Dam Tours Begin Again for First Time Since 9/11

I found this posting on Branson1.com and thought I would share. We toured the Hoover Dam with the kids when they were little, and we all found it fascinating albeit a little disconcerting. I think this tour will be equally as fascinating.


Tours Of Table Rock Dam Begin This Saturday!
Tours of TR Dam have been off-limits since 9/11, but will return this week-end thanks to a partnership between the Corps of Engineers, Ride the Ducks and the new Ozarks Rivers Heritage Foundation. All tours will be sold by RTD and conducted by RTD drivers. You can buy a combo ticket for a regular Duck tour which ends with a 45-minute tour of TR Dam, or you can buy a Dam tour ticket only. The full Duck/Dam tours start at RTD on Hwy 76 and the Dam-only tours start from the Dewey Short Center on the south side of the dam... from there you'll ride a special trolley to the dam for the tour.

If you've never been inside Table Rock Dam it's something to see! Special security cautions will be strictly adhered to (no cameras, cell phones, purses, etc. inside the dam... not even Wacky-Quackers!) plus you have to be a U.S. citizen with proof of citizenship (drivers license, passport). Very strict, as it should be.

A great new 'attraction' for Branson. Call Ride the Ducks for tickets & pricing.






Here is a TripAdvisor member's review of the tour written when tours were being conducted before 9/11:
If in Branson, take a ride to the Table Rock Dam. You can take a tour inside the power house and inside the dam. It was a great tour and we learned many things about generating electricity and Table Rock Lake. Both of the tour guides were very friendly. Kids will love this tour.



While you are at the dam, be sure to go by the Fish Hatchery. It is a free attraction and is very popular with old and young alike. Here are a couple more reviews from TripAdvisor.com:

“Neat!
CTZS 20 contributions
Aug 6, 2009
You get to go down by this on your Duck Ride...but go back to see the rainbow trout. Best time we had and it only cost us $2.00 in fish food. Kids love it! And it's a free tour!

“Fun”
lovetravel2 96 contributions
Apr 10, 2005

We loved table rock dam. One big reason is the fish hatchery. There are lots of tanks with so many fish in all of them. The range from very small to very big. There are food tanks you can buy food and feed them. My children loved this. The fish would jump up out of the water to get the food, and just swarm it. It was very fun. Inside the center is a movie and some snakes, fish etc. you can see. I would suggest you take a few minutes out of your day to go here.


We haven't ridden the Ducks or visited the Fish Hatchery yet. In fact, we haven't really explored The Dewey Short Visitors Center, either. They are now all on my "To Do" list along with a tour of the Table Rock Dam, but I think I'll wait until after the 4th of July weekend when everything should be a little less crowded.

The Texas Tenors vs. The Three Redneck Tenors

Ok, I guess I was just kidding when, over a month ago, I said I was back to writing this blog. I started a new post two different times, but I just wasn't feelin' it I suppose, because I didn't finish either one. It's not that I haven't done anything worth writing about, because I have. I have actually been very busy, and I'd love to tell you all about it.

First of all, as I mentioned in a previous post, we sold the house in Oklahoma so we are permanently in Missouri. We got everything moved into storage and are getting back to work on remodeling our house. It is excruciatingly slow, but it is moving forward at last.

Every once in a while I just HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE so I will go see a show that is offering a discount to the locals. There are a lot of shows to see in Branson--most of them good, some of them not so good, and some of them GREAT! I consider The Texas Tenors in the GREAT category. You might know The Texas Tenors from the show America's Got Talent, because they came in fourth in 2009. I don't know who won last year, but they must have been terrific if they beat this group. We invited some friends to go with us, and they didn't have any idea what they were about to see. By intermission we were all hooked. Good looking guys in tight jeans, cowboy hats, boots, and tails singing everything from country ballads to Italian arias, how can you beat that? Unfortunately, The Texas Tenors are not one of the permanent acts here in Branson so they were only here for a few days. Fortunately, they'll be back Sept. 28th through Oct. 23rd. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend that you see them. I plan to go again in October, and I am hoping to take my mother. She'll love them, too.






On the same note (sort of), Branson will play host to The Three Redneck Tenors who were also on America's Got Talent and who also happen to be from Texas. While The Texas Tenors are from Houston and are totally serious about their craft, The Three Redneck Tenors are from Paris, Texas, a little town northeast of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex and combine "Down Home Laughs with Big City Music". Actually, they are also very serious about their music as they are all classically trained. What they aren't serious about is the "three tenors" concept. Their show is a parody of the many "3 tenor" ensembles. In fact, they actually only have 2 tenors, one if which is a high tenor. The 3rd member of the group is a baritone and sometimes they are even accompanied by a 4th performer who sings bass. Being the good rednecks that they are, they perform everything from Elvis' rockabilly to Puccini's opera. They are performing for three weeks at the Oakridge Boys Theater from July 6-Aug.15. The first half of the show will actually be Country Tonight which is the opener for every guest artist and then The Three Redneck Tenors will come out after the intermission. You won't see these guys dressed in tight jeans and cowboy hats, though. Their attire will be even more redneck than that--more like overalls and tails! I love good music and I love a good laugh so you can bet I'll be there to support some fellow Texans, and you can also bet that I am already laughing. I expect this show to go into the "Great" column as well.

