Silver Dollar City plans $8 million expansion

America’s multiple expositions around the turn of the 19th century drew visitors from hundreds of miles away. Silver Dollar City officials are hoping that its new development has the same effect.

Modeled after those world-renowned technological and industrial fairs in St. Louis, Chicago and Philadelphia, an $8 million, two-acre expansion called The Grand Exposition is slated to open at the Branson theme park in March, Silver Dollar City officials announced Saturday. Plans include 10 family rides and a collection of attractions, entertainment and technological wonders from expositions between 1876 and 1904.

“The Grand Exposition opens a whole new region of the park,” said Brad Thomas, Silver Dollar City general manager, in a news release sent this morning. “In keeping with our hallmark of bringing the past to life, we’ve chosen the theme of a very grand and exciting era.”

The theme has a direct connection to Missouri with the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 and P.T. Barnum’s Traveling Expositions statewide tours in the 1870s.

While the new rides are being manufactured in Italy, Canadian theme park designer Forrec has completed a site plan. Other work is staying local, either in-house or under Springfield engineering firm Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins’ direction.

“It will probably mean 200 new jobs for Silver Dollar City in 2006,” Thomas said of the expansion at the park’s north end.

This is the second significant investment for Silver Dollar City in the last year, the $10 million Powder Keg ride opened in March.