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[Junior]

Let's take another trip back in time! Over the winter months, I sometimes post photos of "the Silver Dollar City we all remember from our youth." I wanted to start the 2013-14 winter season with photos of craftsmen and women from the 1960's-1980's.
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"You have a Great Past Ahead of You!"
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan 

[Duelist]

Wow!!!  Excellent pictures!  Thanks Junior!

[Gilligan]

Junior, You need to put together a book!  There are enough people who remember the old days and wish for its return.  Great photos! Until you look at photos like these, you don't realize how much the park has actually changed.  I really miss all the crafters, but I think mostly I miss the old signage.  It had such character.

[Junior]

Duelist and Gilligan, thanks for the nice comments. Think of how many of those crafts no longer are exhibited or sold at the park. Many things have changed over the years. In the weeks and months to come, I'll post old photos of some of the "lost" rides, shows, and attractions at the park. That will really jog some folks and take them down memory lane. I encourage anyone with a bunch of old photos to post them here, I love looking at stuff, especially things I have not seen before, or in a long time. POST AWAY!

[History Buff]

I haven't forgotten a relatively recent survey that included options for some major craft-type additions.  Think they decided to go a different direction, or might those still be in the works?

[okiebluegrass]

Now THAT is the SDC I remember!

[Gilligan]

Now THAT is the SDC I remember!

Me too!  It's also the one I miss terribly and want back! 

[Junior]

I personally knew and/or worked with at least 11 of the people pictured. They were some wonderful people. I'm glad many of you remember them, too. I'll have some more of these old photos of other things on park in the weeks to come. Be looking for them!

[Junior]

I was cruising the Internet, and took another look at the Rube Dugan's Diving Bell Facebook page. Discovered some additional photos that I posted on my Flickr site. Two are well known 1977 publicity shots for the diving bell taken by a SDC photographer. The third is a unique photo I'd never seen before from the collection of noted Branson entertainer Bob Nichols, who is a former "Junior." It is a picture of Bob, Darin Hustead, Bill "Moose" Hensley, and James A. Peterson circa 1979-1980 standing on top of the lake submersible that used to emerge from the "cave" adjacent to the wharf at the diving bell. If you visit Lost River you can see the cave, partially submerged by the water in the lake. Hope you enjoy.                 http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan   

[Junior]

Coming soon...more pictures from the past at SDC! (I've deleted the arts and crafts photos, but left the diving bell, float trip, and Hee Haw Theater photos.) I'm looking through the material I have on file now, and within a few days, I'll post some photos of rides, attractions, and shows. Be looking for them!

[Junior]

As promised: Old rides, shows, and attractions, 1970-mid 1980's at SDC. Hope you like what you see!   http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan  

[Junior]

We still have about a month before the first rope drop of 2014. Thought I'd post a few scans of some old brochures showing how festivals changed over the years from 1978-1987. There was a spring crafts show, a mountain folks music festival, fall crafts show, later on an Ozark Folk Life Festival, headline entertainment like Kitty Wells, Ricky Skaggs, and the Whites, a clogging competition, and later on a Olde Country Folk Festival which later developed into Worldfest, a quilt show and sale, and a square dance weekend. All of those festivals have come and gone, with the exception of the fall crafts show. Times change. It is funny also how some years the park really pushed the festivals, and other years, the festivals only got a brief and tiny mention in the brochures. Anyway, hope you find what you see interesting...    http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan

[Gilligan]

A few years ago (not that many) SDC entered quilts in the national quilt show, AQS - a juried show in Paducah, KY.  Quilts from around the world are entered in this show, and I haven't missed a show in 15 yrs.  I always got excited waiting to see what SDC was showing.  I'm not sure why there are no longer entering. 

[thelarsonsix]

When did OTC start? I would have thought before '87.

[Junior]

I think OTC started in '88 or '89. I went to a couple of early OTC's when not many lights, or even shops or attractions were open. The OTC we know now is so much better, and the lights are great.