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Hello, all! I want to encourage you to visit the SDCFans FB page. Our amazing site director has given me a green light to post away there, with photos, memories, and so on. PLEASE contribute as well regarding all things past, present and future for SDC. Your participation is key to keeping this and the FB site in a constant state of progress. God bless!  -JUNIOR, TOO

I think today is the 10 year anniversary of this site...thanks, Shave for all your hard work over the years! It has been great to be a member, wonderful to share with fellow members our love for the park. Keep it going, and here's my wish it can go on another 10 years!

Just saw in the online Branson paper the Tabuchi Theater had a fire in May that did some damage, mostly smoke damage. So the theater won't open until renovations are complete in the fall. Apparently there was an electrical fire in a backstage area. Fire put out quickly by a sprinkler system, but smoke took firemen 3 hours to clear from the entire building. No injuries as it happened late at night. A policeman on patrol spotted it and summoned firemen.

Howdy, all! Been a while since I have posted here, but spent considerable time cruising through the forums tonight, and decided it was way past due to post something, just to let the hardcore folks on the site know I am still around. I have posted much on three FB group sites in the last year, much of the same stuff as I have here, but some photos of things not seen here before. I have been digging deep into my collection, and am posting on the "you might be from Branson," and the "You might be from Silver Dollar City," sites, as well as the "Little town of Maramos" site. I know some of you are group members as I have seen your posts. I really connected with the SDC site, or page, because many people there are current or former employees. I have reconnected with many old work buddies, and several classmates from Branson High School. Anyway, I am going to make an effort to begin posting here some more. Thanks for being so loyal to this site...Steve has done a great job updating it.so check out the FB group pages, they are pretty good, too. Hope each and every one of you are doing well, and God bless!

Incident happened today, I think news reports said at a lake where it was posted no swimming. The kid and his dad were wading in the water at the time. Disney said it is trying to remove gators from their waters. Teams are searching for the gator. Dad and a couple other adults tried to rescue the kid with no luck.

The SDC Founder's Weekend is this weekend. This will be a big former SDC employee reunion weekend. I plan on being there Saturday. I hope to be there early Saturday prior to rope drop to take part in a special opening ceremony featuring former employees. Would love to meet you! If you are on park, just come on up to me and say hello. I am a mid-50's, big ol' fat fellow, short  grey/white hair, with a beard. More than likely I will be wearing jeans and a bright red shirt.  My wife will attend, too. She is NOT a reunion type person and does not "get" the whole "crazy about SDC thing. She says when the reunion activities are going on, she will likely split and wander through shops or go see a show. If you want to meet, best shot for it will be on Main Street for the opening ceremony, after that, I don't know whwere I will be on park, depends on what the wife wants to do. Go visit Facebook, at the "You know your from Silver Dollar City if..." page, I have posted some old park photos you will enjoy! God bless!

Hello, all! As most of you familiar with me know, I have been attempting to publish some of the Ozarks material I have contributed to regional magazines and newspapers. I still have a few stumbling blocks in front of me regarding the production of actual, hold 'em in your hands books, but recently was introduced to an online site to publish work. The site is called Wattpad, and if you pull it up on your computer and do a quick, free sign up, you can then go to the Wattpad search engine, type in  markandjanette, and my stuff should pop right up. Check back from time to time, as I will add more material as time permits. Some of the SDC and Branson related material will be on my profile before long. God bless!

I came across some Facebook group sites you might be interested in peeking at...  YOU KNOW YOUR FROM SILVER DOLLAR CITY IF...   And.     YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM BRANSON IF...   both are sites for current or former Silver Dollar City/Branson citizens, and contain great photos and inside stories about the park and Branson. I have been posting to the Branson site for quite some time, and recently started posting on the SDC site. Also a reminder, visit the HEE HAW THEATER tribute site on Facebook I started a few years ago. By the way, I posted about this website on both the SDC/Branson pages. I hope it led this site into getting some new members.

Some heavy rain today resulted in flash flooding at Branson. The downtown lakefront, Roark Creek, in bad shape. Floodgates open at Table Rock,  a driver had to be rescued on Sufari Road this morning.  I was in Cassville today where police shut down incoming traffic because water from creeks was across roads. Aurora, MO also was closed to incoming traffic for awhile, and my mom, who lives near Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks said the floodgates are open at Warsaw, MO. Anyone have any video or photos to post, or stories to tell?

