Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Fry bread stand looks great. Flooded Mine is surprising, but those towers were aesthetic only. I wouldn't be shocked to learn they had structural issues. The ride is over 50 years old. The one in the back of the photo is the one with the laser eyed ghosts--ahem, the escape scene--so that's the important one to keep intact.

 

Very much looking forward to Saturday!

[PhantomPoster32]

Photos from SDC Twitter

New advertising for the Fry Bread

Three different flavored of Fry Bread are available

New and improved Brown's Candy Factory

Wave Carousel testing and new planters around the trees

The water is flowing at Lost River

[DoinItForTheFame]

The water is flowing at Lost River

 

What a refreshing sight to see! This means the off season is almost over!

[PhantomPoster32]

Oops forgot to post this photo. Same source.

The "theme" for this season

[Jaykethekid]

I hope that they will rebuild whatever they took down at Flooded Mine. It just doesn't look right if you understand what I'm saying.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I hope that they will rebuild whatever they took down at Flooded Mine. It just doesn't look right if you understand what I'm saying.

 

I agree, it does make the ride look like it's missing that "little something extra" in the theming.

 

Before:

 

Source.

 

After:

 

 

Source.

[Shavethewhales]

They didn't have much choice in removing the tower because of the condition they allowed it to deteriorate to. It's not a huge loss, until you notice the trend behind it.

 

Look at those two photos that DoinItForTheFame just posted. Notice how when they updated the roof they cleansed it of all the little pieces of theming and do-dads in favor of a more modern, clean surface? That's been happening all over the park, especially in the last few years. The old stuff is rusting away and simply being hauled out. A lot of the little themed areas and gardens are now bare, or the authentic theming has been replaced with screen-printed boards or whatever can be done cheaply. Everything on the park now has a life span of 10-15 years before it is declared junk and simply hauled away.

 

Times change and things wear out, but the apparent change in attitude towards theming, atmosphere, and general charm is unfortunate. They did a really good job on the Fireman's Landing theming, so I know they still know how to do it, they just don't put effort into maintaining what they've already got.

 

 

On the positive side though, the new food stand looks great, and there have been some nice updates in some other areas of the park.

[MisterP]

They didn't have much choice in removing the tower because of the condition they allowed it to deteriorate to. It's not a huge loss, until you notice the trend behind it.

 

Look at those two photos that DoinItForTheFame just posted. Notice how when they updated the roof they cleansed it of all the little pieces of theming and do-dads in favor of a more modern, clean surface? That's been happening all over the park, especially in the last few years. The old stuff is rusting away and simply being hauled out. A lot of the little themed areas and gardens are now bare, or the authentic theming has been replaced with screen-printed boards or whatever can be done cheaply. Everything on the park now has a life span of 10-15 years before it is declared junk and simply hauled away.

 

Times change and things wear out, but the apparent change in attitude towards theming, atmosphere, and general charm is unfortunate. They did a really good job on the Fireman's Landing theming, so I know they still know how to do it, they just don't put effort into maintaining what they've already got.

 

 

On the positive side though, the new food stand looks great, and there have been some nice updates in some other areas of the park.

 

I think it started happening years ago as American Plunge's tunnel is now just a long concrete trough, whereas it used to have actual theming inside it.

 

The Lost River as well now has about 1/2 the amount of theming as it used to.

 

They also haven't updated Fire in the Hole in a long time, other than taking certain elements away. Ditto for the Powder Keg launch shack.

 

I love the park and have a season pass again this year, but their attention to in-ride theming is all but nonexistent nowadays...

[Jaykethekid]

It kinda worries me about what condition the theming will be in say ten years. Maybe, they will realize that people want more theming. Back to the flooded mine specifically, the least they could do is put some vegetation or vines on top of it to make it not so noticeable.

[PhantomPoster32]

If we hadn't pointed it out with side by side photos would you have noticed? Probably not. You might have thought it looked different but I doubt you'd been able to pinpoint exactly what was different. Sadly, most of the GP will be the same way

[Jaykethekid]

If we hadn't pointed it out with side by side photos would you have noticed? Probably not. You might have thought it looked different but I doubt you'd been able to pinpoint exactly what was different. Sadly, most of the GP will be the same way

That is a good point, it took me a minute to see the change. I just wish they will do something to cover it up.

[TNT]

Deleted 

[PhantomPoster32]

Except the roof that the tower was on is not visible in this photo

[Jaykethekid]

Coming to think about it, or I'm just trying to be positive about it, it doesn't look too bad. It's not like it's an entire facade is being replaced by concrete or anything. It could be worse. How old where those photos again?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Opening day! The first noticeable change was that they are now searching bags. It's pretty unintrusive. It was quick enough I didn't have time for a picture, but if you've seen bags being checked on a folding table, you've got a good idea.

 

Overall not much is different, beyond what has already been documented. Really it's just good to be back.

 

This morning was drizzly, so a few rides were closed, including Powder Keg of course. A thunderstorm cam through about noon and shut down everything, but that only lasted about an hour. Once it was done, everything opened again, including Powder Keg, and the crowds arrived. We were tired and have plans for this evening, so once there were actual lines for things, we bailed. It was a fun time and a good start to the season.

The square was all decked out to celebrate America's families.

Powder Keg melts in the rain.

Fry bread stand fits in nicely and does help traffic flow.

