SDCFans - The Unofficial Fan Site For Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City & Celebration City Discussion => General Silver Dollar City Talk => Topic started by: Junior on October 06, 2011, 09:13:08 AM
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How will things change at SDC and with the Branson Herschend attractions when Jack and Pete are gone? Do you see the torch being passed to the corporate folks who will lovingly tend the flame, or do you think that corporate profit will undermine the traditions and traditional things at the park and around Branson that we have all come to love? It is a hard world out there...how much of the love will continue on when the founders are resting next to their mom at Evergreen Cemetery? (I hope the two will be around for a long time to come!) Chime in, and offer your thoughts on the subject...Hey, I'm just asking...
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That's a really good question! One that would have to be thought about if you call yourself an SDC fan. I do see the torch being slowly but surely being passed to the corporate people. I think we have already seen this over the years with things slowly slipping away. Is the Herschend family proud of their park? I think as a whole they are extremely proud. But I don't think the younger generation of the Herschend family has the same feel about the park as Jack & Pete. Let's face it, if you didn't see and experience the park in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, your probably not going to be quite as sentimental. Things slowly disappear over time, even at SDC! Hopefully this won't be the case and in the years to come there will always be someone out there that will keep the park as we love and remember it.
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I don’t predict a whole lot will change. Even after Jack, and Pete’s passing, I don’t think we have to worry about them putting in a new spaceship ride at Silver Dollar City, or anything else that drastic.
As far as I know, most of the big decisions at Silver Dollar City are already being made by the company board members in Georgia. So, I don’t foresee a huge change in what we already see.
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I agree with Pintrader on the fact that the torch has already been slowly passed on to corporate.
To me, it is obvious that Jack & Pete still care a lot about the park and want to still be involved. When I saw the Herschends on 9/11 of this year, up on the balcony of Hanna's Ice Cream Parlor, they looked very proud to be there, and had a very sentimental look on their face. I even saw Jack's grandson (I'm assuming it was his grandson, he had red hair) give Jack a big hug and whisper something in his ear. I took note of the families interaction in the park, and they seemed to be humble people. Also in watching the video that How-DoFolk's posted on the Herschends Christan values really hit home for me, it seemed they still had a lot of passion for the park.
Things change, people change, and corporations change. Unfortunately, we have the "not in miss Mary's time" thread, to me that's sad, but it is what it is. One day, we will look back on Jack & Pete's time at the park, and probally say the same thing. But I hope that is a long time off.
The park has changed a lot over the past 50 years, a lot of good has happend, and not so good. But overall the feeling has not changed, at least to me anyway. The Citizens really do make the park what it is; that's how they got the award on being "The Friendliest Park."
All that being said, I'm not sure what will happen once they pass, but I only hope that their values and passion for the park will live on. We as patrons and lovers of the park should keep that torch going, keep insisting only the best for it. With Facebook, email, and surveys we can keep the passion and spirit of Silver Dollar City going on for each generation.
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Yes the park has changed in the 30 yrs that I have been there, and yes in the next 30 it will continue to change. WHen Mary was gone, did the park crumble? no. it did have its changes some subtle, some obvious, but I think that same path will be followed with Jack and Pete.
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I love SDC and probably always will. I hope it doesn't become to corporized when Jack and Pete pass on. It does seem, however, even with Jack and Peter still around that in the last 6-8 years that I've been going consistently that the park is not getting the attention it needs as far as updates, new rides, etc. At least in comparison to Dollywood. One example, the first year we went, the Kid's Fest was awesome because they had awesome shows. There was a show with wild animals, another with birds, and at least 1 to 2 other shows. Now, it seems like the shows are generic and there are really only 2 of them. The first Bluegrass Festival we went to had Ricky Skaggs and other big names. Yeah Yeah, I know they just received the IBMA Event of the Year award for this festival, but in the last year or two it even seems the big named performers have disappeared from the Bluegrass Festival. They haven't had Ricky Skaggs, Dailey and Vincent, Sierra Hull, etc. for a while. I saw, however last night, that Dailey and Vincent will be at Dollywood. Dollywood had Ricky Skaggs and Sierra Hull this year. Maybe I'm just complaining, don't mean to though, but I still think Dollywood is getting all the love. Look at how many new rides and attractions they've gotten versus SDC. Hopefully SDC will start getting more attention in the future.
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I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas. I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future. They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership. I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands.
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I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas. I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future. They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership. I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands.
Exactly. Jack, and Pete have already put the trust of the company into the hands of others. If Jack, and Pete are confident with the decisions being made, I don’t believe we have anything to panic about.
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Jack and Pete do have a lot of trust in Joel, the BoD, and the rest of the management team. Yes, there are some things that they might do differently if they still had their hands on the steering wheel, but, the mission remains the same regardless of who is at the wheel, and I don't see that changing. We all have different ideas on how that mission is best achieved and that's okay. The main thing is to support the park as best we can, no matter which path it takes toward achieving that mission. The park values all of your letters and suggestions but the best way to show support is by your continued attendance. I am thankful for each and every one of you here at SDCFans.
