Topics

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Random Talk / Non-political politics: I won!

« on: November 15, 2018, 11:20:08 PM »

No politics or partisanship involved in this announcement, just a personal brag:

On my first-ever attempt at public office, I won my race for state representative in New Hampshire. It was close: just four votes. The long-time incumbent asked for a recount (so would I, had it been four vote the other way), and the recount came out with exactly the same numbers. 

NH has 400 state representatives for 1.3 million people, and the office pays all of $100 a year. It's not a profession; it's a huge pain to serve.

I still wanted to share and brag a bit, though. 

2

Random Talk / More ADA news about parks

« on: August 24, 2018, 06:09:41 PM »

This is specifically about Disney, but we've had discussions about the American with Disabilities Act as it applies to SDC. I don't think it belongs in SDC talk, nor other parks talk, so I'm putting it in Random Talk.

I quote from law professor Eugene Volokh's "Short Circuit" roundup of recent U.S. Circuit Court decisions.

"Disney theme parks accommodate individuals with cognitive disabilities by allowing them to skip the line for all rides with wait times of less than 15 minutes (which is most rides) and to schedule appointments at rides with longer wait times. They are never required to wait in lines. Parents (in 30 separate lawsuits): Not good enough. Our kids still have meltdowns. Eleventh Circuit: Disney might not be complying with the ADA."

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Other Parks / Former Schlitterbahn KC exec charged with manslaughter

« on: March 23, 2018, 08:26:44 PM »

http://www.wcvb.com/article/former-schlitterbahn-executive-facing-manslaughter-charge-in-water-slide-death/19577801

Tyler Miles was booked in the Wyandotte County Jail Friday and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab.

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Random Talk / Checking in, after having been gone too long

« on: December 30, 2014, 10:35:28 AM »

SDC and SDCfans.com remain some of my favorite places. For months now, I swore I would check in on the forum, but it seems the more I retired, the busier I got.  

I am officially retired now, after more than 31 years of military and law enforcement. I work part time at a regional grocery chain, and it's nice to do something motivated by profit instead of "just because I showed up".

And oh yeah... I moved from northeastern Texas, to northern New Hampshire. Life is great up here!  

Anyhoo, speaking of theme parks, there is one just six miles from my house that is key to the following story. I strongly suggest that everyone take the advice given, and just listen to the audio first, before reading. When the Museum of Well-Turned Phrases opens, the first line of this story will be the key exhibit.

http://nhpr.org/post/mankind-saint-mick-mick-foleys-journey-wrestling-cage-santas-village

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Branson Talk / Whoops! Southwest plane lands at Taney instead of Branson

« on: January 13, 2014, 08:02:41 AM »

http://www.forbes.com/sites/grantmartin/2014/01/12/southwest-airlines-plane-lands-at-wrong-airport-almost-careens-off-cliff/

When the wheels of Scott Schieffer’s airplane touched the ground at his destination, something didn’t seem right.

“We landed very abruptly with the pilot applying the brakes very hard. We smelled burnt rubber from the stop,” he told me privately over Twitter.

The flight, Southwest Airlines LUV +1.3% 4013, which left from Chicago’s Midway airport this afternoon was originally scheduled to fly to Dallas with a stop in Branson, Missouri (BKG) but instead, the aircraft touched down at Taney County Airport (PLK), 8.6 miles away from its intermediate stop. According to airportguide.com, PLK’s runway is about half the length of BKG’s at 3738 feet versus 7140 feet.

Only after unloading the plane, did Mr. Scheiffer notice the gravity of the situation, noting “we have all deplaned from @SouthwestAir 4013, and the mood is somber now that we realized we were 40 feet from the edge of a cliff.”

6

Random Talk / Checking in from New England

« on: January 11, 2014, 06:30:58 PM »

It's been a while since I've been on the forum, but life has been pretty busy.

I was selected for a promotion and finally got my transfer, to rejoin my wife and kids in New Hampshire. I didn't make it for Christmas, but I got here on the 30th. The weather has been great, until today -- it thawed and started raining, turning everything into ice.

Friends and family in NW Arkansas and SW Missouri have had almost as much snow as we've had this year.

But in prettier weather, here's the view from our living room window (the deer have really pawed up the snow under our apple trees!), a view along my daily drive to work, and a before-and-after picture that shows how much my wife accomplished on the house while we lived in different states for 15 months (the first picture was January 2013, and the second was December 31).

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General Silver Dollar City Talk / Ultimate flume ride?

« on: October 05, 2013, 02:37:08 AM »

Here's a great flume ride idea!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=085A7Iv6xzA

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General Silver Dollar City Talk / So excited! I might visit in 2013 after all!

