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[shavethewhales]

Does anyone know what Gaslight Square was? See the attachment below this post to see what I'm talking about.

I'm assuming it was just the main square, victorianized, from back when they were trying to keep the park exactly 100 years in the past? The typography and graphics look like 80's - early 90's material to me.

[History Buff]

You are correct.  The lights in the Main Street area were to be handlit each evening, but I never really noticed.  I like that idea, but I'm glad the whole Victorian idea tanked.

[rubedugans]

I never thought this was a great idea because I believed it would change the city square too drastically. This was late 80's ( possibly 88' or 89'). Van Horn's Mercantile was on the square where the Cowboy store/ former lace shop is right now I believe. I couldn't tell you since this is actually one brochure that I DO NOT have!  Jealousy sets in!!!)

[Copper]

The Vanhorn's Mercantile took the place of the original General Store. Gaslight Square provided a lot of guest employee interaction. There were heavily themed barbershop quartets and tandem bicycle riders. Beautifully dressed Victorian women and men would interact with guests in the square. The reason why it failed: "We can get Victorian anyplace," said the guest, "We can only get Ozarks here at SDC!" As a young boy I loved it. Yes, it removed SDC from Hillbilly, but I would give anything to be back to theme.

[History Buff]

^AMEN!

[betamike]

Here is another page from the original brochure.   I think this was the first time I remember keeping my brochures in pristine condition.   From that point on, I was saving all of them.

[KBCraig]

The Vanhorn's Mercantile took the place of the original General Store. Gaslight Square provided a lot of guest employee interaction. There were heavily themed barbershop quartets and tandem bicycle riders. Beautifully dressed Victorian women and men would interact with guests in the square. The reason why it failed: "We can get Victorian anyplace," said the guest, "We can only get Ozarks here at SDC!" As a young boy I loved it. Yes, it removed SDC from Hillbilly, but I would give anything to be back to theme.

Heh, I just said something very similar about Grand Expo:

http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=528.msg9104#msg9104

[rubedugans]

I could have sworn the Gen Store was still there at the time...I had special interest in the store since this is a family name (Van Horn)...Hmm I will have to check my photos of the old place to figure this one out...If you have one go ahead and post it...I am going to look though.

[History Buff]

I wondered at the time how long it would be before motorcars would be introduced to the streets of the city - and a barnstormer ride where we would ride in airplanes dangling from cables from one end of the park to the other.  It would have completely changed the complexion of the place to keep the park exactly a hundred years in the past.  Think about it - it would now be 1909.  The World's Fair in St. Louis has come and gone, with its electric lights and trolley cars, a giant Ferris Wheel and the Olympic Games, iron lung displays and incubator babies.  Not to mention aboriginal people on display.

Come to think of it, the GE does kind of feel that way.  They could easily move the Ferris Wheel from CC, add a trolley car around the perimeter, and stick a ragtime piano player in the gazebo.  It'll still feel like an add-on, much like a water park added to DW or SF.

[Copper]

Rube: originally the General Store was located where Cowboy Jeps is today. Vanhorn's occupied that space for a short while. June Ward from the candy shop told me that SDC had replaced the General Store with a Mercantile, but employees and others raised heck and the store quickly came back. The late 80s and early 90s was the end of the hands on Herschend error. This is long in the past.

I have posted before that SDC had toyed with the idea of having "portals" in the park taking you to other decades in time. In the late 80s early 90s I feel SDC was struggling to find its place in the Theme Park Industry, "How do we compete with other parks, but not loose our integrity" Also, "How do we keep our customers while drawing new ones?"

I feel SDC is great at what it dose, even when we allow flying elephants and swinging pirate ships to enter the park. We can always do better and it takes guests like you to help keep us on track.

[Zephon]

Speaking for most of the entertainers of that era, those of us who were faced with providing much of the entertainment "value," such as it was, we hated it.  We were the ones bearing the brunt of the multitudinous daily complaints of "Where are the Hatfields and McCoys."  Most of us knew when the concept was first announced that it wouldn't work, guests wouldn't like it, and it couldn't last.

Sadly, today's park finds us in much the same situation, with a profound lack of "street" entertainment in the form of the Hatfields and McCoys.

[Copper]

It's always the frontline employees that get to hear it all!

[Old Guy]

Jan and I loved it. You can see some photos on my John Corbin Goldsberry facebook page

[sdcforever]

^Wow!  Long time, no see, Old Guy!  Good to hear from you!

[History Buff]

^^Surprise!  Old Guy is still out there.  Nice of you to stop by John.  Maybe you can anchor our wild little group a bit.  We are in great need of your wisdom.