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« on: October 30, 2023, 10:09:33 AM »
Had a great trip to the city this weekend. The weather on Saturday was a bit rough, but it kept the crowds down. Every ride we wanted to ride was operating, and the lines were all walk-ons. I've gotten to the point where I'd rather visit the city on bad weather days because of the diminished crowds. Plus, the rain just adds another dimension to the park, particularly in the fall.
I felt like the city was firing on all cylinders this weekend. All of the crafters we expected to see were there, plus a few more. The old carousel barn, i.e. Cowboy Emporium, was full, whereas last year it felt empty. Our family loves this festival, and look forward to visiting with the craft vendors every year. We appreciate the fact that the PTB recognize that this is still important to some visitors to the park, and would love to see it expanded back to what it once was. We visited with 3 generations of family, and the park really offers something for every generation particularly during the craft festival.
As far as rides, ride operations seemed to be going very well. There was a 35 minute wait for FITH, and at one point they had to stop and add a 4th train. Lots of love is being shown to the ride in it's final days. Flooded Mine has had some updates including new uniforms for the inmates. The only ride ops issue I had was on our train ride. We were in car 1, and you could not hear Alfie and Ralphie at all in our car. Also, I did not ride TNT, but others in my group did, and they said it was REALLY rough.
We watched the saloon show, and it was great as always. We also watched Emily Flatness, and she's just a jewel. She will be a great addition to the Homestead Pickers. We got to visit a bit with Terry Sanders and some of his multiple personalities.
All in all, it was a great trip, and another weekend of family memories made in the city!