Messages

241

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Lost Concepts Round-Up

« on: March 08, 2008, 10:31:37 AM »

That was never my department. I was in entertainment and did special projects for Jack every once and awhile. SDC tried to do everything they could inhouse back then however.

242

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Sam's Mining Shack

« on: March 08, 2008, 10:27:54 AM »

thats the tree house. Incedentaly, I remember going down that slide as a young child. It had drops that were hard on the backside an I was not amused! There was a stair bypass for moms and dads by the way Here is a video of it (at 17:17)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usVlfVQeDp4&feature=related

243

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Random Stuff Round-Up

« on: March 07, 2008, 05:39:24 PM »

I the early 60's SDC did an evening show at the Silve Palace Theater. It sat across the street from the church where the new General store in now. Thy did a melodrama called "Only an Orphan Girl", and "An Evening with Mark Twain" on alternate nights . After the show theye would shoot off fireworks over the square.

244

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Random Stuff Round-Up

« on: March 07, 2008, 04:55:05 PM »

Something else that used to go on at SDC is they used to have a "Boardwalk Tour", where they'd have a Citizen take people around and tour the park. Of course, that was back before they'd expanded extremely far, but I've still always thought it'd be awesome to have a VIP tour like I've heard some other parks have."
 
They did indeed in the 80's The building to the right of the waterclock was built for this with a small theater which showed a short history and intro to SDC, then you were escorted around for about an hour. There were no privliges in avoiding ride cues or early admits.

Those in the know came an hour before the scheduled opening to get in for breakfast at the mine/mill, then music at the gazebo untel they dropped the chains at the opening street show.

245

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: FITH Turns 35

« on: March 07, 2008, 04:41:18 PM »

"The only thing I can recall of changes made over the years was that when you're coming up to the burning bridge, they used to have a contraption that made it look as though the ceiling of the bridge was collapsing, just as you are pulled into the drop.... That isn't there anymore."

The ride was actualy shortened when the burning bridge went in. A loop of track that went through the baldknobbers caves (and you were shot at)was bypassed to increase capacity per hour and was admitidly rather dull.

246

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Sam's Mining Shack

« on: March 07, 2008, 04:29:46 PM »

I believe the slide was the exit to Herman the Hermit's (yes it was taken from the group in the 60's) Tree Top House. It was replaced by the Infinity Room when the theme was changed to H.H. tree top still. That was supposed to be the effect from the stills fumes.It was abandoned after a structural collapse onto the train tracks one night while the park was closed. The theme then changed to the tree top root beer factory compleat with a SDC childrens book about a young Zeak Hatfield catching a goast with taffy as bait in A cage at the base of the tree. It turned out to be a racoon. All of this was then removed and changed to huck finns hideaway.

247

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: What is this Ride?

« on: March 07, 2008, 03:35:19 PM »

Kids tended to poop out half way around and the ride opperator had no choice but go climb on the car and pump it back. This made a low capacity ride even slower and eventualy to costly to staff. Too bad, it was fun.

248

SDC Memories/ Park History / Re: Lost Concepts Round-Up

« on: March 07, 2008, 02:46:15 PM »

Hear is a bit of history for you. The Ice House concept is an old one. It came from SDC's first design guru, indeed the man responsable for the entire look of SDC , the flooded mine, Grandfathers, the tree house, float trip, and long forgoten buildings like the silver palace theater off of main street, and the patent office which is now the funnel cake shop by the blacksmiths. I'm speaking of the late Andy Miller of whome the parks internal Andy award is named.
Back in the early 70's he was hard at work on a design consept for an attraction called Superstition Walk. Late in its development plans changed for a bigger budget attraction, and he came up with the Ice house coaster. The drawing you have is his and hung in his office for years. It to was scrapped in favor of Rube Dugans.
In the Mid 80's I barrowed the concept and turned it into a suspended coaster with ice block cars slung from big tongs to sit on the back side of lake silver. This along with a dozon or more concepts (including another big coaster which I'll talk about another time) were taken to a school in St. Louis where we asked the kids and there mothers which concepts the liked. Where as coasters were the kid faves, they were at the bottem for moms. The compromise ride voated on was the lost river. And it was so. Another incarnation? I'd love to see it.
Hope this sheds some light
more later......