50 Treasures of Silver Dollar City

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50 TREASURES of

SILVER DOLLAR CITY is dedicated to past and present employees, the citizens of Silver Dollar City.

When, in the stories and lore, you hear the names of those employees from the beginning, hill folk like Lester, Rex, and Bert who first showed the Herschends the ways of the Ozarks, or you walk the park and spot a funny “Andy-ism� (treasure 46), you have proof that each employee makes his or her own mark and leaves a legacy.

And for those of you who read the signs, most proper names you see on shops, landmarks, or around just for fun, were, or are, real people who have greatly contributed to what the City is today.

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50 TREASURES OF

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SILVER DOLLAR CITY literally began as a hole in the ground with the massive Marvel Cave. Today the Branson, Missouri, 1880s theme park, ever-changing and evolving, is the flagship property of what has grown into America’s most visited family-owned theme park corporation.

The family, the Herschends, can still be found touring the park, brother Jack sharing a tale with the old-timers or brother Pete welcoming new employees, called “citizens,” who will become immersed in a “City” that has its own heart and soul, an unparalleled culture of family and an atmosphere where serving the Lord is part of the everyday.

Jack and Pete and their parents, Hugo and Mary Herschend, were the

Jack and Sherry H erschend

Sherry Herschend

first cast of characters — yet these city folk, originally from Chicago, are quick to give the credit to the past and present citizens and guests of Silver Dollar City.

Both those brothers found their true loves at Marvel Cave and Silver Dollar City: Jack sought the heart of the pretty young Sherry who shadowed her mother, the long-time cave guide Fannabelle Nickel, all around Marvel Cave. Sherry later became a dulcimer player at the park.

And Pete? Why he and lovely JoDee shared in many a street show, where instead of presenting her with the expected “fleur” (flower in oldtime speak), Pete would hand her a frog! Those early days were full of fun, camaraderie, and hard work. The same can be said today.

The history of Silver Dollar City is a treasure itself …

1. A Hole in the Ground

In the late 1950s, the Herschend Family was proudly sharing Marvel Cave with about 50,000 visitors a year who came from near and far to see the cave’s glory. Sometimes these visitors had to wait to tour the cave, and at times, there were people who simply didn’t want to descend into it. So, with the idea of giving visitors something else to do, the Herschends opened Main Street of Silver Dollar City, May 1, 1960. Only 17 employees were responsible for running the cave, the shops, and the street shows. The visitors loved it, and that year attendance was said to double (no real records were kept, so no one knows for sure). People came to see the blacksmith, Wilderness Church, a

town square, a general store, and some rowdy street shows. The Herschends, scratching their heads, realized they were now in the theme park business!

Today, called Herschend Family Entertainment, the corporation owns or partners in 24 properties in nine states and has won many international awards for theme and presentation.

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Don Richardson

2. Real Silver Dollars

True story! The name “Silver Dollar City” hatched as a promotional idea thought up by one of the park’s earliest citizens, a legendary writer of Ozarks lore, publicist Don Richardson. Don convinced the Herschends to name the town being built atop the cave Silver Dollar City, so that, as word-of-mouth advertising (as there was no advertising budget at all), they could give back change in silver dollars — real ones, from the U.S. Mint. The visitors would then take their silver treasures back to neighbors and kinfolk, telling stories of Silver Dollar City. It worked! Today, during this 50th celebration year, the City is giving change in presidential coin dollars.

Granny and Elly May Clampett with Silver Dollar City’s blacksmith, Shad Heller

3. The Beverly Hillbillies

In 1969, Silver Dollar City drew national attention when producer Paul Henning brought the cast and crew of the number one-rated Beverly Hillbillies television show to the park to film five episodes.

The premise was that the Clampetts were headin’ home to seek a suitor for Elly May. Silver Dollar Main Street was their home in the hills. They stayed at the Hotel, now home to Hannah’s Ice Cream Parlor. The City’s blacksmith and mayor, Shad Heller, was prominent in these episodes, with brother Pete Herschend selected as a potential suitor. When the shows aired, they instantly garnered national publicity for Branson. This year, for the first time, the episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies, shot at Silver Dollar City and aired in 1969, are available in a 50th Anniversary Collector’s Set. Thank you, CBS Home Entertainment, for improving the quality and releasing these treasures!

4. A National Natural Landmark

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The miners of the Marble Cave Mining Company of the 1880s set out to find marble and silver, but all they found was bat guano. That was okay, as bat guano was used in ammunition and fertilizer, and some say, even in ladies’ makeup. Eventually, the mining operation went bust, and the cave opened for touring in 1894. Later renamed Marvel Cave, its Cathedral Room is one of the largest cave entry rooms in North America. Underground are waterfalls, secret passageways, and stunning formations. These real treasures helped the cave earn designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1972. In the depths of Lost River Canyon live the rare Ozarks blind cave Jack Herschend and frie nd salamanders. Visitors don’t usually see the four- to five-inch salamanders, as they lack pigmentation and are hard to see, but you might catch a glimpse of the often elusive gray bat as Marvel Cave is home to thousands of our flying friends.

