Long before the cadence of computer keys clicking, the sound of Silver Dollar City’s books being balanced was the scratch of pencil on paper.
That’s the kind of work Kim Chapman learned when she started her career here 50 seasons ago.
The master number cruncher isn’t often seen by park visitors, but her quiet presence in the finance office has been vital to The City’s success for five decades.
She’ll be the first to tell you how all those years have flown by in a flash.
She smiles thinking back to her first job out of high school, a guide at Marvel Cave. It was the perfect fit for a girl who grew up in Blue Eye, just over the hills and hollers of America’s #1 Theme Park.
As she guided guests through the winding passages below ground, she was getting hooked on the family culture happening above.
“You don’t always realize it in the moment but you’re building something with people, and that’s what makes it special. I certainly didn’t think much about the future back then or how this place would shape me.”
While studying business at College of the Ozarks, Kim began building a career that would grow alongside the park itself. She moved from cave guide to sales auditor, learning the business one transaction at a time. Then, step by step, she worked her way up through the finance department, earning trust and becoming a steady presence behind the scenes.
Early in her career, computer technology was coming along but a lot of ledgers were still kept by hand. Each number was carefully written, checked, and carried over line by line. Accuracy depended on focus, discipline and a steady hand.
And in many ways, Kim has never left that mindset behind.
Even today, you’ll still find her working through numbers with an adding machine at her side and a handheld calculator within reach. It’s a quiet reminder that while the tools around her have changed, her approach to excellence has never fallen in the red.
For five decades, Kim has helped account for the growth of Silver Dollar City, from a smaller park welcoming curious visitors to a nationally recognized destination drawing families from across the country.
She has seen seasons of change. New rides rising from the hills. Traditions taking root. Generations of families passing through the gates, some who first came as children and now return with children of their own.
And through it all, Kim has been here.
Steady. Faithful. Dependable.
The kind of person who understands that every number tells a story, of a family’s day together, of a memory made, of a place that means something more.
Finance departments don’t often take center stage. They work behind the scenes, making sure everything adds up when the day is done.
But their impact is felt everywhere. And for Kim, the numbers have always pointed to something bigger.
“Sometimes I’ll walk across the park and just stop and take it all in. I think about what it looked like when I started and what it’s become. It’s pretty special to know I’ve been a small part of something that’s grown into so much.”
Meet Brandei Clifton
As Public Relations Manager for the Silver Dollar City Company, she is eager to tap into her journalism background to hunt down “heart tugs” to write about—those stories that celebrate…