Not in Miss Mary's Time! (MAJOR breaks in the SDC Theme.)

[History Buff]

Those types of efforts are appreciated by folks like us.  There are probably some more creative ways to mask these things though. 

Just curious - should they not sell the entertainment centers in the furniture store altogether?  Or just leave the empty hole?  What do you guys think?

[Junior]

I'm sure they sell that type of furniture because somebody buys it. However, I think it would be more appropriate to sell the entertainment center and upolstered furniture in say the HH or Ozark Marketplace.

[History Buff]

I would think very differently today if there was, on that same shelf, the "Wimpy Kid" series, or "Twilight" books or Mumsket on the shelves. (only kidding HB!) I would think that they would keep most shops period correct, society has changed I guess...

Thanks for the mention.  For anyone who doesn't know what he's talking about, I direct you to http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=1414.new#new .  I would love my books to be sold at SDC, perhaps in the SDCFans store, but I understand that none of the three fit the SDC theme.  If my book had been called MoMo, it could be sold in SDC.  And for the record, I've started outlining a new novel tentatively titled Marmaros.

[MCLFLN]

Junior, I agree completely and have written to SDC - with no response

[Junior]

Essentially, theme parks are shopping malls. The management does things like adding shows, rides and attractions...well, to attract people. What they want to do is sell. Sell tickets, sell merchandise, sell food and drinks. Management will do what that have to do to sell. Plain and simple. The management team today wants to pay attention to theme to the extent it will help them sell more stuff. SDC is still far above the average "amusement park." They offer a quality product. However, in the name of doing the job as inexpensively as possible, things like the space heater, vending buildings with fountain drink and frozen drink machines, "chain" products like Dippin' Dots, and a fan that's been spray painted brown are ways of doing business. In the past, it seems as if there was a higher quality to everything. Attention to detail was given. Chevys and Fords were built from thicker steel, furniture was built sturdier, tools were made to take a beating over years but still last, I mean, for Heaven's sake, the equipment in the heart of Hoover Dam, built in the 1930's, is still operating just fine with maintenance. Much of the quality and attention to detail is gone today in our world. But, NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME!

[History Buff]

I've been fighting this good fight since I've been old enough to understand the theme (and that was at a fairly young age - yes, I noticed.), Junior.  Here are some shots from Thursday's visit:

The first one came out blurry (Never buy a Canon camera!  This is the second one I've had, and they both had the same autofocus issue.).  This shot is a simple fix - simply, use a cart or wagon instead of this plastic thing.

The second shot is bothersome because no one even tried to mask these lockers.  At least the new drink refrigerators and Icee machines are built into a shed-like building.

And the third picture is my biggest disappointment.  Why oh why are these ugly cardboard boxes just stacked there instead of being dumped into burlap bags or wooden bins.

All of these (and many more) are easy and affordable fixes if someone cares enough to tackle them.

[Junior]

I saw the storage lockers when I was there opening day, and by that time, I had shot so many photos of out of theme stuff, I was thinking to myself, "if I keep taking pictures like this, it's just going to bring me down into a depression." So I stopped taking shots, and concentrated on happy stuff, ignoring breaks in theme. The items in the cardboard boxes bother me, but the Cokes in the plastic racks bother me just as much if not even more. The plastic cooler next to the concession does too. I also noticed when meeting and greeting "citizens" nobody greeted me with a single "howdy." In the old days, that was the only acceptable way for us to greet guests. So, I'm sure that and many other things have changed over the years...but again, it was not like that IN MISS MARY'S TIME!

[History Buff]

I agree.  It looks like this potato stand is nothing more than a concession stand for a community festival or town fair.  Eva and Delilah's also often has raw ingredients sitting out in cardboard boxes.

This slide does not bother me as much, but could technically be covered or enclosed.

This cooler is more irritating than the green one you posted earlier.  I could accept the green one if I have to.

[crash]

You know what else is out of theme.  The pavement in the park and the modern day roller coasters..  But you know for some reason even with the coolers and trash cans they are still one of the best THEME parks out there! So yes there is flaws in the theming.  Just because they don't theme every little thing doesn't mean you should bash on thier flaws. It's annoying.

