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I've seen some video of Foggy Hollow, but I won't be able to see it in person.  Is there anything to it other than lights and theatrical smoke?  Also, does anyone know why Kent Rollins isn't there with his chuckwagon this year? I was going to try and make it down to see him again.    I tried some of his biscuits last year.  They were amazing.

Two of my sons and I made a quick trip down to SDC for opening day.  After a wet start, the weather cleared and we had a beautiful day. The park ended up being a lot busier than I expected, given the mid-week opening and poor weather forecast.   I don't have any numbers, and the park wasn't even close to being full, but there was a 50 minute wait for Time Traveler at one point (they were only running 1 train).  Fire in the Hole, Powderkeg, Outlaw Run had 30 minute waits at various times.  I didn't check the wait time for Mystic Rivers.  Speaking of Mystic Rivers, if you are not a fan of the "shark joke" its not going away anytime soon.  They now sell shark teeth and a Mystic River Falls shark T-shirt at the kiosk by the ride.  I bought one of the shirts.  Go shark!

I had a fun conversation with one of the train conductors.  He got a chuckle that I knew who Ichabod was.  He said the park was hopeful that they would be able to get rid of the mask requirement by the end of June.  So, here is hoping for that.  I also had a good visit with Terry Wayne Sanders.

All of the rides appeared to be open at various times of the day.  I didn't notice any shut-downs on Mystic River once it finally opened.

The lines for food weren't bad.  It was great to sample Cinnamon Bread and the SDC made frozen lemonade. 

I only had two disappointments in the trip: 1. Since the weather was bad, they didn't do an opening ceremony on opening day.  I understand why.  But it was a bummer.  2  We hadn't received our 2021 season passes yet.  So, I called customer service to see what I needed to do before we came down.  Customer service told me that my 2021 passes had been printed and would be mailed soon. But our 2020 passes were  still good until June, so I should still be able to use the 2020 pass to get into the park.  WRONG! I got to the gate and I was told my 2020 pass was no longer valid, because my new passes had already been printed.  So, I had to go back to the ticket windows and get a 2021 pass printed out. Fortunately, there wasn't a huge line.  So if you have extended your 2020 pass, and don't get your 2021 passes before you go down, you might plan on making a stop by the ticket window.

All in all it was still a fun trip down to the City. 

I know Thanksgiving weekend is crazy busy.  But how bad is the day before Thanksgiving?

My two boys (18 & 11) and I are making our first trip to Cedar Point next week. Any suggestions on things I shouldn't miss...rides, food, shows, etc.?

Thanks!

Since this is a personal announcement, I decided to post it here instead of the "General" category. But, I just got an e-mail from Parson Lee.  He's invited me to preach at one of the church services at the Wilderness Church next month!  I'm super-excited!!  This is an incredible honor for me. Plus it means an unexpected trip to SDC!  Can't Wait.  I just wanted to share with some folks who love SDC as much as I do.

A recent SDC brochure promoting "Celebrate America" states that there are "over 100 demonstrating craftsmen creating all-American treasures right before your very eyes!"

It would be interesting to see if we could list them all, if not by name then by craft.  I find it hard to believe that there are a hundred on park at any given time, but then again, there may be. I hope so!

I know this has probably been discussed on here before, but I couldn't find it.  But of the three--Flooded Mine, Fire in the Hole, and Jim Owens Float trip, which one was put in first?
Thanks.

As I mentioned in my review, one of my favorite things to do at SDC during OTC is to walk around the park and just enjoy the lights and music.  It is just so peaceful, and enjoyable soaking up the SDC Christmas spirit.  This year was a bit different though.  In Christmases past I have been accompanied on this journey by my oldest son.  This year he didn't make the trip with the family, and so I began to experience a bit of melancholy.  It is my opinion that only a child is able to experience the pure joy of Christmas.  As we get older, Christmas becomes tinged with melancholy.  Mainly because of the empty chairs we see around the Christmas table... chairs left by our loved ones who have moved on.  First it's grandparents, then aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, siblings, spouses..... On the other side of the table, the chairs of your own children, chairs once filled with such excitement and mischief, are now sometimes empty because they are off with families of their own.  I was standing over by the knife shop thinking about these things, when I began to long for the return of Jesus.  When Jesus comes back, every empty chair will be filled again, every thing lost will be restored, all of the tears wiped away.  And then the thought came to me...that's what Christmas is all about! We get it backwards when we allow this melancholy and the empty chairs around the Christmas table to rob us of the joy of the season, maybe even to dread the season.  Instead, Christmas should remind us that one day all of those empty chairs will be filled.  It is because of Christmas that we have this hope!  So if you are struggling with the season because of some loss, just remember that it is because of Christmas, that you can have the certain hope that those losses are only temporary, that they will be made up, when Jesus makes his second advent into our world.