Which group will I like best? I'll let you know after I see The Three Redneck Tenors, but I'm betting it'll be a draw.

Next time I'll tell you about a few of the impersonators in town so check back in a couple of days.

Branson Zipline Blog Link

Today I am just providing you with a link to the Branson Zipline Blog so that you can see all of their tour offerings and their prices. They have a large variety of tours, even some in the dark! They have been open for over a month now, and I understand that they are already so popular you have to make reservations if you want to be sure to get on the tour of your choice. It sounds like a great experience--one that I would like to have some day. I'd really like to take the 2 1/2 hour canopy tour, but it is a little pricey so I am going to start saving my nickels and dimes now. Hopefully, I'll have enough money saved for the family to go together when they come to visit next summer.

Take the time to watch the video and explore the different options. If you are coming to the Branson area and want to do something a little more adventurous in addition to going to one of the shows, you might want to consider ziplining.

Click here to go to the Branson Zipline Blog.

I'm Back

Wow,it took me longer than I thought it would to get back to my blog! After going to Texas to visit my family over Easter, we made 3 more trips to and from Oklahoma to finally finish moving to Missouri. I wasn't sure we were ever going to get it all done, but for better or worse, it's all here. The only thing that didn't make it to Missouri was our precious little dog, a sheltie named Ceilidh (pronounced Kaylee). After six years of doing "Ranch Security" on our 14 acres, she decided to venture out into the road and got run over. I suspect she was looking for her long time nemesis, the dreadful trashcan, which had disappeared since our last visit. My daughter always said that Ceilidh had OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and I know that it was really, really bothering her that she couldn't bark at the trashcan because it wasn't where it belonged. Part of her job as head of ranch security was to give it a piece of her mind every single day, but since the waste management company had picked it up, there was nothing for her to do but go find it. If we had just kept her out of the road for two more hours, Ceilidh would be with us today. She was a great dog and is missed very much.

Since this is supposed to be a blog about Branson, I guess I should say something about Branson. We have been to a couple of shows in the last two weeks, but I'm not going to take the time tonight to write about them. I'll save that for my next post. All I'm going to talk about now is the glorious, glorious weather we are having right now. Yesterday and today could not have been more perfect. The temperature was in the mid-70s, there was no wind, the river was flowing, the sky was blue instead of the perpetual gray we've had the last two weeks, and the birds were singing in celebration. It was a wonderful day to be alive and a wonderful day to be outside. There seemed to be as many people walking along The Strip today as there were cars. The Ducks were out in full force and the miniature golf courses (there are at least five outdoor courses)had plenty of customers. There is a chance of rain the next two days, but then it is back to near perfect weather. I am going to spend as much time outside as possible, because it won't be long until it will be too hot to spend the afternoons outside doing much more than sitting under a tree with a big glass of iced tea. The evenings and the mornings are very comfortable all summer, but it can get a little oppressive in the afternoons.

Be sure to check back in a day or two, because my next blog will be about two very different shows that I saw last week.

Taking a Short Break

As some of you all know, we moved to the Branson area a little over a year ago. We still had our home in Oklahoma, though, and would return to Ok. about every six weeks. Since we had a house that was virtually gutted in Missouri, we have not been in too much of a hurry to move furniture to the new house. We put our OK house up for sale in January and got a contract on it last Friday so-o-o that means we finally have to completely empty the place in three weeks.

Needless to say, I will be a little busy and will not have time to work on my blog plus we no longer have internet access at our place in OK. Please check back the second week in May, though, because I hope to be settled enough by then to start blogging again.

St. Pat's at Waxy O'Shea's on Branson Landing

For the last several years, the place to spend St. Pat's Day for us has been at Waxy O'Shea's Irish Pub on Branson Landing. This year wasn't much different except that we spent the night before at Waxy's counting down the minutes until the day was officially here.



I'm not too sure how St. Patrick would feel about the way his name is being "honored" each year, but we were there to "raise a glass" to the day anyway.



Waxy's is a great late night destination in Branson since they have live music most nights. This night featured STOLEN WINDOWS (the last names of the original band members were Stoll and Wendell--say that fast and it sounds like STOLEN WINDOW). There wasn't too much Irish music since Daniel's Celtic Rock band, Dirty Old Towne, disbanded, but Stolen Window is a very good band--especially since they added Daniel as their drummer!



