2011 Ark Encounter news

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Notes

  • Article titles in italic indicate the story appeared in the print edition.

2011

November

  • Nov/Dec. Relevant. Winter Park, Florida. Creation Museum to Build $155M Noah's Ark Theme Park. Page 14.
  • Nov 2. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Williams gives Beshear heat over ceremony by Bruce Schreiner. Page B5.

October

  • Oct 10. Bangkok Post. Bangkok, Thailand. A theme park of biblical proportions by Dylan T. Thomas. Page 9.
  • Oct 3. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Ed Hart puzzled by end of Kentucky Kingdom talks by Sheldon S. Shafer.
    “Meanwhile, the state has approved $43 million in tourism tax incentives and promised an additional $11 million in highway improvements for a private development like the Ark Encounter, which is not yet funded, let alone built, and has a construction price tag of approximately $170 million.”

September

  • Sep 22. Lexington-Herald Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Seven sites reveal Kentucky's rich religious history by Karla Ward.
    "The Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky was generating controversy even before it opened in 2007. Since then, more than 1.2 million people have visited the $27 million facility, which includes a planetarium, petting zoo, dinosaur-related exhibits and dioramas representing various scenes from the Bible. Answers in Genesis, which operates the museum, is planning a Noah's Ark theme park, slated to open in Grant County in 2014. Visit: Creationmuseum.org."
  • Sep 8. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock, Arkansas. Theme park re-creating Noah's Ark draws pros, cons by Dylan T. Lovan. Page 6E.
  • Sep 4. Kokomo Tribune. Kokomo, Indiana. Noah's Ark in Kentucky aims to prove truth of Bible via Associated Press. Page C5.
  • Sep 3. Public Policy Polling. Raleigh, North Carolina. Paul, McConnell, Tea Party disliked in KY posted by Tom Jensen.
    "There has been some controversy, mostly from the left, over Gov. Steve Beshear approving state funds to build the Ark Encounter, a theme park featuring a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark. But 59% of the state’s voters oppose their tax dollars going toward the park, and only 26% support it. Independents are most opposed, 17-72, joining Democrats (23-62) and even Republicans (34-51)."

August

  • Aug 30. Conservative Edge. Lexington, Kentucky. God Helped Noah Build the Ark, He Didn’t Need a Tax Break… by Leland Conway.
    "Grant County will be giving a 75% property tax break to the “Ark Encounter” theme park which will soon be built there. This is in addition to the approximately $47 million dollar tax exemption granted by the state. While, as a Christian I support this venture and see it as a viable business idea, I see no reason to grant them an exception over other businesses in the tax code.'
  • Aug 28. New Haven Register. New Haven, Connecticut. Noah's Ark theme for new attraction by Dylan T. Lovan. Page E5. Includes photo.
  • Aug 27. The Guardian. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Canada. New Noah's Ark theme park project seeks to show Bible's stories are true by Dylan T. Lovan. Page C4. Includes photo.
  • Aug 27. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. Theme park centers around re-created, full-size Noah's arkby Dylan T. Lovan. Page B4. Includes photo.
  • Aug 25. Pravda. Bratislava, Slovakia. Noe dotácie nemal, jeho nasledovníci od štátu dostanú. Page 26. Includes photo.
  • Aug 24. St. Clair Times. Pell City, Alabama. New Noah's Ark aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan T. Lovan. Page 4C.
  • Aug 23. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Plan floated to build Noah's ark replica by Deborah Netburn. Page 9. Includes image.
  • Aug 22. Shanghai Daily. Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Ark park deluged by queries by Dylan T. Lovan. Page B2. Include photo.
  • Aug 22. Uj Szo. Bratislava, Slovakia. Hungarian language newspaper. Felépítik Noé bárkáját. Page 24. Includes photo.
  • Aug 22. Uj Szo. Bratislava, Slovakia. Hungarian language newspaper. Felépítik Noé bárkáját.
    "Noé követői újból felépítik a bárkáját az amerikai Kentucky szövetségi állam északi részén egy látványparkban, hogy bebizonyítsák: megtörtént esemény volt az özönvíz."
  • Aug 22. The Independent. Ashland, Kentucky. 'Spaghetti' church not practicing what it preaches by Lee Ward. Pages C1 & C2.
    "The group also protested Kentucky's policy of allocating state funds for religious-affiliated, for-profit groups.
  • Aug 21. The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. Kentucky man says modern ark will explain Bible story by Dylan T. Lovan. Page 4B. Includes photo.
  • Aug 21. Sun.Star. Cebu City, Philippines. New Noah's Ark theme park aims to prove Bible via Associated Press. Page B10.
  • Aug 21. Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Noah's ark replica to anchor Ky. park by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page A19. Includes photo.
  • Aug 21. The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. Christian group building replica of Noah's ark by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page A12.
  • Aug 20. Ma.hu. Budapest, Hungary. Megbukik a bibliai történet? Kipróbálják, építhetett-e Noé akkora bárkát via Associated Press.
    "A hajónak, amely egy kentuckyi farmhoz tartozó 324 hektáros területen épül, nem az lesz a rendeltetése, hogy megmentse egy eljövendő özönvíztől a világ teremtményeit. Meg akarja mutatni a világnak, hogy a legendás özönvíz nem mese volt, hanem az emberi történelem része - mondta Mike Zovath, a bárka projektmenedzsere."
  • Aug 20. ChristNet.cz. Czech Republic. Kreacionisté v USA postaví v Muzeu stvoření repliku Noemovy archy.
    "Archa bude středobodem plánovaného tematického parku za 155 milionů dolarů (více než 2,6 miliardy korun) nazvaného Ark Encounter (Setkání s archou), v němž se mají nacházet další biblické stavby jako babylonská věž nebo vesnice napodobující starověká sídla. Přitom jde o další rozšíření první velké atrakce této organizace, kterou bylo kontroverzní Muzeum stvoření (Creation Museum). Otevřeno bylo v roce 2007 a pozornost světové veřejnosti přitáhlo tím, že biblické příběhy znázornilo jako historickou skutečnost, zpochybnilo teorii o vývoji druhů a tvrdilo, že Země bylo stvořena před 6000 lety. "Archa představuje jiný přístup" než muzeum, řekl Zovath. "Ve skutečnosti to není o stvoření - evoluci, je to o autoritě Bible." "
  • Aug 20. Pharyngula blog. Morris, Minnesota. The world is upside down in Kentucky by P.Z. Myers.
    "In a weird reversal of the normal state of affairs, the Democratic governor of Kentucky has long been pushing support for Ken Ham's ridiculous Ark Park…and now his Republican challenger, David Williams, has come out opposing it. Even more interestingly, he argues that the feasibility study was bogus, and that it simply won't get built."
  • Aug 20. Weekend Herald. Auckland, New Zealand. Christian group builds replica ark to get Bible skeptics on board by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page B14. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. Goshen News. Goshen, Indiana. New Ark aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page B8.
  • Aug 20. Detroit News. Detroit, Michigan. Building Noah's ark by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page 2A. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. The Daily Home. Talladega, Alabama. New Noah's Ark aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page 6A.
  • Aug 20. Moose Jaw Times-Herald. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Canada. New Noah's Ark theme park project in Ky. seeks to show Bible's stories are true by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page B5. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. Rebuilt Noah's Ark hopes to prove Bible is true by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page A6. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nevada. Noah's Ark focus of theme park by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page 8B. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. New Noah's Ark in Kentucky Aims to Prove Bible True by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page 2D. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. Richmond Register. Richmond, Kentucky. New Noah's Ark aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page A5. Includes photo.
  • Aug 20. Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. Ark builders hope to prove the Bible’s truth by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press.
    " “The legislation is so drafted that they will give this incentive to any organization that is going to increase tourism in Kentucky,” Kagin said. “And there’s no question whatsoever that this group will.” "
  • Aug 19. The Decatur Daily. Decatur, Illinois. Building an ark by Dylan T. Lovan. Pages D1 & D6. Includes photo.
  • Aug 19. America24. New York, New York. In Kentucky in costruzione una 'replica' dell'arca di Noè by Domenico Zappia.
    "Answers in Genesis è l’associazione che ha dato vita al Creation Museum che viene descritto come “un museo ultra-moderno che porta in vita le pagine della Bibbia”. Tra le attrazioni del museo creazionista, anche una replica di Adamo ed Eva nel Giardino dell’Eden, un’esposizione che raffigura dei bambini che giocano vicino a dei dinosauri e un film intitolato “Men in White”, che sottolinea le coincidenze tra scienza e Bibbia."
  • Aug 19. Winston-Salem Journal Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ark to anchor Ky. theme park via Associated Press. Page ??.
  • Aug 19. Facebook post. Ken Ham page by Ken Ham.
    "I know one has to be very careful believing what is written in news reports these days--but it would seem that Gov. Beshear's republican opponent has made negative comments about the Ark Encounter (unless anyone has information to the contrary??)--sad if true."
  • Aug 19. The Herald Bulletin. Anderson, Indiana. New Noah's Ark aims to prove Bible by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page B9. Includes photo.
  • Aug 19. The Jakarta Post. Jakarta, Indonesia. New Noah's Ark aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press. Page 22. Includes photo.
  • Aug 18. Vancouver Metronews. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Noah's Ark to drop anchor...in Kentucky via Associated Press. Page 10.
  • Aug 18. Edmonton Metronews. Edmonton, Alberta. Canada. Noah's Ark to drop anchor...in Kentucky via Associated Press. Page 10.
  • Aug 18. London Metronews. London, Ontario. Canada. Christian theme park to build Noah's Ark via Associated Press. Page 4.
  • Aug 18. Último Segundo. São Paulo, Brazil. Igreja americana vai reconstruir arca de Noé via Associated Press.
    "No quartel general da Arca em Hebron, um pequeno time de artistas e designers já está trabalhando na parte visual do novo parque, cuja construção se iniciará apenas no começo do próximo ano. A partir de então, serão centenas de pessoas trabalhando no projeto, inclusive uma equipe de construtores da seita Amish, que vão erguer a arca gigante. Muitas das pessoas que ajudaram a desenhar o museu também estão no projeto da arca, incluindo Patrick Marsh, que ajudou a construir algumas das atrações da Universal Studios, na Flórida."
  • Aug 18. Christliches Medienmagazin pro. Wetzlar, Hesse. Germany. Noahs Arche in Kentucky via Associated Press.
    "Schon wieder soll die Arche Noah nachgebaut werden. Die christliche Organisation "Answers in Genesis" plant den Bau eines riesigen Themenparks im US-Bundesstaat Kentucky. Er soll die Geschichten des Alten Testaments anschaulich darstellen. Hauptattraktion ist ein Original-Nachbau der Arche aus dem 1. Buch Mose."
  • Aug 18. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Community hears Ark developers by Bryan Marshall. Pages 1 and 9. Includes photo.
  • Aug 18. Niagara Gazette. Niagara Falls, New York. Theme park seeks to show that Bible's stories true via Associated Press. Page 4A.
  • Aug 18. The Times of India. New Delhi, Delhi. India. New Noah's Ark to prove truth of Bible via Associated Press. Page 19. Includes photo.
  • Aug 18. Cumberland Times-News. Cumberland, Maryland. New Noah's Ark theme park project in Ky. seeks to show visitors Bible's stories are true via Associated Press. Page 2A.
  • Aug 18. Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago, Illinois. Noah's ark in Kentucky via Associated Press. Page 16.
  • Aug 18. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Christian park to feature Noah's Ark via Associated Press. Page A2. Includes photo.
  • Aug 18. ABC News. New York, New York. Noah's followers recreating ark, in Kentucky via Associated Press.
    "Inside the ark's headquarters in Hebron, a small team of artists and designers are working on the visuals at the new park, but once the project begins early next year, there will be hundreds at the creation, including a team of Amish builders from Indiana who will erect the giant ark. Many of the same people who helped design the museum are on board for the ark project, including Patrick Marsh, who helped build some of the attractions at Universal Studios in Florida."
  • Aug 17. Leo Weekly. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), an alternative newspaper. Louisville, Kentucky. David Williams says Ark Encounter won’t be built, campaign still strong by Joe Sonka.
    "Williams: I don’t think there’s an economic feasibility study that indicates it will ever be feasible. And it doesn’t matter how much tax credit you give anybody, in order to get tax credits, you have to have the income in order to create it. And there’s never been a feasibility study I’ve ever seen, I don’t think there’s ever been one done. I think the governor is just playing politics with this."
  • Aug 17. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. 4 big issues for N. Kentucky by Scott Wartman. Page A1 and A5. Includes photo.
  • Aug 17. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. 4 big issues for N. Kentucky by Scott Wartman. Page A11 and A13.
  • Aug 17. Daily Mail. London. England. Noah's ark rebuilt in Kentucky to try and prove truth of the bible story via Associated Press.
    "Edwin Kagin, a lawyer in northern Kentucky who is president of a nationwide atheist group, said: 'Many think that since creationism is so irrational and so unscientific that nobody really could believe it, but that's not so.' "
  • Aug 17. Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [New Noah's Ark theme park project in Ky. seeks to show visitors that Bible's stories are true] by Dylan Lovan, Associated Press.
    "Zovath said the ark will have old-world details, like wooden pegs instead of nails, straight-sawed timbers and plenty of animals - some alive, some robotic like The Creation Museum's dinosaurs. He said it has not yet been determined how many live animals will be in the boat during visiting hours, but the majority will be stuffed or animatronic. At their count, Noah had anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 on board."
  • Aug 17. Forbes.com. New York, New York. New Noah's Ark in Ky. aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan Lovan, Associated Press.
    "The biblical wooden ship built to weather a worldwide flood was 500 feet long and about 80 feet high, according to Answers in Genesis, a Christian ministry devoted to a literal telling of the Old Testament."
  • Aug 17. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Saint Louis, Missouri. New Noah's Ark in Ky. aims to prove truth of Bible by Dylan Lovan, Associated Press.
    "This modern ark, to be nestled on a plot of 800 acres of rolling Kentucky farmland, isn't designed to rescue the world's creatures from a coming deluge. It's to tell the world that the Bible's legendary flood story was not a fable, but a part of human history"
  • Aug 15. Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. Australia. Appraisers of the Lost Ark. Page 22.
  • Aug 12. Business Courier. Cincinnati, Ohio. Williamstown hoping Ark Encounter brings a revival by Lucy May.
    "Many of the city’s business leaders argue, however, that the project is just what Williamstown and Grant County need. As recently as 2004, Grant was one of Kentucky’s fastest-growing counties, a thriving bedroom community where the Williamstown and Grant County school districts are the biggest employers. But unemployment soared during the recession and remains above 10 percent. And Williamstown’s Main Street now has about as many empty storefronts as it has shops open for business."
  • Aug 11. Roanoke Star-Sentinel. Roanoke, Virginia. Commentary. In Response To Dr. Bruce Rinker’s Column “Kentucky Unsettles Own House . . .” by Mark Looy.
    "Dr. Rinker also greatly misrepresented our Ark Encounter project, scheduled to open in 2014. When he wrote that the project will be built using public funds, here is what he conveniently didn’t tell you: the only taxpayer who will help fund the park is the person who actually visits it and pays sales tax. A portion of the sales tax collected might be refunded to the Ark if certain tourist-attendance milestones are reached. In other words, no money is being taken out of the state budget and away from social programs, education, etc. to fund the project—the only taxpayer involved is the one who voluntarily visits the Ark and pays sales tax."
  • Aug 10. KFVS-TV, Channel 12, ABC. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Noah's Ark project gets property tax break.
    "The tax deal is in addition to nearly $200,000 from Grant County's economic development arm given as an enticement to keep the project located there, along with 100 acres of reduced-price land."
  • Aug 10. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark park gets tax break by Linda B. Blackford. Page B6.
  • Aug 10. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark park gets tax break by Linda B. Blackford. Page B2.
  • Aug 9. WLEX-TV, Channel 18, NBC. Lexington, Kentucky. Noah's Ark Project Gets Property Tax Break.
    "The Ark Encounter is projected to create 900 full- and part-time jobs and draw 1.4 million visitors in its first year."
  • Aug 9. Business First. Louisville, Kentucky. Noah's Ark park offered big property tax break.
    "Mike Zovath, senior vice president of Ark Encounters LLC, said the project has raised 75 percent to 80 percent of its expected $150 million cost from private investors, according to the report."
  • Aug 9. WLWT-TV, Channel 5, NBC. Cincinnati, Ohio. City Offers Property Tax Break To Ark Park.
    "The theme park is being built by a group that includes Answers in Genesis, the founders of the biblically based Creation Museum in Boone County."
  • Aug 9. WDRB-TV, Channel 41, Fox. Louisville, Kentucky. Today's "It's Your Turn" question...
    "TODAY'S QUESTION: Should "The Ark Encounter" -- a theme park about Noah's Ark proposed by the founders of the Biblically-based Creation Museum -- receive a property tax break? Why or why not?"
  • Aug 9. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Ark park gets 75 percent property tax cut over 30 years by Linda B. Blackford. Pages A1 & A2.
  • Aug 8. The Christian Post. Washington, D.C. German Filmmaker Puts Unique Spin on Noah's Ark by Nicola Menzie.
    "Americans can expect to get a full-blown, close-up view of the ark in a few years when the folks at Answers in Genesis debut the Ark Encounter, an historically-themed attraction park, in Kentucky in a few years."
  • Aug 7. Kokomo Tribune. Kokomo, Indiana. Biblical theme park accepts Kentucky offer via Associated Press. Page C5.
  • Aug 4. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Ark Update : Public Q&A set for Aug. 9 by Bryan Marshall. Pages A1 & A18.
  • Aug 3. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. ARK UPDATE: Public Q&A set for Aug. 9 by Bryan Marshall.
    "Grant County residents can have their questions answered and hear details about the Ark Encounter project coming to Williamstown."

