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[Junior, too!]

Thanks to those who can post. I would like to have gone. Weather is cold and wet, which would make for an uncomfortable visit.

[chittlins]

Good news, Chance sez they'll make a modernized Toboggan if someone asked!

[Junior, too!]

Article about the event in the Tuesday Arkansas Dem-Gazette. About 3000 toured. About a third of those came through an unsecured gate without signing a waiver to not sue if hurt on the property.  Caution tape was placed at locations deemed by the owner not to be safe. It appears from the article many buildings were in better shape than thought. Two former employees were interviewed, and were hopeful the property would be developed.

[chittlins]

Article about the event in the Tuesday Arkansas Dem-Gazette. About 3000 toured. About a third of those came through an unsecured gate without signing a waiver to not sue if hurt on the property.  Caution tape was placed at locations deemed by the owner not to be safe. It appears from the article many buildings were in better shape than thought. Two former employees were interviewed, and were hopeful the property would be developed.

Given 5 he fact the building were made to look run down helped with that perception. I don't think it will ever be a viable theme park with rides and such again. It's just too far off major highway corridors. I do think a quality attraction could be based off of the whole Dogpatch thing a little further up the road as stated before.

[biscuitcreek]

Here's an article from a recent issue of Branson Tri-Lakes News that discusses the recent visitor day and about some of the plans for the park.

http://bransontrilakesnews.com/news_free/article_44b85a82-8fa6-11e4-9312-176b4b7be548.html

[runner1960]

To make it a viable attraction it would need to be called something else. The younger generation has no clue what Dogpatch or Lil Abner is. It is good to see they had a good day. A lot of curiosity seekers I bet.

[Swoosh]

I don't get this place.  Do people just have a sentimental attachment to it or something?  What is the fascination with it?  I'm 33 and don't have a clue who Lil Abner is so you can bet anyone younger than me sure as heck won't either.

[History Buff]

Li'l Abner and Dogpatch are victims to political correctness and outdated language patterns.  The comic strip was rather difficult to read with its heavy emphasis on backwoods accents.  Also the themes were repetitive.

Plus who knows what a shmoo is?

The park itself was a failure for other reasons.  One is that it came on the heels of the popularity of a comic that newspapers held on to for too long.

I, myself, was more of a Tumbleweeds kind of guy.

[runner1960]

I am 55 and the only reason I know about Lil Abner is we always had a Sadie Hawkins dance in High School. Apparently the idea for that came from Lil Abner. The girls asked the guys I think.

[Junior, too!]

Folks who went to Dogpatch in the old days DO have a sentimental attachment to it just like SDC and other attractions. Younger  folks who don't remember the place wouldn't care...I am old enough to remember Chain of Rocks and Jessie James Territory, both in the general St. Louis area. I still miss them both. Dogpatch was 2nd rate compared to SDC, and since SDC and the Ozark Folk Center duplicated the arts and crafts and hillbilly stuff, they survived, while Dogpatch died. Honestly, if Arkansas government did not underwrite the folk center, it would be gone, too. Soon as the folk center's folklorist and director died, his massive archive was put into the special collection at the university in Fayetteville. That to me was a massive insult to the man who built up that place. Anyway, times change. Dogpatch is located in a beautiful site, but was not as easy to access as the other two attractions. That also led to the downfall.

[History Buff]

Location, location, location!

[KBCraig]

1) I don't get this place.
2) Do people just have a sentimental attachment to it or something?
3) What is the fascination with it?
4) I'm 33 and don't have a clue who Lil Abner is so you can bet anyone younger than me sure as heck won't either.

1) Yes.
2) Yes.
3) The same as the fascination with SDC, for those who attended long before you were born.
4) Yes.

[KBCraig]

Another reason for failure: the other major draw was the neighboring Marble Falls snow-skiing resort, which never had decent snow that they didn't have to make.

[Swoosh]

1) I don't get this place.
2) Do people just have a sentimental attachment to it or something?
3) What is the fascination with it?
4) I'm 33 and don't have a clue who Lil Abner is so you can bet anyone younger than me sure as heck won't either.

1) Yes.
2) Yes.
3) The same as the fascination with SDC, for those who attended long before you were born.
4) Yes.

Well, there in lies the MAJOR problem.

[biscuitcreek]

I didn't live in Arkansas during the Dogpatch years but visited it 3 times on vacation; vacations which also included SDC and for 2 trips included the Ozark Folk Center. There are more Ozark hills near Dogpatch. It is near the Buffalo River. Some folks think it is more scenic than the Branson/SDC area.

I liked parking up top and riding the funicular down into Dogpatch. The assortment of rides was okay. The food was pretty good. Nice assortment of crafts. The musicans in the park shows were excellent. Some folks really liked the trout fishing in the park. Don't think the Lil' Abner theme did much for the park but kids generally like interacting with people in costumes/cartoon characters. There was a combo ticket so that you could also visit Dogpatch Caverns (now Mystic) just up the road.

It was affordable and for many people in Arkansas, it was the first theme park they ever attended, thus sentimental attachment.

There are a lot of folks today who don't GET the theme of SDC, either.