Well, I made to the park on opening day! I wanted to present a trip report:
Beautiful weather, and moderate to heavy crowds on the first day. Got to the park later than expected, around 9:15am. No trouble parking. Weather was so nice I walked from my car to the front gate. No trouble buying my ticket or getting through the turnstyle, it only took a few minutes. Had a chance to meet briefly at the front gate area with Terry Sanders. It was nice to see him again. He and a few other park "characters" were greeing guests as they got off the parking trams. They remodeled the Hospitality House over winter, and it looks good. The mural is there, and with the remodel, they moved some beams so you have a better view of the mural.
Got to meet briefly at the cave with our good friend, "COPPER" and had a chance to introduce myself. It was the first time we met. COPPER is a very nice fellow, and I really enjoyed our brief conversation. I hope to see him again on my next trip. It was reported on another thread here within the last few weeks that there were plans to reintroduce the "Dugan" name, as in "Rube Dugan's Diving Bell" to the park, and sure enough, the "DUGAN TRADING COMPANY" sign was posted outside a shop along Lake Silver. The shop was not open today. I peeked under the canvas at the entry to the shop, and saw the building is still empty, but I am sure they will have it open in a few weeks. Spent some time in Half Dollar Holler, it looks good! Well themed, and the kids were lovin' it! However, I want to report that the old holler is completely filled up with the new attraction, with some of the playground features literally only a few feet away from the swinging bridge...on both sides of it! Guess who I saw in HDH? Jack Hershend and Brad Thomas. Brad was giving Jack a tour of the park on the opening day! I approached, apologized for interupting, and told the two I was a former employee. Jack asked where I had worked, and when I told him the diving bell he smiled and his eyes lit up. They were busy, so I kept my conversation with them short, but told them both that my years on the park were very happy ones, and that I learned many things working for SDC that I have carried with me through my life. Jack and Brad seemed to appreciate my comments, and I was happy to shake Jack's hand before I left them. Later on, I was in the Hospitality House, and Jack and Brad came in so Brad could show Jack the new SDC merchandise on sale. I approached again, asking if it would be alright if I took a photo of the two of them, and Brad immedately said, "why don't you let me take a picture of you and Jack." WOW! I could not believe it! So we posed and I thanked them both again for their time. It was a very nice moment, and I will tell you, (sorry if I am too sentimental here) it meant a great deal to me to have that picture! I've posted a few shots on my Flickr account. Mainly Half Dollar Holler photos, but also the photo Brad took of me and Jack, and a shot of the "Dugan" sign at the Riverfront area. Hope you enjoy. I took many, many photos on park today, and will present some others on the Flickr site within the next few days. In all, it was a great day at SDC, and I upgraded my ticket to a season pass before leaving, so expect more photos throughout the season. Hope to see you all next time at SDC! -JUNIOR
