I recently visited SDC in May of 2008. I hadnt been there since summer of 1980. That's right! It has actually been that long! But I found through my recent visit that the entire aura and atmosphere had completely and utterly swallowed me whole. I havent been able to forget SDC as it passes through my head on an almost daily basis. My name on here is Andymeets1880s and that's because SDC feels like if "The Andy Griffith Show" had smacked head on into the 1880's!
I have often said, under the moment of stressful situations, that I wish I had a lawnchair and could just sit down in the middle of a closed SDC. I have seen that I am not alone in my thinking. Although, no one has had that exact same sentiment, some of you have been pretty close!
I also had that sinking feeling when walking out of the gates and back to the parking lot. I am glad so many of you have posted pics, videos and memories so that I can sit here in Kansas City and ride through the Flooded Mine or Fire In the Hole via video. or I can walk through the park and smell the food through your memories. The memories of lost loved ones, wedding proposals and three or four generations being there at one time is really something to give you a lump in the throat. I will close this by saying "Thank you" to the creator of this site as it has helped me pass many minutes under stress and long hours by losing myself here. Secondly, I hope that all of you that are citizens of the park continue your great work and also continue to contain that wholesome, down home country atmosphere that makes SDC what it is! Thanks!
Your "lawnchair" comments ring true for many of us here "Andy". It is a tactic I use as a teacher when getting blood pressure tests...I close my eyes, and think of SDC-Honestly it works every time. I am saddened every time I leave whether the stay has been for 5 minutes, or 5 hours. The old place does have an effect on you doesn't it? I have not met a single person that was just fine with one visit. Welcome to the site!
;) Thank you, Rube!
Rube, do you ever do that with your class. It works for me, with fourth graders, to take them with me on that imaginary journey through a section or ride at Silver Dollar City. Stories about FitH are especially informative, and since it is Missouri history, I think I can justify it.
I wish I were like DocSpeleo and could take them on an actual trip there! We imagine things, we roleplay, we act out historic battles with paper wads, we get into history, we take imaginary field trips to various locations-pyramids, etc using panoramic photography and a smartboard, but I have yet to take them on a "imaginary field trip" to SDC! They are geniuses, so they could justify whatever we did...somehow! Maybe we'll try it!
I've said it before, I'll say it again: five generations of my family have been entertained at a Herschend property in Branson. I was lucky enough to work at SDC for 7 years. Memories worth repeating...again and again. When the great grandkids come along in a few years, the sixth generation will get a taste of the "aura" of SDC, and I pray it will be as meaningful to them as it has been to the previous five generations!
Welcome to the site Andy1880!
I am like everyone else on here - i think of SDC a whole lot durin' the day. When i'm on this site i feel like i'm at the park or ready to go. Ya all are puttin' a lump in me throat..
We still aint made our 1st trip yet, keep plannin' it but the weather keeps jackin' it all up!! I told my girlfriend we are just gunna have to go & deal with it, ITS TIME TO GO!! >:(
Well...How do to you, How-do Folks! Thanks for the welcome. I haven't been on here 24 hours and the people here have been great to me already! Very friendly and outgoing folk on here!
Yeah, I have NEVER known of a theme park to have an effect like SDC does on people. It's one thing to want to go back to a Six Flags or Worlds of Fun to eat and ride rides, but SDC is like you are missing home. Many people on here have season passes and say that they feel the pull back to the park everytime they leave. I hadnt visited since 19 freakin' 80 and when I went in May of 08', it was like I had season passes all along. It had that strong of a pull after a 28 year absence!
The best scenario to be at SDC.....when the park isnt really too busy and it is a nice downpour of rain. Not in buckets, but just a steady warm summer rain. Now....picture yourself sitting in a chair on a porch somewhere in the city or maybe leaned up against a doorway just watching it rain and smelling the combination of the rain, the food and the Ozarks woods.
Well....there I gone and did it.....I think I just depressed myself! ;)
Nah not depressed, happy that we can have those thoughts, and that we have a place like that we can actually go to! I can tell you though it is gonna be a dang full porch if it's a rainin cause we'll all be there with you!
Been there, done that! Those are strong memories, very pleasant. Thanks for reminding me. :)
Ok Junior, quit rubbing it in! ;)
I dream of that. You can probably just go back and pick out which dream scenario you want to play out again because you were there! ::)
Yup, Andy, I am with you on that. Though I have been there more times than you, I always can get myself in a mental mess by thinking about a spot or a concert or anything about SDC. It is truly a very unique place in our world. Beats our local fun spot WOF by a lot don't it?
Yeah, mbrown...WOF is like a massive teen hangout. Like the high schools blew up and the fallout landed at WOF. SDC is much more family oriented and not quite the atmosphere of WOF.
