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 March 15, 2012, 04:54:11 PM
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Forsythia and dogwood in full bloom, picture perfect weather, friendly "citizens" and a beautiful opening day at SDC for 2012!!! Here is a brief trip report: Got to the park at 8:15am and parked right at stop 2, had a tram waiting for me that whisked me directly to the park entrance. Moderate sized crowds, no long waits at any rides. Park does look very good, cleaned, swept, painted, spruced up, and all ready to go! Construction underway at Echo Hollow stage, new location for Christmas Hollow in the old woodcarvers location is nice, much more room. Woodcarvers now located in OLD Christmas Hollow location, not yet open, it will be a few weeks. All your favorite entertainers on park, got to see Doc Gizmo, Pure Heart, and Sons of the Silver Dollar. BIG NEWS regarding the mystery ride for 2013. The site of the Old Robbers Shack was covered today by construction workers, much concrete down, many trees cut, big loading station apparently being built here. Down the hill toward the mule barn, many concrete pylons scattered on the hillside. They cleared alot of trees there too. Only mention by the conductor on the train is basic: "folks you'll notice alot of new construction along the tracks, a new attraction is coming next year, more about that later in the year." I made a whirlwind trip through the park as my time and money were restricted today, and was NOT able to make it to Branson to tour the tornado damage, but I asked several citizens how Branson looked and everyone was positive, upbeat, and said much has been cleaned up, but added it will take a while to get everything done. Out of the park and in my car by 12:30pm. Photos of everything on my Flickr site! Click on the photos to enlarge them, and to read the full captions. Hope to see you later in the season at SDC! ;D ;D ;D http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan FOOTNOTE: Everything looked normal at Wilson's Farm, I could NOT tell how people will enter the new ride area. I guess that will come later. I assume they will move something or build beside the HiLow Towers or giant swing for the guests to access the new attraction. Oh by the way, the concrete pylons laid out on the hill toward the Mule Barn are only about 50 feet away from Hobo Junction! When the trees are full of leaves, it really won't matter. Hobo Junction is safe (for now) and the new ride...whatever it is...will fill up the entire space the trees have been removed from.
Admin Edit: Reformatted topic title to fit the format we started in 2010, stickyed so that this will be the official trip report thread. - Shavethewhales
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Thanks for the review! We've just got to get to SDC soon!
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Appreciate the review Junior. Good work!
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Aww, thanks Junior. I was sure we would hear from you today!
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Thanks for the review! Glad to see the park start off on the right foot this year.
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Nice review for a whirwind trip.. I am anxious to be there next weekend.!
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I had school today from 12:30-3:15 and the whole time I kept whispering to by friends sitting around me what I could be doing at SDC right now instead of taking notes, working on our project, etc.
I let all my friends in psychology know that today is the first day of SDC's 2012 season at least 8 different times, one of them finally told me to shut up.
March 23rd and I'll be HOME!!!
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Is the saloon show open? Silver dollar city web site says it is but there is no mention of it in the path finder.
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Trip review AND matching photos! Top notch work Junior, thanks!
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To the best of my knowledge, no show currently in saloon, Red/Gold Hall, Meeting Hall, or Opera House.
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Did you see what the refillable mugs look like for this year? It turns out the last one I got was from 2008. The picture is getting scratched and faded because I take it everywhere, so I figured its time for a new one. Also, do you know how much they are?
(I have to budget money for SDC, or else I'll spend my life savings all in one trip.)
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I will be writting a review up soon and puttin pics up, dang Jr beat me to the first front :) But I do know the S. Mugs are like 10$$ but 1.75 to refill. They are not the fat round kind of the past but kinda skinny and short/tall. They reminded me of a fancy tall coffy cup.
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junior I am sure your right.... that is one of thing i dont like about spring break... as i stated earlier, several of the shows and seems like 1/2 the shops are closed. :(
entertainment schedule for this week and next:
http://hfeimages.aristotle.net/General/March%2015-25%20schedule.pdf
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Yup, the new mugs this year are taller and skinny...they have the blacksmith and I think the train on them. I didn't get a close up look on Thursday, but they are a new type of mug...something to add to your collection next time you visit.
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Here it is, my trip review:
3/16: It started out cool and the park was really kinda empty which made it nice because the lines were short. My son rode Thunderation and Powderkeg and LOVED it. :) I took a bajillion pictures and you could see construction when you rode the train. Took out hobo junction all of it except for the train car. But I got pictures of some of the construction going on and will post them as soon as I get it fee-gured out. Train show was slightly different, but still funny!! They did make mention that there would be a new ride this next year and will be advertised starting this fall. Like I said the crowd level was on the small side until about 1, then the park exploded with people!! The lines for everrything were short. I was able to get right on Lost River no wait. Which I think has happened one other time.....Am Plunge line wait was about 20 minutes. The weather was fantastic for March. Couldnt ask for better!
3/17: More of the same as the day before except PowederKeg and Wildfire were not running due to tech difficulties ??? ??? until about noon. Then Lost River shut down due to the same. The line for the Flooded mine was almost to the train!! Eek! Half Dollar Hollar was okay. I wasnt overly impressed considering they spent so much on it. But my kid thought it was the bees knees and thats what counts. I went to the apple butter shop and had me some free samples. Try the Sweet Potato Butter. YUUUUUUUM! Crowd level was higher but it was Saturday so no surprise. Line wait was again surprisingly small in most areas but the Grand Expo. Which to me had a really lame feeling about it. Even my kiddo didnt want to hang out there. We rode the magnificent wave carasoul and the line wait for that was aweful. The ride operator was cranky. Seriously if your cranky on day 3 of park opening go find another job. At the Riverblast the line was non existant and we got right on. We saw ahead of us a guy passing his kid from one side of the boat to the other :o :o idiot. All in all it was amazing as usual. Cant wait to get back for Bluegrass and BBQ!!
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TRams THANKS!! And might I say I agree with you................. IF your cranky on day 3 ??? ???...................... MOVE ON!! :o :o
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we are leaving the house in 15 minutes to head to SDC!
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great review Trams!!
i need to get my brother to write his review..
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This is my birthday weekend trip to Branson and the City. Left with our neighbors who haven't bee to Branson in years. Stopped at several flea markets and yard sale along the way on Friday and got to Branson about noon. Entered down the Strip to see the damage and was amaz at the many familar places that were torn up. Especially at the one strip mall that held the laundary mat and flea market that we would go to over the years that was flatten and the owener put out the sign is front that read " This is not a disaster." Got to Homestead Inn and meet Paige who gave us a very nice greeting. The rooms were nice and comfortable for just sleeping since we were not in them that much. Meet up with the Kids and the Grandkids and went to the fish hatchery to let grandkids feed the fish, then worked our way to the Landing. Walked half it is before tiring out and deciding to go eat at Golden Corral. Good meal but the second time in two days that my family had waitresses sing Happy Birthday to me.
Saturday started with us going to the City Haul indoor yard sale held at the $1 Shoppes warehouse out by the HIgh School. My neighbors wished they had brought a trailer with them because of all the things they found that they could of got cheap and resold. Got to the City about 9:45 and stopped at the bakery on the way in for cream cheese danish. Worked our way to TNT for my 4 year old grandson's first ride. I had shown him the Youtube video and he was hesitate but after he rode it, he said he like it but didn't want to go a second time. Went to HDH and the grandkids love riding the merry-go-round, swings, and the play area. (Continued)
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Attempted to get on the train but it deveoped a pressure leak and they had to switch out trains that would take and hour. Lines for TGS were backed up and well as all the people rejected from the train filled TFM, so had to skip them, but had no problem on RB, really no one on it. My 2 year old granddaughter cried because she did not like getting all that wet. But they did like playing in the balls at GG. They loved the elephants and the frogs at GE. The line at FITH and WF weren't to bad but PK was backed down the hill, so had to skip it. Being opening weekend and the weather being so nice they were alot of people in the park. We got tired around 3:45 and went back to hotel to rest, have
dinner and take the grandkids to the Track for Video games.
Sunday was the Academy Sports and Bass Pro in Springfield, then home. Great time, City was great, except most of the shows and shoppes were closed. Not seeing how the new ride is really go to run but its early and my picture are not good. Otherwise was a prefect weekend.
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We went in today (Sunday, March 18). We didn't get there for rope drop as we usually do. No one set an alarm, so we just slept in a little. We did arrive about 10:15, and the park opened at 9:30 today.
We went to the Grand Expo first. Our toddler was tall enough to ride her first roller coaster over there. She loved it. We rode a few other rides, and then we went to see what else we could find.
The crowds began to show up as the morning progressed. I think the park seemed even busier because there are no major shows right now to suck up some of the crowds. Wildfire and Powderkeg were running the whole time we were there, but we didn't try to ride. We will save those for a "grown-up" trip.
We rode the carousel and did the tree house in Half Dollar Holler. To our delight, the slide has been removed. Our toddler got stuck in it twice last year. We headed over to the train, but we were told by the train personnel that they were taking a lunch break, so we didn't make it on the train this trip. Every time we checked out the Flooded Mine, the line was visible, so we skipped it.
We had some kettle potato chips, and DH had a frozen lemonade. Besides that, we really didn't eat. We refilled out cups once. There really seemed to be people everywhere, so we left about 2:30. We did walk up to a tram loading, so that was nice since we parked at Stop 3.
We came back to town and rested a little. We are staying at Grand Country this trip. We did the water park yesterday. It was a little crowded, but the toddler area was nearly empty. Tonight, we did the Fun Spot on the property. The Ball City for little ones is totally worth $3.00. My older DD and DH did the laser tag, and they said it was fun. We will head home sometime tomorrow. I wish SDC was open tomorrow, but we will just have to wait until World Fest.
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sounds like a good initial trip so far.
i agree with you on the monday thing, we have talked about that before, since i am alwasy there on sunday/monday.... I would lover to see them open fri-sat-sun-mon... ;)
Keep having fun Stacey..
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Nice reviews. We're headed down (or is it up?) from Tulsa this week. Will be there Thursday - Sunday.
Just curious, we have never been during the Spring Break weeks... is it busy? (Not that it really matters)
The family gets really excited when we load up the car... Can't wait for tomorrow night. That's when the "buzz" really sets in.
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We rode the carousel and did the tree house in Half Dollar Holler. To our delight, the slide has been removed. Our toddler got stuck in it twice last year. We headed over to the train, but we were told by the train personnel that they were taking a lunch break, so we didn't make it on the train this trip. Every time we checked out the Flooded Mine, the line was visible, so we skipped it.
How did they re-structure the HDH? Is the net thing the only way down now?
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How did they re-structure the HDH? Is the net thing the only way down now?
You can take some steps to exit. They must have always been there, but my excited toddler never made it past the slide that she would inevitably get stuck in.
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Yeah, there are steps down from the platform that the slide was attached to. They had "exit only" signs on them, but one can get up and down that way to get in or out of the complex. My niece had to have gone down the slide at least five times last Christmas. The stairs were useful for watching her at the top and then going down to film her coming down. She'll be disappointed to see the slide gone.
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Yeah, there are steps down from the platform that the slide was attached to. They had "exit only" signs on them, but one can get up and down that way to get in or out of the complex. My niece had to have gone down the slide at least five times last Christmas. The stairs were useful for watching her at the top and then going down to film her coming down. She'll be disappointed to see the slide gone.
Maybe they could install a new slide that doesn't have that weird horizontal part. My daughter didn't have enough momentum to get through there, and then she didn't understand why she wasn't moving. A normal curly slide would be cool, though!
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They need something more at HDH. The two climbing nets I noticed were a little crowded. I cant imagine what they look like during the summer kidsfest style. And more shade for the adults watching the kids. I know I have said it before. Put up some sort of relief from the sun yall. Baking in the sun with no relief isnt fun......I vote for mist fans too. :)
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Yeah, a regular curly slide would be cool. There was a slide over at Splash Harbor that my nephew loved to PIECES. Something like that would be cool.
As for the climbing nets, my niece refused to go on them alone. She wouldn't go out there until my sister went with her.
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I just wanted to check in today. i talked to a couple of SDC employees tonite at The Haygood show, and was told they had over 19,000 people there today!1 WOW!!! said there long lines EVRYWHERE,
We will be going out early tomorrow, see what happens and will check back in sunday nite!
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I was at SDC Thursday. It was raining, but we got there about 30 min before opening to eat, hoping the rain would stop. When we walked in, there were only 10-15 people hanging out around Main Street, then when we walked out of the restaurant, we couldn't figure out where all the people came from. There were a ton of people! And that was just as the park was opening! We walked around and did some shopping for a while, checked out the Echo Hollow construction and listened to people ask each other what was going on down there. Some of the shops got a little crowded, but not too bad. I attempted to ride TNT, but the line was all the way up by the magic shop. I figured I've rode it before, I can do without for one trip. PK was extremely crowded all day and FITH was almost to the saloon most of the day. I didn't even go over to WF. We figured the rides were packed because some of the shops weren't open and there weren't very many shows going on. I'm glad we rode the train in the morning, because we were going to ride it again about an hour later but the line reminded me of OTC, so we kept walking. It was good to be in the City again and see all the citizens, I just hope my next trip will be better.
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I would also like to add, earlier in the day, there was a couple men standing on Main Street with an official-looking giant camera. I don't know if they were shooting a commercial, or what they were doing, but I was half tempted to walk in front of it a few time!
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We arrived in Branson on 3/22. We actually ended up going to Branson Landing the first day since there wasn't much time left and had a great time. We first went to SDC on Friday, 3/23. We arrived around 8:30 and had a great day. The park was slightly busy, but the cool temps and intermittent rain showers kept most people away. Rides and food lines were all manageable. Then came Saturday ...
It was CRAZY!!! I have NEVER seen SDC as busy as it was on Saturday. Every parking lot was full (even the one 1/4 mile down on west side of Indian Point Road). We arrived around 8:40 and knew it was going to be a busy day because we waited in line about 10-15 just to park. Once inside, it didn't seem to bad because we were ducking in and out of the shops. Finally made it down to the Grand Exposition and I think we waited pretty much 30-40 minutes for almost every "kiddie" ride... When we finally tried to eat lunch, I waited 35 minutes for hot dogs. The lines were incredible. I will be posting some pics of the crowds... I think the staff was quite overwhelmed. Outside of the long lines and waits, we still had a great time. Any day at SDC is fun...
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we arrived in branson on the 22nd. son, 7 year old grandson, wife and me. went to see titanic. not my cup of tea but grandson loved it.
23rd at silver dollar city. breakfast at the mill. didn't get the special table. better luck next time. Grandfather's massion, monster behind mirror scared my grandson again.
no show at saloon. tried to get girl working concession to join me in doing the show. she could be Tilly and i could be Bart. no go.
1 and 1/2 hour wait on powder keg. grandsons first ride. the look on his face priceless.
30 min. in GG. grandsons favorite place. had to drag him out.
train ride was great. so was flooded mine.
watching a car pull out of thurnderation not even half full, not so great.
since the candle shop was closed we did the waxed hand instead.
Hannah's on the way out.
bought 1 piece of wildfire taffy for 19 cents. i want my money back.
once again silver dollar city won hands down.
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OK> well lets see....
We were in the Square before 9, it looked great with minimum signage. I Caught Terry Sanders 1st thing in the morning and talked to him for a bit.. (man! I think that guys must work 26 hours a day, 8 days a week!)..
was a little dissappointed at the opening ceremony, only had 1 person carrying yhr flag, but we said the Pedge of Allegiance and sang the NAtional Anthym.
Headed downhil toward WF, oh did I mention that we took Paige from Homestay with us? She and the other 1/2 was all fired up to ride the coasters, so away we went!... BUT on the way downhill, we passed the Lye Soap store and sitting out in the wide open was 4 new cases of Lard and the bill of Lading.. Looked out of place, i dont know why they didnt set it inside on the floor out of sight..
Anyway, did WF couple of times, slippede down to FITH, over to PK. then headed for the other side of town... took a train ride took some pics and video with my phone.. but have not figured out how to upload from the phone??...
went down by the lake and had a Philly sandwhich for lunch. I love the sandwhich!
Took a look at EH, they are still working on it, had 2 manlifts in there and were actually working on it sunday.. I saw new stairs om the front of the main building and they are fro sure doing something all the way on top. 3 stories high.. Probably for the new western show,,
All in All a nice little visit to our city, not much of a crowd, got to see some friends we have met out there. Park looked great!
OH YEA!! 2 things..... The airbrush t-shirt booths are both gone, AND as we were leaving the guy that always made your name out of wood, right there on your right as you go out the turnstytles is gone!! He has been there for a long time!.. funny thing, I didnt even pay any attention to what is there now... I think it was t-shirt shop! LOL.!
Oh well be back in 4 weeks! ready to go again!!.
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One bad thing about when I was there, I didn't see Terry Sanders at all!!! I kept looking for him, but I guess I was never in the right place at the right time.
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While recovering from being sick we decided the best medicine was a quick sat-sun trip to SDC! We called Paige, and she was soo accomodating with our needs-first floor etc. After we checked in at HomeStay we grabbed some lunch and headed to the park.
Arrived at the park about 2:00 on Saturday and parked at the VERY back of lot #3. After fighting the maze of barriers and corrals, we made it onto a tram and waitied over 30 minutes in line to unload at the front of the park. Upon entering we saw HUGE crowds of people wherever we turned. The chalk art at the entrance as well as the announcements were notifying guests of a 7pm closure instead of the normal 6pm. The crowds continued all around the park, at every area, and at every food stand (especially the food!). We saw a few new things around the park including the new Tater Twist Shack, the remodeled Pottery Shop, the New Christmas Hollow, the removal of the Medicine Wagon, and some new signage here and there. We sat on the porch of the General Store and relaxed to some Sioux City while being serenaded by the Sons of the Silver Dollar at the gazebo.
Sunday we got to the park about 10:30 and spent way too long getting our first family tin type taken. As a 30+ year tin type customer, I have seen the process in many different ways. This company that is in the park IS NOT SDC. This is Ashley Nostalgic Photography that is a bigger company with leased out space in the park, and many other places. As an artists who emphasized photography, and with a very good photographer sister I know the set up/ posing. This group takes nearly 30 minutes per group orchestrating the photo, trying to up-sell you at any moment. Everything from individual portaits to group shots, then they try to up-sell you on sizes, frames, mattes, packages...it was extremely frustrating with a 5 mnth old going through all this to have my photo picked up and see that it was damaged(yes I have emailed them about it). The park was EMPTY the whole time. it was so enjoyable and I would have stayed all day if I could have. We wandered the park, and eventually headed home.
My wife used the Nursing Station by Red Gold and was extremely happy with the experience, as was I seeing that while she nursed...I was free to roam the park!
Wonderful time at the park (despite getting a bug in the ear, and throwing out my back on Saturday when exiting the tram!)
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Great review Rube! I agree that Silver Dollar City is the best medicine. Although, in your case it seems to have had a few extra side effects. ;)
From what I heard from yourself, and others the crowds were ferocious! Hopefully that will settle down once the kids are back in school during April, and May. I am glad to hear about the various tweaks made around the park this year. Silver Dollar City is never stagnant which is great. I wish Silver Dollar City would use their own in house people for the Tin Type Photography. Silver Dollar City seems to farm out more, and more labor these days. Perhaps it is a money saving technique, or perhaps they would rather just pay for an “expert” instead of train really good employees.
At either rate, a tough day a Silver Dollar City always beats a mediocre day at home. Thanks for the review!
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Went to silver dollar for opening day. Got up at 4am and drove straight there. ;D it was so great only three hours away yippee! I walked all over that place but alot of the demonstrator stuff wasn't open yet bummer. :-\ but we rode some rides and it was only my second time going so I got to ride some I never did before :o it was so great and then we had to go back home :'( I was sooo tired. The end!
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That was a mighty nice story, Good Fixins! Glad you had a great time! Ya'll come back!
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I like the different emoticons to help illustrate your story, Somethin tells me if you were to tell us orally it woulda been done in one breath.
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good story. wait 4 more days & ya gunna do it again!! ;)
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I like the different emoticons to help illustrate your story, Somethin tells me if you were to tell us orally it woulda been done in one breath.
I read it like it was all in one breath.
Sounds like me! Haha!
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ALWAYS tired, if it hadn't been for our little one, we would have been asleep soon after we left Ruby Tuesday's on our first night! (This little one was so excited to have mommy and daddy in the same room when going to bed that as soon as she would see us she'd start kicking and bouncing and giggling so despite my very tired state at about 9...I was up till 11:30, not much different than my usual time)
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getting off work at noon on fri., leave KC about 2-3pm for Branson West, this time tomorrow we will be waiting to go to sleep so we can hit SDC bright & early Sat. morning!! gunna go on Sun. for afew hours, so please give me some time to write-up a review & make a slideshow video. i will be thinking of all of ya while we'r there! ;)
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Is this weekend very busy with the young Christians weekend. I have never gone on this weekend and will be there early Friday morning.
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It has been crowded in the past, and regardless of what many say on here, the weekend will have many polite young Christians, and a few rambunctious young'ens, if you were going simply for rides, prepare for lines.
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Even for Friday do you think?
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Friday will have Spring Breakers and won't be that bad, so Friday and Sunday will be your prime days-Sunday will have morning events, but not alot in the afternoon. Saturday it will be crowded, but nothing too terrible, unless you want to see the shows that are geared toeards the weekend with special performers etc.
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Here is the Pathfinder that covers this weekend.
http://hfeimages.aristotle.net/General/2012-SDC-Pathfinder-March30-Apr1.pdf (http://hfeimages.aristotle.net/General/2012-SDC-Pathfinder-March30-Apr1.pdf)
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I went on one of the young Christian weekends last year, and I was shocked. It really wasn't that bad. They must not have wanted to do what me and my family was doing...
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I remember the reviews about YCW last year, and it did seem to be a painless weekend for most!
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Husband took me to SDC today for the day. Well till 2, but that is a day for him! :) The weather was fantastic till about 1pm. As were the crowds and line waits. I found that most of the kids stood in line for the big rides like the roller coasters and TGS. Lost River and Am Plunge were almost walk right onto the ride lines. Minimal waiting. RiverBlast had a non exsistant line. Didnt ride the train. But was at HDH and visited with a citizen named Jim. Very friendly but most are. *CONSTRUCTION NUGGET OF INFORMATION!*I asked about the new ride and he gave me a coy look and said he couldnt tell me anything but check back in the fall. So me being me teased him about hints. And he said, if you keep up with Dollywood and the rides they get we usually get the same ride with a different name. Like they got a giant swing we got a giant swing, they got a river blast we got a river blast.....so I excitedly exclaimed WE ARE GETTING A WILDWING!!!??? And he looked at me and didnt say anything. We discussed wildwing and he gave me one more clue. Whatever kind of ride it may be it will be big. Not the exciting kind of big but and he looked up and said big like the height big.......All in all a good trip. Kiddos were not overbearing the weather couldnt be better. It was nice that GE was halfway empty compared to other visits. It allowed my kid to walk right onto rides or have a short wait. Will we do YCW again? No. There were a few that were spoilers. Like the mamoth of a teen in front of me that literally towered over me in line Lost river. It doesnt take much to be taller than me but this guy was huge! and the line width when you are almos to the boats is skinny. I was almost plowed over. EEEK! Will post a link to pictures soon!
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Awesome trip review Trams! You were brave to venture out this weekend, but it sounds like your risk paid off. It was an absolutely gorgeous day here just south of the Ozarks, and I could only imagine how much more beautiful it was there. I am glad you were able to sweet talk a few tidbits of information out of citizen Jim! It just makes me more, and more excited about how the project will mature. Hopefully next time you won’t get plowed over by the Green Giant himself. Thanks for the review! :)
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My wife and I made a short, overnight trip to Branson Friday night/Saturday. (3/30-3/31) Young Christians Weekend at SDC and so we did not go to the park, the Branson Inn at Notch (Branson West) Was packed with teen youth groups! We drove past about 8pm Friday, and the house was a-rockin'. SDC appeared busy today. We spent our time in Branson, touring flea markets. Tornado damage clean up is proceeding. I did not take photos because if you have been keeping up with things here, you have seen the photos of places damaged the most. Branson Heights Shopping Center is destroyed, Ozarkland T-Shirts had the roof and top floor ripped off. Several hotels seriously damaged like J.R. Motor Inn, Blue Bayou, Starvin' Marvin's Restaurant, Helicopter Ride location across from Pirate Cove Mini Golf. Hilton in downtown has many windows covered in plywood. We went up to Mount Branson to Candlestick Inn and it was hit hard. So was the neighborhood around Candlestick Inn...several mobile homes and houses were just trashed. The tourist stuff was up and running fine, downtown was busy, the strip was moderately busy, we took a drive down all the side roads, including Fall Creek Road, Gretna Road, Roark Valley Road, Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, across Table Rock Dam, past College of the Ozarks, and things look "on track" and BRANSON IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS! We did stay at Paige's Place, otherwise known as Homestay/Eagles Lodge and got the sdcfans.com discount, got to meet Paige upon renting the room last night. Nice lady, clean and comfortable room. In all, a nice, short trip. :)
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PS the music was LOUD. I want my bluegrass back.
And here are my pictures. They are things we have all seen before and I will add more maybe tomorrow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76324302@N06/6887128244/
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Sounds like a good time Junior. I commented to the wife that I wished we were back at last weekend so we could do it all over again (we were in Branson @ Homestay at this time Sat...)
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rube, i found myself today wishing the real same thing.. this early 80 degree weather has really got my SDC fever going!
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And Junior, welcome to the Homestay family! Sounds like you a had a great trip. we did some sightseeing also last weekend.
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Paige mentioned she went out with your family to check out a few sights herself! I think she was still tired from running around town with you all!
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LOL!! Junior that might be true.!
Sat afternoon she went us to Pierce Arrow,
Then we went to the Riders od the Circl B Dinner Show,
Then we went to the The Haygoods, Her right hand helper(Cherie went with us too)
Then Sunday I made her get out of bed and went to SDC. We were on the square by 9:00,
The girls did some rides and we had lunch there and left about 1 or so, Paige had to be at work by 3.
It was fun!
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Ok, here we go, everybody keep up....
We was the 1st ones at preferred parking at 7:50am Sat. morning, believe it or not the guy said Thanks for being patient & let us park for free. Walked around the square & took LOTS of pictuers with no one around, ( 212 total pics! Enough for 2 slide shows. ) rope drop was getting pretty packed so we knew what we was in for. Went & rode Thunderation first. Then Flooded Mine. Went to ride The Giant Swing but it was already packed & the only had 1 arm going. So we went to FITH & rode that, had about a 20 minute wait. Tried to go ride Wildfire, but the line was so long, it was backed up all the way to the lil' covered bridge by American Plunge!! So we rode the train. Now that was fun! Got to see some construction going on about the new ride, & got some pics of it for my video. We gave 1 of the train robbers 2 dollars & he told my brothers girlfriend to call him! :D Went to go get some catfish at Aunt Pollys but it wasnt very good, i had afew dry pieces & gave up on it. It was about 1'ish already & the lines were so long, that all of us agree'd to go back on Sun. As we left we saw Terry Sanders on The Swinging Bridge, so we went & talked with him & took a pic. And out the park we went.... Did some cool stuff in Branson, ( slick track go-karts -- the zipline off the big tower by Shepard of the Hills -- got drownded on the bumper boats, & ofcourse got some ice-cream at Andys. )
Sunday was alot differant. Still was about the first 10 cars in preferred parking, had to pay this time tho'. ;) Walked around the square again till rope drop, not as many people waiting this time. I never found out how many people was at the park the day before. Went to all the rides we missed the day before, Wildfire first -- then Powderkeg -- then FITH -- then my wife & my brother rode The Giant Swing, i sat out so i could get some pics of them -- then all 3 of them rode Lost River while i just relaxed by myself. 8) It was 11'ish by then & we had a 4 hour drive home, so we went to the market place & got some apple butter syrup, cant wait to try it!! Walked out'a there very happy that our weekend went well at the park, but ya'r always bummin' when ya leave.. :'(
We all had a great time, i took alot of nature shots, & building & sign shots for my videos, i will prob'ly make 2 slideshows for all of us watch. I'm gunna go relax before i make any videos, we rode in the back of a compact car, time to stretch out.... I'll get on my YouTube slideshows asap, still make take a day or so.
Thanks again SDC! Hope to see ya in afew months or so! 8)
Forgot to mention -- They have a new FITH dog, dont know his name yet. And they made us take off our glasses on Wildfire, new rule this year. Just so ya all know.
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That is one good trip how do!! Thanks for letting us know about your time! :)
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That was a great review! With all those pics, you may be able to beat Pintrader in the "Where In the City" contest. Thanks for sharing!
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checked with 1 of my SDC friends,
she claims 12,000 yestarday
and 5-6,000 today..
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So went to the park on the 30th and I have to say weather was perfect and the crowds were next to nothing which was even better. Did not have to ever wait in line for the stuff we went on.
Any started the day off heading to the preferred parking to get my pass got there about 9:30 am. As I mentioned in the other parking topic the parking attendant has to put the sticker on your car. Since we did not have the vehicle I wanted it on I did not get the pass yet but he was nice enough to let us park for free anyway. After getting to the park no line at the gate headed to Molly's for breakfast again no line and as usually food was very good. After breakfast headed out side to watch opening ceremony I think it is so great that they still do the pledge of allegiance every morning.
First we headed over to GG I think my Son was the only one there walked around there for a little bit everything looked pretty good and all the stuff seamed to be working. After spending some time there headed over to the train again no wait. Saw the construction going and conduct mention a big announcement later this year. At the train robber shack I did noticed this time that you could hear what I guess were the screams of either the Giant swing or wildfire hopefully this was not due to the removal of so many trees and if so I can not imagine it will get any better with the new ride. I did notice it looks like the new ride entrance will come thru Wilson Farm. After the train did FM or as my son calls it Shoot the guys ride.Everything seem to be working well though I still miss that audio that came with the large saw blade when it was let go toward you. After that went by Hannah's for some ice cream for lunch, it was a guys weekend with no mom,. AS always ice cream was great. Next headed to FIH I was a little disappointed with the ride conditions as you start off the spot in the roof is worse and you can see daylight which kinda takes away from everything. I think they really need to ramp up the maintenance on that building. That ride we actually had to wait a whole 10 minutes. After FIH headed over to the tater patch for some taters I was actually disappointed for the first time the bowl I had gotten was about half burnt. We then headed to GE for some more rides for my son. By this time we had been at the park for about 7 hours and decided it was time we were going to go on the LRO but line was way to long we did though go on the AP ride was great the tunnel could use help and does not need to have the music blaring inside it. My 4yr son even convinced my Father in law to go on it and got soaked it was great. The greatest thing about the day was all the interaction my son got to do with the citizens. Between deputy Lump and the girl that walks around with the parsail he had an awesome day in fact he was passed out before we mad it to the parking lot. I did notice two other thing which I also posted on the woodcarvers topic. The shop that makes the engraved wood signs was not in its normal location by FIH it had that sweep stakes office in it and in the Ozark marketplace the area that made the wood names was now a tee shirt print spot. any thoughts
All and all another great day will be back on May 4th and can not wait.
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I dont know if anyone else noticed this, as I am too lazy this morning to read several posts, but the old submersable from the diving bell is GONE! Unless I just didnt look hard enough for it. The cave was there in lake silver but Eli's sub is gone....
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What are ya talkin' about, Trams? That lake sub has been gone for years. The "cave" next to the Lost River is still there, but the lake sub (a false diving bell top) was removed at the end of '84. Eli's submersible was across the lake where the kiddie play complex is today. It too was removed at the end of '84. Explain further, please.
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I know I have seen it within recent years. I am going to dig out the photos and look if I have a picture of it. I know it has been there!!! I am not loosing it. The one as you cross the bridge to the right....In lake silver. I know it has been there!! I look for it everytime I go cuz I didnt know what it was until a while back ago.
