Didn't know SDC once had a Haunted House until I read the thread my MoOzark looking for photos of it.
It was family friendly though. Nothing like Worlds of Fun -- which OWNS Halloween in Missouri.
SDC is more than happy to give them that and own Christmas
It probably also has to do with the family faith values of the company and owners, too.
I cannot recall Silver Dollar City ever making a huge deal out of Halloween. Ironically enough, by October 31st, most of the Christmas lights are already up. :D
I think Junior hit the nail on the head. SDC is not going to do anything to upset the church crowd. However, they have flirted a little with the spooky side in the past. A few years ago they put some "special effects" in the "Dine in the Mine" restaurant. I don't remember exactly what all they did to it. I asked one of the servers what was going on. She said, "Oh, the mine is supported to be haunted this year but it is not working very good." She meant that they were having lots of mechanical problem with it. I believe they soon gave up on it.
Another little reference to ghosts is something that has been beside Herman's Tree House for many years. There is a sign on it that says, "Ghost Trap." Other than that, Grandfather peeking out of the curtains of his mansion, the creepy portraits of Grandfather's family and the cemetery at Fire-in-the-Hole is about as spooky as it gets. And I almost forgot, if you take the lantern tour of Marvel Cave you can hear some good ghost stories, depending on who the guide is. I know that Wanetta Bright knows lots of stories.
Haunts would be way out of the SDC spirit. As with everything, there could be a way to do them that would work, but it would have to be family friendly.
Fall is craft season at SDC, I hope that never gets screwed up for cheap Halloween antics.
Quote from: shavethewhales on August 02, 2013, 10:04:16 PM
Haunts would be way out of the SDC spirit. As with everything, there could be a way to do them that would work, but it would have to be family friendly.
Fall is craft season at SDC, I hope that never gets screwed up for cheap Halloween antics.
You could throw things in like Pumpkin decorating with mini pumpkins, even pumpkin carving demos. Maybe I just missed it, my Grandmother's church had a haunted housed over the perils of damnation one year and sodom and Gomorrah. I'm Methodist these days ;D
I think there's a huge difference between the Halloween haunted houses of today and an old fashioned ghost story/superstitions campfire program. Ironically, ghost stories were a big way for Ozarks residents (and many 19th century Americans) to pass the time and in a way, deal with the real terror inflicted on the region during the Civil War. A strong belief in witches and superstitions was also fairly common in the Ozarks until at least the 1940s, according to Vance Randolph's field work; while it may not fit some folks personal values, it was a part of Ozarks culture.
The previous post says it all. A chunk of my Ozarks/MO/AR book collection is ghost stories. There are hundreds and hundreds of stories out there.
If anyone has any contacts with SDC, I know a great storytelling duo who would be happy to present their/our ;D program sometime at the park. ::)
T.
A great memory is from the Hatfield's Haint show in the Riverfront Playhouse. Even if they brought it back for a fall festival, it would be well-received. It was about a haunted house. Of course, they still delve into this area with the Dicken's show at Christmas (with its ghosts of Christmas).
I am not one for traditional ghost stories, but there are ways (like above) to tell fictional stories with style. How about a campfire at the gazebo with storytellers relating stories about MoMo, the "bigfoot" of the Ozarks?
Retelling many of the Vance Randolph collected folktales around a campfire or the hearth at McHaffie's Homestead is a great idea. NO reason they could not throw in some good old stories about haints!
I'm afraid that the homestead wouldn't draw the same crowd. If it was done in the middle (where the Christmas Tree sits, it could be a huge attraction at night, maybe even with some special effects and pyrotechnics.
Quote from: History Buff on August 05, 2013, 10:52:04 AM
A great memory is from the Hatfield's Haint show in the Riverfront Playhouse. Even if they brought it back for a fall festival, it would be well-received. It was about a haunted house. Of course, they still delve into this area with the Dicken's show at Christmas (with its ghosts of Christmas).
I am not one for traditional ghost stories, but there are ways (like above) to tell fictional stories with style. How about a campfire at the gazebo with storytellers relating stories about MoMo, the "bigfoot" of the Ozarks?
MoMo is not an Ozarks monster; the sightings of the "Missouri Monster" similar to Bigfoot, et al. happened in Northeast Missouri near Louisiana on the Mississippi River. The Ozarks does have its own version of the Loch Ness Monster, "Whitey" the White River Monster though.
I agree with Junior; why reinvent the wheel by telling fictional stories when there are some great ones documented by Vance Randolph in his travels across the Ozarks? If we want the real Ozarks to survive, we should save its culture, not fictionalize it.
T.