Goodbye Dave..

Just noticed leaving Gatekeeper that Dave is no longer with us in the gift shop. Replaced by some snacks and gifts.. Almost 1/2 the skeletons on the train were not working, is their time running out as well?

I asked about him earlier! The lady behind the Gatekeeper gift shop counter said he was in maintenance. Hopefully just a temporary LoA for our boy Dave.

Every time I ride the train I make sure to point out that those fire fighting skeletons have been fighting that fire for decades and they still haven't put it out. Of course I think its funny but I just get weird looks and eye rolls from my family. However, this year I was in total shock and disbelief that the fire has indeed been put out. Sad, sad times indeed.

Outside of that most of the skeletons have been working, the duelers have been dueling, the fisherman has been fishing, the Polecat Pickers are still picking, the Sawzall mill is sawing, and the fence humping dude is still humping.

Okay, I read the title and my heart skipped. “No, not RideMan Dave!!”

phew

I hope you are right, that's amazing news!

Also good news! When I was there there was no fire, humping, or band playing. Also I will never be able to "unsee" the fence humping.. haha

Jordan_Vanichek:

Okay, I read the title and my heart skipped. “No, not RideMan Dave!!”

phew

Seriously, some of you probably know that I am going through a serious health issue right now, but if you found out from me, you also know that my physician indicated I need to get my affairs in order because I probably only have another 40 years to live... This isn't the place for it (and please don't derail this thread talking about me), but everything on my Facebook page is public and I have been talking about it there. That's facebook.com/rideman for what it's worth. But you don't get to be rid of me that easily.

Sollybeast:

I asked about him earlier! The lady behind the Gatekeeper gift shop counter said he was in maintenance. Hopefully just a temporary LoA for our boy Dave.

Oh, no! That could be a real problem. I don't think DAVE and FRANC ever got along. In fact I think I remember FRANC complaining about him. And yet FRANC is in charge of repair and maintenance. I hope they can iron out their differences and get DAVE back out in public again.

I don't know about you guys, but I always thought FRANC reminded me of Marvin, the chronically depressed robot from the Heart of Gold spacecraft prototype.

I still think DAVE ought to be working over at the "new" coaster. If you dig around this forum you can find my "proposal" for turning Dragster into Dispatch Master Express. "We get you there in less than a minute, or we don't get you there at all!"

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That is an awesome theme/idea!!

As of today.. still no signs of a grand return for Dave. I mean I'd buy him and restore, just to keep the DT spirit alive.

But after seen just general upkeep at the park, I'm convinced he's never returning. It's the small things that a world class amusement park should take care of. For example, burnt out lights on the rides, the "Power Tower" canvas signage on the ride are almost faded to total white and many many more examples. The local county fair rides have more aesthetic upkeep. So restoring an animatronic decoration probably isn't in the cards. Just saying.

Also no signs of DAVE returning on our trips(s). Just a damn shame because it was so cool seeing him there, especially if one knows the history.

And I don't know if I have been pulling through a different Boneville than everyone else, but on each of our visits at least half the scenes have been non-functional. A couple weeks ago was the first time we saw the fire scene working, but I guess that had to be traded for the sawing not sawing and the pickers not picking.

At least there has been consistent humping.

I saw the same at Boneville, not just you. Also 2 scenes were without lights at night. The moonshine and I can't remember the other one. So sad.

I completely understand that staffing is an issue, but why can’t they address/fix the little things like the scenes on the train, the burnt out lightbulbs on the rides, and the white canvases on power tower etc? It seems like ever since the merger went through that the park seems like it is being neglected and going downhill maintenance and cleanliness wise. Which is exactly what I was afraid of the whole time.

Come on, nothing has fundamentally changed in just the last six weeks. The only thing different in the day to day is that the company directory is larger.

Dave is using his engineering skills by working to restore top thrill 2. Please stand by for further updates.

Yea this "little stuff" crap has been going on for years.

Jake10:

I completely understand that staffing is an issue, but why can’t they address/fix the little things like the scenes on the train, the burnt out lightbulbs on the rides, and the white canvases on power tower etc?

Why can't they fix the staffing issue?

Because they can't/won't pay a wage sufficient to do so.

And why is that? It could be, in part, because their pricing strategy is based on short term gains rather than a long term vision.

Whatever skilled staff they have (electrical, plumbing, carpentry, ride maintenance, etc...)is delegated to jobs by priority. For example, it seems like just overnight a few days ago a sharp looking corral fencing was erected at that food/drink place between Iron Dragon & the CPLE crossing. Prior to the fence it was just open area seating, now sort of restricted. Perhaps because they serve alcohol, I don't know. Imbibers can now sit tight and enjoy foo-foo drinks at a very high pricing strategy.

Meanwhile, once again there was no available TP in this restroom.

Skilled mechanical staff are difficult hires everywhere. Had your car serviced lately?

I can happily report that on my trip on the CP&LE RR just a moment ago, all Boneville animations were performing and the hotel was burning as usual, with the clueless firefighter spraying water over the fence.

JUnderhill:

the fence humping dude is still humping.

I presume you mean jumping bones?