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| Celebration City’s famed nightly laser show. |
The celebration has ended permanently for Branson’s Celebration City theme park. When the park ended its 2008 season as it closed at 10 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 25, it was also the permanent closing of the park. The first sentences of a “redirect” on the www.bransoncelebrationcity.com website to the Silver Dollar City website gracefully tells the story reading “
Thanks for your interest in Celebration City! Please know that Celebration City closes at 10 pm on Saturday, October 25 and will not reopen for the 2009 season.”In announcing the closing, reports indicate Lisa Rau, spokesperson for Herschend Family Entertainment Corp (HFE), the owners of Celebration City, Silver Dollar City, and White Water theme parks in Branson said the operation of the park did not meet financial expectations. Rau said HFE is evaluating future options regarding the site.
Rau also indicated that that efforts will be made to find the parks 18 full time employees jobs at the other HFE attractions in Branson. She said Celebrations City’s seasonal employees will be given the first opportunity to interview for positions at the other HFE attractions in Branson Silver Dollar City, White Water and The Showboat Branson Belle for the 2009 season.
Celebration City is located at the west end of the Branson Strip in the location of the former Mutton Hollow and Branson USA amusement park immediately south of the intersection of State Highways 376 and 76. Branson USA was purchased by Silver Dollar City in 2001and went through a $40 million renovations prior to opening as Celebration City in 2003.
One of the early news releases on Celebration City said it would have, “the nostalgia of an early-century amusement park with 24 rides and attractions, about half of which are vintage-style rides Silver Dollar City held onto after acquiring the Branson USA property. The park also will build a 10-story-tall wooden roller coaster by Great Coasters International.” In addition to its rides and entertainment Celebration City was noted for its spectacular nightly laser show just before the park closed each evening.