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^ I think someone has had a little too much Sarsaparilla! :P
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Nice trip JMC, I also noticed the changes in OM. not sure I like that,,,..
Dollar!!! Now thats funny!!!
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If you check out BetaMike's Flickr site, I think you will find a scan of an SDC photo of Eli Tolts' submersible by the lake, and if you check out my Flickr site, all the way back on page 7, you will see a photo of the wharf showing the lake sub, and a close up of the lake sub during the lake water draw down in winter, 1981.
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Hmm I will have to check my photos to see what is there....
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I noticed they have closed off the Gazebo sitting area from main street. You now need to walk around to the Hospitality House side to enter the Gazebo area. This picture shows the closed off portion just to the right of the Gazebo. Nothing major, but still a change.
(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/tomncyndi/DSC_0013.jpg)
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Nice catch pintrader.. I noticed the square looked different, But could not figure out why.. Now I know what to look at when i get back in a couple of weeks.
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What would be the purpose of closing off the seating area?
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My guess would be they had enough complaints about people walking thru in front of the stage, or walking in from the front to find seats while shows were going on. This way they can only enter from the back.
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I wished I lived closer to SDC so that I could visit more often to see these suttle little changes firsthand...
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My guess would be they had enough complaints about people walking thru in front of the stage, or walking in from the front to find seats while shows were going on. This way they can only enter from the back.
That makes sense.
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Yeah, people walking in front of the stage during a show has long been a bit of an issue. I know entertainers didn't like that back in my time on park either.
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Had a great first visit of 2012 this last weekend.
Things I noticed:
I was sitting over at the Half Dollar Hollar...and I'm like, am I crazy, or is something missing? The slide is gone!
On the train ride, they said there would be a big announcement later this year RE: the construction over by where the old robbery was. We all know it's a new hybrid coaster for 2013, right?
Did they paint the TNT box on the Flooded Mine "I'm gettin' outta here" guy? That wasn't necessary.
Again, I had a great time and I hate complaining, but I could write at length about the Easter egg hunt on Saturday. It was a complete debacle in my opinion.
I was going to start a new thread on it, but I think I'll try my best to keep it brief and just put it here.
It didn't seem very well thought-out.
What it boils down to is my six-year-old son got zero eggs. Not happy.
The eggs were color-coded. Six year old kids were to take only blue eggs.
My son is six, but he's very small for his age. We were there when they first started handing out the bags to go hunt for the eggs. But when we went into the park, he couldn't find any.
A kid who was also 6 walks by, and he's got a heaping bag full of them.
I took my son up to the collection area and asked several of the performers "Is there some sort of consolation prize for the kid who got zero eggs and is on the verge of tears?"
My three year old son found 3 eggs, so when he was turning his in, one of the other six year old kids turned in his eggs, and he had 34. 34!?!?!
The problem is this -- when you make it a contest to see who can get the most, you encourage people to run around like madmen trying to find them. They hog them.
My solution: Make there be a maximum. Also, hand the bags out at the front gate when kids who want to participate are first entering.
We also heard of a family that was running around (without even getting a designated bag - they were just stuffing them in their stroller) grabbing eggs of all colors, not even caring if they got the right ones or not.
Anywho I was ticked off...but at least I guess my son got a lesson in disappointment and not always winning/having things go your way.
There's more, but I'm tired and don't feel like going into it.
Did anyone hear what the prizes were for the kids who collected the most eggs?
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A friend of mine went and she too had the same happen to her. Her son is 4 and was super excited. Didnt get a single egg. Didnt see any for that matter. They should have placed a limit on what you could find. No she did not find out the prizes due to not finding eggs so didnt mess with looking/listening for the prize. She said the Easter event stunk on ice and that she wouldnt do it again. It wasnt worth the trip just for that. Next year PTB, color coded eggs are fine so the age appropriate prize is givin, but put a limit on what can be collected. Really you get rude people on Easter egg hunts for some reason that dont have the decency to share the wealth. So please if you choose to do this again, maybe put one egg per bag you give out and have maybe 3 that have a prize and the rest candy in them....
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Also, have a handful of extras set aside...that way you can sneak them to parents who can hide them for their kids to find them.
Believe me -- I checked if they had any extras. That's what I was going to do. But they didn't have any extras.
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Had a great little trip this weekend! Made the trip in exactly 3 hours and went straight to check in at Homestay. Dropped off the bags and went to Moon River for an excellent dinner with great service. Back to the room and straight to bed so the kids could be well rested for SDC.
Arrived at preferred parking about 8:15, had a few cars there but not many. Turnstiles were running smooth and quick. Walked through E&D and got Kolaches for the whole family (it is one of our favorite things anymore), cruised the square, checked in at the Apple Butter shop, and found a nice place to sit and watch opening ceremonies. The kids lined up to get their bags for the Easter Egg Hunt.
*With regard to the hunt* My kids loved it, they had a really good time. I would completely understand if they never wanted to do it again. Before the hunt began there was a large group of SDC employees (like office type employees it appeared) gathered around, and I got the feeling that the event was a concern. Parents were downright rude in the way the treated the street troupe with their comments about the hunt. One mom was literally yelling about it being for seven and under. Another complained that her child wasn’t old enough to know colors. Many, many complaints were heard about the event all day, all throughout the park. In my opinion, the only problem with the egg hunt was the parents. Parents were screaming at their kids to hurry, yelling directions at them about where eggs were, bellowing to the kids to win. My 3yo collected 9 eggs, my 5yo got 12. They were thrilled and having deputy Melvin count them and joke with them was prize enough. That being said, to the parents who it was important enough to yell at your kids to win a 5.00 prize, I am glad that it was that important to you. Yes, I saw a lot of empty bags, but that is not SDCs fault, that is more a result of those parents who couldn’t control themselves, the parent I saw grabbing every egg she came across and then later distributing them to her kids who had gone to hunt in other areas (yes she was grabbing every color and her kids weren’t even near her). SDC doesn’t owe anyone anything, they tried to have a fun event and not surprisingly a few people made it not as fun by not being grateful. I get the impression that the staff wasn’t having a lot of fun with the event either. *Moving on*
The youngest is still about 1.5” shy of TNT ride height so we did the GE coaster, elephants, tea cups, then split up for TNT and HDH. Regrouped and spilt again for FM and PK, gathered at FITH, and did FM again, then split for TNT and HDH (yes again). Then headed out, but not before making a couple small purchases at the OM. Lines at TNT were short and that group rode two and three times each time they were over there. My son loves HDH, but the slide is missed. I do have a small complaint here: they would never let someone too short get on a coaster, but they had no problem letting teenagers well above the height requirement and not accompanying a small child run through the treehouse. Seriously someone working down there needs to be vocal and not let them in, I assume that is why there is an employee stationed at the area leading towards the nets, PLEASE speak up and only let people who are helping little ones through get on that net area. All the new signs and touch-ups looked really nice. The new quilt shop is nice, maybe a little pricey but some good kits and quality fabrics and they have done a great job of displaying the completed items. Weather was nice and we made it off park before the rain moved in. I kept a close eye on the radar (which reminds me, last year I was able to use a guest wifi network in park and this year that seems to not be available, it was really nice for things like weather watching if my signal got weak at the bottom of the hill). I feel like I am forgetting something about the day…
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Seems like the Easter Egg Hunt has been an issue in the past. It never fails some over eager parents go nuts at something like this. Don't feel bad, SDC Powers that be...when I lived in east Arkansas the local merchants got together to sponsor an Easter Egg Hunt and it was the same problem. Moms and dads and older kids pushing, shoving, being rude to the max, and the littlest kids being short changed. After a couple of years, local merchants declined to sponsor the event again. Maybe they ought to hold the hunt in a designated area, and prohibit parents from entering. Just let kids ten and under into the hunt area. I just don't know what solution to come up with here. Greedy, insensitive, rude people are everywhere, and will find a way to screw things up for those who attend these events with the right spirit.
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I agree with you, Saloongal.
I think SDC's intentions were good. It's unfortunate, but it might be best not to even bother with it in the future.
We always try to make it a point to tell our kids not to run while in the park -- it's also probably a force of habit from when I worked at Worlds of Fun and we were always telling people to "walk!" :)
We tried to be calm and orderly when looking for eggs, but that obviously didn't work. Anywho...
I'll say I was at least respectful and calm when voicing my concerns to the employees. Really, all I did was very politely ask if there were any consolation prizes for kids who got nothing...
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BTW - When did the rain move in on Saturday? We looked at the weather map on the old smartphone around 1:00 or so, and decided it was best if we started making our way towards the exit. We left at ... oh ... 2:00 maybe??? I'm guessing it started raining around 2:30 or 3:00.
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junior,
where did you live in east Arkansas? i was born in Helena.
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Maybe for the Egg Hunt, they have a set amount of eggs one kid can get, and the first kid to get that amount wins. That way everybody can get eggs and maybe it would cut down on the parent's egg hoarding issues.
Or they could have set times (like an hour or so) for kids to sign up and its in one designated area. The kid who gets the most within the time period wins, they move on and then its the next group's turn.
I don't know... just suggestions.
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I have yet to see a public Easter egg "hunt" that didn't remind me of the Oklahoma land run. I think that instead of an Easter egg run they should have an Easter bunny handing out Easter eggs to any one who wants one once they come into the park. One per customer. the eggs could contain prizes. free taffy sample, 10% off a purchase, front of the line at your favorite ride, front row seat at your favorite show, etc.
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I don't remember a single SDC easter egg hunt so far that has gone down well with even a majority of the people who attend. I don't know why they keep doing it.
They should either just hand them out, or have a controlled area where a set number of kids can hunt at a time like a lot of churches do these days.
Thanks for the reports though. With Easter behind us, Summer is just around the corner...
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Junior and Cousin Bubba have it about right...
On to summer! I'm ready for the saloon show and to see everything up and running at full go!
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i wish we could just skip the summer and jump right to the fall. with the new shows for harvest and christmas im totally stoked.
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Cousin Bubba: I lived in Forrest City 1990-2003, and was news director at KXJK/KBFC Radio. My radio pal Rob was manager of KFFA in Helena for a few years in the late '90s. Sunshine Sonny Payne, the host of King Biscuit Time, is an old collegue of mine. I covered news in an eight county area of east Arkansas, and covered news in Shelby County, TN (Memphis) and two NW Mississppi counties, as well. Enjoyed my time there, but now NW Arkansas is home.
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Junior and Cousin Bubba have it about right...
On to summer! I'm ready for the saloon show and to see everything up and running at full go!
You read my mind!! :)
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i wish we could just skip the summer and jump right to the fall. with the new shows for harvest and christmas im totally stoked.
No! No! Don't wish that much time away! Definitely looking forward to summer! Fall is my second favorite season (Summer, of course, is first - but don't all teachers feel that way?) I love the Blues and BBQ. I even like Kid's Fest (only during the week to look at the new kid's books and see what ideas I can find to use in my classroom). Bought a cool "Throw the Chicken" game last year to use during the PTO Carnival. TOMORROW is the big day - leaving for B-town. Have never been to World Fest before! I'm excited!!
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headed to branson for 5 glorious days. report when i get back.
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Did anyone go to WorldFest today? If so, how was it? Did you stay for GAC Nights? How was that? What about the saloon show?
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yes, i want to hear about the "new" GAC show also.... ??? ???
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yes, i want to hear about the "new" GAC show also.... ??? ???
And maybe someone has pictures...? NEW COSTUMES!!!! I can't bear the wait until I get to see the show!! ;)
NEW COSTUMES!!!!
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I will be at the city next weekend. but not sure i am going to be able to stay for the new show.. probably wont be able to see it until may. :( :(
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make this short and sweet. just returned from a trip to the city. great breakfast buffet as always. very low attendance( guess storms scared people away) i know this has been discussed on here before but wow!..ENOUGH WITH THE PICTURES!!!!! my wife and i were stopped 4-5 times in a 2 hour period. other than that great trip
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The picture people do get on my nerves as well, especially when I want to get a photo outside at the entrance with the family on OUR camera, and they are like vultures out there!
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that is probably the one thing I dont like about our city....
trying to make a nice leisurely walk through that area and enjoy it,
BUT instead we walk fast,
say h
shake our heads no
and dodge the cameras,,,, ::)
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I like to think I am famous and its the paparazi after me... :D ;)
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I usually just try to beat them to the punch and ask them if I can take their picture before they ask me. They are usually in shock and picking their jaws up from the asphalt, then I can sneak on by.
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we got to branson at 5:30 p.m. on the 11th and met up with my sister and brother in law and headed for the landing. Old chicago was open, the pop corn store was gone, so was the build your own fragrance store.
the next day (Thursday the 12th) we went to the city. shopped for a while and then caught the 3rd saloon show of the season. Same basic plot as last year with a few changes to keep it interesting. Miss Tilly does the old abbot and Costello routine "13 times seven equals 28". They dance to "wild women" but don't sing it. The song "popular" still in the act (my favorite).
Saw the scissor dancer and it's a very good show. My best description is bread dancing while holding scissors.
Saw the Italian show in the red and gold. It was ok. I'm not a big Italian show fan.2/3 of the sons of the silver dollar are in this show.
Got robbed on the train. they seemed to put everything and more into the show. on a scale of 1 to 10 i would give it a nine.
more to come latter.
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On Friday the 13th we decided to pop into sdc for breakfast and the pickers because we were going on the showboat at 4 p.m. At the mill i ask for and got the special table. I had never sat at it ( I had seen it in action before) but my sister and brother in law had no idea what was going on. Once again a sdc resident ( the waitress) made a good situation great. at the "height" of our fun she offered to take our picture.
The homestead pickers were once again in great form. I have all their cds but this time they told "the rest of the story" behind some of the songs. I'll never listen to "behind the sun" again without a tear in my eye.
i didn't think we could just do breakfast and the pickers and i was right. We watched the street shows (acrobats and flag throwers). my wife liked the flag throwers because they were in tights.
First time to do the showboat. Like the cruise, loved the magician/comedian. the rest of the show was ok. food wasn't that good.
more later
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We made it! World-Fest! I loved every minute of it. We were there Fri. (13th - yikes!) and had a perfect, perfect day! The weather was great (no storms) and the crowds were low. Hubs had a cinnamon roll at Delilah's which, in his opinion, was fresh and wonderful! By the way, did anyone notice they have new curtains? We made it to Main Street just in time to see the African Acrobats - very fun, upbeat performance. A few minutes later the Italian flag throwers marched in, so we got to see that show w/o even moving. This is the show I most wanted to see, and it didn't let me down! We sat through the performance by Ecuadoran Mantra twice and bought a cd. The Mariachi Divas at the Opera House was great! No wonder they won a Grammy. No wait at the OH - walked right in. We also saw the Italian opera, which is a comedy act, at Red and Gold and thought it was well done and very enjoyable. We didn't have time for the scissor dancers or the Saloon Show (sorry Tiff). Missed the train ride, also. We didn't waste any time - just had a very full day and couldn't get everything in that I had hoped for. I thought the international food offerings were very good. We had the combo german plate and really enjoyed it. I was listening to comments around me and didn't hear any negative about the food. The nachos looked wonderful, but we just didn't ave time to get any. I did try the ginger torte and highly recommend it!! All I can say is...everything looked spiffy and clean. The hubs was disappointed that the wood carvers wasn't open yet, but he'll be back in June. I took a ton of pics - now to figure out how to put them on here. It was a very un-SDC like day for us - didn't visit any shops, skipped the rides, and didn't even have a sasparilla. BUT, IT SURE WAS FUN! Since I teach, I never get the time off to go to World Fest, so we took advantage of everything that festival had to offer! We left the park shortly before 5:00 to have dinner and make a stop at the winery (free music 5 - 7). All I can say is that it was good to be back in the park. It couldn't have been a better day. The hubs and I would have loved to return the next day to finish up World-Fest offerings and see the GAC show, but it was a short trip and time to head home. Next visit: JUNE!!!
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to finish up my trip report, on Saturday the 14th we started out trying to have breakfast at the Indian point marina restaurant (the floating cafe). it was closed. next tried to do the zip line at Shepherd of the hill, weather world not permit.
For 40 years i have gone down the strip and passed by the baldknobbers and Presley's. i have kicked myself more than once for not seeing these shows earlier for traditional reasons.
Last year i saw the baldknobbers and this past Saturday i finally saw the Presley's. i liked the comedy better at the baldknobbers but the music better at the Presley's but i loved both shows. Sorry i missed out for forty years.
went home sunday the 15th
the end
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We made it! World-Fest! I loved every minute of it. We were there Fri. (13th - yikes!) and had a perfect, perfect day! The weather was great (no storms) and the crowds were low. Hubs had a cinnamon roll at Delilah's which, in his opinion, was fresh and wonderful! By the way, did anyone notice they have new curtains? We made it to Main Street just in time to see the African Acrobats - very fun, upbeat performance. A few minutes later the Italian flag throwers marched in, so we got to see that show w/o even moving. This is the show I most wanted to see, and it didn't let me down! We sat through the performance by Ecuadoran Mantra twice and bought a cd. The Mariachi Divas at the Opera House was great! No wonder they won a Grammy. No wait at the OH - walked right in. We also saw the Italian opera, which is a comedy act, at Red and Gold and thought it was well done and very enjoyable. We didn't have time for the scissor dancers or the Saloon Show (sorry Tiff). Missed the train ride, also. We didn't waste any time - just had a very full day and couldn't get everything in that I had hoped for. I thought the international food offerings were very good. We had the combo german plate and really enjoyed it. I was listening to comments around me and didn't hear any negative about the food. The nachos looked wonderful, but we just didn't ave time to get any. I did try the ginger torte and highly recommend it!! All I can say is...everything looked spiffy and clean. The hubs was disappointed that the wood carvers wasn't open yet, but he'll be back in June. I took a ton of pics - now to figure out how to put them on here. It was a very un-SDC like day for us - didn't visit any shops, skipped the rides, and didn't even have a sasparilla. BUT, IT SURE WAS FUN! Since I teach, I never get the time off to go to World Fest, so we took advantage of everything that festival had to offer! We left the park shortly before 5:00 to have dinner and make a stop at the winery (free music 5 - 7). All I can say is that it was good to be back in the park. It couldn't have been a better day. The hubs and I would have loved to return the next day to finish up World-Fest offerings and see the GAC show, but it was a short trip and time to head home. Next visit: JUNE!!!
I love being mentioned in Trip Reveiws lol
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""""I love being mentioned in Trip Reveiws lol"""""
You know your an official member of SDCFans when you get mentioned by name!! ;D ;D
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""""I love being mentioned in Trip Reveiws lol"""""
You know your an official member of SDCFans when you get mentioned by name!! ;D ;D
:D
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We went on 4/14. Got there in time for opening. First thing we rode TNT and then went to the train for the first train trip of the day (saw lots of construction progress). Started raining while we were on the train; the robbers and the conductor got very wet. Got off the train and went to the Flooded Mine. We each hit one of the "special" targets so we each finished with well over 100,000 points. The rain had quit by the time we got out of FM so we went over to the Grand Exposition. Some rides were running and some were shut down. We rode the Tea Cups and then went to the Peruvian Scissor Dancers show. Liked the dancers but the music was very repetitive. The emcee was Tom Johnson of Sons of the Silver Dollar and sometimes Bob Cratchit of DCC).
Went to the La Bella Musica and really enjoyed it. Red Gold is set up with a bistro area of tables and 2 chairs in front of the stage and the tiered seating in the back. There is comedy with 2 Italian chefs (2 guys that you will recognize from DCC) that starts before the show is scheduled to start.
The music features songs of Dean Martin, Perry Como, Tom Jones, and some popular classical "O Sole Mio" which is also the tune for It's Now or Never (the Elvis hit), one Italian aria by the soprano (you will recognize the tune), "Funniculi, Funnicula", etc. It was so great that there was a 9 piece band on the stage -- guitar, stand up bass, keyboard, mandolin, horn section.
Also went to the Hawaiian Country Music Show in the Riverfront Playhouse -- very good. But the best was the Mariachi Divas in the Opera House. Extremely talented women and can see why they have won a Grammy and been nominated several times for Grammys.
On the down side, food prices have gone up. We tried to buy food at Mary's Springhouse (turned out to be closed) and in the food court. Waited in a line for 15 minutes that didn't move. Souvenir mugs are 10.99 this year. Most meals around the park started at $8.29 and kid's meals were $5.29. Most placed did have menus with prices posted outside but Sandwich Jack's and Aunt Polly's did not.
Had hoped to go back Sunday but the weather was awful.
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the next day (Thursday the 12th) we went to the city. shopped for a while and then caught the 3rd saloon show of the season. Same basic plot as last year with a few changes to keep it interesting. Miss Tilly does the old abbot and Costello routine "13 times seven equals 28". They dance to "wild women" but don't sing it. The song "popular" still in the act (my favorite).
Oh, yay! I was hoping they'd keep "Popular"! I was just watching various stage versions of the song the other night and decided to watch the vids I'd gotten of the Saloon Show version. I love it so much!
Does Fabian still do "You Made Me Love You"? I've got brilliant video of him singing it to my friend, and it's hilarious! When he first came out singing "Me gusto queso! Y mi gato es en fuego!", she burst out laughing--the only one in the audience--'cause she understood what he was saying! Best video I've gotten at the Saloon so far, I think.
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Went to the La Bella Musica and really enjoyed it. Red Gold is set up with a bistro area of tables and 2 chairs in front of the stage and the tiered seating in the back. There is comedy with 2 Italian chefs (2 guys that you will recognize from DCC) that starts before the show is scheduled to start.
I'm just wondering, but which two from DCC?
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Went to the La Bella Musica and really enjoyed it. Red Gold is set up with a bistro area of tables and 2 chairs in front of the stage and the tiered seating in the back. There is comedy with 2 Italian chefs (2 guys that you will recognize from DCC) that starts before the show is scheduled to start.
I'm just wondering, but which two from DCC?
The guy who in some shows is the town crier at the beginning (and he may be the one who is also in Sons of the Silver Dollar) and the one who plays Mr. Fezziwig.
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World Fest 2012 starts this Thursday. Come see Mark and Michael as singing chefs at Red/Gold Pavilion. Tom will be hosting George Kahumoku's Hawaiian Country Music Show at the Riverfront Playhouse! What fun!
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Fabian is still doing "you made me love you". What i want to do is see every saloon show done in one day. I'll have to buy some show lover passes and go by myself. i once did the show twice in a day and the actors had changed roles in the second show. like them both.
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World Fest 2012 starts this Thursday. Come see Mark and Michael as singing chefs at Red/Gold Pavilion. Tom will be hosting George Kahumoku's Hawaiian Country Music Show at the Riverfront Playhouse! What fun!
There was no host for the Hawaiian Country Music Show. Tom was hosting the Scissor Dancers at the Boatworks, and I know it was Tom because he introduced himself at the beginning of the show.
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I wouldn't surprise me if something got shuffled around :D
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I got a good taste of Worldfest today! (Thursday, 4/19/12) Arrived at 9:05am and parked right at stop 2. Tram was there waiting for me. Into the park with no problem, and a good breakfast at the mill. Gotta tell ya this...the waitress at the mill paid me a big complement. I was dressed in jeans and a pullover golf shirt and was wearing an old SDC cap that I've had since the early '90's. When the waitress came to get my drink order, she assumed I was an employee, and asked where I worked! I had to explain to her that I worked at the mill...but back in '79! I told her I am a FORMER employee, just up for a day of exploring the park. It was a good day to visit shops or go to rides. There were no lines anywhere...whoops...there were LONG LINES to get into the Meeting Hall and the Opera House to see the bigger Worldfest performances. When I say long lines, I really mean it, too. The line for the meeting hall extended all the way to the Dockside Theater, and the line for the Opera House was all the way to the entrance to the Powder Keg store. You could walk right in to FITH, Flooded Mine, Train, ANY of the rides with no problem. It was a "grey" crowd...older folks, not too many kids 'cause they are still in school. I saw the Russian Academic Band, Ecuador Manta, the Kenyan Sarakasi Acrobats,Austrian Master Yodeler Kerry Christensen, and some performers on stilts dressed as "Italian" characters on the streets in the Red/Gold Heritage Hall area. Another whirlwind trip through the park, and back out to the car at 1:30pm. NOTE: I did get to see my old co-worker and buddy from the diving bell, Kerry Chester, who served all those long years ago as our maintenance lead man. Kerry was operating the audio board at the Dockside Theater today. It was nice to see him, and he showed me a photo of his new grandchild, born in January. Congratulations, Kerry! Construction on the new coaster was proceeding well, however, they have erected a temporary fence that is in front of Hobo Junction, the footprint for the new ride comes right up to it. The park really looked good today. Photos of Worldfest, coaster construction, Echo Hollow stage construction, and more at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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Great Trip Review Junior, thanks for sharing. Glad you had a good time, and had some good conversations with the citizens.
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I made a spur of the moment trip to SDC today and was lucky enough to get a few extra shots in of the new construction area.
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0140.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0139.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0138.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0137.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0136.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0135.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0134.jpg)
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0133.jpg)
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I also noticed between Bears At The Holler and Becca's Weaving a secondary fence has been put up (The green one in this photo). May not be anything at all but looks like they were trying to hide something.
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0098-1.jpg)
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greta pics pintrader... thanks!
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Great shots, Pintrader...I see they were working when your train passed by. I think the crew had gone to lunch when I rode the train in the noon hour! Thanks!
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GREAT photo's! Thanks!
;D Super Exciting!! ;D
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Hmmm...interesting about the green fence...I dunno though, I doubt much would go there if I am thinking of the right place.
I wish I was able to go this weekend. This is the one weekend every year when I go, but this year I will be using my 4 hr drive to go to the KU Relays in Lawrence followed very soon after that by another 4 hr drive home! Nothing like sitting in a car for twice as long as you'll be somewhere. The only place I don't mind that (and the only place I have done that) was SDC several years ago.
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I finally figured out the mystery of the green fence. What really happened is the white picket fence in this photo was replaced by the new white fence. So nothing is really going on but a new fence being put in this year to replace the old picket fence. It looks like it was put in to match up better with HDH.
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/SDCOpeningDay2011033.jpg)
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Ya know, its funny the little details of things I remember. At Christmas, they always put the lights perfectly in-betwen each post, instead of just stringing the lights straight down. I'm a huge Christmas fanatic, so I love looking at how SDC installs the Christmas lights.
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Thanks so much for the photos guys! In the future though, lets try to keep construction photos in the construction thread so its easier for everyone to follow the progress. This thread is more for reviews of individual trips and information tends to get buried pretty quickly.
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Still no GAC pics? :(
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WAZZUP TIFF??? ??? ??? ??? ???
are you and I the only ones that go see the GAC show???? :o :o :o :o :o
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It sure seems like it! :-\
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Had another nice visit sunday, arrived early about 9 or so..
things I noticed this time:
The log hewing demo appears to be building something specific, logs are are set 3 or 4 high and are in a hexagon configuraion,
To my surprise, the steam engine that powers the shingle machine was up and running. They were making shingle and cedar boards. Has been a while since I have that demo up and running ;D like it.
As i had missed the new "enclosed" walkway around the gazebo I for sure looked it over, very well done and look great. ( I wonder how that will effect the Christmas tree? ???)
New fence by HDH looks like it belonged there all along.
There were several "bands" playing around the park participating in the world fest theme, Something I did notice, was that every place there was a group or band, there were 3 or 4 tables or actually added booths selling their "merchandise". looked a little like fall festival in a couple of spots. LOL. ;D
I actually strolled through Chrstmas Hollow, was unimpressed. but then again i dont get the chrismas ornament thing ALL year around????. Although lots of room inside almost to the fact of wasted space upstaurs and down.
Went to see the saloon show, was hoping to see Tiff, BUT NOPE, wasn't there... had to settle for the other girls!
Park was immaculate as always, noticed a few " mary would not have allowed" items, But after last trip was not looking real close. They are for sure there if you just look.. LOL!! OK, i will mention the 1 BIG one that I saw and laughed outloud about.... while they were prepping for the shingle making demo, while powering up, checking the belt, checking the blade, watching the steam........the operator pulled out an aerosal can of some kind and was lubing friction points..!!! """Not is Miss Mary's Time""
All in all great day, low attendence early in the day, a little cool with wind, BUT NICE!!!! when we left shortly after 12 or so lots were full and they were parking over in what i call the east lot, on the other side of the new road, and it was over 1/2 full then..
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I agree about Christmas Hollow, there is too MUCH open space in there. They go from not enough room to an over abundance of it! Makes me wonder how "quaint" the woodcarver's will be...
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I agree about Christmas Hollow, there is too MUCH open space in there. They go from not enough room to an over abundance of it! Makes me wonder how "quaint" the woodcarver's will be...
"Quaint"...... Hmmmm? is that the political way to say "CROWDED"???? LOL
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Lots of detail here, so bear with me!
We hit Branson a little after 7 Friday night; the wife wanted to clothes shop with a bonus she got from her health insurance company, so I took her to Dress Barn at Tanger. 30 minutes (and $300) later, we were on the way to check in at Homestay. Spent a very pleasant few minutes talking to Paige; my wife indulged herself in some TV while I tried to read, and then we hit the hay for an early wake up.
We got off the bus and the entrance to the park at 8:05 and waited near the head of the line to get in. A little kerfluffle occurred when a young man in white shirt and cummerbund left his instrument in its case on the bus that brought him in. a couple of citizens were trying very hard to find the bus and get the instrument to him.
We got in at 8:29 (by my watch) and headed straight to Mollies for our first b-fast buffet of the season. We got to watch a young family at the “special” table. It was funny to see how long it took them to admit that something was strange about their table.
When we were stuffed, we went back to the HH so my wife could begin her pin-trading career. She bought a supply to deal with and a lanyard, and then we headed to the square for the flag raising. On the way, she spied a hand-knitted sweater jacket hanging on a rack by the Ecuadorian band. Their top salesman came over, knew he had a fish, and said: “Alpaca! Like llama, you know? Alpaca! $45; but, for you, $40.” The fish didn’t play: “Done!” she shouted. It is warm and heavy and fits well, but now she is nagged by wondering if she should have dickered. Ha! I had to run back into HH for more cash.
Right after, we went to wait for the Pickers, but, instead of staying put, I went over to listen to the tractor operator’s spiel. I almost got the test question right.
As soon as we finished talking to the Pickers about a couple of songs, we headed down Cardiac Hill to the Dockside for the yodeler—nice guy! Fantastic vocal skills: we bought a couple of his CDs—and then hung around for the Irish harpist. My wife—part Irish—had to have her picture taken with her, and they chatted quite some time after the show.
We then went round to the Frisco Barn for lunch. This was the one bad experience of the day. Far too crowded: they really need to pull those tables out of there. No way to form good lines with people trying to work their way through. It was made worse by a bunch of teenagers feeding their friends into the Greek line in front of my wife. After 30 minutes, her line hadn’t moved at all because of the constant cutting in, so she moved over to the Chinese line, waited, got her food, and got her drink, and the people who had been right behind her in that line STILL had not moved up to order. Next year, unless it is changed, we will eat elsewhere and maybe only stop there to get a dessert. The situation is simply not working.
After lunch it was off to the train. New conductor, still having a bit of trouble with the lies but a real nice guy. I was disappointed not to see Hobo Junction, of course, and I was rather dismayed by the proximity and the overwhelming character of the construction. I know that the park needs the big rides, and I know that some of you like them, but have no use for them and regret the continuing encroachment on the train ride “in the woods, for you city slickers.” Just my own personal pet peeve, of course, and no disrespect meant to you folks who thrive on them.
After the train, we went through the mine (I also got lots of outside pics for my project) and then went uphill ot the HH for the Pin Trading. My wife traded one, bought another. Then she traded again—this time for an employee pin—when we bought some Cherry Butter and Strawberry Preserves at the Apple Butter place. She’s real proud of that pin. We’re also apparently becoming known to some of the citizens—“Hey, I remember you guys! You’re re-enactors!” The folks in our unit have grown fond of SDC Cherry Butter.
After stopping in at Hannah’s for the best Ice Cream on the planet, we went to Granny’s for a log of Pine Tar lye soap—we cut it close and are almost out at home! Then we cut across to the candy shop for some fudge for a hospitalized friend and the glass blowers for a business card holder for my wife’s desk. We went back to mid town to browse the quilt ship, but my wife was out of $$$ at that point and it was after 5.
So we headed up the steps and out to OM. We had to stop at the dulcimer shop at pick up a catalog for the older son, as he wants to buy a Hammered Dulcimer, and we needed to price them for him. Then it was out to the chaos of the tram lines. They really do need more than one citizen directing traffic there at rush times. And what happened to Stop 4??
After a long and tiring but Wonderful day, we stopped in Springfield for HuHot and got home at 10:04. My sife had to wait till Early Sunday morning to prepare to teach her Sunday School class, for she was awful tired at that point.
All-in-all, a great visit and a break at the City just when I needed one. We’re looking at mid-May to do BG&BBQ, which I had to keep reminding myself as I left. Why, oh, WHY won’t they let us move in??
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I agree about Christmas Hollow, there is too MUCH open space in there. They go from not enough room to an over abundance of it! Makes me wonder how "quaint" the woodcarver's will be...
Agreed. I know it gets crowded in CH, though, so they may have licked a problem. We'll see. They could, of course, make better use of the space. They need trains in there, and they now have the room . . .
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Exactly palallin!
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Went to see the saloon show, was hoping to see Tiff, BUT NOPE, wasn't there... had to settle for the other girls!
I wish I coulda been there!!
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Great review Pallalin!! sounds like you had a great visit!
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We took a quick trip to Branson this weekend to check out Worldfest at SDC.
We went into the park today (April 29) hoping that it would be less busy than a typical Saturday, and it certainly was! We made it to the park by opening, but by the time we made it inside, we missed the opening ceremony. We had no hassles getting into the park, and we walked right up to a waiting tram.
We watched the Kenyan acrobats for a little bit. It was okay. We rode the train, Flooded Mine, and carousel. We walked on to everything. The girls checked out Half-Dollar Hollar and Grandfather's Mansion. That was pretty much the extent of our riding this trip. We have been skipping bigger rides when we have the toddler with us. We did get some glimpses of the new coaster, but I couldn't tell you anything about it that others haven't.
I had a taco salad from the Mexico stand. It wasn't bad, but I wish I'd had the fajita wrap instead. My older daughter had the kettle chips. Those are always pretty good. We shared cinnamon bread, too.
I really can't report on any shows beyond Ecuador Manta and the flag show. We didn't do any indoor shows; our youngest was pretty squirmy. Miraculously, she sat well in the stroller when we were walking along, so we did a lot of walking along. The shows we did see were good. My DH always enjoys Ecuador Manta!
We probably won't get back until summer sometime. We will be going to Disney in early June! :)
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Sounds like a good trip! Thanks for sharing with us!
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I was there yesterday (4/28/12). We arrived around 11:45 and waited around on Main Street for the Kenyan Acrobats. The show had good parts, but 80% of it didn't impress me. Same with the rest of my group (my mom, my sister, her boyfriend and mine) didn't really take to it. We headed to TNT from there. The line wasn't SUPER long, but it's usually a lot shorter. Then we wandered around until we came to the GIANT Barn Swing. The line for that wasn't too bad. We headed for the Saloon, but the show was full before we got there, so we went back to Main Street for the Italian Flag throwers. It was ok, but having been in winterguard, not a whole lot impressed (sorry). We decided to do some more wandering until we ended up at WF. The line for that was AWFUL!!! It was out in the street, almost past the steps that lead to the observation deck and inside, the line weaved all through the building. Then we almost suffocated when we got into the building. Maybe they should invest in some fans...
For lunch, my sister and mom got the Irish Stew. They really like it. I got the fish and chips from Ireland. I've had better, but I was hungry enough to eat anything. The boys got the skillet spaghetti from Italy. They seemed to like it.
After lunch we saw the last Saloon show of the day. It was pretty much the same as it has been, but with a few new parts thrown in and some old parts taken out. We rode PK next. The line was almost to the street, but it moved pretty quick. After that we rode WF again. The line was a lot shorter this time, probably because it was 45 minutes til closing. My mom, sister and her bf left me and my bf at FITH where the line was almost to the street, but that moved pretty quick too. We met the others at GE, rode the teacups, then hightailed it to Echo Hollow. We missed the first couple of songs, but they sounded good from the street!
I liked last year's GAC Nights better, but I was still very entertained. I think the main thing I didn't like was the new set made the stage look very crowded. Also, the costumes lacked color really bad. I liked how last year everybody wore a certain color, then all the costumes matched. This year, the opening number was the only one where they had different colors, except it was only the trim of the girl's denim dresses that had color. I don't know what they guys wore, cuz we missed the first part of the show. When got there, it was only the girls on stage. The rest of the show, every body had on the same color. In one of the numbers, all the girls had black and royal blue, but all the outfits looked different, and some of the guys had on black shirts while the rest had red. The rest of the show, everybody matched everybody, color and all. Also, they advertised "New Performers!" There were only two: a singer and a fiddle player. Everybody else was the same.
Good song selection, but I hated the new set and the costumes.
Everybody had a really good time overall. We were going to stay the night and leave the next morning, but Dad had to go to work on Saturday last minute, so we decided to make it a day trip.
Link to the pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3191905405292.2130932.1495599105&type=3
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... We decided to do some more wandering until we ended up at WF. The line for that was AWFUL!!! It was out in the street, almost past the steps that lead to the observation deck and inside, the line weaved all through the building. Then we almost suffocated when we got into the building. Maybe they should invest in some fans...
Wow, that's the first I've heard of that happening on a "normal" weekend in a long time. I seems like the crowds have really been up this year so far, and a lot more of the crowds are riding the rides than in the past. I haven't been paying attention, but are they still running $30 ticket promotions?
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27th-29th Trip Review
We left for Branson around 2:30 on Friday and arrived at the Branson West Mcdonalds, (which has the best far away view of the park), at 7:30. I got 2 pictures of the new ride from a distance then left for Branson and arrived at our Palace View Condo around 8.
Saturday morning/afternoon we went to SDC. We got there at 1 and the crowds were kinda big but not like Kidsfest. There were a ton of band/choir/music groups in the park. .... I think SDC needs to post on Facebook or their website when big groups are going to be at the park... would be very helpful. I rode FITH, PK, WF, and TNT. PK was running THREE trains! First time i have ever seen 3 trains... And the line was still rather long... Lines were pretty much long on everything though....... I ate dinner at the Mexico place and had a chicken Fajita. We then went to Table Rock lake and fished for 2 hours and i caught 0 fish..... and my GF caught 5!! Idk what i was doin wrong but she sure showed me up. Went back to the condo swam and went to bed.
Sunday morning we arrived at the park right at opening time and headed straight for the taffy shop. They were out of alot of different kinds of taffy, including my favorite, blue raspberry. We then went to the Saloon Show... VERY well done! That kid that plays Fabian (who also sings down at Echo Hollow) is so good. Very Funny. My GF loves how deep his voice can go...... We then went to FITH... Never really noticed til now how much daylight is beginning to shine in on the ride..... We then rode PK, TNT, GS, and Wildfire. Hardly any lines on anything.... Much better than Saturday.... Except i wanted to ride the train but the line for that was ridiculous almost the whole day because they had to make repairs and got behind schedule. I didn't get to ride because i did the lantern tour of the cave but my parents got to ride and they got some pictures of the new ride.. Im not going to upload them because i don't have any that you haven't already seen.... The Lantern Tour was very good. This was my second time doing it and probably the 1,000th time in the cave but somehow i find out something new about the history of the cave every time i go in again.... Are tour guide was German and it was her first Lantern tour, but she spoke very fluently and had the coolest accent.... After the tour we left and went home.... Overall a pretty good trip to Silver Dollar City.
Things I noticed:
There is a little more audio other than "That areas restricted" "do you smell smoke" and "Your to close to that nitro" that has been added to the PK launch area.
The water from the old Buzzsaw Falls canals has been drained
The Shot Tower next to PK had some audio to it
The FITH strobe light on the last drop flashed on Sunday but not on Saturday... inconsistent
The main women's bathroom at the bottom of Cardiac Hill is being remodeled. The men and women are both using the same restroom they just put a wall up. Long line for women, not really much of a line for men but still cramped.
Quite a few shops are not scheduled to open til May 10th
The new Gazebo set up is so much nicer than it used to be
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I'm pretty sure the $30 ticket things are over... I searched for some discounts and stuff for my GF before going this weekend and i couldn't find anything! Had to buy a two day ticket for $50 on Whiteman AFB before going... that was the only deal i found.
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Those sound like decent trips yall!! :) I cant wait till school is done (8 days) and I can go again....if finals dont kill me first...
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19 more school days here...but that amounts to a full month! cannot wait to be able to post another review!
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There were a ton of band/choir/music groups in the park. .... I think SDC needs to post on Facebook or their website when big groups are going to be at the park... would be very helpful.
Yeah, that's why the lines for rides were so long. I hate when groups of teenagers get together. Their maturity levels drop about 10 years. >:(
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from 1880 to 1870? Hmmm wonder what the maturity would be then??
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Visited SDC on Sunday, April 29th with my wife. We got to the park about 9:15 (it 'officially' opened at 10). We walked around the square and watched a Russian performance at the Gazebo. Watched the flag raising ceremony, then at rope drop, we headed to Thunderation. We got to ride the second train of the day. Then we headed down to the Train to get on the first one of the day. I got nothing new to report on the ride, everyone else has done a great job of keeping us updated. It looks to me, that the lift hill will be the first thing right after the station. On the train he said "Management has allowed me to state that, yes, we are building...something."
The shows we saw were:
Italy (Red/Gold Heritage Hall)
Hawaii (Riverfront Playhouse)
Ireland (Dockside Theatre)
We had lunch at the Frisco Barn where they have all the food from around the world.
We had an afternoon snack at Eva & Delilah's Bakery...MMMMM
The park looked good, glad we went on Sunday, because the weather & crowds were perfect. All of the citizens were polite, had nice conversation with a lady in Christmas Hollow. She asked if this was our first visit to SDC. We had a good laugh about that!! I told her it was our first visit this year, but that I had been coming here 4-5 times per year for the last 25 years. She said that she is in her second season with SDC, and that she absolutely loves her job. We also visited with the Chief @ FITH, and got to see his Dalmation. Saw Terry first thing as we got off the trams at 9:15, then saw him again at the Hospitality House as we were leaving at 5:00...always a smile on that mans face.
Oh, and on a side note, we were having lunch on a bench outside Red/Gold Heritage Hall, and 3 teenage girls walked up to us heading toward Grand Exposition. They said, "Hey...this is the way to Wildfire isn't it?" Bless their hearts, I tried my best to direct them all the way to the complete other side of the park. I'm sure they found it, or at least picked up a map!
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from 1880 to 1870? Hmmm wonder what the maturity would be then??
Teenagers hadn't been invented yet (they are a product of the 20th Century). People in their teens in the 1870s/'80s were, in general, far more mature adults who are in their twenties today. In general, exceptions taken into account.
Immaturity (at any post-grammar school age) usually led to dead in pioneer environments, either from starvation or annoyed neighbors.
I am NOT, of course, impugning the honor of any of the younger memebers here, Tiff in particular.
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Heck at Tiff's age she would be no spring chicken anymore back in those days...she'd be done looking for a quiet spot to cuddle up to he special friend, she be lookin' fer that same spot to get away from the littluns running around at knee level!
Really I am telling the truth! The life expectancy was 40.5 in 1880...meaning that she'd be having her midlife crisis seeing that she (or anyone-not to pick on Tiff) would have been married off by about 16-17 (Laura Ingall's Wilder was 18 I believe, 19 with her first child)
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I have always acted more mature than most teenagers, so no offense taken!
I was doing a family tree project for school, and dad's mom told me that her grandma was 15 when she got married and had her oldest son when she was 17, then Grandma's mom was born at age 18, then there were 4 more kids after that.
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Teenagers not invented?!?! Where can I get in on that? My kiddo is 5 going on 17.....:)
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http://www.midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2012/SDCworldfest/
Here's my World Fest PTR
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Good job Swoosh, Thanks for sharing.
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As always, Swoosh, wonderful report. Thanks for the photos!
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All true. Just remember, though: average life expectancy is just that:AVERAGE. It doesn't mean that people lived to 40.5 and dropped dead. It means that a large percentage died in infancy or early childhood of all those nasty things we immunize against today; those early deaths really pulled down the average. My father had 5 children: '37, '38, '47, '51, and '64 (me); the first two died in '39 of Scarlet Fever. If all three of us remaining boys die at 80, the average life of this generation is 48.6.
Another real drag on the average was women dying in childbirth. Many men outlived two or three wives for that reason.
Women started bearing children early because they had the resilience of youth to help fight the dangers of child-bearing (which was anything but easy: we sneer at the society that laid its mothers up in bed for months around that time, but the fact is that the rest and recovery were absolutely essential and not getting it really cut into female life expectancy). Older men often married young women--mere girls, to us--for that very reason. We are shocked; they were trying to perpetuate the population.
Life was certainly hard. But, for men, suriving to seven years of age meant nearly as good a chance at reaching the biblical "four score and ten" as we have today. If a woman survived (or avoided) childbirth, she would probably live even longer.
All on average, of course.
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swoosh, another great set of pics, thanks
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Great pics! Thanks for sharing them!
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What a great pictorial review of World Fest! I loved the flag throwers in tights. But...that was the one show that I wanted to see the most. Since watching the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun", I've wanted to see the flag throwing ceremony. By the way, did anyone purchase SanPellegrino limonata? While rummaging around for root beer today, I found the bottle I brought home. Whoo! Whee! It was yummy, tart, tangy, and power puckering! I wasn't expecting it to be so uh..tart...so I would rank it up there with Wildfire Taffy! ;D If you are going to World Fest, try it out!
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My friends and I actually really liked the Kenyan Acrobats and the Italian flag throwers, and we LOVED the Peruvian Scissor Dancers. And on the other hand, we were REALLY disappointed with La Bella Musica. The entire thing was like a Vegas revue or something you could see on the Branson strip. Not that it was *technically* bad--the singers were great, the accordion player was good--but with all the amazing traditional cultural shows going on elsewhere in the park, this just felt REALLY out of place with the Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Elvis songs and all the fancy lighting and the stage decor that really looked like it belonged in The Venetian in Vegas.
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Joy, My wife & I couldn't agree with you more!
Yes, La Bella Musica was great, but compared to the other showes around the park, it lacked the traditional cultural aspect that so many of the other showes had. I'm glad to hear there was someone else that felt the same way.
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I do have to highlight the soprano's rendition of "I Will Always Love You." She really knocked it out of the park, and I LOVED hearing it in Italian.
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Trip review for Saturday, May 5. We were doing a down and back to the city Saturday so we left home a bit after 6, and pulled into parking at 9:18. Love all the road improvements between here and there. Got into the park and oldest went straight to PK while youngest and I went to FITH. I can’t speak for PK but in FITH there were more effects NOT working than working. It was a bit disappointing for me but no one else seemed bothered. We rode FITH three times in the time oldest rode PK (in the front row) twice. Not too bad. Then headed to HDH. The slide being gone is weird, but I guess they’ll get used to it. Rode the train. (I didn’t take construction pics, but dang, it seems like there is a lot done). Left the station for AP and the line was back to the furniture store (which may move quickly but with two little kids that long hot wait across the bridge is not worth it) so we headed to LRTO, where we were told the wait was an hour, I think we were actually in line about 40 mins which was just long enough for everyone to pull a snack out of the backpack and relax. This was the hit of the day! Everyone got wet and had a great time. Then walked over to “Via Italia” which was disappointing, no street performers or living statues, just a lot of people standing and blocking the walkway. Rode lady bugs, caterpillars, and just as oldest was about to get on the swings they quit (which was a blessing bc they sat there for quite a while). Then went to FM and TNT, stopped at the bat cart, watched a few minutes of the flag throwers (which my kids and hub really liked), walked through the barnyard (very empty just a dog and two goats) and then headed home! Left the park at 2:15 and arrived home at 5:15. These trips are a whirlwind but definitely fun!
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I almost forgot, my hubs and uncle spent a long time at the log hewing. And the kids loved watching and listening to him. It was a reminder that not everything has to be colorful or fast for kids to like it!
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I took my little Kindergarten aged grandson to SDC for his FIRST visit today! He skipped school today and grandpa took him to the park! Since he is so young we hit all the kiddie rides in Grand Exposition, Ladybugs, Frogs, Catepillers, the little roller coaster, tea cups...he loved them all. He thought Grandfathers Mansion was pretty crazy, and he loved the plunge, FITH, Flooded Mine and the train. MUCH progress on the new coaster, I'll post some photos later. Only saw 1 Bluegrass show because the boy wanted to ride as many rides as he could. Also hit Half Dollar Holler, and Geyser Gulch, he just had to play with those air guns you put the foam balls in. So all and all, had a great trip. We did eat breakfast in the Mill, had hot dogs and chips after getting off Riverblast (he loved that, too!) So now I think I have him convinced that SDC is always better than a day in school! Ha! He was trying to convince me to bring him back again soon while we had a goodbye cold drink just prior to exiting through the Ozark Marketplace! He even loved riding to and from the park on the trams, he had never seen anything like that before! Again, I will post some photos a bit later tonight. Be watching for them...the new roller coaster shots are something else...this is going to be a big, exciting ride! ;D
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Junior!! Thats Great!! congrats!! A day for the memory book!! ;D
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Photos from my trip to SDC on May 11, 2012 now posted at my Flickr site. You have got to see the new photos of the new coaster...this is going to be a bigger project then I think we all anticipated! http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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One special note about my trip today: Last year at this time I went to the newly opened shop "Dugan's Trading Company" and asked the employees if they knew about the origin of "Dugan" in their name. Some did, some did not. So today when I went by, I presented the shop employees with a framed "legend" about the diving bell, and another framed copy of some of the diving bell concept art. I told them they could keep them, and post them on the wall of the shop if they wanted to. They seemed to really appreciate what I did for them, so perhaps in a few days they will get the two frames up on a wall and you can look at them next time you are on park. I hope so anyway. I'm just trying to keep the memory of the diving bell alive at the park. It is one of the many "lost" attractions of SDC that employees and guests fondly remember. :)
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I don't usually go in that store, but I will next time I'm at SDC to see if they put them up!
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This was just recently added at Bluegrass & Barbecue. It's a new seating area cover for the gazebo. The old one was red and sun was able to shine thru the top because of cracks. This new one does a better job of stopping the sun and looks to be a whole lot sturdier.
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/pintrader/DSC_0024.jpg)
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While the new one is nice I liked the red one. It was kinda iconic.
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While the new one is nice I liked the red one. It was kinda iconic
That looks like crap! How uncelebratory that is, looks like something made out of muslin and 4 by 4's
Why would they build something on the cheap like that...................oh wait......I think I know why. Same reason they put fake flowers all over the park. They are being cheap " . "
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MH,, I think i agree with you! looks bad......................................wait I know!!!! :o :o :o :o :o,,,,,,,,,,,,,
maybe during OTC they will cover it with X-mas lights and call it a tree! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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maybe during OTC they will cover it with X-mas lights and call it a tree!
HEY HEY !!!! Now Sand dont go dreaming of getting hired on as a top executive at Hershing down in Atlanta but with thinking like that you might just run this company soon!!!
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While the new one is nice I liked the red one. It was kinda iconic.
I liked the red one, also.
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Yeah, red was better.
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Speaking of the Gazebo and seating...
It seems to me that the Gazebo was moved back some years ago, closer to Main St., to allow more seating. Before then, we had all the natural shade we needed, thanks to the trees.
Am I mistaken?
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Gazebo moved back...yes.
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Had a great time on 5/12 & 5/13.
It was me, the wife and kids (Owen, 6 & Chase, 3). We also took my father-in-law & brother-in-law on Saturday.
Quick thoughts:
So glad it didn't rain at all. We were pretty worried. They were calling for a lot of rain on Saturday.
It always amazes me things we haven't done/seen ever (or in a long time).
The boys went over to the petting zoo. I don't think we went there on any of our 6 trips in '11 or 2 trips in '10.
Having to wait in line for the BAF tickets is annoying. But, I guess at least they're still doing them.
Here's a tip:
Don't let your three-year-old (or younger) child play the dart game over in the kids area.
Our son wasn't able to hit a balloon, and the elderly gentleman let him keep trying.
After about 6 or 7 throws, he says "Let's try something else."
The worker takes a balloon and is walking up to my son to let him pop it at point blank range.
My son had a dart in his hand, and he decides to let loose of it while the guy is walking it up to him.
Thank goodness it didn't stick in the worker...I think it made him pretty mad.
We apologized profusely, but if anyone on here knows him, tell him we're really sorry!
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http://www.midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2012/SDCbbq/
Here is my PTR from Friday May 18 of Bluegrass & BBQ Festival
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Hi, long time lurker just started posting :) My family and I have been going to SDC for quite awhile (for me since early 90s my wife even longer) We've been season pass holders for the past 6 or 7 years and didn't get passes or go last year because our oldest daughter was recovering from spinal surgery. This year she was cleared by her doctor and the first thing we did was pick up passes. Our latest trip was this past Saturday. We live in the Tulsa area so SDC isn't too far of a drive (about 3 hrs) so we often just make day trips. We left early and got there around 10. Park wasn't too crowded, in fact it was pretty nice. We rode a few rides (Wildfire, FitH, PK) and then grabbed some lunch. My wife and I had Philly Beef and Cheese sandwiches. They were pretty terrible and I wouldn't recommend them. We rode some more rides next (FM, Train). I was struck with how much the park expansion has affected the train ride. You don't have that same sense of being in the wilderness you used to have and the employees/actors don't really seem to sell the hold-up the way they used to. We did get a good view of the new coaster however. After that our 4 year old spotted the merry-go-round and insisted on riding it (by insisted I mean he literally dragged me) and then we went and toured the cave (ever do the three mile cave hike with a 16 pound baby strapped to your chest?) After the cave we ate dinner at the Reunion Hall all-you-can-eat BBQ thing which was really good but expensive and then we went back to the expo area and rode kiddie rides until park close. Over-all it was an enjoyable experience but both my wife and I commented on the fact that the park seems to be becoming more commericalized than we recall. We were also very surprised to walk into the taffy shop at the front of the park and to be told they no longer give out free samples.... whaaaaaa?
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Do they still do the meeta-and-greets at Echo Hollow during intermission/after GAC Nights? When I was there, they didn't, but I didn't know if maybe it was just something about that day...
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You bet! that want you to buy their C.D.'s, and then they will autograph them.!
intermission for sure, I dont know about after the show, by then I am always ready to get out of there.
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we went and toured the cave (ever do the three mile cave hike with a 16 pound baby strapped to your chest?)
LOL! You are ambitious!! Sounds like you had a great day!
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You bet! that want you to buy their C.D.'s, and then they will autograph them.!
intermission for sure, I dont know about after the show, by then I am always ready to get out of there.
Ok, good! They didn't do that when I was there last. ??? But now I have another thing to look forward to!!
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Gunslinger--I did Cave of the Winds in Colorado with a 10-month-old strapped to my front! LOL--thanks for the memory! It was funny, the cave guide looked at DD and said, "that's the first 'cave baby' I've seen who didn't fall asleep on the tour!" My children only fall asleep when it is physically impossible to stay awake for a moment longer.
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Gunslinger--I did Cave of the Winds in Colorado with a 10-month-old strapped to my front! LOL--thanks for the memory! It was funny, the cave guide looked at DD and said, "that's the first 'cave baby' I've seen who didn't fall asleep on the tour!" My children only fall asleep when it is physically impossible to stay awake for a moment longer.
Lol. Mine didn't fall asleep he did get a little motion sick though from all the stair climbing and moving around. I'll tell you what, positioning myself through that seven foot passage with the real low clearance was definitely an experience.
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Last week at work I traded days so some folks could enjoy some time off, this left me with a odd Tuesday off, a perfect day to hit the end of the B&B Festival.
I set off from home a little before 9 and drove up to MO. Pull in to SDC a little after 10 and parked in lot 3. It was HOT out there. After riding the tram up and saying hello to Terry Sanders I made my way into the park with intentions of taking an easy day at the city to myself. I stopped over at the homestead; only 2 pickers were on duty, spent a little time with them and then made my way down to wildfire, what a line! it was going out the building so I passed and walked down by FITH, when I got to the saloon they were inviting people in so I stopped in and pulled up a chair next to a school teacher from Cherokee Village ( right down the road from my town) We talked a little and I gave her this website address, she had been to the city 13 times this year already so I assumed she would fit in here with us just fine.
The Saloon show hasn't changed much from what I can remember, it was cute but probably not something I would do again this year. I stopped at FITH and took a ride. You could see lights all over the place, maybe it's just me but seems like it's just not dark enough. After making my way up the ramp I stopped at the Mountain Cookie stand and got a Apple Dumpling with cinnamon ice cream. I must admit I have a weakness for them; as far as I am concerned it in the best value snack in the park. I made my way over to Powder Keg and figured after the Wildfire line it would be crazy but I was on the ride in 3 trains. I could not believe that. What a fun ride and it sure does seem to move faster in the heat.
I walked down to the dockside enjoyed another band and made my way up to the succotash booth. Now I am more than willing to pay 5.99 for the apple dumpling with the ice cream but $9.00 for a bowl of okra, corn, peppers and processed chicken is just not something I can muster. I didn't remember the price being that high. I may have not been the only one that thought that as there were not a lot of folks in line for it. Maybe its me but if I am going to pay 12.00 for a lunch with a drink I will not be eating with plastic. Am I old or is this getting steep? If I were with another person and we could split it that would be different but that's a lot of money for lunch........but I digress.
I wrapped up the day by checking out some shops and stopped up at the square for the Horse Creek bank on the bandstand.
They are enjoyable. I am not a fan of the new tan cone you sit under in front of the gazebo, I thought it was hotter underneath it than just standing out under the trees. Its ugly and the support posts are mounted so they obstruct the view of the stage.
I said goodbye to Bluegrass for the season and made my way back to lot 3 ( Are they going to remove the entire hill there for parking?)
All in all it was a great day. I recommend taking a afternoon in the city all by yourself, its a great way to see all the things you didn't want to hold others up over.
Observations:
I don't know what they were doing at Wildfire today but it was taking minutes to dispatch the trains, not sure if they were having problems or were not motivated but it was really taking a while.
The new coaster looks as if it will have a small turn before the drop. There was no drop to take a picture of so I skipped this. It doesn't look much different than it did the last time I was there.
Tuesday after Memorial day is a great day to go to the city,, crowds were light and it wasn't kids fest yet.
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....After riding the tram up and saying hello to Terry Sanders....
That was the highlight of the day, sorry it went downhill from there. ;D
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That was the highlight of the day, sorry it went downhill from there.
Terry always makes you feel welcome. I really enjoy my days alone in the city. I live close so sometimes its just a day trip up. The day was great and the Apple Dumpling was superb. I didn't mention the group of folks I saw riding the rides. these folks were in line for the American Plunge and when I say older I mean 70's-80. It was 2 couples old enough to be my grandparents. They were debating riding Wildfire or AP first, they went on AP first not sure what they did from there but they were all dressed up and the ladies were carrying patent leather white grandma purses. I was inspired by them and there seeking out some excitement by riding the rides. I stood around to see what happened and they lines up and pointed at the hill and talked about the ride. There were other 20-40 somethings that were encouraging them when they saw what they were doing. I love to see people have fun. I wish my Grandmother were still around to ride the rides with me. That was probably the highlight of my day.
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Sounds like a great trip, I enjoy those days, (when i get 'em)...Congrats!
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I went yesterday and took a few friends. Ok, I took one friend, my sister took three, but I had a good time anyway. We left the house early yesterday morning and got there around 11:30. We stood in line for a while exchanging the vouchers. It wouldn't have taken as long if my dad had handed them his pass from THIS YEAR to compare to the vouchers. After we got that squared away, we stood in line at the gate for less than 5 minutes. As soon as we walked in, my friend, mom and I headed for the bathroom (the coffee was a bad idea lol) and my sister, dad, and her friends went to get a spot in line for the saloon. We saw the 12:30 show and I caught up with my pal, Rachel (Ms. Roots) afterward. After that, we went to FITH, which so happened to be one of my sister's friend's first roller coaster, and my sister wasn't even there for it (she's afraid of the dark, don't tell her I told you ;) ) After that was PK, then WF, then we went to House of BBQ for lunch. It used to be a lot better in past years, but I was hungry, so I didn't care. I did enjoy the live bluegrass music while I ate lunch. I kept saying "I know that song" to about 80% of the songs, and my sister's friends were like, "Wow", but my friend and I have been really close since second grade, so she wasn't surprised. During lunch, one of my sister's friends (the only one I don't get along with) said, "That first place we went to was gross." We asked her what she was talking about. "The one with peanut shells all over the place." Oh, the saloon. "Yeah, it was gross." Her bf said, "Its just peanut shells. And its a saloon. Be happy the floor was the dirtiest thing there." :-\
On that note, we finished lunch and everyone went their own ways for a while. Me and my friend just wandered around and looked in some shops. We met up later at Lost River, then rode TNT to dry off. We wandered some after that to finish drying off. We planned on leaving around 6:30, but we got to the Hospitality House around 6:30. My friend and I bought matching garters, then went to Ozark Marketplace which means we didn't leave the park until around 7:30-8 o'clock. I wish we could have stayed for GAC Nights, but we needed to be home kinda early because me and one of my sister's friends are in a play at our church today and we had to be up early to rehearse.
We bought the USB thing at PK for $24 and every picture they upload to it is only $8 and can be reused everytime you are at the park. The guy selling it said, "You can go to Walgreens and get as many copies as you want for 26cents each, but I'm probably not supposed to tell you that." :D Pretty good deal if I do say so!
The lines weren't too bad, but longer than usual.
I'll try to put pics up later.
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So it costs EXTRA to get the SDC pictures on it? Making the USB 24$?? If that is the case :o :o :o I think I will just stick with my tried and true GI JOE dogtag flashdrive.
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We bought the USB thing at PK for $24 and every picture they upload to it is only $8 and can be reused everytime you are at the park.
Sounds like you had a great time, you couldn't beat the weather!
So I am trying to understand the USB is 24 alone and if they take a picture of you with the photographers and you want it it is $8 per photo loaded on it?
Is the USB drive special in any way? As in does it have an axe on it or logo or something?
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It has the logo on it. If you do the math, depending on how many pictures you put on it, the USB really does save money in the long run, but if you only do one or two pictures every now and then, I probably wouldn't buy it.
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The pictures are up!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3387512055336.2134758.1495599105&type=3
They are mostly of me and my friends, but there are some of just SDC.
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Looks like everyone had a nice time! Thanks for sharing.
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My hubby and I had a great time at the City on Sunday for Day 1 of our anniversary trip. We left our hotel at 8 am, we were at the parking lot by 8:15ish. By the time we were parked and had ridden the tram in it was almost 8:30 so we didn't have a long wait until the gates opened.
First stop was the Mill for breakfast. Yum yummy! Fresh, hot, and delicious. We ate enough so that we didn't have to stop for lunch later in the day. By the time we were finished at about 9 the sprinkles had all passes and the sun was coming out for the day. Went behind the rope for the last bit of early ride time.
We pretty much made the loop around the park a handful of times riding all the rides as we came to them. There were few to no lines for a good part of the day. At about 1 or 2 pm the crowds picked up a bit, but we were told it was nothing like the crowds had been on Saturday. We rode the train at about midday. Got some glimpses of the new ride as we rode past. It looks so much more epic in person than it does in pictures. I'm even more excited now! I tried to snap some pictures, but they didn't come out very good. The fake threat this time during the train robbery was the Cleveland Indians instead of the New York Yankees. It has been years since I heard that one.
