Illinois man takes 10,000th ride on Outlaw Run

BRANSON, Mo. — An Illinois man who has been logging his rides on Silver Dollar City's Outlaw Run rollercoaster took his 10,000th ride on Friday.

According to a press release, Derk Garmon, 62, has kept track of every single Outlaw Run ride for the past ten years. Friday marked his 10,000th ride on the rollercoaster which debuted in 2013.

Garmon, who makes monthly trips from his hometown in Illinois, logs 100 rides per visit.

“I keep track of each ride in my phone notes and have tried to keep on pace to ride 1,000 each year,” said Garmon in the press release. “Sometimes weather would work against me, but I’d make up for it on sunny days each season.”

On Friday, Dec. 13, Garmon was joined by SDC President Brad Thomas, image character Terry Wayne Sanders, Stefan Nolting from the park’s Attractions division and Greg Bailey of the Homestead Pickers.

"Hopefully a lot more. I hope I keep ticking for a while, and I still feel like I can keep riding it as long as I, and the ride itself, holds up. I don't plan on stopping for 10,000. It's just a number," said Garmon.

Garmon was also presented with a commemorative sign made by Park Woodcarver Davy Decamp and a special box filled with small, discarded parts of Outlaw Run.

"It's the area I love the Ozarks and the park itself, and most importantly, the people that work here. It's just a place to make memories worth repeating," said Garmon. "And that's something I do every time I come."