SDCFans - The Unofficial Fan Site For Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City & Celebration City Discussion => SDC Memories/ Park History => Topic started by: shavethewhales on July 20, 2009, 08:16:49 PM
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Does anyone know what Gaslight Square was? See the attachment below this post to see what I'm talking about.
I'm assuming it was just the main square, victorianized, from back when they were trying to keep the park exactly 100 years in the past? The typography and graphics look like 80's - early 90's material to me.
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You are correct. The lights in the Main Street area were to be handlit each evening, but I never really noticed. I like that idea, but I'm glad the whole Victorian idea tanked.
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I never thought this was a great idea because I believed it would change the city square too drastically. This was late 80's ( possibly 88' or 89'). Van Horn's Mercantile was on the square where the Cowboy store/ former lace shop is right now I believe. I couldn't tell you since this is actually one brochure that I DO NOT have! :( Jealousy sets in!!!)
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The Vanhorn’s Mercantile took the place of the original General Store. Gaslight Square provided a lot of guest employee interaction. There were heavily themed barbershop quartets and tandem bicycle riders. Beautifully dressed Victorian women and men would interact with guests in the square. The reason why it failed: “We can get Victorian anyplace,” said the guest, “We can only get Ozarks here at SDC!” As a young boy I loved it. Yes, it removed SDC from Hillbilly, but I would give anything to be back to theme.
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^AMEN!
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Here is another page from the original brochure. I think this was the first time I remember keeping my brochures in pristine condition. From that point on, I was saving all of them.
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The Vanhorn’s Mercantile took the place of the original General Store. Gaslight Square provided a lot of guest employee interaction. There were heavily themed barbershop quartets and tandem bicycle riders. Beautifully dressed Victorian women and men would interact with guests in the square. The reason why it failed: “We can get Victorian anyplace,” said the guest, “We can only get Ozarks here at SDC!” As a young boy I loved it. Yes, it removed SDC from Hillbilly, but I would give anything to be back to theme.
Heh, I just said something very similar about Grand Expo:
http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=528.msg9104#msg9104
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I could have sworn the Gen Store was still there at the time...I had special interest in the store since this is a family name (Van Horn)...Hmm I will have to check my photos of the old place to figure this one out...If you have one go ahead and post it...I am going to look though.
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I wondered at the time how long it would be before motorcars would be introduced to the streets of the city - and a barnstormer ride where we would ride in airplanes dangling from cables from one end of the park to the other. It would have completely changed the complexion of the place to keep the park exactly a hundred years in the past. Think about it - it would now be 1909. The World's Fair in St. Louis has come and gone, with its electric lights and trolley cars, a giant Ferris Wheel and the Olympic Games, iron lung displays and incubator babies. Not to mention aboriginal people on display.
Come to think of it, the GE does kind of feel that way. They could easily move the Ferris Wheel from CC, add a trolley car around the perimeter, and stick a ragtime piano player in the gazebo. It'll still feel like an add-on, much like a water park added to DW or SF.
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Rube: originally the General Store was located where Cowboy Jeps is today. Vanhorn’s occupied that space for a short while. June Ward from the candy shop told me that SDC had replaced the General Store with a Mercantile, but employees and others raised heck and the store quickly came back. The late 80s and early 90s was the end of the hands on Herschend error. This is long in the past.
I have posted before that SDC had toyed with the idea of having “portals” in the park taking you to other decades in time. In the late 80s early 90s I feel SDC was struggling to find its place in the Theme Park Industry, “How do we compete with other parks, but not loose our integrity” Also, “How do we keep our customers while drawing new ones?”
I feel SDC is great at what it dose, even when we allow flying elephants and swinging pirate ships to enter the park. We can always do better and it takes guests like you to help keep us on track.
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Speaking for most of the entertainers of that era, those of us who were faced with providing much of the entertainment "value," such as it was, we hated it. We were the ones bearing the brunt of the multitudinous daily complaints of "Where are the Hatfields and McCoys." Most of us knew when the concept was first announced that it wouldn't work, guests wouldn't like it, and it couldn't last.
Sadly, today's park finds us in much the same situation, with a profound lack of "street" entertainment in the form of the Hatfields and McCoys.
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It’s always the frontline employees that get to hear it all!
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Jan and I loved it. You can see some photos on my John Corbin Goldsberry facebook page
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^Wow! Long time, no see, Old Guy! Good to hear from you! 8)
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^^Surprise! Old Guy is still out there. Nice of you to stop by John. Maybe you can anchor our wild little group a bit. We are in great need of your wisdom.
