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[History Buff]

Nostalgia. Purely Nostalgia. We rode those baloons when we were kids and wish that our kids could ride em too

Exactly! The balloons weren't really in-theme anyway, but the nostalgia of that particular ride is what I'm attracted to.

Heh, sometimes I think we are too rigid on what constitutes "in-theme" at SDC. There's a certain amount of kitsch involved. SDC came close at times to being a true frontier town, but there's always been an edge to it, and the balloons fit within that to some degree. I mean, hot air balloons have been around since 1800 at least. Obviously they wouldn't be flying around a little Ozark town, but that's where the kitsch aspect comes in.

As for History Buff's comments, I think at this point it has to be conceded that there will be an increasing number of off-the-shelf flat rides installed around the park. At one point, even the balloon ride was kind of a sore thumb for the park's ambiance, but if it were still there now I don't think it would clash nearly as much. We talk every other week about how the park is changing in that aspect, but I still say that there's a right way to do it that keeps the SDC spirit more or less in tact while giving the current market what it wants. Look at TGS for example - a revolutionary (at the time) level of theming for a simple S&S screamin' swing, with a whole area full of interesting little perks around it. It's all about putting these rides into a 'place' instead of just a bunch of rides.

Exactly.  I concede that there is a right way to do it.  I suppose it depends on what is rotating on those arms.  The balloons and their pastel '80s appearance will not work with current color pallets and clashed when they were installed (Even the ferris wheel, installed at the same time, was tan/brown.).  I didn't mind that they were balloons, but put a bunch of airplanes or "modern" firetrucks in there and you've broken with theme.

[Ozark Outlaw]

I agree that the Balloon Ride isn't the most ideal themed attraction, but it sure beats the pants off of the red spinning disk ride, and the giant swinging boat ride in the Grand Exposition! Not to mention the ultimate ripoff itself - the flying elephants!

[okiebluegrass]

Take out the elephants and replace with the balloons. Everyone's happy 

[chittlins]

Take out the elephants and replace with the balloons. Everyone's happy 

Quite honestly, the balloons fit the stated theme of the GE better than the Disney knockoff elephants. That and the hymalaya style ride with the pirate ships next to the swinging pirate ship helped disappoint on the stated goal The GE area. The pirate ship could have been themed to a flat bottom boat from the Tom and Huck period if not part of the the GE. Yeah we get savings likely gained choosing from Zamperla's stock rides.

The balloons, along with the tea cups and the swing and the electronic spin fit the Worlds Fair theme while the pirate ships(both rides and the elephants do not) the kiddie,kiddie rides should have had a different theme.

I like the idea of having pockets of kiddie rides sprinkled here and there instead of being concentrated in one area. I think it promotes families sticking together or relatively close by as they traverse the park instead of spouting up. Half Dollar is in a spot where Dad watches the pre K kiddos while mom or grandparents hit the shops near there.  I'd like to see a small scale Ferris wheel western or farm themed out by Wilson's Farm and Outlaw Run along with bull themed bumper cars.

[runner1960]

Maybe a good solution would be to start moving some of the rides from GE to other parts of the park where they have small pockets of land available. Put 1 or 2 in the treehouse area. A few would fit nicely in the old water boggan area then this would free up the GE area for a new major attraction. I was really disappointed myself with GE since it is basically rides you can do at any traveling carnival in the country. Same thoughts on Ferris Wheels and other similar rides. I guess the parents with small children love it though and probably don't give a rats behind about theming.

[Swoosh]

No.  I'll write more later.

[History Buff]

No.  I'll write more later.

I'd rather keep those all together - and keep the kids in those isolated areas like GE and HDH.  Please don't spread them out.

The balloons do not fit the color pallet.

I'm not a huge fan of GE with the ride selections, but I do think it is themed OK.  They ABSOLUTELY need to have a small ragtime band and barbershop quartet in the gazebo though to really bring the area to life, along with the ORIGINAL rainmaker.

[shavethewhales]

The solution to GE is definitely not to spread it out across the entire park. The area could use some work to make it more immersive, but the fact that it is off in it's own little off-shoot of the park is what has always made it 'acceptable'. When you look at it as SDC's take on a carnival, it just sort of works. The back portion simply needs to be re-done. Perhaps someday they'll tackle that, but as it is I certainly wouldn't want to see those particular rides anywhere else. They are nicely tucked away back there where they don't interfere with the experience of the rest of the park.