Daniel Dossey and Stolen Windows

The next morning we met Daniel and friends back at Waxy's for their big ol' Irish breakfast.



Daniel and friend, Matt, showing ofF
their freebie hats


When I say big, I do mean big! Byron and I shared one and were more than satisfied. I know that some of you are shaking your heads in disbelief, but it is true--Byron SHARED a breakfast with me and was full. This breakfast is HUGE and DELICIOUS.



This enormous breakfast consists of: 2 bangers (sausages),2 rashers (slices of very lean bacon), fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, eggs (fixed any way you want, white pudding and black pudding (very good, but don't ask what they are), beans, fried potatoes, and bread.

Matt after finishing the whole breakfast

Matt's LITTLE sister, Catherine came in 2nd. Where did she put it all???

While we were eating breakfast, the crew at Waxy's put the finishing touches on the decorations.


The big party started that afternoon and lasted until 1 a.m. Unfortunately, we didn't make it back, but if it was anything like the last couple of years, then I'm sure that everyone had a really great time. The afternoon show is open to all ages, but starting at 9pm you have to be at least 21.

If you aren't ready to shut it down after the shows let out at 10 p.m., then Waxy O'Shea's may be just what you're looking for. It is one of the favorites of tourists as well as the locals. The kitchen shuts down about 9 or 10, but there is a nice variety of beers and mixed drinks plus the music. Waxy's is the place to go if you enjoy the atmosphere of a pub.

NOTE: CLICK ON A PICTURE TO MAKE IT LARGER

Limited Engagement Performances in Branson for 2010

As if there aren't enough live shows in Branson already, there are also a number of limited engagement performances that I thought you might be interested in knowing about.

For instance, The Mansion, will not only offer its regular 2010 shows ofTom Mullica's tribute to Red Skelton  (mornings Mar.- Dec.), Louise Harrison's  Liverpool Legend's Beatle Experience (Evenings Mar.13- Oct. 24), and Penny Gilley (afternoons Apr.- Oct.), you can also see several short run shows:

Apr. 24                             Kenny G
May 7-8                           Vicki Lawrence and Mama, a Two Woman Show
May 11-12, 19-23           The Gatlin Brothers
July 6- Aug. 15                Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan
Sept. 3-5                         The Gatlin Brothers
Oct. 8-9                          Vicki Lawrence and Mama
Oct. 23                            Michael Bolton
Nov.2- Dec.4                  The Gatlin Brothers and Debby Boone Together
Nov. 12-13                     Johnny Mathis

At the Oak Ridge Boys Theatre, you can see The Country Tonight Show with Guest Stars so you are actually seeing 2 great country music shows for the price of one. Here is a list of the guest stars and the dates of their performances.

Mar. 16-28                       Restless Heart

Apr. -July 4                      Marty Haggard -A Tribute to Merle

July 6- Aug. 15                 The 3 Redneck Tenors

Aug. 17- Dec. 11              Marty Haggard

You can also see the Oak Ridge Boys themselves on the following dates:

Apr. 20-22

May 28-30

Sept. 21-23

Oct. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21

Nov. 2-4, 9-11, 16-18

A show that made a limited appearance in the RFD Theater last year is now headlining. Brule'-A Native American Experience, performs March-Dec. " Brulé is a full theatrical production combining the mesmerizing dance moves of AIRO with sensational songs of Brulé. AIRO is an acclaimed dance troupe recognized as one of the most dynamic group of Native American dancers in the country and Brulé is a four time winner of the Native American Music Awards band of the year." I saw the show last fall and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very unique, especially in Branson.


If you are a country/bluegrass fan, you may know Ronnie Reno. Ronnie toured as an opening act and band member for Merle Haggard. He also toured with Mel Tillis, did studio work for Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and Willie Nelson, plus he wrote hits for both Haggard and Twitty. On the bluegrass side, he spent several years as part of the group the Osborne Brothers. He will perform May 14-16 and May 30-31.


The television show, The Country Family Reunion, is going on tour and Branson is one of its stops, not once, not twice, but four times. The dates that it will appear here in Branson are:


April 18-19
June 20-21
Sept. 19-20
Nov. 7-8


Marty Stuart is someone I have actually heard of and he will be here for 2 performances only on Oct. 22 and 23. There are several other performers that I don't know, but who may very well be well known to the people who watch RFD tv. One of these is Jimmy Sturr who will be filming 20 episodes of his polka program all day on July 20-July 24. Another is Hank Williams tribute artist, David Church on Aug. 6-7 and Midwest Country Stars on March 26-27 and Oct. 20-21.