July

  • Jul/Aug. Church & State. Washington, D.C. American United for Separation of Church and State magazine. Creationism Crusade by Rob Boston.
    "From The Kentucky ‘Ark Park’ To Back-Door Creationist Legislation, Religious Right Forces Are Demanding State Support Of Fundamentalist Dogma"
    "The museum has been so successful that Answers in Genesis and some allied groups have proposed opening a theme park based on the story of Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Ky. Despite the ministry’s dubious science – the group believes dinosaurs were carried on the ark and even says unicorns once existed – Gov. Steve Beshear has responded enthusiastically, promising a package of state tax breaks to bring the park to reality. In May, officials with Kentucky’s Tourism Cabinet voted to award more than $40 million in tax incentives to the “ark park” under Kentucky’s Tourism Development Act."
  • Jul 28. Chad Frey - Illustration Guy blog. Burbank, California. From Palms to Pines by Chad Frye.
  • Jul 22. The Journal News. Independence, Kentucky. Ark Encounter Ready’s for Groundbreaking by Mike Mizer.
    "Recently, Mr. Looy granted me the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the fabrication and design studios for the Ark Encounter, located in Hebron. Conceptual drawings and sculptures of this massive undertaking are located around every corner. The theme park will consist of numerous attractions, all of which have many design drawings and individual developmental sculptures to ensure that the implementation of ideas into the park occur precisely. Attractions will include a children’s area, petting zoo, walled city from the time of Noah, and a first-century village to depict what life may have been like at the time of Christ. The main draw, of course, will be the life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark."
  • Jul 20. The Journal News. Independence, Kentucky. Ark Encounter Ready's for Groundbreaking by Mike Mizer. Page 1.
  • Jul 18. Washington Times. Washington, D.C. Kentucky lands second biblical attraction by Roger Alford, Associated Press. Pages C10, C9.
  • Jul 17. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. Kentucky tax credits help draw biblical theme park by Associated Press. Page H5.
  • Jul 17. Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. Noah's Ark park finds home in Kentucky by Associated Press.
    "Rob Hunden, who reviewed the proposal for the Tourism Development and Finance Authority, said the project is expected to draw nearly 1.4 million visitors a year."
  • Jul 16. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. State's tax offer called too good to pass up by Roger Alford, Associated Press. Page A5.
  • Jul 16. The Independent. Ashland, Kentucky. Biblical theme couldn't pass up Kentucky's package by Roger Alford, Associated Press. Pages A1, A10.
  • Jul 16. The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. Biblical theme park couldn't pass up offer by AP. Page B9.
  • Jul 16. Boston Herald. Boston, Massachusetts. Biblical theme park couldn’t pass up Kentucky offer by Associated Press.
    "Mike Zovath, co-founder of the Answers in Genesis ministry that previously built the Creation Museum in Kentucky, told The Associated Press that the state’s offer of tax incentives worth more than $40 million was too good for the newly created Ark Encounters LLC to pass up."
  • Jul 16. CBS News Travel. New York City, New York. Biblical theme park couldn't pass up Ky. offer by Associated Press.
    "Gov. Steve Beshear said he's pleased the developers chose Kentucky because of the hundreds of jobs the theme park would bring to the state."
  • Jul 16. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. State offer to ark park was too good to pass up by Roger Alford, Associated Press. Page C3.
  • Jul 15. Canadian Business. Canada. BC-US--Travel-Brief-Noah's Ark-Park, US by AP.
    "With environmental and archaeological reviews nearing completion, groundbreaking has been tentatively scheduled for next month."
  • Jul 15. WXIX-TV, Channel 19, Fox. Cincinnati, Ohio. Biblical theme park couldn't pass up KY offer by Roger Alford, Associated Press.
    "The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority approved the incentives earlier this year for the $172 million project that's otherwise being financed by a group of unidentified private investors."
  • Jul 15. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Biblical theme park couldn't pass up Kentucky offer by Roger Alford, Associated Press.
    "Originators of a proposed biblical theme park that would include a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark had considered sites in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio but ultimately chose to build in Kentucky because of the state’s generous package of tax incentives, one of the developers said."
  • Jul 14. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Williamstown approves Ark agreement by Jamie Baker-Nantz. Pages A1 & A14.
  • Jul 13. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Williamstown approves Ark agreement by Jamie Baker-Nantz.
    "After some intense questions and some tense moments of silence, Williamstown’s city council voted in favor of entering into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Ark Encounter."
  • Jul 5. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Faith & Works column. Creation park debated on national TV by peter Smith.
    "Critics of the plan argue that if Noah didn’t use taxpayer money to build the ark, neither should the theme park. Answers in Genesis head Ken Ham argues that his partnership should have the same rights as anyone else to tax incentives to promote its view."
  • Jul 4. Sunday Charleston Gazette-Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. Editorial. Potpourri: Jul 4, 2011 by
    "Kentucky's Creation Museum claims that evolution didn't happen -- that the universe was created only a few thousand years ago and people shared the Earth with dinosaurs. Now, the museum's operators have launched a second project: a $172 million theme park showing how two of each species fit onto Noah's Ark. (We aren't sure how Noah obtained arctic polar bears, Australian kangaroos, Antarctic penguins and New World monkeys.) Kentucky's government gave the Noah park $40 million in tax writeoffs, to boost tourism. The New York Times said this taxpayer investment "clearly clashes with the First Amendment's prohibition on government establishment of religion. Public money is not supposed to pay to advance religion." "

