PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — Evermore Park, a Utah fantasy and adventure attraction, is now nevermore after the tourist stop that once gained national attention is closing for good after a difficult decision for its owner.
The announcement was gut-wrenching for fans and other adventurers who had enjoyed the park since it opened in 2018.
"We've all made it our lives the last three or four years," shared small business owner Landry Hyde.
In a statement, park owner Ken Bretschneider explained how financial challenges, including guests spending less, the pandemic and inflation, contributed to the call to close.
"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 wrote.
Evermore fans understand Bretschneider's pain.
"They just couldn't get people through the door," said Jason Jim Hodges, owner of The Nerdy Wolf. "That affected more than just Evermore itself, that affected a lot of the vendors, a lot of the actors, a lot of the singers, performers that were there."
Before Hodges had his store at the Provo Towne Centre, he was a vendor at Evermore Park, as was Hyde.
"We were mostly focused on our own vending and our own crafting, but we also were characters in their story," explained Hyde.
"We walked in like we wanted to be characters, and people at the park thought we were part of the park. When I told them we weren't, they said how much is that and literally, I walked out in jeans and a t-shirt because everything else had been bought off of me," Hodges added.
The closure of the fantasy park means a new reality for employees and vendors.
"They had decided to go from having a normal 9-5 to doing this for a living," Hodges said.
But Hodges is trying to keep the adventure alive through his monthly crafters market at his mall.
"What i would've missed most is the family or the community," said Hyde, "but we've kept that."
