Ben Sheffler made it to Kent Hovind’s Welcome Home Party on July 11, 2015 and reported on the event.
After nearly a decade, Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, Fla. was once again filled with children, families and supporters to welcome home Kent Hovind, aka Dr. Dino, after his prison sentence for tax-related charges ended earlier this week.
Although the park isn’t officially open, and none of its amenities were accessible, Hovind talked to groups of about 30 people every 30 minutes and gave small tours of the facility for his part in the event. He was finally back in his element, and it appeared as though he hadn’t missed a beat. He was energetic, funny and in good spirits.
He began talking as he has probably thousands of times, saying that he was a science teacher for 15 years. Then he explained that his Creation Science Evangelism started in a small room, now a converted pantry, just feet away from where the groups sat and listened.
He spoke of a time when he threw a rope over a tree branch and made a swing. A platform was built, the swing became bigger and faster, and all the neighborhood kids couldn’t resist its attraction. It was then Hovind thought to pair fun with science, and nearly everything he came in contact with became a lesson.
There’s a piece of paper, where he demonstrates lift by blowing on top of the paper. There’s his rubber band analogy of the spirit and the body, showing that the spirit side needs to have more tension in order to lead and shoot the rubber band correctly. Then there’s the little paper airplane with a hook on the end that, when shot with a large rubber band, travels extremely fast and out of sight. Never missing an opportunity, as he took photos with individuals from the group, he grabbed a blade of the St. Augustine grass and showed the kids how to whistle with it. With all the tricks and stories, he captivated the old and young alike.
Hovind talked little about prison, other than mentioning that he wrote books, pointing out that several people who wrote books of the Bible were also incarcerated. His first was what he called Dear God Letters, later changing it to Knee-Mail, written in Tallahassee (Fla.) Prison in 2007. He also wrote books for his grandchildren.
He’s finally able to be a grandfather now. He teamed up this week with one of his grandchildren to fix a door hinge. And apparently, being a grandfather and preaching the Gospel is all he wants to do at the moment. Plans to reopen DAL weren’t definite Saturday. In any case, he can’t go any further than 150 feet away from a box in his home while he’s on home confinement for about a month.
The party was from noon to 8 p.m., and it was a beautiful, sunny and hot Florida afternoon. There was a steady stream of people earlier in the day that dwindled a bit by 4 p.m., which gave Hovind possibly his first break of the day. Tours began again at 5:00. The theme of the day was celebration, and there was certainly a joyous atmosphere. Whether it was coincidence, fate or God’s timing, the party landed on the exact day Hovind was indicted for the tax-related charges nine years earlier.
Hundreds had RSVP’d on the party’s Facebook page, and it appeared that most of them came. And several of them were from out of town, traveling from North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Alabama, just to name a few places. Some people even traveled from South Africa.
Some people had been fans of Hovind’s since the early 1990’s when he began his ministry, and others had only known of him for a couple years. But everyone seemed to be equally excited that Hovind was home. Kids were treated to face-painting and playing basketball on a hoop that had a dinosaur- painted backboard.
Hovind was unavailable for comment Saturday.
It looks likes you still have problems with getting the graphics to appear.
And we still don't know if Eric has filed his Form 990 for tax year ended July 31, 2014.
Your a joke, everyone knows you are a pathetic old man riding the coat tail of a Godly man you wish you could have been if you weren't such a wicked scumbag. God will give you what you deserve. You and all the IRS propagandists/false accusers that attempted to ruin this mans life.
What? No Rudy and Erin sightings? Are they "poison" to the felon's rep now Hovind's free? Were they pretty much thrown away? So many questions.
The bigger one is "Where's Jo?" I hope she survives Kent's reentry into her life and doesn't get dragged down in Hovind's attempt to resurrect his career, reputation.
You, just like your friend IRS agent Baty and militant atheists are a bunch of idiots… Everyone knows it… Keep yelling down the hollow echo chamber, you dog….
Is that Erin spewing her usual bile?
I don't mind saying this is Ernie Land. I guess I sometimes ask myself why even comment because so much is twisted by the naysayers out there, but they need correction. I was blessed to be allowed by the Hovind family to be part of picking Kent up, and in the homecoming. I praise God for being allowed to be a servant in the advancement of God's kingdom in support of not 1, but 2 great men of God, Kent and Eric Hovind. Thank you both for being prayer partners and friends. As to Eric's Ministry, it is being operated properly and yes does all it's filings. Eric's Ministry is facing the same issue all 501c3's will be faced with. I was told by Producers of the 2 largest christian broadcast networks that right now many Churches are calling concerned with their status as a 501c3 and a 508, because of attacks by the Government now, and yes, we will see them come under fire because they preach God's word. In fact, at the homecoming people showed up who had demonstrated over a Pastor being jailed on contempt for refusing a same sex marriage. So get set Church, if you operate in the system you will be persecuted. As far as DAL, we are all hopeful Kent can facilitate a new Ministry with a science park on creation. Where it will be, well that is in God's hands. Right where it exist now is a good place if God's people will give the funding to make it happen. How will it be set up, is a question to be answered with input by the USJF Attorney's and other counselors. For now Eric is operational with Creation Today, and quite capable of travel, debate, and operation. For the future you will see God raise Kent Hovind back up as his servant. Any man who can be moved into over 30 lion's dens over 9 years with God's hand of protection over him, and see God's victory in the recent Court, while watching God's wrath poured out on all those involved in the Court with a plague of black mold, and health issues for the rest of their lives for putting their hands on one of God's anointed, well all I can say is if you still have questions, then you are questioning God. I may be like John the baptist and get beheaded for speaking truth, and Kent is not Jesus, but he is for sure anointed so I am proud to serve he and the entire family. Oh yes, Jo was as involved as was the entire family at the event, and Rudy, and Erin have been diligent servants, who just need a break from all the naysayers.
Ernie Land never will have to worry about the prospects of being beheaded for speaking the truth!
Damn. You beat me to it.
Although I could say pictures or it never happened…
Ernie Land claims:
– "As to Eric's Ministry, it is being operated
– properly and yes does all it's filings."
I doubt that, but on a specific matter I have yet to find any public statement from Eric regarding the status of the God Quest Form 990 for tax period ending July 31, 2014.
If it has been filed, when?
If not, why not?
Eric won't tell me.
Eric apparently won't tell others who will tell me.
Eric has refused to provide a copy of the form to those who have asked for it.
Ernie, check on that and let me know what you find out.
Mold in a building is evidence of "God's wrath"? Poor Ernie is quite mad. Presumably, because he hasn't yet been struck down with Legionaire's Disease from his jacuzzi, God is smiling on Ernie and his continuing survival has nothing to do with the proper maintenance of his equipment. It's as though the scientific revolution never happened.