Silver Dollar City blasts into 2005 with new explosive-launch coaster
01/05/2005
POWDER KEG LAUNCHES RIDERS FROM 0-53 MPH IN 2.8 SECONDS
Silver Dollar City blasts into 2005 with a new explosive-launch roller coaster, Powder Keg; a new Bluegrass & BBQ festival combining the hot sounds of American bluegrass music with an all-American favorite food; and a new Salute to the American Cowboy within the Festival of American Music & Crafts. New for Kids' Fest, "Newton's Revenge" is a live show that explores the zany side of science, and the "Purina Dog Team Challenge" presents world-champion Frisbee-catching dogs in amazing team competitions. Throughout the season, the 1880s-style theme park features music and entertainment, demonstrating craftsmen, themed rides and foods from festival specialties to home-cooked feasts.
Opening in Spring, the new $10 million roller coaster Powder Keg sends riders into a thrill zone within seconds of climbing aboard, launching riders from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. A thrill ride unlike any other in the history of the theme park, Powder Keg 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 experience, billed as a "blast in the wilderness."
WORLD-FEST - APRIL 7 - MAY 15 (Open Wednesdays through Sundays)
World-Fest kicks off with new groups and shows including the high-flying German stilt jumpers, an Irish Celebration with three separate Irish shows, a Honduran choir and a Czech brass band, all during the festival which runs April 7 – May 15. Favorite returning groups include the energetic Russian Cossack dance troupe performing with swords and drums; the unique entertainment of Bulgarian Eurhythmics blending acrobatics, gymnastics and dance; and the colorful Italian flag throwers. Each evening, the Kenya Safari Acrobats perform amazing acts of strength and agility. Hundreds of performers from around the world entertain, bringing their music, dance, costumes and culture to World-Fest, America's largest international festival.
BLUEGRASS & BBQ - MAY 21 – JUNE 5 (Open Daily)
Bluegrass & BBQ is a new festival that sizzles with the upbeat sounds of American bluegrass music, along with the aromas and flavors of a huge all-American barbecue, including Kansas City-style, Memphis favorites and Texas traditional barbecue. Bluegrass legend Marty Stuart performs May 28, headlining a lineup of national touring bluegrass bands and rising stars. Silver Dollar City features the most talented artists of the popular roots music genre on stages throughout the park, including Blue Highway, NewFound Road, Rarely Herd and the Chapmans.
The festival serves up a barbecue feast, featuring the country's most popular styles for ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chicken, with over 300 barbecue sauces to sample and a Barbecue Expo with the latest in grills, demonstrations and tips from the experts.
NATIONAL KIDS' FEST - JUNE 10 - AUGUST 21 (Open Daily)
The new live stage show "Newton's Revenge" from Mad Science explores the zany side of science with interactive experiments and hilarious antics, and the "Purina Dog Team Challenge" features world-champion Frisbee-catching dogs performing unbelievable high-leaping stunts. The animated Circus of Dreams Parade returns with larger-than-life fanciful floats and colorful characters. Guests can join the Puppet Platoon as the spectacular musical parade winds through the park twice each day. The Xtreme Air show returns with amazing flying stunts on inline skates and bikes, showcasing the breathtaking specialties of extreme stunts athletes as they jump, flip, glide and spin. Champion cloggers, kid-acclaimed entertainment and kid-crafts are all part of the Kids' Fest festivities.
FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC & CRAFTS, with a New Salute to the American Cowboy – SEPTEMBER 8 - OCTOBER 29 (Open Wednesdays - Sundays)
A Salute to the American Cowboy features special performances by Riders in the Sky, Michael Martin Murphy, and the Sons of the San Joaquin during the Festival of American Music & Crafts. Gunsmoke's Buck Taylor hosts stars of America's favorite Westerns including Robert Fuller, Peter Brown and Kim Darby. Trick riders and ropers, rodeo stars with trick-performing bulls, a tribute to John Wayne, cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell and the palomino-riding Sons of Tennessee are part of the Western-flavored entertainment. The festival also presents hundreds of musicians playing bluegrass, string band, country and gospel, and visiting craftsmen demonstrating America's most unique crafts. Best of Missouri Hands juried artists are showcased throughout the festival. Southern Gospel Nights returns to Echo Hollow Amphitheatre – seven nights of performances with some of the top names in Southern Gospel music, including the Kingsmen and the Florida boys, September 23-25, 28-30, and Oct. 1.
AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS - NOVEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 23
(Open Wednesdays - Sundays through Dec. 4, Thursdays- Sundays Dec. 8-23)
Silver Dollar City presents the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir in special performances November 18-19 during An Old Time Christmas, named one of the top 10 places in the country to have a bright Christmas by USA Today and the A&E Network, and named the USA's Best Holiday Light Show by America's Best Online. An Old Time Christmas features the dramatic five-story Special Effects Christmas Tree, adorned with over 250,000 lights coordinated to blaze to the musical movements of Christmas songs, and the colorful Holiday Light Parade with dazzling, musical floats that glide through the streets of the City each evening. A popular musical production of the famous classic, A Dickens' Christmas Carol features pyrotechnic special effects, elaborate sets, an impressive cast, and flying spirits. The festival presents a new production of the Living Nativity and more than four million lights.
