Messages

16

Other Parks / Re: SFOT Purchase Offer From HFEC?

« on: April 25, 2019, 11:13:57 PM »

Lol, I just noticed that they called out a figure of $5 billion for the deal. Perhaps this guy is just getting played... For that money you could build a bigger better SFOT... Three or four times over...

But maybe there is a pinch of truth to it all and HFEC did send SF some kind of bid. Maybe it never goes anywhere, but it shows HFEC is trying to expand the park business again. Would love to see a fourth park...

17

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

« on: April 25, 2019, 09:21:45 PM »

If those rocks are new, then that's great stuff on the landscaping already. Love it.

Thanks for the photos!

18

Other Parks / SFOT Purchase Offer From HFEC?

« on: April 25, 2019, 09:02:31 PM »

Apparently Texas Thrillseekers is spreading a rumor that HFEC has put in a bid for SFOT and a couple other SF properties (presumably the adjacent water park in Dallas and maybe FC or DL?)

SFOT supposedly has an odd ownership setup that dates back to the original setup of the park. It's kind of like Dollywood, but somewhat dysfunctional with disputes about how the park should be developed. Supposedly that is one reason why investments have been fairly small despite the massive growth potential of the park. This is one reason why SF may be pressured or coerced into selling the park.

I don't know that the rumor has any weight, but I do know that HFEC has tried to purchase SF properties before. When SF sold off Elitch, Darien, FC and several other properties during their 2006 bankruptcy, HFEC put in a bid but was beat out by CNL. For some reason I believe SFMM was part of the deal at the time, but HFEC didn't want it, and that soured the deal.   

19

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

« on: April 22, 2019, 09:10:23 PM »

Looks good so far.

Was tempted to complain about the obvious speakers, but I know they are always battling form over function with theming, and proper speakers are more necessary than one might think due to emergency announcements. They blend in pretty good at least, and there's a lot of cool detail on those masts.

They are obviously putting a lot of neat touches into everything, so that continues to bode well.

20

Other Parks / Re: Big Fight at WoF

« on: April 22, 2019, 09:05:30 PM »

^I mean, sure, it was mostly just a bunch of yelling... but would you want your family/kids near that mess if you spent $200+ on a day at a big amusement park?

This is the kind of stuff that really drags parks down, blown out of proportion or not. WOF feels like it has been slowly pulling itself out of a rut, but this could set them back. Families are the biggest spenders at parks, not gangs of kids.

21

Dollywood Discussion / Re: Future DW Speculation

« on: April 11, 2019, 09:52:13 PM »

Wow, huge for them as always. So fresh off a huge new area expansion, they are looking at a new dark ride and another large coaster in fairly short succession. What can you say, they keep filling up the park so they need to keep expanding and compete with Carowinds.

Part of me really wants an HFEC hyper... but I think a Time Traveler-esque spinner would do well over there. They are still unique, and obviously so much fun.

22

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: WHAT'S NEW on The Flooded Mine Full Ride? FULL RIDE! Silver Dollar City, Branson

« on: April 09, 2019, 10:46:33 AM »

^Let's not make this complicated. Post whatever Branson/SDC content you want. Ignore anyone who gripes.  This isn't a big or active enough site to get too wrapped up in content policy

After thinking through it, Amy and I can't figure out what we might have missed. We'd love to hear from you all, just for kicks. We only mentioned a few things we thought were new. The rest of the commentary was about stuff we were noticing, but didn't identify it as new.

We talked about a general freshening up, fresh paint, etc. Amy wondered if the guards were new, or possibly dressed differently. We weren't sure. I mentioned the buzz saw. The boards at the end and also the air canon were new. There were some new props too.
Again, we didn't research prior as we just wanted to share our raw first experience from a tourists perspective after the refurb. Definitely didn't expect to notice everything.

Like I said, it's a fine video John. Some of the die hard nerds may point out little "inaccuracies" like something that was just finally fixed or repainted or whatever, but who cares? You accomplished your goal of a nice family vlog that showcases a one of our favorite attractions. Don't take anything here too seriously and I hope you keep posting videos and content.