Visited my brother in Branson this weekend. He owns a food sevice business there, and says watch people when you visit town, you will notice few are carrying shopping bags when visiting the shopping plazas, and folks are looking for the free and cheap things to do. He claims business is down. Way down. Spend some dollars when you visit, folks. The little guy is suffering, which is 2/3rds of those living there. He says the big businesses are doing all they can to cut expenses and increase profit. A tough economy out there. Rough for everyone.

Anyone see the steampunk themed "balloon" ride at Branson Landing by Belk's?  It is not really a tethered hot air balloon ride, more of an elevator shaped like a balloon. Pretty funny, watching little kids tearfully beg their parents to let them ride it, lol! I think I heard someone say $15 a pop.

Three tornadoes this evening in NW Arkansas. The Missouri and Arkansas boarder area having all sorts of rain, hail, and wind. Anything serious in the Branson area? Our TV weather folk in Fayetteville are out covering it all. Looks like bright colors on the radar in the Branson, Harrison areas. Keep safe!

Gilley announced on Twitter 2015 is his last year in Branson. He is 79. Six will appear at the theater next year. Here is a timeline of theaters operated on that site...Hee Haw Theater 1981 to 83, Roy Clarks Ozark Hee Haw Theater, 1984, Country Music World 1985 to 89.  Mickey Gilley, 90 to 2015.

This may be old news for some of you, but I discovered a July 2014 article on Daily Mail.com, an English newspaper, which reviewed the Forbes most wealthy list, and the Herschend Family wealth was estimated at $1.1 billion!  Honestly, I never would have guessed that much. Seems like the article said they were somewhere in the range of the 170th richest family. Pretty good for starting their business with nothing more than a really cool cave and a dream for a comfortable retirement for Hugo and Mary. Comments?

Saw some blurb on the Web about Jeff Foxwothy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy investing in a Foley, Alabama $200 million theme park project. Allegedly Tony Orlando has something to do with it, too. The Foley mayor said publicly it would be  a Branson and Six Flags type melding. Foxworthy would have a steak house, Engvall a fish joint, and Larry would have a rib place. Anyone hear what this is about? Swoosh, Shave?

Just a quick Happy New Year to my friends at SDC Fans! Here is wishing all a great 2015! Hope to see you at the park. Fireman's Landing will be something I want to see...that is Rube Dugan's old stomping grounds, after all.

Want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Wife and I have done the things with the kids and grandkids already, and we will visit an elderly couple and another elderly man, all members of our church, to spend some time on Christmas Day with them, and we will bring along some goodies. Hope you and your families have a great day! God bless, and all best wishes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hope Christmas and New Year are good, too!

I read Shave's Throwback Thursday piece on Shantytown, and wanted to make a few minor corrections. I tried posting under the Shantytown article, but for some reason, the site said I wasn't logged in, but I was. Anyway, Tom Sawyer's landing first appeared in 1980, not 1984. Shantytown arrived in 1984, not 1979. The Greedy Brother's Excursion operated one year only in 1984. Last year for the diving bell was '84. Lost River appeared in 1985. As a former employee, it has been amazing to see the area around the lake develop over 35 years! Geyser Gulch and Splash Harbor and the tobaggan are now memories, and Fireman's Landing will be a nice new edition for 2015! Thanks, Shave for the articles and photos. I was unable to make it to the park this year, so I have appreciated all updates from the folks on the site.

This goes out to all who remember the Burdette Family, who in the 1970s and 1980s did traditional and square dancing at Bob-O-Links Country Hoedown Theater in Branson, and at special events and festivals at SDC.My brother, sister and I rode the bus to school with the kids back then, and I worked indirectly with the father, Rex Burdette at SDC back then, Rex currently is an Entertainment Department manager at SDC. Rex's wife, I learned today, has breast cancer that has spread to her lungs. This news comes directly from Rex's daughter. Please pray for her, a wonderful woman, fantastic dancer, and devoted wife and mother. They entertained thousands including me. May God bless them all during this time.