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| Christmas lights and and the true spirt of of Christmas fill Silver Dollar City. |
Silver Dollar City’s “An Old Time Christmas,” one of America’s most acclaimed Christmas celebrations, is kicking off its brightest season to date with new shows and activities, plus more lights than ever before presented throughout the streets of the 1880s-style theme park. Newly enhanced lighting, through the addition of thousands of energy saving “LED”* lights and all-new wrapping of 40-foot-tall trees, makes all the brighter the spectacular Christmas on Main Street, with its showcase five-story special effects Christmas tree and all-immersive light and sound show. Also new this year, the park presents Frosty, an interactive musical that invites kids to help bring the legendary snowman to life. An Old Time Christmas runs November 1 – December 30.
Profiled as one of the top holiday celebrations in the country by USA Today, CNN Travel, and Good Morning America, An Old Time Christmas transforms the theme park into an evening wonderland with over four million lights and 1,000 decorated Christmas trees. The colorful Holiday Light Parade, with musical floats covered in lights, winds through the streets of the City each evening. The musical production, A Dickens’ Christmas Carol, returning by popular demand, boasts national reviews putting it on the caliber of a Broadway show. And for nighttime thrills, the roller coasters are open after dark with great views of the lights from above.
Christmas 2008 also marks the premier holiday season of the all-new Silver Dollar City Culinary & Craft School with classes such as classic Christmas cookies, holiday pies, and traditional soups & stews. The new 3,000 square-foot timber frame building features a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a Craftsmen’s Showcase furnished with work of the park’s expert craftsmen.
In the two decades of the festival, Silver Dollar City’s An Old Time Christmas has become one of the country’s most recognized events for spectacular lighting and world-class entertainment. “When we started the Christmas festival in 1988, we weren’t sure if it would even work during a time that was traditionally the off-season,” said Brad Schroeder, Silver Dollar City Entertainment Director, citing fewer than 50,000 guests that first year – a number that has now grown 7-fold. “As we expanded the festival, we’ve seen many families make it a holiday tradition, building to 350,000 guests in the two-month period of November and December.”
Christmas on Main Street, with its one million lights including lights on buildings, in hanging canopies over the city streets and on 250 Christmas trees around the Square, has made the Silver Dollar City Square an unparalleled sight. “With the addition of even more lights and effects, we’ve dramatically enhanced the atmosphere on the square,” stated Trudie Kelly, Silver Dollar City Visual Supervisor. “The LED lights also help to cut back on energy consumption throughout the park.” As the 5-story tree blazes in synchronization with the musical movements of Christmas songs, the lights around Main Street flash along with it, accompanied by surround-sound, immersing guests in the experience. Performances run throughout the evening.
Silver Dollar City’s acclaimed production, A Dickens’ Christmas Carol, is an original musical adaptation of the famous classic by Charles Dickens. The show features elaborate sets and visual effects, with flying spirits, vanishing ghosts, revolving scenery, pyrotechnic special effects and a cast of 14, accompanied by a live band
The tastes of the season are in abundance throughout the park, including a prime rib buffet and traditional favorites such as turkey with cran-apple raisin dressing. Festive holiday desserts from apple dumplings to hot wassail can be found throughout the park. And for kids, there’s a lunch with Santa, available weekends throughout the festival.
During An Old Time Christmas, Silver Dollar City is open Wednesdays through Sundays in November, Thursdays through Sundays through December 14, then open daily December 18-23 and December 26-30. Hours are 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. most days – check the website for exact schedules. For ticket information, show schedules and Culinary & Craft School classes, call 800-831-4FUN or visit www.silverdollarcity.com.
* Light-Emitting Diode