Messages

16

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Dickens characters fired?

« on: July 23, 2021, 02:33:48 PM »

Good to hear they are going to give it a try.  Still strange to see them let go of David and Rachel...I always liked Tom Johnson as well, but as was said his big thing was Sons of the Silver Dollar.
As far as the copywrite stuff goes, I highly doubt pressure was felt from every single song they use.  It shouldn't be difficult to keep the show the same and change out a problematic song or to, so I'm glad they are doing it.  But getting rid of David and Rachel still doesn't make sense.

17

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Dickens characters fired?

« on: June 06, 2021, 02:24:22 PM »

I have contacted SDC and will post if there is a response. I encourage other fans of the show to let your voices be heard as well in a respectable manner.

18

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: 2021 Crowds/Trip Reports

« on: June 06, 2021, 02:23:06 PM »

We were at City on Friday June 4th all day and Saturday June 5th until about 2:30.  Friday was more crowded than I thought it would be but not too bad.  We rode MRF early and only had to wait about 30 minutes.  It did get to a 2 hour wait later on.  We rode the train and I saw my first ever snake at SDC.  It was a black snake that must have been 5 - 6 feet long.  I saw it just after the train was passing the square roundhouse and it was slithering as fast as it could toward the grass and away from the City (the snake not the train).  Fire in the Hole had at least a 45 minute wait all day so that still remains wildly popular.  I also heard from reliable sources that the Rainmaker show will return during the Summer Fest!  That is great news for us purists that prefer our entertainment a little less Globetrottery  .

Disclaimer:  I am one of the strongest proponents for the 1870s/1880s theme of the park- it is the reason we keep coming back again and again.  Having said that, our main reason for attending this past Friday was to watch the Classical Mystery Tour Beatles tribute concert at Echo Hollow.  We had seen them a couple of years ago here in Little Rock and were blown away with how good they were.  They look and sound like the Beatles.  The show was in Echo Hollow and to be honest you couldn't hear the music unless you were close to the Hollow so it wasn't like they were blasting rock/pop music all over the park.  And no, I do not want SDC to replace the piped Bluegrass/Rockin the Grass music they have been playing throughout the park with Beatles music.  I would love to see the regular ongoing Echo Hollow show with Bluegrass songs/Mountain music like the old Dillards show from the 80s.  I'll get off my soapbox now 

Stay on your soapbox, dont be ashamed. 1880 ozark hillbilly old mining town theme is what built this theme park and made memories worth repeating. That includes the traditional shows and music. Sure,  not everything fit the theme of 1880s ozarks but everything was at least “historical” or old-time. Thats why we go to SDC and not six flags. God, country, history. Feels like you are someWHEN else, not just somewhere else.

I love the globetrotters. I went twice when they travelled to gyms nearby and bought basketballs, got autographs, etc. While I love them, they arent why I go to SDC.
Glad to hear the rainmaker is coming back. I’m too young to really remember it.

19

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: New Show: Down by The Riverside

« on: June 06, 2021, 02:15:06 PM »

^Thanks!  We did go see the Down by the Riverside show on Friday.  It was pretty good.  They do mainly songs related to water.  They did a "Come Sail Away" by Styx/"Carry on My Wayward Son" by Kansas medley that was good.  They also did a faster version of the Talking Heads "Take Me to the River" as well as some more period songs such as 'Shennandoah".  The musicians were also very good including a guitar player from Rome Italy.  It wasn't the best show I've ever seen at SDC but I would go see it again.  By the way with the Sons of the Silver Dollar no longer at the park is the long-haired guy from that group still with the City?  He also played Bob Cratchitt in A Christmas Carol.  Just curious.

See my post about dickens. He wasnt the only one let go. Wallace was as well.

As far as this new show, I am happy to see the musicians play their own instruments and they are doing some “old traditional” songs. I like the way SDC promoted them on their facebook page. I will definitely check out this new show.

20

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Dickens characters fired?

« on: June 06, 2021, 02:06:41 PM »

Well, I have not seen this posted yet so if I missed it my apologies.