I felt the same way when I went to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, "SDC is much better than this."
About the only way I can get through mowing my lawn is to daydream about SDC. And no, I haven't cut off any toes yet!
My favorite time at the City is when it's autumn and a cool breeze is blowing and the smell of wood smoke is in the air.
Kinda makes me wonder if other parks, in their brainstorming executive meetings, sometimes ask themselves what it is that makes people, such as ourselves, so passionate about a theme park. What is it, for example, that makes a grown man or woman think about a theme park so much that they would be willing to drop what they're doing, and take a four hour drive just to get a fix? And ladies and gentlemen of the board of directors, can we get people to feel the same about our park?
Not many other places CAN do that. I am grown, and not a day goes by without thinking about SDC. I thank my parents for instilling in me the idea that this is not just a theme park full of rides. Many other parks, people go for rides most of all, and food, and entertainment comes next. I can and have visited SDC without riding a single ride and had a wonderful time,I have gone and done nothing but take photos, I have just gone to eat, I have just gone for rides. I think it is the unique nature of the park and its multifaceted image that allows the appeal to such a variety of ages/ people. Whatever they are doing...it is working, and they know it!
Speakin of Worlds of Fun..
We went 3-4 years ago & saw alot'a the employees sittin around with their chins in their palms. So we e-mail'd them & told'm to send'm to SDC to learn how to more upbeat & maybe be more interactive with guests. Needless to say, they wrote back & said they thought they was doing a fine job.... Well, we aint had WoF passes since, or been back. We've had SDC passes for 5 years straight.
Now that i'm getting older, i find myself enjoy watching kids reactions when they get off the rides & the parents ask if they wanna go again. Priceless! My girlyfriend has 3 grandkids, & we would love to take them to SDC, but the father is being a ----. Hopefully some day we'll get'm down there..
SDC is the only place i know of that i dont think about anything while i'm there. Life, auto racing, my cats at home, bills, our 7 acres we live on, NOTHIN'!! We only get away from racin' about every 2 months cuz its been in my family forever, just like SDC. It is nice to have such a great place to get away from it all that is not far away, 3-4 hours for us.
DANG! My parents are in Branson as we speak, they just went to SDC today....... :'(
NOW i'm jones'n. ::)
I was just at WoF a couple weeks ago and... ugh. If I never go back to that park ever again, I wouldn't be sad. The rides are great, sure, and I totally could see Cyclone Sam's fitting in at SDC, but... WoF has no aura at all. It's just... there.
And $5 for a slice of pizza? No thanks. I've actually left the park to go eat at Taco Bell and seen employees eating there!
As for Disney... I don't deny that when it comes to individual ride themes and innovative execution of ride ideas, Disney's amongst the best. But even there, I don't feel the kind of "aura" that SDC has. Sure, I want to take my niece to Disneyland at least once, but I plan to raise her on SDC. I've already got my stepnephew converted. LOL
Quote from: How-doFolks on June 17, 2010, 10:32:37 PM
SDC is the only place i know of that i dont think about anything while i'm there. Life, auto racing, my cats at home, bills, our 7 acres we live on, NOTHIN'!!
I know exactly what you mean, but on our last visit, there was one thing I
did think of: how much I wished the rest of the family could be there. Our oldest two kids (22 and 19, at the time) couldn't go. I've love to take my mom along one more time (she's 76 and starting to have health issues). I don't think my niece and her kids have been (the kids are 9 & 6, and get along great with my 7 year old).
But yeah... the rest of the world's worries just disappear.
This is one of the best threads on here...I love to find that there are so many others who have the same sentiments about SDC as I have. And like so many of you have mentioned, I hate it when the time comes at each visit when I realize that my crew has run out of energy and that it's time to leave...that walk back to the car is the longest, most depressing part of our trips to Branson!
Thank you all for keeping the memories flowing in between visits!
Sometimes I get what I call: "Silver Dollar City fever". It's when I might just be sitting and relaxing then all of the sudden I will feel like I'm walking in SDC. I'll start remembering the way it smells and the way that it feels to be there. Then I will realize how much I want to be at SDC. The place has this weird effect on me. I mean theres never a day that goes by that I don't think of SDC at least once. :)
Ditto! :)
Thanks, kerrydale for saying this is one of the best threads on here! I take that as a great compliment because I have touched a nerve in something with all of you and it shows I am not alone in the feelings I have for SDC and the Ozarks. I think the saying that I would love to be able to go to SDC when it's closed and just sit down in lawnchair in the park had a great ripple effect. I am also glad that I made a small impact as a "newbie" at the time!
