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[biscuitcreek]

21st annual Golden Ticket Awards for the amusement park industry is being hosted by SDC this weekend. Events kicked off tonight and the awards will be presented Saturday night during a cruise on the Branson Belle.

https://hometowndailynewsarchives.com/2018/09/07/amusement-park-industry-converging-on-silver-dollar-city-this-weekend/

[Gilligan]

That explains a few things.  I wondered why Time Traveler was running after closing.  We saw Brad Thomas walking around with 3 people, one was dressed in what looked like an Armani suit  )! They veered off and were walking toward Midtown which was lit up with the Christmas display.

[biscuitcreek]

SDC won a Golden Ticket for Time Traveler. More info about the awards given on Saturday night can be found in this article from Hometown Daily News:

https://hometowndailynewsarchives.com/2018/09/09/sdc-awarded-golden-ticket-for-time-traveler/

[shavethewhales]

They got the turnstile award, which is kind of a marketing award rather than a reward for Time Traveler itself. Steel Vengeance got the coveted best new ride award. Tough competition there, and honestly they made the right choice. SV may well be the best coaster in the world, though I haven't ridden it myself yet.

DW got best shows and friendliest park again, BGW got best landscaping, and Knoebel's got best food.

Still think SDC deserves more consideration for some of the awards, but the competition has gotten stiffer in recent years as more parks take note of the award and give it legitimacy. SDC hosting the award is a great step though. We may see it reflected more next year. There is undeniably a lot of bias in the polls, especially to parks that are closer to the voters.

[mhguy77]

There is undeniably a lot of bias in the polls, especially to parks that are closer to the voters.

Didn't SDC win the award for best new ride in 13 for Outlaw Run? 

[shavethewhales]

They did indeed, but the competition that year wasn't very tough (Smiler at AT is the only big ride I remember from the year), and Outlaw Run was a serious game changer in the coaster world. I think people kind of forget what a big deal it was in 2012 when we first saw the 135 element. Seriously mind blowing.

When I talk about bias though, I'm thinking about the other awards like food, shows, and christmas events. DW has always gotten the nod, even if the people who made it to both parks strongly favored SDC's stuff over DW. There are a lot of lesser known and international parks that voters simply don't make it out to as well. That's why most enthusiasts never give the golden tickets much legitimacy. It's hard to find voters who have the ability to get out to most amusement parks in the world every single year.

[Swoosh]

Time Traveler was #18 Steel Coaster
Outlaw Run was #7 Wood Coaster