The lead character as Scrooge for Dickens (Dave Wallace I believe his name is?) has apparently been fired by SDC (or “let go” as they say to make it sound nice) due to budget cuts. His girlfriend was also let go. These are two faces who have been there for awhile and of course incredibly talented.

This coupled with the news of the Sons means that Dickens must be on the chopping block, since one of the Sons was always Bob Cratchet, wasnt he?

SDC must not like a packed house for dang near every show. Makes no sense.

Hopefully I’m wrong as that was such a great production, pound for pound the best stage show I’ve seen.

Anyone else hear this?

21

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: If you could bring back one show or create one show at SDC what would it be?

« on: March 07, 2021, 07:45:48 PM »

They arent actually getting rid of dickens are they??? Its an outstanding show and the first thing we do every visit...always packed. No way.

22

Branson Talk / Re: Branson Strip 2020

« on: July 12, 2020, 12:05:33 PM »

I’d also agree some places in Branson strip have seen better days.
Branson just has a surplus of hotels, they have for years. Now you add all the new condos and homeaway, airbnb, etc. and the market for places to stay is oversaturated. I never understood staying on the strip myself with a lake so close by and I think more people are doing that now along with less visitors, but I usually stay in a hotel one night over christmas before moving out to a condo for a few more nights.

Quality went way downhill on a few hotels, too. Theres a few hotels I miss that deserved to stay and more than a few that should have gone bye bye.

Some of the eyesores in branson are so easy to fix. Parking lots full of cracks and weeds at active theaters. Heck give me five bucks and I’ll go spray those weeds for ya and pull stuff and be done quick. Take some pride in where you perform!
 Also it doesnt take much to pour asphalt over the lot.

Theres good too so it isnt like its all bad.

23

Branson Talk / Re: Branson Strip 2020

« on: July 12, 2020, 11:58:39 AM »

Dannas is good. Really good. I do wish they had some wait staff walking around asking if you’d like another beer though. Their process is fast and efficient but not conductive for 2-3 beers. Only go to branson west location.

Gettin basted was good when I tried it but it’s not like it took my breath away. I’d go back.

Havent tried Big Ds.

Pickin porch grill is somewhere I’d like to get back to soon.

I absolutely cannot believe someone put branson center stage as their favorite. Ugh. Horrible service and rank establishment.

As far as SDC, their prices on actual meals are really reasonable, especially considering you can get icewater free. In a theme park their prices are pretty good. I too believe quality at times lacks, it seems it’s hit or miss. One sad thing is the wagon works grill. Maybe its just bad luck, but the last three times I’ve been there the burgers and fries have been blah. They used to have delicious burgers hot off the grill. Didn’t have a bad meal there for 20 years and then BAM the last three times have been burnt and blah.

I won’t do cinnamon bread again because of the new place and price. Treats will be at eva and delilahs or hannahs ice cream.

24

Branson Talk / Re: Branson Strip 2020

« on: June 28, 2020, 10:27:33 PM »

Hey guys,

A Buddy of mine and I are planning a weekend trip to SDC in late July - Go to the park one day, and explore some of the strip the other day. We did the exact same thing last July as well. I was wondering if there were any major additions/subtractions from the strip since last July? Last year we did both mountain coasters, as well as the BigFoot Drop Tower. But is there anything new that would be worthy of trying out? Right now, the plan is to ride the Ferris Wheel and do the Heavy Metal HighRise go kart track.

I am also open to suggestions for things that may not be new, but are things I should check out while I am down there. The 3 things me and my buddy did last year are really the only things i have done on the Branson Strip aside from the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum.

Thanks guys!

Wonderworks was cool, but much of it is for kids.
Titanic is good.
veterans memorial museum is vastly underrated.
Pirates Cove if you’re into putt putt.
Cheeky Monkey if youre into bars and bbq.

25

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Actual HISTORY at Silver Dollar City

« on: June 28, 2020, 10:21:03 PM »

Also at the Opera House was "For The Glory".  90's I think.  Good show with some memorable moments and a decent cast.

I absolutely loved For The Glory as a kid.
I also bought my first of what is probably 50 Civil War books at Silver Dollar City’s bookstore in like fifth grade. I still read it every other year. “Civil War Stories” by Ambrose Bierce.
 Bought a few others there later as well.

