I miss the waterfall, tree house, old toy shop, and doll shop. If I wanted to buy Nickelodeon toys and other everyday plastic items I wouldn't need to come to SDC. I remember the craftsmen at the old toy shop who would talk with you and show you how the toys worked. The old toy shop had many unique items. One of my favorite memories was going to the doll shop every year with my sister to pick out a handmade doll. I haven't seen dolls like that anywhere else. I wish I could do the same with my daughter now. The tree house was the coolest thing ever for kids! Nothing else like it. The old playground was the best place to run around. I remember the tube slides and the cave tunnels. The current one doesn't even compare. We had the best memories of the petting zoo; the goats tried to eat everything! The current petting zoo has very few animals. Also i remember a stain glass shop, have always wondered what happened to the couple who worked there. This is the first time in probably 15 years we have not bought season passes. They are increasingly too expensive for a family of four. We still love Silver Dollar City and I know things have to change, but it's too bad so many things do!
Welcome to the forum!
You're in the right place for nostalgia. :)
Welcome 3 siblings, you will enjoy this site.. it is the next best thing to being at our city..
Welcome 3 siblings!
Alot of us here miss the ol' days too.
me too 3 siblings, almost every day, me too.
Yes, I often reminisce about the old days, mainly because it was such a large part of my childhood. However, the Silver Dollar City of today is my kids' Silver Dollar City, and they love it as much as I did when I was their age. I am sure that 20 years from now they will be longing for the old days of 2013.
The City is still a special place to me, and always will be.
Yes it is all relative @pudgyjones!
Agree pudgy. SDC is timeless for all.
@ pudgy: Yes, I was thinking the same thing this morning. My kids don't know any differently and they love SDC. To them it is perfect just the way it is now. When I came upon this site I was just excited to see people talking about all the old things I've been wondering about for years. The important thing is we get to keep making new memories there!
Take a look at Junior's photos. It's a great way to reminisce.
I would like to find a place that is like the old time SDC, or maybe just have SDC act like it used to in the old days. :'(
Quote from: okiebluegrass on February 21, 2013, 01:40:53 PM
I would like to find a place that is like the old time SDC, or maybe just have SDC act like it used to in the old days. :'(
That's an idea for the newest festival - SILVER DOLLAR CITY'S DAYS OF YESTERYEAR!
That's ironic, throwback days at SDC...
Sorry, time marches on. You had to be there, man, it was a blast! ;)
Quote from: Junior on February 21, 2013, 05:04:55 PM
Sorry, time marches on. You had to be there, man, it was a blast! ;)
Yes it was, Junior, yes it was! :(
I agree, it was a different place not solely dedicated to the next thrill ride each year, and hand made items were the norm...but rides and cheaper goods bring in money.
well you dont need handmade goods for todays youngsters. If you want to bring out the "FUN" factor in kids. You must have rides. Rides, Rides, Rides. As far as toys are concerned----kids today like games, not toys, GAMES. I also really enjoy the history of SDC and especially SFSL. I really didnt get to visit SDC much in my childhood (I do remember the diving bell pretty well), and a few other things. I do remember SFSL from first year to present. (Having lived so close to SFSL all my life. 15 min drive). I spent lots of time at SFSL. I understand how you all feel about the SDC of old. I feel the same way about the SFSL of old. (At that time it was called Six Flags over Mid America).
Im not trying to steal a SDC thread though. I do remember some of the old days SDC and I miss what I remember. I would like to see some of that back. Good news is---When our children is the age we are now. They will look back at how SDC (was today) and say "I wish SDC was now, like it was then". ----- JUNIOR you are right. "Time Marches On".
Well, qwed, I do remember the first year SF opened. I was in high school, and a better time couldn't be had, so I understand how you feel about it. It was the best date you could go on! What I remember most is the white, white concrete. It was immaculate. And, you could get a huge sandwich, pickle, chips, and drink at the sandwich shop for a couple of dollars. We used to split the sandwiches to save money because they were so big (and yummy). I remember sitting on the steps waiting for the concerts to start. Those were good times!!
