I was reading the side of Steams post and thought I wonder if anyone has been foolish enough to pull the cord ? With that what other crazy or foolish things have you seen others do at the park?
I once was part of a cave tour with a lady (at least 65) who had just had knee surgery (three months earlier). Well she managed to make it to the bottom of the cave with her husband. Then they had to send help to get her back out. Other crazy thing was a man that was too big to get back out of the mine raft.
I am sure some of the citizens can tell some real dandies
In 1979, the boat lift at the Jim Owen's Float Trip ride was upgraded, and instead of boats gently sliding into the channel to begin a trip, they would drop a little bit before heading off the dock. We were instructed to not overload a boat, but sometimes, guests refused to listen to us when too many would scurry into a boat. I stopped dispatching boats for a couple of minutes and explained to the dozen people in the boat that there were four too many, and if I dispatched the boat it would immediately sink, but would continue around the channel due to the strong thrust of water the pumps provided. I told the folks they would get completely wet from the waist down, and explained this as seriously as I could, begging them to get the four extra people out of the boat. They thought I was kidding around. They thought it was a big joke. The people waiting in line to board a boat thought it was a joke, too. I climbed off the dispatch stand, went to our storage building where we had a couple of big scoops made from plastic jugs, and tossed them in the boat. I told the folks when I slipped the boat off the loading dock, it would sink, they would be completely drenched, and if even one of them stood up, I'd have all of them removed by security. Then, I slowly...very slowly, edged the boat out of the loading area, and just like I warned...it immediately sunk. Everyone on the dock laughed so hard, their sides almost split! The people in the boat had a "deer in the headlights look" on their face, but not one of them stood up...they had been warned. As the boat rounded the first curve in the channel, I announced on the microphone when their boat got back to the dock, it had better be totally bailed out and ready for the next group. Seven minutes later, the boat came around...it had been bailed out, and the soaked visitors quietly exited...their shoes squishing with each step as everyone on the dock laughed at them and kidded them. By the way, the other folks on the dock did heed my warning about "eight to a boat only, please!" :)
We get a "false pull" about once a month, they usually occur while a guest is entering/exiting the coaches at the depot. Every one is always treated like the real thing with safety and first aid notified. Not a big deal really. I've never heard of one turning out to be the real thing, but we're always prepared anyway, all conductor staff is trained in CPR.
^^That's hilarious! Thanks for sharing! :D
I had a lady using a walker in my cave tour group. I thought, really? you think you're gonna make it down the cathedral room with your walker? She quickly left after the tour guide mentioned the number of stairs.
While playing Junior at the diving bell in the early '80's I was loading a group in a capsule, and a lady at the end of the line, the last to be seated, got wide eyed, saw water down front from a previous excursion, and told me with all seriousness, "I have the ability to predict the future, it runs in my family, and something bad is going to happen here, very soon." With that, she turned and fled the capsule. There was nervous laughter from a few of the guests, and all I could muster the courage to say is, "maybe she knows something we don't know." A few scattered laughs from the crowd, and the ride proceeded. Everything did go as normal, much to my relief, 'cause she kind of put a bit of fear into me, due to the tone in her voice. (However, during the ride, the diving bell spung a leak, a rock crashed through the wall and water gushed in, the geysers down front gushed gallon after gallon of water, and the ride ended with a massive crash, with no silver recovered. No injuries, and all were able to unload alright. After repairs, we tried for the silver again. Like I said, "just an average day at the office!") ;)
This is a true story, though...not made up for this thread, I swear.
Oh, yeah...and there was the time about 1980 or 1981 that a kid got sick in the ballroom at Tom Sawyer's landing with diarrhea...needless to say, the ballroom was closed, and overnight all the balls were removed with scoop shovels, washed down with a hose, and placed back in the ballroom. Back to normal the next day, with no guests the wiser.
Along these same lines, I've seen seriously obese people trying to get onto a ride with restraints. I don't know what the protocol for the staff is, but on both occasions, the guests were allowed to sit in the vehicle - once at Fire-in-the-Hole and once at Wildfire - and the operators proceeded to attempt to lower the restraint bar or harness. They literally pushed the restraints with their full bodies to try to get them latched. On FitH, the guest finally got the idea that she couldn't comfortably or safely ride. On WF, the guest was asked to switch to a larger seat in a different row (I didn't know there was a difference.), but after muscles couldn't close the restraint, and after enough time had been wasted, he finally gave up. As sad as these both were, it was pretty cartoonish to watch the SDC citizens try to cram them into the rides.
