Off With the Old - On With the Blue!
Added: October 19th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
“Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” - Edgar Degas
The first time that people find out that I work at Big Surf generally have one question that they ask: “What do you do during the winter?” After they’re surprised to learn that I work here all year, I usually have to explain that there is always a lot of work to be done here, including marketing planning, sales calls, account collections and mailings. And that’s just inside!
Outside, many projects are constantly on the burners depending on whether or not its raining. All of the furniture gets washed and stacked, all of the pools get winterized to keep the pipes in good shape, and the gardens all need to be put to bed for hibernation.
One of the biggest projects that we try to complete as soon as possible is repainting the wavepool. It first has to be waterblasted to remove any loose paint that comes away from the concrete and then you have to wait for a sunny day so the paint will dry.
Today was just such a day – and a gorgeous one at that.
My hat’s off to Degas for his work but one thing’s for certain: he must have never painted for maintenance because these guys really know what they’re doing!
A Spooktacular Shark
Added: October 19th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Once again, our mascot, Gil, will be out and about town scaring up fun as he goes! On Halloween, 10/31/09, Gil will make two totally cool appearances.
The first will be at Stone Crest Mall in Osage Beach at their Kid’s Fun Fest. There will be lots of candy, a costume contest, Spooktacular egg hunt (yep, you heard that right) and kid’s games as well. It is sure to be a blast for all! The event happens from 11 am until 4 pm-don’t miss out! You never know what Gil will have for you!
The other event on Gil’s calendar is the Trunk or Treat at the First Baptist Church in Camdenton. The event goes from 6:30 pm until they run out of the vast amount of candy they will have available to the kids!
We invite you all to both events, which will be fun, safe ways for you and your family to enjoy Halloween!
The First Cut
Added: October 15th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
You know the saying, “Beauty is pain?” On October 12th, I lived that. As I lay in the bin at an Osage Beach hardware store, two fine-looking ladies came to what I thought was my rescue.
The first thing they did was push me around in this horrible cage-like contraption. If I had arms and legs, I could’ve crawled out, but I swiftly came to the conclusion that wouldn’t be happening. I was then stuck between two pansies (literally, pansy flowers) in the back of a white van. What a ride that was! If I were a bettin’ man, I’d bet the driver was a racecar driver in his spare time!
We shortly arrived at our destination. I was so relieved until one of the pretty ladies began unpacking some shiny-looking sharp things. The sweat began to pour. I’d always heard stories about this, but had never seen it with my own eyes!
*The following details carry a parental advisory warning a.k.a. very gory stuff!
The pretty lady in the green sweater took me outside and proceeded to cut my top off! The other one approached me and gutted me! She scooped and scraped out my insides. I sat outside in the cold for a while like that with my guts lying on the ground beneath me. The green sweater lady came back out and carried me in, but the pain was not over, it had only begun. She put paper over my face and poked holes all over me. When she took off the paper, it only got worse. She grabbed a really long, sharp thing and I couldn’t watch any longer. What ensued was the worse pain I had ever felt. She sliced and diced pieces of me away for what felt like hours and then, it all stopped.
When I felt it was safe to look, I did. Much to my surprise, it was magnificent-I was magnificent! Never in my life had I felt and looked so wonderful. I was a work of art-a masterpiece!
Me....after the pain.
It’s Coming…
Added: October 11th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Hold on to your hats… we’re planning a completely daft offer for 2010 Season Passes.
And when we say daft, we mean daft. So daft, in fact, that our bosses are only letting us run this promotion for ONE DAY ONLY. We’re not ready to release details just yet, and if you want in, you’ll need to sign up for our e-newsletter. That’s the only place where we’ll be announcing what’s going on. Intrigued?
It’ll all be kicking off in a couple of weeks.
Gettin’ Bubbly
Added: October 1st, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
If you had the pleasure of visiting the park in our 2009 season, you probably got to see our magnificent mascot, Gil Shark!
Gil at the 2009 Relay for Life kick-off
Gil was most certainly a hit this summer. He made many appearances, posed for numerous photos, walked miles around the park and, of course, gave hundreds of hugs. In the midst of all this fun, Gil’s plush exterior got a little icky, for lack of a better term. Not to mention the vast amount of sweat that poured inside! Yuck!
