Topics

16

Random Talk / Halloween, 2013

« on: October 29, 2013, 05:37:04 PM »

Anybody dressing up for school or work or just for fun? What you gonna dress up as?  Can you post some photos?   

17

General Silver Dollar City Talk / New Festival Ideas

« on: October 28, 2013, 08:49:51 PM »

OK, time now to come up with ideas for viable new festivals for SDC. The reason SDC practically has some kind of festival going all the time is because the festivals pull in more people. So with that in mind, what kind of festival would you propose to the PTB, what theme, and what events would take place? Anything goes...

18

General Silver Dollar City Talk / This attraction MUST GO!

« on: October 23, 2013, 05:51:39 AM »

If you were the guy in charge, and a decision had to be made as to the removal of one of the older attractions to prepare space for something new, what would you choose to remove, and why? FITH? AP? Train? Lost River? Flooded Mine? Tree House? Grandfather's Mansion? It is your choice, and you MUST decide this, even if it is an unpopular move with citizens and guests! GO...

19

Random Talk / NW AR crafts fairs

« on: October 20, 2013, 02:32:49 PM »

  I am one of the "blue hairs" who led (along with my wife) some of the nieces and their kids around War Eagle Farm Show, War Eagle Mill Show, Sharps Show, and John Q. Hammons/Embassy Suites Show in Rogers over the weekend. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Mary Bowman with a big booth at the War Eagle Mill Show. I stopped to chat briefly with her and look at her work. Mary is the lady who studied under Pete Engler for 20 years, and was HANDPICKED by Pete to take over his Peter Engler Designs shop at Grand Village in Branson. Her woodcarvings are well done, and she had a big selection of Christmas carvings for sale. Her prices were significantly reduced from what I've seen at the Grand Village shop. She was there with her daughter, and I think her mother. They had many people browsing at their booth, and it appeared sales were brisk. A cool, but good weekend for the arts and crafts shows in NW Arkansas. I favor the three combined shows at War Eagle because of the historic location at the mill/bridge/river. It also is the oldest show, celebrating 60 years this year, and features the high end stuff that is a bit out of my financial reach, but I love looking at the stuff. I did buy a book from Ms. Bowman, and the nieces and their kids waddled out of there with packages and bags, and had a great time, too!

20

SDC Memories/ Park History / Man in Boat on Lake Silver

« on: August 25, 2013, 08:44:21 AM »

We've discussed here the piano player in the ice cream parlor, but does anyone remember the man in the boat on Lake Silver? This would be going back to the early 1970's. When  you rode the train, the robbery was done, and as the train was coming around the curves around the lake, the conductor would say he had a new fishing boat, and he was very proud of it. Then the boat would be spotted, not on the shore, but on the lake, and a man was sitting in it fishing. The conductor would get all upset and fire a shot at the guy in the boat...a dummy...and the figure would swivel around and shake a fist at the conductor. Always did get a good laugh. Any memories of this? The guy in the boat disappeared when they developed the new "Deepwoods" area of the park and the new big attraction, the diving bell. Now the lake didn't need the guy in the boat. He would be too distracting from watching the diving bell mock up go down into the water and Eli Tolts' sub on the other side of the lake going down.

21

SDC Memories/ Park History / "New" Diving Bell Photos

« on: August 20, 2013, 06:38:25 PM »

I found the following photos on the Rube Dugan's Diving Bell Facebook page. The contributor, Terry England, apparently from Kansas, said the photos were taken in 1979. This would have been just weeks before I started working at RDDB. However, I do not have a clue as to who the Juniors are in the one photo. I can tell you this, if that is Terry pictured at the ships wheel in the other shot, I'm sure the Juniors tried their best pick up lines on her. Judging from the caption she put on the photos on Facebook, she was cruising for cute college guys at the time. Ah, the swingin' '70's! You had to be there, man! Ha!          http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan   

22

Random Talk / Wanna buy a piece of SDC history?

« on: August 11, 2013, 06:26:53 PM »

Drove through Eureka Springs this weekend and stopped at Gingerbread House Antiques. Found an old "Hannah's Ice Cream Parlor" sign hanging in the shop, and a very large "Gold Medal Flour" sign painted by one of the early SDC artists that had obviously hanged at one time in Sullivan's Mill. Didn't see the price on the ice cream sign, but the Gold Medal Flour piece, in rough, weathered condition, was going for $400! Oh, if I had a lot of money...

