Search

[sanddunerider]

sounds like a great day!   congrats!   

[U Smell Smoke]

Had a great time yesterday and today in SDC.  The weather was wonderful and the City looked great.  I just wanted to post a couple of quick tidbits.  First, from the take it for what it's worth column, while I was in line for the Barn Swing one of the ride attendants told me I needed to come back next year.  When I asked him why he responded "because they are building a new roller coaster for next year".  I asked him what type of coaster but he said he didn't know yet, just that they were going to build one.  He said it was going behind the Barn Swing and he was happy because they would no longer be the only ones there in Wilson's Farm.  I rode the train to look over the area and I did notice a few marking stakes with purple flags in the area.  I only could see three stakes and they looked very preliminary but they were in the area the ride op referenced.  Maybe just a coincidence but the stakes did look fairly new and were spread out over a wide area.  I wish I had gotten my camera out quicker.   Who knows???  Later in the day, just for kicks, I asked a ride op in the Grand Expo if SDC was getting anything new next year.  He said he heard a new roller coaster was going to be built.  Again I asked what type and he said he did not know.  I guess we shall see!
The second thing I wanted to mention was some new targets in the Flooded Mine.  I thought I noticed some new things in the mine (since my last visit in late July), especially the targets that squirted water on me today.  When I got off FM I asked the ride op if they had added some new targets and he said they had.  I will try to post more on my trip later.

[pintrader]

You would think that kind of information coming from citizens would be pretty reliable, and considering it's coming from two different sources.  If it is true then some sort of announcement should be made in the very near future.  Thanks for the report U Smell Smoke!

[rubedugans]

My Ma and Pa headed out, and gave us the play by play since we couldn't travel. The one thing that stood out was that it was really crowded this weekend. Wish I could have been there! Keep me up on what is happening.

[sanddunerider]

ok here is my play by play for today:

BAD traffic this morning, made me late getting to the city, sorry to all who may have been there to meet up>??  maybe next time.

I did notice new flags scattered out by the railroad tracks, made me wonder why

Also noticed on train ride the new car was NOT hooked up to either engine, and they have most of the cars rigged with christmas lights already

Watched all 3 of the lumberjack shows, the log rolling was for sure more entertaining than the other events.

Ate a philly sandwhich by lake silver while waiting for log rolling...... MMMMMMM!!!   goood!  love that sandwhich.

Went and watched the birds of prey, if you get the chance, watch it!!

Noticed at the wood carvers they have almost ALL christmas displays inside already!

lots and lots of lights hung up all over.

Out of theme: CO2 bottles, empty coke cases, Fans, saw several aluminum ladders(guessing from setting up christmas lights)., also noticed at almost every eating place large catsup,mustard dispensers, non themed just out in the open.

LOTS AND LOTS OF people, I guess it was christians weekend, talked to several people that drove in for the service at echo hollow this morning..

Park was very busy today, BUT very few "kids".  HDH was never full or busy, went over to GE and barely anybody over there either.

ALL in all a great day, went back to town to watch the murder mystery show.

[U Smell Smoke]

Crowds were good and SDC was busy this past weekend.  However, everything kept moving and lines for the rides and shows were not bad.  Saturday we had lunch at the Lumbercamp and ate by the waterfall...very relaxing.  Sunday ate at the Rib House and sat by the Lost River.  With the great weather, water rides were still popular.  We really enjoyed all the crafters and visiting with them.  Lots of talented people there.  Disappointed to discover the Big Wheel Lathe up on the square might actually be powered by electricity and not the big wheel.  We always get to the park at least an hour before opening so traffic is never a problem for us. I must say I was very pleased with the parking lot tram service this weekend.  Both days the trams were lined up one right after the other keeping things moving.  Leaving of an evening, as soon as one tram pulled out there always seemed to be one or even two trams waiting right behind it.

[sanddunerider]

Dont beleive big wheel is electric, everytime i see it running there is a citizen cranking on the wheel, and yestarday when the stopped the demo, the citizen was holding against the wheel to stop it. AND straining to do so.   just what i saw..