Some of the most fun we had all day was standing by the water cannons at Lost River. The ride attendant in the tower was pretty funny. He called out to just about every boat with some funny remark or another, got a lot of laughs. He would also tell those manning the cannons the best time to shoot. Nailed quite a few people. It never got old. Hahaha. We spent quite a bit of time watching there.
Finally got hungry at about 3 pm. Sat down on the square to figure out where we wanted to go eat. Got to hear the end of the Sons of the Silver Dollar's set at the gazebo. They have a new guy in the group as the tall redhead has moved on. They did a good job. As soon as that was over a fight broke out between the Hatfields and the McCoys right there on the square. There was a funny mention of the History channel program that got a chuckle from us. Decided on eating at the Mine. We weren't impressed. The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't particularly good either. At a little after 4 we decided to run back to our hotel for a bit to change into some dry clothes.
Made it back to the park a little after 5, grabbed some ice cream from Hannah's and made our way down to Echo Hollow for the show. I felt a bit bad for the cast, having to perform to such a low attendance crowd. But they did a good job. Having grown up attending in the 90s I was accustomed to the funny-man Jim Dandy, but I must say I really enjoyed Jessica. The magic trick had me scratching my head for sure. Does anyone know anything about her and her husband's magic ministry? It sounds interesting.
All in all we had a good day at the park. Didn't go today. Had a great time on Ride the Ducks. We're coming back tomorrow with some friends. Peanut brittle is buy-one-get-one 50% off right now, so I'll be getting at least two bags tomorrow before we leave.
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Great review, Ozarks Gal. Now I'm hungry for peanut brittle!
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great review! sounds like a good time. ;D
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Glad all went well.!
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I had forgotten all about the Indians version of the story! Thanks for the reminder.
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We went on Sunday 6/3 and didn't ride anything (very rare). We spent the day running from show to show as did many other people. Either people got up and left shows early to get to another show or they arrived late (into the 2nd or 3rd song). We did that, too, because we want to see all 3 of the Grascals shows and all of the Monroe Crossing shows. I saw D.A. Calloway a couple of times and was going to tell him the major shows need to have a 15 minute break between starting and ending times but he, too, left early at times to go somewhere else.
We also saw parts of Bull Harman and Bulls-Eye, Jerry Butler and the Blue J's, the Rigney family, and Sons of the Silver Dollar. Also saw the saloon show and I made my comments about the show in the saloon show thread.
My husband got a brisket plate in Red Gold. I had a few bites of the brisket and I did not care for it at all. He liked the beans and the potato salad. The rolls were tough. We were going to get a plate from Dickey's but they had run out of rolls.
Was surprised at the low amount of merchandise left over this year at the Frisco Barn and the BBQ sauce booth. There were discounts on Sunday but we didn't see anything we had to have.
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We hit the jackpot at Frisco Barn on Sat. - large thermal mugs and serving platters for $4 ea. Yay! They must have sold most of it that day. Red Gold was chaos! It was hard to get thru the doorway because of the line at the food vendor just inside the building. Once inside, we thought we were standing in line only to discover we weren't standing in line. There were no clear routes. The family in front of us (when we thought we were standing in line) left leaving a trail of unmentionable words behind them. Yikes! :o We decided to go to Riverside Ribhouse instead - the ribs were surprisingly good and it only took a few minutes to get a table. By 4:00, it was crazy crowded so we decided to leave. On the way out, we made a quick - but, no so quick - bathroom stop. The line was steadily moving, BUT the only wheelchair accessible stall was being occupied - for at least 20 min. - by a woman nursing her baby and talking on her cell phone! Geez lady, could you have chosen another one? Several very pleasant guests were speaking loudly about it in hopes of luring her out, but it didn't work! But anyway, that was the only unpleasant part of my day - that - and no more samples at the Taffy Shop. :(
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Yeah, I forgot to mention that -- no more samples at the Taffy shop. :( :'(
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Yeah, I forgot to mention that -- no more samples at the Taffy shop. :( :'(
I noticed that i wonder what happened that they stopped doing that ??? :'( :-(
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I am sure they decided to stop that because of the people that walked in and was getting a "handful" of "samples".. :o :o
I saw that earlier this year and it didn't surprise me a bit. :)
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We had a wonderful second day at the City on Tuesday. We used our 2 BAFs on our two friends and their baby boy, and we also met up with another couple and their 4 young ones. We didn't end up getting to the park until after 9:30, so no extra ride time this trip. We got really lucky (almost) all day--we would get to a ride just before the lines got long. We did this with Powder Keg, Fire in the Hole, and American Plunge.
We headed around to Lost River next. Five of us waited in line for a bit. We were 2 boat-loads away from going when then the line stopped moving. Turns out a water line running under the railroad tracks to Lost River broke, shutting down both attractions for most (if not all) of the day. Since we had so many little ones we got our wet fix on River Blast instead. Hubby and I had never ridden it before--we quite enjoyed ourselves. It got pretty hard-core though; we were battling so hard that I pulled a muscle in my neck!
Due to Lost River being out, Plunge had long lines all day. Noticed that they have built a wall in the Plunge overflow queue (old Float Trip queue?) so that you merely walk down the stairs and back up again, no going through the covered area.
One of the highlights of the day for me was riding the carousel with one of the little ones. I'm so glad they brought that one back. We had lots of fun just going as a couple, but going with friends (and kids!) was great as well. To watch their excitement at new experiences for them was a priceless gift. Overall a fantastic (and long) two days at SDC.
Also, If anyone goes sometime soon, can you try to find out about the water line? I would like to know what happened and when it finally got fixed.
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Fourteen hours 52 Minutes!!!!! I leave tomorrow to head to the city for a three day-er!! Whooo! Pray that it cools down some though. Or maybe the heat will shove everyone towards the water rides and my kiddo wont have to wait in line at PowderKeg long.......hopefully.
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I am sure they decided to stop that because of the people that walked in and was getting a "handful" of "samples".. :o :o
I saw that earlier this year and it didn't surprise me a bit. :)
Hmm that would be a good reason. For the record I only ever took one ;) :D
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They told us on Tuesday that they only give samples if the machine is running.
I forgot to mention that the Pin Trading station in the Hospitality House has been moved from the back corner to beside the fireplace on the Cave side. It's a very nice looking setup, I hope they attract more folks in that location. Hubby had never even heard of the pin trading before and was quite intrigued. He spent quite a while looking in the book at all the different pins. Also, Joel Manby's book is in basically every store in the City, won't be hard to find a copy if you are looking for one. The TV playing Beverly Hillbillies was no longer up in the Hospitality House, either. I'm glad I picked up my copy of the DVD back during OTC. Guess I won't be getting a copy for my parents any more.
My one complaint of the trip: What happened to the frozen lemonade?? Instead of the think frozen stuff filled with little chunks of lemon zest that I remember being scooped into my mug I got a soupy, tasteless mess that came out of a machine. How disappointing. >:(
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Ozarks Gal,
My parents were on park on Saturday, and noticed the same thing about the Frozen Lemonade. That has been a staple of ours for many many years. Use to, you could find it on almost every corner. They had to look all over for the original frozen lemonade, because all they were seeing was the 'Minute Made' stuff.
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Did they find a place with the original? I mean the scoop it up, little flecks of zest stuff.
We normally fill our mugs (all 4 of them) a least a couple times with frozen lemonade. This year I have filled one mug, one time and won't do it again. The stuff was terrible.
I haven't bought any food in the park this year, except a couple Kolachy on the first trip. We make do with snacks until we can get on the road. I figure that fast food may be "crap" but at least I always know what I am getting and how much it will be.
All this reminds me I didn't even do a trip review for our trip a couple weeks ago. Maybe that's a good thing because I was not particularly thrilled with the park that day. Including parking we spent less than 20.00 on park. We did use a BAF and found that process to be quite simple. The saloon show was bad. The atmosphere was just off that day. I need to get back and get a good day at the park so I can get the bad taste of the last one out of my mouth.
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Did they find a place with the original? I mean the scoop it up, little flecks of zest stuff.
We normally fill our mugs (all 4 of them) a least a couple times with frozen lemonade. This year I have filled one mug, one time and won't do it again. The stuff was terrible.
I have the same issue - love the original frozen lemonade but can't stand the Minute Maid stuff. If it doesn't have the lemon peel zests I won't drink it. ;D
There is at least one original stand still left, it is the one near the Saloon. I believe that the Grand Exposition stand still has the original stuff too but am not sure.
The day that all of the stands bear the Minute Maid sign will be a dark day in these Ozarks hills.
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The stand near the Saloon still has the original (good) frozen lemonade; also the stand in front of the Frisco Freight Barn.
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Went to SDC today. Didnt make it to the city till 9am......wont comment why. :/ It was packed to the gills. No surprise but still it was amazing. Did not see any shows. Rode TNT (still amazing!) LRTO, thought the line was huge but it turns out for some reason they are holding people on the bridge explaining the rules before shipping them off to the other line. All in all the wait was about 20 min. Not bad for that ride. AP was to the entrance so we didnt ride that. Went to RB and there was a small wait. 30-45 minutes. But it is worth the wait as you get soaked. FM was a wait and a half. Amazing for FM ya know. I took pics and will post them later tonight. I had alot of fun despite not doing everything. I dont know if we will go tomorrow or not. The crowds were pretty high today and my husband being my husband.....:)
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Sound like a positive day for you Trams! Good luck tomorrow.
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Went to SDC today. Didnt make it to the city till 9am......wont comment why. :/ It was packed to the gills. No surprise but still it was amazing. Did not see any shows. Rode TNT (still amazing!) LRTO, thought the line was huge but it turns out for some reason they are holding people on the bridge explaining the rules before shipping them off to the other line. All in all the wait was about 20 min. Not bad for that ride. AP was to the entrance so we didnt ride that. Went to RB and there was a small wait. 30-45 minutes. But it is worth the wait as you get soaked. FM was a wait and a half. Amazing for FM ya know. I took pics and will post them later tonight. I had alot of fun despite not doing everything. I dont know if we will go tomorrow or not. The crowds were pretty high today and my husband being my husband.....:)
My niece e was at the City on Thursday and said the AP line was insanefor a Thursday but Powderkeg was very short. Maybe we could use that other unused flume down the road.
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great write-up trams, i know the feeling of a loved one being a loved one....
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Oh and I forgot, instead of free taffy samples, periodically they were giving out hunks of fresh made warm taffy.
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mmmmmm. sounds good, and that would be fresh made.... as opposed to some of the bulk they buy from outside source.
Have a Great day!
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Nothing really new in the pics. Just a small savory morsel.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76324302@N06/?saved=1
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those are some great pics trams, looks like the kids had a good time! and maybe mom and dad..
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great pics greentrams! i really like the spiral one with all the holes. :o
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Left the house today at 7 am and met my Father and his lady friend and her guest at 9 am. We had 2 BAF to get her and her friend in and with a stroke of luck someone approached my Dad and asked him if he needed a BAF. That saved him a lot of money since he didn't have buy any tickets. I would like to think that my helping strangers get in in the past was returned to me today. We went in and grabbled a kolochki ( sp) and headed down to Wildfire. My Dad is 63 and wanted to ride all the coasters. We rode all but Powder Keg as the line was running all the way to the start of the entrance with only 1 car running. My Dad was very disappointed that we didn't get to ride that. No line for Wildfire at all 2 cars running. We rode the train and boy what a drop for that coaster, it is 81 degrees, looks like it will take a beautifully banked turn back towards the lift hill. I spoke with a unnamed source who said there will be a tunnel although it will be very short. I saw no evidence of it riding the train but its tough to make out much through the trees.
We did stop at the Mountain Taffy booth at the exit of FITH to get the Apple Dumpling and they were closed. I was let down by this as it was what I was really looking forward to. For lunch we split a succotash, it was $8.xx with the pass discount and was very good. In all my years at SDC I had never tried this and was satisfied even though it is pretty pricey for what it is.
We were out of the park by 1 and really enjoyed our half day. No shows at all with the exception of the cloggers at the square. I know if it kidsfest and I know that those kids really are great at what they do but I miss not having music on the square during kidsfest.......Just my opinion. The music helps to set the mood. I would think they could restore the music and have the cloggers at another outdoor or indoor location.
They did have all the tents set up for the kids but it didn't seem to be as crowded as in the past. I was very happy they did not have the demoninc children cut outs all over. In my minds eye they looked very cheap. In Dollywood they have the people made of clay pots and that was fun, I would love to see them in SDC.
The decorations consisted mostly of the factoid signs and some banners. The change was pleasing.
I did stop into the taffy store and will happily report they WERE MAKING TAFFY!!!. They were making a point to tell you when the machine would actually be running. Samples of the red white and blue taffy they were making were being given away. THey were interested in your opinion of how it tasted. The colors of taffy were layered red/shite/blue so it looked good and the 3 colors were each flavored differently. I have to admit I told them it was great but I didn't really taste much flavor too it. I am really just happy they are using the machine. We were talking about the taffy and thought that if they just made the taffy a Cherry flavor that it would be appropriate as its the colors of the flag. ( America and Cherry Pie) It would probably be a lot easier on them as well but as I said. They are really trying and that is GREAT NEWS.
Why are they not running the train with the new cars? I havent seen it out at all this year.
Final thoughts
Please run 2 trains on PowderKeg.
Please run 2 arms on the swing.
Please always offer the Apply Dumpling.
Please resore a live band to the bandstand during kidsfest. Maybe even a kids bluegrass band.
Please keep those wooden cut out kids in storage indefinitely.
Rode AP for the first time in years today, the dude in the water is completely submerged and the Whirlpool wasn't working, it just looked like the dog was trying to pull his dead master out of the water..... kind of sad.
The plants and flowers look wonderful.
The new coaster guarantees my purchase of another Seasons Pass.
The girl that was hocking the refillable drink cups outside the Hospitality house reminded me of a carnival barker ( Cheap)
........................also why aren't they just an even amount like $13 not $ 13.87? wouldn't that move things along quicker?
Love eating the warm samples of brittle at the candy store.
Please remove the people trying to sell me timeshare from the property, is was crappy when Disney started that and even crappier when SDC let them in the gates of their park. The company isn't even SDC property, keep this outside the gates of the park. This is an outside company interloping on my SDC trip.
......................I wonder if they ever do give away those prises they promise someone is gonna win, and how often?
Here's looking forward to another great trip to SDC.
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nice trip MH,
congrats on the "karma" thing.. (baf)
sorry about your apple dumpling, I will have one for ya.. ;D
Everytime I have ridden the train this year they have been using new car. ???
agreed about the time share people..... :-X
Maybe cya next time!
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There's nothing I hate more than when they only run 1 train on PK, TNT, or Wildfire on a busy day... During World Fest they ran THREE on PK and it really would have been fine if they only ran 2! I don't quite understand the way they do the train car stuff.... TNT never has 2 running but every now and then they put a second train on but not as often as they should... and Wildfire normally has 2 but sometimes they will only run 1 and the line gets super long... They need to run two on every ride during Kidsfest!!
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congrats on the "karma" thing.. (baf)
sorry about your apple dumpling, I will have one for ya..
I kinda chalked it up to getting back what you put out. I am really happy other people do give away the
BAFs. No sense it letting them go to waste. You enjoy that dumpling Sandune, let me know how you like it. :)
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Howdy ya'll. I wasn't sure where to put my initial post on this forum and this looked like as good a place as any.
My wife and I live in Nixa,MO and have been frequenting SDC fairly often for about the last 12 years or so. We both grew up around the Springfield/Nixa area and both of us had visited the park a few times while growing up; but began walking through the gates much more often after meeting each other and realizing we both loved the place, for the most part.
I stumbled upon this forum while searching around the internet for info regarding the new coaster, and just looking at overall opinions and reports about SDC from people all over.
I've really enjoyed reading most of the topics on this site about other folks experiences and opinions on different apsects of the City; and I look forward to posting about some of my visits as well.
We usually make it through the gates around 10-15 times per year (sometimes more, like this year); being 25 minutes from the place makes it pretty easy and we like to go on sunday mornings mostly. The constantly changing festivals is a big draw for us.
See ya'll!
HikerDan
Nixa,MO
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Welcome HikerDan, always glad to see new members :D
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Welcome HikerDan!
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Hubs and I made it to the park on Sunday. A very quick trip - so I don't have a lot to report. We were on a mission - to see the Wallenda Flying Circus act - and that's it! We got there earlier than planned (seriously, how often does that really happen??) So...we stopped off at Delilah's for hub's favorite cinnamon roll. Holy cow! Sometimes they are good and sometimes...not so much. Sunday they were perfection - must have come right out of the oven!! Yum! From there we headed over to the Opera House and found....no line at all! So, we did a little walking around and returned to walk right into the Opera House. The Wallenda Circus show was great! I highly recommend it! After the show we were suppose to leave the park, but with hubs in tow we had to make a stop at the wood carvers shop so he could talk "wood carvin'). From there, we headed straight out of the park as we had jet skiing to do, but we didn't leave without a sarsaparilla in each hand. The weather was great, the crowds weren't nearly as bad as a week ago (we were out of the park by 12:30), and I can't wait for the next trip to roll around.
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I don't have a whole lot to say this time about my trip last weekend. It was definitely a good one. I caught almost all the shows except for the bubble one that just kind of looked lame. The saloon show was definitely the best, although the Wallenda's were pretty good too. Luma was just kinda meh - the jokes and story line were corny and terrible, and the whole dancing with lights thing kinda got old pretty quick. The pickers are still the best music in the park.
Getting in an hour early as a season pass holder was pretty great, although I didn't remember they were doing this in time on Saturday morning.
Lots of new signage again this year. Some of it may have been from previous years and I just forgot. I noticed some in the base of Thunderation's lift that must be fairly new. Some of the new signage I noticed looked a lot better than some of the other new stuff they've been putting out. I think they've been listening to our suggestions.
The food was OK. I had a burger at the Wagonworks one meal, and a BBQ sandwich at the ribhouse for another, as well as strawberrys and ice cream. It was all pretty good, not exceptional, but just getting to be too expensive.
Rides were all good as well. I only noticed one ride closure the whole weekend, and that was FITH for a brief spell on Saturday evening. They were putting a new train car on the tracks by the train barn, and there were several new cars in operation on both trains.
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Today I noticed a sue-vin-ear I aquired from my recent trip. POISON IVY!!!! Good thing I stocked up on lye!
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Made a quick pass to the park this mornging... things I noticed... Dont k now if they have been mentioned...
When pulling up to reserved parking, new gaurd shack there...
How long has the slushy/cotton candy shack been between the train depot and HDH?? I just noticed it today. (no pics)
Rode the train twice, got a bunch of pics of new project, i think swoosh? shave? is right after the lift there is a small dip and then a rise, the 2nd rise does NOT appear to be as tall as the lift, new track is not all the up lift yet.. they are building right next to, (almost on top of) Hobo Jct.~ i will get pics posted soon... going back monday AM for another quick hit, try to get more pics...
Noticed when i rode the train (2 times) they were uusing different jokes and threats.. nice to see some change between rides.. ;D
took pic of new pintrader location, looks nice..
out of there by 11:15, went to ride the showboat, park still was not too busy yet at that time....
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slushy/cotton candy shack
You know they are adding those slurpee stands every 10 ft but haven't added any new bathrooms.
Kind of ironic........
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I think this year that was added. My kid shakes me down for a cotton candy everytime we pass that thing! I think it is cheaper to buy my own machine make my own CC and pack it along...
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Trams, i knew it was new this year.. I just had not noticed it before.... was it there at spring break? or when did it show up?
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OK!!! YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!
I am giving Flicker a try!!
Try this link for new pics taken sat, 6-16-12
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanddunerider/?saved=1
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Great pics. I love the lift hills fake dip right smack before the giant huge earth shattering drop into oblivion!
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Great Pictures Sandunerider!
I wonder if the pylons near the station are not for the walkways or gangways.
Having been to Dollywood and seeing how they flyby there I question the lack of space in the building itself.
It looks like they have enough for the walkways and splitting the q into lanes, also the exit on the other side but it doesn't seem like there is enough space for the flyby. But you never know.
I wondered about the situation in Dollywood when I saw the ride ops all wearing earplugs. The flyby is LOUD>
Whatever we end up with that little hump after the first faux drop is sure gonna pop us out of the seats!
Thanks for the updated pics Sandune. I know you are not a ride guy but are gonna ride this when they are done? Maybe once? ::)
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Thanks for the updated pics Sandune. I know you are not a ride guy but are gonna ride this when they are done? Maybe once? ::)
[/quote]
Hmmmm...????? 1 time, let's see........................................... NOPE!!!!, Actually i have a 2 word answer, BUT this is a family orientated site. ;) ;)
Going out tomorrow for another quickie and my apple dumpling ;D
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and my apple dumpling
Have you had the dumpling yet>? I reported the Mountain Cookie was closed we last time I was down, it was a little let down but I have somehting to look forward to next time.
I understand you are not a ride guy, I just have to give you a hard time about it !! 8) ;D
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No problem MH... ;)
Dumpling tomorrow, elelcted NOT to get 1 sat. since we had reservations on the showboat at noon....
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MHGuy, you can get those mountain cookies at the Delilah's Bakery. I'm assuming they are the same ones. Or, did I miss something? Is that where you buy the apple dumplings (at the mountain cookie stand?)
On a separate note, the hubs noticed that the ugly Humana signs were gone. Seriously, I didn't pay a bit of attention last time I was there, so...is that true? Are they really gone???
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Gilligan the apple dumplings seem to be available all year at the Mountain Cookie stand right at the exit to FITH.
Several of us are very fond of them and think they are one of the best deals for a snack on property. The cookies are ok but its the dumpling I seek !
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Gilligan the apple dumplings seem to be available all year at the Mountain Cookie stand right at the exit to FITH.
Several of us are very fond of them and think they are one of the best deals for a snack on property. The cookies are ok but its the dumpling I seek !
WE WILL SEE!!! ;) ;)
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I think an unbiased grade on a scale of 1 - 10 would be fair.
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I hope they are still offered. I love them, too!!
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I am wondering if Sandune was taken over by the goodness that is the apple dumpling?? I have seen no report yet.....
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Sadly no :'( :'(
We had a last minute change of plans and had to come home this morning...
NO trip to SDC....
So now I have to wait 4 weeks to try one....
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I was a bit apprehensive about the potential size of the crowds while walking towards the park a few days ago. Normally my wife and I attend on sundays, but work related issues pushed our visit to a day earlier and a rare saturday morning at SDC for us.
Usually we're near the Gazebo early enough for the days opening ceremony, but didn't walk through the gates until a little after 10 on this day. Was very surprised about the overall lack of a huge crowd aound the turnstyles and at the Gazebo.
We stopped to watch the Pickers for a few minutes but moved on quickly as we like to see those guys in the afternoon down at the picken shed. We were glad to see Steve Bush (aka V.D. Cleverly) on the porch with the guys. As is the norm we cruised straight down the hill heading for PK and hopefully a couple of launches before the hordes really hit. And as is too frequently the norm PK was not up and running at that time. Oh well, we're used to it, so we wrote PK off for the day and strolled over to the ol' realible FITH.
We rode in the back car and I always try to hear what the guy who is on the ladder and had his pants stolen by the baldknobbers is saying to his honey as the train moves away: I think it's something about "gold in my pockets" and maybe she says "holes in your pockets". I never can hear it because the kids on the train always holler at the guy dumping the bucket overhead. Got plenty wet on the FITH, lots of water in the last drop nowadays; love it.
Still no PK one hour after opening so on to WF. Two trains rolling on WF and hopped right onto the back seat of it as well. Like that big drop riding in the back and enjoy watching the whole train in front us snake it's way through the track. Could have ridden WF repeatedly but its on to the swing as we'd like to hit as many rides as possible before the 11:15 Wallenda show.
Uh oh, the swing isn't gonna work out for us this time, line already out of the barn and one swing a-swingin'; so since we dressed appropriately for the wet stuff we headed over for some raging rapids. Got onto the river pretty quick and I had the tremendously wet seat this time, drenched. It's almost showtime so back towards the Opera House .
Hey looky here, PK just opened up. With 15 minutes before showtime we hustle into PK and hopefully a quick ride. Two trains running and just a handful of folks up front, we jump in the short line for the first car. Probably my favorite roller coaster of all I have ridden when riding up front. And off to the Opera House with a few minutes to spare. The line for PK is growing rapidly, that's it for the day on that one.
The Wallenda circus was a lot of fun; I'm not sure if the Dancing Gouchos were funny or ridiculous, but we were entertained. My wife (Jane) really liked the Wallendas and their highwire act. That was the first time we've seen them as they normally don't perform on sunday; glad we finally saw the show. O.K., now we're off to the train and an up close look at the new coaster under construction.
Not a long wait for the next train and we were just able to sneek onto the first one into the station. Wow, that is going to be one heckuva ride on that new wooden coaster; that first drop appears to go way down into the hollar. Off the train and now over to TNT.
I can't believe it, two trains operating on TNT. They never do that on sundays. Front car again and around and around through the tunnel we go; we still like going through the tunnel even after so many rides on it. Now it's decision time: either the Luma show or the Gazillion Bubbles. We picked the Luma as it starts earlier, and we'll catch the bubbles next time. A quick stop for some soda refills and a couple of giant pretzels and we're off to the Heritage Hall and Luma.
Big crowd for the show, the kids must really like this one; lots of families and kiddos. The show was decent but not something we'll probably see again, but the children seemed to really enjoy it. We really miss the Birds of Prey show from last summer, saw it many times.
Time for a couple of frozen lemonade refills (the real ones!) and off to check on the Homestead Pickers. Uh oh again, the Pickers aren't playing in the afternoons this weekend; instead it's Frisco Jack and someone else. Oh well maybe next time we'll stop and watch the guys in the morning.
A short stop at the candy store for some buy one get one half-price peanut brittle (to munch on the way home) and we're headed for the parking lot and on to home in Nixa,MO.
Another fun day in the park and looking forward to coming back around the 4th and after!
See ya'll
HikerDan
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I like your narrative. Fun.
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The FITH conversation is:
"Red Flanders! You get back in here and put on your pants!"
"Well Sadie! I ain't got no pants no more! The dang Baldknobbers stole 'em!"
"What the sam hill they want with your pants!"
"Maybe its the gold in my back pocket."
(correct me if I'm wrong)
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welcome hikerdan.
sounds like a great day in the city!
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great review HikerDan!
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Traveled to Branson with my 8 yr old daughter on June 10th, stayed at the Fall's Village Resort, great place to stay, out of the way and quiet.
Wife and older daughter were at a art workshop in OKC, so we snuck off for a few days, gotta do what you gotta do. Monday morning bright and early, arrived at the City about 8:45, played checkers until the opening ceremony, which is always great to see again. Went to the Homestead to watch the Picker's, then ran over to Thunderation, rode it three times, no lines, then back to the Homestead to see the Picker's, never get tired of those guys. Heidi played the rooster for the Ghost Chicken song which was great and was given the official prize by Danny for being the rooster; "bubba teeth" which she wore with pride and a really pretty crocheted bible book marker. Enjoyed the skits, missed visiting with Terry, saw him as the Warden, but never caught up to him. Then off to the races, Thunderation again, FITH 3 times, FM 3 times. Again no lines or next in line, really low crowds. The rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down, in rushing rising rivulets...Back up the hill to the Mine, I honestly am a little less impressed with the Mine every time I go on recent trips, but still good food. Had to wade water to check out and was kind of cool seeing the water trickling down the walls and dripping from the ceilings. So by early afternoon, the park was basically deserted, which we have found when people make a dash for the parking lot we stay and wait it out and have the luxury of a very small crowd when the storms clear. One of the Citizens said it was the first total rain-out since June of 2011. The heavy rains only lasted about an hour or so, we then went down to the Grand Exposition and only a couple of the rides had re-opened. Rode the River Blast a couple of times which was fun for both of us. We stayed until about 5:30 and headed back to our condo. A very good day at the City. Spent the next day there as well, but will save that one for later.
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I just talked to one of the gals I know out at the city>
Ashley works in the Wilson farm area. they sent her home early (again)... TOO HOT and low traffic flow. She told me about 7200 quests today..
That's BAD for a saturday in mid-summer..
I hope this extreme heat doesnt hurt our city and attendance too much :(
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It is very hot and that is keeping my family home. It is unfortunate when its this hot for the City....
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My friend is taking her family to sdc today for the first time. I am hoping they have a good time in spite of the heat!
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since it is their 1st time, with low attendance, THEY should have a BLAST... no lines, no crowd,,, they should be able to do anything they want... Good for them!!
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I bet the skillet sales and food sales go down with this heat. Its just almost too much out there and the thought of eating anything in 105 at a picnic table..........
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I bet the skillet sales and food sales go down with this heat. Its just almost too much out there and the thought of eating anything in 105 at a picnic table..........
I bet they're making up for it with lemonade, though!
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I bet the skillet sales and food sales go down with this heat. Its just almost too much out there and the thought of eating anything in 105 at a picnic table..........
I bet they're making up for it with lemonade, though!
TRue, but look at all the gas fuel they are saving, they can set the sklillets directly on the asphat and cookl!!
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Made a very quick trip on Saturday 6/30. Got to the park around 9:30 and parking was still in area 2. Line was slow getting into the park at the passageway through the rock wall before the admission turnstiles because of a Sweeps Central guy stopping people to hand out "you are a winner" flyers. Going through the turnstiles was the easiest I can remember -- no waiting at all.
Guest cloggers were at the gazebo performing to music from the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" days -- not that particular song but very similar. ::) Okay if you like clogging.
Did a walk through the park and rode the Flooded Mine. Had to wait briefly -- somewhat warm and stuffy as we waited. Got to ride in the first car for the first time ever. Got some lemonade at the stand just across from the Frisco Barn -- was the good stuff. And it tasted better than the 2nd one we purchased from the booth near the saloon.
Went to the 11:15 Wallenda Family Circus show. Opera House was about 3/4 full. Overall I liked the show better than last year although the dancing gaucho had the same routine, and my husband and I don't find it all that great. The Saturday morning show was the first time the youngest Wallenda daughter performed on the highwire. The Wallendas look as though they enjoy performing and they appeared to be very appreciative of the applause and standing ovation they received. Show lasted about 45 minutes. When we came out at noon, we were aware of the heat.
Left the park at 12:30 -- no cars were in lot 5 and preferred parking still had a lot of available spaces.
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Went to the park. It was hot.
Really I will post a better summary tomorrow!
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Biscuit-good review! Sounds like a nice short trip!
Rube- I think that sums it up. Went to park. It was hot. I feel your pain through those words.....:) but I do like to read more.
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Took a few days of the summer to relax on Table Rock this past week, so I just HAD to get to the city seeing that I was so close. The forecast was pretty scary seeing that we have an 8 month old baby. The weathermen at KY3 were calling for 105*+ temps this week...we were a bit nervous.
We arrived on Indian Point, hit up Ruby Tuesday's for a nice light salad dinner to set a good standard for our meals for the week. We went to the city Tuesday morning and lasted about 2 hours. We arrived at 10:00 and were the last of the cars to park in Lot#3 by the rock pile. It was much more crowded than I imagined. Walking around was not teribly hot, the water rides were packed, and the shows were also. After leisurely walking the City, we headed back to swim in the pool.
Wednesday we bummed around Branson-Tanger, Grand Village, etc. that was about it. This was the hottest day-a record setter for Branson, so we did not do too much
Thursday I headed into the City with my dad. It was nice to walk around with him, he is just finishing up his chemotherapy, as well as recovering from a heart attack...so needless to say it was nice to hang out with him. I took some photos with my Polaroid Land Camera, I will have to post a few of these seeing that I LOVE the look of a few of them. After a few hours, we headed to Danna's BBQ in Branson West (there is also one on 165).http://www.dannasbbq.com/ (http://www.dannasbbq.com/) Man was the Pulled Pork on garlic Texas toast good... I will be there again! For dessert we headed to the strip to see our good friend Andy (Andy's frozen custard) I always get something new when I go so this time I tried the Branson Centennial COncrete. This was a vanilla custard blended with a full piece of McFarlain's one-of-a-kind Branson Traffic Jam Pie made with cherries, strawberries, rhubarb and cranberries. It was sweet and tart, and really good! Oh and I had to wash it down with a Sprecher Root Beer!
