A new addition to Silver Dollar City is closer to completion--and it contains a little bit of history. KSMU's Michele Skalicky visited the construction site and has more.
Workers set the bell tower on top of Fireman's Landing today. The tower holds a 30", 650 pound iron bell. Brad Thomas is general manager of Silver Dollar City.
"It was actually built in 1890, used in Michigan in a community center," he said.
The bell is significant at the site, according to Thomas, because bells, including church bells and school bells, were among the first fire alarms. They were used to alert the community and call volunteers into action.
A fire wagon from the 1870s, which was pulled by horses and has sat on Silver Dollar City's Town Square for years, has been moved to the new area.
Peter Herschend, co-owner of Silver Dollar City, and his wife traveled to upstate New York in 1969 to get it and bring it back.
Fireman's Landing will contain ten new rides and attractions: Firefall (an eight-story fire tower free-fall drop ride), Fire Spotter (a balloon ride), Fire Wagon Frenzy (a bouncing ride), Lucky's Dizzy Dogs (a bouncy ride on dalmations), Up the Ladder (a smaller tower drop ride) and Fireman's Flyer (a low-flying swing ride. The area will also include Firehouse Splash Yard and the Firefighter's Drill with buckets, pumpers, foam ball cannons and targets for showering mock fires, Firefighter's Fire Escape (an obstacle course of tubes, mazes, climbing structures and slides) and Firefighter's Junior Fire Escape (a soft play area for toddlers).
Opening is set for March 14.