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5. A View from a Pew

With a stunning view of the Ozark Mountains, the Wilderness Church offers a peaceful contrast to thrilling rides and rousing musicals. This log chapel was built in 1849 just past Reeds Spring, Missouri, near Galena. More than one hundred years later, in 1955, Hugo Herschend had the idea to gather a dedicated handful of employees to dismantle the abandoned community building, log by log, to bring it to the Marvel Cave entrance.

They painstakingly marked the logs with chalk to aid in rebuilding. Hugo, who passed on before Silver Dollar City was built, lived long enough to see this part of the task through. However, with a delay of several years while the pile of logs sat at the site, time and weather wore off the chalk.

When it came time to rebuild the church, there were only best guesses at which log went where.

They must have figured it out, as it still stands strong today, with the pulpit being hand-carved

by Lester Vining from a giant oak that once stood at the site (see below), as Mary Herschend would not allow the great tree to be cut down unless it was made into the pulpit! All are invited to rest, worship, or enjoy the authentic heritage, with Sunday services for both employees and guests.

In the beginning, if the pastor couldn’t make it and they couldn’t find a substitute, Jack and Pete Herschend would flip a coin to determine who gave the sermon. The winner got to ring the bell!

6. Fire in the Hole!

Hotel guest Red Flanders, seen escaping in his red underwear from a burning building, wasn’t taking his wife Sadie’s orders:

Sadie: Red Flanders, you come back in here and put on your pants.

Red: Well Sadie, I ain’t got no pants no more, the dang Bald Knobbers stole ’em.

Red and Sadie are regulars on this roller coaster ride that takes you through a mining town that has been set ablaze at night.

Opened in 1972, this was the first coaster at the City and has become a classic with coaster riders worldwide because of its unique theme and eerie setting. History and lore tell of the real mining town, Marmaros, at the cave site, which was burned down by the Bald Knobbers, a historical band of vigilantes who roamed these Ozark hills. The phrase “Fire in the Hole!” warned of an imminent explosion. It meant, “Run!” Go to www.50.silverdollarcity.com/contests-extras and download Fire in the Hole or other ringtones!

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8. Locomotives and Train Robbers

Lester Vining

The distinctive, shrill whistle of a steam train rings through the hills of Silver Dollar City on a regular schedule. The story of the locomotives starts with the first purchase, a Davenport 4-4-0 that, now retired, sits across from the Saloon, by the train trestle. That pretty red engine had actually been made into a play train for his kids by Henry Ford, who mass produced automobiles. Later, it was in a park in New York before it came to the City and ran for about eight years. Then, there’s locomotive phase two, when a train collector from Iowa, noting the chug, chug, chugging of the ol’ Davenport, told the Herschends about some 1930s switch engines that were available in Hamburg, Germany. For authenticity, Silver Dollar City really did need improvement to the train attraction for their growing mining town, so in 1969 the Herschend brothers arranged for transfer of three engines. Today, two of those engines are still in service as the old-time Frisco Silver Dollar Steam Line. The highlight of the train journey is when a band of hillbilly robbers holds up the train and ruffles the riders! That tradition began because the engine needed to pause to build up enough steam to pull up the last steep hill before returning to the depot.

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9. Sweet-Tooth Treasures

Nut brittles, chocolate candies, caramels, nut rolls, fudge, divinity, hard candies, and more are the sweet stars at Silver Dollar City, and you can see them being homemade the oldfashioned way, the best-tasting way, at Brown’s Candy Shop. Master candy maker June Ward (above left making peanut butter brittle) has been making candy at the shop since 1968, and she learned from some of the original candy makers. The shop makes about 90,000 pounds of candy every season. Guest sampling is a perk!

And on the Square, taffy flavors from cotton candy to strawberry cheesecake are “pulled” at the Taffy Shop, where the taffy makers have concocted as many as 350 different flavors!

10. Impromptu Performances

Masters of improvisation deliver spontaneous entertainment every day at Silver Dollar City — a trademark of the park since 1960 with characters, situations, and incidents created on whims. In 1968, an entertainment troupe of performers was hired to roam the City, performing up to 30 hillbilly skits and street shows per day. Today, the marshal still deputizes young visitors, and guests are often pulled into the street shows on Main Street.

For the 50th celebration, the shows that hark to yesteryear are being reenacted on Main Street, much to the delight of those who say, “I remember when …”

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11. World’s Largest Rooster Weather Vane

Silver Dollar City has won international acclaim for its theming. So when the park built its six-million-dollar ride, the Giant Swing at the Great Barn, one of the park’s 100 demonstrating craftsmen was commissioned to create an authentic barn-top icon for the ride.