Friday we headed into the City for a full family tin type (despite the outragous price). Missed the train by about 10 seconds, and didn;t want to wait 30 more minutes for another one so we wandered the city tried the new Sparkler Taffy (special 4th of July Strawberry-Blueberry-Cheesecake-red white and blue ) and relaxed on the Taffy shop porch with a Sioux City for a while. As the temperature rose, that was our sign to head out for the day.
It was HOT wed-fri, but nothing too unbearable if you hydrated, and paced yourself. We witnessed on man physically ill near the depot being addressed by EMT/EMS , he was confused, vomiting, and about to pass out, the usual heat related symptoms. IT was HOT, but as the week went on, it was more and more humid. I could never spend enough time in the park, but this time due to the baby, and the heat, I spent even less time at the city, and more time at the pool, not too bad either way I guess!
There is plenty more about stores, rides etc. to include, but I will be posting that stuff on the respective threads!
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rube, sounds like a good 4 or 5 days,
hope your dad continues to improve!
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Rube, didn't know about your dads health. Hope he is feeling better.
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Thanks guys!
ALMOST FORGOT!
We went to the Titanic Museum. I was excited, my wife not as much. I really had a good time looking at all the items that made it off the ship one way or another. I would not go back again seeing that I would have seen most of the pieces. but it was something to see once for anyone. I liked it, but the $25 per person was still pricey for a cheapskate like me. I did find out through the mailer upon returning home that you can save $5 per person with a Season Pass from SDC...o-well!
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We went in this morning. We were there soon after opening, but we missed the opening. We went to the GE first, and had no waits. Then we took the youngest for her first ever rides on Lost River and FITH. I think she liked them. She called Lost River the "pirate cave." We caught the Wallendas, and we really enjoyed it. Now we are cooling off and resting in the motel before heading back in this evening. It is hot but manageable.
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We went in this morning. We were there soon after opening, but we missed the opening. We went to the GE first, and had no waits. Then we took the youngest for her first ever rides on Lost River and FITH. I think she liked them. She called Lost River the "pirate cave." We caught the Wallendas, and we really enjoyed it. Now we are cooling off and resting in the motel before heading back in this evening. It is hot but manageable.
It's only around a 100 today, it's cool. I'm told by a meteorologist friend that July isn't going to be like last year. You put last year together with this year for Ft. Smith Arkansas and 100 degree days are 50 or more. And to think it got to -21 at my house in Jan of 2011 here in Fayetteville.
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We went back in tonight. I mixed feelings about our evening. We arrived about 6:00, and it didn't feel too busy. We did Fm, the train, the carousel, and another ride on FITH. Line was long for PK. Had dinner with minimal line. So, not a bad evening. By the time went to Echo Hollow, it was closed because it was full! Somehow it didn't cross our minds that it would be full--lol. People were routed to GE, but it was crazy there. We left before fireworks and watched Chateau's instead! Fun evening, though. American Plunge was down at about 8:00.
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We went back in tonight. I mixed feelings about our evening. We arrived about 6:00, and it didn't feel too busy. We did Fm, the train, the carousel, and another ride on FITH. Line was long for PK. Had dinner with minimal line. So, not a bad evening. By the time went to Echo Hollow, it was closed because it was full! Somehow it didn't cross our minds that it would be full--lol. People were routed to GE, but it was crazy there. We left before fireworks and watched Chateau's instead! Fun evening, though. American Plunge was down at about 8:00.
WOW,, that would be quite a turnout for the fireworks.. The PTB should be happen with that,, Too bad you didnt get a chance to see them..on the other hand, with ALL those people, down in the hole, I bet it was very warm.....
sounds like a good day for you and yours, congrats,
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with ALL those people, down in the hole, I bet it was very warm.....
You KNOW that concrete easy bake oven they call Echo Hollow was more than warm.
That slab of concrete really heats up during the day.
I wonder how the fireworks were, I also wonder where they shot them off from.
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Since the rest of the family is snoring away I'll post a quick review of yesterday...
Got there at open, park seemed particulary fresh and clean. Rode AP twice in a row, fith twice, pk was closed so we hit hdh for a bit, lroto was up next, and we walked into the exit side (they were boarding and deboarding from the same side), went to gg, the bubble show, fm, tnt twice, more hdh and headed out. Attendance was the lowest I have seen it since I was a kid. No lines on rides, no lines for food or drink. Seating at shows still available at showtime. We did all of the above mentioned between 930 and 130. Simply amazing with my kiddos in tow. It was hot but not terrible when we left.
As we shopped in the afternoon the heat was getting bad but still not intolerable
A pretty good storm rolled throught here in the evening.
More tomorrow as we are here until wed!
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sounds like a great trip so far saloongal.. have fun today! I would expect low attendance to day too...
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wasn't there today,
but heard the Big Swing was down for mechanical reasons, ( something about storm damage) Also sent most of the employees home early from the Wilson farm area...
Attendence today very low, But I dont have numbers.
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Awww...we wanted to go to the City, but ran out of time, and it was hot, hot, hot! Too hot to be pushed around in a wheelchair (still recovering from broken knee *sigh*), so we did things we have never done before. 1) Took the tram tour through Fantastic Caverns - that was a LOT more fun than I expected!! 2) Took in music shows (we never do this!) - Jeerk and American Idol Finalists - Both were great!! 3) Rode the paddle wheeler on Taneycomo - again lots of fun! 4) A visit to Bass Pro in Springfield for fly fishing gear. 5) Big Cedar for bbq and fireworks - Awesome! 6) Attended Branson's 100th Anniv. celebration w/bands, food, and more fireworks - more Awesome! So, hopefully I will be at the City near the end of summer to try it again.
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WOW!!! sounds like a full trip!! congrats!
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Got to the park around 2 today. It was rather busy however the wait time to get on rides was not bad. Started the day off with FITH. It was fun as usual. I noticed that they are no longer allowing people to crowd into the small queuing building... They now have a ride op standing at the door telling everyone which lane to go to. Seems to work so much better..... Next we took a ride on PK it was a long line but it went fast because they were running 3 trains. After PK we went to WF, it was the first time in awhile that I have had to que back by Doc Harriss' office! After WF we headed over to see the Wallendas! Love the show but it was really no different than last year except for the fact that they now have a 14 year old juggler that was extremely good! Once the show got over we headed to the FM. Then it was off to dinner at Mary's Springhouse. It is one of the few places in the park where you get quite a bit of food for the price. After eating we rode the train and I saw the new coaster in person for the first time! It is breathtaking!! Definitely seems to be a future contender for a top 5 spot in the best wooden roller coasters. Got some pictures but they don't really show anything new. Once the train ride was over we rode Thunderation and GS then repeated all of the rides during Moonlight Madness except for PK which got stuck at the launch area around 8:30 and had to be evacuated! Overall, it was a good day, not too hot! Hope to have another good day tomorrow and maybe ride a few water rides!!!!
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Next we took a ride on PK it was a long line but it went fast because they were running 3 trains.
That's great, I don't think I have ever seen more than 2 and seeing 2 is a rarity.
Glad SDC is allotting for the crowds. When I was there last year for Midnight Madness the lines were very long and they were not compensating by running multiple trains. Maybe they learned their lesson. If you are only going to offer rides then you gotta make it so they can be ridden!
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I'd say they are getting smarter with the trains. Even the Giant Swing was running both pendulum arms!!
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OK, our last minute trip fell into place, and we were able to get to the City on the 28th!
The beginning to the trip was kinda rocky, though, so bear with me. We left home near Rolla about 5:25 (try as I might, I couldn’t get out the office early). We were taking our first trip in a new(to us) vehicle, so I was a little nervous about it, but we had no problems on the way down. We stopped and ate at HuHot in Springfield.
Since the trip was unplanned and organized so late, we couldn’t get a room at the Homestay, so I told my wife to call the new number for Notch Inn. Their prices had gone up a bit, but I saw that as a good sign (i.e. they were not trying to be so cheap as to not be able to improve the property).
We arrived at notch a little after 9:00 to find the new owner standing outside the office telling us they had only partial electricity and no water. Branson West had lost a transformer and dropped one of their phases. The east side pumps were down and the power was in and out. The utility guys said it should be fixed in about an hour. Everything on that side was in much the same fix.
Figuring it best to stick it out rather than drive all over to MAYBE find a room, we checked in. Then the rest of the power went out.
My older boy and I drove into Walmart in Branson West—that side of the town was OK—and bought a cheap cooler, some water and soda and ice, a pair of flashlights, and a pack of camping Biowipes in case we had no water in the morning. When we got back, everything around was still black, so we brought in the gear and prepared to camp in our hotel room ;-)
Thank Heaven, an hour after we lay down sweating in the beds, the power came back, and we had air and water. The showers Saturday morning sure felt good!
I’ll put the actual report on the City in another post to keep the size down.
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Despite the harrowing adventures of the night before, we were up early and hit the parking lots at 8:03, caught the first tram to the entrance, and were first in line when the very nice lady opened the chain at 8:32. Breakfast Molly’s was just as Spiffy as always.
The crowd was very small early one. Just after the opening, we enjoyed the Pickers and then did some shopping. We needed some jellies/jams, a new belt for my older boy, and a b-day present for my M-i-L (a wind chime from the Blacksmith’s shop).
We had brought along some dry clothes and left them in a locker at HH and dropped down the hill to the Frisco Barn to take advantage of the sale on water shoes—Buy One, Get One Half Off. Unfortunately, and we didn’t notice this till later, we were charged full price for all three. My wife is going to call them and suggest they remind their people about their specials ;-)
Anyhow, we had to hike back up the hill to put the street shoes in another locker. Then it was on to the water rides. My wife and younger son did AP—not too long a wait. Then my wife, my younger son, and I got on a boat at RB while my older son manned a cannon in the fort.
We grabbed lunch at the Rib House—my only regret is that we couldn’t find a way to bring the bones home to the dogs (they just wouldn’t send them to Package Pickup ;-) ).
Then we hit LROTO—by this time, the crowds were getting bigger, but the number of people was still far from overwhelming, and the line moved quite quickly. All four of us rode together for this one. Then my wife and younger son wanted to do AP again, so we trudged up thataway, stopping on the way to get frozen lemonades (the GOOD ones). The wait for AP was longer this time, so I sat down and cat-napped with my back against the fence.
After that, we went back up to HH, and they changed into dry clothes and shoes—I at least put on dry socks. (Note: the water shoes were not really good quality, I guess, because the insoles came out of all three pair.)
Then we headed for the depot and a train ride. George was our conductor—he is pretty new, it seems, as he had a little trouble with the lines, but the real news is that the Indians are back (and the Yankees are gone). The whole skit makes more sense that way. When we got back to the depot, George said, “If you enjoyed yourself, my name is George, and come back and join me for another ride. If you didn’t, my name is John, and I’ll be waiting for you at the depot.”
We left the depot and did FM—very few people in there. Then we went BACK to the depot to take George up on his offer (my younger son and I taking a side trip to the baseball cart so he could buy his teacher a present). When we got bak on the train, George looked at us and said, “Are you back already?”
I said, “You told us to come back if we enjoyed ourselves, didn’t you?”
He laughed and walked on. He got the Pottersville joke in the second time.
Then it was over to and down Cardiac Hill so my wife and younger son could do FITH.
We ate at the Lumberjack camp/Skillet. The Lumberjack skillet is the only one I will eat, and the stuff had been simmering a while, long enough for all the flavors to mingle, and it was VERY good! The waterfall makes for a cool place to sit and relax.
Then, we sadly climbed Cardiac Hill and headed out through OM 9without stopping this time) to the lot and boarded our new vehicle for the trip home. Once again, we had not problems driving, and we got home about 10:10, tired and very satisfied, looking forward to the next time!
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sounds like a FULL day, congrats on making the trip..
tough break about the hotel, but sounds like you survived..
I will add a reminder that Homestay also purchased Econo lodge in branson, although it is not on the west side of town,. It is on Green Mountain drive and is a short 3 or 4 minute drive to the west side,,,, Econo Lodge also honors our SDCFan discount... A couple of our members have tried thme out and are happy with them,,, (just a reminder)
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Good review, Palallin! Sorry to hear about the motel troubles. How did the new coaster look? Any pictures?
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I wish I could post a SDC review... but I haven't had the chance to get down there :(
But I'll be at *shudder* Six Flags tomorrow with my best friend; our last little get-together before he leaves for school in 5 days.
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great review palallin!
the wife & i will be at SDC for our 2nd trip there this year on thurs. & fri. its part of my vacation, but we have decided no cameras this year, we's gunna relax & try alil' night time stuff at the park. in all my years i have never been at the park past 6-7 pm, should be interesting. exspect a review sat. or sun. sometime.. see ya later!! 8)
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Have a great time, HowDo! You know, I find that that I spend most of my time taking photos and not enough time really enjoying myself. The last few times I've taken my phone only, and if there is something I really need to photograph, I go back the next day if possible.
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Good review, Palallin! Sorry to hear about the motel troubles. How did the new coaster look? Any pictures?
Thanks!
No pics; sorry. We went to do water rides, and water and digicams just don't mix ;-)
It was a lot further along than in May, of course. I forgot to mention that George told us the big ANNOUNCEMENT is cominG August 9th, and they have signs plastered all over the park AND the new coaster itself for <silverdollarcity2013.com>, all referring to a Western theme for the coming year, so I guess that is somehow connected to the coaster. some of the rises, dips, drops, and turns are tighter and more extreme than any other coaster I've seen, so coaster junKies ought to be happy.
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This isn't really an SDC Trip Review, but today at Six Flags: As we were entering the park, my buddy, Robby said, "I know this place like you know Silver Dollar City." And I said, "Good! Now it's YOUR turn to be 'The Map'!"
As we were making our full circle of rides, he insisted we go on the River King Mine Train. While we were standing in line, he said, "You should feel at home in here!" (he was referring to TNT... :) )
And the train whistle really did have me feeling homesick...
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DH and I are taking my brother to the City tomorrow since he is home on leave. Little bro hasn't been in about 7 years, so this should be fun. Plus, it's shaping up to be a beautiful day tomorrow. I'll pass along his thoughts (but I assume they will be good). :)
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Ok.... Thurs. we got the park about 6pm, rode TNT & FM with no wait what so ever. We were standing in line for PK & they had to shut it down because of lighting & a light rain. So, we sat for awhile, walked for awhile, got something to snack on. Headed back up to the HH to look around. The wait on the weather was about 2 hours, so we went & rode FITH, & our luck changed! ;D Walked over to RB & had a total blast getting people wet with the guns!! :D They got us back too, defantly the funnist part of the weekend!! Rode TNT in the dark, that was cool!! :o Watched people dance on the square, it was neat. All types of visitors were dancing with the citizens side by side, very pleasant to watch. Then we left about 9:15. It was the better of the 2 days we were there.
Fri., lots of weird things happened this day. Over heard the conducter of the train saying that the last 2 weeks, alot of just unusual things have been happening.. Fri. morning we were at the ropes for opening, but no opening ceremony. ??? It was raining for about 15 minutes before rope drop. On the way down the left side of the park, ( not cardiac hill ) my wife had on flip-flops & she slipped twice & fell once! :( Tore a toe-nail & scrapped her knee, she is ok though. I made a new rule for SDC when its raining, no flip-flops!! Anyways.... PK was closed for maintence. Rode WF. Then we went looking for other footwear for the wife to wear & realized we forgot to get $$$$. Never found any footwear, but atleast it stopped raining. Rode FITH - PK - AP. Went to ride the train & found out they had a water main break for the train, so we didnt get to ride. Went to go ride LR & noticed some manteince guys standing by a tree that was leaned way over & had straps & chains on it. It was 1pm & the crowds were getting bigger & it started getting humid, so we called it a day.
Other notes -- We did go to the 5 & dime store, a cool indian store thats been in ol' downtown Branson for 27 years, did the Butterfly Palace, 8) went swimming for awile, went to Dannas BBQ, & ofcourse hit some antique stores. Drove thru Homestay Inns parking lot just to see where its at, ;) while munchin' on ice-cream!
We had a ok trip. I think next time we should wait till school starts back up. We had no real plan, just let things go as they came along. It was still fun, we did things we have never done before, & thats always satisfying. Thanks for the memories again SDC!! :)
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How-do............. sound like a great trip..
everybody should expierence the 5 & 10 store at least once.
Sorry to hear about the wife injuries :( Glad they were not too bad :)
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I love Danna's How Do! My dad was talking about it at dinner tonight, good food.
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Got to the park right at 10am rope drop. We had to park on what I call "D" lot, the lot across old Indian Point Road from Stop 2 on the tram route. Busy on park, but still easy to get around. Temps until mid-day were so pleasant, that getting wet on RiverBlast left us cold. First trip for one of my grandsons today, so he wanted to ride train, Flooded Mine, hit Grand Exposition to ride the rides and play games. When we rode the train I was absolutely blown away with the progress on the new coaster. Last time I was on park was in May, and in the last three months what they have done knocked my socks off. This will be a ride that all fans will LOVE. Grandson is 10, and it surprised me that he wanted to go into Sullivan's Mill and watch the miller grind corn. He wanted to see it all, from shelled corn to the meal being put in bags. So we stayed and watched and Franklin Capps the miller answered his questions. Later in the day grandson was fascinated by the guy at the blacksmith shop who was making knifes out of railroad spikes, so we watched that for a half hour. Was glad to see he had an interest in some of the crafts. Was also surprised he wanted to go into many of the shops...and he looked at everything he could. He was really fascinated with the paintings by the artist who puts Christian symbols in the art, so he had the shop lady explain three of the paintings to him, and she showed him where all the Christian symbols were in the paintings. He loved that. He also loved the magic show and the magic shop. Left the parking lot about 4:45pm and headed home. I was wiped out. Grandson loved Geyser Gulch, too, and we spent much time there shooting the foam balls and the water cannons. He loved RiverBlast, and shooting water cannons at other people. I am just too tired to get photos ready for posting tonight, so I will try to do them for ya'll tomorrow if I have the energy. By the way...GET TO THE PARK AND CHECK OUT THE NEW COASTER...you will not believe how fantastic it's gonna be! :D
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WOW!!! Junior sounds like a beautiful day, grats to you and the SDC'r in yur family!!!
Glad you had a good day.
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Sounds great Junior! The Mrs. and I will be going to SDC tomorrow AND Sunday with a group of friends, and I can't wait to see the progress on OR. Haven't been to SDC since last year, so we're excited to finally get to go! We'll also be camping at The Wilderness Campground Saturday night, so it would be a fun little get-away. ;D
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UPDATE: Photos of the August 17th trip now posted. Five shots of the new rollercoaster. Photos do not do OUTLAW RUN any justice, you have got to see this monster in person...and you're gonna love it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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UPDATE: Photos of the August 17th trip now posted. Five shots of the new rollercoaster. Photos do not do OUTLAW RUN any justice, you have got to see this monster in person...and you're gonna love it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
Oh my goodness! I'm getting more and more excited for Outlaw Run!!
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Wow, Junior!
We're the same age, and I have no grandchildren in sight, but you've got a 10yo grandson! Heck, my youngest child won't be 10 until November!
We're in the process of a major move across country, so we definitely won't be at the City this year, but we'll have to plan a visit for our summer vacation and trip home to Arkansas next summer, when we'll get to ride this beast!
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You might say I'm lazy. I married a woman that already had children! I went from being a bachelor to a husband, to a stepfather, to a grandfather in less than three years. The current count on grandkids is 10. Both daughters say they have called it quits. We'll see. Stranger things have happened. :)
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My work schedule lately has been very hectic and I have been unable to get away. Then came this past weekend. I worked for a few hours on Saturday and headed up to Branson for the night.
We stayed with Page at the homestay as the dog likes it there and knows her way around, she is very comfortable there and seems to know the staff, I appreciate all they do for us and if you haven’t tried them out I suggest you do so.
We went out to Freddys in the early evening for some chili cheese fries, not sure if you are familiar but they are across the street from TJMaxx and the CCF are killer. We shopped a little and hit the Tanger malls as well. That Saturday night we went to the IT show, it was a large cast and they really do their best to put on a great show but I think I was not the demographic they were shooting for.
After the show we ran back to the room and grabbed the dawg and we all went out for a slice of pizza at Cookies and Cream and then to Andys for a buy one get one concrete. They even gave Izzy a dawg cone for free. We sat back near the go carts and she didn’t care much for the noise. After the dessert we went back to the room and dozed off till morning.
We arrived at the city right at rope drop at 10, made a b line down to PowderKeg and really enjoyed that, I must add we did not ride the train as time was short but you can see the 153 outside turn if you look behind you on the PK lift and it is really something. I am saving my next train ride for a less leafy time of year. We then went over to Wildfire and the line was out the door, we skipped it. Went over to the woodcarvers and was really happy at the selection of affordable merchandise. We stopped at the candle shop and again it seemed like they are trying to get some things in there that are a little different affordable and close to theme. Next up was the Sullivans Mill, I myself am a fan of the cinnamon bread but was not in the mood that day however when I looked in the cabinet I noticed they had mini red velvet cupcakes and also a raspberry pastry mini as well for .50 each. I could not help myself and took 1 of each. I thought this was a great addition to the bakery, they did have small size cookies as well and they were reasonably priced. I really appreciated buying just a little that we could have a few bites and not stuff oursellfs.
Next on to the candy shop there they were giving out 2 samples and we ordered a chocolate covered cherry. After a quick ride on Thunderation we met up with a friend that was getting off his shift and went to his home to visit for a bit.
The day was perfect both weather a crowd wise, the lines got long but 2 rides is enough for frequent travelers.
I must say the merchandise I saw in the few shops I was in was a definite improvement; I think the hand made large coffee mugs at the pottery shop went down a few dollars in price. That’s such a smart move, they didn’t sting as much when you looked at the price tag, I may pick one up next time I am at the city. I just need to start drinking coffee again !
I do hope they expand on the smaller portions of snacks and foods, I would love to be able to graze my way through the city and would spend more if I was able to try more without throwing away food or stuffing myself.
I am really looking forward to the fall festival.
The bad news…………………………..the Apple Dumpling place was closed again.
If I could figure out a way to post a picture I would
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"""""the Apple Dumpling place was closed again"""""
thats the trouble i have been having!!!!!!!!!!!
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Made an unexpected but pleasant trip to Branson Wed/Thurs. Wife decided it was time to get away for a night. We enjoyed a light late dinner Wednesday at IHOP, then retired for the night. Thursday we toured the Branson Centennial Museum in downtown...free, and worth a look. Had lunch on the landing at Joe's Crab Shack, then boarded the Lake Queen for a cruise. I highly reccomend the cruise, as it is pleasant, peaceful, with beautiful scenery and a captain that told jokes throughout the trip, and was funny. When you pass by the old Janet Dailey mansion on the lake, just across the lake from it is Pete Herschend's house, and it's not too shabby, either! Pete's house and the Daily mansion were both places pointed out to look at by the captain, as was the house of Bill Paxton, a noted songwriter, who lives just down the street from Pete. We toured a few of the arts and crafts places and flea markets, enjoyed some ice cream at Dairy Queen, made a visit to the new visitors center at Table Rock (also worth the drive) and headed home. We are tired, but were glad to get away for a day or two. No trip to SDC this time. However, Branson has much more to offer and we liked doing something different.
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I am curious if they keep offering the samaller baked goods. The day I went was after the StJohns day and I wondered if they were left overs.
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"""""the Apple Dumpling place was closed again"""""
thats the trouble i have been having!!!!!!!!!!!
To the SDC powers that be:
Some of us need our apple dumpling fix when we come to SDC, therefore we respectfully request that one of the following measures be adopted: 1. Keep the Ozark Mountain Cookie stand that sells apple dumplings (next to FITH) open daily, year round; or 2. Sell the apple dumplings at other stands and note their location in the pathfinder; or 3. Publish the dates, when the park will be selling apple dumplings, in a public forum (this website, the times, the SDC website) so we can plan our visits accordingly.
Respectfully submitted,
"The Apple Dumpling Gang" ;)
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Parson.... I vote yes, to all opf the above!!!!;D ;D ;D ;D
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I left Friday after my sister (Brittany) and her friend (Kylee) got out of school, then we had to go to Kylee's house for her to get her stuff and we ended up leaving town around 5pm because we had to get gas in the car, go to the bank, all that good stuff. We stopped in Rolla to eat and with all the other stops along the way, we ended up at Deer Run Motel around 8:30/8:45ish. I went into the lobby with my mom to check in. The guy working the desk had his dog with him. The dog walked up to me, licked my leg then laid on my feet :). The guy asked what are plans are while we are in town. I grinned real big and said, "Silver Dollar City!". He went to hand me a Pathfinder and I said, "Psht... I don't need that!" And he smiled like he knew exactly why I didn't need a Pathfinder and he said, "Hold on. I have something I bet you'll like." He went into the back room and came back with a Special Edition Pathfinder where the whole thing is about Outlaw Run ;D. I didn't bring my swimsuit so while Brittany and Kylee were swimming, I tried climbing the fence around the pool, ended up falling, scratching up my foot and bruising my knee. After the pool closed, we went into town and went to Andy's. We walked from Andy's to the Hollywood Wax Museum while eating our Andy's. On the way back, my sister almost got sick from her chocolate custard with extra fudge and every chocolate topping available, and Kylee was goofing off and walked into a street sign. So that was Friday! lol
I got up early Saturday morning and walked around the back of the motel to look at the hills (acutally the fog covering the hills) and breathed in the beautiful Ozark Mountain air while waiting for everyone else to get up. We got the City around 9ish, ate breakfast at Molly's then went to the candy factory and watched fudge being made. After that, we went to TNT and we pretty much walked right onto the ride. Next was the train. Kylee about died laughing at the cheesy jokes. The robbery show has changed a little bit since the last time I saw it, but it was still funny. We went to the candle shop where I got 2 candles on clearance for around $8. Brittany and Kylee were dipping candles and Brittany was sticking her fingers in the wax to but designs on her candles. She said it wasn't really hot so I went to see how hot the wax was. I didn't realized the container was as full as it was, so I ended up sticking half of my hand in hot wax. After I got all the wax off of my hand, we went to the saloon. My sister and I stood there quoting the entire show while standing in line, probably ruining it for everyone else (oh well ;)) And Kylee kept giving us weird looks. After the show, Kylee called us weird for knowing the whole show by heart. We wandered around, did some shopping, then it started raining. We ran into the pottery shop and shortly after we got in there, half of Stone County was crammed in the shop complaining about the rain. We decided we didn't hate the rain as much as we hated being hungry so we went to Wagon Works Grill where I had the most amazing chicken wrap ever. While we were eating, it stopped raining. When we were done eating, my mom and I went to hold a place in line for the Booth Brothers while Brittany, Kylee, and Dad were shopping. It started raining while we were standing in line. We finally got into Echo Hollow and got pretty good seats. It rained right up to the second the host got on stage and didn't rain a single drop the rest of the concert! We counted ourselves lucky and said, "This is never going to happen again!" The concert was probably the best one I had ever been to ;D.
The album should be public, if it's not, let me know and I'll fix it.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3718205682470.2143223.1495599105&type=3
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Well, Tiffany, I'd say you had a pretty great time! I'm glad for you! And, love the rain stories!!
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Sound like you gals had a great time. ;)
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great review & pics tiff!
i like being out in the early morning air by myself before everyone gets up too, its priceless.. :)
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I tried climbing the fence around the pool, ended up falling, scratching up my foot and bruising my knee.
A dancer's grace, this one has. ;D
Didn't you start out this season with an injury?
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I tried climbing the fence around the pool, ended up falling, scratching up my foot and bruising my knee.
A dancer's grace, this one has. ;D
Didn't you start out this season with an injury?
Haha! Yeah... but this one still allowed me to walk lol
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I tried climbing the fence around the pool, ended up falling, scratching up my foot and bruising my knee.
A dancer's grace, this one has. ;D
Didn't you start out this season with an injury?
And last year??
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I tried climbing the fence around the pool, ended up falling, scratching up my foot and bruising my knee.
A dancer's grace, this one has. ;D
Didn't you start out this season with an injury?
And last year??
I always have some sort of injury lol
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My family and I went to the city yesterday and it rained cats dogs and elephants. But the crowd level was low and I was able to meander. The working chuckwagon was pretty cool. They were giving out samples of this clear liquid that was cold and cider/clove flavor. Super good. My kiddo was celebrating his birthday and got a ribbon saying so. Everyone gave him special attention. He even got to stir the corn in the giant skillet across from buckshot annies. The ladies there were super nice to him. We didnt do much in the way of rides. We did ride the train and Outlaw Run........you have to be there to see it. Words cant describe the sheer amazing hugeness of this massive coaster. We didnt do a dinner there this time. We got a bag of pork rinds and went to Lamberts instead. Didnt stay long due to the rain. But it was still a nice time. Grandfathers mansion was leaky. It needs repairs. :( That was about it for the trip. It was a good time. Nice and cool. The decorations were amazing. Purchased a log of lye. Yes thats right a log! Will last me a year!
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A log/year?
My family and I go through two every fours months or so.
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Its just me who uses it. My kid on occasion. Maybe my math is right...... ::)
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Trams, what do you use it for? Maybe I should buy some on my next trip.
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What dont I use it for?? I have really itchy skin and it licks it. I use it when the kid gets in a mess of poison ivy. I use it for mosquito bites. Or when my kid gets hives. I have got a small chunk and smooshed it in a zip lock with some water and made it laundry detergent when needed. My hubby uses it when he goes hunting to get rid of human scent......the list goes on.
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We shower and shampoo with it every day.
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I don't use lye soap, but I do use real soap. 99% of what you see on the store shelves isn't true soap, and most of it doesn't say "soap" anywhere on the package.
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Had a good visit yestarday (sunday 23rd)..... arrived about 30 minutes before opening ceremony, trams area lookked very nice, I thought the courtyard/gazebo area looked great as well as most of the park...seemed to be more "scarecrows" than i remember all over the park.. on another notel lots of lights up for OTC already..
1st stop---Horse tricks.. very cute worth watching
2nd-Syd Masters @ the gazebo...old classic western songs... was a good show,
3rd Chris mcdaniel, bull whip and lariet rope artist...
whew!! done in the courtyad, lunch at the mine before moving on..
4th watch the dancing horse in the courtyad area....
5..headed to tom and hucks area, bought a print of Buck Taylor (newly from gunsmoke), Had him autograph, NICE guy he also has some BEUTIFEL water color painting for sale that he has done of old gunsmoke scenes...NICE, talked for a few minutes and moved on..... GOTTA keep MOVIn today!!!
6..headed ot the new stunt show,,, WOW!!! make sure you plan on seeing this at least twice..there is so much action you will miss at least 1/2 of it the 1st time through
7.. red gold courtyard, gentleman there with his rescued mustang horses.....nice
8.. kent rollins and his chuck wagon and tales.... make sure you check this out,,,, great coffee and cornbread when he is all done....
9.. to local Travis Loewen doing cowboy poetry, mildly entertianing, but worth seeing once..
10.YEP!!! back to the Stunt Show,,,,,
11..rode the train, looked at the new coaster...WOW!! really has come a lot since i have seen it about 6 weeks ago.
12.. couple of trips though flooded mine.
13.... APPLE DUMPLING TIME!!!! it was great! will be a daily snack now,!! thanks to everyone that said to try it!!
14... finished up the day with the GAC show,,,, it is a all new show, with new songs, and 2 or 3 new members in the band..If you have the chance, make sure you see it...
