Our family made it down to SDC this weekend to attend ACE’s Outlaw Run Premier event. First I’d like to thank all the ACE members who visit this site. Joining ACE has been a blessing for our family, especially the events they’ve hosted at SDC. We drove down to Branson on Friday in time to visit the park for a couple of hours and then attend the ACE ice-cream social. We heard from several ACE and SDC speakers including SDC General Manager Brad Thomas, HFE COO Jane Cooper, and special guests Pete and Jody Herschend. The social featured the new Outlaw Run flavored Ice-Cream (Vanilla ice-cream with chocolate chips, caramel and sea-salt. They also have an Outlaw Run Taffy with the same flavors.) There were patches of snow on the ground when we arrived at SDC Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, but no real accumulation. It continued to snow throughout the day on Saturday with temperatures hovering in the 40’s brrr.
On Saturday we arrived at the park at 8:00am for breakfast at Crossroads Pizza (Coffee, Orange Juice, Hot Chocolate, Danishes, Cinnamon Rolls, Biscuits, Bacon, Sausage, and a pig-in-a-blanket-type sausage.)
After breakfast we were supposed to have ERT on Outlaw Run, but alas it was too cold. So we got ERT on Fire-In-The-Hole with LIGHTS ON. (Awesome!) And a behind the scenes tour of FITH. At 11:00 we were treated to special seating at the Amamos Argentina Show in the Opera House. I skipped this show, but the wife and kids (and Grandma) said it was really good. I wanted to see the Island Fire show, but when we got around to it on Sunday, the line for the show (which was playing at the Riverfront Playhouse) stretched all the way back to Riverblast. So needless to say I missed it.
On Saturday afternoon it finally warmed up enough that the kids were able to ride Outlaw Run. They loved it. They rode it twice. First time wait time was about 45 minutes. The second wait time was about 30 minutes. They had two trains and the lines moved pretty good. The coaster was down for a bit later in the day and then once on Sunday. Not sure why. I didn't ride this time. I’ll get there eventually, but not this weekend. The water rides (AP, LRO, RB) were closed on Friday, but they were open on Saturday and people were riding them. I couldn’t believe it. Forty degrees, snowing and these idiots are riding water rides. My idiots, oops, I mean children, rode the water rides on Sunday in fifty degree weather, but they had to ride them back-to-back and then they changed their clothes.
We left the park around 4:30pm on Saturday to go to Sight-and-Sound theater to watch Joseph. I enjoy the technical--how’d-they-do that-aspects of the production. But it really wasn’t worth $225 it cost me to take my family to the show.
On Sunday, the weather was better, but cool. Crowds were moderate--to low. But being that this was the pick day of the weekend we had a few short lines. (Except the line for the Island Fire show which was really, really long). We started the day by attending the Worship Service (11:00am) at the Wilderness Church and I was proud that my son, Caleb was asked to sing during the service (this had been arranged months in advance).
We did the train on Sunday. It was great. The conductor blew some of his lines, and “Ma” riding the train claimed Alphie and Ralphie which really threw them off. It was funny and it took them a while to make the “shot”. The conductor said he was sorry they got off script so much, but I told him those of us who ride the train on a regular basis enjoy those moments. The kids rode PK (moderate line but they were running 3 trains) WF (very little wait) and TNT (short wait) a several times.
All in all the trip was a good one. ACE and SDC do a great job putting these things together. My only disappointments were the weather (of course--but what are you going to do) and the fact that I DIDN’T GET AN APPLE DUMPLING. Any management person reading this need to be aware that many of us LOVE your Apple Dumplings. A trip to SDC without an Apple Dumpling is unacceptable. I found two stands that were selling Apple Dumplings (Tastes of the World in the Frisco Barn and the stand by the exit to FITH) and they were both Sold Out by 3:00pm on Sunday. If this happens again, I will be forced to let the Baldknobbers out of FITH!
Of course we had a great stay at Homestay Inn. It was great to see Paige and her crew again.
Attendance at SDC this weekend: Friday-1,000; Saturday-7,000. I didn’t get Sunday’s figures.
Hopefully we’ll be back in 6 months.
Here is a Facebook Link to some pictures. I hope this works, I haven’t had much success with pictures on this forum.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4938796911765.1073741825.1353910028&type=1
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