Craftsman Rex Morton handcrafted a 10-foot-tall, 300-pound copper rooster weather vane, believed to be the world’s largest rooster weather vane. Tucked inside, in keeping with Ozarks tradition, is a copper box with a time-capsule message for future generations: “Life passes so quickly, but God’s word and His love stand the test of time. Our actions based upon His love will endure forever.” The entire chapter of First Corinthians 13 follows. The message reflects the heart of the park’s Christian culture.

Rex Morton

12. Gals with Garters

Ladies, hold on to yer fellas, or them floozies will have ’em for sure at the Silver Dollar Saloon.

The show there has become a favorite of millions of visitors. The saloon opened in 1973 with can-can dancers and singing bartenders. Early on, the show evolved into Carry Nation from nearby Kansas bringing her Temperance Union to put a stop to the show-girl fun, in a show that culminates with a showdown. Other favorites Murphy, dim-witted but lovable dance through the years have been arch-enemy Mean Wild West Show. The show is billed hall girl Miss Tilly, and Choctaw Charlie and his libation. as “good clean fun,” with root beer the strongest

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13. A One-Room Schoolhouse

You can get a rare peek into a one-room schoolhouse at Oak Trail School. One-room schools were common in rural areas across the country in the 1800s. Most children went to school only through the eighth grade, and one teacher taught all the grades. A school marm at Oak Trail School will lead visiting “students” through penmanship lessons on real slates and tell you about 1880s lore, sayings, and humor, such as what “finer than frog’s hair” really means.

14. Shady Lanes

The paved walkways that lead people around Silver Dollar City wind through the woods and are shady all day, unlike most theme parks, making strolling through the park pleasant even during hot Ozarks summers. Mary Herschend, largely responsible for executing the plans for building Silver Dollar City, was an active environmentalist long before saving the environment became a catch phrase. She insisted few trees be cut down during her three decades on the park and was even known to fire people for harming trees (although sometimes “firing” for Mary meant “stay out of sight for a few days”).

Her legacy continues with the ongoing company policy of planting two trees for every one removed and with Jack Herschend’s Gift of Green tree-planting program, with a goal of planting one million trees in the Ozarks.

15. The Swinging Bridge

Pretty high-tech back in the day, the swinging bridge built in 1962 over a wooded gulch near the center of the City gives young and old alike a low-tech thrill, as pedestrians walking on it cause it to bounce and sway. Suspension bridges like this hang from overhead wire cables.

These bridges were less expensive to build, using common and easy-toget supplies. They were especially helpful over rivers that carried traffic from mining and logging industries. After the 1880s, pier-supported bridges became more common, and because most swinging bridges were built of wood that has now deteriorated, this is a rare opportunity to walk across a real swinging bridge.

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16. The Village Smithy

The Wilderness Road Blacksmith Shop was one of the first demonstrating craft shops to open in Silver Dollar City in 1960. For decades, the blacksmith was Lloyd “Shad” Heller (treasure 3), an entertaining showman himself and a City icon. Today, the tradition continues, with the smithy one of the most popular stops on the Square. Ask the blacksmith why handmade nails were so vital in the 1880s, and you can hear, watch, and touch the answer — Silver Dollar City edu-tainment-style! Ladies, be sure to find the beautiful hammered-steel roses!

17. Succotash and Harvest Skillets

Shirley Tolar

No “sufferin’ succotash” here — Silver Dollar City’s succotash is not the limp lima bean succotash of some people’s memories. Think more harvest skillet, with a blend of golden russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, Ozarks smoked sausage, and a special seasoning. The recipe comes from the family of citizen Shirley Tolar and is a savory switch from other fast foods.

Seeing it cooked in the giant five-foot skillet at Hatfield’s Tater Patch makes it taste even better.

The park serves 100,000 pounds of succotash each year, with 30,000 pounds of okra, more okra than is served anywhere else in the country!

18. Old-Time Tintypes

Ever wonder what you’d look like as a frontier mountain man, a cowboy, or a saloon girl? Heck, even a gentleman or a lady? Step into the 1880s with an old-time tintype photo, and choose your favorite backdrop, too. The shop has period costumes and special props, such as dolls, rifles, and hats to make these old-time tintype photos into heirloom mementos of your modern-day visit.

Mill 19. A Real Wofatfrereshly baked cinnamon bread, and you’lle

a ill. Th Follow the arom -powered gristm authentic water an , ill sman M sa n’s g va find Sulli om travelin le gift to the City fr a as w el zarks he w O e er Mills in th original wat ullivan’s Mill.”

“S y, eb er th n, g families came Charlie Sulliva ers where farmin nt ce al ci so d an al s. Watch as were commerci and to trade new , op sh to n, ai gr they their to grind and sell r or meal, just as or corn into flou at he w the d in om gr fr e ies mad huge stones esh bread or cook fr e th e st the Ta s. of e ill has on did in the 1880 e treasure: The M om -h ke Ta e. meal, right on sit e country! okie cutters in th co of ns io ct le se largest

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Pete and JoDee Herschend

and their children

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HorseCreek

The Sons of the Silver Dollar

20. Famous Entertainers of Silver Dollar Fame

Silver Dollar City is home to some of the most entertaining performers in Branson, including the lively Cajun Connection, celebrating 24 years at the park; the vocal trio Pure Heart; longtime favorite string band Horse Creek; and the evening show’s Time Machine Band. Guaranteed heart-grabber: the harmonies of The Sons of the Silver Dollar. These performers want to know you, so stop and shake a hand and say howdy!

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CajunConnection

Pure Heart

21. Trouble in the Mine and TNT

Time Machine

As the song goes, “You might get out if the mine don’t flood!” Hurry! The warden needs help — the prisoners have taken control of the Flooded Mine, one of Silver Dollar City’s first attractions, and pretty high-tech for 1968. In the 1990s, the Flooded Mine was revamped to equip riders with laser shooters that register a sharpshooting score. And as if a flooded mine isn’t trouble enough, across the way, there’s a runaway mine train: Thunderation, or TNT, an 80-foottall, high-speed, wooden-track coaster that rumbles through the Ozarks treetops, riders going backward and forward, seeing the sights coming and going! What’s TNT? The explosive Trinitrotoluene — say that three times fast!

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22. 1915 Steam Tractor

Steam power revolutionized both farming and logging, which had relied on horse- or mule-power. Near McHaffie’s Homestead, you can see an authentic 1915 J.I. Case Steam Tractor, which powers, via a wide revolving belt, a Bremen Horizontal Shingle Saw that is more than 100 years old. You can see other farm equipment and tools from the time, too. Skilled workmen cutting cedar shingles or boards for bird or bat houses is a rare and exclusive demonstration, and the pop-pop sound of the steam tractor is a call to come watch.

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23. Hot Glass, Cool Treasures

Todd Nelson

Sand, fire, water, breath, and amazing skill will inspire awe at Hazel’s Blown and Cut Glass Factory, as you watch glass blowers create freestyle (with no mold) delicate ornaments and beautiful vases.

The factory is an open stage, showing the park’s experts at work, skillfully crafting pieces in glowing, hot glass. The adjacent shop is a showcase of one-of-a-kind masterpieces. What’s the secret to shaping 2,200-degree liquid glass into works of art? The artisans will tell you: Work quickly!

24. Tricky Tables, but Don’t Tell!

Go in, sit down, and see who first notices that his or her plate is getting closer and closer to the mouth. At Silver Dollar City’s first restaurant, Molly’s Mill, there’s a trick table that rises very slowly, and parents should ask if it’s available. Another trick table turns very slowly, slipping your plate ever further away and making hilarious memories! Molly’s Mill, located just beyond the Hospitality House, has welcomed visitors with a hearty Ozarks breakfast for more than 40 years!

Buffet dinners (you might call it lunch) and suppers feature the City’s famous double-battered fried chicken, farm-raised catfish, pot roast, and more.

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26. Duplicating Lathe

This late 1800s steam-powered duplicating lath visitors as de e enthralls monstrators m ake common items such as ro ho usehold lling pins, nood le cutters, bisc and corn brea ui t cu tters, d knives. Ther e’s a special ite kind of wood, m fo r ever y including beau tiful sumac, hi sassaf ras. Baseb ckor y, and all bats, root ca nes, and hiking compasses are sticks with popular with onlookers. Wal was one of th ke r Powell e legendar y la the craftsmen has been in th .

H is family e Ozarks since the cave first op ened.

Walker Powell

27. Cooking, Crafting, and Culture

25. A Bakery for Big Appetites

Miners worked up hearty appetites, and their women baked big to feed them. You can find the delicious goodies you’d expect at a bakery — only far bigger, like those above: sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, homemade éclairs, pecan sticky buns, old-fashioned fruit turnovers, and cookies of all kinds. You can also enjoy a traditional meal you might have found in a miner’s lunchbox. Miners took kolacky because it was handy to take the home-cooked meat and bread in one packet.

The homemade sweet yeast bread is rolled and stuffed with smoked sausage. Or try cheese or sausage rolls or calzones. Real bakers come in real early to make all these tasty treats!