The Welk Resort will be welcoming back two familiar Branson shows. Ray Stevens will be performing from Sept. 15- Oct.23 and Tony Orlando will share the stage with the Lennon Sisters for their 3rd annual Tony Orlando and the Lennon Sisters Christmas Celebration  from Nov. - Dec.11.


New shows are being added all of the time so I will try to keep you informed of the additions. In the meantime maybe you've already spotted something that you would love to see.

St. Patty's Day Recipe From the Catering Divas of Branson, Mo.

It might be a little late for you to make these delicious cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day, but believe me when I say that they would be good any day. I took a batch to Waxy O'Shea's Irish Pub which is located on Branson Landing to help them ring in St. Patrick's Day and they were a HUGE success. Everyone who was lucky enough to receive one told me that they were the best cupcakes they had ever tasted, and I have to agree. The Guinness beer may seem a little unorthodox, but I thought the flavor of the cupcakes was terrific, and I don't like to drink Guinness. I love Bailey's Irish Cream, though, so I thought the icing was especially delicious. I do want to point out that I used more Bailey's than what was called for, and I only got 20 cupcakes out of the recipe instead of the 24-30 that the recipe says it makes.

If you would like to see more of the Catering Divas' recipes here is their website:
www.thecateringdivas.com

Irish Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Icing

Cupcakes:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness stout
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, don't use low fat or non fat types

Icing:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
1 tablespoon milk
sprinkles of your choice....I like green ones for St. Patty's Day!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 24-30 cupcake cups, or fill with paper liners.

In a saucepan, heat the butter, Guinness, cocoa and brown sugar, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Into a large mixing bowl, sift together salt, flour, white sugar and baking soda. Add the cooled Guinness mixture and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add eggs and sour cream and beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly amongst the cupcake cups. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Meanwhile, cream softened butter until very light and fluffy. Add salt, and slowly add sifted confectioners sugar. Add Bailey's and milk until spreadable consistency is achieved. Frost cupcakes with icing. Sprinkle cupcake decorations on cupcakes before icing sets.

Enjoy!

How to Leave a Comment

Just in case you don't see how to leave a comment--go to the bottom of the blog posting that you are reading. You will see a# and then the word "comment". All you have to do is click on "comment" and a box will open up. Write something in the box and then click on "post comment" which is located below the box.

I would love to hear from some of you! I would be happy to try to answer questions about Branson or at least try to point you to a site that might be able to answer your question. Also, if you have an idea about a subject you would like to see me blog about, let me know.

Hiking Branson

FINALLY, it is warm enough to spend extended amounts of time outside. I was beginning to think it would never happen, but it has, and just in time. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I'm not really into cold weather so I have spent a lot of time indoors this winter and cabin fever was rampant in the Dossey household--even the dogs were about to go stir crazy.

Now that we're venturing out into the outside world again, we figured we might as well get some exercise so we decided to explore the different walking trails in the area. Branson is developing a master trail system which will eventually connect all the trails around the city and the surrounding area. Several new trails are in the works, the most extensive of which will be a trail stretching northward up the Roark Creek Valley and connecting with trails in Stone County and Reeds Spring. For those of you who don't know the area, believe me, that would be quite a walk. It will probably be years before this trail is completed, and I am pretty sure it will be years before I'll be ready to walk it! In addition to the Branson trails there are trails at Table Rock Lake, Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, the nearby Ruth and Paul Henning State Forest, plus
Big Cedar Lodge and Dogwood Canyon which are both owned by Bass Pro Shops.

I have discovered that the internet is a great source of ideas for hiking spots. Here are two links that will give you some additional trails to explore. http://www.linkpendium.com/hiking/USA/MO/ (Scroll down to Taney County if you want to stay fairly close to Branson) and http://www.localhikes.com/getHikes.asp? Search=1&getreporter=Stargazer&getHikebyReporter=Yes ( these trails are 35 miles or more away, but easily doable from Branson).

We've only attempted a few of these hikes so far. First, we went to the Fish Hatchery. Turns out that the bridge got smashed by a tree during one of the storms this winter making the trail impassable so we walked to the bottom of Table Rock Dam instead and then  back by the rows and rows of fish ponds. Hopefully, they'll fix the bridge so that they can get the trail opened up again soon.

(Fishing in Lake Taneycomo beside the fish hatchery)



(The trout ponds at Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery below the Table Rock Dam)



(View of Table Rock Dam from the Fish Hatchery)

Next, we decided to go to Stockstill Park. Its  paved trail  winds around softball fields, pavilions, and a large  children's playground and then follows alongside the Roark Creek. If you stay on it long enough you'll end up at the Skaggs Hospital. You can continue on from there to the Roundabout and on the the Branson Landing and its waterfront walk.