June

  • Jun. The Lane Report. Kentucky. Grant County: State OK’s $43M in Tax Incentives for Noah’s Ark Project.
    "The authority heard a report from Hunden Strategic Partners that showed the Ark Encounter project met the criteria of the Kentucky Tourism Development Act, which includes requirements that the project attract at least 25 percent of visitors from outside the state by the fourth year of operation and that it has a positive impact on the Kentucky economy."
    "The report noted that the net fiscal impact on the state is expected to be between $64.6 million and $119 million over 10 years in sales and income tax above and beyond the incentive, depending upon several variables on the projected attendance."
  • Jun. Humanist Network News. Washington, DC. American Humanist Association E-Zine. Ark Park Coming to Kentucky—On the Taxpayer’s Dime by Clayton Whitt.
    "While nearly all humanists, and anyone who cares about scientific and historical accuracy, probably feels less than enthusiastic about the construction of a $172 million modern-day tribute to such an impossible tale, the taxpayers of the state of Kentucky have even more reason to be concerned. The Ark Encounter is poised to reap approximately $40 million in tax rebates from the state, approved in a unanimous vote by the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority on May 19."
  • Jun 24. Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Washington, D.C. PBS. Christian Theme Parks.
    "LUCKY SEVERSON, correspondent: This is the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky. It’s a big place with lots of exhibits depicting the creation of the earth in six days, just as it occurred in the Book of Genesis. Ken Ham, a former high school science teacher from Australia, is the CEO of the Christian ministry that created the museum."
  • Jun 20. USA Today, Faith & Reason. McLean, Virginia. Miss USA contest evolves: 'Huge science geek' wins by Cathy Lynn Grossman.
    "But the evolution answers would make Answers in Genesis -- the folks behind the Creation Museum and the upcoming Noah's Ark theme park -- proud."
  • Jun 19. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nevada. State OKs funding to help build Noah's Ark theme park. Page 2K.
  • Jun 19. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. LH-L Columnist. How state is viewed by others can matter by Jacalyn Carfagno. Pages D1, D2.
    "Ark Encounter has already made an impression even though it won't open for a few years. Go to an Internet search engine and type in the words "Kentucky" and "ark,' and you will get responses like this headline from USA Today: "Kentucky taxpayers will help float Noah's Ark."
  • Jun 17-23. Roanoke Star-Sentinel. Roanoke, Virgina. Kentucky Unsettles Own House With State Support of Creationism by H. Bruce Rinker. Page 5.
  • Jun 17. Demand Progess blog. UPDATE: Kentucky Bible Amusement Park by Mahilet.
    "On Jun 2, I posted about The Ark Encounter —a Bible based amusement park breaking ground this summer in Kentucky. The Ark Encounter is now said to include a first-century Middle Eastern village, a walled city which includes theaters, lecture halls, shops, restaurants, a children’s play area, a Journey Through History themed attraction, a special events area as well as the original 500-foot wooden replica of Noah’s Ark with petting zoo, the Tower of Babel and a walk through Aviary."
  • Jun 15. County Buzz blog. American Countryside developer involved in Noah's Ark plans by Tim Vandenack.
    "LeRoy Troyer hasn't let the problems at American Countryside Farmers Market slow him down.
    "The Mishawaka-based developer, one of the motors behind development of the big red barn just south of Elkhart, is now involved in an even higher-profile project -- Ark Encounter. That’s a $150 million proposal for a Christian-themed amusement park in northern Kentucky, centered on a full-scale wooden model of Noah’s Ark."
  • Jun 11. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark work could start soon by Mark Hansel. Pages A1, A12.
  • Jun 11. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Letters to the Editor. Keep after ark park by Erik R. Smith. Page A13.
  • Jun 7. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Letters to the Editor. Beshear's view on Ark Encounter doesn't add up by Steven Gabbard.
  • Jun 6. Religion.dk. Copenhagen, Denmark. Noas ark-park skal betales af skatteyderne by Lea Braüner Larsen.
    "En gruppe kristne i USA vil grundlægge en forlystelsespark på baggrund af beretninger i Det Gamle Testamente. I den kommende temapark Ark Encounter kan gæsterne se en kopi af Noas 150 meter lange ark indefra, opleve Egyptens ti plager fra en forlystelsesvogn eller gå en tur ind i Babelstårnet."
  • Jun 6. Financial Times Deutschland. Hamburg, Germany. Skurriles Saurier-Kabinett für Christen by Nicolas Schöneich.
    "Und wenn Sie sich das nicht so recht vorstellen können, kommen Sie einfach in den US-Bundesstaat Kentucky: Hier wird gerade die Geschichte der Erde nachgebaut, wie sie das Alte Testament erzählt - mit Staatshilfe. 175 Mio. Dollar soll der Ark-Encounter-Freizeitpark kosten, den die radikale Christengemeinde Answers in Genesis (AiG) plant. Allein 25 Mio. Dollar Spendengelder werden für den originalgetreuen Nachbau der Arche Noah veranschlagt, 152 Meter lang, 23 Meter breit, 14 Meter hoch. Dazu kommt eine Miniaturversion des Turms zu Babel, eine Ausstellung über die biblischen Plagen und ein Streichelzoo. Derzeit steht die Spendenuhr bei gut 3 Mio. Dollar, 2014 soll der Park eröffnet werden."
  • Jun 6. Child Mode blog. The Amazing Noah’s Ark Encounter Theme Park Get’s The Official Go Ahead From Kentucky by Nadia Carriere.
    "The Ark Encounter could very well be one of the most incredible family attractions to hit the United States in the next 3 years. This project just received the official go-ahead from the state of Kentucky last week, with the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority granting more than $40 million in tax rebates for the $172 million project that was/is being financed by a group of unidentified private investors."
  • Jun 6. Uncommon Descent blog. Floating the Ark in Kentucky...a lawyer's view.
    "ver the weekend, we’ve been discussing the Kentucky government offering tax incentives to the Ark Encounter theme park, as a job creation boost. Some oppose it on the grounds that it “establishes religion.” Others say that doesn’t matter if it creates jobs. A third group has pointed out that a tax incentive is not a gift, unless you think the government owns everyone’s labor. Here, the Kentucky government offers tax advantages relevant only if the Ark floats, so to speak. In which case, the job creation scheme will work."
  • Jun 4. Tribune-Star. Terre Haute, Indiana. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead in Kentucky via Associated Press. Page A8
  • Jun 3. Religion Dispatches (RD) blog. San Francisco, California. Creationism and Evolution are Competing ‘Myths’ by Kelly E. Hayes.
    "Against the backdrop of nearly a century of pitched battles for the minds of American schoolchildren between proponents of creationism and defenders of evolution, the announcement of a plan to build Ark Encounter, the latest venture connected to Answers in Genesis (AiG), was guaranteed to generate media buzz. Featuring a full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark (among other Bible-based attractions), the proposed theme park fits neatly into AiG’s larger mission to show that their brand of biblical literalism, far from being antagonistic to science, is actually supported by it."
  • Jun 2. Demand Progess blog. Kentucky Granted Tax Incentives for Bible Based Theme Park by Mahilet.
    "The Ark Encounter is a for-profit Bible-based theme park that is expected to open in the spring of 2014. In an attempt to validate a biblical account of the flood, Ark Encounter will fit two of every animal in a 500-foot wooden replica of Noah’s Ark. The 800-acre park is also expected to feature, among other biblical symbols, the Tower of Babel and a walk through Aviary. The idea for this amusement park was presented by the Answers in Genesis, a Christian ministry that built the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky."
  • Jun 2. Seattle Post-Intelligencer blog. Seattle, Washington. Seattle's Big Blog. Next at the 2012 Olympics… Noah’s ark? by Amy Rolph.
    "Believers in Kentucky are eagerly awaiting the opening of the “Ark Encounter,” a Noah’s-ark theme park that features a giant replica of the fabled ark."
  • Jun 1. Tax Foundation blog. Kentucky Providing Tax Rebate to Fund Creationist Theme Park by Joseph Henchman.
    "The creationist organization Answers in Genesis is planning to construct a $150-$172 million theme park in northern Kentucky, themed around Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and other Biblical references. To support the project, "Ark Encounter," Kentucky is providing a sales tax rebate equal to 25% of the project's capital costs over 10 years, up to $43 million."
  • Jun 1. Secular Coalition for America. Washington, D.C. Kentucky Makes Taxpayers Fund Noah's Ark Theme Park by Mike Meno (former spokesperson for Marijuana Policy Project).
    "Kentucky state officials recently agreed to contribute more than $40 million in state taxpayer funds toward the construction of a Biblical-themed amusement park featuring a full-scale “replica” of Noah's Ark. Those backing the project – and who will benefit from the precious taxpayer cash – include Answers in Genesis, the fundamentalist Christian group that runs Kentucky’s infamous “Creation Museum,” where visitors are told that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, and dinosaurs walked alongside humans."
  • Jun 1. WFPL-FM, 89.3. Louisville, Kentucky. Thayer Proud of Ark Encounter by Phillip M. Bailey.
    Includes cn|2 video interview with state Senator Damon Thayer supporting Ark Encounter.
  • Jun 1. Leo Weekly. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), an alternative newspaper. Louisville, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Ark Reality by Paul Shively.