The handcrafted doors are open at the Silver Dollar City Culinary & Craft School, welcoming guests to come in and participate in a cooking class or simply enjoy the 1880s-style timber-frame farmhouse. One of the latest additions to the park, the cooking classes feature recipes ranging from contemporary to the legendary, award-winning food of Silver Dollar City. The farmhouse also showcases the City’s reputation as “Home of American Craftsmanship” by using the fine decorative and functional crafts made

by Silver Dollar City master craftsmen, such as the stunning 400-globe blown glass chandelier and the copper splashboards in the kitchen. Don’t miss the back porch, where rocking chairs and lemonade let you absorb more pleasure and treasure of the Ozarks.

28. The National Harvest Festival

Debbie Dance Uhrig

Hugo Herschend’s early vision to showcase the crafts of the Ozarks became a reality in 1963, with the Missouri Festival of Ozark Craftsmen. Under the long-time direction of famed woodcarver Pete Engler, it has evolved into the National Harvest Festival today, the longest-running festival at the City and considered the granddaddy of all crafts festivals in America’s Heartland. This year, in celebration of the park’s 50th birthday and in recognition as the Home of American Craftsmanship, Silver Dollar City will host the Craft in America Exhibit, created exclusively for the City.

Legendary Craftsmen of Silver DollarCity ...

PeteEngler Doug Bratcher SDC_50treasures_10.indd 11

Roger Sa

ndstrom

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29. The Strength and Beauty of Natural Wood

The Ozarks hill people were a self-sufficient lot, and most crafted their own furniture from white oak common to the hills. Heartland Home Furnishings showcases traditional beds, dressers, bookcases, jelly cabinets, and with a nod to modern life, entertainment and computer centers, built by hand in the City’s furniture factory. The vintage wood shop has a Baxter & Whitney back-knife lathe (patented around 1900) and is equipped with vintage woodworking tools from the former W.O. Perkins Lumber Company of Arkansas.

Once steam or water-powered, the authentic equipment is still in use today. Look for Silver Dollar City commemorative coins tucked into drawers of heirloom furniture. And no trip is complete without a stop into Valley Road Woodcarvers to see woodcarvers at work on one-of-a-kind fireplace mantels, doors, carousel horses, and more. Pick up techniques from Master Carver Pam Gresham, one of the world’s top chip carvers. Chip carving is an art of intricate decorative carving. The shop is also well stocked with how-to books, woodcarving supplies, and tools.

30. Thrills in the Hills

Pam and Pete Gresham

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Cascading down a mountainside is the Rolls Royce of roller coasters, the great WildFire! The scenic vistas from the top of the loops on WildFire are some of the best views of the Ozark Mountains — that is, if your eyes are open! This high-flying, multi-looping, cobra-rolling coaster will leave you breathless, with a vertical drop of 15 stories and speeds up to 66 miles per hour. The treasure of many Silver Dollar City rides lies in the theme: Where else can you cascade through the trees and down mountainsides? There are five coasters in all, so be ready to launch, loop, and fly across the tracks and over the mountains — if you dare!

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31. The General Store

The General Store on Main Street of the Silver Dollar Square has been there from the beginning. Like authentic General Stores of the time, it carries everything needed for frontier life, from food to farm implements and fabric, and lots of gift goods, from bonnets to rooster cookie jars, from graniteware to Missouri-made foods. You can also mail a letter or postcard from the real Silver Dollar City post office, stamped with the park’s official postal stamp. And by the way, in recognition of the 50th, the new entry street to the park is now called Silver Dollar City Parkway.

33. Poet Knife Maker

There’s poetry in fine craftsmanship, and Silver Dollar City Master Bladesmith Ray Johnson, with a 12-inch blade strapped to his side, also recites his own poetry as he demonstrates the art of making knives. (Collectors seek out the world-renowned knife maker for his 640-layer Damascus steel knives.) Crowds are also enthralled with his rhyming thoughts on life and knife making, as he hammers the hot steel into beautifully patterned blades. Thankful for the world around him, in “A Bladesmith’s Prayer,” he asks to make knives in heaven. “I know we’ll be eatin’/fruit from the tree of life/but how’re we gonna peel it/if we haven’t got a knife?”

Ray Johnson

34. Old-Time Pickin’ Parties

Multi-talented is the best way to describe the Homestead Pickers as they play and sing old-time favorites on the front porch of McHaffie Homestead. These entertainers play an amazing array of instruments: guitars, banjos, fiddles, hammered dulcimer, and double bass. And of course they throw in some hillbilly antics and tall tales as they play bluegrass, old-time country, and gospel. The best storytelling comes from Aunt Judy, who has been enthralling Homestead audiences since 1979 with her tales of Ozarks legends, history, and humor. Special request from management: Just try to make this group behave!