Quote from the website
"Weather permitting, your family's favorite rides and attractions will be open during An Old Time Christmas! Enjoy Fire-In-The-Hole, Flooded Mine, Frisco Sing-Along Steam Train, Geyser Gulch, Grandfather's Mansion, Homestead Barnyard, Marvel Cave, Thunderation, The GIANT Swing, The Grand Exposition, RiverBlast, WildFire® and PowderKeg®. Click here for more information about temperature guidelines for operating each ride."

http://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/festivals/An-Old-Time-Christmas.aspx

It is interesting that "Outlaw Run" is not listed as a ride that will be "open" for OTC. Though the "Rides and Attractions" page says Outlaw Run will be open through December 30.  It is probably just a misprint.  I'm sure they re-use text from year to year and just change the dates.  But the omission of Outlaw Run from this list is certainly a glaring one.

Whaddya think?

I have 12 tickets to Schlitterbahn Kansas City that I'm not going to be able to use.  These are full one day admissions, good for any day in the 2013 operating season.  If anybody wants some of them or any of them, private message me with your address and I will mail them to you.  I'm not asking for anything in return.  Unless of course you want to trade some SDC tickets for them.

"Do you remember the emotional reveal with Albert on Undercover Boss? CBS followed up with him recently to see how life has changed for him since that episode. Tune in to CBS this Friday at 8pm ET/7pm CT for the new episode."  per Joel Manby's Facebook Page.

I was doing some reading on the Dred Scott case today.  Roger B. Taney was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when the Dred Scott case was adjudicated.  He wrote the majority opinion which declared that slaves were personal property and did not have the right to sue in federal court.  The decision also stated that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.  I also discovered that Taney County (Branson) was named after this Roger B. Taney (and hence lake Taneycomo).  It should be noted that the county was organized in 1837. Taney had been the Chief Justice for about a year.  The infamous Dred Scott decision would not be handed down until 1857, twenty years later.  I thought this was an intriguing bit of Ozark trivia.

I know this is slightly off topic.  But I would like to thank SDCFANS.com, and especially its founder shavethewhales, for taking my enjoyment of SDC to another level.

First, I'd like to thank shave for starting and maintaining this forum. Without your hard work and money, none of us would be able to enjoy this forum

Second, I'd like to thank everyone who posts about their experiences here.  My family is not able to visit SDC as often as we would like, and reading others' experiences is a way to enjoy SDC vicariously.

Third, I'd like to thank sanddunerider for setting up the great discount at Homestay Inn.  Getting such a great rate enables us to visit SDC as often as we can; and Paige is great, even though we've only stayed their a few times, she's like part of the family.

Fourth, I'd like to thank extremeroller and swoosh for telling us about Coaster Christmas.  Our family attended this year and it was great.  If it weren't for the discounts for Coaster Christmas and Homestay Inn our family probably wouldn't have been able to visit SDC this year.  Thank you so much.

THREE CHEERS FOR SDC FANS!!!!!

I love decorating our yard for Christmas.  I'm beginning to switch over to LED's.  Though they are more expensive to buy, they are much cheaper to run and easier to maintain.  But they tend to be very garish.  They don't have the warmth that the incandescent lights have. Has anyone out there in SDCFans-land experimented with LED's very much?  Can anyone recommend some brands of LED lights that are a little warmer (and where you bought them)?  Thanks for reading.

Silver Dollar City will be featured in Lifeway's 2013 Vacation Bible School Curriculum, entitled, "Colossal Coaster World, Facing Fear, Trusting God." 

http://lifewayvbs.wordpress.com/tag/silver-dollar-city/

For most of us here, SDC is a very special place.  It just has that unique "spirit" or "vibe".  It is a place where we  always feel rejuvenated after visiting.  I was wondering where are some of your other favorite "special places" where you can feel that same (or similar) spirit.  For me those places are Nauvoo, Il and the Black Hills of South Dakota.  What are some of your special places?

If anyone is looking for an inexpensive, fun, family-friendly vacation or day-trip spot in the Midwest, then I heartily recommend Nauvoo, Illinois.  Nauvoo is located about 3 hrs north of St. Louis, MO.  My family has visited there dozens of times.  Nauvoo is a type of restored 1840's village with several original homes and some living history demonstrations.  The vast majority of the sites and demonstrations are free.  Now most of the sites are owned and operated by the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), so expect a religious sales pitch (it's not overbearing, but it is there).  But if you can tolerate that it's a fun place to go. (For the record my family is  Baptist).  Nauvoo is also home to Baxter's Vineyards, Illinois oldest winery, several bed and breakfasts, and one of the best buffet's in the entire world at Hotel Nauvoo.  For more information check out my blog  www.thenauvoopioneer.blogspot.com .

No, not the ancient city, but the band "Petra".   Actually its the "Classic Petra" line-up.  August 25, 2012 at the Tri-Lakes Center.  For those of you who don't know who Petra is, they were one of the more successful bands that came out of the Jesus movement of the 1960's.  They pioneered much of what you find in contemporary worship today.

In light of our recent discussions on the declining quality of certain foods at SDC, I would like to give a shout-out to my favorite SDC delicacy....the Apple Dumpling (preferably with cinnamon ice cream). These deliciously, decadent, dumplings never fail to please.  Sometimes they can be very hard to find.  But, there is one stand that sells them year round (or at least they did last year) and that is at the stand next to the exit of FITH.  Happy eating!

Just curious, but do they have Riverblast decorated/open for Christmas this year?