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Mixed emotions surrounding an announcement that felt like a mere formality from day one. While some aspects of a dedicated resort seem appealing, the building rendering feels little more than a scaled down cousin to DW's DreamMore, with a hint of Disney's Grand Floridian sprinkled in for good measure. I'm sure it will be well done and ridiculously overpriced like everything else is now.

Hard to know what the master plan holds, but as others have pointed out, it seems counterintuitive to not be prioritizing significant park expansion and infrastructure in the short term. The huge crowds in a smaller park have grown to a point that's really starting to dilute what used to be the park's best feature – charm. Attendance numbers certainly don't seem to indicate people being turned off and turning away due to overcrowding, but it would be hard to argue that park volume isn't contributing to a far from ideal experience for many patrons at this point. It's just hard to understand why HFE wouldn't want to start expanding the footprint of the park now to help thin the herd and give people new places to explore.

The last 10 years at SDC have netted Fireman's landing, Mystic River Falls, Time Traveler and Fire in the Hole. An investment totaling less than $90 and all within the existing footprint. I'm sure the park will look dramatically different by 2034, but it will be very interesting to see how $500 million gets "spread out" beyond the cost of resort construction alone.

 

Pretty sure I heard on a ride review of FITH 2.0 that the water tower in the last scene is supposed to "fall" or at least create the illusion of falling, but every POV video I've seen since the first one was posted doesn't give me the impression of that at all. Can anyone confirm or dispel that? On a separate, but related note, the fiber-optic chasing fuse leading to "blowing up" the water tower seems like a super cool and well-executed detail. 

What are the chances that several aspects/effects simply aren't being revealed prior to the official opening? It seems like several who have been fortunate enough to grab an early ride have generally applauded the overall job with theming, but come away somewhat underwhelmed with the overall ride experience relative to SDC's largest ride investment to date.

Respectfully, what's the real point of a delayed official grand opening if they've already opened the ride and revealed it in full weeks before?

We'll all know for certain in 48 hours.

👆🏻👆🏻

That's why I posted yesterday and am still inclined to believe this will be the official FITH 2.0 announcement. SDC posted an overt FITH post Monday. Yesterday, a news announcement with a subliminal nod to Fire Company No. 1. Why the Mystic River visual? How do you put out a fire? And what has been FITH's signature element for decades? One final drop into a splash ending.   

While outside the typical practice of waiting until close to end of season to announce a new attraction, hyping the FITH reboot this early accomplishes two things. It generates excitement about what's coming. And drives traffic to get your last rides in on a SDC Classic NOW.

A simple press release would suffice for being voted the #1 park, announcing the the opening of something on the order of Fried Fancies, or lineup news with regards to the festival offerings.

If you're going live with an announcement, I anticipate it being legitimately newsworthy.

Any reason to believe a formal announcement is coming this week for FITH 2.0? SDC Facebook feed has already alluded to "so much exciting news" coming this week.

They announced the opening of Fried Fancies yesterday, and just dropped a playful, but cryptic nod to FITH with an all red picture and, "I aint got no pants no more. The dang baldknobbers stole 'em" just this morning.

No shock in terms of the announcement, but it felt like an anticlimactic miss from a marketing PR perspective. To confirm the closing of arguably the park's most historic and beloved ride without offering any details about its replacement felt absolutely pointless. Sure, a handful of folks will make a point to visit again in 2023 just to have one more chance to ride the original FITH one last time, but that's hardly a mass appeal move. Why not balance the disappointment for so many with establishing some excitement and momentum around the re-imagined version of a SDC classic? Can't help but think that would have generated more interest than just letting the world know the park's first ever coaster is soon to be no more.

Was on park today. Perimeter building framework is going up. Can be seen from Several points in the city and Hwy 76. For me, the building looks considerably larger than the existing FITH. Side note: rode FITH today for what could be my last time ever. I was pleasantly surprised to see and hear everything in working order. Dare I say, things even looked spruced up from when I last rode it a couple year ago.

I wasn't really focused on the when as much as the what. I think we're all in agreement that COVID has thrown a wrench into the park's master plan, I was just curious what everyone's thoughts were about what will be addressed next when things return to "normal".

I still anticipate a major surge in consumer spending once the dust settles and concern eases around this entire mess. Obviously and unfortunately, many families have been adversely affected with job loss and illness, but I'm optimistic things will rebound quickly and HFEC won't have "suffered" too much.

One way or another, I would bet the farm that the complexion of this pandemic looks dramatically different come the first week of November. But I digress. We certainly have the time, so why not re-open the speculation vault on what could be ahead for SDC?

With MRF officially open and an unprecedented time in history, time to start speculating about the next major project for SDC. Not intended to be a poll by any means, below are just several of the possibilities that have surfaced or been thrown around ad nauseam for some time.

- Classic refurb to AP or FITH?
- Off year with classic demo (FM) to make way for a new attraction in 2022?
- Off year for attraction development with major park entrance overhaul?
- Family style coaster like DW's Firechaser Express or Dragonflier?
- B&M Winged Coaster?
- Hypercoaster?
- Emphasis on strengthening show and craftsmen offerings?
- Other?

Can't help but be anxious and curious about SDC's next move. What are everyone's thoughts as it stands? Let's discuss. 

Exactly.

We don't need pomp and circumstance in LS. A decent sized fountain that circulates water and is possibly illuminated at night would be the only inexpensive touch needed to dress up what is nothing, but a small pond now. If they wanted to continue the block retaining wall in front of FL around the entire perimeter, that would be awesome as well, but not holding my breath.

As much as I enjoy the charm and intrigue of the various demonstrations, I would also enjoy seeing new opportunities for more hands-on, interactive offerings. Things like Carries Candles that allow guests to take a closer look at how things are, or used to be me made, combined with the chance to make and take home. There are few things more gratifying than being able to become your own artisan, or have a hand in creating something special and uniquely your own. 

 

Regardless the budget and scheduling issues that may be a factor, the reality is it's going to look very ghetto if they leave Lake Silver as is next to a brand new $25 million addition. It's a shame that something as simple as a very small body of water cannot be treated as an aesthetic asset to the park. Especially considering how little the park would need to invest to treat it as such.