Aunt Judy

ison and Donnie Ell

32. A Tisket, A Tasket

Woven baskets were the essential carry-all of the 1880s, used for eggs, food, dry goods — just about anything. So in the early 1960s when the Herschends went looking for authentic craftsmen for the new park, they found life-long Ozarks basket maker Leslie Jones. Jones taught young apprentice Donnie Ellison how to select the native white oak trees, split the logs, draw the strips, and weave all types of baskets of traditional strong, white oak, today 50 kinds in all. If you find Donnie on the Square, he might let you weave a strip or two.

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Homestead Pickers

Leslie Jones

35 . Granny’s Lye Soap

The all-purpose cleaner of Ozarks households was lye soap, used for cleaning people, dishes, and clothes. Lye soap was usu ally made in the fall, when lard was ple ntiful after hogs were but che red. Many visitors to Silver Dollar Cit y are surprised to discover tod ay’s milder version, made in the sam e old-fashioned way, fro m lard and lye made from wood ash. Lye soap has been a popular nov elty since the City opened. Granny mig ht tell you it will cure ins ect bites, poison ivy, and the seven-year-it ch in just six years! You can buy the plain version or 13 other scents , fancied-up with jasmine , peppermint, lavender, juniper berry, and other special ingredients.

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36. Pretty Pottery

In the long-ago town of Marmaros, said to have been atop Marvel Cave, a potter made plates, bowls, and jugs essential to life in the 1880s. Pottery was one of the first crafts demonstrated at the City. Today, at Hillcreek Pottery, potters at their wheels entertain visitors while making pie plates, dinnerware, bake ware, bowls, vases, and more. Potters use 30 tons of clay a year and make about 200 pieces every week.

A take-home treasure is perfect for everyday use.

Violet Hensley and granddaughter

37. Whittlin’ and Fiddlin’

Silver Dollar City’s best-known visiting craftswoman is a legend, a carver, and a musician.

Violet Hensley, approaching her mid-90s, has been demonstrating her talents at the park’s Fall Festival since 1967, where she became known as the “Whittlin’ Fiddler” of Yellville, Arkansas. She whittled her first fiddle at the age of 15, and has been making fiddles and dancing while she plays ever since. She has made about 75 fiddles so far.

Violet has been profiled by famous broadcasters, including national correspondent Charles Kuralt in the late 1960s, Regis and Kathie Lee, and National Public Radio. She was honored as an Arkansas Living Treasure in 2004, and one of her fiddles is in the Smithsonian.

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38. Finger-Lickin’ Good Barbecue

Both the grown-ups and the little ones will be licking their fingers for Silver Dollar City’s famous barbecue. At the Riverside Ribhouse, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and beef are served throughout the season from the outdoor grill, along with sides of spicy baked beans and fresh skillet potatoes.

Then barbecue gets its own headline during the spring Bluegrass & BBQ festival, when the City adds large outdoor charcoal grills and a custom-made nine-foot smoker, serving up 40,000 pounds of slow-smoked barbecue during the two-week festival. In one year, Silver Dollar City serves 250,000 pounds of chicken, 50,000 pounds of ribs, 46,000 pounds of pulled barbecue pork, and 25,000 pounds of baked beans, and the City uses 4,000 gallons of barbecue sauce! Enjoy the special 50th celebration sauce, Honey Blackberry.

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39. Echo Hollow

Tucked away in one of the ancient Ozarks hollers is a real hidden treasure: Echo Hollow.

By starlight, after the rest of the park has closed, this is a perfectly enchanting place to relax in the evening breeze and hear old favorites and new country music. The nation’s only live stage version of Great American Country Nights, sponsored by the popular national television network, has 10 singers and dancers, a live band, and comedy. Enjoy this natural amphitheater surrounded by trees.

And for the record books, Echo Hollow boasts the most-watched show in all of Branson!

Echo Hollow in19

83 and today

40. America’s Biggest Water Battle

Get a super-soaker water gun, and get ready to fight aboard the park’s newest ride. It’s an all-out battle with the legendary pranksters at Tom and Huck’s RiverBlast. They’ve hatched a plan to take guests on the wettest, wildest river adventure these parts have ever seen. Raft riders, armed with water soakers, navigate the mighty White River, battling raft-to-raft and raft-to-shore, dodging streams of water from sharpshooters ashore. Be among the first to ride this new $7 million adventure.

41. A 4-Bucket Ic eC

ream Churn

Rock salt, rich cream from th e family milk chicken coop, an cow, eggs from d a hand-crank the ed ice cream fr summer splurg ee zer allowed a ra e to Ozarks sett re le rs. At Hannah’ a four-bucket s Ice Cream Fa churn makes ct or y, the homemad dozens of flavor e creamy good s like Baird Mou ness in ntain Blackberr Pecan, Georgia y, Southern But Peach, the classic ter s, and then some. up 7,000 gallo Hannah’s chur ns of homemad ns e ice cream each year!

Violet Hensley and grandaughter ????