[shavethewhales]

^I think the point isn't so much to bash flaws, but to point out the details that have separated the park from the "Ozark disneyland"-like atmosphere that it was once known for. People used to say they felt like they stepped back in time when they visited the park, and that was a big part of why so many people enjoyed the place and why there are still so many older die-hard fans on this site. That quality is what drove the park to be a huge success long before the coasters arrived and the park began openly billing itself as a theme park. The park itself used to be an experience, and now it's more of a medium from which to serve rides, attractions, and merchandise, and that's an interesting evolution to observe. Not that we have anything to seriously complain about, as you imply, but as loyal customers it's worth noting the things that really set the park apart for us.

I don't think it's worth it to keep pointing out every single flaw, as we can't pretend that the park has retained the same goals that it did when Mary Herschend was an influence, but it's interesting to see what has changed and to remember how different the experience used to be. I wish more people were still paying for the old-style experience, but these days people are paying for rides and shows and the park has to put their resources towards responding to that.

[History Buff]

Crash, we yearn for the effort to remain true to theme whenever possible.  Fans tend to hold SDC to a higher standard that the amusement park crowd.  We like to think the people in charge want the best for their little part of the Ozarks, and we do not want it to slip into the ways of a street fair.  We have a passion for SDC and offer our comments in the tone of constructive criticism - not to bash.

[crash]

Ok I see now what you all are trying to say. I just read it the wrong way. I know that the igloo coolers and plastic trash cans are out of theme. I go to SDC about 10 time a year and the coolers and trash cans dont really bother me. I go to enjoy myself and ride the rides and I love the great detail the do put in.  All the landscaping in the GE is gorgeous.  The theming for wildfire has great detail with dr. Harris drawings every where and the machine in the middle of the queue.  I love how every ride has a story.  You don't get the same charm at Six Flags like you will get at SDC. so I guess my point is appreciate what they do because they do a bunch of theming.. Thousands of people go each day and They cannot please everyone.

[Junior]

In the late 1960s, up through about the late 1980s, they billed the park as "Silver Dollar City, MO" There was a "Chamber of Commerce" not a publicity department, there was a "mayor" (Shad Heller), there was a city limits sign with a population of 28 posted on Indian Point Road. The land around the park was not developed. It appeared as if you were going back in time. After you passed the second set of doors at the Hospitality House, you were on the town square of a little village in the 1880s. Park employees were deemed "citizens," and there was a town marshall, deputy sheriff, undertaker, shopkeepers, and colorful citizens like the Hatfields, McCoys, Dugans, and the volunteer firemen, the prisoners at the flooded mine, and so on. I'm not crazy about the uncovered water coolers, the cardboard boxes, the racks of Coke bottles, a TV in the furniture shop, and so forth, because I come from that era when the employees were "citizens." I remember from 1970-1978 what it was like for me to visit there as a child and teen, and it was a wonderful fantasy, going back in time to a simple era where people seemed to really care for one another, where a person was judged by their character and hard work. Yes, it was a fantasy, but it was a fantasy shared with millions of park visitors over decades. The change in times, and management, has brought us to where we are today...SDC no longer billed as a town, but as a theme park. The quality and attention to detail that was strongly evident in years passed has slipped a bit. Younger folk who don't remember the old days are far more accepting of the way things are today because....THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER...the way things are today is all they know. Again, all of us, ME INCLUDED, are OK with the great majority of things happening at the park today. We miss some of the things from the past, and we all understand time marches on. However, if you continue to accept these things we pointed out, over time you will see more and more things like it pop up around park, and then  you will be saying goodbye to much more of what makes the expierence a superior one when compared to other theme parks. 

[rubedugans]

Paint the slide to look rusty just like the ducts/ pipes on the exterior of the FM. I am not sure if parents would think...ohh it is rusty My kids cannot do that, since logic would allow them to deduce that the park would NOT have kids sliding down rusty pipes...just plastic ones that looked rusty. Or just a less obtrusive color like brown or something.

[History Buff]

Call it a rabbit hole, and build a faux earthen structure to encase it.  That could also insulate it from the heat.