Messages

16

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Fire In The Hole on-ride video (Circa 2011)

« on: August 16, 2018, 05:03:59 PM »

I'll have to watch the video later, but I was under the impression that not much on FITH has really changed. A few things tweaked here and there on a couple scenes, and sometimes the train light or the music doesn't work, but overall it's the same. FM is where the lack of budget really shows since it has so many more actual animatronic pieces.

Unfortunately when people complain, I think management views the rides more as problems that need to be gotten rid of instead of valued assets that should be taken care of better. Just a matter of time until they "refresh" the mine by throwing out all the authentic props and details and put in projection screens.

17

Other Parks / Re: Bell's Developments

« on: August 13, 2018, 08:14:00 AM »

lol, do you not remember how crazy HFEC went when Branson USA opened? They literally bought an entire park and ultimately closed it just to keep the competition out. I'm surprised they didn't try to buy up the Branson Fun Park too, but it probably closed before they even got a chance. 

Robbie's assets rotted away a long time ago. He had multiple chances to get something worked out with several different municipalities and businesses, but he just doesn't have the capability. If he had any sense he wouldn't have been kicked out of the fairgrounds in the first place. Anyone else would have raised a stink and gone after state, city, and county officials until the decision had been reversed. He didn't even file a lawsuit...

I like the guy, but there's a few reasons why no one will work with him. Tulsa DESPERATELY wants Bell's back. It is at the top of every list of things people want/miss in Tulsa. Unfortunately it will take someone else to do it.

18

Other Parks / Re: Kolmarden's "Wildfire" Coaster Signage & Logo

« on: August 13, 2018, 08:10:08 AM »

Yeah I don't see it. SDC doesn't have a world wide trademark on buzzsaws anyway. Buzzsaw Falls signage wasn't that original either. There's been a few timbermill themed rides throughout the world.

Plus, Buzzsaw has been gone almost 15 years...

19

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: August 11, 2018, 01:49:13 PM »

I forgot about that, but I would say highly likely. I knew it was just a matter of time when I saw the crowd reports at DW. I will miss the cowboys and crafts, but this is what is hot right now and the true craftspeople just aren't around much anymore.

20

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Springfield News-Leader Report about a Friend of Peter Herschend

« on: August 11, 2018, 12:09:08 AM »

Screw off and go white knight somewhere else dude. Not sure why you're on a crusade here. Like I said, it looks bad, but most of us know not to completely make up our minds based on one line in a scant news article. I would like to hear more from pete about it before I completely throw him to the wolves.

I wouldn't be against discussing this issue to some degree, but it's clear you're only coming here to get off on starting some kind of fight with us, so I don't see the point anymore. Thread locked.

Edit: If we find out more about what really went on here, I will potentially unlock the thread. I doubt we will hear any more about it, but I will look for a statement from Pete or the family. It is certainly upsetting to see what appears to be defense of horrifically evil behavior, but we have to know by now that there is always more to the story. I will be looking for a court transcript.

21

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Springfield News-Leader Report about a Friend of Peter Herschend

« on: August 10, 2018, 03:56:14 PM »

Yeah, cool your jets. This isn't an official SDC site. We can discuss things without jumping down each others throats.

It does look pretty bad. There may be more details behind this news blurb though. A 75 year old man suddenly going off the deep end like this could be indicative of some kind of mental breakdown. They are putting him in a medical facility for prisoners, and they mention a myriad of health problems.

Not sure why Pete would want to go on record defending him though. He was definitely going to prison either way and will probably die there even if it is just a 5-year sentence. Pete probably said a lot more that isn't being reported.

22

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: TNT

« on: August 09, 2018, 09:56:49 PM »

Wheels must be worn. TNT was SUPER popular earlier this year. Longest lines it's had since opening year.

TNT is finicky. The wheels seem to wear down more noticeably than other coasters. It's much better earlier in the season. Seems we go back and forth about how badly it needs "work". Hopefully it will get more attention soon when they get a few off days.

23

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2020 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: August 09, 2018, 07:55:02 AM »

Wouldn't get my hopes up for 2020 yet. Especially for a coaster. Probably won't be until 2022 till they start really working towards the next coaster, unless they finally get the long speculated family coaster before then. I don't know that HFEC's relationship with Mack is that good at this point anyway... have you seen how much downtime TT has had? Yes it's popular, but it has to be very frustrating to own and operate.

I think the plausible speculation running around right now has to do with "revitalizing" or replacing the classics (Flooded Mine and Fire-In-The-Hole), or coming up with a new water ride. The park has three water rides right now, and of those three, two are seriously antiquated and don't have the through-put they need at this point. Riverblast just simply isn't that fun or popular. Since AP and LR are so old and have their issues, it would make sense to get rid of one and get a shiny new replacement. Personally I'd rather see AP replaced with a modern flume similar to DW's.

We know that Flooded Mine is going to get shut down or completely re-done soon though. The park simply hasn't put the money into it to keep it going well, and at this point it is getting away from them. I'm still a little upset that they haven't really mentioned the 50th anniversary of the ride, other than allowing the operators to put up a little sign. It should be a big deal, but they don't seem to want to draw attention to it...

24

Random Talk / Re: New rides, ideas and entertainment development that catch your fancy

« on: August 08, 2018, 08:51:09 AM »

Just thinking out loud here...

What would you guys think if SDC were to remove Lost River and put in an upgraded version like Infinity Falls at Sea World Orlando?  That drop with an elevator lift looks like it is going to be something else and I think it would go over great with the SDC park visitors. 

*disclosure* I am not saying Lost River will be removed, I just saw recent photos on Twitter of Infinity Falls and thought that it looks like it will be an amazing ride and then thought how awesome it would be to have a version of it closer to home

lol, hint hint.

To answer the question, I wouldn't be all that terribly excited. Lost River is nice as it is. It's not the best rapids ride out there, but it's better than many and is still very popular. I understand that there are apparently safety/operational issues with it's antiquated boats and station setup, but going to the expense of completely replacing it with a new ride would be money wasted, IMO. Then again, they are probably loosing water out of it just like most other water rides in the park... probably needs a new channel at this point anyway.

I think Infinity Falls is an example of kind of needlessly pushing the limits though... the tower will probably cause operational problems and downtime, and the big drop will make it less family friendly. Rapids Rides should be simple fun, IMO. It's nice to take the entire family onboard and only have the thrill of potentially getting super wet. Leave the big drops to flume rides.

At least it has high through-put.

25

Other Parks / Re: Frontier City Developments

« on: August 07, 2018, 09:49:01 AM »

Definitely large enough for a small compact coaster. Not getting my hopes up yet, but it's a huge opportunity for them with one of the last easily develop-able areas in the current park. I have a feeling it will just be a haunt to bring the Halloween event up to SF standards.

There's a line of thought that SF has no interest in really building up the park. It's easier to focus on festivals/concerts/events to keep a steady local crowd while their real intention is to drive people into the SF membership system so they drive down to Dallas for the real coasters.

While FC will never actually compete with SFOT, if they added a new thrill coaster to FC it might be less enticing for some people to drive to Dallas. I think the only thing that would really drive development at FC at this point is competition. If someone else starts a new park in the OKC metro or even Tulsa... then SF would have to respond. Don't think that's going to happen within the next decade though...

At least we will see some ride replacements before long. The Zamperla Power Surge is already broken down constantly - just like it was at Magic Springs. Would not be surprised to see it replaced with something like an Endevour.

26

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: August 07, 2018, 09:36:16 AM »

I'd still hate to see them smoosh rides in where they aren't really needed. HDH is fine. It's a big hit with the young kids in my family. They did leave an ugly hole that I would love to see filled in with landscaping, but other than that I'd rather they left it alone.

Plenty of room to add rides near Fireman's Landing and the expo without harming any more of the park's remaining ambiance and charm.

All I want in 2019 is a re-focus on making the festivals into a bigger deal again. Bluegrass and BBQ has slumped off to the point where it's just some extra BBQ in Red Gold Hall and a few random family bands (although they do get some credit for having Ricky Skaggs come in). The Craftsmen/Harvest festival is basically null at this point since so many of the old craftsmen aren't coming back. Festival of Wonder wasn't as extensive as it could be... Christmas and the Gospel festival seem to be the only festivals that are currently up to par.

27

Random Talk / Re: Your Travels Thread (2018)

« on: August 03, 2018, 11:28:06 AM »

Travel lists are increasingly low effort. They literally just google random stuff and whatever pops up goes on the list. Written and posted in less than 30 minutes. Then they get free advertising from all the people complaining about how crappy the list is.

28

Dollywood Discussion / Re: Dollywood 2019

« on: August 03, 2018, 10:51:17 AM »

https://blog.dollywood.com/index.php/2018/08/03/dollywoods-new-land-offers-attractions-experiences/

Here's the announcement. Fantasy Forest theme, with a lot of emphasis on the fantasy. Looks nice, though the concept sketches are too artistic to see how much themeing there will really be. Obviously with this theme it will be a lot of landscaping. Luckily DW is good at landscaping and has a much bigger budget in that regard than SDC.

I love the continued "land" additions. Each one has a fun theme and packs in a lot of rides and attractions, but the theme and effort to make it a collective experience really sets them apart from other parks that make additions like these. SFOT's new area with several rides is literally just a bunch of asphalt with some rides plunked down, for example. Even though I would rather have more smokey mountain historical/cultural themes, I appreciate the continued effort to develop extensive themed areas.

Rides of note in this addition include the Vekoma family invert and the Larson Flyers. Celebration City actually got one of the first "new-gen" Larson Flyers, but this is the first new purchase from Larson in awhile for HFEC. Buying a new ride from Vekoma is a big deal considering Vekoma's revamped product line.

29

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Gaslight Square

« on: August 02, 2018, 07:39:04 PM »

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?

30

Branson Talk / Re: Classic Motor Inn 2018 - Call K.D. @ 417 334 6991

« on: August 01, 2018, 07:34:50 PM »

You're the best Dan. I'm going to put you in charge of the SDCFans tour company.