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How did the New 2.0 building look?

I caught a quick glimpse of the back of the ride entrance on my way in on 76 and it definitely looks more like a fire station, similar in a way to the tower at the entrance of the OG FITH. Everything else looks the same, as best I can remember. Still looks like a big brown warehouse from 76. Nothing has changed on the Pumpkin Plaza side.

Stopped by for a couple of hours this afternoon and caught the dog stunt show with the kiddos. The parking lot situation is pretty messy (literally...lots of gravel/mud) but getting on the tram went smoothly. We enjoyed the show and hit up some of the food trucks back in "Pumpkin Plaza." All in all it was good to be there on opening day despite the rain and cold temps. Found Red Flanders' pants, too. The reward was a sticker.

Went a few nights ago and the lights were on inside the building. Did notice what looked to be a few anchor points attached to the floor but beyond that it's all concrete floors and bare walls.

Since they completely gutted the building of anything to do with the Culinary demonstrations...

I believe I saw a post saying that the demonstration kitchen island is actually behind false walls and wasn't removed.

Everything in there looks temporary. Half of the interior space is behind a "Staff Only" door/wall that doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. If I remember correctly, the television screens are still hanging from the ceiling.

I'm interested to see whether the new home for Heartland Furnishings will be permanent. Since they completely gutted the building of anything to do with the Culinary demonstrations, is the plan to just have a furniture showroom instead of  visitors being able to watch furniture building demonstrations? It will be interesting to see.

I hope that's not the case.

I was told at the park last weekend that the plan is to rebuild, but the new building's footprint may not exactly match that of the old building. Was also told that an effort has been made to procure some belt-driven machines for demo's. Will not be exactly the same, but was told there will be demo's again.

Are they going to be transferring the name over, or will there be a new name? There haven't been any trademark applications, yet, unlike the months leading up to the MRF announcement when the three names had been filed almost 6 months prior.

Finding myself really disappointed about HHF likely being gone for good. Always enjoyed watching demonstrations at the wood shop. Was sort of a tradition to at least stop by every visit to the park.

Any idea what the space created by demolishing FITH could be used for?

We made it in this afternoon without too much of a wait. We rode a tram in from stop 2 and walked right in. However, there were people behind us in line for the turnstiles that said they waited for two hours, presumably at the walk-up health check tent. The line there was very long. Employee at the tram stop said they are limited to 9,000 on park, so it was one out, one in for a while.

We have now been on a busier Saturday and a much less busy Sunday afternoon. We saw more people without masks on the Saturday than we did on the Sunday we were there. This could be due to a larger sample size, or it could be that it's just harder to enforce when there are bigger crowds. On the Sunday afternoon visit, we actually saw an employee ask a man on his way in to the Ozark Marketplace to wear his mask all the way to his vehicle. When he said he had lost his, he was provided one from a box.

I am thinking about making a quick trip over this weekend, either going over tonight or tomorrow to check out MRF.  I am correct it my assumption they got rid of reservations for season pass holders, correct?

Correct. Not until Labor Day.

Rode MRF today. Line wasn't very long but it took a while due to them not mixing parties in boats. They basically sat one family/party to a boat, even if you were by yourself. I really liked the theming and didn't think the colors looked too harsh at all. The track system for moving the boats is pretty cool. There's an area toward the end of the station that appears to be a track on a sliding rail (think Powderkeg, in a way) to allow for loading a boat for trailblazer pass holders and then putting the boat back on the course without interrupting the flow of boats coming from the normal line. I'm totally guessing at that but that's where it appears the trailblazer line led to. The water is super clean and was bordering on lukewarm, today. As others have said, the boat moves at a faster pace than LR. The hairpin turn is fast and the boat spun for a while around the turn. When you hit the sidewall, you definitely notice it. It's quite a jolt and it really throws you around. I made the mistake of trying to look around at everything instead of keeping my head firmly against the seat back. Turns out that's pretty important. Talked to the family in front of me after the ride and they thought the same but they still enjoyed it. The lift was great. Brings you up above the fireman's landing tower and about level with the top of the Swing. Nice view. I enjoyed the water slide around to the drop and the drop itself. Fun but not enough of a drop to make your stomach flutter or anything. Kid/family friendly for sure. Didn't get super wet but I was by myself so not a lot of weight in the boat. Overall I had a good time. It's a great looking ride with some nice innovation and new technology. Love how it is integrated with the smokehouse.