About the closest thing I've found to the old SDC was Rawhide, an 1880s western town in Phoenix, Arizona. Granted, I haven't been to the "new" Rawhide -- the old one, on Bell Road in Scottsdale, was sold back in 2005 before the housing market bubble exploded in the Valley. The town was moved lock, stock and barrel to the Gila River Indian Reservation south of Phoenix on Interstate 10:
http://www.rawhide.com/
I first visited Rawhide in the early 1980s, and whenever I was in Phoenix (my second home growing up), multiple visits to Rawhide were always on the agenda. To be quite honest, I aways preferred it to SDC -- Rawhide today still has no "mega thrill rides", but the "classics": stagecoach rides, burro rides, etc. Rawhide has been around since the 1970s, and is still holding up well.
Old Tucson Studios is also another possibility:
http://oldtucson.com/
If you've seen any number of TV or movie westerns, you've seen Old Tucson:
http://oldtucson.com/films-producers-directors/film-history/
Regards,
Todd
Not to steal a thread, but with SDC still a week away from opening, I was thinking about taking my wife to see Persimmon Hollow Village in Broken Arrow. Anybody ever been there or know anything about it.http://www.persimmonhollowvillage.com/ (http://www.persimmonhollowvillage.com/)
Let us know how Persimmon Hollow is. I have seen their commercials, but we've never been. It could be a day trip for us.
Unfortunately, there will never be an SDC like it used to be political correctness and lawyers have taken it away from us :'(
I'd like to point out that rides will get people there and interested. There was a time when my life at SDC revolved around riding thunderation 4,323 times every day. The city grew on me because we kept going and coming back and now they have a lifer in me who will bring all of his children to the park every year. I imagine that will happen a lot because of new thrill rides.
Don't get me wrong, I hate seeing things go and that's only been for the last 20 years. Some of you on here probably have thirty and forty years of memories and have seen things gone. I'm just glad it is still so old-school and full of great themes. They still use guns in skits, etc. There's still religion. There's still patriotism. Most parks in the country can't say that.
Bill - I remember the times before thunderation when you stood in line at Fire in the hole, the mine ride, and Jim Owen's float trip. Anybody know of any sort of craft village within a few hours of Branson that I might check out. I never did make it to Persimmon Hollow because I got so sick. I am wanting to check out the Ozark folk center. Phoenix is a little too far for me to drive from OKC. I wanted to check out the Orr family farm, but it was mostly destroyed in the May 20 (Moore) tornado
pardon me if I digress, but as I have mentioned in old posts here there are many ties between Silver Dollar City and rawhide Arizona. The stagecoach is from Silver Dollar City, the Entertainment Group that preformed all of the comedy Street shows was started by Silver Dollar City entertainers. yours truly designed and built the old rawhide blacksmith shop, Cemetery, and some of the performance areas in the old Park.we even purchased old costumes from Silver Dollar City's costume shop
Keith Shull,, one of the Juniors at the diving bell in '79 and '80, was also a performer at Rawhide. He still lives in Arizona.
I thought that it some of that stuff looked familiar ;D
Since Shad lived in Arizona for many years, is that the reason for the connection?
Shad lived in Arizona as a very young man, way before SDC.
Quote from: Old Guy on June 01, 2014, 02:40:26 PM
pardon me if I digress, but as I have mentioned in old posts here there are many ties between Silver Dollar City and rawhide Arizona. The stagecoach is from Silver Dollar City, the Entertainment Group that preformed all of the comedy Street shows was started by Silver Dollar City entertainers. yours truly designed and built the old rawhide blacksmith shop, Cemetery, and some of the performance areas in the old Park.we even purchased old costumes from Silver Dollar City's costume shop
Now that brought a smile to my face! Thank you for sharing that.