Good morning and Happy SDC Opening Day! Hmmm.....seems like there is something else today.....*scratches head*...something about the New Orleans Saints and a player named Patrick??......oh well, not important!
I see Junior has the jump on us! I look forward to scoring zero points on WITC! LOL! To all of you that goes before the others, TAKE LOTS OF PICS!! Remember, we live through you!!!!
*Raises glass of morning orange juice* Here's to another wonderful, fun filled season hopefully packed with lots of fun stories, pictures and memories! Can I get an Amen from the congregation?!?!
^ Amen Brother!
Right about now Junior should be sitting down to a nice hearty breakfast at the Mill.
I guess I'll just enjoy my eggo waffles and a cup of coffee for now, until we can hopefully get there next week.
This is my first opening day as a season pass holder in 20 years.
It's also my first opening day on this forum.
I look forward to seeing all y'all out there this season.
I can't wait to get out there. It's gonna be awesome.
Well, I made to the park on opening day! I wanted to present a trip report:
Beautiful weather, and moderate to heavy crowds on the first day. Got to the park later than expected, around 9:15am. No trouble parking. Weather was so nice I walked from my car to the front gate. No trouble buying my ticket or getting through the turnstyle, it only took a few minutes. Had a chance to meet briefly at the front gate area with Terry Sanders. It was nice to see him again. He and a few other park "characters" were greeing guests as they got off the parking trams. They remodeled the Hospitality House over winter, and it looks good. The mural is there, and with the remodel, they moved some beams so you have a better view of the mural.
Got to meet briefly at the cave with our good friend, "COPPER" and had a chance to introduce myself. It was the first time we met. COPPER is a very nice fellow, and I really enjoyed our brief conversation. I hope to see him again on my next trip. It was reported on another thread here within the last few weeks that there were plans to reintroduce the "Dugan" name, as in "Rube Dugan's Diving Bell" to the park, and sure enough, the "DUGAN TRADING COMPANY" sign was posted outside a shop along Lake Silver. The shop was not open today. I peeked under the canvas at the entry to the shop, and saw the building is still empty, but I am sure they will have it open in a few weeks. Spent some time in Half Dollar Holler, it looks good! Well themed, and the kids were lovin' it! However, I want to report that the old holler is completely filled up with the new attraction, with some of the playground features literally only a few feet away from the swinging bridge...on both sides of it! Guess who I saw in HDH? Jack Hershend and Brad Thomas. Brad was giving Jack a tour of the park on the opening day! I approached, apologized for interupting, and told the two I was a former employee. Jack asked where I had worked, and when I told him the diving bell he smiled and his eyes lit up. They were busy, so I kept my conversation with them short, but told them both that my years on the park were very happy ones, and that I learned many things working for SDC that I have carried with me through my life. Jack and Brad seemed to appreciate my comments, and I was happy to shake Jack's hand before I left them. Later on, I was in the Hospitality House, and Jack and Brad came in so Brad could show Jack the new SDC merchandise on sale. I approached again, asking if it would be alright if I took a photo of the two of them, and Brad immedately said, "why don't you let me take a picture of you and Jack." WOW! I could not believe it! So we posed and I thanked them both again for their time. It was a very nice moment, and I will tell you, (sorry if I am too sentimental here) it meant a great deal to me to have that picture! I've posted a few shots on my Flickr account. Mainly Half Dollar Holler photos, but also the photo Brad took of me and Jack, and a shot of the "Dugan" sign at the Riverfront area. Hope you enjoy. I took many, many photos on park today, and will present some others on the Flickr site within the next few days. In all, it was a great day at SDC, and I upgraded my ticket to a season pass before leaving, so expect more photos throughout the season. Hope to see you all next time at SDC! -JUNIOR
Sorry, forgot to put the Flickr site address on the previous posting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan ;D
great pics and review!
what an special treat to meet jack and get his picture..
Congrats!! Glad u had a good day!
Kudos to Junior, sounds like you had a whole day full of "memories worth repeating"!
Great report, Junior! I'd call that a full and pretty complete day! Good shots, too. Nice to see some color from people in the park filling up the gray of the winter!
Great write-up & pics, Junior!
Lets all have'a blast this year!!
Thanks for the positive comments, everyone. I'll post some photos of the Hospitality House mural tomorrow, and a few other shots from around the park. :)
Thanks for the update Junior, the pics are great too. Does the Swinging Bridge swing as crazy as it used to? I'm assuming they've toned it down with that shed underneath...
Thanks, Junior!
That was a really nice story about Jack. Did you ever have any interaction with him when you worked there?
Quote from: Junior on March 17, 2011, 05:03:12 PM
Spent some time in Half Dollar Holler, it looks good! Well themed, and the kids were lovin' it! However, I want to report that the old holler is completely filled up with the new attraction, with some of the playground features literally only a few feet away from the swinging bridge...on both sides of it!
Thanks for the pics. HDH taking up the entire holler is... well, kind of disappointing. For me, that has always been a special serene spot, to just stop in the middle of the bridge and enjoy being in the woods, right in the middle of a bustling park.
That's just me, though. I'm sure the kids love it.
Quotewell, kind of disappointing. For me, that has always been a special serene spot, to just stop in the middle of the bridge and enjoy being in the woods, right in the middle of a bustling park.
I am going to recant my desire for something to be built next to the waterfall. I think that would be the end of quiet places in the park. I do think however they could put the walkway behind the waterfall back it.