[U Smell Smoke]

Sanddunerider, you are correct, a citizen is always cranking the big wheel when the lathe is running.  I watched the demo several times and each time the craftsman wanted to start working he would turn to the citizen and say let's go.  The citizen would then start turning the wheel and the craftsman would reach under the lathe and push a button and the lathe would fire right up to speed.  When the craftsman was done, he would turn to the citizen and say let's shut it down.  The citizen would then work to stop the wheel and the craftsman would reach under the lathe and push another button.  Of course the citizen would work to stop the wheel because it was in motion and they had to make it look as if it was stopping the lathe.  I looked around behind the display and saw the electric cord plugged in that was going to the lathe.  I didn't want to believe it so I had my dad watch the demo and he said the same thing.  I think they crank the wheel to demonstrate how it was done in the old days, but I think when it comes down to it they run the lathe off electricity to get a more even and consistent turn.  Ultimately, I don't think the rope contraption is actually connected to the lathe even though it appears to be.  I could be wrong but that's how I saw it.  I wish I just would have asked one of the citizens or the craftsman.

[Junior]

My wife and I did make a run to Branson today for a family gathering. We approached from Reeds Spring and Branson West and drove down the 76 strip all the way to downtown and the Taneycomo lakefront. It appeared to us that traffic was moderately heavy today. The work continues on the old Taneycomo bridge and it was completely closed to traffic today. We had our first journey across the lake on the new bridge, and lanes are uneven, we had to move slow. The roundabout on the Hollister side is still being worked on, too, and I suppose it must be the age my wife and I are at, but we both think a traffic light there would have been an easier fix. The roundabouts are a bit confusing to us. Again, it's because we are not used to them. Visited with my brother who is in the catering/restaurant business in Branson and he said don't be fooled by the traffic, business is not too hot in town right now. He said people are looking for free things to do, and are just not spending money. He said if a hotel offers a free breakfast, people load up and go very light on lunch if they have any at all, and then go to the moderately priced places for supper. He said people spend a lot of time at Branson Landing window shopping and looking around, but not buying much. He believes it is the way the economy is now. By the time people pay for gas to get to town and find lodging, not much is left over to spend on shopping or the shows. It was a day of scattered showers, with fog in the area all day. Low elevation areas had fog steaming up throughout the day, beautiful though. We stopped at Charlies for a New York strip and baked potato and salad before leaving town and got to see the lady singer perform there. She was good at working the crowd, and autographed her picture for us...then gave it to us for free. Pretty lady, and very nice. Good singer, too! On our way out of town we ran into a heavy thunderstorm west of Reeds Spring and pea sized hail. My wife was driving and had to pull over for a few minutes. Although we did not have time today to get to SDC or visit any of the main attractions in Branson, we enjoyed being in town and seeing how things have changed since we were there in late spring. Any getaway to Branson is nice and pleasant, and that is the way it went today for both of us.

[sanddunerider]

sounds like a good day to me junior,
you're right about people trying to save some money outright.
we typically eat at motel, lunch at the city, we also bring sandwhich fixins a lot of times. sometimes frozen dinners since the rooms at homestay have fridges in them.

I know it is a big expense up front, but we do buy season tickets at:
silver dollar city
grand country
haygoods
pierce arrow,

there are lots of bonuses and discounts with some of these tickets.

Anyway, sorry about the rambling, glad you had a good day!

[saloongal]

Quick Trip Review- We headed down 10/8, let the kids choose the agenda for the day so we didn't even go to a lot of areas of the park.  Beautiful weather.  Got there not too long after the chains dropped, went to FITH, very little wait time.  Daughter and I headed to PK, no line, as in none! We got in the front row, a first for both of us and it was amazing. Then to HDH after several rounds there, to GE, got measured, Son and I went on FM, then to HDH, while Hub and Daughter rode TNT.  We all hit HDH together for a while.  Went to the barnyard, the leather shop, mulled about main street for a bit, then walked to PK to find it closed, hit HDH, the bakery, candle shop, and headed to the car.  It was a quick little trip and was a nice day.  I know a lot of you were unsure about HDH, but for my kids, it is awesome.  I imagine they see it the same way I saw Tom Sawyers when I was little. 

[sanddunerider]

I think HDH is a great idea saloongal,  I just didnt like there choice of location..

[palallin]

We took the kids down for a day on Saturday.  My wife just had foot surgery, so we had to rent one of the carts so she could keep her foot elevated 45 minutes of every hour.  Still we had a great day!  I won't do a detailed review, jsut a few notes.

