Topics

46

General Silver Dollar City Talk / SDC/Branson in CitiScapes Poll

« on: December 02, 2012, 07:15:11 AM »

Each year a lifestyle magazine in NW Arkansas called "CitiScapes" (distributed for free at newstands in the region) offers is "Best Of The Northwest Arkansas" Edition, and SDC/Branson made the list!

BEST GETAWAY FAMILY ATTRACTION: Silver Dollar City (Runners up: Magic Springs, Tulsa Zoo, Whitewater
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BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY DESTINATION: Eureka Springs (Runners up: Branson, Kansas City, Tulsa)
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BEST GETAWAY DESTINATION LODGING: Downstream Casino Joplin (Runners up: Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs; Big Cedar Lodge, Branson ; Cherokee Casino Hard Rock Cafe, Tulsa
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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art at Bentonville, AR made the top of the polls several times: Best Museum, Best Art Exhibition Gallery,Best NWA Tourist Attraction, Best Building/Architecture, and Alice Walton and the Walton Family Foundation got the Best NWA Philanthropist poll award! YOU GOTTA COME DOWN AND SEE THIS MUSEUM!

47

General Silver Dollar City Talk / SDC Christmas Top Ten List

« on: November 20, 2012, 09:13:55 AM »

Just for fun, here is my SDC Christmas Top Ten List. Why not make up your own and post it here?

TOP TEN FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT SDC CHRISTMAS:

10) Millions of beautiful lights!
 9) It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
  The special food and drinks!
 7) Santa and his helpers!
 6) The Parade!
 5) Dickens' Christmas Carol!
 4) It's a Wonderful Life!
 3) Browsing in the shops for gifts!
 2) Millions of Beautiful lights!
 
and number 1...

KNOWING IT IS JUST A MATTER OF THREE AND A HALF MONTHS BEFORE OUTLAW RUN IS READY TO RIDE!!!

48

SDC Memories/ Park History / Ghosts of Christmas Past

« on: November 15, 2012, 06:48:23 PM »

I wanted to post a few SDC/Branson Christmas photos from 2010 and 2011. Hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas! http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan   PLEASE...post your photos from Christmas past, or present, here! I know we would all love to see them. 

49

SDC Memories/ Park History / SDC Time Traveler

« on: November 12, 2012, 05:23:53 PM »

Let's take a little trip back in time! Set the clock on your time machine to December of 1978. Winter construction projects were underway, and a place called "The Courthouse Theater" was being built, plus, the "Corkscrew Overpass" in the Deepwoods section was being built. SDC President Jack Herschend spoke at the company profit sharing meeting, and the attendance for the park for the year was tallied at over a million! Find out more by going to my Flickr site, and taking a close look at the SDC company newsletter "What's Happening" dated December 21, 1978. Photos are included. Hang on tight! You are going back in time about 34 years:    http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

50

SDC Memories/ Park History / Biggest Regrets?

« on: November 07, 2012, 06:53:54 PM »

Have you ever thought back on some experience or opportunity you have had while at SDC or Branson that you later said to yourself I regret doing/not doing that? I have two I'll share:

1) I went to high school in Branson with Bruce Herschend. One time Bruce invited a small group of us to go on a Marvel Cave tour after park closing that would have involved us getting into coveralls and hard hats and crawling through narrow passages on our bellies with bats all around us! For whatever reason, I was NOT able to go! That opportunity will never come my way again! 

2) I also went to high school with Kelly Trimble, whose dad, Mark, owned Shepherd of the Hills at the time. Kelly invited a small group of us to "camp out" overnight in Old Matt's Cabin and explore the farm late at night. Can you imagine popcorn popped on the hearth and sitting around telling ghost stories all night? I was NOT able to go! Boo Hoo! 

51

Branson Talk / Kewpie Doll House/Drury College

« on: October 29, 2012, 05:43:29 PM »

The former Springfield, MO home of Rose O'Neill, Kewpie doll creator and the well known illustrator, located on the campus of Drury College, has been fully renovated, and now has an adjoining dorm. Saw a little blurb on this in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper. Anybody know anything else about this project? Frankly, I never knew she had a house in Springfield...thought it was the home of relatives, not hers.

52

SDC Memories/ Park History / Last day of the "Regular" season

« on: October 27, 2012, 06:06:10 PM »

This day always represented to me a sad time of the year when I worked at SDC. The LAST DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON. (Before the Old Time Christmas thing was started.) It was a day of saying goodbye to friends and coworkers I would not see again until March or April when the new season would begin. What are your feelings on how 2012 has gone this year? The good, the bad, the...well, you know. We saw a new coaster slowly being built and have the anticipation of getting to ride for the first time next spring. The Woodcarvers and Christmas Shop changed locations, and much more went on this season. Your thoughts, your feelings...

53

Random Talk / Halloween, 2012

« on: September 27, 2012, 06:58:08 AM »

What you gonna do for Halloween this year? Gonna play dress up? I've still got a complete "Junior Dugan" costume hidden away in a storage closet at home. (Black Greek fisherman's cap, Big Smith overalls, a red bandanna for the back pocket of the overalls, and a green and white striped shirt!) Too bad I cannot fit into it anymore! HA!     Anyone gonna dress as a character from SDC? Any Doc Harris', cave guides, Hatfields, McCoys, candymakers, blacksmiths out there? Tiff, do you still have that saloon girl costume tucked away somewhere? So, what you gonna do...hey, Halloween is just around the corner!

