End of the Lye Soap Booth, buy your soap NOW

[Gilligan]

Rube, you are so right! 

I'm sure if they would have put in a search, they could find someone willing to work for them that knows how to make lye soap. And, yes ingredients are cheap.  Marrow and ash?  I just pd $1.00/lb. for beef bones at the meat market.  For a few dollars I made a boatload of beef broth.  If I was making soap, I think I could get quite a lot of marrow out of 30 lbs.  of bones.  I really don't think it's the cost or lack of a soap maker they are considering.

[rubedugans]

Donnie retires=no more baskets...I think you are right about a lack of craftsman/woman for the soap Gilligan

[clancomyn]

Consolidation of some of these craft shops may be an answer.  Put them together and alternate demonstrations throughout the day - soap, brooms, baskets, etc.  Looking at the crowd, this Saturday, I still noticed a BUNCH of older folks - who are not there for the rides and gimmicky food.  They may not purchase the soap, brooms, and baskets, but they buy food and drinks while they are there, not to mention admission tickets.  I wonder if the current formula of building things that exclude the elderly is shortsighted.

Seconded; whilst I understand the business aspect of the thing, SDC has always been marketed as a "quasi-historical" attraction that attempted to recreate the Ozarks of the late 19th century. All well & good if they no longer wish to do that, but it's time to be honest, quit the charade and call themselves the "Six Flags/Worlds of Fun of the Ozarks" and be done with it. Leave history to the professionals like Colonial Williamsburg and Living History Farms, which does not need roller coasters to attract visitors.

Apologies for the rant.

[Junior]

"Now boys, be good to the tourists!"  Just had to do it! HA! I get what you are saying and agree.

[clancomyn]

"Now boys, be good to the tourists!"  Just had to do it! HA! I get what you are saying and agree.

Well played, Junior. 

Again, sorry for the rant. As someone who makes his living in history, it's always frustrating to see something hiding behind a façade -- I don't Silver Dollar City is quite yet a historical "Potemkin Village", but it's certainly not the same place I remember from my childhood.

T.

[Gilligan]

Off the lye soap subject, but have they hired a blacksmith yet to replace the guy that retired a few months ago? 

[cheesehead57]

I'll miss the lye soap too. They have been making it from a mix for quite a few years now that lye is hard to get.

[Pudgy Jones]

I agree with everything that has been said here. I understand the need to watch the bottom line. However, drop the "Home of American Craftsmanship" line if you don't mean it.

[Gilligan]

I'll miss the lye soap too. They have been making it from a mix for quite a few years now that lye is hard to get.

If it's made from a mix, it should be even easier to find a soap maker.  I wish I could do it.   

[shavethewhales]

Ouch. The lye soap booth was a legitimate attraction for my family. We have bought a literal ton of it over the years.

Sometimes the park just doesn't have a choice. It's hard to find craftsmen and women anymore who know how to do this stuff, but I hope they make an effort into bringing this back soon.

Don't forget to mail the park and let them know your thoughts and desires on stuff like this. If customers don't speak up, they'll just do what they think most people want.

[Junior]

I don't believe the loss of lye soap is due to not having someone who knows how to do it. I believe the bottom line is sales did not match what is costs to produce, including manpower, so it's out. SDC has long had a program in place to train new craftsmen and to bring in craftsmen. It has been in place since at least the 1970s. I believe the bottom line is unless it is "in the black," it won't be coming back. I HATE the loss of another craft on park, but I understand why it is leaving. Don't fool yourself, where there is a will, there is a way. I think in this case not only is the craft not in the black, but the PTB do not have a will to continue it. 

[palallin]

Maybe enough encouragement would create the will . . . .

[RJW]

Guess lye soap and pizza parlors don't go well together.......The end is near!!!

[RJW]

I did see lye soap available in one of the booths at Apple Tree Craft Mall. Don't know if it is as "home made" as at SDC though.

[KBCraig]

The ironic thing is, home-made and artisan soap are more popular and widely made now, than in the '70s.

It wouldn't be hard to find people who can make old-fashioned lye soap in theme. The only real issue is paying what it would take to keep them full time on the park.

The same is true for blacksmiths and knife makers and almost every other craft that has dwindled.