23

Random Talk / Back to School, 2013

« on: August 01, 2013, 11:18:09 PM »

Just wanted to thank all the teachers who visit this site for your hard work and dedication. I'm proud to say my oldest daughter, after two years of substitute teaching in several NW Arkansas school districts, was hired this year and begins her first full time job in a couple weeks. Teachers are often not thanked for their hard work and dedication. I still fondly remember several teachers I had coming up, and hope they are now enjoying retirement from all of the crazy kids of my generation.

24

Random Talk / Wanna buy a castle?

« on: July 05, 2013, 10:47:07 PM »

The Ozark Medieval Fortress near Lead Hill, Arkansas joins the latest tourist joint to bite the dust. It now joins Dinosaur World, Tanglewood Chapel, Dogpatch and Booger Holler Population 7 countin' a coon dog, to die on the vine. Arkansas Democrat Gazette said $400,000 will get you the partially completed castle and 50 acres of land. $300,000 gives you majority ownership with a few minority partners, but you will need at least a million dollars to seed the project along. The attraction was open in '10 and '11 but closed last year due to funding problems.  Be warned, some looting has taken place at the site in the last year, but the current owner says to repair what is damaged would not be too hard. So, anyone wanna buy a castle?

25

Branson Talk / Ride the Ducks in Branson

« on: June 02, 2013, 09:30:22 PM »

Found some interesting Branson history in a book I have here at home. It states Gary Snadon (current owner of Shepherd of the Hills) and a partner were the ones in the early, early '70's who brought Ride the Ducks to Branson. They developed it and ran it for a while, I think they sold it to someone else who ran it for several years, and now SDC owns the operation and has expanded to all the different cities it is now in. Just a tidbit of history I ran across I thought was interesting and wanted to share with you.

26

White Water Discussion / Dominos Pizza at WW?

« on: June 02, 2013, 09:24:53 PM »

Was just cruising through the WW Website. They have a Domino's Pizza on the grounds this year. Is this the first year for this? Wadda think about a chain restaurant in the park? I remember visiting Six Flags St. Louis about 1996 or '97, and a McDonald's being in the middle of the park. Same prices you would find anywhere else. That's where our group ate that day. Any thoughts on Domino's at WW? Just found this curious.

27

Random Talk / Moore, OK Tornado

« on: May 21, 2013, 05:38:16 PM »

Let's pray for the folks around Moore, OK, who, as you know, lost their whole town to a tornado May 20th. In the last big one they had a few years ago, my brother in law and niece were eating at the Moore McDonalds when the storm warnings started going off. They decided to go home right away. 20 minutes later in Percell, OK, they turned on the TV and first shot of storm damage was of the Moore McDonalds. It had been flattened! God be with the good folks of Moore and vicinity!

28

General Silver Dollar City Talk / emailed survey

« on: May 20, 2013, 04:48:11 PM »

SDC emailed a survey that appeared to be geared toward season pass holders. I took it and emailed it back. It appeared to be a general survey about opinions about the park, things that would draw one back, who you visited the park with, your satifaction with things, things you would like to see, and benefits associated with season passes. Anyone else get a survey emailed to them?

29

Random Talk / Nazareth Village and Mrs. Herschend

« on: May 08, 2013, 11:25:05 AM »

This apparently is a pet project for Jack Herschend's wife, Sherri. They have a Website. The Nazareth Village project is in Israel, apparently in or near Nazareth. What do you know about this project? It appears to be a re-creation of Nazareth during Jesus' time. I really have not heard about this project. It apparently is part of Mrs. Herschend's Christian outreach efforts. Anything anyone can relay would be of interest.

30

SDC Memories/ Park History / Two photos from Jack McDowell

« on: March 26, 2013, 09:07:35 AM »

My old pal Jack McDowell, who worked at both SDC and Hee Haw Theater in Branson, emailed me today with a couple of old photos he found from way back in the early 1980's. I wanted to share them with  you because I knew most everyone would enjoy them. One photo shows Jack performing with Jon Hager (half of the Hager Twins act) on stage at Hee Haw Thearer, probably in 1983. The other photo is Jack and professional stuntman Larrs Lungdren flipping from the top of the Rube Dugan's Diving Bell entrance to a platform at Lake Silver as part of the comedy sketch that was performed twice a day in 1980. The skit involved SDC politician Eaton Doolittle (get it, a politician named "Eat and do little?) holding a political rally on Main Street, followed by a parade down to Lake Silver in front of the diving bell, and at the diving bell, another political rally took place in which a fight broke out involving gunplay and the stuntmen jumping from the roof of the diving bell building into a boat on the lake. Hope you like the shots. I want to thank Jack McDowell for emailing them to me, and publicly say I hope you don't mind me sharing them, Jack.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan