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N.H. Waterpark Owner Ends Protest

Sean Hurley
Dumont has spent 17 days on the water slide tower.

After 17 days chained to a water slide, Liquid Planet owner Kevin Dumont is coming down.  As NHPR's Sean Hurley reports, Dumont's attempt to save the water park from auction have been dashed.

Kevin Dumont has removed the chain from his leg, gathered his things, and says it's time to throw in the towel.

"Yeah I feel as though, you know, I kind of lost the battle," Dumont says.

Credit Sean Hurley
Earlier, with better health and higher hopes, Dumont sits chained to his water slide.

Although his publicity stunt drew national attention, Dumont says he hasn't found a partner willing to invest in the troubled water park. 

Life on the slide tower has also taken a toll on his health - and his doctor has advised him to come down. "He basically said that I had all the signs of the beginning stages of pneumonia," Dumont says, "and that I needed to start getting myself into a warm space 24 hours a day."

Dumont's water park and house will be up for auction December 2nd. After that, Dumont says he'll try to find housing - and a new job. 

Sean Hurley lives in Thornton with his wife Lois and his son Sam. An award-winning playwright and radio journalist, his fictional “Atoms, Motion & the Void” podcast has aired nationally on NPR and Sirius & XM Satellite radio. When he isn't writing stories or performing on stage, he likes to run in the White Mountains. He can be reached at shurley@nhpr.org.
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