(Jake, Kaylee, and Byron beside Roark Creek in Stockstill Park)

The Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area was an interesting hike through a 130 acre park. If you go down one unpaved trail you can walk past an abandoned house built  of stone and see crumbling stone walls that once  surrounded the property. The other trail leads you to 300 historic stone steps that will take you all the way down to Lake Taneycomo. We chose not to do the steps, because we had the dogs with us and dogs are restricted from the steps. The decision  had nothing to do with the fact that even if I managed to get down 300 steps, I would then have to drag myself back up 300 steps!



(Trail and steps at Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area)


Our next adventure was on the new Waterfall Trail. It was an adventure just trying to find the trail head. We drove around and drove around trying to spot the sign and when we did finally see it, we weren't sure it actually stood at the beginning of a trail. This path is classified as rugged, and rightly so. It was often difficult even to see where the path was! I don't recommend taking your dogs on this hike, because we spent a lot of time just trying to untangle ours from the surrounding brush. We also had to cross the creek which both dogs were reluctant to do at first.After a little leash tugging we finally made it across. They weren't so hesitant on the return trip although they didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in the water. In fact, Kaylee took off just as I was stepping on a slippery rock and down I went. I  walked  the rest of the way in soggy clothes and covered in green slime! I had to sit on my jacket on the ride home, but we now have a roll of trash bags in the car just in case we have future accidents. We turned back before we reached the waterfall because it was just too difficult with our dogs on leashes, but we plan to return sans dogs and to make it all the way to the end.


(Waterfall Trail crossing where I soaked myself)
(Byron and Jake on the Waterfall Trail)

If I could figure out how to make my nifty  hand-held Garmin GPS system work (I've had several people besides my technically challenged self try to get it set up), we would love to go geocaching. Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunt using a GPS device to follow coordinates to a hidden "treasure." I really, really want to try it so if you have one bring it with you when you come to visit (hint, hint Kim and Michael) and we'll see how many we can find around here.

I am sure there are more trails that I haven't discovered. If any of you have suggestions about new places or thoughts about the ones I've already mentioned, please leave a comment in the comment box. Byron and I would really like to keep trying new places as long as possible.

The Ozarks are Going Medieval in May

May is going to be an exciting month around Branson. Not only can you fly through the canopy of a forest on a zip-line, I've discovered that you can also go back in time and watch a medieval castle being built using 13th century methods, techniques, and tools,

The Ozark Medieval Fortress is being built approximately 30 minutes south of Branson near Lead Hill, Ark., and is expected to take 20 years to complete which is the amount of time it took to build a fortress in the Middle Ages. In the meantime, visitors will watch as "thirty masons, carpenters and stone carvers authentically dressed" build a "genuine, full-sized, fortified castle, with 45 foot high towers, a drawbridge, and 6 foot wide stone walls surrounding an expansive inner courtyard, using the materials, techniques, and rules of the 13th century."  I envision the Ozark Medieval Fortress to be a Middle Ages version of Williamsburg, a working replica of colonial America. 


You can learn more about the history and the future plans for this exciting and educational experience HERE.  This is just one more reason for my friends and family to come visit me this summer!

                                                                

    

(these pictures were lifted from the Ozark Medieval Fortress' s publicity materials)

I am constantly amazed at the variety of activities to be found ALL ABOUT BRANSON. Every time I surf the web, I seem to find something new.I don't think I could experience everything that the Branson area has to offer even if I tried something different every day for a year. Since I can't do that, I would love for any of you who have been to Branson to tell us about some of your favorite activities or shows. You can make suggestions by clicking on  the word "comment" below and then writing in the comment box that will appear. We'd love to hear about your experiences.

                                                                                                                                                          

We've Spotted the New Branson Zip-line

The Branson Zip-line, a new adventure tour in the area, has added roofs to their towers, and now you can see them dotting the hillside as you are driving Hwy. 65 between Branson and Springfield. As you are going north from Branson, start looking for the towers right after you pass the large sign indicating the turn-off to Bonniebrook, (the home of Rosie O'Neill who was the creator of the Kewpie doll). The Branson Zip-line is on the property of the Wolf Creek Preserve which also has a large sign visible from Hwy. 65. Once the trees leaf out, though, it will probably be difficult to spot them from the road anymore.

The grand opening of the Branson Zip-line is scheduled for May 1 at which time they will offer two tour options: the 2.5 hour long Ozark Xplorer or the 1.5 hour Flying Prospector. You can learn more about the Branson Zipline and view their picture gallery by going to http://www.bransonziplineblog.com/.

     Here are two of their pictures of the towers so you'll know what you are looking for.

Now you know that there is a lot more to Branson that just shows and shopping.  Who's going first???

They're B-a-a-ck!

The tourists are back, and, of course, they've brought their cars. Last weekend we went to the Legends show at the
Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater and noticed a difference in the amount of traffic. Tonight we went to our favorite Branson Mexican restaurant, Casa Fuentes,  on the strip and watched the steady stream of traffic parading by the window. After two months of driving up and down the strip without even thinking about it, I will have to remember to leave my house a little earlier and to make use of the alternate routes again.

