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[MissinTheGreenTrams]

oh and I also looked into the pickin on series and HOLY CANNOLI BATMAN!!! I saw they had the doors light my fire and about wet myself! I heart the Doors and I heart bluegrass. put those together and what do ya got? My new fave song....

[StaceySue]

Well, the novelty IS riding at night.  That's the point.  Many rides just feel different at night.  Now, I don't have to risk temps falling to low for night rides at Christmastime.   

[Joy]

I told SDC in the survey they sent me (for having used my pass during Harvest Fest) that we asked for longer hours, NOT modern music.

My dad agrees with me that the ideal would be to have extended hours for the entire summer; keep the park open 'til 10pm on weeknights and then 11pm or 12am Friday and Saturday nights.

Forget the modern music. All we want is time to ride in the dark.

[Copper]

I think if they extended hours to midnight, I would have to retire early and about 99% of the work force would too.  I wouldn't mind if they extended hours to 10pm each Friday and Saturday of June, July and August though.  I think that would be a great compromise and yes, get rid of the modern music.

[Makayna]

When they do stay open late, the cave at night is really cool... bats come out more on the very last tour when the hours of operation are later.  It's quite a sight to see... especially if there are lots of people on the tour that are afraid of the dark.

I think if they're going to charge nearly $60 a ticket, they SHOULD have longer hours. Period.  There's no excuse not to.

[Ozark Outlaw]

During the Spring months, and the Fall months, I think the standard eight hours a day (give, or take) is sufficient. During the Moonlight Madness, and during the Christmas light show, staying open late works better for those times. However, I think it would be a bad idea to have the park stay open late every single night all year long. There are just too many other great evening activities to see, and do in the Branson area.

[Joy]

Part of the problem with when they do Moonlight Madness is that by the time it actually gets dark, there's really only an hour or so for riding rides in the dark, so there's no way you're gonna get to all the rides in that amount of time. Just Powderkeg alone can take forever to get on during MM.

[sanddunerider]

ozark i think your right about not every nite.. I also agree about the MM late nite rides and the music is just a lot to do"after" dark.  maybe they could do the MM for 2 weeks and on those 2 weeks stay open till midnite on fri and sat?  LOts of late nite dark riding then..  Dont know? that would be a lot of hours??  Just something for them to think about..

[Makayna]

I wish there was more to do during Moonlight Madness than just rides and that one show.  All of the shops close down, and most of the food places too.  If you don't ride the rides, there's really nothing else to do during that time.

I also wish they stayed open late during October.  I know that being a Christian organization and all, they wouldn't want to do anything that might possibly be interpreted as "Halloween" related (even though they have Santa Clause?!  ), but even if they didn't do like a "Haunted SDC" I still would like to see them open later during that time.  But if they would consider a "Haunted SDC" wouldn't that be amazing?!?!

[Nate65807]

With all due respect to Tinaalsgirl, it is difficult to answer the questions surrounding festivals/shops at Moonlight Madness. Most shows/shops are closed, and I really think it is just about the rides for most people. That said, it was a great idea to bring MM up as a discussion topic.

I really like the idea of MM. It certainly fills the void left behind by the closure of Celebration City, and enables people who work 9-5 another chance to visit the park. I would like to see an extra week or two of MM. A great time would be the week after Memorial Day and/or Labor Day.

My thought process behind this is drawing more people to SDC and Branson in general. Many people are dead-set on coming down for holiday weekends and tourism is down on the preceding/following weekends because some people won't come two weekends in a row. This might change that, to a certain extent, or maybe some people would stay an extra weekend and get a Season Pass, which really is the best bet. However, having MM on too many days would hurt the symbiotic relationship between SDC and the rest of Branson, which thrives on people attending restaurants and shows at night.

In regards to what music is appropriate for MM. I think it is good to play a more modern selection of music, as long as it somewhat relates to the theme of the park. Therefore, some modern country music would seem appropriate. However, I wouldn't stray too far from the established theme. I definitely agree with the "No Hannah" folks. Keep her music at Disney World, please. "The Climb" would be about the only song of hers that I could fathom wanting to hear at SDC.

I like MissinTheGreenTrams screen name, and their point about the admission price being a nice perk.

Makayna has a good point about the "Haunted SDC." While SDC certainly is a Christian park, it doesn't hurt to embrace the theme of a holiday that has been moreso influenced by Hollywood, than the non-secular influences of All Saints Day or Samhain. Many people don't know or care about the non-secular origins. To most people, Halloween is a day to dress up as something, get candy, visit haunted houses, and watch scary movies.

SDC would do well to maintain their family values and focus on "Casper-style" ghosts, creepy creatures, Baldknobbers, and other similar folklore to draw attention away from the stuff they object to. Many Christian groups have "alternative" celebrations around Halloween to give people more choices on what to do that time of year. The shops could hand out saltwater taffy and other specialty candy items to people who are in costume, thus encouraging future sale of these items. In this regard, Silver Dollar City would be encouraging its values by drawing people away from the things that they are opposed to.

I think it would be best to observe "Haunted House day" on a Saturday, regardless of what day Oct 31 falls on, to make it financially worthwhile for the extended hours and extra employees working the haunted houses.