Any rumors about a potential Six Flags location in Fresno County look to be just that at this point: rumors.
According to a report from the Bay Area News Group, Vallejo city officials said the rumor that Six Flags Discovery Kingdom would leave the North Bay city for Fresno County is unfounded.
“I have heard this baseless rumor about the park leaving Vallejo, and according to park officials, it sounds as if there is absolutely no truth to this report – and the source reporting this is incorrect,” said Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff.
Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell said he heard the rumor that Six Flags could pack up and leave for the Central Valley two weeks ago, but like Nyhoff, he said the rumor “had no validity to it.”
“At this point we understand that there is no move,” McConnell said. “There is no move planned.”
Sources told The Sun that Six Flags officials were scheduled to take an exploratory site visit in Fresno County two weeks ago.
Fresno County Economic Development Corporation chief Lee Ann Eager declined to confirm if the visit to the area by amusement park executives occurred.
However, if Six Flags ever decides to set up shop in Fresno, Mayor Jerry Dyer said the city would treat the amusement park chain “like royalty.”
“The City of Fresno continues to explore ways to boost our economy and serve as the entertainment hub for Central California,” Dyer told GV Wire. “Should six Flags be interested in relocating to our city, we will roll out the red carpet for them and treat them like royalty.”
An amusement park the size of the 135-acre Discovery Kingdom would be a boon to Fresno’s economy. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ranks as the second-greatest employer in Vallejo during a regular summer season.
Visit Vallejo CEO Michael Browne told the Bay Area News Group that Six Flags is “a welcome member of this community.”
“It delivers significant tourism and economic development in the form of the Transient Occupancy Tax to the city’s general fund and the Vallejo Tourism Business Improvement District assessment by the lodging community,” Browne said.
