Messages

511

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Youtube video about the train robbers at SDC

« on: July 07, 2017, 11:09:55 PM »

It's been quite a while since I updated this thread, but I haven't stopped unloading videos.  Wanted to post this link though because it's all about my favorite part of SDC- the train!  Here's a closer look at what it was like being a conductor, as well as a couple of the "challenges" that we faced while working on the train.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axEgIWE1QPc

512

Ozark Marketplace / Re: There's No Busyness Like School Busyness

« on: July 06, 2017, 10:59:24 AM »

I'll tell you what - getting out of public school into private was the best choice I've made in s long time.  All of the crap you have to deal with in public (NCLB, EOC, IEP, 504, etc) are gone. Poof. Stress levels are much lower.

I imagine the parents were also a lot easier to deal with since you had a lot more leverage on them than in public schools (don't like it?  to bad, get out!)  :-)

Biggest issue in our neck of the woods there is the pay is nowhere close, and the admins at the relatively close private schools leave some to be desired.

513

Branson Talk / Re: Bigfoot is Growing

« on: July 06, 2017, 10:52:46 AM »

Good to know. Somewhere in there I had missed that they were open and thought they were still finishing things up.

514

Branson Talk / Re: Bigfoot is Growing

« on: July 04, 2017, 09:58:34 PM »

When we drove by yesterday it looked like they were open.  Lights on, people there, and watched the tower drop ride start to go up, but as it was in the mirror I couldn't tell if there were people on it or not.  If they're not officially open, then it at least looked like they were doing previews.

515

Branson Talk / Re: New Ride Attraction to Replace Water Chute

« on: July 04, 2017, 09:57:19 PM »

Edit- not yet, but hopefully soon is the word I got from them yesterday.

(deleted my original comment as I was mixing up the status of Bigfoot.  sorry)

516

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Fireworks!

« on: July 04, 2017, 09:56:10 PM »

No.  they usually don't.  They did one year and after all of the complaints from people who couldn't see them clearly in most of the park and other issues with them, I think it's going to be a while before they really try fireworks again.

517

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: What IS this song??!

« on: June 16, 2017, 12:38:48 AM »

Posted on the You Know Your From Silver Dollar City forum on Facebook by Kerry Chester:

That song is an original by a fellow named Mike Gavin. (I hope that's right). He is singing it too.  It was recorded after hours in the Riverfront Playhouse with quite the lineup including Tim Haygood, Ned Wilkinson, Terry Mire, Monte Yoho, D.J. McIntosh, Uncle Vern, Danny Eakin and surely some more that I've forgotten.  It was engineered live to mini-disc by Al Hurd and edited together with "Company's Comin'", Grand Ole Flag, and The Star Spangled Banner by yours truly.  It was a great effort by all involved,

518

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: What IS this song??!

« on: June 15, 2017, 09:27:05 PM »

I'm trying to remember...

I believe it's called Wonderful Day, but I could very easily be wrong on that.

I can't believe that they didn't know it at SDC.  I'll bet DA Calloway could tell you.

519

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2018 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: June 12, 2017, 02:21:13 PM »

You can always use a photo storage site like flickr or smugmug.  I pay a small amount each year for Smugmug and it has been more than worth it to me (but then I also shoot several thousand photos a year typically)

520

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Flooded Mines 50th season, 2017

« on: June 11, 2017, 02:57:39 PM »

I'm the professional?  LOL, now that's frightening.  My equipment I have currently isn't great for that, but I did get a few photos back in March.  You can see what I got starting at
https://sirwillow.smugmug.com/Amusement-Parks-Roller/Mid-USA-TX-MO-OK-etc/Silver-Dollar-City-March-24-2017/i-dqFQwHd 

And then scroll forward.  There's about 25 photos, some decent, some barely ok, but you can see some of the work done in them.

521

Other Parks / Re: Adventureland

« on: June 09, 2017, 09:18:52 PM »

I think it's safe to say WOF is having a bad year.  Corporate made a horrible decision firing Frank Wilburn last October.  What you see now is a "yessir" that was brought in from KI that doesn't get the KC market.  Ticks me off that Phil Bender is allowing this crap as he was the GM at WOF for a long while, but he's gotten too big for his britches the past few years.

You've got me curious/ worried about WoF now. We're finally going to get our first visit to the park this July over a couple of days.  What's going on wrong with it?

And how far from WoF is Adventureland?

522

Branson Talk / Re: Shepherd of the Hills. Not going to Open

« on: June 09, 2017, 04:36:11 PM »

interesting note from their Facebook page that also popped up on the newsfeed here:

We are happy to announce that The Shepherd of the Hills is under contract to new investors and closing will take place in the next few weeks. Major announcements of the new and exciting developments will be coming soon!

Hoping that's good news, but it's mysterious enough that it's hard to tell.  Wonder if this is the CofO thing (which people- e.g Terry Sanders and others-  in the know said was NOT a good thing as it would strip Shepherd, move the cabin to CofO and pretty much kill the play for good) or something else.

523

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2018 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: June 02, 2017, 09:20:11 PM »

Very nice comprehensive reply Swoosh.  Appreciate all of the input.  Just wanted to say in response to this:

I do realize I rub people wrong at times, which has never been my intent.  I think people like to jump to conclusions about me and read emotion into my text when there was never emotion intended.  I can be straight to the point at times, though in my defense I work in education and have to put up with teenager stupidity and most of the time we don't have time for that - so you shut down the behavior and move on. 

Truth be told, other than 3 posters on here, I have no ill feelings towards any of you.  I don't know most of you in real life, how could I possibly hate you?  Those that have met me in real life will tell you I am one of the nicest people you could meet.

I totally, completely understand that!!  Now take what you get as a high school teacher (been there done that), add in the guff that a substitute gets, top off the crazy stuff that a pastor gets to deal with, and I completely understand where you're coming from.  It's why on forums I also tend to get blunt sometimes, then start kicking myself when I realize how it came out (usually to late to edit or do anything about it)

Hope I'm not one of the 3.  :-)

Thanks for sharing.  Really do appreciate your insight, information, and all the posts.  Been loving your trip report photos!

524

Construction/Rumors / Re: Lucky Silver Mine Restaurant at SDC

« on: June 02, 2017, 09:15:26 PM »

It's there.  It's the bench closest to the doors of the old gift shop (now the photo spot).  In Swoosh's defense, it's very easy to miss.  It's a bit shorter than the other benches sticking out in the station, and doesn't have another bench on it's backside.  And again most don't know it's there because it works so infrequently.  Maintenance usually has it as a very very low priority on their list, and it's just a pain to get it working right with the old hardware in it, so they usually don't.  In my 3 years there I think we had it working half a season or so.

525

Construction/Rumors / Re: Lucky Silver Mine Restaurant at SDC

« on: June 02, 2017, 08:56:29 PM »

I must add to this topic. There's also a bench in the Train Depot that is supposed to raise. AFAIK it is still there. However I have never seen it in operation so I don't know if it still works or not.

Has anyone seen the raising bench in operation at the train depot?

Sorry Swoosh, but it absolutely is correct!  However, it tends to have problems with the hydraulic system and goes for long periods without working.  But when it does work it's a lot of fun.  When I worked there we had a ball activating it and watch people get caught by surprise.

Though I have to admit there were a couple of times we got distracted only to find people a couple of feet in the air when the train was arriving.  lol