Gil with some girls at the park Summer 09
Needless to say, Gil needs a good bath, which we can’t provide here at the park. We have to send him off to Scollon Productions, the company that built Gil. The only thing left to do now is find a box big enough for him to travel in!
No Better Time than the Present!
Added: September 29th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
I know as you put on your jacket this morning the last thing on your mind was splashing around at our beautiful outdoor waterpark, but I am here to tell you it’s time to think about it! Now is the perfect time to set up your 2010 outing at Big Surf.
Some young girls enjoying an outing at Big Surf
It’s cliche, but, the early bird gets the worm! A lot of people wait until spring or even into summer to plan their outing, but they do not always get the area they prefer, either. We strive to please and accomodate everyone, but to assure you get your desired date, time and place, get with us now!
An outing at the park
Call me, Lacey, at 573-346-6111 x103 and I will customize an outing to fit your needs. Let’s get you on the calendar today!
Phew.
Added: September 8th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Wow. Hard to believe yesterday was Labor Day - another season is already over. Boy, did that go fast!
We’ve had an amazing time. It’s been a wonderful year. Not as much sunshine as we all would have wished for, certainly, but we still have some wonderful memories to keep us warm over the winter until we open again next May, and hope that you do, too.
We’ll be posting some photos of some of our favorite events on the blog in the forthcoming weeks.
Believe it or not, we have ALREADY begun to make plans for 2010, and to work out how to make Big Surf even more fun for you all! We have lots of cool things in the pipeline, including some exciting ideas to reward our most loyal guests. Keep checking back at this blog over the winter as we’ll be giving regular news updates as we develop these ideas. And, of course, we’ll be keeping our e-newsletter subscribers up to date with everything that’s going on, and offering them some exclusive offers. If you haven’t signed up yet, better do so now!
Thanks to everyone for a great 2009, and we’ll see you all again next year!
Bring the Kids for Free!
Added: September 1st, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
As some of you might know, the Alpha Program was a program that Big Surf had in place for the month of June this year. It allowed children from Kindergarten through 5th grade to bring in their report card and if they had an “A” or “A” equivalent in any subject…they got in free once that month. Awesome, right?
Well, have no fear, because the program is back for one weekend only! Labor Day weekend Big Surf is resurrecting the Alpha Program with the same stipulations as the first round. Any child K-5 can bring in their report card with an “A” or an equivalent and get in free that weekend! Yep, free!
Our hours of operation Labor Day weekend are 11 am - 6 pm September 5-7. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to bring the kids in for free!
Only 3 days left!
Added: August 30th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Here it is…the end of our 2009 season. I know it sounds corny, but it only seems like yesterday that it all began!
This is my first season at Big Surf, and I do have to say…I enjoy it! There are days I have gotten overly exhausted and wanted to go home and sleep…don’t get me wrong! But, overall, my summer has been a good one!
With the awesome staff we have here at the park, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. I know you might think I am biased, but I feel like we have the best employees in all of the lake area. They are the most courteous, kind and loyal employees around and we are lucky to have them. They come back summer after summer and everyone knows the reason why…Big Surf treats their employees with dignity and respect. They reward for great things and take care of their employees. I couldn’t have found a better company to work for!
With Labor Day just around the corner, our season is coming to an end. Preparations are already being made for the 2010 season and the staff is gearing up for another great year! Be sure to get out here on the 3 days we have left…9/5-7.
Lacey Filley
Dr. Stryker Day 2009
Added: August 23rd, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
What a great day this has been! The extraordinary bi-annual event called Dr. Stryker Day was a huge success today. The weather couldn’t have been nicer - warm and sunny - and all of the swimmers were brought into the park in a record manner. We’ve had nearly 1700 people here today and everyone seems to be having a swimmingly great time.
We would like to thank Dr. Stryker for this awesome event that he puts on for all of his orthodontic patients down near Lebanon and Waynesville. What a lucky bunch you are - and you all smile so prettily!
See you in 2011!