May

  • May 31. Rhymes with Right. Seabrook, Texas. NY Times Argues For Treating Religiously Motivated Businesses Different From Others by Greg.
    "The only problem with this analysis is that it does not – as the editorial rightly acknowledges. Neutral criteria neutrally applied makes the project acceptable from a constitutional standpoint. Indeed, the position taken by the New York Times – that neutrality towards the point of view promoted by the developers violates the First Amendment – turns the First Amendment on its head by requiring the government to penalize those who express a certain point of view in their business operations. An entertainment attraction devoted to the Bible may constitutionally be treated no different than the two proposals I suggested in the opening paragraph. Similarly, if a state program allows for special tax treatment for printing plant, the state cannot deny such a subsidy to one that prints Bibles rather than science textbooks if it otherwise qualifies. After all, non-establishment requires that the government not only refrain from privileging religion in most instances, it also prohibits penalizing religion as well – a principle that the editors of the New York would do well to remember the next time it considers claiming that discrimination against religion is a fundamental American value."
  • May 31. Christian Post. Washington, D.C. Atração Parque Temático Arca de Noé em Kentucky Levanta US $ 3 Milhões by Katherine T. Phan.
    "A arca de tamanho total, toda de madeira irá ser construída usando doações e o custo de US$ 24,5 milhões. Answeres in Genesis de Ken Ham, conhecido pelo popular Museu da Criação em Petersburg, Ky., está trabalhando em parceria com a Ark Encounter LLC para construir a atração."
  • May 31. Christian Post. Washington, D.C. Noah's Ark Theme Park Attraction in Ky. Raises $3 Million by Katherine T. Phan.
    "The full-size, all-wood ark will be built using donations and cost $24.5 million. Ken Ham’s Answers in Genesis, known for the popular Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., is working in partnering with Ark Encounter LLC to build the attraction."
  • May 31. Jewish Daily Forward. Rebuilding Noah’s Ark, Cubit by Cubit by Nathan Burstein.
    "In Kentucky, meanwhile, a battle is underway over the Ark Encounter, a theme park that will portray Biblical stories from Noah through the end of the Torah. Builders plan to break ground on the park in August, but may be delayed because of controversy surrounding tax incentives that could allow owners to recoup as much as 25 percent of the construction costs."
  • May 31. National Center for Science Education - NCSE. Berkeley, California. The New York Times on the ark park.
    "The New York Times offered its view on Kentucky's decision to grant tax incentives to Ark Encounter, the proposed creationist theme park in northern Kentucky."
  • May 31. American United for Separation of Church and State blog. Washington, D.C. A Flood Of Anti-Science Sentiment: What The ‘Ark Park’ Says About Kentucky by Rob Boston.
    "AU attorneys are looking into the matter. For various reasons, it has become increasingly difficult over the years to challenge the diversion of tax breaks and other forms of indirect aid to religion. But we will investigate the situation fully."
  • May 31. New York Times. New York, New York. Editorial. Crossing the Church-State Divide by Ark. Page A22.
  • May 30. New York Times. New York, New York. Editorial. Crossing the Church-State Divide by Ark.
    But granting tax incentives to the explicitly Christian enterprise clearly clashes with the First Amendment’s prohibition on government establishment of religion. Public money is not supposed to pay to advance religion. Kentucky’s citizens should certainly ask themselves if this is really the best use of taxpayer dollars."
  • May 28. Richmond Register. Richmond, Kentucky. Of false prophets, Noah’s Ark and state taxpayers by Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute.
    "In an earlier column on the “Ark Encounter” project, I stated that it’s improper for government to pick and choose certain companies on which to bestow tax “incentives.” Supporters of the project challenged me, saying no taxes would be used “related to the construction and operation of the Ark Encounter.” Mark Looy, the company’s chief communications officer wrote that in the Community Recorder of Northern Kentucky."
  • May 28. Daily Kos, This Week in Science. This week in science by DarkSyde.
    "In the apparently highly solvent but less than informed state of Kentucky, Ignorance Proudly Marches on, this time with big fat tax breaks..."
  • May 26. Attractions Management. Hitchin, Hertfordshire. England. US$43m boost for Ark Encounter scheme by Pete Hayman.
    "Plans for Ark Encounter, a US$150m (£92.1m, EUR106m) Creationist-themed amusement park in Kentucky, US, have secured a tax boost from the state's tourism authority."
  • May 25. Meddling Kids. Tornado Is To Trailer Park As Ken Ham Is To Thinking by biguglyjim.
    "Ken Ham is a ridiculous monster, and Answers In Genesis is one of the most entertaining places on the tubes. Maybe I’ll start a monthly evaluation of some article of theirs for the intellectual exercise of picking it apart? Who knows. But these are real people, and their congregants are rising in numbers."
  • May 25. Magyar Nemzet Online. Budapest, Hungary. Bevásárlóközpont épülhet Fidel Castro szülőhelyén.
    "Adófizetők építik Noé Bárkáját Kentuckyban – írja a The Time. Az állam turisztikai bizottsága 43 millió dolláros támogatást szavazott meg a bibliai színeket, köztük a már említett vízi járművet és Bábel tornyát egy vidámpark keretében megjeleníteni kívánó vállalkozásnak."
  • May 25. Svesnka Dagbladet blog. Stockholm, Sweden. Skattelättnad av bibliska proportioner by Sanna Rayman.
    "Kentuckys myndighet för turistutveckling (The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority) har nyligen godkänt skattelättnader och andra fördelaktigheter värda totalt 43 miljoner dollar. Ändamålet? Jo, det ska byggas en biblisk nöjespark i delstaten. Här ska besökarna tas in i Gamla Testamentets värld. Möta Abraham, beundra Röda Havet och storögt betrakta Babels Torn."
  • May 25. City Beat. Cincinnati, Ohio. Todd Portune and The Enquirer by Kevin Osborne.
    "KENTUCKY TAXPAYERS: Here’s how desperate the Bluegrass State is to create jobs, since it relied too heavily for years on tobacco farming and not enough on investing in education. The commonwealth’s Tourism Development Finance Authority has approved granting $43.1 million in tax incentives over a decade to Ark Encounter, a theme park based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. The project will be built near Williamstown by a group of investors including the people behind the absurdist Creation Museum in Petersburg. The park allegedly will create between 600-700 jobs and have an economic impact of $250 million in its first year; we remain skeptical it will come even close to that. Regardless, state government should not subsidize the spread of fundamentalist Christianity — or any religion, for that matter. Gov. Steve Beshear should read the First Amendment again."
  • May 23. Willie's World blog. Rockport, Maine. Christians. .......What Will They Think of Next by Willie Y.
    "A park employees, dressed as roman solders (sic), bring out tree large spikes. Watch your kids eyes widen as the solders (sic) places the spikes in your kids hand. And don't forget that beautiful woolen (sic) mallot (sic).(Which can be purchased after the experience)."
  • May 23. ENG 230 Introduction to Literature: Pastoral in Western Literature and Culture – Commentary at the University of Kentucky blog. Lexington, Kentucky. Here we go 2 by 2 … ? by LTinchy.
    "The same day that we as a class not only discuss Thomas Carew’s “To Saxham,” but we also take a quiz quoting this very passage, it is revealed that the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority Board unanimously voted to pass the estimated $172 million Ark Encounter Amusement Park. (Ironic? I think so.) This decision comes with the potential of claiming in 10 years up to $43 million in sales tax rebates."
  • May 22. Conservative New and Views. Ark Encounter clears final hurdle by Terry Hurlbut.
    "Ark Encounter LLC, the private group behind the project, announced the project in December of last year. They filed a feasibility study with the KDTFA. That body commissioned its own feasibility study from Hunden Strategic Partners. Their study said that if Ark Encounter does what it says it will, then it might attract 1.2 million out-of-State visitors in its first year, bring in $119 million in business, and produce $64.6 million in taxes over ten years, taxes that the State would not otherwise collect. To do this, Ark Encounter must include original material and not merely rehash the exhibits of the Creation Museum to the south."
  • May 22. Honolulu Star Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. Tax rebates to help fund religious theme park by Roger Alford, Associated Press. Page H3.
  • May 22. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Ark Park editorial cartoon by Marc Murphy. Page H2. Ark Park by Marc Murphy.
  • May 21. Correio da Manhã. Lisbon, Portugal. Parque com forma de Arca de Noé.
    "O estado norte-americano Kentucky aprovou, esta sexta-feira, uma proposta com temática bíblica que inclui a construção de um parque com a forma da Arca de Noé."
  • May 21. My Auburn Journal. Auburn, Calfornia. Ark Park by ThosPayne.
  • May 20. Think Progress. While Cutting Social Services, Kentucky Gives $43 Million Tax Break To Bible-Themed Amusement Park by Alex Seitz-Wald.
    "A group of private investors and religious organizations is hoping to build a Bible-themed amusement park in Kentucky, complete with a full-size 500-foot-by-75-foot reproduction of Noah’s Ark, a Tower of Babel, and other biblical exhibits on a 800-acre campus outside of Williamstown, KY. Their effort got a shot in the arm yesterday when the state approved $43 million in tax breaks for the project. In addition to the tax incentives, approved unanimously by the state’s tourism board, taxpayers may have to pony up another $11 million to improve a highway interchange near the site."
  • May 20. Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Washington, D.C. Separation of church and state advocacy website. Creationist Theme Park Receives Tax Incentives in Kentucky by Don Byrd.
    "Does the Constitution forbid tax breaks for a religious theme park? Or does the Constitution require them? Those polar opposites are the competing views in the debate over Kentucky's Ark Encouter, which the state yesterday awarded $43 million in tax incentives over the next 10 years. Detractors argue the tax rebates are a violation of church-state separation and are threatening to sue. Supporters claim that to deny the application would have amounted to religious discrimination and could lead to a lawsuit from that direction.Does the Constitution forbid tax breaks for a religious theme park? Or does the Constitution require them? Those polar opposites are the competing views in the debate over Kentucky's Ark Encouter, which the state yesterday awarded $43 million in tax incentives over the next 10 years. Detractors argue the tax rebates are a violation of church-state separation and are threatening to sue. Supporters claim that to deny the application would have amounted to religious discrimination and could lead to a lawsuit from that direction."
  • May 20. Baptist Press. Nashville, Tennessee. Ky. OKs full-scale Noah's Ark by Staff.
    "An analysis by Hunden Strategic Partners shows the ark will draw 1.2 million visitors the first year and have a $119 million impact on the state the first 10 years."
  • May 20. WKYT-TV, Channel 27, CBS. Lexington, Kentucky. $43 million in tax incentives approved for Ark Encounter by Sean Moody.
    "Right now, the property surrounding Julian Wills' farm in Grant County is a large wooded area, but if things go according to plan, in Aug there could be an ark rising."
