A Detailed Discussion: KidsFest

[oldsdcer]

I may be caring on here but Junior you may need to go back and reminde the people in the entertainment department what it like to actually entertain the visitors on a personal level ( AKA Diving Bell Juniors)

[oldsdcer]

Wheres's Shad when you really need him?

[mhguy77]

Back in my early days of coming to the City, I remember there being kids activity of trying to lite a match with a hatchet or driving nails in one strike being done on the main square

I dont know if you have been to MM but I wouldnt go near that place if you armed those kids with hatchets and hammers....

[joecorn]

OK, I'll play.

What is your favorite fest-related show during KidsFest? Least favorite?
Peter Gossamer, even though it was reminiscent of a Vegas off-strip production, and the pews in the Opera House needs to be reupholstered badly.  He and his staff are very good entertainers. 
My kids liked the stunt dogs; I enjoyed the air conditioning.

What is your favorite fest-related activity during KidsFest? Least favorite?
   Conceptually, I love the idea of Character Breakfasts.  It puts a focus on the dining experience.  It’s the execution I don’t care for. My kids, ten and six, would love to have breakfast with Doc Harris or Whoops E., or so they just told me.
My least favorite activity was dodging kids dribbling basketballs up steep hills. 

What is your favorite fest-related shop during KidsFest? Least favorite?
   I suppose if I must pick, my favorite fest-related shop was the one selling the yarn marionettes in that I could see those products being sold in the 1880’s.
My wife asked me what I thought of the castle toys.  I said, “American kids play cowboys and Indians; European kids must play knights and castles.”  The castle stuff just didn’t connect with me and seemed a continent out of place.

What would you omit if you were in charge of KidsFest?
I would omit the connection with Nickelodeon.  The whole thing reminds me of when Batman and Robin showed up at Dogpatch USA.  Even as a young kid, I was upset by the sheer audacity of it; it’s just doesn’t go.
I’d really like to see the stats of the effect of licensed characters on ticket sales.  I’m hard pressed to think that Dora the Explorer will cause a family three states away to decide on Silver Dollar City over other potential destinations.
This whole character thing smells of “Disney-envy.”  At least Silver Dollar City is not alone in this as just about every park wants recognizable characters.

What would you add if you were in charge of KidsFest?
First, I would add enhanced kids menus to a few restaurants.  A “buffet” of three types of mediocre pizzas doesn’t cut it.  SDC should once again be renowned for dining.  And if I can’t be in charge all the time, I’ll use my influence during KidsFest to ramp the quality of dining back up where it needs to be.
SDC is a theme park.  Somewhere, someone should have a “storyline” for any normal day. This was probably produced back in the early ‘70’s and sits in a file cabinet somewhere.  It was probably something simple like “A town hidden in the Ozark woods gets separated from the rest of society for close to 100 years.  When it’s rediscovered, the citizens invite folks from the outside to experience their world with them.” 
KidsFest requires its own story; it’s obvious that the current story is “park officials want lots of parents to bring their kids and spend a lot of money.”  All it takes is a simple premise like “a small Ozarks town in 1880 has special activities planned to celebrate children today.  The events go smoothly except that a few mischievous miners are sneaking around trying to wreak havoc at the festivities.” 
This opens up the possibility for more image characters; which KidsFest, and Silver Dollar City, needs.  Guests don’t need to know the story, they will subconsciously pick it up as it goes along.  This will deeply add to the suspension of belief.  Of course, it helps to be conscientious to not have 1989 Mercury Cougars parked in front of the train barn in plain site from the train.
I would also add more focus on involving the kids into the traditional crafts at the park.  I can turn on my TV just about any time around the clock and the kids can see SpongeBob.  Seeing a blacksmith or glassblower is not an everyday occurrence and should be treated as it is…special.
One concept from Disney parks that could be well adapted and modified is that of the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party.  It’s a bit like a mini-parade that goes around the central spoke of the Magic Kingdom a few times a day.  Upbeat music and dancing that takes up little real estate, costs little to implement, lasts for 15 minutes, and provides a nice, pleasant diversion for those who are in the area; it’s a nice “stumble-upon” surprise.  It would also get rid of the tents on the square

[Joy]

Oh, I LOVE those character/story ideas!

And yeah, ironically I was just watching an HD full-length video of the Disney Street Party parade the other day and thinking how cool it'd be if we could have some kind of parade for KidsFest, but one where kids were involved (in fact, didn't they actually DO that a few years back?).

I actually took the survey a couple years ago when they were asking about character breakfasts. They didn't specify what characters, so I assumed they meant Terry's characters and Alfie & Ralphie and the like.... If I'd known they meant the Jetsons or Spongebob, I would have given an emphatic NO.

[littlefriend]

I think having more period characters is needed in the park year round.  It seems as a kid, everytime you turned around, you would see some characters/street troupe entertaining and mingling among the visitors.  Tom and Huck characters would be great!

The idea of period games is right on.  Not sure what all type it would be, but anything besides sand!

I enjoyed the dog show, but never got the chance to see the magician.

[Duelist]

Let me start off by saying I whole-heartedly agree that the theme of Kids Fest should be 1880s.  I asked my 6-year-old daughter if she would like to do things like whitewash a fence at River Blast and meet people like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and she said that sounded fun (after I explained what those things meant).  Having said that, she and my wife stood in line to see SpongeBob and Patrick the last Saturday of July.  At 10:50am my wife said we better get in line for the noon show-maybe we'll be the first ones.  They went to get in line and it was almost back to the cut-off point an hour and 10 minutes before showtime.  They cut the line off after so many people waiting because the people in the character's suits get so hot they are limited to how long they can stand out in the sun for the "meet and greet".  So, unfortunately for us, this did look like a success.  But like I said, characters themed for the 1880s could be just as successful.  And I agree that having Nickleodeon characters at the park won't bring people in from hundreds of miles away just on it's own.