• The Sun News [Myrtle Beach] , Wednesday, January 7, 2009 11:15 AM

Hard Rock Park, which opened in Myrtle Beach, S.C., earlier this year on some songs and a prayer, asked a Delaware bankruptcy court Friday to convert its bankruptcy from a Chapter 11 to Chapter 7. That means that its current owners have given up hope of operating and will sell off its assets (though its Web site http://www.hardrockpark.com/ has yet to reflect that reality: "Closed for the Season: Reopening 2009," it says).

When the 55-acre, $400 million theme park opened in April, management was relying on "buzz" to attract visitors, according to reporter Lisa Fleisher. "Local tourism officials and national theme park experts have criticized the park for not advertising enough before its opening," she writes. "Theme park experts have also said the park's initial $50 ticket price -- not including $10 for parking -- scared off potential visitors."

For its part, management says that high gas prices and a slow year for tourism are the culprits. Hard Rock International had licensed its brand name to the park for at least $2.5 million annually. It says the failure of the theme park won't damage its reputation.

The Morning News, by the way, has put together an excellent compilation of its own articles, other publication's stories, a timeline, and a searchable database of whom Hard Rock Park owes money to that other online publications would do well to emulate .

Read the whole story at The Sun News [Myrtle Beach] »