26

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Going back to SDC

« on: June 28, 2020, 10:18:27 PM »

I don’t equate not staying at least six feet (arbitrary #) apart from others at all times with stealing or cutting lines, etc., since it is literally impossible to do in a theme park with thousands of people everywhere.

I think their comparison is that there will always be someone that breaks the rules or pushes them to the brink.  In this case a few that will not even try to social distance even if possible.

I’ve now been to Frontier City, Alabama Adventure, The Park at OWA, Six Flags over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis, Silver Dollar City and Worlds of Fun this season.  Every single park had guests who refused to adhere to social distancing.  These guests, with a few outliers, were all from one particular group.  I’m hoping that this was a coincidence but the parks I visited represent a decent sampling of different areas.

Ok, you obviously know we’re going to ask for what group you’re talking about so I’ll do the honors. 

What group?

27

General Silver Dollar City Talk / temp

« on: June 28, 2020, 10:14:27 PM »

As a high school history teacher, I can attest to today’s lack of actual history education going on in America’s schools.
I fear that it is even worse than some of you realize. Frankly, parents would be astonished at what their children were learning, or not learning, over the past 15-20 years of high school and college education. People really have no idea. Even many liberal-minded people over the age of 40 would be surprised.

My area even has what I consider to be good public schools. As a Catholic school teacher, I thankfully have a lot more freedom in my classroom than my public school fellows. But the problem plagues all schools, and it all starts at the top with colleges, textbooks, and bloated administrations.

I was, and still am, flabbergasted at the lack of history education I received in college considering my major was education with history. I literally learned more history, especially American history, from my high school teacher. I only had one truly effective history professor in college and I took two classes with him. I was forced to take more sociology and political science classes than history classes, to be a history teacher!

The problem with this is my classmates didnt know any better and still likely don’t, which means their students are learning the same anti-American drivel we did in college. I have self taught myself through books and research. Forget the Constitution—it is literally nonexistent in government, political, or history classes in Colleges. I have had to read numerous books and primary sources and take classes through places like Hillsdale or online lecture series to become proficient enough to teach it effectively.

I have an advanced degree as well and will be going for my third degree soon...and when researching programs, to get an advanced degree in Constitutional studies at one local university had the most absurd class list. It was full of classes like “civil rights and women” and “minorities and the supreme court.” There was no class that actually taught...you know...the Constitution or the founders intent. Its obvious whats going on.
I dont think having multiple degrees makes me smart. Quite the contrary...multiple degrees has only made me smart enough to know that they dont make me smart at all. There are plenty of people out there who know a lot more than me.

One positive I can share with this board is I have had three students do semester research papers about the Baldknobbers over the past five years. They get to choose the topic and of course I list it on topic example handouts and also I have the book. Two of those students and multiple others have visited SDC and Im always sure to discuss its history in class when we talk about their trips. And Im from Nebraska.

Long post, sorry...but its no wonder to me that this generation hasn’t got a clue. What a reckless bunch of no-good, entitled, willfully stupid idiots. SDC absolutely should NOT take down anything baldknobber related, and shame on anyone on this forum or otherwise who knows better but would stand aside and say “ah maybe its for the best”. No. It isnt. We need to stand against this attempt to ruin America, which is what it is, nothing less.

28

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Going back to SDC

« on: June 28, 2020, 04:23:30 PM »

I visited the park two days last week. We had a great time. There was good and bad but mostly good, of course.
My crew included 8 adults and 13 kids of varying ages.

Homestead Pickers are a joy. Glad they are there to welcome people to the park. The entry was great and reasonable with reasonable people doing their jobs. The health check was a delay but done well and we get there early enough to not have to wait. Be there by 9 if you can.

