Messages

4126

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Cave Tour with Jack Herschend

« on: March 11, 2008, 07:46:04 PM »

Looking back at the posts I see Copper already linked to this site.

I just love the old views.  We don't really get a good look at the entrance without all the acroutrements.  It looks so wild.

Hopefully I can get into the lantern tour next weekend.  I could really use the vacation.

4127

Construction/Rumors / Re: New Construction Photos

« on: March 11, 2008, 07:41:52 PM »

I assume it's OK with the bosses that you're "leaking" these pics?

It's perfectly OK for those of us who are impatiently waiting for the season.

4128

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Opening Weekend

« on: March 11, 2008, 07:38:42 PM »

Copper needs to be the SDC blogger.  The new construction photos are terrific.

4129

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Opening Weekend

« on: March 11, 2008, 07:37:01 PM »

Sure would be nice to have a photo pass option, maybe charge a little extra.  It would be worth it to not have to pull out another ID.

4130

Construction/Rumors / Re: Your Attraction Ideas

« on: March 10, 2008, 07:02:55 PM »

The Flooded Mine was where I worried they would put the Ice House ride, but I was wrong.  There is an advertisement for ice visible in the area (Look up high.), and I thought it was a clue.  I had not seen the sign before the survey came out.

How about this for a new slogan:  "We're History!"

4131

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Mishaps

« on: March 10, 2008, 06:58:26 PM »

I'm remembering a fire in the Flooded Mine a few years ago.  Employees evacuated the ride manually and were commended for their efficiency.

4132

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Your Most Memorable SDC Trip

« on: March 10, 2008, 06:51:42 PM »

Off the subject, but a great memory:

Did anyone ever ride the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise on Lake Taneycomo?  It was where the Landing is now - downtown Branson.  On the old boat, I was privileged to be the little kid who took the wheel when suddenly the pirate boat came out of nowhere and chased us down.  They shot us with their cannon and made a hole in the middle of our boat from which water rushed in.  It was exciting for this little kid - way back when.  I remember I wet my pants on that one - even while sitting on the captain's lap.  That's probably why they shut down the operation.

Back in those days, everything was still tied to the Shepherd of the Hills theme.

4133

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Cave Tour with Jack Herschend

« on: March 10, 2008, 06:31:24 PM »

Found this link - some really cool old photos of the cave:

http://www.hbw.addr.com/marvelcavepc.htm

4134

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Cave Tour with Jack Herschend

« on: March 10, 2008, 06:10:04 PM »

Does anyone know if the Lantern Tours will be available open weekend?

4135

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Opening Weekend

« on: March 10, 2008, 06:06:51 PM »

What's with the new season passes?  Does anybody know?  Is there to be a new system in place?  The new passes are squared off and smaller.  I'll be out there next week, so I'll give it a trial run.

4136

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Your Most Memorable SDC Trip

« on: March 08, 2008, 12:24:55 PM »

I have never been so lucky to get stuck on a ride or attraction at SDC. I think it would be fun to get out of the boats in the Flooded Mine.

But not in an actual fire scare, such as happened a few years ago.  Park employees were commended at the time for their excellent evacuation of the ride.

While on FM, my favorite part of the ride is still the queue.  With the line so short, most people don't stop to look at the scene on the right in which a bodyless head tells them to "Keep it movin'!"

4137

Construction/Rumors / Re: Your Attraction Ideas

« on: March 08, 2008, 12:04:13 PM »

OK, I concede on the new song/old song discussion.  I haven't been able to hear the themes on Flooded Mine or American Plunge at all lately, so had forgot the FM had a song and not just an instrumental version.  As for the shootout, so many people don't even bother to shoot.  The ride used to have scenes that riders would anticipate and flinch at.  We really thought the saw blade was going to cut our cart in half, and that the explosion would really flood us completely.  It was a dark ride well done, not just a carnival amusement.  That's what I miss, and the animatronics would make it even better (We don't shoot at the pirates in Disney parks.).

Here's another one:  the Ozarks has its own version of Bigfoot, named MOMO.  An attraction could be based on this, in which riders are on an expedition to prove it exists.  I'm thinking of something like the Maelstrom ride at Epcot, in which the ride stops half-way through, and then quickly reverses through scenes as if running away from the very thing we were looking for.  Could be cool.  I noticed the Magic Kingdom also has Expedition: Everest; SDC would have to make sure MOMO was something different than that, which is probably more extreme than they would like.

4138

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Your Most Memorable SDC Trip

« on: March 08, 2008, 11:49:03 AM »

I had forgotten about Listen to the River, which is amazing considering the young age of the Opera House.  It was a great show.  Also, as much as I love the Dickens show at Christmas, I still liked the old Christmas shows.  I'd like to see those come back, maybe in the Riverfront Playhouse.  Those in-house productions always seemed to have more bang for the buck than the visiting groups.

4139

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Your Most Memorable SDC Trip

« on: February 29, 2008, 10:58:43 PM »

Does anybody still read this strand?  Do you remember the old saloon shows, back before they sang "It's Raining Men"?

Yes, Carrie Nation delivered a good history lesson in her show, but I never saw it.  The big deal in the saloon was that they warned her, and later other villains, not to break the new St. Louis mirror behind the bar.  Through special lighting and a sliding panel, the mirror was inevitably broken anyway.

I also remember when the picture above the mirror was too risque and the lady's arm (In the picture) rotated to cover herself more appropriately for the family audience.

It was very long ago that you could have a real tintype portrait made - can you still do this? - and a typesetter would print authentic, personalized posters for you.

The best shows in Echo Hollow were The Dillards (The Darling Family from the Andy Griffith Show) and the Branson Brothers (recently re-formed with mostly new members in Branson), and the best comedian in the Hollow was Mercy Pervis the Third-and-a-Half, who even zip-lined from the mill at stage-right to the stage.

I have two memory books from SDC, one from 1978 and one from 1983, with some great photos of the park.  There's barely any mention of rides in either book, but there are small pictures of the diving bell.  The first pictures in the books are of the roving characters, including the Rainmaker and a Traveling Medicine Show.  Much was made of the Hatfield/McCoy feud, and Zeke Hatfield's forbidden attraction to Ellen McCoy.  Do you think those things are politically incorrect these days?  Are local residents afraid of the hillbilly label?  That's just sad.

4140

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Your Most Memorable SDC Trip

« on: February 29, 2008, 10:33:56 PM »

Has anybody mentioned the undertaker?  He was a tall guy, dressed in black, and he walked around measuring people.  He never said anything and looked like the walking dead himself.