In November of 2008 neighbors reported that there was activity on the property, mainly amusement park rides being trucked down the highway. In 2009 former Neverland Ranch rides Balloon Samba, Jeeps, Wave Swinger and Dinos became attractions at the California State Fair. The Balloon Samba ride showed up at the Alameda County Fair in 2012, too:
In April 2009, Julien's Auctions exhibited a host of items that were removed from the Neverland Ranch. You can get a sense of just how unusual Jackson's home from these images of the auction:
After Michael Jackson passed away in June 2009, it was reported that his family wanted to bury him at Neverland Ranch. They wanted it to be a place of pilgrimage for fans of him, much like Graceland for Elvis Presley fans. Jackson’s father Joseph denied it, though. However, a lot of fans did come to add to a memorial on the Ranch. Here are some tributes they wrote on the rocks of the stone wall at the Neverland Ranch. The photos are courtesy of Morten Rand-Hendriksen on Flickr via the Creative Commons license.
Very touching.
For a while, the future of the Neverland Ranch was up in the air. In 2010, though, Jackson’s daughter Paris became determined to regain ownership of the property and restore it. By 2013 rides were replaced with a zen garden and a section dedicated to Michael Jackson’s fictional hero Peter Pan. The Jackson children plan to use the garden as a source of enjoyment for sick children. Check out what it currently looks like in a Daily Mail article. It’s good to know that the Neverland Ranch is being used for very altruistic purposes. Here’s to hoping it has a long, bright future.
Comments
Now that Neverland is not on the market, could CC and MJ estate return it to is original shape? I was thinking that it would make a cool B and B with an amusement park open to the public.