42. Marvel Cave Cable Train

When Marvel Cave first opened tours in 1894, visitors had to be fit, climbing out the same way they slid in, through the sinkhole. As the Herschends, led by cave expert brother Jack, developed the tour business throughout the 1950s, they sought to accommodate visitors by blasting a tunnel at the end of the route and constructing a cable train to carry guests back to the surface. With an inaugural run on May 11, 1958, the world’s only cable train that originated underground was introduced.

Marvel Cave tours still end today with that cable train ride.

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44. World’s Fair

Inspired by the world’s fairs and expositions of more than 100 years ago, Silver Dollar City’s Grand Exposition is a two-acre area recreating a golden era of discovery. From the high-flying swing ride to a family-sized coaster, there are 10 family rides, with the décor and details closely adhering to authenticity in colors, artwork, and atmosphere of the era. The treasure includes the fact that on many rides, the parents can still accompany the little ones, so more kids can have more fun!

45. An Old-Time Christmas

43. Marvelous Musicals

One of the true treasures of a trip to Silver Dollar City is the opportunity to see topcaliber, original live musical productions, such as the award-winning Headin’ West during the National Harvest Festival or the spectacular A Dickens’ Christmas Carol during An Old Time Christmas. With original music, period costumes, revolving scenery, flying actors, and pyrotechnic special effects, these shows are created in-house by resident producers who want to serve the best entertainment to Silver Dollar City audiences.

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Cherish the season at what has been named one of the best holiday events in the nation — an exciting combination of old-time holidays and spectacular lights. Silver Dollar City is ablaze with four million lights, a five-story musical tree with special effects, and light shows featuring incredible synchronization. The lights are synchronized down to one-hundredth of a second, so there are as many as 6,000 light changes per minute. Yet the huge tree, with 350,000 energyefficient LED lights, runs off the same amount of power as does an average home. Plus, there is a funfilled light parade, a living nativity, and the City’s own production of A Dickens’ Christmas Carol. You can also see Santa and savor delicious holiday favorites like prime rib, gingerbread, and apple dumplings.

Merry Christmas!

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Andy Miller

47. Bluegrass and Gospel

46. “Andy-isms”

All over the City, you see crooked roof lines, fun-loving signs, peep holes, or misshapen windows. These are called “Andy-isms,” after Andy Miller, the legendary visual artist who created them. One of the curiosities sets the stage for your trip back in time. The Harvey Water Clock, located near the park entrance, was designed in the 1960s by Andy Miller and named for the carpenter who built it, Harvey Hentschel. The water clock is a working mechanism of wooden wheels and pulleys, powered by running water. The hands on the clock faces show the hour, day, month, and year — in the 1800s — illustrating the park slogan: You have a great past ahead of you!

Rhonda Vincent and her band, The Rage

Roots music fills the stages for two festivals that always draw the fans: Bluegrass & BBQ in spring and Southern Gospel Picnic in late summer. The bluegrass stars of today play throughout the park, such as the Wall Street Journal’s pick for “Queen of Bluegrass,” Rhonda Vincent. Now a big star, she was discovered by Grand Ole Opry scouts while performing at Silver Dollar City. From the mandolin to sweet harmonies, bluegrass music is a perfect setting for BBQ! Then as the Southern Gospel genre turns 100 this year, Silver Dollar City brings in the top entertainers in Southern Gospel music. And for a 2010 treasure? Our friends at Daywind have created a southern gospel CD with the nation’s top southern gospel artists performing favorite songs of Silver Dollar City guests.

48. A Powder Keg

This explosive roller coaster, said to be powered by gun powder made from bat guano mined from Marvel Cave, will show you what it’s like to be shot out of a cannon!

Launching from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds, this thrill ride unlike any other combines the shocking speed of the compressed air-launch with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or “G” forces, and “floater” hills at speeds up to 64 miles per hour for a truly wild ride.

49. Early Essentials

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. With those watchwords in these isolated hills, settlers used every resource available, including byproducts from animals. Animal fat, most often from cows and sheep and called tallow, was needed to make candles. The fat was boiled in large kettles over an open fire. Wicks, made of linen or cotton, were dipped in the tallow, with the process repeated over and over, drying between layers, until the tapers reached the desired thickness. The tallow candles had to be kept in metal boxes because mice would eat them, and they smelled and smoked as they burned, unlike the fragrant, decorative candles today. Seek out Cricket in the candle shop and ask her what candles are made from today. Animals also provided the leather hides so critical for coats, hats, and belts that could last for decades. The Mountain Leather Shop offers leather goods from coats to customized belts. Ask Master Craftsman Vada Vada Swearingen and at right,Cricket Huth with guests Swearingen, a leather crafter for 25 years, why those leather coats feel so soft!

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50.