^Yeah if they cannot fit into a regular sized seat, they have to move to a "big boy" seat on Wildfire. These are the seats with the double seat belts on them. They are a little "bigger" to accomodate guests "with larger attribute dimensions and proportions" -- if that still does not work, they have to take the WOS (Walk of Shame).
Not all of us can be thin like Swoosh. I have to sit in the Fat Boy Seat on Wildfire...
The float trip story is great. I would have paid money to watch that.
I wonder if anyone ever had trouble with the tree house.
I did see a man bounce his wife off her feet one the swinging bridge. I am not sure which was the bigger laugh. Her falling or her getting up and getting after him.
Back in the early '80's there was an incident on the swinging bridge. It was Young Christians weekend. Too many kids got on the bridge...well overloading it beyond any reasonable normal load...and began bouncing...and bouncing...and before park personnel could get to them, one of the steel cables below gave way. the bridge had a noticable tilt to one side, but held, thank God. Everyone got off safely. Then park personnel had to close the bridge. It was closed for many, many weeks at the beginning of that year. Maybe I should not say this, but I will. We citizens jokingly called Young Christians Weekend "Young Heathens Weekend," because so many kids in church groups were unleashed on the park without adult supervision, and often got into mischief. Teens will be teens, and if mom and dad or the group leader is not around...trouble will follow.
I remember going to the park during the time the swinging bridge was closed. I was so disappointed.
Nothing new for us to hear there Junior, It has been collectively by some members here as that for a while now
There is more in depth discussion regarding the weekend here:
http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=462.0 (http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=462.0)
As I said there:
I have been in on this weekend in years past, and I did see the same as you all are discussing (heathen behavior), but I did see some very strong in their faith and who were very polite and well behaved, and unfortunately they are all associated with these "heathens". This was 3-4 years ago, and I know much has changed, but I left that weekend with hope for our future. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch-cannot say it enough as a teacher!
It's really more fun to actually swing the bridge left to right than bounce on it anyway. After all it is a swinging bridge. If they didn't want people swinging on it (or bouncing), they should call it a suspension bridge.
My father taught me how to walk across the bridge to really get it bouncing. I will not do it when others are on the bridge, but let my family get into the middle and it is on. It is a good way to keep my wife from talking to me for a hour or so. Ah to be at SDC with peace and quite.
After they rebuilt it, it doesn't bounce like it did in the old days. It's still got some motion, but in the '70s you could really get it going.
I do remember once in the early 80s the cable on the cave train broke. They used a four wheel drive vehicle, like a Broncho, to pull the cave train up. The SUV had to "gun it" and run right alongside the hospitality house up onto the corner of the main street area in view of guests on the town square area around the hospitality house restrooms and the old broom shop location. My jaw dropped at the sight, but I also thought it was funny.
Another odd story comes to mind. In the late 70s and early 80s there was a one mule swing in the Deepwoods area just as you entered Deepwoods Lane under the railroad overpass at the saloon. I worked that attraction many times in 80 and 81. I was the muledriver. Well, one day, the old mule they used to run the little carousel died...dropped as he stood next to the swing. They covered him with a big tarp because they didn't want to bring a front end loader into the park when guests were around. That poor old mule lay there for hours. Anyway, next day he was gone. Shortly after that, the mule swing was, too. I do recall one guest approaching me when I played the muledriver, and bitterly complained that it was inhumane to have a mule work the swing all day. But, I actually thought if that ole mule had a choice between being covered under a shady carousel awning and pulling a plow in a field, he'd have chosen the mule swing. I hated running that ole mule down in the little pasture behind the train house each morning. I also hated the old booger that ran the mule barn. Every chance he had he would belittle me about the way I'd harnessed the mule. I think he did it just to give a college kid a hard time. I enjoyed operating the mule swing itself, and interacting with the guests. I hated the mule and the old booger who ran the mule barn. Those are the two most unpleasant memories I have of the park. Really, the only unpleasant memories. God bless that old mules soul. I won't say anything more about the guy who ran the mulebarn.
Ahh the mule swing....For those of you who would like to envision the swing in all of its glory....This is like a television cross over with my "Wayback Machine" thread!
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/3127587650_2560b7c038_o.jpg)
OK, Rube! You have pulled another postcard out of your fantastic collection that I never have seen before. The mule swing pictured is either the same one I worked at, or an earlier version. It seems the swing I worked on may have had more benches than the one pictured. The swing I worked on also almost always had a canvas top on it, so guests would be shaded. I cannot tell from the postcard where that mule/horse swing was set up on park. Do you know? Thanks for posting the photo...again, you knocked my socks off with something I never knew existed before! :D
Tip of the iceberg! I will check my maps tonight, I know I have it on one of the where this was located.