BRANSON, Mo. – Things will look different at Silver Dollar City this summer with the brand new Ozark Mountain Summer Celebration festival presented by Arvest.
The event kicks off with a performance by multi-platinum Christian artist Michael W. Smith in Echo Hollow at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3. Nik Wallenda’s Zircus will bring breathtaking acrobatics, high-wire acts, comedy and a little of everything for the family until July 16.
The Silver Dollar Saloon Show marks its 50th anniversary during the festival, and the park promises an all-new show packed full of comedy and the usual zany antics.
Director of Entertainment and Events Casey Robertson says the summer’s entertainment lineup will showcase a variety of acts appealing to the entire family.
“From Nik Wallenda’s Zirkus, to a brand-new show for the Rivertown Ramblers and classic bluegrass groups all throughout The City, we’re going to have fun this summer!” Robertson said in a press release.
Tired guests will have the option to relax in the debuting Rocker Garden, which features dozens of rocking chairs. Families also will find the opportunity to have friendly competitions at the newly added oversized classic board game section of the park.
Rainmaker street performances, a seven-foot-tall Tomato Can and Picture-Perfect Canopy Sky are other additions to the park for the Summer Celebration.
Visitors can sample food favorites throughout the park with a Summer Tasting Passport. The passport will allow guests to try artisan homemade ice cream, mason jar desserts, specialty funnel cakes, mac & cheese pizza and much more.
As always in SDC fashion, masterful craftsmen will demonstrate their skills, teaching families about the ways of yesteryear with a fun twist.
“Summer in the Ozark Mountains is a time for adventure and carefree fun,” Silver Dollar City Vice President of Strategic Marketing Nick Guevel said in the press release. “We want families to experience this tradition the old-fashioned way. Our celebration combines the best of our 1880s mining town with visiting performers, legendary folklore, nostalgic foods and most importantly, intentional time to relax and refresh together.”
Additionally, this year marks the park’s finale for the world’s most iconic indoor roller coaster, “Fire in the Hole.” The ride has been a park favorite since its opening in 1972, where riders twist and turn inside of a burning town while acting as volunteer firefighters who eventually save the citizens before falling into a splashing abyss of water.
“People feel so passionately about it because, for a lot of them, ‘Fire in the Hole’ was that initial ride they went on as a family, or it was their first coaster,” Guevel said in a statement to The Joplin Globe. “People are very passionate about the ride, and the history they’ve had with it over the years. When we announced we were closing it, we wanted to do it early enough in the year and give people a full year to celebrate this amazing ride.”
The Ozark Mountain Summer Celebration will wrap things up with Summer Nights, July 15-30, a magic show with Peter Gossamer, a dance party and ABBA Tribute: Dancing Dream in Echo Hollow, with fireworks following.
