Daniel Phelps has been tracking attendance at Ken Ham’s roadside attraction for many years, and as you might expect, it’s a highly variable number, but in general it’s had a slight downward trend. This is unsurprising, because it’s not a particularly interesting place, since it’s promoting a tired old set of myths and there are no dramatic changes to get the people’s attention. There can’t be — the whole point of Answers in Genesis is that the facts have all been laid out in a centuries-old Bible, and anything mere men might propose as novel is wrong. They have to keep churning out pointless new attractions to keep their audience satisfied.

The decline has become so noticeable that even Ken Ham is compelled to acknowledge it.

As you have likely seen, travel and tourism have been down across the nation this year due to previous years’ economic impact. And as the Bible reminds us, “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:2–3 LSB)

And so yes, the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum have been affected too. Because summer is our peak season, we use that time to put away funds to enable us to get through the slower times of winter (January–April). But this year, we weren’t able to do that to the degree we have in the past. Now, the good news is many experts are predicting things will get back closer to “normal” next year, and we are seeing improvements as we approach the end of the year.

Oh, gosh, the downturn in attendance is Biden’s fault, which is pure nonsense. The tourism industry will tell you that the election of Trump was a real shock to their business. I wouldn’t expect it to bounce back next year — I think we’re sliding into a pit of failure that can’t improve as long as the demented idiot at the top is batting the economy back and forth.

AiG is making changes in response. They’re selling off a quarter share in their company jet. We’re all tightening our belts! They’re also begging even harder for donations, with a $20 million fundraising goal. There are still plenty of gullible people in the country, and maybe his hope is that when Trump demolishes the educational system our population of morons, his people, will rise.

They will always have an excuse.