Evermore Park permanently shuts its gates, new attraction in the works

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah (ABC4) — Evermore Park, an immersive fantasy-themed attraction in Utah County, has now closed its gates for good.

Evermore Park’s website is updated to reflect that — with a page titled “End of An Era.”

In a statement to ABC4, founder Ken Bretschneider said after careful consideration by the park’s management team and board of directors, they made the difficult decision to close the park indefinitely.

“It is with deep sadness and gratitude that we formally announce the closing of Evermore Park in 2024,” he said. “The past decade has been filled with its share of trials and tribulations, but also many moments of magic and imagination.”

Brandon Fugal, the property owner of the 12.75 acres where the attraction sat, said the closure comes after years of struggle, where Evermore Park failed “to make their business and operating model work.”

“After months of not paying rent or expenses, they ceased operations and have moved out. I personally acquired the property over two years ago and settled millions of dollars in liens in an effort to save Evermore Park and preserve the vision – even structuring a new, very friendly lease. They have unfortunately failed and defaulted,” Fugal said.

In Bretschneider’s statement, he described the ongoing difficulties the park has experienced.

“Evermore Park faced significant challenges from the beginning, which intensified in 2020 with the COVID pandemic closures, followed by reduced consumer spending in 2021 and even more so in 2023, coupled with inflation, gave us little to work with,” Bretschneider said. “Coming out of the new year, we had a few promising opportunities that would have provided needed bridge capital and potential to grow revenue in 2024. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, things changed and as a result we are unable to continue.”

A ProPublica loan database shows that Evermore Park took out two loans totaling over $1 million in 2020 and 2021. Both were forgiven.

What’s next?

Going forward, Fugal said, there are already plans for the land that Evermore Park occupied.

“I have my Evermore property under contract with a very well-capitalized group who is not only keeping the 27 existing old world structures intact, but finishing everything with new improvements,” he said.

At this time, Fugal said he is unable to share more, but details should be available in the coming weeks. He said he purchased the real estate of Evermore Park wanting to preserve its inspiring vision and the special place it holds in the community.

“I look forward to unveiling the next chapter and a bright future ahead,” he said.

The end of an era

The park was open on weekends for different seasonal experiences throughout the year, such as “Lore” during the fall, “Aurora” in the winter, and “Mythos” in the spring and summer months.

Its last run was “Aurora” in December 2023. Bretschneider said since the park is seasonal, the majority of its workforce is contracted. He said at the end of 2023’s Aurora, staff were informed of upcoming events and tryouts, but also that Evermore Park faced many challenges and they were working on possible solutions to keep it going.

He explained that a small number of full-time employees continued in early 2024 to maintain the park as management and the board focused on trying to save it.

“In January and February, we informed our team leaders of our continued challenges and notified them and our seasonal staff immediately once it was known/decided to close the park towards the end of March. We also notified our investors/partners and park vendors once the final decision was made,” he said.

Bretschneider went on to thank those that made Evermore Park what it was.

“Evermore Park forged new ground in immersive and interactive entertainment, which presented many challenges as it’s never easy to do something new. We are grateful for the many amazing experiences that happened in our little park and hope that it made a positive impact on the people who visited,” he said.

History behind Evermore

In 2014, the concept of Evermore Park first made its debut at the comic convention FanX in Salt Lake City. A booth detailed what was planned for the attraction, including sets, costumes, and a model of the park. Design and construction for Evermore Park started in 2016 and it officially opened in 2018.

At the park, guests could join in a variety of activities, such as interacting with actors who portrayed fantasy characters, watching a bird and reptile show, trying their hand at axe throwing and archery, or riding the small train “The Evermore Express”.

According to the website, the idea for Evermore Park grew from a haunted adventure that Bretschneider, his family, and friends created at his home during the Halloween season.

“To us Evermore Park was an amazing place where artists/creatives from all walks of life came together to deliver a Magical Story and an escape from reality,” it says. “We have seen many miracles happen in Evermore Park with hundreds of thousands of people visiting throughout the years. Some visitors just came to stroll the village and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere and entertainment, while others visited the park in elaborate costumes developing their own characters and fully immersed themselves in the story and events.”

The website says that although Evermore Park will no longer be operating, they hope that the “magical moments at Evermore Park continue on through the memories of all the people who made it such a special place.”

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