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[kbosch1]

I forgot to add some pics....

[HumphreyHawk]

Awesome trip update!!!  Welcome to the board!!!

Sounds like a great family trip....I was debating Sunday morning about 'stealing' my old two kids and going up for a last 'day of the summer vacation' trip with them but was concerned about crazy crowds who might be doing the same.  Sounds like it would have been a good day to go 

I've had a lot of great SDC trips on days where the weather is questionable....it keeps the crowd down.  I got no waiting on OR a week after it opened for hours one morning because I was one of the only crazy people out there in the sleet and 40 degree weather when the gates opened....lol.  The RMC team was still on-site.   It probably wouldn't have been running or just with one train but it looked like they where training the crew.  Always pays off to go early and usually pays off when you gamble with the weather (tip: FM and FiTH are always open in rain)

[Gilligan]

Great review and pics of your trip!  Stick around!

[Duelist]

I'm sorry for my rant, it just rubs me the wrong way when people will voluntarily surrender their liberties in the name of safety.

Benjamin Franklin had some wise words about that.
[/quote]

At the risk of making this too political:  yes you're right that almost no place can stop a thought-out terrorist attack but a 2-minute bag check is not exactly a full body probe.  Sure it probably has mostly to do with liability on SDC's part more than anything but it wasn't that much of a hassle.  besides, as has been pointed out, other parks are doing wanding (which still wouldn't stop me from going to the City) so they haven't gone that far yet. But they have to at least show some kind of security mesaures or some people won't visit.

[sdcfan88]

I don't think I ever posted this, so here. lol

Ironically the sky was on fire while visiting Wildfire earlier this month on the last few days of Moonlight Madness. Love this shot. Probably one of my favorite ones I have ever took of this coaster.

[How-doFolks]

As always, not SDCs fault, but dont have much to brag about on this trip.

Went to the park Friday around 3 so we could get next day free. It was cloudy & sprinkly, so nothing was really going ride wise. Rode Flooded Mine, Then went to FITH, rode it 2 times in a row. Crowd was very light. Saw Terry Sanders & said hi to him. It started raining & thundering, so we left. Got pretty wet, but it was fun to walk through the park & try to find spots under the trees to stay dry.

Saturday just didnt start out for us very well. Weather was great. I let everyone sleep in. Usually we eat before we get to the park, but it was too late, so we decided to eat at the park. By the time we rolled around & got to the park, Mollys was packed. Got done eating & the park was open!! Rode PK first, 13 year old grandkid freaked out! It was his favorite ride of the park. Then we rode Outlaw Run in the front row, he had a straight face the entire time. Then went to Wlidfire, i didnt ride. Then The Giant Swing, he enjoyed that. Then to TNT. By this time the crowd was coming!! Lines were getting long. Went to Bears In The Holler & had a bear stuffed for him. Tried to ride the train but he had to use the restroom, so off we went. Crossed The Swinging Bridge & called it a day.

Here is where i am going to be totally honest, & you can have your own personal opinion. Like i said, NONE of this was or is SDCs fault. -- It is hard to be grandparents of kids that the parents were doing drugs when they had these kids. Now the kids are on so many medications that they cant sit still, have no pateince, & fall asleep when bored. I feel so sorry for the parents, the kids, & us. I feel bad that we left the park early, but he was walking off on us when he'd realize the lines were long, & dragging his butt, when we didnt wanna do what he wanted. He understood why, & we have the $$$$ to do a lot of things, but all this can get irritating when you dont see your grandkids very often because they live so far away. Its along story.... Some may not understand. But when you are older & your life is better, but your grandkids lives are so hecktic, & you try to help - have fun, & things turn out like this, it is like the parents past being thrown right in your face. Its sad.. Dont get me wrong, we had a good time, but we were having trouble having a good time. So we packed our stuff early, & left for home. We explained to Classic Motor Inn why we were leaving & they understood. We had eaten at Starvin Marvins earlier, & the wife had a bad tummy ache. A 4 hour drive home was better that spending all day Sunday getting the grandchild home, & getting us home.

I am sorry for ranting about this. Its just what it is, we're just glad to be home....

We did meet the "cheeseheads" while we were at Classic. Great down to Earth folks! Nice to meet them!!

[sanddunerider]

sounds like a tough trip How-do.. sorry for ya! and the family....   Better trip next time.!

I missed cheeseheads,  saw them at the city, but they were "busy" at the homestead. ,  Maybe next time..

[cheesehead57]

It was nice talking to you How Do. Sorry we mixed you sanddune.....had too much to fit in at the Homestead. We will be getting back down to Branson when the Christmas festival starts in Nov.

[sanddunerider]

Christmas.?  great, maybe I will catch you 2 then.  we can do lunch or something before city opens up..

Make sure you post your visit dates here,  I have multiple day trips planned for nov-dec.... 

Cya then!

[Joy]

I was at SDC on Friday the 23rd, and it was great. The only negative was how hot it was. Created a bit of a weird feeling because I'm not used to being at SDC when it's 90-degrees out (I tend to avoid the summer and go in the spring and fall & Christmas).

The crowds were light, which helped us do quite a bit. I was with my dad, my sister, my bro-in-law, and my three nieces (ages 8 [N8], 3 [N3], and 1 [N1]).

First up was Grandfather's Mansion, which was one of the only things N8 remembered from her last time at SDC (which was when she was only 3). She loved it, but N3 was not fond; she's currently going through a "scared of the dark" phase, so she wasn't easy to please with the indoor stuff. I was impressed with how GM was looking/sounding. Everything seemed very freshly painted and well taken care of; I was super excited when I realized the glass-crashing sound was back on the gold nugget case.... that had been broken for such a long time!

We went to the Saloon Show after that. I hadn't been to the park since 2013, so I hadn't gotten to see the revived Mean Murphy show. I loved it! I was so happy to get that shot of nostalgia from when I was a kid (the Mean Murphy show was the show they did back in the mid-90s when I first went to SDC). I also enjoyed seeing Dave and Rachel still front-lining the show; they're both so talented! The girls all liked it, except N3 was scared of the gunshots.

I am autistic and sudden loud noises severely distress me, so I had to make sure to ask Ma Hatfield as we got in the queue if there were real gunshots or recorded, as that had been the case a few years ago; they are using blanks again, so if you or a family member has trouble with loud noises, be prepared. Additionally, they use very heavy strobe lighting in the finale of the show, so be aware if you or a loved one suffers from seizures.

After the Saloon, we headed over to Fire in the Hole. I sat with N8; my BIL sat with N3.... Yeah. Well, that was not the best ride to go on. N8 had never ridden a coaster aside from a kiddie coaster. She informed me a couple days later that the reason she didn't like Fire in the Hole was because she thought the lap bar was going to fly up when we went down the hills. So now that she knows the lap bars lock, there may be a chance I can get her back on it in a year or two. As for N3.... she didn't like how dark it was, and she definitely did NOT like the drops. I give major credit to her, though, for not crying. But man I wish I'd had a camera on me to capture the look on her face when we rolled into the station and into the light.... I don't know how long it'll be before I can convince her to go on that again.

Next, we traversed over to the Red Gold Heritage Hall because my dad insisted that we must see the Wild West Show. I had planned to let everyone else go and while they were at the show, I'd take pictures of the area that will be getting changed as part of the 2017/2018 projects.... but it was so hot and I was already so exhausted (I'm still recovering from the pneumonia I caught at the beginning of August and my lungs just still aren't as strong as they were before I got sick), so I ended up going to the show with everyone else and I'm glad I did.

The Wild West Show was very well done. I'd been uninterested in taking the time out to see it because it looked in the pics I'd seen like a tiny version of Dixie Stampede, which we were going to the next day. But while the concept is similar, there are actually aspects of the WWS that I preferred over DS. Particularly, I was very impressed and happy with the segment that featured Nakotah LaRance, the Hopi hoop dancer, and his father, Steve LaRance (who played the drum as well as had his own jewelry booth in the Frisco Barn). The Dixie Stampede segment concerning Native Americans didn't specify at all what nations were being represented, and it felt rather generic (also, the old man mask was really strange and creepy); the segment at the SDC show featured a specific dance from a specific nation, named the performers, and their dress was specific to the nation they were representing as well.

After the Wild West Show, we rode the train, which all the girls were excited about, particularly N3 as she is obsessed with trains at the moment. We ended up going right around lunchtime, so only Ralphie (or maybe it was Alfie - I didn't pay enough attention to the name, oops) was present. But the actor was top-notch and carried the whole show very well. Since I've seen the show many times, I was able to warn the girls when to cover their ears for the gunshot, which helped.

Since we were right there, we went straight to Flooded Mine after the train. I was again impressed by the work done on the ride. Everything looks nicely painted and there were some effects I noticed that I didn't remember from before (the glowing coals in the bucket at the end with the "hurry up, Fred" guy, for example). Sadly, after having taken some pics of the entrance, a few of Huck Finn's Hideaway, and tons of pics of the Saloon Show, I turned on the camera in the Flooded Mine to take some pics only to find that the battery was now dead because I'd forgotten to put it back on its charger the night before. So from then on, I was unable to get any pics with my sister's nice camera. Thankfully, she's got a newer phone, so her phone pics turned out pretty good.

After Flooded Mine, we ate at the Tater Patch. We had a "meat bee" hovering around us, and N3 was getting pretty upset about it. My dad started swiping at it, despite me telling them all to just ignore it and not make moves against it because that would just make it attack. Well, I was right. It ended up landing on N3's knee and stinging her (I just did a search on "meat bees" and it turns out it was a yellow jacket, which would explain why there was no stinger in the wound). For the first few seconds, we thought she was just freaking out because it touched her, but then she continued to cry and scream and we realized it had actually stung her.

The lady sitting at the picnic table behind us overheard and came over and directed us to use ice on the wound. I went over to the food stand and asked where First Aid was; she told me how to get there and then asked if my niece was allergic and if we needed her to call the EMTs down to us. My niece is not allergic and just needed some neosporin and a bandaid. I went back over to our table and told them where First Aid was and we decided we'd go up there and get a bandaid. Lo and behold, as we started to leave, the lady who had been sitting behind us overheard us again and offered us a bandaid. She had a whole ziploc of first aid stuff! She was so nice and putting the bandaid on the wound helped N3 calm down. By the end of the day, the wound was almost gone.

We decided to go to Grand Exposition, because I'd told my nieces about the "Dumbo ride" and since N3 is obsessed with elephants as well, we figured taking her on a ride we knew she'd like would help get her mind off her sting. Sure enough, not only did she love it, but I had to ride it twice in a row with her, LOL. After that, she went on the teacups with her mother, and then N8, my sis, and N3 went on the kiddie coaster. N8 loved it; N3 wasn't a huge fan.

Since N1 had only gotten to do a couple things due to her age, we took the girls over to the tiny kiddie rides and N1 rode the Happy Frogs with her mommy; N8 and N3 also rode it together. They also all did the Wings of Wonder, with my sister barely fitting into the seat behind N1 (it's kinda amusing to watch all the parents having to sit sideways so they can ride with their little ones).

The girls then went with my dad and BIL to the bathrooms while my sister and I got to ride our one "adult" ride of the day - Electro Spin. She'd never been on it. It was HILARIOUS the way she scared-giggled every time we got to the very top where it looks like we're gonna fly out into the open. She loved the ride!

After getting ice cream over by the Red Gold, we headed to Fireman's Landing. This was another thing that was new since the last time I'd been there. I'd seen plenty of pictures, but man it was great to see it in person! What a great replacement for Geyser Gulch!

Since it was hot as sin, we took the girls over to the splash yard and they had TONS of fun! N1 was particularly fond of standing right by one of the water holes and leaning down over it until it splashed her bang on in the face. LOL All three girls got soaking wet. After a while, I asked N8 if she'd like to try Firefall. Well, that turned out to be yet another bad ride choice. She didn't make a peep when the ride shot us up, but as soon as we got the airtime at the top, she started screaming bloodcurdling murder. I've never been with a person that has screamed that terrifyingly on a ride ever before. I'm honestly surprised the poor thing didn't pee her pants or something. What I found kinda amusing was that when we got on the ride, there was a gal in line who was close enough to hear me assuring N8 that it would be okay and that it's okay to scream and what-not. The gal obviously heard and saw when my niece started screaming on the ride and as we came back down into the station, the gal had the most amused look on her face. I couldn't help laughing while asking my niece several times, "Are you okay?"

BTW, Firefall is not particularly easy to get on for a short person. They had to push my OTSR down a bit because I have a large bust, but it was trying to climb into the seat that was the worst part; I'm 5'3" and I wish they'd had a step stool there....

We went back over to our group and my sister could see how terrified N8 was. She hugged her and exclaimed that she could feel her heart beating super fast, the poor girl.