15... THAT's it!! had great weather, didnt notice the crowd, BUT we were on the east side primarily...Good day... NO pictures this trip.... Will be back in 2 weeks and will bring camera then...
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Thanks for the review Sanddune! More importantly, glad you finally got to have an Apple Dumpling! ;D
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Sandune...full day of activity. Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the review.
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Great review! Go-go-go!! ;)
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Trip Report from Friday
http://midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2012/SDCharvest/
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Thanks, Swoosh! Looks good.
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Nice review of your visit, Swoosh. And great pictures.
I'm sorry you didn't like the stunt show. You're right...it's not a "major stunt show". I've seen "major stunt shows" that other major parks offer, and even though they probably had ten times the budget that we had, quite frankly they leave a lot to be desired. Stunts just for the sake of stunts? Without any background or story line? Meh. I'll take SDC's version.
As for being "sub-par" for an SDC show, actually, it harkens back to the great SDC shows of the past which offered a little bit of enjoyment for everyone, and characters that people grew to know and love. Like the shows that used to be in the Courthouse/Gaslight Theater/Riverfront Playhouse, and the old Saloon shows. Sadly, the Entertainment department has gotten away from those character driven shows in favor of the larger production shows like those you're used to seeing in the Opera House. Yes, they feature good singers and dancers, but lack the "characters" which audiences grow to love. No personal touch. Shoot, they don't even stay out after the show to greet and meet the audience...how un-SDC like is that?
On the day that you were there, 49% of the people who were on park saw the stunt show...that's unheard of. It's considered good if 15% of park attendees see an Echo show, great if 20% see it. I see everyone exiting the show with smiles on their faces, laughing and talking about it, and there has not been even a hint that anyone was dissatisfied with the show. I realize that you're just being candid with your feelings about it, and that's perfectly fine. But I do hope you'll give it another chance.
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So...they really had 49% attendance at Echo Hollow? That's fantastic!! Echo Hollow is such a beautiful place. I hope it continues to pull in the larger crowds. I would hate to see that area considered for something other than theatre and music. I haven't seen the new show yet, but my interest is definitely piqued now with reviews coming in. Two more weeks to wait!! With the opening of Outlaw Run and renewed public interest in Echo Hollow (and frozen lemonade and apple dumplings), SDC "has a great future ahead of them".
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Nice review of your visit, Swoosh. And great pictures.
I'm sorry you didn't like the stunt show. You're right...it's not a "major stunt show". I've seen "major stunt shows" that other major parks offer, and even though they probably had ten times the budget that we had, quite frankly they leave a lot to be desired. Stunts just for the sake of stunts? Without any background or story line? Meh. I'll take SDC's version.
As for being "sub-par" for an SDC show, actually, it harkens back to the great SDC shows of the past which offered a little bit of enjoyment for everyone, and characters that people grew to know and love. Like the shows that used to be in the Courthouse/Gaslight Theater/Riverfront Playhouse, and the old Saloon shows. Sadly, the Entertainment department has gotten away from those character driven shows in favor of the larger production shows like those you're used to seeing in the Opera House. Yes, they feature good singers and dancers, but lack the "characters" which audiences grow to love. No personal touch. Shoot, they don't even stay out after the show to greet and meet the audience...how un-SDC like is that?
On the day that you were there, 49% of the people who were on park saw the stunt show...that's unheard of. It's considered good if 15% of park attendees see an Echo show, great if 20% see it. I see everyone exiting the show with smiles on their faces, laughing and talking about it, and there has not been even a hint that anyone was dissatisfied with the show. I realize that you're just being candid with your feelings about it, and that's perfectly fine. But I do hope you'll give it another chance.
Sorry, but the show left me wanting "SUMPTIN' MO"
Still think it's stupid that they are not doing Headin' West anymore, IMHO.
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great pics... i too am surprised at your comments swoosh,,,,,
BUT your right about wanting "sumtin mo"....as i stated earlier the skit could have easily lasted an hour or even longer,,
There's is LOTS of action and thing going on, which I watched it twice.
I realize that it is not a "branson" show,, but considering SDC and some of there other "shows", I was both impressed and pleased with the final result..
AND just FYI....I was thinking about a return trip on 27/28.....BUT SDC is closed sunday the 28th, to get ready for OTC!!!!
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Zephon: Glad to hear the powers that be have done something with a show that is somewhat like the old shows I remember from when I worked there. Could that not occur more often? Also liked your nice response to Swoosh! You are the same nice fellow from the Saloon that I remember passing on the street from time to time who always had a nice "howdy" for me!
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I guess call me jaded. The GP that attend the park are going to eat it up. Well traveled people like myself are going to bored with it. It's a decent show, but IMHO most of the stunts feel forced - the explosions at the end especially. I found the "daughter's" need to scream every time she was on stage pretty annoying.
IDK. The entertainment for this festival just seemed rather lacking when you look back at what the park has had thus far this year. I know OTC will make up for it, but IDK. This is usually one of my favorite festivals because it is more laid back.
I think what would have been better would have been a Wild Bill's style show. That would be more theme appropriate too.
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- """"I found the "daughter's" need to scream every time she was on stage pretty annoying. ''''
OHYEA!!!! forgot about the screaming!!! YEs that could be backed off a little....
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I do understand your points, Swoosh. And I'm not sore at you, or anything like that. It's my understanding that the show went through several budget cuts in the pre-production period, so the Sumptin MO that you're wanting may be lying on the cutting room floor, so to speak. And yes, the screaming is annoying. I guess I've heard it so much now that I just tune it out. On a side note, one of the stars of the show was out sick the day you were there...a cute little pig that makes a couple of appearances is a real crowd pleaser.
Thanks, Junior. Man o man...I do miss those days. I too wish they would bring some of those shows back. A whole new generation would be quite ripe for them. People enjoy the big shows we produce now but these shows lack personality, don't they. People used to not only enjoy the shows, but they loved the characters.
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It's my understanding that the show went through several budget cuts in the pre-production period.
I had heard that as well, but hearing it from you makes it even more "concrete" for me.
That's sad too because when they first announced it way back last year, they (Brad, PR/Marketing team) sounded most excited about this and the Its A Wonderful Life. Sure hope they didn't cut the budget on that as well - that's not something your really should skimp on.
I still don't understand why they didn't bring back Headin' West. It always seems to be a crowd pleaser and people line up for it ahead of time just like they do with Dickens. There was NO lines to speak of to see the Country Music singers. If anyone even went to go see them.
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Headin' West?...I don't really know, other than to say that it ran the course that was set out for it from the beginning. I think they only intended for it to run 3 or 4 seasons. As a matter of fact, Dickens Christmas Carol was only supposed to run for 3 or 5 at the most, but can you imagine the ruckus that people would raise if they dropped it? Joel has mentioned that once Jack told him the only thing he could do that would cost him his job would be to cancel DCC. That's funny.
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Headin' West?...I don't really know, other than to say that it ran the course that was set out for it from the beginning. I think they only intended for it to run 3 or 4 seasons. As a matter of fact, Dickens Christmas Carol was only supposed to run for 3 or 5 at the most, but can you imagine the ruckus that people would raise if they dropped it? Joel has mentioned that once Jack told him the only thing he could do that would cost him his job would be to cancel DCC. That's funny.
:D
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We took a part day at the city on the 30th with a non-ride loving friend and really had a good time.
The cowboy festival was nice and is it just me or did there seem to be a overabundance of gourds? Lots of gourd crafts.
The stunt show was ok, I thought it was a little disjointed and didn't really think there was much if any of a story to it.
I did sit up on the top of Echo Hollow right under the craft school, I think that's the smoking area ( I don't smoke but ended up there)
I love Echo Hollow but was unable to get back up the steps if I went down them. I have a heart issue that doesn't provide me with the energy needed. Maybe my vantage point was not the best for the show but using the outside theater is a great idea.
We did enjoy the festival for the most part, they really played the cowboy thing up this year more than any other I remember.
I didn't miss Heading West, frankly I forgot all about it being there last year till I read about it on line here. We may try to go back down this next week for the day just to see the leaves change. My last trip before Christmas. The last apple dumpling of the fall season, I think a coffee mug is calling me as welll from the potters shop. Before I left the city I did ask about the seasons pass price next year and they said they would knwo the end of this month what the price would be.
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we also sit in the smoking section the 1st time, the 2nd time I braved the stairs and we sit on the center section, lower section about 2/3 rds of the way up...really made a difference on what you see and expierence...
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Had a review all typed up and it disappeared before I could post it. >:( >:( Let me try again.
Went to the park on 9/30, a beautiful day to be there. Nice crowd but not overly crowded. Rode TNT, FM (first time ever to ride in car #1), FITH, and the train. People on the train were really impressed with the construction of Outlaw Run. Train robbery skit got off track when a woman claimed to be Alfie and Ralphie's mother. The 3 actors seemed to have problems ad-libbing. I can remember a few years ago when the actors who were in the skit could really ad-lib. Saw the stunt show and it was okay -- definitely room for improvement and I do think it has much potential.
However, the stairs are a challenge for many people.
Watched/listened to Les Gilliam and his band for part of a set. Dance floor stayed pretty full. Red Gold is a much better place for the barn dance than the Carousel Barn. Oopsie-Daisy was out on the dance floor dancing quite well with her partners. Went to see the Sons of the San Joaquin in the Opera House. Made it through 2 songs and got up and left along with several others. Don't know if the guys were sick or what but they were not in tune during either song we heard.
Saw one of the cowboy poets (really enjoyed his funny stories but not a big fan of cowboy poetry). Also went to the chuckwagon by RedGold and got a tasty sample of Mexican cornbread. Saw one of the singing cowboy poets at Boatworks -- fair. Went to the dancing horse show on the square. Way too small of an area for a horse demonstration. The handler made some comment about not expecting to have to cope with the black grass of the park (asphalt). The horse stumbled off the stool at one point.
We did look at some of the crafts as we walked around. Bought some lye soap and a frozen lemonade. Overall a very nice day.
I really miss the festival of American Music and Craftsmanship in the fall. I liked the variety of music that SDC used to have during that festival.
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Sandune I may try that this upcoming weekend, I hate to admit I have a problem with stairs, makes me feel old and I sure don't want to admit to that!.
I really miss the festival of American Music and Craftsmanship in the fall. I liked the variety of music that SDC used to have during that festival.
That was a big favorite of mine as well, the barn dance doesn't do it for me, some of the old bluesgrass and country was great fun and it was done in a not so polished fashion. Made it seem all that more real.
A few years back they also had foods from across the country with Mexican and BBQ and fried fish all laid out on the parameter of the red gold with music on the stage and a small area for dancing. I really enjoyed that. They took away the food this or maybe last year. It was a let down. I would love for that to return.
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I thought this year was the last year for Headin' West. You mean it's not there this year? :o
We are going this coming weekend. I hate to say it, but now I'm a little sad.
I guess I will watch Hercules and Paint Your Wagon now to make up for it.
I was looking forward to watching it one more time, though. :-[
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Well, here it is, my one and only trip review for 2012...
This was our first trip with the baby (11mo old) so it was a real adventure to pack items for the city like diapers, a stroller and baby food. We were in the city from Wed Oct 3rd to Sat Oct 6th. The weather on wed & thursday was amazing- perfect for strolling through the city, riding rides, shopping, checking out crafts, and the weather gave me a great chance at my first attempt at taking some "artsy" photos of the city (see flickr link below). Wed attendance would have been low except for a large number of local school groups (middle and high school aged choir groups) that really helped to fill out the city. We had the park to ourselves on thurs-sat, as thursday was a low attendance day and the weather was cold and rainy on Friday & Saturday. I was really impressed with the amount and quality of craftsmen present. We had a great chance to stop and talk to quite a few of them and many of them had lots to say to us (ok, maybe it was because attendance was low and they were bored, but we enjoyed it). Also, the park was really clean and well decorated for the Harvest Fest. Had the opportunity to watch many "in house" demonstrating craftsmen (log hewing, sorghum press, etc.). We even got to watch Violet Hensley play, which I really enjoyed because I can remember getting to watch her about 25 years ago. I thought the trick horse on the square, rescued mustangs and the demonstrating chuck wagon cooks were a nice touch and the shows they were putting on seemed to draw nice sized crowds. We watched the opening ceremonies the first day. Getting to watch about 30 Vets march in unison and put up the flag was really touching. We also had breakfast at Molly's Mill that day which was great because I'd never eaten there before and it lived up to reviews that others on this board had given it. My wife had a different skillet each of the four days and enjoyed all of them. I had the pork tenderloin (for the first time), it was pretty good, but maybe not as good as I was expecting. I think my best lunch at the city was at the Riverside Rib House, the guy serving my combo sandwich didn't know what he was doing and I ended up with enough brisket and pulled pork to make 3 sandwiches. Instead of a "half and half" it was a pile of brisket and pulled pork so big I could hardly find the bun. You won't hear any complaining out of me about that! ;D I haven't been to the city since a lot of the food price increases have taken effect and I was a little shocked at how expensive lunch was. It seemed like most all lunch entrees were $9-$10 plus a soda at $2-3, which is way up from where I remember from previous years. The quality was good though and I just had to remind myself I was on vacation. Of course we managed to find an excuse to get an apple dumpling despite our big lunches. I was surprised that the price of the buffets (the mine restaurant, molly's mill, etc.) seemed to be a pretty good value, a lunch, drink and dessert "out in the park" actually appeared to be more expensive than the buffet price.
We didn't do too many shows, but we did have a chance to see the stunt show and catch the homestead pickers a few times. I agree that the stunt show can't seem to decide if it's a musical, a comedy routine or a stunt show. I like the idea of using EH for events other than GAC and I hope they continue to expand on those type of shows- even if the stunt show wasn't a home run. We were hoping to catch some of the barn dance, but the Red Gold hall is closed for about a month as they set up for the "It's a Wonderful Life" show. We got to tour half dollar holler for the first time and I was really impressed with how well it blends into the surrounding area without being a distraction. We also rode the train and OR looks like it will be a first class ride! During our shopping I did notice one thing that really surprised me- the price of the mass produced items sold in the gift shops seems to have really gone up, but the craftsmen produced items seems to be about the same or even less than I remember. I almost bought a piece of art glass at the glass shop that was labeled as "made by SDC craftsmen." It wasn't much more expensive than other decorative items across the street in the Christmas shop (made in china) and I would have bought it if I thought it would have survived the long drive home in the station wagon. My dad and I had a memorable experience on saturday night. The weather was cold and wet (it had sleeted earlier in the day) and the park was practically deserted. Everyone else in our group went home, but my dad and I stayed behind to try to catch the 4:00 Homestead Pickers show. After the show we took one last walk thought the park and happened to drop into the Carousel barn because it had been crowded the last few times we walked by. We got to meet and talk to Lee Aaker (the child actor from Rin Tin Tin). He seemed genuinely interested in talking to us and my dad had a great time getting to meet him. We were the only ones there and it was a really neat experience. I had no idea who he was, but my dad remembered his role in specific episodes and seemed to really enjoy getting to talk to him.
All in all we had a great time to hang out with family and enjoy the events, people and environment that create the ambiance of SDC. I'd love to make it back for the Christmas fest, but making the trip with a 1 yr old was such a chore that I think it will have to wait until he is a little better in the car. I posted a few of my pictures from the city to a flickr account that you can find here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentuckyoptomist/sets/72157631754935718/
It was a great visit to the city and we really enjoyed getting to introduce our son to something that has been a tradition in my family for nearly 30 years!
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Great trip for you and yours..congrats. we were there sunday again, sat was nasty.... looks like you got a "taste" of about everything..
again, congrats on your maiden trip with the whole family :)
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GREAT pictures Kentucky! Thanks for sharing.
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Nice trip review and photos, thanks!
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Nice long review, Thanks! ;D
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Made a trip to the City today (saturday) and was met by an enormous crowd in the parking lots at 10:00 AM; an extreme and unusually large crowd swarming the place early. With us living close by and having other options in which to spend our day we decided to forsake the hordes and leave the City without ever having stepped out of our car.
We drove towards Branson from SDC and was absolutely dumdfounded by the line of cars amassed and attempting to make their way towards Indian Point Road---the line stretched all the way past Shepherd of the Hills and into Branson on past the RFD TV Theatre.
Maybe some type of unannounced corporate event happening at SDC today.
Too bad for the folks from out of town just wanting to visit the place for a day and try to have a good time; some of those people had to of spent hours just trying to get in the parking areas by noon.
Anyone have an idea why the place was so oversold today? It's not the OTC yet.
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I. don't think its War Eagle Crafts Fair related. Maybe it is, locals fleeing.
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Made a trip to the City today (saturday) and was met by an enormous crowd in the parking lots at 10:00 AM; an extreme and unusually large crowd swarming the place early. With us living close by and having other options in which to spend our day we decided to forsake the hordes and leave the City without ever having stepped out of our car.
We drove towards Branson from SDC and was absolutely dumdfounded by the line of cars amassed and attempting to make their way towards Indian Point Road---the line stretched all the way past Shepherd of the Hills and into Branson on past the RFD TV Theatre.
Maybe some type of unannounced corporate event happening at SDC today.
Too bad for the folks from out of town just wanting to visit the place for a day and try to have a good time; some of those people had to of spent hours just trying to get in the parking areas by noon.
Anyone have an idea why the place was so oversold today? It's not the OTC yet.
Have heard from other folks I know that Branson had a major increase in visitors since mid-week -- lots of motels with "no vacancy" signs on the strip, lots of folks camping at the State Park.
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I. don't think its War Eagle Crafts Fair related. Maybe it is, locals fleeing.
Howdy chittlins, the line of cars stretching from SDC to Branson was people heading west trying to get into SDC. We drove east from SDC and there was hardly another vehicle on our route.
After the aborted attempt at visiting the city, we had a quick breakfast in Branson and proceeded into Arkansas for a wonderful nature hike/walk around the Tyler Bend area of the Buffalo National River. Stopped in Harrison for lunch late afternoon and caught a movie called "Argo" at the theater in Ozark early evening.
Beautiful fall foliage right now and the movie was very good.
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Branson did have there 2nd annual hot air balloon festival sat..... the way i understood it, flew ballons early sat, and then they had evening events also....... maybe spectators went to the city during the day?
I also know Marty Stuart was at the RFD for fri-sat nites only...??
I know i looked at the wbcams friday nite-sat-sat nite and it was bumper to bumper EVERYWHERE!!! sure glad i was 4 hours away. ;D
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Made a trip to the City today (saturday) and was met by an enormous crowd in the parking lots at 10:00 AM; an extreme and unusually large crowd swarming the place early. With us living close by and having other options in which to spend our day we decided to forsake the hordes and leave the City without ever having stepped out of our car.
We drove towards Branson from SDC and was absolutely dumdfounded by the line of cars amassed and attempting to make their way towards Indian Point Road---the line stretched all the way past Shepherd of the Hills and into Branson on past the RFD TV Theatre.
Maybe some type of unannounced corporate event happening at SDC today.
Too bad for the folks from out of town just wanting to visit the place for a day and try to have a good time; some of those people had to of spent hours just trying to get in the parking areas by noon.
Anyone have an idea why the place was so oversold today? It's not the OTC yet.
Have heard from other folks I know that Branson had a major increase in visitors since mid-week -- lots of motels with "no vacancy" signs on the strip, lots of folks camping at the State Park.
How many schools in the area have fall break? It seemed that quite a few of the folks at Great Wolf Lodge last week where there for this. Fall breaks are typical of year around school formats. My kids go to one of the two year around elementary schools in Fayetteville. Its great because we get breaks in what's typically not peak seasons.
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I don't have a real long review but some points: 1. Yes it was crowded comparable to day after Thanksgiving. Kudos to SDC for marketing the autumn experience. 2. Apple dumpling with cinnamon ice cream is like nothing else. 3. The fall foliage is incredible and brings the city alive. 4. Outlaw Run looks amazing.
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Spot on about the crowds on Saturday! Great day in the park, but waaay too crowded! Walked, looked, and ate. More to come tomorrow! Finally home and going to bed!
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Was it crowded this weekend at SDC too?
WOF had a record setting attendance day on Saturday.
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Was it crowded? Oh, geez! Buckshot Annie's had a line all the way to Main Street! Street shows had an audience 6 people deep! Yup, it was crowded..
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Did anybody figure why so many people? besides Fall Festival and Balloon Rally in town? was there anything else going on....OR just that time of year?
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I think it was just everyone taking in the fall festival at SDC. We went and checked out the balloon deal and it was lame. My niece was even bored.
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I think it was a combination of peak fall foliage and expected warm temps. Saturday got up to 82. Shepherd of the Hills had the largest crowd I've seen in years - I would call it a "almost full house". There were also many, many buses in town.
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My wife and I like to try and figure out the trends of the crowds at places like SDC and many other places we enjoy visiting--so that we can plan around the busiest times. Wow, I've never been more incorrect in thinking the City wouldn't be all that busy this past weekend.
But, looking back I guess we've never actually visited SDC in late October as we're always hiking or camping during our free time in October. Also, we almost always visit on sundays or mid-week when we can.
I e-mailed the SDC website because I just had to know what their take was on the massive crowd saturday and they echoed what Gilligan said in the previous post:
Danny,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Attendance is very unpredictable. We did not have any corporate event scheduled for October 20. Some contributing factors for our high attendace would be very nice weather, some schools were closed for conferences and the popularity of the Harvest Festival. We are sorry you encountered such heavy traffic, but hope you will visit in the near future.
Sincerely,
Debra
Silver Dollar City Customer Service
2800 W Hwy 76
Branson, MO 65616
1-888-455-1383
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Friday the weather was cold and windy (I don't like cold and windy!), so we made the decision to go to the park Sat. instead. We try to avoid weekends, but the weatherman called for sunny, warmer weather Sat. I'm not sure if Friday would have been any better. IT WAS CRAZY CROWDED! Hubs and I got there early (real early!), waited for the park to open and headed straight to Delilah's Bakery! WHOA! BASE HIT! DANG GIANTS! Sorry, got sidetracked!!! Hubs and I usually share his fav cinnamon roll, but it was so fresh and good, I decided to risk it and get my own sticky bun instead of sharing with the hubs! YUM! Sometimes the pastries are hit and miss, but they were spot on today! We sat for about an hour watching the staff make pastries. Then the Pastry Nazi (lady with the hat and clipboard) showed up banging things around and growling at everyone. It was unfortunate that this took place in front of the public. I love Delilah's! We walked around Main Street enjoying the sights until a crowd formed to watch the guy with the trick horse. I couldn't see a thing, but he had quite a crowd! We made our customary stop at the Woodcarvers and Hubs blew his budget on tools! *sigh* The furniture shop had some remodeling. It was much easier to walk through - the aisles were free of clutter. It wasn't long before we realized that we needed to move quicker because the crowd was growing. We headed to Aunt Polly's for a last meal before it's gone. The ham, beans, and cornbread were awesome! The family next to us was commenting on how good the chicken dinners were. Sorry to see this place go! This was one of the very few "non-busy" food areas. It's also one of only two places on park that sell lactose-free ice cream so I'm doubly sad to see it go. We headed straight away to the train mostly to see the progress on OR, but the wait was too long, so we skipped it. We'll be down again Veteran's weekend for the 5K, so I'll check it out then. We walked thru "Best of MO" to check out the arts and saw Buck Taylor. Hubs was more interested in the guy that made museum replica bows. I'm wishing I would have bought a pair of moccasins. Cool exhibits in that building! The crowd was getting ever thicker, so we decided to grab a spiral potato stick thingy (that was good!) and head to Echo Hollow for the stunt show. I have mixed feelings for the show. It was definitely entertaining, but not something that I would want to see over and over again. I was really glad to see Echo Hollow so full! I hope they bring back Headin' West in a year or so. As we walked out of EH, the walkways were wall to wall people. I mentioned earlier that the line for Buck Shot Annies was clear up to Main Street. We looked at each other and decided it was time to leave! We stopped at Hospitality House to pick up a Sarsaparilla and headed out the gate. I couldn't believe the line of people waiting to get in. We left at 2:00, played mini-golf, grabbed dinner at La Hacienda (a great place, by the way), and headed to Shepherd of the Hills to see the play. All in all, we had a great time. I didn't get to take the photos that I hoped for bc. it just wasn't working out. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was as I haven't been to happy with it lately. I did have a real frozen lemonade, but missed the apple dumpling! I forgot about it until we were at the gate. Hubs offered to go find one for me, but it would have taken forever. I really do wish that the Fall Festival wasn't dominated by the cowboy theme (sorry Duelist!) I would rather watch the crafts makers and artists and listen to mountain music.
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Gilligan---- We love to eat at La Hacienda...(fajita for 2, easily feeds 3).....If you stay at Homestay, you also get a `10% discount there,,
sounds like you had a full day, even with the crowd.
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Gilligan---- We love to eat at La Hacienda...(fajita for 2, easily feeds 3).....If you stay at Homestay, you also get a `10% discount there,,
sounds like you had a full day, even with the crowd.
Sand, you are right! I've said for a long time that La Hacienda is the hidden jewel of the Ozarks! While we were there, the trick horse guy came in and was recognized by quite a few people. He spent time talking with each group that waved to him. We were impressed by his kindness. I would definitely stay at Homestay if I didn't have my own condo. I send everyone to Homestay that asks me about a place to stay.
I can't wait for the 5K! Any day at the City is a great day!
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Hello, SDC Fans!
Our family was at the park on Saturday (10/20/12) & Sunday (10/21/12). As others have mentioned, the park was absolutely packed on Saturday. The crowds were considerably less on Sunday.
We had a really good weekend. Our girls loved the trick horses. Our six year old now thinks she is "Pastor" and does all the tricks herself. :) Perfect weather, lots of great music and food. The lines for the rides weren't too long. All in all, it was a great time at SDC.
A few things were a little disappointing on this trip... First, Red Gold Hall was not open. I remember from years past that the wild mustangs were in Red Gold Hall, along with some trick riders. This year, the mustangs were in a small corral. Honestly, we were disappointed with the Stunt Show. Too much screaming by the mayor's daughter (it really became annoying), and too much fighting for our tastes. We missed "Headin' West" too. It's a shame the The Opera House isn't being utilized for an impressive production this year.
We're already looking forward to our next visit in 2013!
-Tim
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Having gotten away from home Friday later than hoped and having indulged my wife in some shopping in Springfield, she and I got to the city much later on Friday than hoped, about quarter to 6. Essentially, we walked down to Echo Hollow and watched GAC for the first time. The show was not crowded—cool weather must have taken its toll—but the audience was lively enough (probably to keep warm). I’m not much of a fan of what passes for country music these days, so I considered the show to be so-so. ‘WAY too much hip-hop influence. I was delighted to see the band had a steel guitar. The piano player was quite impressive but out of his genre. It was a good way to spend an evening, but I won’t repeat it until and unless the show changes significantly.
After the show, as we walked up to the HH, we passed a crew on a cherry picker getting the lights on the Blue Tree—Boy, did it stick out! We grabbed supper at IHOP and arrived at the Homestay to find Paige in a great mood and VERY helpful, as always. When the list is made of Branson’s best values and most valuable people, Homestay and Paige MUST be at the top.
My wife didn’t set her alarm right, so we slept in a little Saturday morning, which meant we got to HH about 9:00, and the line for Molly’s stretched back to the Gazebo, so we went back down to eat at Eva & Delilah’s. I missed the buffet, but pastries just don’t get any better!
We made it to the square for the opening—the changes in characters were surprising—grabbed some fruit preserves at the apple House, and caught the Pickers. My wife asked them to do “Lorena,” which they hadn’t done for a long time, and we were pleased that they indulged her. Right after, we went to Violet Hensley’s booth, and we talked with her and her daughter for a good half hour. My wife dabbles at the fiddle, and she was just blown away by the grand old gal (96 Sunday!). We missed her the previous years, so finally getting to talk with her was a REAL treat.
After that, we bought a new log of lye soap (as we were getting low at home) and went to the leather shop. They had some vests on sale, and my wife made me get one (it will probably go in the closet to become a Christmas present for me). $23 w/tax!
Then we went to the Carousel Barn/Cowboy Emporium, and we met and talked with Buck Taylor. I told him I’ve liked his work since “Gunsmoke,” and he pointed at my hat and asked me about it. When I told him what unit I re-enacted with and that I really liked him as Col. Gamble in “Gettysburg,” he told me that he felt “Gettysburg” was the most significant film he’d been in, that he enjoyed it immensely, and that there is talk that “Last Full Measure” is finally going to get made and that he really wants to be in it. I just wish we could have afforded some of his prints. Excellent work! The man has many talents.
We walked around the riverfront and back up to the depot to catch the train. On the way, we got a couple of frozen drinks—lemonade for me and strawberry for her, the GOOD stuff. The line for the train was along the fence up by Bear Holler, but we only waited one round as they were running four cars. The trip seemed a bit rushed, but the skit went well. As usual, we did FM right after the train, and it was becoming obvious that attendance was UP. The line was out to the bridge.
She then went to the HH to get a new pin to trade with—she got a neat Thanksgiving pin with dangling leaves, and she also traded for an employee pin. FM right after the train, and it was becoming obvious that attendance was UP.
We went straight to see the Stunt Show. My take on it differs a bit from many expressed here, for I didn’t go into it expecting much stuntwork. What I saw was a narrative drama—a play—that included some comic relief and some stunt work. Other than being a bit short and therefore needing either some work on the flow of the plot or more time for it to unfold, the show was quite good. I think the problem is that people are expecting stunts and not getting them, so the fault lies in the advertising, not the show. We were quite pleased, and we enjoyed talking with the players afterwards. One highlight of those conversations, was watching “Professor Guano” try to explain his Irish to a lady visiting from Ireland ;-)
After the show, we spent some time just walking around and enjoying the fall colors and looking at some crafters. At 3:00, my wife up to trade at the HH, got another neat pin, and then bought a replacement new one. We then caught Chris McDaniel at the Gazebo and enjoyed his show. The kids he pulled on stage actually did very well—good on him for doing so!
We decided on a late train ride, and again had to wait only one time. My wife had to duck into Becca’s on the way. Then it was up to buy some Taffy and out the OM (chatting with the Cedar Creek Dulcimer people on the way). We waited longer for a tram than for the train (either time).
General Impressions: This was our only time at Harvest Fest this year, and I agree that the decorations were first rate (the encroachment of the Christmas lights and wreaths notwithstanding). The weather was Great, and the trees were just beautiful. The local critter population was out in force. I really enjoyed the walk out of the park Friday night—very few Christmas lights—just the door lamps and a few street lamps around the buildings. Once again, I could wish for an opportunity to stay the night in the park—at least late—without all the commotion and lighting of the Midnight Madness or the OTC fests. Just the quiet, subdued Ozarks nighttime!
A very sad note: just north of the Ozark Mountain Highroad on 65, there was a serious accident just a few minutes before we got on the highway. A church van (there were MANY there Saturday) had bounced off the concrete divider and spun around to end up in the ditch on the right up against some rocks and facing the traffic. The van was in pretty bad shape, and there must have been 8 ambulances there, not counting the other emergency vehicles. Our family’s prayers for the victims (about whom I have been able to learn nothing) continue. Be careful on those roads, folks! (One positive point: the drivers on the highway kept the rubbernecking to a minimum, and they were VERY generous about letting traffic merge, a decided change from what I normally see).
Well, that’s it till OTC!
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Palillin, sounds like a great trip..
Dont look for GAC show to change for 2 or 3 years, This is a new show now, so as we all know there want be any changes for a while..
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Then we went to the Carousel Barn/Cowboy Emporium, and we met and talked with Buck Taylor. I told him I’ve liked his work since “Gunsmoke,” and he pointed at my hat and asked me about it. When I told him what unit I re-enacted with and that I really liked him as Col. Gamble in “Gettysburg,” he told me that he felt “Gettysburg” was the most significant film he’d been in, that he enjoyed it immensely, and that there is talk that “Last Full Measure” is finally going to get made and that he really wants to be in it. I just wish we could have afforded some of his prints. Excellent work! The man has many talents.
