The fact that our vacation plans for June have to be scrapped and reworked for the second time due to another kid-related conflict (this time the ACT exam - scheduled for June 9th), isn’t the only reason I’m thinking about vacation plans a lot lately. Rumors are swirling in Joplin that we may become a vacation destination for families in the not-too-distant future.
Recently, a representative from some uber-secret development company came to town to meet with county commissioners about a plan to buy up a bunch of land (about 1,000 acres) in our area and turn it into a “world class” theme park. Several residents in the area have been approached and offered money for their properties.
The $1.7 billion dollar plan supposedly would include 27 rides, 95 shops, 12 stages, 18 restaurants and six hotels with 2,100 rooms in its first phase, and it would employ 1,200 full-time and 6,000 seasonal workers.
There’s a lot of skepticism surrounding this rumor though. “Why Joplin? Why that area? It makes no sense,†some industry observers ask and add that new parks are rarely built anymore. Hmmm, wonder if they’ve heard about the huge new Winter theme park being built in Texas? Or maybe they didn’t catch the announcement by Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Disney Parks & Resorts, back in February that Disney would be developing several stand-alone hotel-and-water-park combos?
I wonder why Joplin too (not that there aren’t fun things to do around here). Then I think about Branson - who would have thought that area would turn into as big of a tourist destination as it has? And Pigeon Forge, TN? Of course they’ve also got the Great Smokey Mountains to draw people in. But we’ve got the nearby Ozarks which are pretty popular. In Florida, Disney converted an unknown swamp into America’s premier tourist destination - is there a parent alive that hasn’t succumbed to their children’s pleas to take the family to that mecca that is Disney World?
Even though 7 million people annually vacation in this area, it’s unlikely it is Disney that is interested in building a theme park in this area though. So, who could it be? Unfortunately, no one wants to discuss any offers they’ve been made on the record and the development company doesn’t want to disclose who they are working for yet. Apparently, that is typical of development companies. Disney used more than six dummy corporations to secretly purchase those acres of swampland in Florida.
It would be really cool to have a Disney-style theme park so close to our house. All of our relatives (especially those with children) would definitely want to come visit us so that they could get free lodging - after all we have that great guest room just sitting there waiting for guests.
Then I started thinking about the realities of a large vacation destination being in our back door. The transient population, the impact a large number of seasonal jobs would have on the economy, the traffic! Have you been to Branson during the season? It takes hours to go even 1 mile on the main drag the traffic congestion is so bad. Things aren’t much better in nearby Silver Dollar City.
I think I could put up with all the negatives for the chance to run a family-style bed-and-breakfast. After all, with 2 more kids fleeing the nest next summer, it’s going to get real lonely here soon.
April 
virginia
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