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[minerider7]

Great weather today with a big crowd.  Surprise surprise first one up to the power keg and broke down again.

[Junior]

WHEW! This is a SDC first for me! Projected crowd according to a citizen I asked today: 26,000! Actual on park as of 7:30pm tonight: 23,100! I personally have never been on park when it has been that full! (And I have been going to SDC since 1970.) About 2:30pm wife and I left Branson to go to SDC. When did we make it to a parking space? About 5pm! Did a quick walking tour of the park, saw the last 5 minutes of Frosty at The Boatworks Theater...actually thought it was cute for the kids. Saw the tree lighting thing, and the parade. Everything very nice. Long wait in line for a hot dog, chips, and Cokes, poor gal at the concession was working alone, and was running out of supplies! We parked in Lot 6, had a contracted bus service from Springfield helping bus people to the front gate. Never in my life had I been transported to the gate by a non SDC person! On the way out about 8pm got to where the old Wooden Nickel Restaurant is at Notch, noticed the overflow parking lot filled with cars and portable lighting set up...don't know if it was being used as employee parking or guest parking, but the whole pasture was full!  A big conference of some sort in Branson and traffic was heavy Friday night when we got there, hard to find motel rooms too. Overall, everything busy on the last weekend of the season...watch out, 2014 is just around the corner!   (Did not have a chance to get photos ready, but will try to post some next week.)

[sanddunerider]

I also heard there were large crowds at the shows in branson also.!!  Sounds like a great weekend for the whole area/......

[chittlins]

WHEW! This is a SDC first for me! Projected crowd according to a citizen I asked today: 26,000! Actual on park as of 7:30pm tonight: 23,100! I personally have never been on park when it has been that full! (And I have been going to SDC since 1970.) About 2:30pm wife and I left Branson to go to SDC. When did we make it to a parking space? About 5pm! Did a quick walking tour of the park, saw the last 5 minutes of Frosty at The Boatworks Theater...actually thought it was cute for the kids. Saw the tree lighting thing, and the parade. Everything very nice. Long wait in line for a hot dog, chips, and Cokes, poor gal at the concession was working alone, and was running out of supplies! We parked in Lot 6, had a contracted bus service from Springfield helping bus people to the front gate. Never in my life had I been transported to the gate by a non SDC person! On the way out about 8pm got to where the old Wooden Nickel Restaurant is at Notch, noticed the overflow parking lot filled with cars and portable lighting set up...don't know if it was being used as employee parking or guest parking, but the whole pasture was full!  A big conference of some sort in Branson and traffic was heavy Friday night when we got there, hard to find motel rooms too. Overall, everything busy on the last weekend of the season...watch out, 2014 is just around the corner!   (Did not have a chance to get photos ready, but will try to post some next week.)

The lights at the Highroad is backing it up bad. Is a light to turn north on it really needed since there's no traffic coming off the nonresistant south. Another fix would be better light timing at the 76/Indian Point light. Once you wait all that time to turn off it's like you are nearly alone on the road till you get the preferred parking area. A completed High Road would do no good with the light bottlenecks still two lane 76 from there to 265. There should be a second lane from the High Road to the 265/Wilderness light and a two lane turn at SDC itself. If someone was smart and got caught in the traffic from Branson, once they hit 265 light get in the right lane and go past the SDC light and turn around at the maintenance entrance and double back It might be, and this is a novel concept in today's America, is it may in SDC's best interest to help fund 76 road work itself. You think a first time visit by a family with a 4 year old or 6 year old  hung up in traffic for two hours yesterday left a completely positive image for them to come back with what was likely a frustratingly long wait through the gift shop and tram loading area on the way out. Corporations are always asking for the gov to do for them with tax breaks and all.

The secret is that If you are coming from NWA/OK and you think it's going to be busy, ditch the 412/65 route and go through  via 21 off of 412 to Berryville  then to Blue Eye to Kimberling City to SDC. There was no back up what so ever till you are on park property.