Our Mission
Creating Memories Worth Repeating®
Our Values
We Greatly Exceed Guests' Expectations
With distinctive themed entertaining experiences for every member of the family
With genuinely friendly caring people who take pride in what they do
We Serve Others
By working as a team and empowering each other
By being patient, kind, humble, respectful, selfless, forgiving, honest and committed
We Create Emotional Connections
By treating guests like a member of our family
By providing shared-experiences that bring families closer together
We Constantly Improve
By adapting to our guests' changing expectations
By managing safety, security, risks and resources
By investing in people and products to produce growth and provide a reasonable return on our investment
All in a Manner Consistent with Christian Values and Ethics
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The proceeding commercial message was sponsored by Herschend Family Entertainment! (Just joking Zephon! I sense your pride. I have it, too, having worked 7 years for the company myself! I'm glad that you and a handful of the folks I remember from the old days are still on park, year after year. You and the others are that bridge from the past to the present. The work you do makes a difference. Thanks! :))
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I can't think of anything else I'd rather do, Junior. It's been a pleasure.
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I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas. I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future. They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership. I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands.
I was going to search for this post, Parson but you saved me the trouble. I knew someone had mentioned this, but couldn't remember who.
This is a question I've had for some time. I don't doubt they have faith in Manby, and the BOD now. However I sincerely hope they've put some sort of "protections" in place to keep the Park vision and values going the right direction. CEO's come and go no matter how loved they are, same with board members.
I've also wondered why the 2nd (3rd really) generation of Herschends are not more involved? I've done a bit of searching and the only thing I really found was one of them was an artist of some sort in San Francisco and thought one other was on the BOD, but can't seem to find that now.
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Hope I'm getting this right...current "citizens" chime in if I have made mistakes here: Chris Herschend, Pete's son, is one of the higher ups at SDC. Bruce Herschend, Jack's son, operates Talking Rocks Caverns, he and his wife founded and independently operate the Butterfly Palace in Branson. Others from the family are involved with the company in various ways. Ron Herschend was involved with the company over the years (Jack's son) but now is involved county politics, and he serves as a county commissioner. Those are the three I know about. I'm sure there are others. All I can tell you about involvement in the family business is IF I HAD THE CHANCE AS THE SON OF THESE GUYS I WOULD DO IT. However, they all grew up as the company was being built and perhaps they don't get more involved with it because they have grown up with the company and want to have some independence rather than depend on grandma or dad's business for a livelihood. On a similar note, Shepherd of the Hills was operated by Dr. Bruce Trimble, then his son Mark. Mark's son, Kelly, and I went to high school together. Kelly never was too interested in "the farm" but worked for several years at Fantastic Caverns when his dad owned it. Kelly had a sister who died about 1979 or 1980 when the electric cart she was driving at Shepherd of the Hills overturned. She was the one who had the passion for "the farm" and her brother always loved the cave. Going back to my high school years, it was pretty clear when their dad retired sis would get the farm, Kelly the cave. As it turned out, Mark decided in the mid-80s to retire and sold off both properties. Kelly moved into real estate apprasial and operates a successful firm of his own in Branson. After decades of being the family that developed Shepherd of the Hills, the Trimbles are no longer involved in tourism in Branson at all. That one throws me for a loop, because again, if I was Mark Trimble's son I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! Many of the Presley and Mabe Family members are involved in the Presleys or Baldknobbers theaters, but many are not. Once you get to be of age, you gotta decide what you are going to do with your life. Some love the tourism businesses their families started, others got tired of it growing up with it, and moved out on their own.
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That's good information Junior. I guess they're a lot more involved than I thought. I hope they share the same values as their parents.
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Yet while we all chime in about the value level of the park basketballs are being dribbled down hill street and a pizza buffet is served at lunch and you can see where the employees park when you drive in. Corp is already in the park and will grow more and more each year.
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Yet while we all chime in about the value level of the park basketballs are being dribbled down hill street and a pizza buffet is served at lunch and you can see where the employees park when you drive in. Corp is already in the park and will grow more and more each year.
I think that is a very good point! It's great if the future leaders of SDC have high Christian values, but that's only part of it. They need to keep the things that are sentimental and in theme for it's loyal customers. I myself have doubts if a person or board out of Georgia will try to keep the things that are important to most of us. I think they will be and already are being sacrificed for corporate profit. But! Hey! They are a business.
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with the corp entity, and the newer generations taking over we will no doubt loose several of the aspects of the city that we all love. ::) ::)
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But as long as we are all here to carry them on, much like all of the classics we all remember like Rube Dugans, walking behind the waterfall, the stagecoach rides, we will make it!
