First to go was the Heritage Square Music Hall, hobbled by dwindling ticket sales. Although Marietta had nothing to do with the closure, the company has let the 1973-built opera house fall into disrepair.
In 2015, Marietta announced plans to demolish the rest of the village, giving business owners until the end of that year to close up and move out.
Marietta later removed the sign for the amusement park, making it easier to simply drive by the entrance without seeing it. Bader's response was to put up a makeshift banner.
At its inception, Heritage Square's creators hoped it would become the next Disneyland. Now, "Plan your final visit and say your goodbyes and farewells one last time. Thank you for 20 years of support. We will always cherish the memories!!" its owners said in the Facebook post.