    "Julian Wills stands firmly behind the Ark Encounter project."
  • May 20. WLKY-TV, Channel 32, CBS. Louisville, Kentucky. Controversy Surrounds Noah's Ark Theme Park by Eric King.
    " “If they want to set up the Noah’s ark theme park. I'm fine with that but let them use their own money,” said state Sen. Perry Clark (D - Louisville)."
    " “This will be challenged in court. This is a preferential of some religious policy over another. This will be challenged. We will lose this and for the third time in a very short time, Kentucky will be held holding the bag for the court costs,“ Clark said.
  • May 20. USA Today-On Deadline. McLean, Virginia. Kentucky OKs tax incentives for Bible theme park by Douglas Stanglin.
    "Ark Encounter, a controversial Bible theme park that will feature a 500-foot model of Noah's Ark, has met Kentucky's requirements to receive millions of dollars in tax incentives, The Courier-Journal of Louisville reports."
  • May 20. WSCH-FM, 99.3. Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Tax Incentives Given To Ark Park.
    "A flood of tax rebates is coming to a theme park which will include a replica of Noah’s Ark."
  • May 20. Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. Kentucky gives Ark Encounter park $43 million tax break by Beth Musgrave.
    "The park has been criticized by late-night talk show hosts and those who say the state should not give tax breaks to a business that espouses a particular religious view. But Gov. Steve Beshear has defended the incentives, saying the state cannot deny the application on religious grounds. The park alone could generate as many as 600 to 700 new jobs, according to a consultant's report. That number doesn't include jobs created from construction or from new hotels or restaurants."
  • May 20. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Ark park cleared for state aid: Agency approves sales tax rebates by Gregory A. Hall. Page B4.
  • May 20. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark theme park wins tax breaks: Kentucky OKs $40M in rebates by Jeff McKinney. Pages A1 & A3.
  • May 20. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Ark Encounter gets OK for tax break: Despite concerns of church-state mix, Bible-themed park can get up to $43M by Beth Musgrave. Pages A1 & A12.
  • May 20. The Independent. Ashland, Kentucky. Noah's Ark theme park tax incentives approved: Tourism authority votes to grant $40M for $172M project being funded by unidentified private investors. Associated Press story. Pages A3 & A9.
  • May 20. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark theme park wins tax breaks: Kentucky OKs $40M in rebates by Jeff McKinney. Page C6.
  • May 19. WFPL-FM, 89.3, NPR. Louisville, Kentucky. Tourism Authority Approves Tax Incentives for Noah’s Ark-Themed Amusement Park by Gabe Bullard.
    "The park is being developed in part by Answers in Genesis—the Christian group that built the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky. Both developments follow a literal interpretation of the Bible. The centerpiece of the theme park will be a replica of the biblical ark, complete with dinosaurs inside, as Answers in Genesis believe dinosaurs and humans co-existed several thousand years ago."
  • May 19. San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, Texas. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead in Kentucky by Roger Alford, Associated Press.
    "Investors, who have looked at sites across the country for the proposed theme park, settled on the Kentucky site that is within a day's drive of two-thirds of the nation's population."
  • May 19. Business Courier. Cincinnati, Ohio. Kentucky approves tax incentives for Ark Encounter.
    "Ark Encounter is partnering with Answers in Genesis to build the attraction. Answers in Genesis is best known for the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., which has drawn 1 million visitors in its first three years of operation."
  • May 19. Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet. Frankfort, Kentucky. Tourism Development Finance Authority Approves Ark Encounter Project in Grant County.
    "The authority considers applications under the Kentucky Tourism Development Act, which allows eligible tourism attractions a rebate of sales tax up to 25 percent of project capitol costs over a 10 year period. Projects must meet certain criteria to be eligible such as having a positive economic impact for the Commonwealth and the rebate is based on performance."
    "The authority gave final approval to plans by Ark Encounter, LCC for a theme park in Grant County with an investment of $172.5 million. The maximum incentive available would be $43.125 million over 10 years. The incentives come from the sales tax generated by the project."
    "The authority heard a report from Hunden Strategic Partners that showed the Ark Encounter project met the criteria of the Kentucky Tourism Development Act, which includes requirements that the project attract at least 25 percent of visitors from outside the state by the fourth year of operation and that it has a positive impact on the Kentucky economy."
    "The report also said the net fiscal impact on the state would be between $64.6 million and $119 million over 10 years in sales and income tax above and beyond the incentive, depending upon several variables on the projected attendance."
  • May 19. NKY.com. Cincinnati, Ohio. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead. Associated Press story.
    "Zovath said he expects groundbreaking in Aug for the project that is projected to draw nearly 1.4 million visitors a year to Williamstown, the northern Kentucky city where it is to be built."
  • May 19. The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. Ky. officials approve tax rebates for proposed biblical theme park that includes Noah's Ark by Roger Alford, Associated Press.
    "Americans United for Separation of Church and State executive director Barry W. Lynn criticized Kentucky's decision, saying the state "should not be promoting the spread of fundamentalist Christianity or any other religious viewpoint."
    "Zovath said the controversy generated by critics like Lynn has actually been good for the project."
  • May 19. Greenwich Time. Greenwich, Connecticut. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead in Kentucky by Roger Alford, Associated Press.
    "The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority voted unanimously to grant more than $40 million in tax rebates for the $172 million project that's otherwise being financed by a group of unidentified private investors."
  • May 19. WLEX-TV, Channel 18, NBC. Lexington, Kentucky. Noah's Ark Theme Park Gets Over $40 Million In Tax Break Incentives. Associated Press story.
    "Zovath said he expects groundbreaking in Aug for the project that is projected to draw nearly 1.4 million visitors a year to Williamstown, the northern Kentucky city where it is to be built."
  • May 19. New England Cable News. Boston, Massachusetts. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead in Kentucky Associated Press story.
    "Rob Hunden, a consultant who reviewed the proposal for the Tourism Development and Finance Authority, said the project is expected to draw nearly 1.4 million visitors a year."
  • May 19. Opposing Views. Los Angeles, California. USA Kentucky Gives $50 Million in Tax Breaks to Fundamentalist 'Ark Park' by AUSCS.
    "Church-State Watchdog Group Says So-Called ‘Ark Park’ Promotes Fundamentalist Religion And Bad Science"
    "Americans United for Separation of Church and State today blasted officials in Kentucky for their decision to award more than $50 million in tax incentives to a theme park centered around Noah’s Ark."
  • May 19. Kentucky.com. Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington Herald-Leader website. Noah's Ark theme park gets go-ahead in Kentucky by Roger Alford. Associated Press story.
    "A proposed biblical theme park that will include a full-size replica of Noah's Ark has received final approval of more than $40 million in state tax incentives. The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority voted unanimously on Thursday to grant the tax incentives for the project that is estimated to cost more than $172 million."
  • May 19. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. $43 million tax break approved for Ark Encounter theme park by Beth Musgrave.
    "A controversial biblical-themed amusement park received approval Thursday for up to $43 million in Kentucky tax incentives over a 10-year period."
    "The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, which oversees tax credits for tourism and film-related projects, unanimously approved the tax credit for the Arc Encounter project, which is scheduled to break ground in Aug outside Williamstown in Grant County."
    "To receive the state tax rebate, tourism projects must be open more than 100 days a year, cost more than $1 million and attract at least 25 percent of its visitors from out-of-state by its fourth year of operation."
    "The Arc Encounter project exceeds all of those requirements, said consultant Rob Hunden of Hunden Strategic Partners. The theme park will cost more than $172 million to build, be open year-round and attract more than 86 percent of its visitors from out-of-state, Hunden told the board."
  • May 19. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Ark park gets Kentucky approval for tax incentives by Gregory A. Hall.
    "A state contractor concluded that the proposed Ark Encounter biblical theme park will draw enough visitors to qualify for state incentives, prompting the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority to grant final approval for up to $43.1 million in sales tax rebates over 10 years."
    "The state tourism law spells out several requirements, including the number of out-of-state visitors, that must be met for developers to recover up to 25 percent of the project's cost through a return of the sales tax paid by visitors on admission tickets, food, souvenirs and other expenses."
  • May 16. The Oklahoman. Oklahoma. Presentation of biblical size by Brandy McDonnell. Pages C1 & C3. 'Passages' opens today at Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
    "More than 200 creative minds have been working speedily since September to design and build the exhibit, said Cary Summers, chief executive officer of The Nehemiah Group consulting firm. The Springfield, Mo.-based company has been involved in similar interactive biblical exhibits like the Nazareth Village in Israel and the planned Ark Encounter in Kentucky."
  • May 13. Bloomberg Businessweek. New York City, New York. Ky. GOP gubernatorial rivals press for tax reform by Brian Schreiner.
    "The Republican three candidates were asked specifically whether they favor offering tax incentives to a group of investors wanting to build a replica of Noah's Ark as part of a proposed theme park in northern Kentucky. Beshear has said he favors tax incentives for the ark park that has been projected to create about 900 permanent jobs and have a $214 million economic impact in its first year of operation."
  • May 12. Forbes. New York City, New York. Ky. GOP gubernatorial rivals press for tax reform by Brian Schreiner.
    "Williams, president of the Kentucky Senate, said projects like the Noah's Ark development with religious themes should not be discriminated against for state incentives if they meet the proper criteria for eligibility."
  • May 8. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Behind Gov. Beshear's bypassing of Obama in Kentucky by Joseph Gerth.
    "The snub is sure to anger the folks who used to make up Beshear's base, blacks and liberals in Louisville and Lexington. Some already are ticked off at the governor for what they consider pandering to the religious right on the issue of Ark Encounter, the Noah's Ark theme park planned in Northern Kentucky."