Great report & Great pictures!
Half Dollar Holler looks a lot better with kids and families roaming around it!
Also, good to see the Dugan name brought back!
Its good to see they planted flowers under the main entrance sign.
I have been there in spring where it was nothing but a pile of dirt.
Missing from SDC when I am there Sunday will be the flowers and the leaves on the trees, it does really make a difference. I am glad they spent a few dollars to put in some flowers. The park needs a little color this time of year.
SHAVE: The swinging bridge is the same as always...just has HDH built all around it and very close to it.
KB: Interaction with Jack during my employment there? YES! He was frequently seen walking the streets and walking through buildings, rides, and attractions. Sometimes Pete would accompany him, but, Pete was more "behind the scenes" and was not seen as much. Jack was all over the park. I would not see him every day, but usually only every few weeks. My "closest encounter" with Jack came when I was only 16 years old, working at the old Vineyard Restaurant (where wagonworks is today) and it was early in the workday, our restaurant had just opened, there was not a soul in sight. I was doing "precheck" which was when an employee would be stationed near the entrance to a restaurant with a check pad, next to a menu. As people came in, I took their order, handed them the precheck form with the order on it, and they proceeded to the cash register to pay and get their order filled. On this particular day in 1978 I was sitting on a rock retaining wall, when in walked a middle aged guy in blue jeans, wearing a brown and white striped shirt that was worn by the crew of men who walked around park with a dustpan and broom picking up trash. I asked this guy what he wanted, and he said, "hey, aren't you supposed to stand in the presence of customers?" He had a smile on his face as he spoke, and I immedately stood up and reached out, pinching the fabric of his shirt on his arm and said, "yeah, I guess you know I am, 'cause it looks like you work here." I smiled, took his order, and he went down to pay and get his order filled. I thought nothing more about it. A few minutes later he walked out the door with his beverage, and two or three of my coworkers rushed up to ask what he and I had been talking about. When I explained, they said, "you know who that guy is, don't you?" I said "well, judging from the shirt he wore, I'd guess he was one of the street sweeping guys." They told me with smiles on their faces, "He's the guy who signs your paycheck!" I just about fainted! Yes, it was Jack Herschend.
Later, when working in the attractions department, Jack would sometimes walk through the ride I was at, and would pick up a piece of trash someone had dropped, and would place it in a trash can. He didn't seem upset when he did this, he just did it. He never said a word to any of the employees, he just got the little job done and walked on. It was his silence and pleasant attitude that effected all of us the most. We knew the "big man" had just walked through the ride, stooping to pick up trash one of us had walked by and didn't stop to throw out. We doubled our efforts for days after that to keep the attraction picked up and cleaned up. That's all he had to do...just walk through and throw something in the trash. We knew that we had to try harder, because that's what he did. We were not so much worried about getting in trouble...we were worried that maybe we had disappointed the man we all respected and looked up to.
I should mention, I went to high school with Jack's son, Bruce. Bruce now operates Talking Rocks Cavern and his wife operates the Butterfly Palace.
Jack's son, Ron, was my area manager at the diving bell for two or three years. Back then, being a spirited, smart mouthed kid in my late teens and early 20's, I gave Ron a hard time. I have, for over 25 years, regretted that, because in reality I admire him and his family and how they have built a show cave attraction into the biggest family owned theme park company in the nation. I sincerely mean this.
Just a few random observations from opening day at SDC:
-The treehouse is still there, intact. The ghost trap was operating fine. I think that they must have repainted the
sign that says "Huck Finn's Hideway" because it was bright and new looking, posted on the unpainted, bland treehouse.
-Those of you who are familiar with long time "citizen" Richard Young, please say a heartfelt prayer for him. I was
visiting with his wife, Miss Judy the Storyteller, at McHaffie's Homestead, and she reported that Richard was now
suffering from congestive heart failure, unable to walk more than 25 feet without having to sit and catch his breath.
When the powers at SDC shutdown a play he was at in the Playhouse last year, Richard was "let go" and Judy told
me Richard applied for Social Security a couple of weeks ago, and cried all day because of this. He is old, tired, and
sick. Plus, he loved working at SDC, entertaining guests. That now is gone, too. God bless this man, one of the greats
at SDC! I worked with Richard, and he is a fine man. He is a retired educator, storyteller, actor, and worked for years
at Dogpatch (Earthquake McGoon) prior to beginning employment with SDC in 1980. Richard, when he was single, was
a neighbor of Terry Sanders. They lived in the same Branson apartment building with several others employed at SDC.
-Overall, the park looked good opening day, 2011. Everything freshly painted and swept clean. The weather was good,
and the park was moderately to heavily busy. It was good to walk those streets again. ZEPHON reported on another
thread that the goal this year for employees was "Fast and Friendly" in other words, fast, friendly service. That is what
I experienced all day. I'm proud of the people who work the park now, and feel they are doing a good job.
Good summary, Junior. I am so sorry to hear about Richard. Such a sad ending for an SDC "citizen." Quite heartwrenching. Prayers for a better outcome for him and that some health and happiness is restored for someone who was so passionate about his work.
Hey Junior, did you see any further changes where the Float Trip was?? Any more overgrowth or signs of something being done where the water channels are??
One of the few places I didn't walk was the pathway to Wildfire. Sorry, nothing to report here.
I'm merging some of these opening day threads together so we don't have so many parallel conversations going at once about the same thing.