How will things change when...

[Junior]

How will things change at SDC and with the Branson Herschend attractions when Jack and Pete are gone? Do you see the torch being passed to the corporate folks who will lovingly tend the flame, or do you think that corporate profit will undermine the traditions and traditional things at the park and around Branson that we have all come to love? It is a hard world out there...how much of the love will continue on when the founders are resting next to their mom at Evergreen Cemetery? (I hope the two will be around for a long time to come!) Chime in, and offer  your thoughts on the subject...Hey, I'm just asking...

[pintrader]

That's a really good question!  One that would have to be thought about if you call yourself an SDC fan.  I do see the torch being slowly but surely being passed to the corporate people.  I think we have already seen this over the years with things slowly slipping away.  Is the Herschend family proud of their park?  I think as a whole they are extremely proud.  But I don't think the younger generation of the Herschend family has the same feel about the park as Jack & Pete.  Let's face it, if you didn't see and experience the park in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, your probably not going to be quite as sentimental.  Things slowly disappear over time, even at SDC!  Hopefully this won't be the case and in the years to come there will always be someone out there that will keep the park as we love and remember it.

[Ozark Outlaw]

I don’t predict a whole lot will change. Even after Jack, and Pete’s passing, I don’t think we have to worry about them putting in a new spaceship ride at Silver Dollar City, or anything else that drastic.

As far as I know, most of the big decisions at Silver Dollar City are already being made by the company board members in Georgia. So, I don’t foresee a huge change in what we already see.

[DollarCityBoy]

I agree with Pintrader on the fact that the torch has already been slowly passed on to corporate.
To me, it is obvious that Jack & Pete still care a lot about the park and want to still be involved. When I saw the Herschends on 9/11 of this year, up on the balcony of Hanna's Ice Cream Parlor, they looked very proud to be there, and had a very sentimental look on their face. I even saw Jack's grandson (I'm assuming it was his grandson, he had red hair) give Jack a big hug and whisper something in his ear. I took note of the families interaction in the park, and they seemed to be humble people. Also in watching the video that How-DoFolk's posted on the Herschends Christan values really hit home for me, it seemed they still had a lot of passion for the park.
Things change, people change, and corporations change. Unfortunately, we have the "not in miss Mary's time" thread, to me that's sad, but it is what it is. One day, we will look back on Jack & Pete's time at the park, and probally say the same thing. But I hope that is a long time off.
The park has changed a lot over the past 50 years, a lot of good has happend, and not so good. But overall the feeling has not changed, at least to me anyway. The Citizens really do make the park what it is; that's how they got the award on being "The Friendliest Park."
All that being said, I'm not sure what will happen once they pass, but I only hope that their values and passion for the park will live on. We as patrons and lovers of the park should keep that torch going, keep insisting only the best for it. With Facebook, email, and surveys we can keep the passion and spirit of Silver Dollar City going on for each generation.

[rubedugans]

Yes the park has changed in the 30 yrs that I have been there, and yes in the next 30 it will continue to change. WHen Mary was gone, did the park crumble? no. it did have its changes some subtle, some obvious, but I think that same path will be followed with Jack and Pete.

[joshblakebran]

I love SDC and probably always will. I hope it doesn't become to corporized when Jack and Pete pass on. It does seem, however, even with Jack and Peter still around that in the last 6-8 years that I've been going consistently that the park is not getting the attention it needs as far as updates, new rides, etc. At least in comparison to Dollywood. One example, the first year we went, the Kid's Fest was awesome because they had awesome shows. There was a show with wild animals, another with birds, and at least 1 to 2 other shows. Now, it seems like the shows are generic and there are really only 2 of them. The first Bluegrass Festival we went to had Ricky Skaggs and other big names. Yeah Yeah, I know they just received the IBMA Event of the Year award for this festival, but in the last year or two it even seems the big named performers have disappeared from the Bluegrass Festival. They haven't had Ricky Skaggs, Dailey and Vincent, Sierra Hull, etc. for a while. I saw, however last night, that Dailey and Vincent will be at Dollywood. Dollywood had Ricky Skaggs and Sierra Hull this year. Maybe I'm just complaining, don't mean to though, but I still think Dollywood is getting all the love. Look at how many new rides and attractions they've gotten versus SDC. Hopefully SDC will start getting more attention in the future.

[Parson B Ready]

I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas.  I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future.  They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership.  I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands. 

[Ozark Outlaw]

I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas.  I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future.  They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership.  I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands. 

Exactly. Jack, and Pete have already put the trust of the company into the hands of others. If Jack, and Pete are confident with the decisions being made, I don’t believe we have anything to panic about.

