I've been doing a little part time, on the side, freelance journalism over winter, and the first project concerning promotion of SDC is now out. There is a full page article in Peekaboo Magazine, Northwest Arkansas' Family Magazine, which is distributed in Washington and Benton Counties. The article is titled "50th Anniversary is Yearlong Party at Silver Dollar City," and it features the RiverBlast illustration and the 50th Anniversary logo as graphics. You can view the article at the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
I was able to slip into the end of the article this line: "...visit the unofficial fan site, www.sdcfans.com." (Hey Steve, anything to help ya out!)
You rock! That's so awesome!
Nice, Junior!
I didn't know you were from Pea Ridge. One of our earliest Branson-area trips involved stopping at Pea Ridge and taking a tour of the park and Buckhorn Tavern.
Wow, way to go on having your article published! I thought you did an excellent job composing, and writing your information. For the occasional Silver Dollar City visitor, or for someone who has never been to the park before, I think your article did an excellent job of wetting their appetites!
Also, including sdcfans.com into the end of your article was the perfect finishing touch! Now this website will be the last thing they read, and the first thing they will remember. ;D
Thanks for the complements on the story. I have submitted two additional SDC related articles to some regional magazines, one has been accepted, the other I have not heard back about yet. If all goes well, additional articles should appear in print in May and in June. I will pass along more info as it becomes available. Also a BIG SDC related project I've been working on should debut in a few weeks, I'll tell you more about that one later. :D
I kept forgetting to comment on this until now -
Great Article Junior! We definitely appreciate the plug. Can't wait for the big project to be released.
Speaking of which, how much longer until this big project is going to be released?
It's like trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. I just can't wait! :D
I think there are three regular contributors to sdcfans who are involved in big SDC related projects. RUBE DUGANS has a writing project that will be absolutely wonderful to see when it is released at some time in the future. My writing project is still in the development stages, so it's too early to discuss it. I hope it will find a receptive audience. More details on it within a few weeks.
AND Rube has a 12 month calander in the works of his paintings! Only 3 more months to paint-both in painting time, and in how many more I have to complete!
Another of my winter time writing projects has finally appeared in print! A story titled "Lost Rides and Attractions of Silver Dollar City" appears in the Summer, 2010 issue of Ozarks Reader Magazine, based in Neosho, MO. Alas, the editor did edit the piece, cutting references out to current attractions that replaced the "lost" rides and attractions. He did not want to include a "promotional" piece in his pages...and he unfortunately cut the "for more information" bit at the end, which included the Web site addresses for SDC and for SDC Fans! This piece was sent to the publisher prior to the opening of the 2010 season, and I was not aware at the time that the Rainmaker would be back this summer, so info about that was not included in the story. Anyhow, the overall piece turned out OK, and if you would like to look at it, check out the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
Great article! Thanks Junior.
Thanks, Duelist! I'm attempting to place a few more little articles about the SDC anniversary year in regional magazines/newspapers, wish me well! :)
Go to the Flickr site mentioned at top of thread to see the latest story I've been able to get published about the SDC golden anniversary year. It appears in the online publication "Life in the Ozarks" based in Shirley, Arkansas. It appears in the July, 2010 edition. The tail end of the story mentions www.sdcfans.com. Plenty of photos with the article. The publisher was very kind to give me the feature article in her publication this month, and I thank her!
I enjoyed reading your article Junior. It was well written and put together.
And I'm sure SDC enjoys this free advertising, as we all know SDCFans.com does ;D
I appreciate the kind words here. If I've played my cards right, an area newspaper in NW Arkansas may run an article about SDC that I submitted to it within the next few weeks. If they do, I'll post it here for you to see. Thanks again, everyone! Hope you have enjoyed seeing the articles. It's been fun writing them and trying to get them placed in periodicals in MO and AR.
Hey y'all...a feature article I've written about Terry Wayne Sanders of SDC fame is out...it's in "Life in the Ozarks" Magazine, based in Shirley, Arkansas. (August 2010 edition) It's posted on the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
Hope you like it! Terry is one of my favorite people at SDC!
Another great article, Junior! I think everyone loves Terry- may favorite character is the scarecrow he portrays during the Fall Craft Festival.
Wanted to add a story I did about the Hee Haw Theater in Branson (81-83) that appeared in the August issue of Life in the Ozarks Magazine. Check that Flickr site again! Thanks everyone!