April

  • Apr. Focus on the Family Citizen. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Noah Finds an Old Kentucky Home by Matt Kaufman. Page 10.
  • Apr 10. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Ark is not amusement by Mark Looy.
  • Apr 10. Kentucky.com. Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington Herald-Leader website. Ark is not amusement by Mark Looy.
    "In its ongoing opposition to a project that will bring in millions of dollars to the state economy and generate thousands of new jobs, the Herald-Leader is trivializing the Ark Encounter project as an "amusement park," most recently in a March 24 article."
  • Apr 1. National Center for Science Education - NCSE. Oakland, California. Announcing the UpChucky award for 2010.
    "And the winner is ... Answers in Genesis, whose "Ark Park" project is already controversial not only because of the threat it poses to the state's reputation but also because of the prospect of its receiving state tourism development incentives, to the tune of 37.5 million dollars over ten years. "I don't remember Noah asking for a government handout to build his ark," joked NCSE's Scott. "Why isn't Answers in Genesis following his model?" "

March

  • Mar ??. Church & State. Washington, D.C. Editorial. Weird Science, Bad Jobs: The Hidden Threat of State-Endorsed Creationism. Volume 64, Number 3, March 2011, Page 15.
    "Yet as the economy continues to struggle, some political leaders will take whatever they can get. How else to explain Kentucky Cov. Steve Beshear's decision to enter into a partnership with Answers in Cenesis, a band of creationists who plan to build a replica of Noah's Ark in north central Kentucky?"
  • Mar 29. National Center for Science Education - NCSE. Oakland, California. Second Annual Upchucky Awards Announced!
    "The nominees: - Answers in Genesis's "Ark Park" - From the organization that brought us the Creation Museum (see Adam frolic with the wild Ankylosaur!) comes the latest exercise in reality distortion, the "Ark Encounter" theme park. The proposed "Ark Park" would include a full-scale replica of Noah's big boat (complete with animals, including unicorns), a Tower of Babel, a special effects theatre, and more. Fumed the Louisville Courier-Journal: "Why stop with creationism...how about a Flat-Earth Museum?" "
  • Mar 25. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Founder of Creation Museum banned from convention by Linda B. Blackford.
    "Modified: 5:12pm on Mar 25, 2011"
    "Ken Ham, the man behind the Creation Museum and the future Ark Encounter amusement park, has been disinvited from a homeschool convention in Cincinnati next week because he made "ungodly, and mean-spirited" comments about another speaker, according to the convention's organizers."
  • Mar 24. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Ark: Yes or No? by Jamie Baker-Nantz. Pages 1 and 13.
  • Mar 23. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Yes or No? by Jamie Baker-Nantz.
    "Is the Ark really coming to Grant County?"
    "Yes, yes, yes – at least that’s what Grant County officials say about the proposed $150 million project that developers announced in December 2010 would locate on a 160-acre site off the Williamstown exit at Ky. 36"
  • Mar 20. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Several Ark locations considered by Mark Hansel. Pages B1 and B4.
  • Mar 20. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Details on ark park sought - Legislator's request for documents on Ark Encounter denied by Mark Hansel. Page B4.
  • Mar 18. Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark park once aimed at Petersburg by Mark Hansel.
    "Planners say that not only are they confident that projections of 1.6 million visitors in the first year will prove accurate, those numbers have greatly influenced how large the attraction will be and where it will be located."
  • Mar 14. Examiner. Creationism Examiner. Kentucky legislator demanding to see Ark Encounter feasibility study by Terry Hurlbut.
    "A Kentucky state representative announced on Friday his intention to renew his demand to see the feasibility study that prompted the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority to grant preliminary approval to Ark Encounter's application for a tourism development tax incentive."
  • Mar 11. Kentucky.com. Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington Herald-Leader website. Legislator will try again for information on Ark Park by Linda B. Blackford.
    "The state tourism department cannot withhold information about a Bible-themed amusement park without giving justification for its decision, the state attorney general's office has ruled."
  • Mar 11. WLEX-TV, Channel 18, NBC. Lexington, Kentucky. AG Rules On Ark Park Information Request.
    "The state Attorney General's office has ruled that tourism officials cannot withhold information about a Bible-themed amusement park without giving a justification."
  • Mar 10. Religotics blog. Attacking Minds by Steve Just.
    "The founder of the Creation Museum, Ken Ham, is also the founder of Answers in Genesis and is the process of building a $24 million theme park called Ark Encounter in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is billed as “a one-of-a-kind historically themed attraction. In an entertaining, educational, and immersive way, it presents a number of historical events centered on a full-size, all-wood Ark…”"
  • Mar 10. Science and Religion: a View from an Evolutionary Creationist blog. Oak Ridge, Tennessee. More on the Ark Encounter by James Kidder.
  • Mar 10. Palm Beach Post News. West Palm Beach, Florida. Cerabino: State should at least profit from its ignorance by Frank Cerabino.
    "Kentucky's giving $37 million in tax breaks to a theme park run by a religious organization that teaches that the Earth is 6,000 years old and was created in six days."
  • Mar 10. National Public Radio (NPR). Washington, D.C. Kentucky 'Ark Park' Seeks Tourists Two-By-Two by Cheri Lawson.
    "How far will a state go to improve the economy and attract jobs? In Kentucky, there are plans for a religious theme park, which has the support of the governor despite critics who say the state shouldn't give tax breaks for religious purposes."
    Audio story, 5 min, 12 sec.
  • Mar 1. Virtuous Magazine. USA. Have You Heard... compiled by Brittany Davis. Page 8.

February

  • Feb. Chronogram: Arts, Culture, Spirit. Kingston, New York. Mike Zovath, senior vice president of Answers in Genesis...building...Ark Encounter by Samantha Minasi. Page 18.
  • Feb 23. Adam von Willis blog. The Ark Encounter Must Be Built! by Adam Willis.
    "Even though I am a atheist and think the bible is a poorly written work of fiction, I really really really want this to happen."
  • Feb 13. Religion Dispatches. San Francisco, California. Will Proposed ‘Ark Park’ Discriminate in Hiring? by Julie Ingersoll.
    "As Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and a group of investors continue to promote the job-creation possibilities of their Noah’s Ark theme park, unsettling questions over discriminatory hiring by the fundamentalist ministry that will run the park remain murky."
  • Feb 13. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark park defends figure by Mark Hansel. Pages A1, A10. Ark Park defends forecast
  • Feb 13. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark Encounter defends attendance projections by Mark Hansel. Page B10. Ark Park defends forecast
  • Feb 6. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Moving to the right? Beshear's election-year strategy worries some backers... by Joseph Gerth. Pages A1, A6.
    "Two months ago, Beshear embraced the proposed construction of a biblical theme park in Northern Kentucky, promising state tax credits."
  • Feb 6. Salon. San Francisco, California. Places that prove Darwin was right by Megan Cytron.
    "Back in early December, Kentucky's governor, Democrat Steve Beshear, offered his support (and $37 million in tax breaks) for the development of "Ark Encounter," a $150-million biblical theme park. What's in the works is another production by Answers in Genesis, the controversial group behind the absurdly pseudo-scientific Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., best known for its depictions of humans and dinosaurs frolicking together in kitschy dioramas."
  • Feb 3. The Journal News. Independence, Kentucky. Ark Encounter to Open in N.KY in 2014.
    "In December Governor Steve Beshear and the Ark Encounter, LLC announced plans for a major tourist attraction in the Northern Kentucky region. It will be a full-scale Noah’s Ark and theme park that could bring as many as 900 new jobs for the park and over 14,000 on the basis of the 540 million in expected revenues. Partnering with Ark Encounter is Answers in Genesis, which is most widely know for its high-tech and well-attended Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky."
  • Feb 3. Boone Community Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Noah's Ark park will be a success by John Stephenson. Page A9.
  • Feb 3. Boone County Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Noah's Ark park will be a success by John Stephenson. Page A9.
  • Feb 3. Florence Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Noah's Ark park will be a success by John Stephenson. Page A9.
  • Feb 3. Boone Community Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Noah's Ark park will be a success by John Stephenson. Page A8.
  • Feb 2. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Guest Column. Ark Encounter presents no risk to taxpayers by Mark Looy. Page A9.
  • Feb 2. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Guest Column. Ark Encounter presents no risk to taxpayers by Mark Looy. Page A9.
  • Feb 2. Cincinnati/Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Ark Encounter presents no risk to taxpayers by Mark Looy.
    "Taxpayers will not help pay for the construction and operation of the Ark. The only people to pay taxes related to operating the Ark will be the visitors who pay state sales tax at the attraction (e.g., on tickets and food). A portion of that sales tax would rebated to the Ark."
  • Feb 2. American Humanist Association. Washington, D.C. Noah and the Tax Incentives by Sarah Ameigh.
    "The recent announcement of plans for a Biblical-oriented theme park in northern Kentucky has brought the church-state separation question to the job creation front. In a struggling economy fraught with dwindling profits and rampant unemployment, how far can constitutionality be pushed in favor of economic growth?"

January

  • January 2011 Featured Stories

  • Boone Community Recorder. January 20.
    Tax breaks to build an ark?

  • Cincinnati Enquirer. January 17.
    Would you visit Ark park?