[Zephon]

Jack and Pete do have a lot of trust in Joel, the BoD, and the rest of the management team.  Yes, there are some things that they might do differently if they still had their hands on the steering wheel, but, the mission remains the same regardless of who is at the wheel, and I don't see that changing.  We all have different ideas on how that mission is best achieved and that's okay.  The main thing is to support the park as best we can, no matter which path it takes toward achieving that mission.  The park values all of your letters and suggestions but the best way to show support is by your continued attendance.  I am thankful for each and every one of you here at SDCFans. 


Our Mission

Creating Memories Worth Repeating®

Our Values

We Greatly Exceed Guests' Expectations

    With distinctive themed entertaining experiences for every member of the family
    With genuinely friendly caring people who take pride in what they do

We Serve Others

    By working as a team and empowering each other
    By being patient, kind, humble, respectful, selfless, forgiving, honest and committed

We Create Emotional Connections

    By treating guests like a member of our family
    By providing shared-experiences that bring families closer together

We Constantly Improve

    By adapting to our guests' changing expectations
    By managing safety, security, risks and resources
    By investing in people and products to produce growth and provide a reasonable return on our investment

All in a Manner Consistent with Christian Values and Ethics

[Junior]

The proceeding commercial message was sponsored by Herschend Family Entertainment! (Just joking Zephon! I sense your pride. I have it, too, having worked 7 years for the company myself! I'm glad that you and a handful of the folks I remember from the old days are still on park, year after year. You and the others are that bridge from the past to the present. The work you do makes a difference. Thanks! 

[Zephon]

I can't think of anything else I'd rather do, Junior. It's been a pleasure.

[thelarsonsix]

I was luck enough to meet Pete and Jack and their wives at the book signing they had on park last Christmas.  I asked them specifically about the park's Christian values and its future.  They told me that the current CEO--Joel Manby was a committed Christian and they seemed pleased with his leadership.  I think they feel that if anything happened to them in the near future that the park is in good hands. 

I was going to search for this post, Parson but you saved me the trouble. I knew someone had mentioned this, but couldn't remember who.

This is a question I've had for some time. I don't doubt they have faith in Manby, and the BOD now. However I sincerely hope they've put some sort of "protections" in place to keep the Park vision and values going the right direction. CEO's come and go no matter how loved they are, same with board members.

I've also wondered why the 2nd (3rd really) generation of Herschends are not more involved? I've done a bit of searching and the only thing I really found was one of them was an artist of some sort in San Francisco and thought one other was on the BOD, but can't seem to find that now.

[Junior]

Hope I'm getting this right...current "citizens" chime in if I have made mistakes here:  Chris Herschend, Pete's son, is one of the higher ups at SDC. Bruce Herschend, Jack's son, operates Talking Rocks Caverns, he and his wife founded and independently operate the Butterfly Palace in Branson. Others from the family are involved with the company in various ways. Ron Herschend was involved with the company over the years (Jack's son) but now is involved county politics, and he serves as a county commissioner. Those are the three I know about. I'm sure there are others. All I can tell you about involvement in the family business is IF I HAD THE CHANCE AS THE SON OF THESE GUYS I WOULD DO IT. However, they all grew up as the company was being built and perhaps they don't get more involved with it because they have grown up with the company and want to have some independence rather than depend on grandma or dad's business for a livelihood. On a similar note, Shepherd of the Hills was operated by Dr. Bruce Trimble, then his son Mark. Mark's son, Kelly, and I went to high school together. Kelly never was too interested in "the farm" but worked for several years at Fantastic Caverns when his dad owned it. Kelly had a sister who died about 1979 or 1980 when the electric cart she was driving at Shepherd of the Hills overturned. She was the one who had the passion for "the farm" and her brother always loved the cave. Going back to my high school years, it was pretty clear when their dad retired sis would get the farm, Kelly the cave. As it turned out, Mark decided in the mid-80s to retire and sold off both properties. Kelly moved into real estate apprasial and operates a successful firm of his own in Branson. After decades of being the family that developed Shepherd of the Hills, the Trimbles are no longer involved in tourism in Branson at all. That one throws me for a loop, because again, if I was Mark Trimble's son I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! Many of the Presley and Mabe Family members are involved in the Presleys or Baldknobbers theaters, but many are not. Once you get to be of age, you gotta decide what you are going to do with your life. Some love the tourism businesses their families started, others got tired of it growing up with it, and moved out on their own.

[thelarsonsix]

That's good information Junior. I guess they're a lot more involved than I thought. I hope they share the same values as their parents.

[Firstvisit1967]

Yet while we all chime in about the value level of the park  basketballs are being dribbled down hill street and a pizza buffet is served at lunch    and you can see where the employees park when you drive in.   Corp is already in the park and will grow more and more each year.