I really like this thread as well. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who has the weird SDC effect. ;D
^^Thanks maddi!
Folks, are we allowed to just sit and express our daydreams?! Holy crap....I sure wish I was at SDC right freakin' now! I would love to have gotten there when the place opened and be there right now until they had the Bolins take me out at gunpoint after they closed!
*Sigh*
When I was an employee at SDC, there was nothing like getting to work early, well before the park opened. The sun was just coming up, a few of the street crew guys would still be hosing down the streets, or in the fall as the leaves turned, they would have their leaf blowers going, cleaning everything up. A few fellow citizens would be red eyed and a little sleepy yet, and headed toward their shops and other work locations. If I had time, I'd go to the employees lounge and get a breakfast...biscuit and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, a milk or soda pop, and eat. Then I'd walk on down to a time clock and enjoy seeing a few chipmunks or squirrels rush around before the people got out on the streets. Enjoyed the quiet, when everything was still moving slowly, and yet, a big rush was on to have everything cleaned, stocked, swept up, and looking good for those first people who stood at the ropes on the town square and rushed down the hill into the city after the brief opening ceremony. It was a great time of day, still cool from the night, but the sun heated things up the later it got. The duties of the Dugan boys included cleaning Grandfather's Mansion and the Treehouse, so I would get a broom and dustpan, go through both of those attractions, make sure all the special effects were working and were turned on. I must admit, both the mansion and the treehouse were a little creepy early in the morning...you never knew if some critter in the night had gotten in the places...sometimes I'd turn a corner and a maintenance guy would be in their fixing something...and both of us would have to catch our breath as we both would be startled! It was fun having both those attractions all to myself at that time of day. If I had time I would pause to look at the old time photos that hung on the wall of the mansion, and read the humorus captions under the photos. I loved the attention to detail the park had 25 to 30 years ago. Then, it was time to go to the diving bell, help the other early guy finish cleaning and sweeping and testing the diving bell capsules, checking the effects, and so on. About the time we got done, we would walk out in front and sit down for a few minutes, to survey our immediate area and then...by that time...the first few visitors were exitedly rushing down into the Deepwoods area (Riverfront now) and were exploring and pointing and chatting away...Ahhhhhhhh another day had started at Silver Dollar City...and my work partner and I would get up from where we were sitting, put those big smiles on our faces, and as the first few people approached, we'd say "howdy, folks!" Again, the search was on to find that elusive silver in the depths of the lake! :D
Since we'r story tell'n....
One of our rituals before we get to SDC is to drive to the scenic overlook on hiway 76 & walk some'a the wood'd trails. We also have a picture of us being the very 1st car in the park'n lot at SDC. We stop at the clock also & usually see chipmunks.
Just hear'n the birds, enjoy'n the wind & smell of dampness, watch'n people show up before the park opens & see'n the look of excitement & anticapation on their faces. I do alot of think'n of when i was a child & we went to SDC, & of all my other trips before. I love to take newbies to SDC. Hearing the coasters run while they are pre-checking everything is like a shot in the arm. I love my auto racing but SDC has got it beat by a long shot.
While at the park i feel like i'm in my own backyard, it is that comforting. I talk & interact with employees & guests if they look like they need help or cant figure somethin' out. I ask alot'a people where they are from too. Its prob'ly good that most people are so relax'd while they are there, or they'd prob'ly think i'm weird. When i have to leave i get that bummed out feeling too, i already start think'n of my next trip in 2 months. Always get apple butter & afew other things. Always say good-bye to SDC & the parkin' lot when we are on the buses or trams..
Aww heck ya all, ya gunna make me tear up.. I could go on & on....
Junior, Howdo, I sank in my chair as I read these last two entries. Junior's especially. I have never thought of what SDC would be like on a nice, sunny, comfortably warm morning or a crisp a.m. way before opening. I read it once and then read it again so I could walk through each step of description.