There is a new energy starting to build in Branson.The tourists are back. The weather is getting warmer. The shows, some of which are brand new and others which have changed venues, are gradually opening.  A giant King Kong is being attached to the side of a building in the New York skyline atop the
Wax Museum. It's Irish month at the Titanic. Trout season is in full swing and the fishing camps and Lake Taneycomo are overrun with fishermen. This weekend the Ducks will once again make their continuous treks around town, out to Tablerock Lake and back, all the while entertaining their curious passengers with stories and trivia about the history of Branson and the surrounding area. I have also started noticing the distinct sound of the helicopter flying overhead. Silver Dollar City will be opening on March 20, just in time for spring break, plus the hotels and restaurants that closed for the months of January and February are accepting customers again.

Most exciting of all, though, is that people are going back to work. Anytime a show, a restaurant, or a hotel closed during the off -season, its employees were laid off and were forced to live off of savings and/or unemployment. Last Friday, while answering the phone at my church, I answered a call from a lady asking for gas money. She said  she was finally getting to go back to work, but she wouldn't get paid until then next Friday and she didn't have enough money left to buy gas for the week.

Yes, the energy and the excitement are building, and I pray that it will be a good year for Branson. Last year, I was afraid that the economy would really hurt the tourist industry in Branson. While it wasn't as good as in previous years, it wasn't that bad, but we'll have to see how this year goes. Instead of going overseas, maybe more people will decided to stay closer to home and Branson is smack dab in the middle of the country. It will be interesting to see how this year will go.





Just for fun--A Branson Sunset. Unfortunately, the picture isn't nearly as beautiful as the actual sunset was. The sun was a bright, bright orange that just didn't translate in my picture, but I still think it is an interesting picture. Let me know what you think.

A Great Branson Resort Rate From Travelzoo!

I was looking through the great deals sent to me from Travelzoo and ran across this unbelievable rate for a Branson lakeside resort room. If you are looking to get away for a few days in the next two months this would be a terrific deal--a $100 room for just $35. You can't stay at a Motel 6 for that price! Click here if you are interested, but hurry because these deals usually sell out fast. Don't forget that Branson has its own airport now, so if you live too far to drive here then be sure and explore the possibility of flying instead. You can access the Branson airport site by clicking on flybranson.com.

So who's coming to see us??

Just a Link

All I am doing today is providing a link to the Branson Tourism Center"s new Up Close and Personal site which will periodically publish interviews with the different Branson stars. This first interview is with Tim Haygood. It just so happens that my blog post from yesterday was partly about the Haygoods so be sure and scroll on down and read that, too. I think you will enjoy learning more about this talented family.

Here's the link http://news.branson.com/2010/02/26/branson-up-close-and-personal-with-timothy-haygood/

Loaves and Fishes, Hope on the Road, and the Haygoods

Three times a week, I run into the Hollister Spirits Shop convenience store to grab a free Branson Daily Independent newspaper. This particular newspaper has a little national news and a little state news along with some classified ads, but it primarily focuses on what is going on in the Branson area—in the entertainment industry, but also in the community. What caught my eye one day was an article about how the Haygood family treated the clients of Loaves and Fishes to a free show.

Loaves and Fishes is a local program that provides a free evening meal to needy area residents at seven different Branson churches. The meals themselves are donated by a variety of groups—the churches, boy scouts, area restaurants, social clubs, etc. In 2009, Loaves and Fishes spanned 10 weeks and served over 8,000 meals. This year’s program is 12 weeks long lasting from January 4 through March 13. Feeding the hungry is certainly a worthy endeavor, but it occurred to Bransonite, Abby Lewis, that there were many people needing meals that had no transportation and, therefore, could not take advantage of these free meals. As a result of this revelation, Hope on the Road was born.  The Hollister YMCA has donated the use of its bus to run a set route every night picking up people at designated spots, delivering them to the appropriate location and then returning them to their pick up point. My husband and I saw this full size school bus go by one evening, and it was totally packed with men, women, and children. In fact, so many people are needing transportation that there has been talk of possibly putting a second YMCA bus into operation.              

Now back to the headline from the Branson Daily Independent that first caught my eye: Haygoods provide free show to ‘Loaves & Fishes’ recipients.   In addition to the free performance, the 7 brothers and 1 sister handed out Haygood teddy bears to each of the 150 people who attended.  While it is essential that people’s basic needs be met, it is also important that the human spirit be occasionally lifted. When we attend to a person’s  morale, we better enable them to face the challenges of everyday life, so kudos to the Haygoods for giving this group of people an evening of fun!
This is just one example of the generosity of Branson’s entertainment industry. My husband and I have split our time between Branson and OKC for one year now, but I’ve already noticed many instances of performers donating their time, their talent, their theater space, or their money to better the community that has been so good to them. I am glad these entertainers realize that, while their paychecks may be provided by the tourists, Branson could not have become The Live Entertainment Capital of the World without the support and hard work of its local citizenry, and that, like it or not, some of these citizens sometimes need a helping hand.