See I knew that hat is special! Seriously, when you are ready to get another I'll be happy to take the one you have off your hands! ;) Happy to hear you had a great time and it was great to have you all here with us again. See you soon! ;D
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Last Saturday, the wife and I and my 23 Y.O. stepdaughter made it down to SDC. Got there around 9:30. Talked to Violet Hensley and her daughter for a long time, then went down went to the saloon show. Then continued down the Hill and rode FiTH. went over to ride the train but the lines were ridiculous. Rode the mine ride (even had to wait 15 minutes for that) Wife and daughter did a lot of shopping. Got cookie cutters and stuff from the candleshop. Ate at the mine for lunch. I thought it was excellent but I was full after one plate. The afternoon consisted of riding the swings in GE (Joely's favorite) followed by LROTO which had no line at all. Rode twice without getting out, then on to TAHRB. At this time thoroughly soaked, went back to Homestay. Had a great trip!
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Did nobody from this comunity go down this weekend?
I am looking forward to some reports on the new show.
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Yup, same here! How is "It's a Wonerful Life," and the rest of the Christmas celebration?
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Went last night. Saw Living Nativity and Its a wonderful life. I'm not one that is big on shows so they were ok for me. I would much rather have been riding rides. The only thing about the new show, Wonderful Life, in order to see it you really have to be there about an hour before show time. It fills up almost immediately and people were almost fighting for seats. Next time I'll be on the rides.
On another note, saw Pete Herschend just walking around the park with a couple kiddos.
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nothing unusual about an hour wait, i have had to wait an hour for scrooge, and headin west a number of times...
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We will be going soon and I was wondering is there any chance to ride the train? Or will I be spending what little time I have waiting in line?
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I had no trouble riding the train the 1st weekend.... good luck..
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So how is the Living Nativity this year now that it is in Riverfront Playhouse?
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Living Nativity was ok, but i don't really have anything to compare it to. I didn't see it the last couple of years. I actually expected live animals, etc., like some of the churches do around here. Did they use the same storyline last year with Gabriel telling the story? The actor that played Gabriel had a foreign accent -- some of the time we couldn't understand him at all. I don't know--just wasn't at all what I expected.
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My husband and I spent the entire day, opening to closing, at SDC on 11/16. We heard Pure Heart at the gazebo (full disclosure -- singing to tracks).
At the rope drop we headed to Red Gold Heritage Hall for the first performance of the day of "It's a Wonderful Life". There are 2 lines: one for Show Lovers pass holders and the disabled, and the other line is for everyone else. The doors opened 45 minutes before the show began for the disabled and Show Lovers. The disabled can sit in their motorized chairs on the floor and those with them can sit in a folding chair. Show Lovers are in the lowest rows of the center section. The other set of doors opened 30 minutes before the show started. We were able to get seats in the 3rd row just to the right of the Show Lovers seating, and we could see the stage very well. IAWL is a Broadway style production. (Full disclosure -- the actors/singers are singing to tracks). We thoroughly enjoyed the show and liked it better than this year's version of Dickens. You will recognize some of the songs in IAWL from other musicals and from pop music of recent years. Just don't go in expecting the show to be exactly like the movie.
IAWL got out in time for us to walk across the park and walk directly into the Opera House for the 2nd showing of Dickens. Didn't think Dickens was as good this year, maybe because some of the actors that are usually in the production are now in IAWL. (Full disclosure -- Dickens has 2 live musicians that play along with tracks).
Then we spent some time just walking around, riding rides, etc. Got some hot wassail which was much better than the last time we bought wassail about 3 years ago. Aunt Polly's restaurant has been torn down and there is construction fencing up in that area. As we walked by we heard bits and pieces of Frosty and the Cajun Christmas show.
Decided to skip the 6 pm parade and went to the saloon show. The saloon show had a 3 piece band: piano, drums, brass. Scoops McCoy who has tended bar for years was not there. Most of the people in the cast were different than the usual saloon cast (some of the regulars are in the other 2 productions). Jae McFerron who usually plays Choctaw Charlie at Christmas was not part of the cast. The show was basically the same as last year's show but it fell flat at times. The cast didn't seem in tune with each other.
After the saloon show we went to get our Christmas ornaments and season passes in the old schoolhouse by the Homestead. We had to wait in line for 45 minutes because for 30 minutes there was just 1 person selling passes and giving out the ornaments, and there were over 20 people in the line. After 20 minutes in line a guest ahead of me left and went to customer relations to get her pass and ornament. I told her to tell them the employee needed help. 10 minutes later another employee showed up to help.
We then went to the living nativity at the Riverfront Playhouse. Easier to see the presentation in this venue. There is a new set and no live animals in this production. The angel narrator/singer is one of the 2 who have been in the production the last 3 or 4 years. (Full disclosure -- the angel and Mary are singing to tracks, and the background singers are on the tracks).
We got out in time to walk to our usual spot to see the 8 pm parade. After the parade we were able to go over and get near the front of the line for the last train of the evening.
Lots of trams at the time the park closed so we didn't have to wait long to get back to our vehicle. The trams did have some problems because 2 trucks were using the tram road to get out of the park instead of driving out the designated route through the parking lot.
Other observations -- some new lights in the big tree in front of the train station and in some of the trees on the square but it seemed as though fewer trees had lights this year. And for some reason it doesn't seem like much effort was put into the lights in the Grand Exposition.
Had an enjoyable day in the park and hope to go again in December.
(This is basically the same review I posted on 1branson.com)
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Sounds like a full, productive day...
I have also noticed that the last 2 year, less trees being decorated..Thought it was me being critical, but since you noticed it also.......
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I was noticing less lights on the trees, too!
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Not only the lights but this year the plants were really kind of in shambles this summer. It was not the heat they were jumbled into smaller areas and not as spread out and definatly not tended to as well as in the past. I think the worst and most unforgivable offence was the fake flowers they used during a good part of the year. At first is was fake flowers put in planting boxes on the mill restaurant a few years back but this year they spread out. Unless you are Disney and you are depicting a fairyland and need to use oversized flowers or are decorating the inside of a ride, fake flowers stick out like sore thumbs and are offensive to the eye.
I think SDC is making a mistake cutting back on the plants in the summer and the Christmas decore as they really impact the atmosphere.
Lets hope they read this and put some effort and most importantly $ back into the decorations.
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Hubs and I were there last night and noticed the same thing. The "lushness" wasn't there with the missing plants. I thought it was just me bc hubs doesn't usually care about things like that. More later when I have free wifi. Oh, the apple dumping was great!
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. who went to the park this weekend? Any pics? How does aunt pollys look? ....
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I was there on black Friday and for a little bit on Saturday. The crowds were pretty bad, but as soon as the temperature dipped below 40 and the rides shut down the park cleared out in a hurry. Saw the homestead pickers, who were absolutely terrific as always, and I saw the Christmas Carol for the first time. Man, I was really missing out all those years I passed it up for having a huge line. I got in line just as the doors were opening, so even though the line was almost to the saloon I was easily able to get a seat because the building holds so many people that the initial line is actually quite deceiving. I didn't see It's a Wonderful Life, but the lines were a testament to how well it has been received. There's no sneaking in on the end of the line with that one this year, you have to be there half an hour early at least or the line simply gets cut off, and this is in a much bigger theatre.
I've described the Aunt Pollys site in the 2013 project thread. I was surprised at how big the cleared area is, but very little outside of the bulldozed area has been touched. It doesn't look like they're re-doing the area so much as just fitting in a huge restaurant.
I might be able to put up some photos tonight if I have time. I'm a little rushed with all the deadlines I have this week. Only three more weeks of my "hell semester".
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The wife & I attended Old Time Christmas on Friday & Saturday. Friday night was busy and COLD. We both got the Turkey Leg for Dinner, then got the Apple Dumpling for dessert. Yes, it was worth all the hype! We sat in Hannah's and ate it, while listing to the Christmas tree. We caught a performance of The Living Nativity and drank some Cider. Loved the new venue for this show. It was a great evening. Saturday morning we got to the park at 10:00 and it was nice. It was a beautiful sunny day, and much warmer than the previous Friday Night. The crowds were light in the morning, but as it got closer to sunset it picked up...big time. We were able to shop around in the morning. We had lunch at Wagon Works Grill on the square. We both got the Cheeseburger, and the fries were AMAZING! At 1:00 we watched Its A Wonderful Life. We got in line a good 45 min ahead of time, and had great seats. Its best to not compare the show to the movie; remember it is a musical after all! For dinner we ate at Marys Springhouse and ate "Aunt Polly's" fried chicken, man was it good! Shave got y'all all got up on Aunt Polly's deconstruction since he was obviously there the same time we were, so I wont go into any more detail about it. We stood in line for the Train (2 trains running). One train lost its generator, then the next train that came in broke down. So now there were NO trains running. People around us were getting irritated, but we waited & waited, because that is one of our favorite things to do at OTC. Finally they got 1 of the trains back and running and we finally got on...BUT...just as we got to the Giant Swing we stopped. We sat there for about 8 min, then it finally started back up again. Grandpa finally got to tell the story, as we snuggled up and listened in the cold, my favorite part. We ended the night by casually walking around the park, sipping Hot Chocolate (the Works of course), and watched the parade. We stood on the square and watched the tree one last time, as we headed out of the park around 9:15.
I loved that they added more of the LED icicle lights high in the trees in the square. It really looked like snow, and added one more element of magic to the area. Had a wonderful vacation, everything went perfectly the entire time.
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We (hubs and me) were in the park Wed. afternoon and again Fri. morning for the Early Bird Sale. I don't think we'll do the Fri. morning sale again. The sales weren't that great - other than the Woodcarvers ' 30% off everything! That was a great sale! This year, many of the crafters were open during the sale - that was a nice touch. Other than the WC, where the hubs scored, we purchased a cookie cutter and some Cajun sauces. I was trying to ditch the hubs so that I could get him an etched glass mug for Christmas, but it didn't work out.
We got to the park later than I hoped Wed. afternoon. We had to park in Lot 5, but the tram wait wasn't too long. Lot 5 is not good for handicapped parking - it's sloped! On the way out of the park, we had to wait five rounds to get on a tram. They kept bringing busses, and I can't climb on one yet (stupid broken knee thing). Finally, one of the workers called for a tram for us. We stood in line probably 45 min. while everyone behind us were able to head out. They really need to work the kinks out of this for disabled folks.
We splurged and ate our way thru the park this trip - something we seldom do! Started at Delilah's (warm and fresh pastries), had a campfire skillet at Lumber Camp, apple dumpling and cinnamon ice cream, turkey leg, fries, and a sausage kabob. Did I tell you we ate our way thru the park? ;D I still don't like the wassail - I tried it again, but everything else was fantastic!
Lots and lots of people in the park. Since we got there later than expected, we didn't have too much time to do all the things we wanted. I know that sounds crazy, but I wanted to be set up on the square right before sunset to capture the right light to take photos. The weather was great, the park was beautiful (but not as much as in the past), the Homestead Pickers are still the jewel of the park IMO, and we had a great time. We got lucky and walked right into "It's A Wonderful Life" while looking for the bathroom (seriously!), and watched the parade. We made a last circle thru the park and left. The line for the train was really long, and I was getting cold, so we opted out. And, yep, some of my photos turned out pretty nice. Although, I'm sure the people on the bench by us thought I was nuts - taking a photo ev. trying to find the right light. ;D
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Thanks for the reviews...glad you had fun! can someone post PICTURES!
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I'm trying, Junior, I'm trying...hope to have it finished soon.
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Thanks for the reviews...glad you had fun! can someone post PICTURES!
LOL!!! right junior!!
We are just like the Energizer Bunny,!! we just keep waiting, and waiting...........LOL!!
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Okay! We'll see if this works!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90510472@N03/
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Great reviews! And thanks for the pics! ;D
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Ahhhh, photos! Thanks!
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I was there Nov. 17.
It was my sister, mom, dad and I.
We got there about 30 min after they opened. I got a huge smile on my face the second I saw the tree! I almost cried, not kidding lol. Pure Heart was singing and there was a horse drawn carriage. We got a Walking Taco for my sister. She hardly ever eats anything and is never hungry, but the second we get to The City, she acts like she's starving to death. We wandered around and looked at the shops until we made it over to Red Gold. "Its a Wonderful Life" is REALLY good! It made me cry... I didn't like the seating though, me and my sister had to change seats several times because we're short and couldn't see. I don't like how the seats are basically straight in front of each other. There isn't much slant to the seating. After that we wandered around some more until Dickens'. My sister and dad went and saw the saloon show while my mom and I stood in line for Dickens'. We met up in The Opera House completely by accident. I promise we weren't saving seats, like the people next to us did, and made us move half way down the pew, twice, because they had a party of like 45 people (I'm exaggerating, but that's exactly what it seemed like). It made me mad because I thought you weren't supposed to save seats...? Saving for one or two people is fine, but when we find a good seat then have to move halfway across the venue so you can sit by people you're not allowed to talk to during the show anyway, not cool. My dad and sister said the saloon show was really good. They said it was funny. After Dickens', we went and got fried chicken and did some people watching. Then we wandered towards Main Street looking at the lights. We found a good spot for the parade and watched the tree lighting. Is it just me, or is the parade shorter than past years? I still smiled the entire time; my face hurt lol. After the parade, we went shopping in both gift shops on the way out then eventually made it back to the hotel.
I bought an "Its a Wonderful Life" sweatshirt and we stopped in Springfield on the way home. At least 7 people asked me if I was in that show at SDC lol. I denied it several times, but then I thought about it: maybe I could practice for when I really am in a show at SDC! Then I started telling people I was in the show lol
We all had a great time, and plan on going back for one of our friend's birthday in December. I plan on taking a friend, my sister is taking her bf and the friend who's having the birthday. We don't want the vouchers to go to waste!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4099337810535.2151400.1495599105&type=3
(album should be public, if not, let me know)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4079514234958&set=vb.1495599105&type=3&theater
(parade, if not public, let me know)
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Tiff, thanks for the photos and video...looks like a fun trip!
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Is it just me, or is the parade shorter than past years?
Thanks for the pics and the video. The kids and I watched the video of the parade. All of the floats seemed to be present. We'll see for ourselves in a few days. Thanks again.
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Great stuff Tiff, Thanks for sharing it with us all. ;D
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well, bad news kids.. no review.. we always take 465 to get to 76, so we took a right to go to homestay inn before we ate & went to SDC. this was at about 1:30pm. well, the line to SDC was all the way to the lumberjack go-cart track!! like Trams said, i have never seen it that bad. the wife was also feeling bad from that nasal-head virus bug going around, & we couldnt decide where to eat. sooo, we decided to say to heck with it. drove back to springfield, ate at rib crib, went thru a antique shop, & drove 3 hours back home.
maybe we should'a had more pateince. but i had gotten up at 2:30, & the wife got up at 4:15 on sat. morning. our pateince would have really been tested that day, & when ya see a line like that, you lose ya'r mind & pateince. we have already learned not to ever go on a sat., guess we'll just have to take a day off work just to enjoy OTC. no offense to Trams, but i'm glad to hear other people turned around & said to heck with it. i'd almost bet SDC set a record attendance that day.
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You should generally avoid SDC on Saturday. This goes for the summer when the kids are out, and includes Christmas time, too. If you can make special arrangements with work, family, and so on, go during a weekday...you will be surprised at the difference most of the time, some days in fall or early, early spring, you will almost have the place to yourself. Think about going on a rainy day, too, if you prefer shows, shopping, and food. The rain or other poor weather make the visit a bit uncomfortable, but it also tends to clear out the park.
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Terry Sanders posted on FB that they had a record crowd of 23,000 Sat. That's no fun! Hope you have another chance, How-do. I would have done the same thing.
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Jeeze how-do, sorry to hear of the big turn around. What a bummer. But the crowd was good deal for SDC, even if a pooper of a trip for us.
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I remember working a summer day on park about 79 or 80 or 81 when they had a record day of just over 20,000. Packed streets, long waits, generally miserable conditions. Whew, that was one for the record books in more than one way. :P
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Thanks for all the support ya all! I was really down on myself yesterday for leaving & driving all the way back home. Glad to see SDC had a record setting day tho'. ;D
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Those kinds of days are what makes it possible to purchase rides like "Outlaw Run"...
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We were part of the record crowd yesterday. I have never, ever, ever seen it like that. They were parking people in empty fields out past Indian Ridge and busing them in. Every road shoulder was bumper to bumper parked cars. People gave up on their buses and walked toward Notch and Indian Ridge. Here is the review of the craziness that was yesterday:
Parked by 11:50. We parked near stop 6, but didn't take the bus. The line was too long, so we just walked up. We were in the park by 2, as more than half of our party (and our free passes), were in line to get to the city. Ate lunch, which was fine. If you aren't a fan of leeks, the potato soup is definitely one to stay away from, but overall it was pretty good. Off to the bakery for Cinnamon bread, red velvet cupcakes, and cookies. Rode the train. We would have gotten on the first one, but had to wait in the depot for the rest of our party. It was a good train ride and by the time we got off the train, the people at the back of the line would be lucky to have to only wait for 2 trains before their turn. Made a quick half dollar hollar stop, then tried to find a bathroom. Couldn't get to the ones at Thunderation because there were so many people, so we headed to the Heritage Hall. The worker wouldn't let us to the bathroom because of line for "It's a Wonderful Life". Waited 30 minutes for the bathroom, then headed to the expo. They closed the measuring station at 4:40? BAD idea. Waited for 30 minutes to ride the frogs. Met with more of the party. Broke off. We waited for 15 minutes at the Kids Coaster, 15 minutes at the Regatta. Took my nephew on the teacups. Max 5 minute wait there, which was down from 30 minutes earlier in the day. Brother and sis in law went to ride Wildfire. Hour wait for that one. Got great seats for the parade. The key for the parade is to be at the start in the Grand Expo. It is so much easier to sit there.
Jingle Bell Junction was our next stop. They have a big clearance wall, which was great. That bridge between the glassblowers and candy makers really causes a huge bottleneck. At one point, the wouldn't let anyone down the hill. You had to go down the other way. It took us 30 minutes to get from the Junction to the top of the hill, where Tracy Heaston was playing his first set of the night. Normally he would play 2 times before that, but he got stuck in traffic and was late, so he missed 2 sets. Watched the tree lighting. Anna talked to the lights and the kids waved their new light up toys in time to the music. Walked back out to the car. Left the park and went to McDonald's in Branson West. The worker that helped me had been at work since 2. It was 8 pm. No one had had a break since before she got there.
All in all, it was a very good trip, but we are exhausted! lol!
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So at what point do they close the gates? I know WDW parks will shut down entries until so many leave then open back up and allow more in.
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i'm sure today was heavy as well, I'm doing yard work in shorts and just taking a break and downin' a Boulevard.
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Wow! Craziness! We are going next weekend, but we are booked at Deer Run. We won't go to SDC at Christmastime without a reservation there. Worst case scenario--walk back to motel room from SDC. We've done that one time....
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They have parked folks down around Indian Ridge for decades when the crowds are heavy. I've never seen parking along the edge of Highway 76, though. In the past, during my era working there, there were dates when employees were required to park in the Indian Ridge area, and then they would be bused in, the regular employee lots were used for guest parking. Sounds like a crazy Saturday at the park, glad I was not there!
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great review DianaGail, i would'a been mentally exhausted.. :D
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We were in the City on Friday and yesterday as well. Friday was busy, but no sweat getting in and ride wait times were minimal if at all. Living four hours from the park, I do not have dozens of trips under my belt to compare it too, but I knew something was up when we got on the road to head to the park yesterday. At about 12:15, traffic was bumper to bumper from the strip all the way to the entrance of the park. There was a relatively serious accident about a tenth of a mile from the entrance that really slowed everything, but heard from a gas station attendant late last night that traffic was backed up for miles in every direction going toward the park all day long. I have never seen that number of people in the park at once. Ride wait times still weren't terrible considering the volume of people, but I was surprised to see just once train running on WF around mid afternoon. There were two running on PK and they shut down TNT late in the afternoon to add a second as well. The queues were completely filled on all three rides by late afternoon, but never waited more than about 45 minutes. We actually wound up leaving just before the 7:00 parade last night making the trek from GE back up to the entrance of the park. The volume of people lining the paths was immense. Shoulder to shoulder and 20 deep in places. The park employees were having a terrible time trying to clear traffic along the route. You could tell their patience was wearing thin rapidly. Just way too many people and nowhere to go with them.
Got to ride the train Friday night, which is always a treat this time of year, but regretted not making a second trip during the day to catch some up close views of OR. But it was just my Mom, my wife and our son along and I couldn't persuade the little one to go a second time. Saw the Duggar family there both days. They couldn't have been nicer to the many folks who approached them to say hello, or ask for a picture. Seemed like a very normal family with very polite kids. Enjoyed sharing the lights with out little one for the first time, and loved taking him on his first real coaster ride even more. TNT was the first ride of our two-day trip Friday and we wound up riding it seven times before we said goodbye to the City last night.
All in all, a great trip. Definitely glad we experienced the record-breaking day yesterday and learned a little about what to avoid going forward.
Still downloading the 475 pics I took over the weekend, but if I wound up getting any that give a good sense of the crowds, I'll be sure to share them.
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23000 people @ the park on Saturday........
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24,900 is the record day. Saturday did not break the record.
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This would be why my friends and I went on a Friday last month, and why our next visit will be this Friday. I've been there on a Saturday during Christmas before and... yeah. Never again.
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Thanks for the review BackInTime9, cant wait to see them pictures. :o
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14,000 on sunday,,, the PTB were expecting 6500................ HMMMMMM, wonder if 75 degree weather had anything to do with it ??? ???
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We were also there on Saturday.
While we waited in traffic to get to the park, it wasn't intolerable. From the 465 intersection, paying to park and getting to a spot took 25 minutes (The exact length of Prep and Landing).
Although we parked near stop 1, we decided that it looked easier to just walk in, and we were correct. The little gate that used to be the season pass entrance (where you enter through the Ozark Marketplace) had turnstiles open with no lines, so we buzzed right through. Electric car and stroller rental was a madhouse and thankfully we have no need for either. It was about 1:45, so we decided to take a quick restroom break and head on down to get in line for Santa. We did that, and after his arrival at 2:30, we were done and had our pictures in hand by 3:10, not too bad. Went to geyser gulch to wait for the next Frosty showing (my kids should have that thing memorized but they still love it), watched Frosty at 4 while having a snack, walked through Jingle Junction, and went to the measuring station. The youngest finally got his blue armband! (That means 42inches) so we headed to TNT. We had a moderate wait, but it was worth it. Decided to check the train line; after seeing that, we just let the kids play in HDH for a while. The train line was going down the corkscrew path. I can't imagine how long that would have made the wait time. While the kids were in HDH, I snuck up to the bakery. The line was terribly slow. I wish they had a way to have a cinnamon bread line so those not getting it aren't in line not moving because no bread is ready. So after finally getting the kids a cookie, we went to FITH. The line was quite quick and the seats were dry. Grabbed a drink and a corn dog and headed for the square. The kids ate and watched the tree. It was nearing 6 so we decided to walk around a bit more. However people were lining up for the parade and apparently felt that letting people get through to get to stores may result in losing their spot, so that was short lived. We got some taffy and decided to find a parade spot of our own. We ended up on the TNT side of the long flower bed. There I witnessed a parent let their child climb on and pretend to ride the display reindeer as they took pictures and laughed. Not surprisingly the child broke some of the antlers off and no one in their party made any attempt to correct that. I nearly bit my tongue in two. The parade was okay, I don’t know that it was worth the rude shoving behavior that over took a lot of the guests, and we probably won’t make an extra effort to watch it again. After the parade we rode TNT two more times with no wait and it was an incredible closing to the trip. We got back to the car around 8. Traffic flow leaving the city was smooth and we were on the road in no time.
Most importantly the kids had an incredible time.
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We were there on Saturday also. Came through Nixa and Branson West, sounds like it was the right choice. No line till we turned off 76. Parked in lot 3 and got in the park around 1:00. It was FULL of people. Lines weren't terrible tho. Ate a chuckwagon burger and fries soon as we got in. Rode TNT 5 times (Kids loved it after dark), GS once, WF once(excellent after dark). Rode train middle of the afternoon, we got on 2nd train knowing it would be crazy at dusk (our favorite time for Granpa's story). Saw new construction on OR. Man, thats a lot of wood! As has been previously stated, the crowd around the parade was wild, shoulder to shoulder. Kids loved the parade (big Kid too)! We were standing on an empty flower bed and had a good view, near the big skillits of succotash (man that stuff was good). The icicles on the trees in the square really looks neat. Prolly our only regret was not seeing the Homestead Pickers. The little cabin fills up in a hurry. Had a good time as usual. Weather was unbeatable, a hoodie was just enough coat to stay warm. Can't wait till next year!
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Interesting that you mention the near-hostility those who are waiting for the parade can show. Full Disclaimer: our family has no interest in the parade, has never seen is, and has no intention of doing so. So when we try to get through the the crowds and get accused--out loud (very loud)--of trying to usurp their places to see it, we try to tell them we have no desire to see the parade, just want to get around or stop for a minute to get our bearings. The usual reply is a sneer and a "Hurry up!"
Not very Christmas at all--nor very Christian. If we could avoid the route, we would, but it circles around the whole city. It is one of the reasons why, despite how much I love Christmas, OTC is no higher than my 3rd favorite festival at SDC.
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Interesting that you mention the near-hostility those who are waiting for the parade can show. Full Disclaimer: our family has no interest in the parade, has never seen is, and has no intention of doing so. So when we try to get through the the crowds and get accused--out loud (very loud)--of trying to usurp their places to see it, we try to tell them we have no desire to see the parade, just want to get around or stop for a minute to get our bearings. The usual reply is a sneer and a "Hurry up!"
Not very Christmas at all--nor very Christian. If we could avoid the route, we would, but it circles around the whole city. It is one of the reasons why, despite how much I love Christmas, OTC is no higher than my 3rd favorite festival at SDC.
I should mention that a very nice mother, who was near us and had kids several years older than mine asked her children to let mine stand in front of them since they could see over my kids. But for the most part the entire park seemed in a poor mood as a result of the parade.
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What is it about a parade that brings out the worst in people? We try to avoid it as well. We saw it this year, strictly because we were already standing in line for hot chocolate. People just get so pushy when it comes to the parade. We experienced the same problem at the Magic Kingdom this past September; rude rude rude!
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When I was sitting in a wheelchair, I had a couple of kids trying to climb over me and they had parents standing right there who ignored them. We try to stay away from the parade while it's on Main Street, but we had a pretty good view from the the tables at Wagon Works this year. Another good spot is in GE - plenty of space for everyone.
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I appreciate the tip about seeing parade from GE. We'll try that spot next year. Parade was really neat tho even with the crowd. The Evangel University band was pretty awesome. Seems a lot of people are afraid to say "Merry Christmas" anymore, but I heard it a lot at SDC. Also, there was a nice Santa Claus talked to my Daughter near the homestead. Even gave her a little gift. You gotta like things like that.
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We stood right outside the Frisco Barn, on the back side of it, where we could see Red Gold. We were able to catch the parade with no one standing in front of us and got it as it began, and as soon as it passed, we walked over to Red Gold with our Show Lover's passes and got in to our showing of It's A Wonderful Life. It worked out perfectly.
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We arrived in Branson about 9:30pm Friday Night (11/30). After a quick stop at Branson Towers to pick-up our Coaster Christmas registration, we headed down the road to Homestay Inn where Paige was waiting to greet us. After visiting for a while we checked into our hotel rooms and went to bed. After eating breakfast at Homestay (love the waffles) we arrived at SDC around 9:00am. Around 9:30am we took a group picture and made our way to the Riverfront Playhouse for even more breakfast and park presentations. SDC had a wonderful spread of giant cinnamon rolls, apple turnovers, cupcakes, coffee and wassail. Yummy! We heard presentations from SDC (got to see the full Outlaw Run pov for the first time), Six Flags, Schlitterbahn, and Worlds of Fun. Received a gift bag of Outlaw Run themed merchandise from SDC, and a souvenir cup with free tickets from Schlitterbahn. Worlds of Fun and Six Flags also had give-aways. But since there were not enough for everyone (This years Coaster Christmas had a record registration of about 160) they had a drawing for those items.
After park presentations it was on to ERT the kids rode Powderkeg 3 times and Wildfire twice. This ERT was a life-saver given the crowds that would hit the park later that day. After ERT we met by FITH and exited the park to Outlaw Run. It was lunch time. They had two little buffets set up—one in what will probably become a retail area and the other in the loading zone. The buffet consisted of two different types of “skillets”, potato soup, and a new tomato soup. They had hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and bottled water for drinks. Apple dumplings were for dessert!!!! They told us to eat as much as we wanted....and we did! After we finished eating we got to walk to various places around the roller coaster. Down near the base of the lift hill we got to “make our mark” under an ACE Outlaw Run sign. We were allowed to sign the wood beams of the coaster with a sharpie marker. Though this area will never be visible by the general public, at least we know that our names are there.
After Outlaw Run we used the rest room and then went to wait for our special seating for Dickens.
The Christmas Carol was excellent as usual. After Dickens we were free to enjoy the park at our own leisure. (Originally we were supposed to watch It's a Wonderful Life next, but this was postponed to Sunday due to the size of our group).
While the kids headed over to Thunderation with grandma. Mom and Dad made a quick trip to the parking lot to deposit our free stuff in the van and pick up the stroller. Next we headed back to the Grand Exposition, so the kids could ride some rides and I could people watch, and enjoy the lights and music. While in the Expo my daughter pointed out that I was sitting across from Jim Duggar the father of the “19 Kids and Counting Family”. My wife is a big fan of the show and she got her picture taken with Jim and Michelle along with some of the kids. I sat across from them for quite a while. (When you find an open bench, you take it!). And it was nice to see how gracious all of the Duggars where when it came to taking pictures and signing autographs. They seemed to be very friendly, down to earth people. After the Grand Expo we went over to visit the one and only Terry Sanders portraying Santa's assistant “Clarence Peabody”. He was the first to tell us of how massive the crowds were that day. Next we went to ride the Flooded Mine (while the parade was going on). There was very little wait. After the flooded mine we went to see Frosty. Next back to Thunderation. After the first parade, the park slowly begins to empty out. So the kids were able to ride a few more rides. I made a stop at the candy store and bought some Pecan Brittle (Yum) and at the Taffy store for some Wildfire Taffy. Stopped at the stand on the square for some Hot Chocolate with the works, found a bench and enjoyed the lights and music while the kids finished riding rides and the women went shopping. As has already been reported, crowds exceeded 23,000 that day. But other than the crowded streets, the crowds didn't really impact us very much. Thanks in a large part to the ERT earlier that day.
Sunday we arrived at SDC around 11:00am for the Coaster Christmas behind the scenes tour of the Frisco steam train. This was really neat. We got to see the original SDC train that was once owned by Henry Ford. Found out that the “train wreck” that you see on the train ride was originally just spare parts that came with another SDC train. The highlight of this tour was the kids (both young and old) being allowed to climb up into the cab of one of the trains and ring the bell and sound the whistle. Another interesting tidbit about the train: their trains continue to burn oil instead of propane because the propane doesn't burn hot enough to generate enough steam to get the train up the steep grade in the back.