[chittlins]

The solution to GE is definitely not to spread it out across the entire park. The area could use some work to make it more immersive, but the fact that it is off in it's own little off-shoot of the park is what has always made it 'acceptable'. When you look at it as SDC's take on a carnival, it just sort of works. The back portion simply needs to be re-done. Perhaps someday they'll tackle that, but as it is I certainly wouldn't want to see those particular rides anywhere else. They are nicely tucked away back there where they don't interfere with the experience of the rest of the park.

When I think Grand Exposition, I  think of World's Fair and somehow Victorian. The tea cups and the swings fit that, so would the balloons. There's plenty of Victorian style in the 1880s. The disco fits fine. I can't stand the elephants or the pirate ships back there.

I don't mind kid rides spread out. Case in point. The Giant Swing. The last visit OR went down and everyone hit the Giant Swing. Line came way out of the Barn queue. The High Lows were operating just one tower and the wait for that with the little kids to afraid to ride the swing with the bigger kids and adults was 40 minutes, I kid you not. The frog race stands often unused and few actually race or stay long enough to get one done to the other end. Neat concept though. A little ferris wheel like this but maybe themed to stagecoachs

would add something for Mom and little one to do and eat into wait while Dad and bigger kids take in OR.

As for the zamperla rides and the survey themes I can see these used

The flight theme and as seen at LEGOLAND in KC


Fire theme

[Swoosh]

Ok, finally home.

The whole point of the Grand Exposition was to create an area with family rides with ONE entrance in and ONE entrance out.  This was to create a "safe dead end" in the park.  The felt that by having this area, families could let their younger kids go explore while the families could rest at the entrance to the area if they choose.  That is the whole point of the GE.  If you go moving those rides around the park (which they won't) that defeats the purpose of the whole area.

Next.  The reason there are not more rides spread around the park is due to the long standing goal of keeping most rides hidden from the main loop midway.  This is something that SDC has kept as a tradition from the get go - by spreading the rides around you are killing one more tradition -- I thought traditions were important.

Finally the complaining about the theme of somethings in GE and "not fitting" -- you do realize what the theme is in the area, right?  The theme of the area is basically to break the theme of the park.  You are to find things in this area that would be unique and not seen in the city had the exposition not come to town.  The elephants fit fine.  They are exotic and are advertised as such.  The Galleon and Regatta are right there too.  You would not see large sailing ships like that unless the expo had come to town.  The list goes on.  The point being that the whole area is about breaking the theme because it is an EXPOSITION of NEW THINGS.  Of course you won't see those things elsewhere in the city. 

Finally let's get back on track to 2014.  I think it is time to do yet another split topic here and move the theming "discussion" to another topic.

[mhguy77]

"spinning rides" add movement to a "dead" section of the park.  It is amazing how much life even one moving attraction can add

True enough but I cant count the times I have been back to the GE and the rides are not all running.
There is not much of an excuse for that. 

[Junior]

Swoosh is right...it's a "worlds fair" thing. No, not too Ozark Mountain Village. It works, though. I feel the area is a well themed carnival attraction. I mainly have an issue with the location, right next to the Indian Point/Hwy. 76 intersection. I know they are short on usable land, and that is why it is there. It works, though. I don't have any other major complaints. The only guess as to why some rides aren't running, I'd say it's either the weather or done in periods of low guest attendance. It could also be that not enough personnel are available to run all at once. Don't really know, but it's just a guess.
---
If they do a good job with the theme on the new family rides in the old toboggan area, OK. It will be a slightly different themed area, and, in my opinion, if they do that, it is another well themed carnival attraction. If they are considering such an area, which apparently they are, it more than likely is because guests have requested more family rides like in GE. On this issue, I beg them not to add WWI style airplanes or fire trucks. Nothing hokey, please. The balloons coming back in some form are OK by me.

[History Buff]

Here's the new thread about theming if you're interested in continuing the conversation (since this is the 2014 Project thread):

http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=2683.0;topicseen

[qwed94]

Again. I also agree with Swoosh.

That is the real reason for the area. 1-to have the kids things seperated (as most other parks do) AND 2-(which I never really thought about till Swoosh explained it) it is supposed to break the theme.  Very well said

Thank You Swoosh for enlightening me on that.

[okiebluegrass]

Bring back the one mule swing