  • Louisville Courier-Journal. January 16. Experts challenge vision for Ark park

  • Louisville Courier-Journal. January 16. Experts challenge vision for Ark park

  • Washington Post, January 6.
    Green architecture: It's officially a flood

  • Jan. Chronogram: Arts, Culture, Spirit. Kingston, New York. Kentucky's Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear announced he had secured a deal with Ark Encounter LLC ... by Sunya Bhutta. Page 18.
  • Jan ??. GoGreen.ae. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Ark Encounter - Eco-friendly amusement park.
    "More than just the Ark, the project will include a large complex of associated attractions, theaters, amenities, event venues, and ample parking to properly accommodate the expected crowds. It is designed to be family oriented, historically authentic, and environmentally friendly."
  • Jan 30. Herald-Mail. Hagerstown, Maryland. Kentucky ark funding will not come from grants by Mark Looy.
    "After reading Allan Powell's "Kentucky Edutainment" op-ed piece, we found it remarkable that a professor (albeit retired) simply did not do his homework."
    "He appeared to write knowledgeably about our future full-size Noah's Ark in northern Kentucky, but his starting point was wrong. We hope he was more careful when imparting knowledge to his students."
    "Powell evidently based his column on second-hand information (i.e., using other newspaper columnists, bloggers, etc.) rather than confirming with original sources. Many newspapers are falsely reporting that the Ark project will be a drain on Kentucky's revenues."
  • Jan 28. Middletown Journal. Middletown, Ohio. Guest Column. Geology shows Noah's flood just didn't happen by Peter Lask.
  • Jan 28. Christian Post. Washington, D.C. Church and State Issues Flood Noah's Ark Theme Park by Eryn Sun.
    "The Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Ken Ham, president and founder of Answers in Genesis, engaged in an informal debate on CNN Wednesday night with Lynn opposing support from the state for the park."
  • Jan 28. Examiner.com. Creationism Examiner. National anti-faith group enters Ark Encounter dispute by Terry Hurlbut.
    " The project to build a themed attraction in Kentucky, centered on a full-scale replica of Noah's Ark and the civilization to which Noah might have belonged, has now attracted anti-Christian opposition from out-of-State."
  • Jan 27. Florence Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Viewpoints. Who's watching the watchdog? by Mark Looy. Page A10.
  • Jan 27. Boone County Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Viewpoints. Who's watching the watchdog? by Mark Looy. Page A11.
  • Jan 27. Boone Community Recorder. Florence, Kentucky. Viewpoints. Who's watching the watchdog? by Mark Looy. Page A11.
  • Jan 27. Hamilton Journal News. Hamilton, Ohio. Opinion. Geology shows Noah’s flood just didn’t happen by Peter Lask.
    "Is the Earth really 6,000 years old? Are all living humans truly direct descendents of the crew of Noah’s Ark? Why is it a bad idea for the Commonwealth of Kentucky to become involved in supporting Answers in Genesis (AIG) through tax abatements and infrastructure improvements related to the proposed Noah’s Ark park?"
  • Jan 27. Anderson Cooper 360° - CNN. Atlanta, Georgia. Tax incentives for Biblical theme park? with Anderson Cooper.
    Ken Ham versus Barry Lynn (American United for Separation of Church and State).
  • Jan 24. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Fairness has been lost in C-J coverage of Ark Encounter by Mark Looy. Page A4. Fairness has been lost in C-J coverage of Ark Encounter
    "The Courier-Journal seems determined to move the Ark Encounter out of state even before construction begins. In its latest two broadsides against the full-size Noah's Ark, the paper quoted theme park representatives who are skeptical about its success, and Tuesday's editorial suggested that the project is a “white elephant.” These opinions are not based on any relevant studies or hard data."
  • Jan 23. Middletown Journal. Middletown, Ohio. Letter to the editor. Why do Miami profs worry about Noah's Ark park? by Jason Lisle, David Menton, Andrew Snelling and Georgia Purdom. Page A11.
    "For a rather lengthy column, its many broad-sweeping and dogmatic statements lacked any backup. For example, there was the hand-waving comment that there is “indisputable scientific evidence of single-celled bacteria originating approximately three billion years ago.” Well, what is the evidence, much less the source of the “approximate” date?"
  • Jan 21. Middletown Journal. Middletown, Ohio. Letter to the editor. Why do Miami profs worry about Noah's Ark park? by Jason Lisle, David Menton, Andrew Snelling and Georgia Purdom.
    "As scientists employed full time at the Creation Museum of Answers in Genesis in northern Kentucky, we are writing to offer a rebuttal to the poorly researched column written by the three Miami University professors (“Noah’s Ark park will mislead our schoolchildren,” Jan. 9). Their guest column was an attack on our proposed “Ark Encounter” in northern Kentucky, which will feature a full-size, all-wood Noah’s Ark as the central attraction."
  • Jan 20. The Libery Tree. Kokomo, Indiana. The Peter Heck Radio Show. Ark Project Meets Resistance...But Why? by Peter Heck.
    "Yep. The only logical reason to oppose this project is that you have a difference of opinion with the message it will convey. Content based discrimination in other words. There, once again, is a demonstration of the left's commitment to free speech. If it's speech they like, it's all good. If it's speech they don't like, it must be resisted."
  • Jan 20. Cincinnati/Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Letters to the editors. Readers respond: Would visit the Ark park? by Margaret Rinck, Bill Stacey, Mark Watton, Nicholas Keil, Jim Rowland, Robert L. Croswell, Richard Honeck, Pat Moran, Bud Crihfield, John Nenninger, and Donna Wyatt.
  • Jan 20. Florence Recorder. Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Editorial. Tax breaks to build an ark? 'Noah' way, brother by Jim Waters. Page A9. Re-publication of Bluegrass Beacon article.
  • Jan 20. Boone County Recorder. Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Editorial. Tax breaks to build an ark? 'Noah' way, brother by Jim Waters. Page A13. Re-publication of Bluegrass Beacon article.
  • Jan 20. Boone Community Recorder. Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Editorial. Tax breaks to build an ark? 'Noah' way, brother by Jim Waters. Page A13. Re-publication of Bluegrass Beacon article.
  • Jan 19. Royal Gazette. Hamilton, Bermuda. A ship is a global stimulus all by itself by Jens Alers.
    "If you want to create lasting economic stimulus, build a ship! On first sight, the Governor of Kentucky appears to agree with that statement. The New York Times reported on December 6 that the Governor has promised generous tax incentives in support of plans to construct a full-size replica of Noah’s ark, complete with animals (“small, young giraffes”) and actors, and make it the centerpiece of a Bible-based tourist attraction called Ark Encounter."
  • Jan 18. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Editorial. Ark's prospects. Page A6. Ark's prospects.
    "The more that's learned about Ark Encounter — the creationist theme park planned for Northern Kentucky — the less it seems like something state government should be engaging."
  • Jan 17. Kentucky Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Would you visit Ark park? by Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier-Journal. Pages A1 and A9.
  • Jan 17. Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Would you visit Ark park? by Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier-Journal. Pages A1 and A9.
  • Jan 17. Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Would you visit Ark Encounter park? by Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier-Journal.
    "Projections that 1.6 million people a year would visit Ark Encounter - the proposed Biblical theme park in Grant County to be financed in part with Kentucky tax incentives - are wildly optimistic, according to a half-dozen theme-park experts."
  • Jan 16. Louisville Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Experts challenge vision for Ark park by Andrew Wolfson. Pages A1 and A10. Letter to the editor on page H2.
    "Projections that 1.6 million people a year will visit Ark Encounter — the proposed biblical theme park in Northern Kentucky to be financed in part with Kentucky tax incentives—are wildly optimistic, according to a half-dozen theme-park experts."
    "The experts, who include a former Disney executive and a consultant who helped start King’s Island near Cincinnati, said the project’s embrace of a literal interpretation of the Bible—that the world was created in six days and that humans co-existed with dinosaurs — likely will alienate a large part of the theme-park market, including some Christians."
  • Jan 15. Kentucky Academy of Science Newsletter. Lexington, Kentucky. Guest editorials. A Boatload of Trouble for Kentucky? by Robert Kingsolver. Page 12. Guest Editorial by Daniel Phelps. Page 13. .pdf of January newsletter
  • Jan 14. National Center for Science Education - NCSE. Oakland, California. Kentucky Academy of Science on the ark park. Petition started by Kentucky Equality Federation, a gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender advocacy group.
    "If the Commonwealth provides tax incentives to the Ark project, we will attempt to form a coalition to challenge it as government sponsored religion," stated Richard T. Jones, Kentucky Equality Federation's Chairman of the Board. "By adopting the Manhattan Declaration, and lawmakers filing 'friend of the court briefs' to uphold the law to 'Publicize the findings of the General Assembly stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth by including the provisions of KRS 39A.285(3) in its agency training and educational materials' the Commonwealth is creating a religious state and forcing a specific religion on the Commonwealth's citizens."
  • Jan 13. Phnom Penh Post. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Going green, just like Noah. Page 11. Washington Post article.
  • Jan 11. The State Journal. Frankfort, Kentucky. Reader contributed web news content. The Ark park question.
  • Jan 10. The State Journal. Frankfort, Kentucky. Free Ride for the ark? Noah way! Page A4. Louisville Courier-Journal editorial.
  • Jan 10. Guardian. London, England. Putting the fun in US fundamentalism by Theo Hobson.
    "Last month, the state of Kentucky gave the go-ahead for a new Christian theme park, whose centrepiece will be a reconstruction of Noah's ark. The megaboat will, of course, be built to biblical specs – why tamper with God's foray into ship design? It will be about 500ft long, and house large live animals including giraffes, and (non-live) dinosaurs. Ark Encounter will be open for business in 2014, global weather permitting."
  • Jan 10. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Some scientists also embrace creationism by David Menton, Andrew Snelling and Georgia Purdom. Page A7. Some scientists also embrace creationism.
    "For one, the guest columnist, Roger Guffey, claimed there were no "serious" scientists who are creationists. We are full-time Ph.D. researchers with the Creation Museum and Answers in Genesis in Northern Kentucky, and we will be helping to design the full-scale Noah's Ark and other attractions to be built north of Lexington."
  • Jan 10. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Tennessee, Kentucky have different approach to biblical parks by Linda B. Blackford.
    "WILLIAMSTOWN — Residents of this small Grant County town are preparing to welcome a new amusement park in 2014 featuring a life-size Noah's Ark, which some believe will transform the area's economic landscape with hotels, restaurants and tourists."
  • Jan 9. Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. Kentucky ark park plan raises ungodly questions by Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier-Journal. Page ?.