THE CITIZENS OF

SILVER DOLLAR CITY

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As our story began, perhaps now you see that the Treasures of Silver Dollar City are vast and varied, filled with the heart and soul of thousands of employeecitizens who have helped make the personality of what the park has come to be today.

This 50-year creation is one of storytelling and nurturing, crafting and entertaining, shenanigans, anecdotes, friendships, and memories treasured by guests.

Voted the “Friendliest Park” in the entire theme park industry in 2009, Silver Dollar City is known internationally for its unique culture, authentic character, and genuine friendliness.

From the first staff of 17 in 1960 to the 1,300 citizens today, the truest treasure of all is the people who make up the culture — the warp and the woof — of this City that allows you to escape to a quieter time, while sharing with those you love.

The citizens, my friends, are the ones who open their arms to you, so you can create your own great treasures … Memories Worth Repeating.

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OUR MISSION What We Do

We Create Memories Worth Repeating

OUR CORE VALUES What We Believe In

The Herschends, from left, Sherry and Jack, Pete and JoDee

We Greatly Exceed Guests’ Expectations

✽ with distinctive themed, entertaining experiences for every member of the family ✽ with genuinely friendly caring people who take pride in what they do

We Serve Others

✽ by

✽ by working as a team and empowering each other being patient, kind, humble, respectful, selfless, forgiving, honest, and committed

We Create Emotional Connections

✽

✽ by

treating each guest like a member of our family by providing shared experiences that bring families closer together

We Constantly Improve

✽ by adapting to our guests’ changing expectations ✽ by managing safety, security, risk, and resources

✽ by

investing in people and products to produce growth and provide a reasonable return on our investment

All in a Manner Consistent with Christian Values and Ethics This booklet is printed on recycled paper, in keeping with Silver Dollar City’s commitment to preserving trees and the environment.

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SILVER DOLLAR CITY, HOME OF AMERICAN CRAFTSMANSHIP

Celebrating the Art of ...

Basket Weaving

Candle Making

Cut GlassEtching

“Basket making is a story, starting with the white oak log and the person who makes it. It becomes a treasure that will be cherished for years and years and passed down from generation to generation.”

“Handcrafted candles made with skill and pride give people something distinct they can’t get anywhere else. Nothing makes me happier than to see people fall in love with something I’ve made.”

“Etching designs in glass makes a functional piece a unique work of art. A glass or pitcher is prized and displayed when it has a beautiful design that means something special.”

“I like to make quality furniture that will stand the test of time.

I want it to last so that it will be passed down as part of a family’s heritage.”

We spotlight candle making with the introduction of the 50th Celebration Limited Edition Hand-Poured Jar Candle made with the specially formulated “Celebrate” fragrance.

For 2010, Silver Dollar City proudly presents a cut glass, sand-etched mug, emblazoned with the 50th Anniversary logo as a keepsake.

The Heartland Home Furnishings Shop features a special edition Knotty Alder Wood Book Table for the 50th celebration. With Arts & Crafts styling, it features mortise and tenon joints.

Glass Blowing

Knife Making

Pottery Making

Woodcarving

“Continuing in a tradition that is over 2,000 years old, we are part of a heritage of craftsmen who are preserving this beautiful ancient art for generations to come.”

“It takes longer to build a knife the old way, but there is a pride to building or owning something that will last for generations – to me that’s important.”

“Pottery is not only artwork, it has human utility. One of the most wonderful things is seeing someone with one of my pieces cradled close to them like a treasure.

That’s the greatest reward.”

“Chip carving is not only my profession, it’s my passion. I love the connection with past generations, carrying on their traditions and adding my own designs.”

—Donnie Ellison, Basket Craftsman

Our 50th Commemorative Baskets are Ozarks native maple, walnut, and white oak hardwoods. Even today, no machine has been made that can produce a basket.

—Todd Nelson, Glass Blower

Ask about our limited edition gold and black vases, gathered on the end of a blow pipe in a 2,200-degree furnace and hand-turned at the bench by expert craftsmen.

—Cricket Huth, Candle Maker

—Ray Johnson, Bladesmith

Ray has created a knife called the “Trail’s End Knife” to honor Silver Dollar City’s 50th anniversary. Made from 01 tool steel and 10-18 soft steel, the handle is created from cocobolo, a Central American wood.

—George Stiverson, Cut Glass Craftsman

—Joel Fink, Potter

To commemorate our 50th year of dedication to all things handmade, we offer wheelthrown, handcrafted cobalt blue on white clay kitchenware, featuring country crock styling.

FurnitureCrafting

—Warren Cook, Furniture Craftsman

—Pam Gresham, Woodcarver

Chip-carved with a singleedged knife, the unique burnished coloration of the special, 50th Celebration Commemorative Wood Box has a beautiful fiber-finished interior.

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