We ate at Shepherd's Mill Restaurant on Sunday. Felt bad because we were the only people in the restaurant for a while. The staff were great and very accommodating, encouraging us to use the supplied hand sanitizer on the way in, and they wore masks while they took our orders and served us our food. Tables were spaced far apart and several booths were marked as reserved to keep distance between seated guests. The food was really good. They brought out rolls -- basically mini bread loaves -- before our food came out. Had the bacon-wrapped meatloaf which came with a salad/soup and two additional sides for less than $12. Thought that was a pretty good value. It's nice to have a sit-down restaurant with good food on that side of town.

Wow I opened up a whole nest of murder hornets when I started this thread, huh?  I really didn't expect it to go in this direction but was hoping for maybe innovative ideas for the City to make it more safe.

Ok I'll throw out a potentially completely implausible idea. Inspired by online ordering and curbside pick-up at most restaurants these days, how about an online/app ordering system for shops, allowing guests while visiting the park to pick from a menu in the app for the most popular shops/items and have their purchases available for package pick-up when leaving. Then you don't have to open shops to guests which would eliminate some close-quarters contact opportunities in high-traffic areas, while also generating some revenue. You could also give elderly/at-risk employees a chance to work as "pickers," fulfilling orders without direct contact with guests/coworkers.

Please know that I am sympathetic to those who have a compromised immune system and to the elderly. There are members of my family who fall into these categories. But I also think it's important that we recognize that to many, access to an income-earning job can also be a life or death issue. I think we must recognize the seriousness of this disease for some portions of our population, do what we can to protect them as best as we are able, and then allow others to decide how much risk they are willing to take. For some, I'm sure staying home feels safe and smart because they may have the means to be able to work from home or not have to work at all, and for others I'm sure it feels maddening, not just because of "freedom" and "my rights," but because being forced to stay home means not knowing how they'll be able to afford their mortgage or car payment or grocery bill this month or the next. I feel for those who are scared of this virus for good reason, just as much as I feel for those who are scared that they won't be able to meet their family's most basic needs in an uncertain future. There may very well be SDC employees who fall into that category.

That is pretty well said woodgrain.......That may well be the answer to when will you feel comfortable enough to return to SDC?   

When the emplyees do!

The employees will be forced to.

They can choose not to and face the consequences, sure. But right now, they are being forced NOT to work. Like I said earlier, I think there should be a reasonable reopening of the country/state/individual businesses that respects the dangerous nature of this virus, while also recognizing that it can be just as dangerous to the country/state/individual if we were to attempt to keep everyone shuttered in their homes for 1 to 2 years until a vaccine is widely available. The economic consequences and the subsequent effects they will have on mental health will be dangerous. I know that line of thinking may sound callous and it may sound like the rhetoric employed by folks who also say that this isn't a serious/real health threat, but that secondary catastrophe -- suicides, mental breakdowns, domestic violence, child abuse -- is very real and should be considered in how we think about this, in my opinion. It is true that reports of those things I listed above are on the rise. Sadly, mental health issues requiring hospitalization are on the rise, domestic abuse reports are on the rise, and so are child abuse cases. The consequences of not sheltering-in-place are fairly obvious, now, but unfortunately, the consequences of sheltering-in-place are also starting to reveal themselves, too, and none of them are favorable in the least.

I would love to see some legitimate links to your research ?  And at what dollar amount of salary do you value a human life /

I don't put a dollar amount on the value of human life. We are image-bearers of our Creator and all life is precious. I'd ask you why you are so resistant to the idea that all government actions have consequences. Some good and some bad. I've heard it said about this pandemic that while all of us are in the same storm, we are not in the same boat. Some are riding this out from their vacation homes on remote islands, some are stuck in downtown high-rises, some in suburban neighborhoods, and some are out on the farm. Some can work from home because of the nature of their work, and some can not. Some don't need to work and will hardly put a dent in their savings while they wait for a return to normalcy. Some are already out of work and relying on unemployment to make ends meet. Some are picking up free food in church parking lots, many who probably never thought they would have to resort to something like that. Some are protesting on the steps of their state capitol buildings -- some out of principle and some out of necessity because they lost their jobs or the market for the goods they produce has collapsed due to government action. Again, I'm not saying the right response was to do nothing at all...all I'm saying is we should be honest with ourselves and each other as we contemplate the consequences of those actions. They are very real and life-impacting, as well.