Mystery Photo

Gilligan · May 15, 2012, 06:14:08 PM

At first, I thought he was one of the guys that worked at the black powder shoot area, but I'm thinking one of the Hatfields or McCoys?

betamike · May 15, 2012, 06:17:28 PM

Is that an early photo of Merciful Pervis?! Echo Hollow?

Zephon · May 15, 2012, 11:47:21 PM

Good ole Jack McDowell. He was out to the park a few weeks ago and I chatted with him in the lunch room. His character name was indeed Merciful Pervis...the third and a half. He was the comedian in the Echo Hollow show during the time the Dillards played down there, as well as the Deputy in the street troupe. He's now working at the Titanic museum. Great guy!

Junior · May 16, 2012, 08:13:27 AM

Well, I know the man in mystery photo #10 did use a rope maker machine at fall crafts festivals, so it's possible he operated the coin press, too. However, my friend and work buddy JACK McDOWELL played characters on park like the deputy sheriff. At night in '82 and '83 he moonlighted as "Ernest T" the comedian at Hee Haw Theater. He is best known at SDC for playing "Mercy Purvis" the comedy sidekick to Rodney Dillard in the Silver Dollar Jubilee at Echo Hollow. I have to award the points to the person who answered correctly first, so BETAMIKE gets TWO points this round!

OZARKS GAL.....5
Betamike..........4
Trams..............1
Okiebluegrass....1

Just like Zephon said, Jack currently works at Titanic in Branson. He is a great, down to earth fellow with a wonderful sense of humor. I enjoyed working with Jack at both SDC and Hee Haw Theater. Thanks for the update Zephon, I'm going to have to go by Titanic to visit with Jack sometime this year. Such a good guy!

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MYSTERY PHOTO #11:

My friend, Carol Meyer, pictured in 1982. She was one of the lovely gals that moonlighted at the diving bell playing "Ruby Dugan." However, Carol normally worked at another attraction on a full time basis. Take a close look at the picture. QUESTION: What "lost" attraction is she working at in the photo?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

Zephon · May 16, 2012, 10:04:15 AM

That's the cable slide which was located in Tom Sawyer's Landing beside the train tracks.

MissinTheGreenTrams · May 16, 2012, 10:35:08 AM

Is it the old paid games from back in the day?

Junior · May 16, 2012, 03:24:10 PM

Currently, the area that was utilized for the cable slide in Tom Sawyer's Landing is part of the paved pathway leading down from the loop RR crossing to the main pathway in the Riverfront section of the park. ZEPHON is on the board with one point! When TSL was built in 1980, it featured the first ballroom, some climbing and running obsticles, a fireman's pole, a boat to climb on, and the cable slide. Due to kids falling and hurting themselves, the fireman's pole was gone pretty quickly, a season or two later, the cable slide was gone. Over the years, TSL changed. A petting zoo was in part of the area where RiverBlast now sits, there were arts and crafts and the carousel in the old Wagonworks Barn, then the additional towers were built, the hand wax station added, the Balloon Chase, and other attractions came and went.

OZARKS GAL..........5
Betamike...............4
Trams...................1
Okiebluegrass.........1
Zephon.................1
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MYSTERY PHOTO #12: This 1979 shot of my old friend was taken while he sat at the dispatch stand. The last year for the attraction was 1980. Today, another attraction is located at the same spot. QUESTION: Name the "lost" attraction in the photo. Take a close look at the way he is dressed. Take a close look at the color of the wooden structure around him...those are both clues. So are the dates mentioned here. This should be an easy one for you. Think!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

Ozarks Gal · May 16, 2012, 03:56:55 PM

Jim Owen's Float Trip, now American Plunge?

MissinTheGreenTrams · May 16, 2012, 04:14:32 PM

Erg beat me to it! ^ but on the other hand I did find a gem on facebook.....Jr, your wife put together a nice facebook tribute to RDDB!

Junior · May 16, 2012, 05:06:05 PM

Ozarks Gal is back in the game, and STILL at #1 with points! Indeed, that photo was taken at the loading dock of Jim Owens' Float Trip Ride, home now to the American Plunge. Pictured is my friend Nick Franke of Blue Eye, MO. Nick and I worked together at the float trip in 1979, and we both moved over to the diving bell in 1980. Last year for the float trip was 1980, and it became the AP in '81. We were costumed as "river rats" at the float trip. The loading dock pictured is still the same color paint, and is now used as an overflow line for the AP on busy days. When the AP came about, they added a lift hill and a new loading area, and reversed the channel water flow. They removed the "scenes" along the float trip river, but left the rest of the old ride intact. You can still see the old float trip dock, and 75 percent of the channels by walking around the line up paths for Wildfire and AP. Over time, some of the old concrete, themed to look like rocks, has crumbled away. The powers that be have had to redo some of the old float trip channels and replace the cave from the float trip. The float trip was in service from about 1968-80. By the way, Nick has cleaned up his act and now is a partner in a law firm in St. Louis!

OZARKS GAL..........6
Betamike...............4
Trams...................1
Okiebluegrass.........1
Zephon.................1
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MYSTERY PHOTO #13: Fall, 1978 photo of the Ozark Valley Silversmith shop. What shop is currently housed in this location? Bonus point for anyone who can tell me what was in this location BEFORE it was the silversmith shop.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

Missin': Thanks for mentioning the two diving bell photos listed under the photo section at the SDC Facebook page. If you click on the two shots, there is a little description of what you are seeing. There is a diving bell Facebook page that somebody set up, too. I am taking a guess but it probably was Beta Mike or Noel Green, who was the only person to play "Rube Dugan" in the flesh in the 2000 season at Geyser Gulch/Splash Harbor.

Ozarks Gal · May 16, 2012, 05:43:04 PM

Is this the copper store?

MissinTheGreenTrams · May 16, 2012, 06:23:02 PM

The greatest gift....

betamike · May 16, 2012, 06:26:43 PM

The current shop is The Greatest Gift and before it was the Silversmith Shop, it was the Music Shop

Destination SDC · May 16, 2012, 06:28:28 PM

The funnel cake by main street

Junior · May 16, 2012, 07:14:52 PM

Mystery photo #13: DING! DING! DING! We have a winner! "TRAMS" guessed it is now the shop that houses The Greatest Gift.
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I may have gotten myself into trouble here, too. Betamike guessed it at one time was the music shop...and, I don't know, he may be right. His "citizenship" was after mine, and there was a period of time in the '90's where I was wrapped up in my radio career and did not visit SDC for many years...so the music shop may have been housed there at some time after I left the park...but NOT before it was the silversmith shop. I think it was only used prior to being the silversmith shop as something else. Maybe Rube will have to do some research here to verify by looking at pre 1977 pathfinders or maps, but I'm not aware of it serving as a music shop in the period of 1971-1976. So, for now, the extra point question remains open. What was the silversmith shop building used for before it was the silversmith shop?

The talley so far:

OZARKS GAL..........6
Betamike...............4
Trams...................2
Okiebluegrass.........1
Zephon.................1

Again, the extra point round for Mystery photo #13 is still up for grabs! Give it a guess!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan