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[sanddunerider]

you bet kerry!  glad u had a good trip.  friday was a great day in our area..  See you next march!

[sanddunerider]

any bode going this weekend??   18 & 19???

[Duelist]

We went on Saturday the 18th.  Had a great time- got there just before noon and stayed until about 9:10.  I heard there were over 17,800 visitors at 7pm.  It was a chilly day but not as bad as some.  We got to ride Thunderation 5 times including one at about 8:30pm.  I heard Wildfire and Powder Keg ran for about an hour and a half and I saw the Giant Swing running.  The Wave Carosel was still going when we left and I know they shut down at 35 degrees.  I don't know if they kept the Park open later than 9:30 or not.  We got to see "A Dickens Christmas Carol" at the 2:10 show.  It was packed as usual but we only had to wait about 30 minutes in line.  We ate the Holiday Buffet at the Mill restraunt about 4pm and had no one in front of us in line (that wasn't the case as we were leaving the Mill- the line got pretty full).  All in all another near-perfect visit to SDC.  Merry Christmas everyone!

[Junior]

Glad to read your weekend trip was good, Duelist. Anyone headed to the park over Christmas weekend? The 2010 anniversary year is winding down, fast!

[jmc75]

Was at the park on Friday and thought it turned out to be a very nice day. There were not very many people at all at the park which was nice. Also I was happy that I was able to give my last BAF tickets to some mom that she used for her kids.
I was able to get on all the powder keg and wildfire after one go around which was extremely nice. Though on wildfire I felt bad since some guy behind me forgot to take his keys out of his pocket and ended getting dropped somewhere. Apparently the lady behind him tried to catch them in the air but was unable to. After wildfire went to see the Christmas Carol which was the first time that I had seen it and thought is was very good and recommend it. Then got a late lunch at the Tater Patch which is always yummy. I was able to get on the train, I just happen to get there when they were boarding on so I only had to wait about 20 min and was on the next one luck because after that the line grew very long. After that was thunderation which the first I had ridden that in the dark which I though was a completely new experience definitely will have to do that again. Then had supper at Big Jack's Sandwhich shop and ended my evening with buying a couple of items from the mill and then headed back to the condo.
The weather was nice, the rides were fast, the employees as usually were great so I am considering this a perfect day.

[Junior]

Nice review, thanks!

[biscuitcreek]

Husband and I went on Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th.  Crowd was very light both days.  On Thursday the 5 pm show for Pure Heart and Tracey Heaston at Riverfront Playhouse was about 3/4 full; same show as the 2009 version.  Went to the 6:15 Dickens show at the Opera House; I've never seen such a small crowd.  Hardly anyone on the sides and the center was about 3/4 full.  Some different folks in the show from the 2009 version.  Enjoyed both shows.  Went to the Living Nativity at 7:15.  The guy we really like as the narrator/singer was not in that role but playing a wise man instead.  Very small crowd. The seating arrangement was better this year with the raised seating in addition to seats on the floor. Then went out for the 8 pm parade -- easy to find a bench to sit on in the Love My Country area.  Was going to ride the train but it shut down early.  Got our 50th anniversary ornaments and season passes; we were the only people there.  In past years we've had to wait in line.

On Friday we rode FITH and the train. Noticed on the train ride that Lake Silver had really been drawn down to a very low level. Went to the 6 pm Choctaw Charlie Fa-la-la Follies saloon show -- it filled but the doors were open a long time before it filled up.  Pretty good show due to audience participation.  All of the Christmas decor in Jingle Bell Junction was already marked down 50%; don't know if Christmas Hollow had any markdowns.  There were a lot of markdowns in the Hospitality House and Ozark Marketplace. The 50th anniversary clothing and other items were marked down 50% so I bought a t-shirt. Overall it was a good trip!

[sanddunerider]

anybody go sunday after christmas(yestarday)? just wondered about attendence.

I am headed out there this afternoon, should be there by 5.  got a 2:00 show in branson to catch first. then headed out there for 1 more round of rides and lights.!!!

(and taffy of course)

will see if they have done anything to HDH in the last few days..  Last report was no work started yet. going to check out utility/elevation flags this trip.

[sanddunerider]

ok.  made my last trip monday afternoon/evening.  several people there,  did not get a body count.
\
got on the train this time- nice rida as usual

shut dowont he big coasters around 5 or so,,

keep fith and thunderation running later.

weather was ok..  about 35 and no wind

checked HDH, no dirt work yet,   but lots and lots of flags and marker paint.  At this point there is NO way to tell what tyhey are doing.  the were elevation markers, utility flags, GPS markers, utility paint.   the whole area was pretty well marked, you could see lines/markers going to becca's place, so they for sure are using that building for something.  I would guess they will start there 8:00 friday morning..  supposed to be in the upper 40's and lower 50's!  Time for them to go to work. 

Oh yea got my taffy, will get it zip locked today.. Hope i have enough for 80 days!!!  ( i think thats right)..   Finally less than 90 days!!  to go!!!.

ok.  packing up and headed north,  catch ya later

[U Smell Smoke]

We went Sunday the 26th and Tuesday the 28th.  It was very cold Sunday and we went out later in the evening to catch some shows and see the lights.  Only the train, FITH and FM were running.  Rode them all and saw Dickens.  The weather was great on the 28th.  We got there before park opening and stayed almost to close.  All rides (except River Battle, maybe they gave up on that experiment) were running.  The crowd was pretty good and they were only running one train on all the coasters.  They only had one train for WF and TNT anyway as maintenance crews had already started tearing down and refurbishing one of the trains from each ride.  I guess they tear them down to the frame, x-ray them and then replace every screw, bolt and nut. Despite only one train running, all the lines moved fairly quickly.  There were a lot of great bargains in the park as they were trying to get rid of as much as possible.  We bought a lot of the 50th anniversary stuff for 75% off--shirts, candles, mugs, coins, and baseballs.  They will provide some good reminders of the anniversary year.  We bought for $34 stuff that originally would have cost $130. We picked up our season passes for next year. It was great to be able to get around Branson without having to fight traffic.  I will be missing the lack of traffic when I am down there next summer. It was weird though to see so many hotels, shows and restaurants closed for the season.  The shopping malls were doing a good business though. It was sad walking out for the last time of the year...but it's reassuring to know in just a few months I will still have a great past just ahead of me!

[Andymeets1880s]

Nice job, U Smell! Good review and thanks for the update!

[Ozark Outlaw]

Thanks for the great review U Smell Smoke!

I thought your comments about the rollercoasters being dissembled, and the hotels, shows, and restaurants closing down for the off season were interesting. In a weird way, Branson sort of goes through a hibernation at the end of the year. We often reflect on our year at Branson with such warmth, and fondness, and eventually our core sentimental values start to seep through.

[mbrownx4]

I posted about my trip in another section earlier, but I wanted to add some points.  I was down on the last two days the park was open and the weather was fantastic.  Had a great time seeing all the lights and the shows on the first day.  Thursday morning, I got up expecting to go to one of my "haunts" for breakfast.  Much to my chagrin, one was closed and the other would not open until 11:00!  Yeesh, that ain't right.  So I ate at McFarlans instead and it was pretty good.  Then I just spent the rest of the time driving around the strip a little bit.  Headed for the park around 11:45 and managed to give away the last of my bring a friend.  A family of five and a lady in a wheelchair, made for a great Christmas bonus.  Went it and had a cheese stick and just walked around taking it all in.  Man, I miss the place already.    But March is not that far away and I have you guys to help the time go faster.

[sanddunerider]

    "patiently waiting for much"   

[Ozark Outlaw]

Thanks for the quick trip review mbrownx4!

I am glad you were able to get one last solid trip in last year. Speaking of March, I just received my 2011 Season Passes in the mail today! I am so excited!