Good stuff: First and foremost, the classics. Flooded Mine was looking and sounding great, except the “im gettin outta here...” line was still missing. But the ride looked good and I could hear the music. Gigs working, etc. Who cares about the guns.
-Fire In The Hole was not only there THANK GOD but it was good other than the very beginning and very end of the ride, which was bumpy.
-American Plunge is still fun, but we all know about the problems.
-Shops that were open were all good, especially leather shop and christmas and candy store. Taffy great, too.
-Bathrooms were clean.
-Food service was very good. They have a lot more on their plate now including sauces and they did a good job.
-FREE WATER. SDC deserves huge props for this. And the workers as well were giving big cups of ice water, with lids and straws too. Thats a small touch that has big benefits.
-Glad to see the Dockside still up and doing shows, hope the rumors of its demise are wrong.
-The new bridge down from the candy shop  actually looks great, much better than expected. Also, to my relief, the     horse sound is still used and the toll operator is still there. Great job SDC.
-The saloon show at the riverfront is a good move since the saloon is closed and they did a good job with it overall.
-Outlaw run really is a great ride, so is powder keg.
-Thunderation may have done the best job with the que.
-I’m really looking forward to the new mystic river falls ride. The theme is looking promising from what I can tell, so fingers crossed. Lake Silver is also still present. But the new area is awful (more on that below).

Now for the negative:
-Why on earth is the church closed? And grandfathers mansion? Seems dumb when some shops are open, I guess money talks. I expect those open next trip.
-New cinnamon bread store/bbq place look terrible. Ugh. The whole area is a serious downgrade other than the fact that its “new”. Im sure the food is good, but why did they decide to theme it like that? Makes no sense. And the music? Why get rid of cajun connection if you want to go for a jazz type theme, and the jazz they are using isn’t peppy at all. Sounds like a sleezy restaurant.
-Starbucks? Its like they are purposefully trying to ruin the old bakery when you combine that with loss of bread.
-Que operation was absolutely terrible at powder keg and fire in the hole. My goodness, what a fiasco. Powder keg needs two trains.
-a few workers on cell phones, but overall they were good.
-time traveler is still a big letdown for me.  But others enjoy it so thats good. One thing that I think we all can agree upon though is that awful tick-tock sound that ruins the entire area around TT, TNT, bathrooms, christmas hollow, etc. That tick tock is so loud and annoying, they need to get rid of it. Also the aue at TT was very, very slow considering the shortness of the line. Not worth it. It was a waste of time to ride it.

Masks? Meh. About what I expected. Its impossible for people to wear masks constantly, but they did well. Loved the use of hand sanitizer and its prevalence everywhere. Thats more important than masks.

Overall a great trip, will be back late july.

29

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Going back to SDC

« on: June 28, 2020, 03:52:10 PM »

Sorry I am not being clear, I was not asking about the mechanics of social distancing.  I know if someone else doesn't want to, that is fine, I can walk away.  This was more of a general question, along the same lines as "is it possible to just walk on wildfire? or is it possible to get a seat in Echo Hollow show without waiting?"  So for the people that have visited SDC this year, does anyone social distance?  I know there will always be individuals that don't care, individuals have always cut lines, steal soda, push to the front at parades, sit in the handicap spots without being handicapped, and so on. I am asking "in general" is it possible to social distance.

I don’t equate not staying at least six feet (arbitrary #) apart from others at all times with stealing or cutting lines, etc., since it is literally impossible to do in a theme park with thousands of people everywhere.

If someone is afraid of covid, they should not go to a theme park. Logic is seriously lacking for anyone who expects to socially distance/not catch a virus when out in public, especially at a place such as SDC.

Overall I thought it was handled very well during my recent visits and people were courteous, but I also have realistic expectations and I don’t live in constant fear.

30

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: OPENING JUNE 13, 2020

« on: June 02, 2020, 12:18:13 PM »

Any guesses on when people will be able to reserve more than two dates?

Right now you can only reserve two dates, but obviously we'd like to reserve more.

I completely understand the current two day limit, but wondering how long they will wait until opening it up for more reservations?  If they do keep it at two dates, they will have to refund season passes I would think?

If this has already been addressed, my apologies, please point me in the right direction.





As far as masks go, I will wear one as the park has the right to establish dress code.  However, I fully expect the mask enforcement to be a complete joke once you're in the gate, and I think most people will be good about it. I mean, if you're that afraid of the mysterious rona, you shouldn't be going to a theme park anyway.