[Shavethewhales]

They actually started checking bags at the end of last year. All Missouri parks and attractions are having to step up their game if they weren't already.

 

The fry bread stand looks like it's in the same location as the old stand? Obviously hard to tell from a single photo, but I expected it to be farther back if they were really trying to improve the flow.

 

Thanks for the photos! Keep em coming. I know there are quite a few more updates to the park, such as around ThuNderaTion and the riverfront playhouse.

[Shavethewhales]

All of you seem to be over looking one detail in the picture that explains why the theming was removed and why it might come back. That is a brand new roof. Kinda hard to put a roof on a building without removing themeing.

 

Huh? Why does that mean all the theming goes in the garbage? They could have put it right back, and placed new theming. Instead they left a bare metal roof. It's one of those things that isn't a huge deal, and of course most people won't notice, but after years of this happening all over the park it's looking more bare and generic. SDC used to absolutely blow people away with how detailed and immersive it's theming was - it was literally like stepping into a whole new world. Just a different attitude now.

 

And if I haven't pointed it out yet, in this case they are obviously playing this ride out of the park. By essentially hiding the entrance, not replacing things, and only making the bare minimum repairs to keep it going they are allowing guest's perceptions of it to slowly fade so that they can justify ripping it out and replacing it with something else. That's another completely different attitude from the old days when a ride with so much detail and history would be considered sacred by the Herschend family.

[PhantomPoster32]

They actually started checking bags at the end of last year. All Missouri parks and attractions are having to step up their game if they weren't already.

 

The fry bread stand looks like it's in the same location as the old stand? Obviously hard to tell from a single photo, but I expected it to be farther back if they were really trying to improve the flow.

 

Thanks for the photos! Keep em coming. I know there are quite a few more updates to the park, such as around ThuNderaTion and the riverfront playhouse.

 

It's farther back. It's basically where the island was that was behind Berries and Cream

[ytterbiumanalyst]

They actually started checking bags at the end of last year. All Missouri parks and attractions are having to step up their game if they weren't already.

 

The fry bread stand looks like it's in the same location as the old stand? Obviously hard to tell from a single photo, but I expected it to be farther back if they were really trying to improve the flow.

 

Thanks for the photos! Keep em coming. I know there are quite a few more updates to the park, such as around ThuNderaTion and the riverfront playhouse.

I don't remember bag checks last year at all; maybe just not when I went. They did an excellent job preparing people for them, though; beginning with the tram operators, we heard the announcement from several staff before reaching the turnstiles.

 

The fry bread stand is basically where the old stand was, though just a bit farther back toward the saloon. I was surprised, as I had imagined it completely to the side and out of the way. It's not a huge move, honestly, but it does really help the flow. The queue just goes more to the side now, as opposed to being in the middle of things. For such a small change, it is a big difference in a very cluttered area.

 

I didn't get to take a lot of photos, as I was wrangling children, and the park was very busy today. There were a lot of small things, like planters where there weren't last year, worn-down things replaced, etc. A lot of work had obviously been done, but it's more a honey-do list than a big change. They just fixed what needed fixing. I did notice that the magic show area near Thunderation was more open--a change that was long overdue.

 

They were very on top of their game today, especially for opening day. There were obviously some new employees who were trying to get the wording of the safety spiel just so, and groupers doing complex mental calculations to ensure every seat was filled. It's fun to see them getting their first taste at the job for real, as they're generally both inexperienced and energetic.

[PhantomPoster32]

Bag checks started with the Christmas festival

[ytterbiumanalyst]

We went twice for the Christmas festival, once in November and once in December. But it could have just slipped my mind. Bag checks were completely painless today, so it really wouldn't have been a memorable event I think.

[TNT]

Deleted 

[PhantomPoster32]

All of you seem to be over looking one detail in the picture that explains why the theming was removed and why it might come back. That is a brand new roof. Kinda hard to put a roof on a building without removing themeing.

 

Huh? Why does that mean all the theming goes in the garbage? They could have put it right back, and placed new theming. Instead they left a bare metal roof. It's one of those things that isn't a huge deal, and of course most people won't notice, but after years of this happening all over the park it's looking more bare and generic. SDC used to absolutely blow people away with how detailed and immersive it's theming was - it was literally like stepping into a whole new world. Just a different attitude now.

 

And if I haven't pointed it out yet, in this case they are obviously playing this ride out of the park. By essentially hiding the entrance, not replacing things, and only making the bare minimum repairs to keep it going they are allowing guest's perceptions of it to slowly fade so that they can justify ripping it out and replacing it with something else. That's another completely different attitude from the old days when a ride with so much detail and history would be considered sacred by the Herschend family.

 

You were the only person I've seen that has said it was thrown away. (Far from proof) Even if it was thrown away it doesnt mean it wont be replaced eventually.(The park has far more important projects to focus on before the park opens then themeing) I doubt Flooded Mine is going anywhere anytime soon. They just added a new roof, a new roof last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. It would be incredibly stupid to put a roof on a building to get rid of it later.

 

Everything has a shelf life

[Vonni]

I do very much love Flooded Mine. I would love to see it closed for a season for an extensive rehab.

[PhantomPoster32]

I do very much love Flooded Mine. I would love to see it closed for a season for an extensive rehab.

 

I'm afraid the PTB don't see the ROI in doing that