« on: June 05, 2013, 02:55:03 PM »

I'm so excited just at the possibility, that I can hardly sit still.

The regulars here know that I moved my family to New Hampshire on October 1, 2012. I've been in Texarkana by myself since then, remodeling our old house, getting it ready to sell pending a job transfer.

Things really didn't look good for a while. The economy and budget put all transfers on hold. Then the Texas house burned to the ground, while I still had no hopes of a transfer any time soon.

There are worse things than living in a nice hotel, but still...I'd rather be plodding along in the house I planned to sell. On the positive side, it looks good for a transfer on at least one of the three jobs for which I've been rated "Best Qualified".

Fast forward: my baby girl (23) plans to fly here to spend a week with her bestie, then be my road dog for the final trip home.

A very kind SDC friend has offered me passes. I will hit Paige up for the Homestay special. Baby Girl has never been to SDC, and is super excited about it. I hope for two full days at the City, plus the SOTH show.

After that, it's northeast bound and down, with our road trip playlist rockin' on the stereo for 1,400 miles!

Being able to relive my childhood with the one kid who not only appreciates the same things, but loves and embraces them: priceless!

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Random Talk / Been a busy week...

« on: May 28, 2013, 08:31:32 AM »

I've been away from the forum for a few days, but I've been busy.

My house burned down.

Not the house we just bought in NH, but the house in Texas where I was still living until my job transfer goes through. I've been working on it, remodeling and getting it ready to put on the market. Last Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, it burned while I was at work on graveyard shift. Total loss.

Thankfully it was just "stuff", and insured, but what a pain this is going to be. I'm in a hotel right now, and they'll probably move me to a furnished corporate apartment in a couple of weeks, until everything is settled with the insurance.

10

Other Parks / Who wants to buy a theme park?

« on: May 28, 2013, 08:24:47 AM »

Reading the local news at my new home in New Hampshire:

http://www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com/Articles-Coos-County-Democrat-c-2013-05-21-158025.113119-Negotiations-are-underway-for-Six-Gun-City-purchase.html

JEFFERSON — Six Gun City will not open for the summer over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

At least one intensely interested purchaser — and possibly a second — is pursuing buying the 50-acre Old West theme park on Route 2, just west of the Route 115 intersection.

...

A potential buyer has been doing due diligence since February.

No purchase and sales agreement has yet been signed, however, but that next step appears close, Brady explained.

Six Gun City is located on a 40-acre tract on the south side of Route 2, plus two 5-acre parking-lot parcels on the north side. Members of the Brady family expect to retain the 50-acre Fort Jefferson Campground, located on the south side of Route 2.

http://www.sixguncity.com/

I don't suppose there's any chance HFE is looking at this small but very popular regional park, eh?

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General Silver Dollar City Talk / 2013: ThuNderaTion's 20th anniversary

« on: February 18, 2013, 07:19:45 PM »

If anyone mentioned it lately I missed it, but TNT opened in 1993. It's my favorite of the modern coasters.

It's time to spruce the old gal up with a good refurb and overhaul, in my opinion.

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Random Talk / I guess you call this a cool spell...

« on: January 03, 2013, 04:06:59 AM »

I'm still "bi-state", working in Texas and working on our old house, waiting to rejoin my wife and kids at our new (old, 1850) house in New Hampshire.

It's cool here in the Texarkana area. It even got below freezing tonight.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire...

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Other Parks / More Zip lines in Arkansas

« on: December 12, 2012, 11:47:35 PM »

The owner of Rowdy Adventures in SW Arkansas has reportedly purchased another 2,000 acres in the Glenwood/Hot Springs area, and is planning the largest zip line course in America.

It's not my thing, but his current park gets good reviews.

http://www.rowdyadventures.com/

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Random Talk / A question for those who know the Joplin area well

« on: November 11, 2012, 11:51:07 PM »

This is going to sound very off the wall, but I have my reasons for trying to verify a story that I was told once upon a time.

Do any of you who are familiar with SW MO know if there was a strip club in Webb City in the 1985-87 time frame? More specifically, I'm trying to find out if there was a place that either featured a live tiger, or had tiger as part of its name. It may have been in another town, maybe even in Kansas, but Webb City is what I was told at the time.

I'm not going to give any details about why I'm asking, out of courtesy to the parties involved, but I'd like to know if such a place ever existed.

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SDC Memories/ Park History / Pennyfarthing ("Big Wheel") bicycles

« on: August 25, 2012, 02:51:28 AM »

I was reading a local paper's online edition near where I'm moving to, and saw that a group of Pennyfarthing enthusiasts had shown up at a local event.

That jogged my memory, and unless I'm sadly mistaken, SDC Main Street in the '70s included the occasional Citizen on a Pennyfarthing bicycle.

Junior? Rube?