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The new normal as they transition from a theme park to an amusement park.  While its still a "Family park" With the bigger coasters and the lack/reduction in the original 1880's theme overall, I think it morphs from a family vacation spot to a more, cut the kids loose place like a Six Flags.

I am just glad I could experience the golden years.

my two cents and worth about that much

Kevin

No such thing as "cut the kids loose" at Six Flags parks with them being acquired by Cedar Fair.  They all have the chaperones policy in effect

Way back in the day I used to work at 6 flags Stl and have a ton of great memories. I tried in the 2010's to get a season pass and enjoy it again, I just could not.

90% of the theme part of the park was gone. staff in tshirts, mall/pop music throughout. I saw very few parents just a ton of kids, the shows had deteriorated to less than high school level productions, the buildings all remained the same. too expensive to replace I would imagine. you can see the dead bones of a once decent theme park buried in a Amusement park.

I know everything looks good in the rose colored glasses of the past, no argument. My sadness is that current generations will miss the real experience many of us had growing up. It used to be a bit like time travel to another place, every year it becomes less so, bit by bit. its a shame money comes before the unique experience.

I fear in 10 years the park will sort of look like the old one but the 1880's "experience' will be a shadowy memory to those who were there.

another useless two cents.
Kevin

The new normal as they transition from a theme park to an amusement park.  While its still a "Family park" With the bigger coasters and the lack/reduction in the original 1880's theme overall, I think it morphs from a family vacation spot to a more, cut the kids loose place like a Six Flags.

I am just glad I could experience the golden years.

my two cents and worth about that much

Kevin

[Silver Dollar City, which is in Branson and about two hours away from where Oklahoma's new park is planned to be, does about 2.2 million visitors a year.]

does anyone know any real current facts about this Park? its been pretty quiet out there lately


I found this comment from July of last year --

Dennis Speigel, a consultant and former president of the largest international amusement park trade group, said there just aren't enough people in northeast Oklahoma to justify this size of a project. He also said market saturation and too much competition will limit the American Heartland Theme Park's potential.

Speigel said the 4.9 million visitors per year that American Heartland is projecting is unrealistic. KOCO 5 checked on that.

The 4.9 million visitors would make American Heartland the 10th most popular park in the country – ahead of both SeaWorld parks and all of the Six Flags. Silver Dollar City, which is in Branson and about two hours away from where Oklahoma's new park is planned to be, does about 2.2 million visitors a year.

4.9 million visitors seems a stretch to me at least for the first few years...  but I could be wrong..

Quick question I have not seen any where yet.....

Will fire in the hole open with opening day this year? or is it a few months off the start of the season?

I am just curious as I have not heard anyone mention ride opening day. maybe I am naive, but I presume it will open with the park opening day this year....

anyone??

my two cents..
kevin

RE: old fire in the hole ----  Why bother doing anything??. it's in a non traffic area, its not blocking anything. Take the signs down lock the doors and wait til you need to renovate the space with whatever. There are dozens of buildings no longer used in the park and they sit for years without any problem.

If they aren't ready to start construction , just making another empty hole is not a great idea. The building facade is not near to collapse or anything, just leave it til you take it down to rebuild.

my two cents

Kevin

I hope you enjoy this summer time video I compiled over many visits to the city in 2018 and 19.   might hold you over til the spring

thanks for watching

Kevin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZreW6NbgQ&ab_channel=SteveCrosby789

Or maybe, just maybe, a space can open that returns some of the old magic back to park. Maybe move the old shingle saw and steam engine to the area and staff it. Open up some more craft spaces, corn broom making, a cooperage/ barrel maker, apple cider press, basket making or something that can help maintain the 1880's ambiance a little.

Everything lately has gotten the "ozarks theme" but with that Hollywood tongue in cheek, cheesiness. The feel of being in the 1800's is slowly leaving and becoming a shadow of what it was. Maybe that is what they want. To me immersion is a huge part of the experience.

I know these all lost crafts are hard to staff, but it should be attempted I think....

but I am old and sentimental......

my two cents.

Kevin

not many trip reports from the holiday season -- has the sparkle left the world best holiday display?
or is it the economy, bidens fault? trumps fault?  just seems strange -no highway horror stories or glowing reports...

any Ideas?

my two cents...

Kevin

Since I can't choose two, I'll just post that I would love to see the stage coach and the float trip return with exactly NO attempt at any updating.

In my mind and heart, I wish SDC were just what it was in the late '60s.

Yes, I am a dinosaur.

you are not alone palallin
I too am getting to old and sentimental and the direction of the parks current path is not to my taste at all.

my two cents
Kevin

Thanks everyone for the comments, I was hoping it wasn't just me.... all of them were things I felt but could not describe.

I know the reality is - nothing can be done about any of it, but we can hope it is just a temp current management thing and will be corrected at some point... 

pipe dream..  SDC has finally become a victim of its own success.

my two cents
Kevin

The longer park season, accessibility laws, and HVAC/energy are fair game for how park buildings are constructed.

Those things shouldn't change how they're styled, though.

A modern building can be clad in rough-sawn board and batten siding, and signs can still be hand-painted instead of computer printed.

Keeping things a bit crooked, warped, and slanted is part of avoiding the "too perfect" look. There's no reason to go "full Dogpatch" with ridiculous exaggerations, but you also don't have to make the park look like it was 3D printed.

amen brother.....

looks to me like the city is trying to grab up both sides of most major roads so they can get the tax money for any businesses alongside the road that may spring up.  300 foot easements would encompass most buildings and parking lots along the corridor.

got a long way to go before the first paying customer pulls into the amusement park lot.

Kevin

All very good points above, and I am not unsympathetic as the the infrastructure problems the old buildings cause.

almost all older building have some form of supplementary cooling/heating and it many cases it is barely adequate. and for the first many years the park was closed in the winter and need no heating.

I just personally wish the new construction could be done with a emphasis on retaining the older look while still being better insulated, and other modern requirements. Things can be new and LOOK old, a bit more custom painting on the exteriors, using aging techniques and other effects type of decorations.

One other thing I know must be a pain in the ass to maintain is the simple split rail fencing.  it adds so much but is never put in anymore - it ages quickly and fits the motif much faster.  Now we get stone retaining walls usable as benches, but far less aesthetically pleasing.  you can't stop change but I don't have to like all of it...

thanks for listening
Kevin 

[yeah I know "shut up and get over it.."]

I am gonna rant a bit and I am sure many will disagree.

before I start I want to say that I get that almost all of the ORIGINAL buildings ( older than 25 years or so) are becoming very worn, inefficient for heating and cooling and just generally falling apart in some cases, and I know that new construction is better in every way.

Having said that my feelings on the most very recent buildings(fried fancies, new FITH, new furniture store), are that thematically they suck. I think the new stuff, while keeping the style of time period, does not fit with the feel of the older sections of the park. I know a huge part is that the landscaping needs to catch up with buildings and once they are more filled in with trees and bushes etc  they will not stand out so much. I am attaching a couple pics of the old places and some new.

I think this change is the one that is so undefinable for me, I think the new FITH exterior looks like a "Disney version" for lack of a better descriptor. all perfect and new. For me the part of SDC I like is the fact that it doesn't look like a shopping mall. same with the fried dough stand.

The new furniture artist renderings look like it would fit in a strip mall anywhere. I think this is the part of SDC that is slowly vanishing and that's a shame, because the charm of SDC to me is it IS NOT DISNEY.

look at the photos and tell me what you think..    ( yeah I know "shut up and get over it..")

my two cents..
Kevin 

long way to go to get it done in two/three? years?  They have stumbling blocks already and they haven't even pissed people off yet.... time will tell.

I do not think it would be too far off the mark to say that every quarter that fails to see actual groundbreaking puts them back at least 6 months on opening.

great Ideas sometimes just never happen....

my two cents
kevin