*SIGH*
Thanks for your comments. If I achieve nothing else here on this Website, I hope that I can communicate how special it was those years ago as an employee of the park. I was between the ages of 15 and 21 during those years. The teenage years and early adult years are special times in everyones lives. However, that period, that era in Branson has slipped away and will never return again. In interviews, the Beatles were asked what it was like being a Beatle. The answer they gave changed over the years, but in the most recent interviews with Paul and Ringo they essentially say that the four of them were brothers, and that there is no way to put it into words how the experience was for them. I understand. I feel as if I were a "citizen" of a special town called Silver Dollar City. I was not the most important or talented citizen, my first two seasons I was, simply, a food service worker. The tail end of the second season I was, simply, a ride attendant. The last five seasons I was there, as I got older, I was promoted to a glorified ride attendant...because I played a costumed character and had an alternate "character name" and personality and I performed a show for park patrons. The only people who understand what I mean about that time worked with me. Thank God, several of them are still on the park and work their magic in their own special way...Terry Sanders, Randy Stowe, Russ Maulden, Kerry Chester, ZEPHON is there...and a handful of others who made the park their career. Terry is the only one of those mentioned that is out front for the public to see, the others are behind the scenes and work their magic in other ways. They are the spirit and aura of SDC, and each day they work with newer employees who hopefully pick up on the special circumstances they are in and will keep that aura going for current park guests. My great fear is that current corporate management will forget how special the park is...and that the corporation will be like a lion cub that, as it gets bigger and stronger, turns on its parent and consumes it. If that happens, SDC will no longer be a special place...just another theme park in Anytown, USA. I pray that those who lived through those times with me will continue to inspire current employees to keep SDC special. When the magic fades, when the "aura" dies, in my opinion, GAME OVER. The best way for patrons to encourage that aura to continue is be vocal, speak with management when you have a chance, take part in surveys. If you feel strongly about something...no matter it be praise or concern...contact management and let them know. They do listen. Present your case in a clear, rational way. Write it down, email or snail mail it. If on the property, visit directly with management. They will listen to you because you give them your money, which is what they are after. They will do what they can to please customers and make them return again and again. This is the way you and your family keep the "aura" of SDC alive. Remember, a park patron is an honored "citizen" for a day. :D
Thanks from me too Andy1880, i could'a got more detail'd on my stories but The Woman was razzin' me for bein' on the computer so much. So i went & spent time with her. I gave up on Facebook too & am on here more than that site. It is just hard to explain in letters & words how i feel, i have so many thoughts that i forget alot of'm before i can get'm all wrote down on a post. "Memories worth repeating" is the best words i guess.. ;)
I feel for Junior tho'.. I think i read that he aint been to SDC since 2007. I bet it is hard for him cuz he used to be a employee & aint been there in afew years or more, that would be hard to handle.
I'm only 2 hours away from the park, but real life...work and family...prevent me from visiting more often. However, I carry the spirit of SDC in my heart, and I hope that when I reach out to visitors and employees I work with at my current job, a little of that spirit leaps into them, too. We gotta spread the love, man! :)
When I am down, SDC is my happy memories. It has helped me through a divorce and a lot of other things. I was able to write a letter one time to the company during one of those tough times and they used part of it in their promotional material. I was thrilled and still am that I was able to pass on some of the reasons why I think that the park is the best there is anywhere. Junior, you are very lucky to have worked there, that is something that would be a great adventure for me. Although it has been said before, I think that I could retire and then go to work there in an instant. It helps to have SDCFans to help me between trips.
Well-I lurk alot around the forum, but wanted to chime in on this. We live in Southern Oklahoma and visited Six Flags over Texas on 6/27/2010. My goodness, how I wished I was at SDC. All day I kept comparing everything from the employees to the food to the experience and especially the "aura." I finally hear a little fiddle music over in the Texas area, but mostly loud country and rock blasted throughout the park. Granted they seem to have cleaned up the park as our last visit was nearly 8 years ago when we attended with a Home School group and it just happened to be Gay Pride day. Picketers at the gates and general chaos...
I never have to worry about my kids or me for that matter being exposed to anything like that at SDC.
Anyway, we have been traveling to Branson now for 8 years and even buy season passes now. There is nothing I am aware of that even comes close to the feeling the City gives. In fact our sole intent is to spend 3 or 4 days at the park while in Branson, we do not go for the other shows or shopping. My youngest daughter who is 6 is always wondering when we are going back to our "Branson house", we will be back in September and I am counting the days.
^^ "Branson house!" ;) There's another classic line on the forums! That's too cute.
Got to bring up an old thread.
I took my kids to SDC in the summer. They are 14, 13 and 6. We all had a wonderful time and did not want to leave. A couple weeks after returning home to OKC, I took them to our local theme park and they all told me the same thing. "this place is a fail compared to Silver Dollar City". Just something about that place. They are the fourth generation in my family to enjoy it. Every time I go there, I think about my grandparents that have since passed on, and remember the times we spent there. Hopefully, once they have kids, I will be able to pass that kind of memory on to my grandkids.
Came across this thread again, one of my favorites, and thought the newbies to the site might find it interesting...I would encourage the newbies to read this for some good ol' fun...wonder what andymeets1880 is up to now a days
Interesting...looking back I never contributed to this thread yet it is one of the reasons I joined this site.
i hear ya joshblakebran.. my posts were from 2010!! we may not go as much these days, but the joy & excitement is still there, i dought it will ever go away. ahh.. City.... ;D
agreed... :)