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If this idea had worked, we would have been dodging Model Ts by now! By SDC count, this would be 1910. What other luxuries would we be enjoying in park?
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Reviving an old topic, as I found this while roaming around the net:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19890510&id=L0QrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LtUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2485,3335773 (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19890510&id=L0QrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LtUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2485,3335773)
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And now 25 years later they are touting the balloons as a new attraction. Creative advertising at its best.
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Ha! I completely missed the balloons! Good point. ;D
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I'm not on Facebook so I couldn't comment on the Gaslight Square Throwback Thursday so decided to revive this topic to post. It's true Gaslight Square did not return in 1990 (thank God!) An employee told us in '89 that Kenny Rogers was in talks to buy an interest in the City and convert it into a Riverfront-type theme park. Thankfully that idea sank like a lead weight. The same employee told us in '90 it was decided to keep the Ozarkian theme of the park and stay in the 1880s. Duelist
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My Wife Jan on Gaslight Square in 89. We courted that summer and wed in December. It worked for us!
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Long time no see, Old Guy!!! Happy to see you back.
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Anyone else bothered by this photo attached. I know this dancing on the square is only during moonlight madness, but it just rubs my theming nerves the wrong way.
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Yea? well count me out too.~~ Thats OK, it aint for everybody...~~~ LOL
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I can't stand it.
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lol, party poopers. It's not for me either, but I'm glad people are having fun. I'm surprised so many seem to show up and partake. Clearly it's enjoyed though, and it's been done for so many summers now it's practically an SDC tradition itself. ::)
Not sure what it has to do with gaslight square though. While we're on the subject though, I noticed that they took out one of the last Victorian light fixtures behind the tater patch building when the area was re-done. Are there any others left?
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While I might not be out there dancing, I love seeing all the people that are out there having a good time. The square can get pretty packed with people enjoying the music, so it's obviously pretty popular. It's only for 2 weeks a year, where they emphasize the "night time party" mode of the park, so it doesn't bother me at all. Let them have their fun.
I just don't want to sound like one of those grumpy old people yelling, "get off my lawn you pesky kids." I figure if I get to that point it's time to quit going to parks. :-P
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While I might not be out there dancing, I love seeing all the people that are out there having a good time. The square can get pretty packed with people enjoying the music, so it's obviously pretty popular. It's only for 2 weeks a year, where they emphasize the "night time party" mode of the park, so it doesn't bother me at all. Let them have their fun.
I just don't want to sound like one of those grumpy old people yelling, "get off my lawn you pesky kids." I figure if I get to that point it's time to quit going to parks. :-P
If I ever get to that point it’s time to quit living.
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Holy Zombie Thread :o
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I gotta say, I went last year to see Dizzy the DJ and hear Sequel Dose. Actually, not quite true; I went to the park that day and stumbled on Dance Party walking out. We hung around a bit to let the crowd of those leaving die down, and it just got better and better. Dizzy was off work at nine, but announced he was having so much fun, he was going to stick around. I didn't think I'd care for it, but I loved it! Sequel Dose is tremendous, IMO, and Dizzy had everyone involved between the ages of one and 80 dancing. A little loud, but fun! Out of theme, YES, but it was after hours, and families were having a blast.
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lol, party poopers. It's not for me either, but I'm glad people are having fun. I'm surprised so many seem to show up and partake. Clearly it's enjoyed though, and it's been done for so many summers now it's practically an SDC tradition itself. ::)
For sure, I am glad they have a strong following for that. Gives the PTB another avenue to search out "exploit". LOL. There are plenty of activities the "kids" dont care about every day, month after month.. So. Midnight madness, new crowd, fine. they will come back other times too....
I am old enough, that if I dont like it, I dont have to go..... LOL!!!! ::) ::)
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Exactly. Now that the summer festivals are over the park starts feeling like SDC again. You’ll start to see the “regular AP holders” start coming back to the park. For me the Fall Festival is probably one of my favorites because it’s not as much in your face as some of the others.
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Exactly. Now that the summer festivals are over the park starts feeling like SDC again. You’ll start to see the “regular AP holders” start coming back to the park. For me the Fall Festival is probably one of my favorites because it’s not as much in your face as some of the others.
No Doubt, the best part of the year is coming....... ;D
Although I do like Spring Break to see the winter changes ;)
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My Wife Jan was A street Character for Victorian Square. Sh also sang with all the bands. That's where we Courted.