Amish to raise ark for Noah's Ark park

Construction of a huge imitation of the biblical Noah's Ark is underway in Grant County, with an Amish "ark-raising" planned on Thursday.

Construction of Ark Encounter, a tourist attraction of the Christian ministry Answers in Genesis, is moving as U.S. District Court considers the question of whether the religious attraction is eligible for $18 million in state tax incentives, The Courier Journal reported last week.

Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and a creationist, said the theme park should be ready to open by late summer of 2016.

He said Amish communities from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania have responded to help build the timber-frame structure.

On Thursday, workers will erect some of the first 32 "bents," or vertical, curved rib-like sections that give the Ark its structure, according to an Answers in Genesis news release.

"Timber-framing is an art," Ham said.

Funding for the Ark Encounter has been raised through bonds, donations and memberships toward the $86 million first phase of the project, according to Answers in Genesis. The park's centerpiece will be the 510-foot-long Noah's Ark.

For more reports on Answers in Genesis visit cincinnati.com and search "Answers in Genesis."