Helping those who are less fortunate is the right thing for each and every one of us to do. Loaves and Fishes and Hope on the Road are two local programs run by and funded by volunteers. The 2010 season is almost over, but if you would like to assist them by helping at one of the churches, by driving a bus (if you have the proper certification), by being a greeter on the bus, or by donating money to help pay for the bus’s gas, you can contact  Abby Lewis at healingnaturally@suddenlink.net.

Not So Dreary Days After All

Note: I didn't get this posted until about a week after I originally wrote it so if my time frame seems a little off, that is why.

 My understanding is that the average winter temperature in Branson is in the mid 40s to low 50s, but despite Global Warming, we are having a hard time staying in the 40s this year. I could be upset, because I am not really a cold weather person, but it isn't any better in OKC where we moved from this time last year. In fact it has been worse, and in Odessa, Texas where I grew up, they have had an unusual amount of cold, rainy weather. They wouldn't mind a little Global Warming right now, either. The snow was beautiful here until it started to melt and then refroze making it treacherous to walk on, and I have a bruise the size of a softball as proof of this dangerous situation. Most of last week's 6" of snow is now gone, but now we are looking at several days of gray, cold, dreary drizzle. The sun occasionally managed to break through the clouds yesterday (Wednesday), and whenever it did, you'd better believe I positioned myself to soak up as many rays as possible. All of this would be a lot more bearable, maybe even pleasant, if I had a working fireplace in front of which I could park myself with a good book. I don't, so I might as well move on to a less dreary subject.

Here are a few events on the horizon that will serve to lift your winter weary spirit:


Sweetheart Month – Renew Your Vows!
Through Feb. 28 at Titanic Branson
What could be more heart-warming than a wedding? During the month of February you can renew your wedding vows on the beautiful Grand Staircase of the Titanic. According to explorebranson.com, there were 1800 wedding renewals last year! Reservations are required

• Feb 5 - 6: 7 pm Friday and Saturday,  2 pm Sunday-- Tri-Lakes Community Theatre's          "Pirates of Penzance" -- Branson Star Theater, 3750 W. Highway 76 (behind Olive Garden)   If you would like to know more about the production put on by the Tri-Lakes Community Theatre then click on the link above.

• Feb 8: 7pm Monday (Rescheduled to Wed., Feb. 17)-- Hot Winter Fun Big Show -- Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater on Highway 76.  Call 339-3003 for tickets  Cost is $30 for adults and $9.95 for children 4-12 (plus fees and taxes) Ease yourself out of those winter doldrums by attending the 16th Annual Hot Winter Fun Big Show where performers from at least 19 shows open during the months of January, February, and March give you a sample of their 2010 shows. You'll see some of the old favorites and some that are new to the Branson scene. Click on the link above if you'd like to learn more about the Hot Winter Fun Big Show or see a list of performances.                                                                                                                                                

• Feb. 19-21, Feb. 26-28: Fri. & Sat. 7 pm, Sun. 2 pm                                                            A Night of One Act Plays  at the Star  Theater (behind Olive Garden) :                                                                                                                "What Did You Say What For" , "The Bachelor's Holiday",  "This is a Play"                                                                                                                                                                       

• Feb 24: 7pm Wed. -- Branson Gong Show -- Dick Clark's Legends Theater on Highway 76 -- Benefit for the Branson Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. I'm guessing that  Branson's 1st Annual Gong Show will prove to be as crazy and as fun as the original TV show I remember from the 70s  The host will be Jim Barber and the judges will be Jim Stafford, Buck Trent, Dave Hamner, Yakov Smirnoff and Mayor Raeanne Presley. I'm laughing already.

• Feb 26, 7pm Fri. -- Dancing with the Stars for Branson HS Project Graduation. Music City Center on Hwy 76. Adults $8, children and students $5. I haven't found any more info. on this event. It's a good cause, though, and probably a lot of fun.

• Feb 26 - 28 -- 14th Annual Branson Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show, Branson Convention Center -- www.tvcevents.com    Tickets are $4.00 at the door  
  
  
  
  

  2010 Show Dates and Times Fri - Feb. 26 Sat - Feb. 27 Sun - Feb. 28 2-8 PM 9 AM -5 PM 11 AM - 5 PM

I don't know about you, but I 'm feeling better already!

Snowy, Snowy Days

This posting is just going to be of some pictures I took around the area during the 2 snowstorms we've had this month. I think they speak for themselves so I'll make it easy on me (and on you) and leave it at that.

