Kentucky Kingdom: A Timeline

1987:  Kentucky Kingdom opens with out-of-state investors. The amusement park closed after a single season.

1990: Businessman Ed Hart reopens the amusement park. The size of Kentucky Kingdom is doubled, and new rides such as Thunder Run are added.

1997: Premier Parks purchases Kentucky Kingdom.

1998: The new ownership renames the amusement park Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

2009: Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom's parent company closes the park amid bankruptcy proceedings.

2011: The Kentucky State Fair Board ends discussions with Hart on reopening Kentucky Kingdom. The owners of Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., emerge with a plan to reopen the amusement park under the name Bluegrass Boardwalk.

2012: The Holiday World owners abandon plans to reopen the Louisville amusement park. The fair board again seeks proposals, and Hart submits a new plan.

Jan. 22, 2013: The Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau approves funding over five years to help open the park.

Jan. 23, 2013: Gov. Steve Beshear endorses the proposal to reopen Kentucky Kingdom.