54

Random Talk / The Great Passion Play: Signs of the Times?

« on: September 26, 2012, 04:00:53 PM »

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette today reports that unless about a half million dollars in donations comes in between now and the end of October, the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs will NOT OPEN its doors next year. The article says the attraction lost over $100,000 last year, and is at just over a $500,000 loss for this season. I can tell you this, when I visited the play for the first time in early spring, there were fewer than 300 people in a theater that could hold at least 1,000. They apparently had, as a cost cutting measure, put dialog and music on a pre-recorded track, and the actors just "mouthed" their parts as the CD played. NOT very impressive to me. There were only a few "chill up the spine" moments in the play, and the acting was sub par, too. However, the grounds looked well maintained, and I did go through the main gift shop and they had well stocked shelves and a variety of items for sale. I purchased a play program, and that looked good, too. I was told by a friend at work that the Texans dinner show was good when she went to it. The Texans, formerly of Branson, have been playing at a theater on the Passion Play property for a few years. It appears tourism in Eureka Springs is good downtown this year, and the motorcycle events and shops and restaurants appeared to me to be doing well. The Fun Spot, as I reported here earlier, was open again under the "Pig Trail" name. A spokesman for the play said in the newspaper article that they had borrowed all the money they could. A spokesman says if you just send a dollar in an envelope in the mail, it would be appreciated. Sad commentary on the state of things...a major attraction in Eureka for 45 years! Truely this is a "signs of the times" thing, in this terribly depressed economy we have now. 

55

Random Talk / Fun Spot at Eureka Springs

« on: September 16, 2012, 06:30:49 PM »

Passed through Eureka this weekend and the old Fun Spot that had been closed, abandoned, and up for sale has been purchased, cleaned up and reopened as Pig Trail Kart and Splash or something to that effect. It really looks good, and had a few patrons when I passed by. In fact, Eureka looked pretty good as well. I last reported here a few months ago that it looked really dead except for the biker places, but, today, everything looked busy, which surprised me as this is a Sunday, and I would have thought everyone was going home after the weekend. The biker places all still appeared very busy, and Eureka is doing a good job marketing their town to the bikers and families as a friendly destination for them.

56

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Is SDC being pushed aside?

« on: September 13, 2012, 09:42:09 AM »

I've noticed in the last few years since the HQ moved to Atlanta that it seems Dollywood is getting top status in the company...maybe because it's bigger, or maybe because it's got more attendance. Seems like that park is used for debuting new things like the RiverBlast idea, the Eagle, and so on...is this just my imagination or is SDC being given second class status? Say it ain't so! 

57

SDC Memories/ Park History / Old SDC Show Scripts

« on: September 06, 2012, 08:59:21 AM »

This is a question for the current insiders on park. Does SDC keep on hand the old scripts to shows that are no longer ran at the park? Rainmaker...Courthouse Theater...Hatfield Haint...old Train Robbery...Diving Bell...Boxing Show...Stagecoach...Medicine Show...or do they toss all that stuff out? I think for the hardcore fan, a coffee table book with those old scripts in them would be pretty cool. I'd buy one. Anyone else? Think about the productions held over the years at the Opera House, Saloon, and Riverfront Playhouse. This could be a two or three volume set if they put it out!

58

Branson Talk / Casinos in Branson???

« on: September 06, 2012, 08:55:21 AM »

Would it help or hurt the economic situation at Branson if they allowed Casinos on Taneycomo and Tablerock? Would it be more trouble than it is worth? Is it the next step in Branson growth? People have strong feelings about this topic. Some say yes, others no. How about you? Is it a good idea to bring casinos to Branson?

59

Other Parks / SDC Vs. other MO theme parks

« on: September 06, 2012, 08:50:18 AM »

I think most of us would agree, SDC tops the three major Missouri theme parks for overall quality. How do Worlds of Fun and Six Flags compair to SDC? Which of the other two parks comes in as second best...which is in third place. Me: SDC is #1, Six Flags #2, Worlds of Fun #3. That primarily is because as a kid living in the St. Louis area, Six Flags was nearby and easy to access for our family every few years. Worlds of Fun has been a one time trip for me, back about 1990. Spent about half a day there, saw it, rode a few rides, saw a couple of shows, and was ready to hit the parking lot. Perhaps because by this time I was in my mid 20's, and our family never visited there when I was a kid. How about you?

60

Random Talk / Movies made in the Ozarks

« on: September 04, 2012, 08:14:25 AM »

I've got a small DVD collection of films made in or about Ozarks subjects. Where the Red Fern Grows, War Eagle Arkansas, Frank and Jesse, Winters Bone, and a few others like the old Shepherd of the Hills movie made by KYTV in Springfield, MO in the early, early, 60s. Does anyone else collect films on the same subject? There really is alot of good stuff out there, and it can often be found in the bargain bins at Wal-Mart or other stores.