Weather could not have been better.
Trees are changing colors a little more slowly than back up here in the northern Ozarks around Rolla.
Park seem very crowded, an impression magnified by all the craft booths.
Warm weather meant that GG was quite busy.
We stocked up on lye soap for the winter--I hope it lasts till spring!
The Leather Shop still has a few dozen of those leather jackets on sale for $40.
We heard the "You're int he woods" joke on both train rides and the "Ladies, put your foot down" on one.  The Ma joke made no appearance. I guess she really can RIP.
We could not hear the FN theme song.

[Ozark Outlaw]

Wow, where do I start? How about at the beginning.

Wednesday October 12th.

I started off from Little Rock, and took old Highway 65 all the way into Branson. It was raining most of the day, which made for some white knuckled driving. At any rate, I finally made it to Homestay Inn, my home away from home for the next few days. After arriving, the sun had peaked through the clouds just enough for a nice walk, and lunch at the Branson Landing.

Thursday October 13th.

First day at Silver Dollar City! The sky was clear, and blue, and the temperature was cool. As tradition, I started my day with a big cinnamon roll from Eva and Delilah's Bakery. The autumn decorations were spectacular, and talented artists filled the town square. I made my way into the park via the Swinging Bridge. This was my first glimpse at Half Dollar Holler. I originally had low expectations, but I felt they did a good job with the attraction overall. After stopping by the Culinary School, and The Grand Exposition, I made my way into the Red Gold Heritage Hall, and watched as some guest danced two-step. I must admit, it was genuinely sweet to watch the older couples on the dance floor having the time of their lives! Later, I stopped by Hillcreek Pottery, and watched Master Potter Jeff Walker build clay pots before my eyes. Afterwards, I made my way down to the Riverfront, and noticed a large wooden wall erected near the toy store which prohibited all access to Geyser Gulch. I overheard a citizen state they were simply doing renovations, which turned out to be true as the area was back open a couple of days later. After making a stop at River Blast, I returned to the Riverfront to have a hamburger at the Dockside Grill. While enjoying lunch I got to see the Lumberjack Show on Lake Silver. It was a Lumberjack versus a Lumberjill, and of course the girl always won. I continued my meandering for the remainder of the day until I found myself in the Taffy Shop. I got to try the famous Wildfire Taffy! With a pleasurably burnt tongue, I decided to call it a day, and returned back to Branson.

Friday October 14th.

Started the day off once again with a big cinnamon roll from Eva and Delilah's Bakery. Afterwards, I made a stop at the Post Office, and sent a postcard to a relative. Before the opening ceremonies, I spent sometime enjoying the Homestead Pickers plucking out a song. Boy, are they talented! Once the ropes dropped, I made a mad dash straight to PowederKeg. There is no better way to start your morning than to get blasted into the crisp Ozark air. For the remainder of the morning, I wandered to practically every store, and shop in the park. By this time, I had worked up a big appetite, and tried Mary's Springhouse for the very first time. The food was good, but the hard working ladies in the kitchen seemed a bit overwhelmed. After lunch, I watched a glass making demonstration at Hazel's Blown, and Cut Glass Factory. I also had Master Glass Cutter George Stiverson cut a design into a mug for me. I then made my way back up to the town square, and watched the Lumberjacks scale the forty foot poles in just a mere few seconds. Wow, are they fast! I finished the day off by watching the magician perform a few tricks at the magic shop, and taking a ride on Thunderation.

Saturday October 15th.

Wow, was the park crowded, and packed! I started the day off once again with a big cinnamon roll from Eva and Delilah's Bakery. Afterwards I made a stop in the Woodcarvers Shop, and picked up a small wooden handled multi tool for my grandfather. Throughout the day I made it a point to take pictures, and video of the steam driven Frisco whenever possible. I eventually made my way to the Flooded Mine, and Wilson's Farm. Afterwards I stopped in the Carousel Barn, and watched as this lovely 94 year old lady was busy making violins. I loved her hard working spirit! I then purchased some lye soap, and visited the Leather Shop, and the Gun and Knife Shop. I was disappointed though, that Master Bladesmith Ray Johnson was not there. After watching the peanut brittle demonstration in the Candy Factory, I finished my weekend off with a delicious funnel cake.

I have created a YouTube channel which features several short clips of PowderKeg, Wildfire, the Train, and other attractions that I filmed.
http://www.youtube.com/ozarknavigator

I also took over 400 pictures! I have made my Silver Dollar City photo albums public on Facebook, and you are welcome to check them out. 
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-Smith/1046755101

[sanddunerider]

WOW!!! ozark!  all that in 2 or 3 days!!     Bet you went home to rest?