After the train we were allowed to hang around Outlaw Run a little more until they led us up to the square to await rope drop. At rope drop our family attended services at the Wilderness Church. The service was really nice. We were unable to make it to the Coaster Christmas showing of It's a Wonderful Life. So we didn't get to see that show. Hopefully next year. After service we went over and ate Dinner at the Mill (for free courtesy of Coaster Christmas). Then we split up and did our own thing. We met up to watch the parade (In addition to the Grand Expo, another good place to watch the parade is by the exit of the Flooded Mine. There is a very small strip of space between the wall and the road. There is usually no one there, and there is no way for anyone to stand in front of you, because there's barely enough room for you to stand there) I ended the day sitting on a bench on the square drinking hot chocolate with the works and watching the Christmas lights while the women shopped (sound familiar). As we were getting ready to leave the park, we saw Santa Claus walking toward the hospitality house. He looked exhausted. We wished him Merry Christmas. And to our surprise he walked over to where we were and stood and talked to us for a while (If it were me, I would have just said “Merry Christmas” and kept walking). He commented on size of the crowds and said “That's a lot of children!” Can you imagine dealing with that many children (not to mention their parents!). Anyway, it meant a lot that he came over and talked to us, even though you could tell he was very tired. All in all it was a great trip and a great visit. Thanks so much to SDC and ACE for giving us such a great discount and treating us so well. Our family has visited SDC for Christmas every year for the last 10 year. I don't know if a visit this year would have been if it weren't for Coaster Christmas and the discount at Homestay.
“And the Parson exclaimed as he left the city in sight, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
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Parson, I knew you had a full weekend but i had NO idea!! what a weekend... congrats. Now i regret not doing the coaster christmas.... maybe next year, But it wont be anything like you expierenced this year... WOW!! what a deal!
Good meeting you and your family sat evening,,,
be safe,,
Merry Christmas to you and yours..!!!
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That sounds like so much fun! Mark this down as a regret that I didnt go. Congrats on such a good trip! Memories your family will never forget :).
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Here are a few pictures. I hope this works.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4102728130568.2150876.1353910028&type=1&l=41cdc324ca (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4102728130568.2150876.1353910028&type=1&l=41cdc324ca)
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yes it worked parson, good pics..
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You met the DUGGARS!?! Super jealous!!
Great pics btw.
(and I sent you a friend request)
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I know jealousy is a bad thing...but man...that sounds awesome! No way I would have gotten out of my events here at home...but man was it a nice weekend for it!
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Sanddunerider--it was nice to meet you too. Thanks again so much for introducing us to Page and Homestay.
MissinTheGreenTrams and Rube--It was awesome, hopefully you can go next year.
Tiffany--I got your request.
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Friday the 30th we also checked in to the Homestay and had a good nights sleep to rest up for the next day.
We had decided to attend Coaster Christmas as a group of 6 and were only able to attend on Saturday but what a great time and a great deal!
We arrived at the park at 9:30 and were checked in at a table out front of the big wreath.
They gave us lanyards and coupons for entrance both days into the park and also a voucher for a meal of your choice ( no limits!)
When the event started they marched all 160 of us down to the river front playhouse for a presentation. Outside the doors under cover was a huge assortment of plate sized cinnamon rolls, apple and cherry turnovers, huge cupcakes and coffee. Please keep in mind that everything was complementary for attending guests. I figure at this point we are up to 5.50 per person for drink and huge pastry.
We filed in the auditorium and were greeted by Brad Thomas of SDC with Martha Bonner and also Lisa Rau. They were with us all day answering questions and serving us with excitement and a humbleness not to be matched. There was the presentation of Outlaw Run with the entire POV shown for the first time, both Brad and the Rocky Mountain Coaster President spoke. Then I believe it was the Schlitterbahn folks talking all about the KC park and there upcoming event for next year. Six Flags sent a representative that talked about improvements and adding a new coaster, I believe it is the boomerang we are all familiar with if we have been to many other parks. Then Worlds of Fun talked about the new Dinosaur exhibit and their improvements to the water park. Then raffle prizes were given away. I myself caught a brown Outlaw Run Shirt ( 19.00) I figure at this point I have broken even with my $25 admission.
We were told to go ride the rides ERT time for 1 hour until meeting at the exit of FITH to see the new coaster. On the way out the door each attendee received a bag from SDC and a insulated cup from Schlitterbahn. The SDC bad contained a cpl of Outlaw Run pins, 2 Coaster Christmas T shirts, a 1 lb of candy from Browns and a magnetic Outlaw Run bumper sticker for your car. The Shliterbaun cup contained a necklace to hold your money that was waterproof a brochure for the park and 2 free tickets. I value the tickets and mug at $90 and the SDC bag at 20.00+5.99+5.00+4.50=35.49.
Off we went to ride PK without wait 3 times then FITH. At this time we decided we were not going to make Wildfire in the hour so we waited to get back to see Outlaw Run. Martha and the gang from SDC showed up and took us through a small door and we walked back to the OR station where a buffet of Potato Soup and a tomato soup rolls the 3 color bean skillet and the regular succotash skillet, drinks and Apple Dumplings were served. We ate lounging in the actual station that is decorated with western lights and a safe. This meal would have cost 16.00 minimally.
We were invited to eat all we wanted and told we could roam the grounds of the new coaster and sign our names under the 153. Man that coaster is much tighter than the maps show and the action just does not stop from the top of the hill until you reach the station. I questioned the workers about throughput and they said THEY did not know, but the ride would have 2 cars both seating 24. The ride will last 87 seconds and the load time at a good clip was 30 seconds. They thought they would know around mid season what the real throughput was.
After walking all over the coaster we departed and went to ride some rides before the 2 pm special seating of Dickens. It was a great show as usual. We then walked the park until about 6 and decided to go for the Prime Rib Buffet.
When we went through the line the first of the 6 of us looked back as I was getting a piece of Prime and said “ there are no places to sit”, I said '‘well ask someone what we are supposed to do'’.
The next thing I knew there was a little employee pow-wow and we were brought to a separate dining room with 1 large square table meant for 16. The waitress said we would be served right away. I noticed the room was decorated nicely and had a TV in it, that I found to be way out of theme and that tipped me off. The waitress walked back into the room and took our drink orders with the manager of the restaurant and said “ Will the Herschends be meeting you tonight?” I explained the situation and that we were just at the park as regular guests the manager then said that we need not worry that she had worked there for many years and that if the Herschends did show she would tell them they ran out of tables and seated us in their dining room. We let her know we would be happy to move if a table opened and did not mean for a misunderstanding. They were wonderfully gracious and said we would stay right there and enjoy the quiet away from the loud dining room. That really capped off the day. We tipped very well for the service they provided, I am sure many of them do not get the tips they deserve but these ladies were great. The Prime Rib Buffet was 20.00 tip 20.00 ( our portion)
Add up the day folks, what would you pay for a day spent with the SDC PTB having them serve you and answer any questions you had, interested in what you had to say as a fan, interested in your feedback on their park. Serve your breakfast, a buffet lunch, let you roam the woods around the new ride and sign it with a sharpie. Give you loads of swag and a Prime Rib Dinner in the private dining room where Mary herself probably ate her meals.
It cost me $25
If you add it us it would run about $ 185.00
And that does not include admission to the park itself for 2 days.
Look into the ACE club and its events. I am looking ahead and planning to visit other parks with them, it's a great time with fun folks andcan'tcan’t argue the value in what they put together.
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MH, great review,
And as far as value, if I remember right dont you also have a pass and invitation to join them in april for the "grand opening" of OR,,???
Sorry i missed you this weekend, cya next time around...
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You are right Sanddune, they are emailing us passes that went with the Coaster Christmas. If we cant make it for opening day we are allowed to go in until May 21st. I was blown away by the value and the VIP treatment. I am going up this weekend but have to finds a pet room, Wishing Homestay didn't close so early.
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MH, I think Econo lodge is open this weekend, (should be their last)... Rick ( i think), has pet rooms...
I odn thave that number, but it is on wildwood street, just south of green mountain drive..
have a good trip.. I cant go back unitl the 30th!
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Every year I always anxiously await the trip reports for Coaster Christmas (typically Swoosh's but sometimes others), partially because I love to hear about how other's experienced the event, but also because I want to know that all the worrying and stressing I did was for naut. (and trust me I stress and worry about EVERYTHING) I am glad to hear everyone had a good time. SDC REALLY REALLY went out of their way to make this an exceptional event. I am sure they read this but, if anyone would like to send a personal note of thanks to the staff let me know and I can provide contact information.
I have heard some issues about ERT, about how regular park guests made it to wildfire by 11:45 or so, I don't think that particularly bothered anyone drastically, but I am really interested in hearing of any concerns people had.
Otherwise, I will let everyone know when I hear anything about the spring event! I believe there will be a room block for that event as well.
Jennifer aka "Extremeroller"
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mhguy77--You got to eat in the Herschend's private dining room!! That is so cool.
Extremeroller---This was our family's first experience with coaster christmas, and it was Awesome! You did a great job. There were a few other teenagers on Wildfire during ERT but the kids I saw there were with the Marching Band that played in the parade that night. I thought maybe SDC let them on property early because of that. They didn't really interfere with opportunities to ride Wildfire from what I could see.
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Here's our PTR from Coaster Christmas, if you weren't there, you missed out on a lot of fun
http://midwestinfoguide.com/ace/coasterchristmas/2012/
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EXCELLENT REPORT SWOOSH! Maybe next best thing to being there!?! Thanks very much! ;D
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WOW!!! Great report and as always great pictures..Lots of info.. Thanks Swoosh....
only 2 things could have been better.....
Being there,,,
Or a 4 or 5 hour video..!!!
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The sad part, that wasn't even half the photos I took.
It was hard keeping it a manageable length.
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LOL!! I am sure thats right... you always get a ton of pics....!! ;D
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Enjoyed your report, Swoosh!
We are in Branson this weekend. We came in Thurs. afternoon, so we have been in the park both Thurs. and Friday. Thurs. was actually a little busier than last night. Last night was not bad at all. We are bracing ourselves for today.
We are staying at Deer Run, so yesterday afternoon, I walked over to SDC for some "alone" time while the toddler, husband, and older DD took naps. I enjoyed shopping a little without worrying about little fingers touching everything. That was nice. I took a tram back to stop 5 at about 5:30 to get the rest of my crew.
When we arrived last night, we headed for the train. We only had to wait through one train, and two were going, so we had the shortest wait for the train ever last night. Wonderful as always.
Both nights, we watched the parade from the Grand Expo. Not a bad spot at all. We've never watched from as far in the Expo as the teacups. We sat on the stone ledge there right before it began. Plenty of room and no pushing from anyone!
We stayed in the Grand Expo a little longer while the parade madness when on down the road. We rode Frogs and such.
When it was time to leave, we avoided the crowds waiting for the parking lots and hopped our bus for Deer Run. Just a note--when the last pick-up is "closing," they mean 30 minutes after the park closes.
We are going in this morning at 11:00. I'm sure today will be a completely different experience with thousands of our closest friends. We are going to shoot for the first showing of It's a Wonderful Life. We'll see if we can manage the wait with a toddler.
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Sounds like a good visit so far... good luck today (sat)....
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Amazingly, we were able to catch It's a Wonderful Life and Dickens, and now we are taking a little rest with the toddler in the motel room.
We got in a little after opening, which today was 11:00. We headed over to the Red Gold building to check the line. It wasn't really started yet, thankfully, since the first show was at 1:00. We took the toddler over to the Grand Expo while my parents took turns watching the line. We finally got in line a little after noon. We were pretty high up, but it wasn't too bad. I really wanted to like this show, but it was just "okay" for me. I don't know that I care if I ever see it again. I guess I just didn't make the emotional connection with it as I do with Dickens.
Right after this show, we decided to see if there was a possibility of making Dickens at 2:45. We made it over there, and they were letting people trickle in a few at a time. We got in, but we were on the edge of the left side of the House. We also split up our party of five, but that was okay. I just really love this show, and it is easily my favorite part of Old Time Christmas. And yes, I still teared up when Fred sings to Scrooge--"There's a place in my heart where you've always been, for me." Good stuff!
We decided to leave after that. We'd already done the night stuff previously. There was a steady stream of cars coming in. We are in our room at Deer Run, so we have no idea what is going on down the hwy. We are going into Branson soon for dinner.
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After dinner, I went back in the park alone. An employee said that there was only 14,000 today, so it was not like last Saturday. I came back in as the parade had just been through. I did come in the back way where you come out by Brown's Candy. I roamed around a little, and then I met up with my parents. I got in a PowderKeg ride in the front seat with my daddy. PowderKeg is my current favorite; we shall see if anything changes next spring...
When we left, we easily got on a tram to Stop 5. Great job to SDC for their organization in getting everyone on the right tram/bus in a timely manner. When we got in line, there was a bus filling. We were on the next vehicle, a tram. It didn't take long at all. We walked from Stop 5 to Deer Run. We opted not to wait for the closing shuttle since we left ahead of the 2nd parade. It was a great trip. Now it's time to think about spring!
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Due to financial concerns, didn't know if my wife and I were going to make it up for OTC, but on Friday, WE DID! ;D Moderate to heavy crowds, spotty weather, with some rain. Right at closing, the temperature dropped and some moderate rain pelted down. One uncomfortable, wet ride back to the car. However, the overall trip was nice. We had two specific goals in mind: Dickens' Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. We walked right in to both places! Both shows are good. My first time in the Opera House, and I like the facility. The lights around park were wonderful as usual. Ya know that tree on Main Street they decorate in blue lights and have the melting icecicle effect lights? Well, they have done one up like that at the saloon, and another by the train depot, and a few just as you come onto park at the town square. Man, those lights look great! We ate some chicken/mixed veggies at Polk Salad Mary's...good as usual. Ate a giant roll at Eva and Delilah's, yum! Did have a chance to meet briefly with Terry Sanders and it was good to see him helping Santa. Noticed at Christmas Carol that the Ghost of Christmas Present is played by the talented gal that works in the saloon...the one pictured with our beloved Tiffany in her avitar. Also, Scrooge was played by the guy from the saloon that does the overeager young guy who wants to be in showbiz. Noticed at It's a Wonderful Life that my old work buddy, Dan Embry (who, many years ago, was the original Melvin the Chicken Thief at the old Courthouse Theater comedy/drama, and who was a Toby Show cast member with Shad at the Wilderness Settlement) played Mr. Potter and some other minor, background roles, too. So it was good to see him perform after not seeing him for over 3 decades! One bit of shocking info to pass along: Overheard an employee say that they had to shut down Flooded Mine for a short while Friday night because one of the anamatronic dummy figures CAUGHT FIRE! Some alarms sounded, the trouble was taken care of, and, as far as I know, they reopened. However, I didn't attempt to ride Flooded Mine, so I'm not sure. After park closing, my wife and I headed for Branson, ate a nice meal at Ruby Tuesday's, and then came back home. It is now after midnight, so at some point later today (Saturday) I hope to post some Christmas pictures. Lots of pretty lights, decorated Christmas trees in shops, and some shots of the two shows we saw. There is still some time left, so try to make it out for OTC! (My Christmas present this year...wife said it was OK to get a season pass for 2013, so I did! See ya at SDC next year, folks! GET READY FOR OUTLAW RUN! I asked the lady that sold me the season pass if they sold many due to the coming of the new coaster, and she said she didn't know about that, but said folks have been buying alot of season passes. Also noticed that although there were some clearance and discounted items, the discounts were not as good as last year. Most Christmas stuff we saw this same week last year was 50% off, on Friday it was marked down on average only 25%. Just a few observations from your old pal, Junior! God Bless! (Whew, I really got to get to bed!)
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sonds like a great visit so far,, glad you got to make it to OTC,,,
I am surprised to read you have never been into Opera House before.. they have so many great shows/events in that building...
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My wife and I got to spend 4 hours in the city Saturday night and enjoyed them a great deal. Parking was interesting: this was the first time we were sent down to A-West, but we didn't get there until we had gone around the loop once, not sure where to go. They could use some additional, temporary signs.
The Park was CROWDED. As our purpose was primarily Christmas shopping--season passes plus some odds and ends for a few folks--the shows weren't on the agenda. I was happy to see that the Woodcarvers' shelves were low on stock (although that really limited my selection) since that suggests sales were good this year.
We did indulge in a train ride--waited most of an hour as there was only one train in service at twilight, but the weather was quite pleasant, so the wait was no real hardship (except that I had forgotten to change into my walking shoes). The chicken at the Springhouse was pretty good.
You could tell that the citizens were tired, but they were unfailingly cheerful, and it was a pleasure to hear "Merry Christmas" everywhere.
We hope to go down again this weekend with our boys and some friends for the whole day!
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My friends and I went yesterday. We got into the park after 4pm; we parked at Stop 5.
We didn't do a whole lot. We went to see It's A Wonderful Life (which was just as great the second time around for us). We went on the Flooded Mine and through Grandfather's Mansion. Our ride convinced us to do the Marvel Cave tour, since our friend who we invited along has never been in a cave. She's an exchange student from Finland, so SDC was a cool new experience for her. She *loved* Marvel Cave.
I just wanted to give a shout-out to the young guy working the Funnel Cake stand next to the Candy Factory after 9pm last night. I was out of breath and extremely worn out from the Marvel Cave tour, so I asked if I could get the complimentary water in a larger cup, since none of the drinking fountains were working. He hesitated only a moment before obliging. There was a lady in there who I think may have been his supervisor who looked like she may not have been happy with him doing that, since obviously they have to be able to sell bottled water. But I would have just asked to refill the small cup if they'd given it to me. So I'm forever indebted to that extremely nice young man; I really needed that water.
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I visited the park LAST Friday, but did not have time to upload photos until now. Enjoy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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Junior, great shot of the saloon..
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We made it out to the park Friday and had a wonderful time. The lights are all beautiful, as expected. We didn't ride any of the rides except for the train this time (can't miss Grandpa telling the story), spending most of our time just walking around doing a little shopping, enjoying the scenery, and seeing the wonderful Christmas shows. We enjoyed the Cajuns and Frosty. The Saloon show was great although I'm still partial to the shows of yesteryear when the men were men and women were women, if you know what I mean. The Nativity show in it's new location was moving. The set was very cute but I do miss the Bethlehem city that they used to have in the Red Gold. The Christmas Carol was, as always, terrific. It's timeless and it's message of redemption tugs at my heart no matter how many times I see it. We saw the new "It's a Wonderful Life" show and it was good, but not nearly the caliber of the Christmas Carol show. I'll detail my impression of it in the other thread.
All in all, it was another great day at SDC. Is it ever not?
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Glad u had a good visit,
Welcome to the group!
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Quick review of a quick trip.
Went to the City on Sunday (23rd). Parked at stop 3. Turnstile lines were a bit jammed as it was right at 1:00. Kids and menfolk went directly to TNT. Mom and I went to the School and got our ornaments and '13 passes. Met up at HDH. Took the kids up for the Carriage ride which was quite nice. Went through Grandfathers. Rode the flooded mine and TNT again. Train was broken down, FITH line was back to nearly the saloon. Back to HDH for the kids and men while Mom and I went shopping quickly (got dri fit style tshirts for the kids for 5.00). We all met up, decided that since we had all already seen the tree and parade it was a good time to hit the road back home. So we were out of the park by 4:30. As we were leaving the turnstiles looked quite busy.
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.
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Perfect night last night laying down in bed and being able to hear the Frisco train whistle in the distance across Indian Point. Larger review to follow later.
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We didn't go to the Boy Scout free day from reaching a certain level of popcorn sale cause my Bear Scout is sick enough but I hear the rides were a no go and that's a major bummer for those that did. Kinda thought the Boy Scout Day was oddlyly placed. I seem to remember them not being during OTC before. Anyways, I've heard about some bummed out kids via facebook
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Long review, but it has to last until Spring right?Hopefully it is worth the read!
So my annual Old Time Christmas -post Christmas- celebration was reinstated this year, and it was wonderful. Last year, with a new baby, we had to skip the tradition, and since my birthday falls only one day away from Christmas, this has been also a birthday trip for me and my family for several years. We knew with out 14 month old, we could brave the weather, or at least attempt to, so that we could get one last fix of Silver Dollar City before the off season hits.
We left mid morning from St. Louis under partly cloudy skies and by the time my leg of the 4 hour drive hit arounf Ft. Leonard Wood, the cloudy skies had brought forth a light winter snow. We reached Indian Point, dropped our bags, and suited up for the 25 degree winter weather.
When we reached the park, the skies were overcast, and we were able to see the tail end of a beautiful wedding ceremony taking place. The chill in the air was cut by the music and decorations, and knowing that I was in my happy place. We slowly made our way with our bundled up kiddo to the riverfront, and on a whim decided it had just been too long since my last apple dumpling...so we sprung for one (sans ice cream as it was now about 20 degrees, and had begun to snow a bit more!). We sat behind the Toy Store next to Lake Silver and ate the steamy apple-y goodness...man was that good! My kiddo loved it as well. I am happy to be a part of the Apple Dumpling Gang once again! (Shirt design to follow soon!) The snow was now falling harder and the flaked were beginning to be about the size of hamsters. We handed off our kiddo, and made our was to see "It's a Wonderful Life" at The Red Gold Hall.
We made our way to our seats up top, and waited patiently for the show to begin. As the show began, we unfortunately had picked the wrong section to sit in, as on our aisle, right next to us, a young child must have had a bit too much Christmas Sweetness in his belly, and lost his lunch all down the risers/ stairs leading out of the theater. The majority of the show was spent with maintenance workers next to us cleaning the mess and trying not to interrupt the show. Now the show itself was made up of very talented performers attempting to stick as close to the movie as possible, whilst working in a medley of songs from everywhere from Monty Python to church choirs mainstays.
The show met my expectations, and the scenery was by far my favorite part (aside from the big joke worked in by Clarence after ther bridge scene-if you have seen it...you know what I am talking about!). Upon leaving the show, it was beginning to get dark, and the snow had continued to fall to amount to about an inch on everything. The blanket of white powder was beautiful, and really made the Bedford Falls scenery look perfect! With the parade getting ready to start, and the mass of salt being spread in mass around the park, we decided to hit up the strip for dinner. We opted for take out Soup and Salads at Olive Garden...then we could eat in privacy, and avoid the 45 min wait at the restaurant (our food took literally five minutes to get).
Day 2:
We headed to the Landing not for the shopping but for Macadoodles (macadoodles.com/) a very well stocked wine and spirits store. I know it is not for everyone, but if you want to see a HUGE selection...give it a try!
We got to the park about 2 oclock, and actually went into many of the shops, and got all of our final things that we needed for the winter hiatus. Kettle Corn, Taffy, Hot Chocolate, all the neccessities! Other than taking in the scenes, and taking pictures, we didn't do a whole lot this day, the highlight was much later in the evening. We headed to Reed's Springs Pizza Company (voted #1 Pizza in MO by USA Today) for some pizza pies. It did not dissapoint, we will be back for sure! We had a Reed's Spring Pizza (Olive Oil, Garlic, Mozz & Parm, Tomatoes) and a sausage and mushroom...Wonderful Stuff! ( http://www.reedsspringpizzaco.com/Welcome.html ).
My highlight came when I crawled into a warm bed, and as I had been hearing all weekend from the park, heard the Frisco whistle sounding over the hills and across the lake to where we were staying. It is amazing what if muffled by the leaves on the trees, cicadas, frogs, boats of the summer nights). I would spend all I have to hear that every day before bed, the feeling I had going to sleep next to my wonderful wife, and with my daughter sound asleep nearby is priceless.
Long I know...but so enjoyable!
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When did they open a MacAdoodles on the Landing?
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Not actually on the landing, but about 400 yards from it on the Belk end. It opened on Branson landing drive August 3, 2012
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Made a quick hit and run sunday the last day of the season :'(.
Park started out pretty slow, but didnt take long for people to start arriving. was cloudy and 30 or so degrees, warmed up a little as the day progressed.. A perfect winter/Christmas season kind of day :)
while waiting for park to open walked around the sguare, for some reason it just didnt look up to par, maybe because it was the last day.. but I did get my walking taco for the season :), wont get another for 10 months now,, :'(
Hit Its a wonderful life again,still impressed, but i think i enjoyed the 1st show more for some reason.. ???
after that headed down to The Living nativity, BUT on the way grabbed my last apple dumpling for the season :'(, LOL..Man it was tasty!! sure glad you all got me on that! cant believ i missed it all these years.
done there, stopped snapped several pics of the new pizza joint, see my link on the const 2013 thread..
stopped for some taffy and was out of there by 4:30, the Murder mystery show in town was having the season finale sunday afternoon and wanted to catch them too....
it was a little difficult leaving the parks this time, know it would be 3 months before i can come back, smell the smells, listen to the sounds, and just be able to relax... BUT.............!!!!
So there you have, SDC is closed for me/us for the season..... COME ON MARCH 15th!!
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Here's my final review of the season
http://midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2012/SDCchristmas/
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Great job as usual Swoosh, thanks!
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You people that were at the city last weekend, where was the Sons of Silver Dollar performing at?
Thanks..
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Boo Hoo! Was planning on taking two grand daughters to SDC for their first trips today. Got rained out. About 5 inches of rain in Benton County, AR last night and this morning. Temperatures yesterday in the 70s. Today, it's about 40 right now. There is always another time... :'(
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Junior, sorry to hear that! There's been no shortage of rain this spring. I think it's rained solid for two days at my place. I'm hoping it's over in the next two weeks before I get to Branson for fly fishing and a visit to the city. Neither one of those activities are fun in the rain!!!
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Did npt want to starta new thread for this.. But has anyone seen/found the concession stand selling the apple turnovers.... supposed to be @ the "watertower concessions"... BUT were not there 2 weeks ago,, ??? ???
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Did npt want to starta new thread for this.. But has anyone seen/found the concession stand selling the apple turnovers.... supposed to be @ the "watertower concessions"... BUT were not there 2 weeks ago,, ??? ???
Yikes! I hope they're still around.
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I checked the website again, and the Apple turnovers should be @ the "Tower Concession"... I am guessing that is the "waterworks tower" concession on Hugo Hill.. according to the map it should be in the FITH/PK area.. ???
Looks like I may make an unscheduled trip this weekend, i will be looking again...!!!! ;D
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Could this be the concession stand by the exit to FITH? I know they've had them there in the past.
They should have them at the Frisco Barn during Worldfest.
My family will be down there the first weekend in May. If you can't find them by then. Let's say you and me and my boys find Ada Mae and lock her in a room with Alfie and Ralphie until they tell us where the Apple Dumplings are. ;)
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Parson, ! thats a great idea, but that would be terrible thing to do to Ada Mae..!!
where r u staying that weekend? (( 4th&5th?))
will u be @ the city on sunday the 5th.?
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Parson, ! thats a great idea, but that would be terrible thing to do to Ada Mae..!!
where r u staying that weekend? (( 4th&5th?))
will u be @ the city on sunday the 5th.?
It would be funny to see anyway!
We are staying at Homestay.
We will be there at some point on Sunday. Not sure when just yet.
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I checked the website again, and the Apple turnovers should be @ the "Tower Concession"... I am guessing that is the "waterworks tower" concession on Hugo Hill.. according to the map it should be in the FITH/PK area.. Huh
Looks like I may make an unscheduled trip this weekend, i will be looking again...!!!! Grin
I will be at the city this weekend as well Dan. We may storm the guest services if they don't have the Apple dumplings......
I do think however they try to pass them off as a German dessert and have them in the barn with the other food.
What about shows this weekend, we have thought about going to see the Haywood's, got any recommendations for 2 on a budget?
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I'll be there Saturday with my family (bro and parents). If you see me, say "hi" -- probably won't have much time to talk though as we have a tight schedule as I am working on my World Fest report that day.
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Swoosh I will miss you buy a day. I usually go to Springfield on Saturday and run around Branson, then the city on Sunday.
That's luck for ya. Maybe later in the year. I will be watching for your report.
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Made a short Friday/Saturday trip to Branson. Did not have SDC time this go around. Here are a few impressions of the trip: Rained on and off the entire time. Riverboat Motel completely gone now. Ozarkland Gift Shop rebuilt, it's a metal building, but they had not gotten the interior done yet and it is not open. Starvin' Marvins is open, redecorated on the outside, totally the same inside. Ate lunch buffet and it was good as usual. Branson Heights shopping center totally gone, land up for sale. Nothing new there. Town was busy, a big Christian Woman's Conference underway Saturday. Hotels with "no vacancy" signs all over. This trip was a getaway for the wife, and relatives paid our motel, so we wound up at the Best Western downtown. (Sorry to Paige) Heck, a free room is a free room. The relative paid for a suite, and it was a recently remodeled room, very comfortable, good staff there. Ate at Black Oak Grill at the Landing. Two thumbs up, it was fine. Sad to see the old Branson Cafe in downtown has bit the dust and is now closed. This was a shocker to both my wife and I. That cafe has been there since probably the 40's or 50's. Sad to say goodbye to that old friend. We spent alot of time rambling around the crafts malls and the Landing. Also walked through Imax. Walked through Dickenson's Gift Shop on the strip, They changed ownership, and have converted the metal "garage" area that used to house merchandise to a flea market. The interior shop is about the same, but seems like alot of the same ole crap nobody is buying...just like several of the crafts malls. Was impressed this trip with Branson Mills, several craftspeople manned shops and an older guy sang to a small crowd of grey hairs, pleasant. Also found a big rack of Ozarks Mountaineer Magazines on sale in Branson Mills and at Engler Block for $1 each. If you are a fan of the Ozarks Mountaineer, better get by these places soon, as the magazine is OUT OF BUSINESS after 60 years, and if you want copies, better get 'em while they last. Also, had a nice chat with a lady in Engler's Block, and she said although Pete is gone, his shop lives on. His business partner, a woman, was trained by Pete, and will keep the shop open and will have a supply of Pete Engler woodcarvings for some time to come. She will take up the reins and continue Pete's Christmas ornament tradition starting this year. No photos, but I did post brochures for Engler Block and for the Yee Haw Show, the tribute show to the Hee Haw TV Show. Check 'em out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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Checked into the Homestay on Friday and went tto see the sights of Springfield Saturday. Had a great time. Saturday night we ran around Branson and did a little shopping. Had a fun time even in the cold rain.
Sunday we got up Sunday wore some light coats and headed to the city. We stood in line at the chain and waited till the the bulls started running for Outlaw Run. I would say it took 10 min to get on the ride and when we pulled back into the station the entire line had filled. I give the coaster an A plus. A lot is packed into the 1 min ride.
We went over to PK and waited for 30-40 min until we were 2nd from getting on and they announced that they would be putting another train on. Not sure if you realize this is a 25 min exercise. I could not help but turn to the ride op and ask why they waited till 10 am to put on a 3rd train. Being that I was told by the man at OR that they had 11000 people there on Saturday in the rain why they would wait until an hour after the park had opened to add another train. All I could think of was that the nobody had checked the weather to see that it was to be sunny and 72. Unfortunately I found out that Wildfire opted to maintain 1 train. This wait took 1 hour. I see no reason for this to be the case. the weather was not a surprise. the crowds were crazy summer Saturday like and they were running far to few trains.
BTW 1 swing on the great swing as well. We ate and left. I love going to the city but obviously not staffing or running the necessary trains in not an excusable thing. I think having a 2 day park is a great thing but understaffing to the point that it takes 2 days just to do the rides is not acceptable. I look forward to going back on a Monday before school lets out, maybe then there will be a break.
BTW they pulled out all the Bradford pears on the walkway going into the park and replaced them with Chinese elms. Any ideas as to why this was necessary?
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Maybe they took out the Bradford pears because of how terribly horrible they smell when they bloom? We have a bunch of them on campus at MSU, and my goodness, it's like getting a ginormous whiff of a bag of dead fish.
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Maybe they took out the Bradford pears because of how terribly horrible they smell when they bloom? We have a bunch of them on campus at MSU, and my goodness, it's like getting a ginormous whiff of a bag of dead fish.
Bradford pears are invasive as heck, weak and prone to breakage from wind and ice. Replacing them is always best, the sooner the better.
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Not trying to stir up anything but just asking -- isn't this the 2012 trip review thread? I keep reading 2013 trip reviews and trip plans in this 2012 thread.
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Yes. This thread should be locked and all 2013 reviews should go into the 2013 thread
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heard attendence for sunday was about 10,000..