[Junior]

The NW Arkansas route we take is Garfield to Gateway to Seligman to Cassville to Cape Fair to Reeds Spring to Branson West. Most of the traveling is on Hwy. 76. Barely any traffic, plenty of scenery, get to see a few deer here and there and glimpse the lake. The short route from Reeds Spring to Indian Point is all the real traffic, and it is usually not too bad. Guarantee travel time about an hour and a half.

[U Smell Smoke]

Had a great time at SDC this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Going all three days allowed us to do everything we wanted despite the large crowds.  The park stayed open an extra hour Friday the 27th (in addition to staying open later on Saturday), closing at 10 due to the good crowd.  Also on Friday all performances of "It's a Wonderful Life" were cancelled due to illness of several cast and crew members.  They had cancelled the final show on Thursday the 26th as well.  Was very crowded on Saturday, largest crowd I have ever seen at SDC and I have been caught in some big ones.  I saw some people get in line at noon when the park opened on Saturday for the 2pm Saloon Show.  Lines for the shows were long and formed very early.   

[cowboy]

Went on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Saturday was a mad house especially around the Saloon trying to get people in and out. We were at the park from 12:30 to 10:00 on Saturday and had a great day. My son said he had to do the upstairs queue line for Wildfire the wait was over an hour. At the end of the night, things cleared out and we were able to ride everything we wanted. As far as parking was concerned. The park opened at noon, we got there about 12:15 and the preferred lot was almost already full, we parked down by Shuttle stop 1 and the lot was pretty full just about everywhere else. Shuttle Stop 1 had it's own little shuttle running that day. Speaking of parking, the top free lots were already closed and we saw they were already directing traffic to the Notch lot when we drove by at 12:00. Here is a picture of the crowd:



Jay

[Junior]

Never saw so big a crowd there in my life on Saturday. Left an hour after the 7:30pm parade, much easier getting out than getting in.

[Gilligan]

WOW!  Craziness!  A note from the hubs (the Hubs!  Not me!!)  "Even a good fart wouldn't help clear that crowd!"

[Swoosh]

They really really need to do something about the bottle neck there by the Saloon.  I have talked to the PTB before about it but as you can see it still remains an issue. 

What needs to happen is this
1. Remove all ODV buildings that are not permanent buildings. (especially the one in the middle of the main path)
2. Move Saloon queue to cemetery area - remove queue line area from in front of the Saloon
3. Remove PowderKeg Outfitters, PK arch and Sweepstakes Building
4. Create a new PK arch right next to Lumbercamp fence and a dedicated path up to PK entrance.
5. Create a new arch entrance for Opera House queue area.
6. Configure Opera House queue area better to allow for more people to fill the area before shows - completely fence this area off from PK path so that they are very very distinct.

[cowboy]

My daughter and I just jumped ship in that area....we crossed over a small rock wall and bailed into the Lumber camp....then took the "back roads" to the American Plunge area and out of that mess.

Jay

[sanddunerider]

Made it to the last day events.. not much to report.. low attendance and COLD..  supposed to summy and 40..  LOL!!!  never happened.! was overcast and less than 34 all day...  TNT did run for a bit...  nothing else outside ran.. (except train of course)...  The line for scrooge was backed up past the smores stand in front of lumberjack...  my mission was to see the saloon show at 2..  no problem doing that. everyone headed for OH .  Did the saloon show.. was impressed, nice little skit flowed through pretty well...  headed back out over to do the living nativity scene... stood in the shade of the building and waited patiently....  did I mention it felt COLD??  LOL...  anyway nice day, FM and FITH was working overrrtime....  the shows were full and lots of standing and waiting....  but we made it said to good bye to the city for the year along with a little over 9000 other people.......  Hard to believe in 75 days we will start all over again.

[Junior]

Hey, even a day without SDC is like a day without sunshine! 

[Swoosh]

Finally got the photos edited and online
http://midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2013/SDCchristmas/

[chittlins]

Finally got the photos edited and online
http://midwestinfoguide.com/migcrew/2013/SDCchristmas/

I think you'll see the tower incorporated into whatever finally goes there like Dollywood keeping some of Adventure Mt. towers for their new family coaster.