originally posted on 12/13/2019
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
When the leaves turn and fall, when the warm temperatures of summer are a fading memory and when Halloween is behind us, it is time for one thing … Coaster Christmas weekend (November 8-10). Kicking off the holiday season with a coaster-filled weekend in ACE’s Heart of America region has been a tradition for well over a decade. Since the first Coaster Christmas at Silver Dollar City, the event and the weekend around it have grown.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
Runaway Mountain Coaster Friday Night Pre-Event
The traditional way to kick off Coaster Christmas is to head to the Branson Mountain Adventure Park for night rides on the Runaway Mountain Coaster. With heavily discounted tickets for ACE members for $5, a ride speeding through the trees down the mountain on a coaster is just the thing to get in the mood for Coaster Christmas. Much to the surprise of all who stayed late (and those already on the hill), the lights were turned out and riders were given an amazing ride in the dark — thanks to Jenny Ethetton for asking — where all one could see were the lights of Branson off in the distance.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
Coaster Christmas
For Coaster Christmas 2019, 189 ACE members and guests from 18 states and one Canadian province made the trek to Branson, Missouri, for all that Silver Dollar City has to offer. Unlike last year, Mother Nature was in a generous mood and kept winter away until Monday. Those who attended were greeted with temperatures in the 60s in the daytime and sunny skies throughout the weekend.
As tradition goes, there are presentations to kick off the event on Saturday morning.
Presentations made for a good start to the event.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
Chris Foshee and McKenzie Koppe from Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri) let everyone know what was going on in their corner of the region. New for 2020 is Riptide Raceway, the longest mat racing water slide in the world, which will be gracing the Oceans of Fun section of Worlds of Fun. Also for 2020 is a new ACE regional event, “A World of Fun,” which will take place Saturday, June 6. A World of Fun will feature three hours of ERT, two meals, Fast Lane passes and a backstage tour of the new and improved Timber Wolf. To round it all up, Foshee and Koppe led everyone on a fun competition of “Where in the World Is Regional Rep Paul Drabek” to give out prizes.
Silver Dollar City Attractions President Brad Thomas and Public Relations Director Lisa Rau came to discuss the new Mystic River Falls rapids ride that is replacing the Lost River of the Ozarks for 2020. Mystic River Falls, which is named after a passage in the parks Marvel Cave that was discovered over a century ago, is part of a $30 million investment in the park for its 60th anniversary. In addition to Mystic River Falls, part of the new addition is a sit-down restaurant where guests will be able to eat some amazing barbeque. Excited about the park’s new attractions, management took attendees to look at the work on the Rivertown Smokehouse and Mystic River Falls. Work on Mystic River Falls was progressing, with much of the ride’s troughs and rock work being complete. To give the ride an authentic Ozark Mountain rapids feel, rock from all over the area is being used to theme up the ride. The ride’s lift and 45-foot drop were not complete, but a look at the rest of the ride showed that it is going to be amazing. In addition to the peek at the new construction, attendees were treated to some of the new barbeque that will debut in the spring of 2020 at the Rivertown Smokehouse.
Park President Brad Thomas speaks to attendees at the Mystic River Falls construction site.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
With stomachs full of barbeque, it was time to ride, as Silver Dollar City took everyone up to Time Traveler for the first ride of the day.
From there all were able to enjoy the park as they saw fit for the rest of the weekend. Attendees were able to book exclusive seating for either “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “A Dickens’ Christmas Carol.” Everyone was provided a meal ticket for one of Silver Dollar City’s all-you-can-eat buffets to use whenever convenient during the weekend. To round it all out, everyone was given four exit passes to make sure that no one would have to wait too long for the park’s rides.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
Coaster Christmas is a tradition not just for ACE members but family members as well. The attitude is “the more the merrier,” so mark calendars for the next Coaster Christmas on November 14 and 15, 2020.
Photo: Paul Drabek. View full-sized image.
Snowflex Sunday Meetup Post Event
A new Coaster Christmas tradition in its second year is the Snowflex Sunday Meetup. Sunday morning 20 ACE members headed to Wolfe Mountain (Branson, Missouri) for an hour of tubing and fun. How does one go tubing with the temperature in the 60s? Snowflex is the home of the first all-weather tubing hill in North America, where guests can speed down the hill (and take the escalator back up) in rain, sun or snow. There’s nothing like spending a Sunday morning tubing down a hill with fellow ACEers.
Showboat Branson Belle Sunday Finale
For lunch on Sunday, close to 30 ACE members and guests took a journey out onto picturesque Table Rock Lake for a tour on the Showboat Branson Belle. On their journey, they were treated not only to the sights and sounds of the lake around them but to the Showboat’s performers, who perform a variety act out of the 1880s with music up to today.
— Paul Drabek
ACE Heart of America Regional Representative
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