By then, it was getting pretty late in the afternoon, so we decided to head up to do the petting zoo.... When we got up there, we found it closed off and there was another family there who said they'd tried to go earlier in the day and it'd been closed then, too. Dunno why it was closed.

So, N8 wanted to do Grandfather's Mansion again, so she and my dad went through it while I just sat on a bench in the main square because by that time I had a blister on my toe, the heat was really getting to me, and I'd done enough walking and hill climbing that my lungs were done for the day.

Sadly, my dad rushed us through the exit pretty fast so I didn't get a chance to look for or buy any souvenirs this time around.

The girls got souvenirs, though! Earlier in the day, when we were in the Grand Exposition area, the girls wanted to play one of the carnival games that was across the way from Red Gold Heritage Hall. It was the game where you pay $5 for 3 balls to throw into different colored holes. I've never been particularly fond of carnival games at theme parks, but what I like about SDC's is that no matter how you do in a game, you still win a prize. So you're basically buying a toy for $5 (which really is a steal at a theme park) and get to have fun at the same time.

The Citizen at the booth was nice and let the girls play 4 balls instead of 3. N8 didn't get any of the special holes, so she picked out a square dalmatian plushie. N3 managed to get her ball into the gold hole, so she got to pick a big prize and chose a giant blue plush raccoon with giant eyes. For N1, she tends to throw her balls down instead of out, so the Citizen had my sister bring her around and into the booth and had N1 stand on the edge of the game "board" so she could just drop her balls. She didn't get any special holes, so she picked out two small neon monkey plushes - green and pink.

And that's just something I have to say about all the Citizens at SDC. I am forever impressed with how friendly and giving they are. I didn't meet a single unhappy Citizen that day.

And now I'm itching to go back to the park. SDC is one of my special interests, and being away from there for three years was TERRIBLE. And now that I've gotten to go again, I'm itching to go back. Plus, there were a LOT of things we didn't see or do (Fire in the Hole was the only "coaster" I got to go on), so I can't wait to go back and have maybe a bit more slow, casual, and ride-filled day next time. Or maybe, if I'm lucky, get to have a two-day trip to the park!

Shout-out, btw, to my friend who got me the tickets. We wouldn't have had this great trip to Branson without him! (besides SDC, we did Dixie Stampede, Branson Landing & Dicks 5&10, and the Butterfly Palace; I liked the new DS show, though there are things that I think could be improved still - I'd love to see more of the lumberjack segment; now I wanna go see the new Lumberjack Adventure in Tennessee! And I'd never been to Butterfly Palace and I LOVED it! I also like how the admission price gets you a wristband for three days!)

[shavethewhales]

Great trip report! Sucks about the yellow jacket and the heat. The summer has hung on too long this year. I'm glad you finally made it back.

[DianaGail]

Took a day and went on a quick visit October 22nd.  The morning was great!  The sun was out and it wasn't a bit chilly.   Our first stop was the bakery for cinnamon bread.  This year they have apple pie cinnamon bread and peach cinnamon bread.  Try them!  They are so good!

Next we split up.  Mom and Kathy took the boys to TNT and tony and I took the girls to the expo.  There were no lines!   Everything was a walk on.  They rode TNT twice and we rode almost everything in the expo.  Now it's time for fireman's landing.  We get out of the expo and exit the area into an insane amount of people.  We head down to firemans landing.  The kids rode the fire wagon and the mini-firefall.  They played in the balls for awhile and decided they were ready for the shootout.  After dodging many a person on our way back up the hill, we arrive to find that the line is out of the building and working it's way toward the train station.  Where did these people come from?!  We passed on the train as well.  It was at least a 40 minute wait.  As most people know, 4 year olds do not tolerate a wait like that well.  A quick stop at the Hollar and anride on the carousel later we are headed our.  It was just too busy! 

We didn't stop in many craft booths.  We just had other things we wanted to do.  We did stop in one and buy Tony's grandmothers little bird houses for a great price!

[Swoosh]

Finally got my Harvest Fest PTR online
https://midwestinfoguide.blogspot.com/2016/10/harvest-festival-sdc.html

[Swoosh]

PTR from 11/23 An Old Time Christmas
http://midwestinfoguide.blogspot.com/2016/11/an-old-time-christmas-sdc.html

[Duelist]

Great pics Swoosh!