BRANSON, Mo. (3-27-24) — The largest family roller coaster in the Heartland, Fire In The Hole, is set to open this Saturday, March 30 at the internationally-awarded Silver Dollar City theme park. Today, media from across the country "answered the call" to experience their first rides on the new family coaster as part of a media preview at the 1880s theme park in the heart of the Ozarks.
At over 32,000 square feet, Fire In The Hole represents the 1880s theme park's single-largest attraction investment to date — a nearly 3-minute long ride, retelling an account of the night the real town Silver Dollar City now sits on was burnt to the ground. Integral to the ride's story, "volunteers" are asked to board their very own "pumper" — an 1880s steam-powered, firefighting wagon — and save the burning town from the notorious vigilantes, The Baldknobbers. 14 iconic show scenes are paired with 3 gravity-driven drops, while the journey ends with a surprise, quick water-splash finale. The final product is a result of years of collaboration with Idaho's Rocky Mountain Construction and Herschend Creative Studios.
"Fire In The Hole is truly one-of-a-kind," said Duane Marden, founder of the Roller Coaster Database, a worldwide database with statistics on over 10,000 roller coasters and counting from around the world. "The ride combines a family coaster experience all can enjoy with indoor elements illustrating the history of this area, all in a massive building that ends with a water splash. There's nothing like it anywhere and will be an absolute must-ride every visit."
True to the theme park's 1880s roots, the new coaster recounts the story of a real night in Ozark Mountain history when the mining town of Marmaros — the once-real town Silver Dollar City now resides on and inspiration for the park's theme — was burned to the ground by the Baldknobbers. This new coaster follows in the legendary footsteps of the original Fire In The Hole, a 51-year-old coaster that held final rides on Dec. 30, 2023, after hosting over 25 million riders since 1972. Now, housed in a 5-story, temperature-controlled building, the new family coaster will always be open regardless of the day's weather and temperature.
"Fire In The Hole is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the men and women who work here at Silver Dollar City," said Brad Thomas, President of the Silver Dollar City Company. "Work on this massive addition started back in 2021, with planning much before that. They have poured tens of thousands of hours into this project, and their craftsmanship can be seen in every nook of this ride, from the queue line and coaster building, all the way to the hand-painted backdrops and lush foliage."
Effectively doubling the size of one The City's most popular areas, Fire In The Hole is the new centerpiece in the newly incorporated Fire District. Additionally located in The Fire District is Sadie's Pretzel Cafe, an all-new restaurant serving handmade pretzels, pretzel dogs and pretzel sandwiches. Plus, just across the street, the new Flanders Dry Goods offers a line of "Flanders-branded" merchandise, connecting the store location back to Fire In The Hole's rich lore.
"This new Fire In The Hole continues our mission of creating memories worth repeating, as we look to always improve the experience for our guests and towards the future of our park," said Thomas. "This coaster, just like the original, ensures the whole family makes lasting memories for the foreseeable future, and the only place you can ride something like this is Silver Dollar City."
Today, heralded as the "first" ceremonial coaster train, firefighters from Stone County and neighboring Taney County made up the ride's first batch of "volunteers" in honor of their heroic actions in 2021 that saved The City from a fire of its own. Thanks to those actions, no serious injuries were sustained and the fire was contained to just three buildings.
Fire In The Hole marks the beginning of an action-packed summer this year at Silver Dollar City, with the park's Summer Celebration kicking off June 8, with extended nighttime hours starting July 13 with Summer Nights, all the way through August 4. And, there's plenty of fun between now and then, too, as this spring The City celebrates the final year of Street Fest from April 11-29. Then, Bluegrass & BBQ from May 2-27, awarded "Top Bluegrass Event" by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
For info on tickets and season passes, the park's schedule, operating hours and more, visit silverdollarcity.com or download the Silver Dollar City app.
Bluegrass and BBQ is sponsored by Midwest Ford Dealers.
Summer Celebration and Summer Nights are sponsored by Arvest.
The above press release is from Silver Dollar City.
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