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As we look to the future of the park, believe me, I hear and understand what you all are saying, and the basketball bouncing bugs me as much as the next guy. That and pizzas may not be the epitome of an 1880's theme park...but....the park must make concessions in certain areas especially when it comes to things that the youngsters will find of interest. Yes, we have a few thrill rides...but, when the parents get tired of being drug around to all of that and say "no more", really, what is there on park that tweens and teens will find of interest? Craft demos, shows, etc. will not hold their interest for but a few minutes. And the park gets slammed for it on surveys all the time. So the park is trying to do something, anything, to accommodate them, even though it seems that we're stumbling along blindly sometimes. It's tough for the park to find things that will hold the interest of kids who have been brought up in this age of electronics and instant gratification.
Yet....these kids are the future of the park, and the future of the park depends on hooking these young people and bringing them back when they reach adulthood. SDC has to be a place that they remember having fun at as kids.....after they reach the time in their life when they learn to appreciate slowing down and looking around at the other things. Most of you started coming here when you were young so you know what I'm talking about.
So...I ask you all to have patience with the kids, and have patience with the park as it strives to serve them as well as you all. Maybe instead of always composing focus groups of adults, they should assemble groups of kids from time to time.
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Let's just pool our money, make an offer on the park, and buy it outright! Then we can put everything back in place that has been taken out and restore it to its original wonderment! :)
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Craft demos, shows, etc. will not hold their interest for but a few minutes. And the park gets slammed for it on surveys all the time
So do i understand that the crafts are actually getting poor marks from younger folks?
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I suppose since I am in my late twenties, and am no longer a “tween” that my opinion is void. However, I absolutely love the arts, and crafts, and live music performances.
I would have it no other way. I especially enjoy the Harvest Festival when so many visiting artists, and craftsmen stop by. It’s amazing what beautiful work they can dish out.
I completely agree that the young ones are the future, but how many of us grew up as youngsters at Silver Dollar City? We fell in love with the character, and atmosphere of the park as it was. Years ago, Silver Dollar City certainly welcomed young ones with open arms, but they never bent over backwards, or changed their entire business model based solely on them.
We definitely live in a super high tech, gadgetry world, and keeping the attention spans of young ones is surely a challenge. However, instead of trying to razzle, and dazzle them into coming to Silver Dollar City, why not simply give them the honest chance to fall in love with Silver Dollar City for what it truly is?
I would hate to see Silver Dollar City lose it’s character, and atmosphere simply because we as adults are afraid young ones will get distracted for five minutes. Give the young ones some credit. If Silver Dollar City stays true to what it is, the young ones will follow. It is a timeless formula that has worked for over five decades. :)
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We love SDC because it gets us away from the razzle and dazzle. This is true of the Wilderness campground as well. In fact, that's what the family loves about the camping trips we take period-it's nice to get away from the razzle, dazzle. To the power to be: Please keep SDC an 1880's theme park and maintain the integrity of that theming.
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AMEN!!!! josh!
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I have to agree we need things that will entertain the young uns. I know when I was young I didnt care about the shows and the freakin awesome screen door craftsman. I didnt care that there was a pottery shop or a blacksmith. But as my brain evolved and matured those things began to matter to me. SDC is like a gift that keeps on giving! First it gives fun places to play and rides, then it gives fantastic shows and as you get older it gives great shops and crafts to appriciate. it neednt change. Dont overrun it with crap ya dont really need. I feel it has a great balance the way it is. yes I would love to put back some of the classics and fun signage. But as is its a pretty stinkin cool place. It doesnt need to change who it is to lure the boys in, they boys should like her for who she is!
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It doesnt need to change who it is to lure the boys in, they boys should like her for who she is!
Oh, we definitely like her for who she is! ;)
There is so much variety at Silver Dollar City that there is truly no reason for Silver Dollar City to change a thing in regards to attracting kids. In fact, not including Kid's Fest there is the Grand Exposition, Geyser Gulch, Half Dollar Holler, and River Blast that have been designed specifically for kids.
Not only that, but almost all kids love watching the candy, and taffy being made, and watching the fiery hot glass blowing demonstrations, and other actives which are the more "grown up."
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As a kid attending the park, there were lenty of things to keep us busy. I had never been to Disney(did not go to WDL until I was 21), had never been to Six Flags (did not go until I was 13), we always went to SDC. I was there before I was 1! This was what theme parks were to me, all others since then have failed to compare. I know my views are a bit jaded seeing that this was all I knew for years. We would watch the craftsmen, go through the Flooded Mine and FITH, shop, play on the Gandy Dancers, possibly climb at Tom Sawyer's Landing, watch more craftsmen, eat the lunches we brought, and call it a day-usually to do it again the following day.
Not everyone will feel as we do about the park. My wife took a few years to catch the SDC bug, but it has taken hold (finally after dragging her for nearly 10 yrs!)
Some come for the rides, some could care less about them, I have grown to become a mixture, I keep hold of the old, and embrace most of the new. I do not believe that HFEC would alienate their one of their core groups, tour busses!!!!
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I do not believe that HFEC would alienate their one of their core groups, tour busses!!!!
Ha ha, and as we all know, most of the time it is certainly not kids getting off of those! Don't you just love the gray-purple headed crowd. :P