  • Jan 9. Middletown Journal. Middletown, Ohio. Guest Column. Noah's Ark park will mislead our school children by J.K. Bhattacharjee, G.R. Janssen and T.G. Gregg. Page A11.
  • Jan 9. Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Biblical attractions R us by Ed Quillen.
    "States compete viciously for tourism dollars, so I started to worry about Colorado's economic future when I read about a planned tourist attraction in Kentucky that will get some state tax breaks. It's a theme park called "Ark Encounter," which will feature, among other things, a replica of Noah's Ark built to biblical specifications, complete with animals."
  • Jan 9. Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. Create this by Charles P. Pierce, author of Idiot America.
    "Dear Steve Beshear: As you may or may not know, a while back I paid a visit to the Creation Museum, which was built in that part of Kentucky that we occasional visitors like to call “up by Cincinnati.” I enjoyed the dinosaur with the saddle. I also enjoyed the animatronic Moses who spoke in a dialect that I believe was concocted for a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof staged by a Christian academy somewhere in South Dakota. Now, though, I see, as governor, you’ve given your blessing – and some fat tax incentives – to those same people so they can build a Noah’s Ark theme park. (I particularly like the proposed 100-foot Tower of Babel. Will there be a restaurant? Will the waiter understand my order?) I have to say I’m not surprised, since Kentucky is not unfamiliar with acts of public devotion. After all, your state already has Churchill Downs and Keeneland, where the name of the Deity is frequently invoked, particularly at the quarter-pole, albeit often in vain. Well, now, one loopy religious entertainment complex is a fluke. Two is a development strategy. So don’t stop here. Go full-metal Scripture: the Walls of Jericho Casino, where, every time a player hits a jackpot at the slots, somebody blows a trumpet and a wall falls down. Out along the highway would be a good place for the Sodom and Gomorrah Adult Entertainment Complex. Brimstone falls every day at 6, just like the volcano eruptions out at the Mirage."
  • Jan 9. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Will it float? It's difficult to fathom by Linda B. Blackford. Pages A1 & A7.
  • Jan 8. The Guardian. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Canada. Noah's Ark theme park has preliminary approval. Page C4. Associated Press.
  • Jan 8. TreeHugger.com. New York City, New York. With a Super Green Noah's Ark Theme Park, Conservative Christians Embrace Environmentalism by Alex Davies.
    "Conservative religion and environmentalism are often seen as mutually exclusive. They're filed under right wing and left wing, along with issues such as evolution, creationism and birth control. But as more and more religious leaders are calling on their followers to protect the environment, a new biblical theme park is challenging those categories by using a wide range of sustainable technologies to make itself one of the greenest new attractions in the US."
  • Jan 7. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Ark Encounter to build 'green' from ground up by Philip Kennicott, Washington Post. Page A1 and A2. Support ark park by Pat Moran. Page A10. Letter to the editor.
  • Jan 7. Hamilton Journal News. Hamilton, Ohio. Noah’s Ark park will mislead our schoolchildren by J.K. Bhattacharjee, G.R. Janssen and T.G. Gregg.
    "Ark Encounter, a planned theme park of Answers in Genesis (the Creation Museum) of Northern Kentucky and Ark Encounter LLC of Louisville, will hijack science. The centerpiece of their effort is an attack on evolution itself. Here we go again."
  • Jan 6. The Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. Ark won’t float on tax dollars by Mark Looy.
    "While the Vindicator can’t be expected to fact check editorials that appear in other newspapers and later show up in The Vindicator, it can lead to a major problem."
  • Jan 6. Age of Engagement blog. New York City, New York. The Rise of Innovation Conservatives and Energy Conscious Creationists by Matthew C. Nisbet.
    "As Kennicott profiles, the Christian fundamentalist group behind the Creationist Museum in Kentucky have plans to build a LEED certified "Ark Encounter" theme park that will feature geothermal heating, rainwater capture, active and passive solar heating and specialized window glazing. Even the 500-foot-long ark, the largest timber-framed structure in America, will use sustainable heating, cooling, and lighting designed to reduce energy use, reports Kennicott."
    "Ark Encounter represents the outcome of a shift in how Christians think of two basic biblical ideas: dominion and stewardship, notes Kennicott. This theological shift along with the perceived economic advantages of innovation constitute new common ground for engaging organizations and communities dismissive of climate change on the problem of energy insecurity."
  • Jan 6. Mother Nature Network blog. Environmental and social responsibility news site. LEED for arks? by Melissa Hincha-Owenby.
    "The new project is just part of a growing trend of environmentalism among religious groups, including evangelical Christians, despite the fact that some are self-proclaimed climate change skeptics. Mike Zovath, senior vice president of Answers in Genesis, is one such skeptic. In an article for The Washington Post, Zovath discusses his views on green building."
  • Jan 6. World Interior Design Network. London, England. Ark Encounter in US to flaunt green design elements.
    "Answers in Genesis has announced that The Ark Encounter, a giant model of Noah’s Ark in a Christian-themed amusement park in Northern Kentucky, will be designed to be one of the largest green construction projects in the US."
    "Answers in Genesis, the organization behind the construction of the massive full-scale Noah’s Ark, has stated that the project will take full advantage of the latest environmental technologies to be good stewards of creation. The 500ft-long wooden ark is expected to become the largest timber-frame structure in the US."
  • Jan 6. Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Letters to the editor. Taxpayers won't pay for ark by Mark Looy.
    "Your Jan. 3 editorial "Biblical outrage" incorrectly stated that Kentucky taxpayers would subsidize the operation of the Ark Encounter, a themed attraction featuring a full-size Noah's Ark in northern Kentucky."
    "The only people to pay for the ark's operation will be Ark Encounter visitors, who will pay sales tax as they purchase tickets and food at the attraction. If the ark's application is approved, Kentucky will rebate a portion of the sales tax to the for-profit Ark Encounter LLC, based on attendance performance."
  • Jan 6. Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Style section. Green architecture: It's officially a flood. by Philip Kennicott. Page 1, C1, & C8.
  • Jan 5. Grant County News. Dry Ridge, Kentucky. WHAT 2 WATCH 4 by The Staff.
    "It may be weeks or even months before dirt is moved on a 800-acre site off Ky. 36 in Williamstown, but a full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark is in the works."
    "In 2009, the Grant County Industrial Development Authority began working with developers on the $150 million project which is expected to bring 900 full and part-time jobs to Grant County when the tourist attractions opens in 2014."
  • Jan 5. Scripturosity blog. Biblical Relevance in Today’s World: The “Ark Encounter” Theme Park by Marc Jacobs.
    "The recent unveiling of development plans for a new theme park in Kentucky has sent the media ticker-tape screaming off the reel. The December 1, 2010 project announcement was attended by the Governor of Kentucky along with representatives from the Christian organization and architectural brain-trust, Answers in Genesis."
  • Jan 5. Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Noah's Ark replica shows conservative Christians are embracing green building by Philip Kennicott.
    "When the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., opened on Memorial Day 2007, temperatures inside the 100,000-square-foot complex began to spike. Huge crowds of warm bodies will do that to an HVAC system, and it took months of tweaking through the museum's first hot summer to get the system working properly."
    "Mike Zovath, senior vice president of Answers in Genesis, the organization that built the Creation Museum, says he has learned his lesson. As a consortium that includes his group prepares to break ground this spring on a biblical theme park called Ark Encounter, which will include a replication of Noah's Ark built according to the dimensions given in the Book of Genesis, it is turning to the latest trends in "green" architecture. Scheduled to open in 2014, Ark Encounter will include environmentally sustainable technology "from Day One," Zovath said, and will be built by a firm that specializes in LEED-certified construction and design, the industry standard for environmentally efficient buildings."
  • Jan 4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Letter to the editor. Re: Ark Encounter by Mark Looy. Page B6.
  • Jan 4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Letter to the editor. Re: Ark Encounter by Mark Looy.
    "Some basic research by the Post-Gazette would have revealed that its Dec. 29 editorial was incorrect in stating that Kentucky taxpayers would be subsidizing the operation of the Ark Encounter, a themed attraction featuring a full-size Noah's Ark in northern Kentucky."
  • Jan 4. The Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. Tea party should be outraged. Reprint of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.
    "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: If ever there was a boondoggle worthy of tea party outrage, it would be the public dollars that might go into subsidies for a creationist theme park."
    "On Dec. 20 the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval for up to $43 million in tax incentives to help fund an attraction in Grant County based on the Genesis story of Noah’s ark."
  • Jan 3. Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Biblical outrage. Page A6. Reprint of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial. Biblical outrage.
    "IF EVER a boondoggle was worthy of Tea Partiers' pitchforks and torches, millions of dollars in possible taxpayer subsidies for a creationist theme park in Kentucky should be at the top of the list."
  • Jan 3. Neue Zuercher Zeitung. Zurich, Switzerland. Kentucky baut eine Arche Noah by Roman Elsener. Page 16.
    "Nicht nur im Gebirge Ararat, wo Noah mit seiner Familie und den Tieren der Welt nach einem Jahr und zehn Tagen Sintflut endlich aufgesetzt haben soll, kann heute seine Arche gesucht werden. In Kentucky wurden im Dezember Pläne bekannt, wonach eine 150 Meter lange Replik von Noahs Schiff Kernattraktion eines Erlebnisparks werden soll. Umgeben wird das Schiff gemäss den Plänen des Unternehmens Arkencounter («Archenbegegnung») mit einem Bibelpark, inklusive des Turmes zu Babel, einem Spezialeffekt-Kino und einem Zoo."
  • Jan 1. Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. Letter to the editor. Ark story universal by Rev. Leroy Hammond. Page A11.
  • Jan 1. Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. Odessan helps rebuild Noah's Ark by Lyxan Toledanes.
    "Amongst the rolling hills of northern Kentucky, the age-old tale of Noah and the ark will soon come to life. In a new venture by 1968 Permian graduate Cary Summers, the legendary ark will be recreated for the new Bible-based theme park, Ark Encounter."
    "In development for five years, Ark Encounter’s primary feature will be the 500-foot-long and 45-foot-tall all-wood ark rising high above the landscape and the surrounding ancient Middle-Eastern-inspired village."

More Ark Encounter News

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