Yeah, Terry! He is one of the hardest working guys in the ozarks, which has many. But I bet he is the one that has the most fun. Thanks Junior.
I feel like I have been blessed this year to return to news writing just a little bit. Outside my fun years in Branson working at SDC and Hee Haw Theater, my 20 years as a radio broadcaster were really great. About six years ago my wife and I had some major lifestyle changes happen, we made a major move to a different part of the state, she moved up in her career, I washed out and moved into something else. It was a hard adjustment for me, and still is sometimes. So returning to writing a little this year has been a real joy. The "Life in the Ozarks" on-line publication based in Shirley, Arkansas has made me a staff member, and I have a monthly column and two articles appear each month. If you are in the Truman Lake/Stockton Lake/ Lake of the Ozarks Region, look for a little free publication on racks in convenience stores, bait shops, and tourist places called "The Missouri Chigger." It's based in Lowry City, MO, and I contribute a story or two a month to it. All the articles I have been producing have somehow been related to Ozarks history and folklore. Of course, you've had a chance to see some of the SDC and Hee Haw related pieces on the Flickr site, and I'll post a few more before the year ends most likely. Thanks to all who have voiced their positive comments here, and I hope you have enjoyed what you have read. :)
Junior, is Life In The Ozarks anywhere around the Benton County area? Bentonville, Rogers, Siloam? I know it's online, but I will not have the laptop I am on now. After I move down there, all of my internet will be at the Gentry Library. Plus it sounds like a good magazine to read at night before bed or something.
Life in the Ozarks was a print publication for several years, but this spring went to on-line publication only. If you go to your search engine and type in "life in the ozarks" it should pop up to a main page. You can get a subscription to it, and they will give you a specific address to view the entire issue. There are articles each month on history, folklore, coming events, feature stories, columns about various topics pertaining to the Ozarks, an outdoors page, and so forth. It's a nice little publication, and I'm flattered they were interested in having me as a regular contributor and staff member. Thanks for your interest.
I just discovered another SDC related article I'd written several weeks ago has appeared in "The Times of Northeast Benton County" newspaper in Pea Ridge, AR in the August 4, 2010 edition. It is posted on the Flickr site for those interested. It does mention SDCFans.com at the end. (Ya know I gotta plug our Website!)
One of our friends here at SDCfans.com has been "quoted" in an article that appeared in today's (9/3/10) WHAT'S UP Magazine, a supplement to The Morning News of Rogers, AR! In an article about commercial show caves in the Ozarks our own Levi Tobias, a Marvel Cave guide, discussed tours at the cave. In discussing the lantern tours of the cave, Levi says "Since the lantern you're holding is the only light, it adds a little extra spark to the tour." Tobias warns both the daytime and lantern tours are "strenuous" because of the 600 some odd stairs on the half mile tour. Levi says "but we don't ever go through the cave in one big line," he assures, "We take plenty of time to stop and tell stories." The article also takes a look at Blanchard Springs Caverns, Cosmic Caverns, War Eagle Cavern, and Onyx Cave. Way to go, Levi!
I am glad to hear yet another one of your articles has gotten published! Of course, the SDCFans.com plug is always an appreciated addition. ;)
I have always been interested in the lantern tour of the cave, but I have not had a chance to try it yet. I bet the cave seems a whole lot bigger when you are exploring it piece by piece with only the ambieant glow of your lantern. I hope Levi didn't forget to mention that for most of those 600 stairs you walk down, and not up. :P
Keepin busy there eh Junior? Nicely done again!
The story with Levi was done by a staff reporter for the Morning News in Rogers, AR. I just stumbled across it while thumbing through the paper today.
For those of you who have not been able yet to obtain a copy of my "Dugan Daze" booklet about the diving bell, I have a special treat for you! I published a short article about the diving bell as one of the stories in the October "Life in the Ozarks" on-line magazine based in Shirley, Arkansas. I have added it to my Flickr site. The Flicker site address is at the top of this thread. It also features 8 diving bell photos, a few that you may not have seen before. Check it out! Enjoy!
I wrote another short article on SDC and the Old Time Christmas event now underway, it was published in "Life in the Ozarks" Magazine, based in Shirley, Arkansas. I was able to include a plug for SDCFans.com at the end of it. I hope it will steer a few new folks our way here!