There have been a lot of ups and downs this past year with Joyland Amusement Park.

We first found out that they were selling the amusement park back in September 2022. It was supposed to go up for auction but then someone here locally bought it and was supposed to reopen in this year.

Well, now the previous owners, David and Kristi Dean wrote in a press release that the new investors backed out of the sale.

"It is with a broken heart that we must announce that Joyland Amusement Park will not be reopening after all. The local group of investors that originally agreed to purchase the business have back out of the sale. Liquidation of the park will follow."

The Dean family had announced back in October 2022 that a deal to keep the amusement park open was reached. They said that the new owners were two local business owners, Jim and Kai Evans and Darryl and Stephanie Holland. Now the sad news breaking, that this deal fell through.

It continues to say "we would like to sincerely thank the people of Lubbock and the surrounding area for their support and all the great memories we have shared over the past 50 years."

This is very shocking and sad news for everyone. We reached out to the buyers and they gave us an exclusive statement.

"We share the disappointment of not being able to move forward with the acquisition of Joyland - as our team has encountered numerous obstacles which prevent a successful transition.  Our intent to purchase this Lubbock landmark has been earnest from day one - but a number of overwhelming factors - chiefly the inability to obtain specialized insurance, vandalism during the offseason, dwindling experienced carryover staff, the fast-approaching spring operating season - and many other factors - contributed to this very difficult decision.  We appreciate the efforts of the Dean family, the City of Lubbock and citizens for their support of our sincere efforts.  An enormous amount of time, energy and investment into the exploration of this endeavor has been put forth - including proposed splash pad and many other upgrades to benefit families and our community - but factors beyond our control were too great to overcome," said Kai Evans.

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