23

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC’s 2022 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: April 08, 2019, 09:11:21 PM »

So apparently DW has released a survey talking about potential dark rides, which as we all know is a pretty darn good indicator that they will get a dark ride soon. It's also a pretty darn good indicator that SDC will follow suit with a similar ride based upon the experience of creating DW's. https://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1901997#p1901997

This is fabulous news to me. I will hold out hope that our classics aren't completely replaced, but I do like the idea of getting back into large scale indoor rides again after so long. Perhaps it will spur further investment. There are several different options listed, from basic dark rides with guns to flying theaters and even an interactive walkthrough with puzzles (not sure how that would really work in reality). I'll take one modern dark ride with a cool semi-historical theme and a flying theatre on the side please.

24

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: 2019 Daily Attendance

« on: April 08, 2019, 09:05:21 PM »

It's possible that the reputation has finally preceded it. Plus the weather...

But that's a pretty huge drop for an event that almost always packs out the park. I wonder if something fundamentally shifted. Did the price increase much? Did some of the churches have a complaint about something?

25

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: WHAT'S NEW on The Flooded Mine Full Ride? FULL RIDE! Silver Dollar City, Branson

« on: April 08, 2019, 08:28:27 PM »

LOL, so I'm just now getting to this craziness. Calm the freak down Swoosh, no one cares and you're the one coming off as a snide idiot at this point.

It was a nice video. I appreciate getting a fresh look at FM since I haven't been able to get out there yet this year. I love seeing how much attention it has gotten. True, virtually everything called out as "new" isn't actually new, but it has all been given a lot of TLC so that it can certainly look new to someone who isn't a detail hound.

Sometimes I'll spot something I think is "new" at the city when it's actually been there for 50 years and I just never noticed. Something else gets moved and it just jumps out at you even though you've walked down that path for years.

Anyway, what we should all be celebrating is the return of the buzzsaw! I can't believe how many years they let that thing lie dormant! Thanks to everyone who has made the Flooded Mine look so good this year, it is much appreciated!

26

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

« on: April 02, 2019, 07:10:58 PM »

I can almost guarantee that there were some SDC regulars back in the 70's who bemoned the new asphalt paths for not having the same character and smell as the old wood chip paths, lol. 

27

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: What is this Ride? (Gandy Dancer)

« on: April 01, 2019, 09:11:08 PM »

Yup, it's hard to miss once you first notice it. I always look for it now. One of the few remaining homages to an old ride. I wonder if most of the PTB/workers even realize that it was part of an old ride.

28

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

« on: April 01, 2019, 09:08:25 PM »

Yeah that's kind of what I expected with the new EH buildings when I saw them. Not the same charm, but this is what you need to support major acts. I'm excited to see more big-name performers at SDC.

29

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

« on: April 01, 2019, 09:06:26 PM »

Wow, time is going by quickly. This thing is going to be going vertical before I can even get out there to see the construction site for myself. I guess it already is going vertical technically with some of the trough already in place.

Interesting nod to the old Lost River name... and a hint at an adventure theme...

30

Branson Talk / Re: Branson Losing its Attraction to Younger Generations

« on: April 01, 2019, 09:00:15 PM »

Oh man, I always love this conversation. So much I want to say about Branson evolving and how to develop a city that actually attracts people, but I am studying for a massive professional test on Friday and can't spend too much time expounding.

I will say that there are obviously a lot of forces in Branson trying right now, but there's not enough political clout going yet to really push a solution. The tabled Spirit of 76 project would have been a great incremental start in the right direction. There's already incremental steps being taken to make it a reality with more places building better street faces and sidewalks, but we need the large scale push of a comprehensive project. Branson has a lot of nice things here and there, but the 76 crawl is a problem that should have been better addressed decades ago and will kill off a lot of interest from younger generations.

I think SDC and Branson in general has enough critical mass to sustain itself for a long time into the future, probably beyond the millennial generation, but it will be a fight to keep the same kind of spirit alive when all the Boomer-generation music theaters and eateries inevitably go under.

The focus should be on attracting major transformational projects (like the massive water park that got voted down for tax incentives), and simultaneously re-building the city to be both walk-able and mass-transit capable. Otherwise it will just slowly dissolve into a tattered mess of run-down hotels and scattered tourist traps... you know... more than it already is, lol.