This next set was taken after the first snow had melted. The ice on this wall remained at least another week. Pretty cool, don't you think?

Top Ten Rock and Roll Revue is a Great Show!

Last Saturday night, my husband, Byron, and I decided to go to one of the few shows playing in January, The Top Ten Rock and Roll Revue. I have one word for this show that featured hits from the 50s, 60s, and 70s
--FUN, Fun, Fun! It was voted the best new show of 2009, and I can see why.




What an exciting combination of superb talent and terrific song choices! One proof that this is a "must see" show was that my husband was smiling and clapping throughout the whole show. Byron is NOT a show person and he loved this show so much that we decided to take my niece and her fiance when they come for a visit on Friday. It is hard to get him to go once to a show, and for him to suggest that we go again in less than a week is amazing. The only other shows he has agreed to see more than once was The Haygoods and Liverpool Legends.

We were originally attracted by the crazy hair of Marvelous Marvin Short.



We had seen him around town on occasion, and we decided to see if he can do anything besides walk around drawing attention to himself with hair that is truly beyond belief. I mean who would actually want to be seen looking like that outside of the theater? You would guess that he is wearing a wig, but no, that is his actual hair and apparently that is the primary way he wears it. Only in Branson! Crazy hair aside, Marvin is an accomplished saxophone player, an excellent singer, an all around nice guy, and he is obviously good at advertising himself and his show.

You could tell from his performance that this is a person you would really enjoy getting to know, the kind of guy you want at your next party--maybe not a sit-down dinner (although that could prove to be interesting, too), but a surprise birthday party, a New Year's party, or even better, a Halloween party!

Marvin was not the only interesting and talented performer in this production. Darrel Croy's Jerry Lee Lewis set the theater rocking. There were only about 40 of us on this night, but I think everyone there was clapping along with the music. Darrel did a great imitation of Jerry Lee right down to shaking his head, playing the piano with his foot, tossing aside the piano bench, and all of Jerry Lee's other memorable antics.



The cast also sang some wonderful renditions of Doo Wop that took us right back to the 50s


and Steve Ragsdale and the rest of the band did an awesome job performing the hits of one of my personal favorites, Eric Clapton.



The women were featured singing hits from the 50s & Motown. Their voices, dancing, and numerous costume changes really added to the show!



If you are planning a trip to Branson, be sure to include this show in your "to do" list. You won't be sorry.

Oh, and by the way, the show is located in the Branson Mall of all places.
Be sure to take time to see the displays located right outside of the theater. They are some decade by decade highlights of the development of Branson into the Live Music Capital of the World.



I am providing you a link if you'd like to go to The Top Ten Rock and Roll Revue's website. They have a great video you might enjoy plus their show schedule and more pictures.

http://www.top10rockandrollrevue.com/

Ice Sculpting in Branson

We finally had a pretty day last Saturday with nothing to do so we HAD to get out of the house. As luck would have it, there was an ice sculpting contest going on in the Titanic parking lot so we decided to check it out. There were eleven professional ice sculptors and nine amateurs. I don't know what causes one to qualify as a professional, because they were all very impressive. They had approximately 2 1/2 hours to create their sculptures which evolved  from big blocks of ice (some used multiple blocks) to very detailed and often very delicate designs. It was a great day for the observors, but it was a little warm for sculpting from ice. In fact, one sculpture lasted just long enough to be judged and to have its picture taken before it went crashing to the ground right before our eyes. It is amazing to me what an artistic person can accomplish because I wouldn't have been able to draw most of these designs much less make a 3D representation out of ice! Although, I could agree with the 1st place winner in the professional division and I really liked the "Titanic" choice, my favorite (the angel hanging in the heart)didn't win a thing. Shows what I know.

After all of the winners had been announced, we still weren't ready to call it a day and go back to the house so we decided to go to downtown Branson and explore Dick's 5 & 10. When I stepped through the door, it was like stepping back into my childhood in the 50s. They had stuff in that store that I would have sworn was no longer being made, because I hadn't seen a lot of it since I used to walk a couple of miles to wander through the TG&Y or an old Woolsworth. The only thing missing was the grill and soda fountain in the back corner. Several years ago I went into a similar store in Fredricksburg, Texas, but it really didn't come close to Dick's.  If they don't have it at Dick's then I don't think they make it anymore. I do have to say, though, that I really don't want most of the stuff they have, but rummaging through the store and reminiscing was a great way to spend an hour or so on a lazy afternoon.  A word of warning--be aware that if you take a child in, you can easily spend several hours just looking at the toys. They have every cheap toy you ever even thought you wanted growing up plus some of the great toys that are hard to find today, like Tinkertoys and Lincoln Logs.  If you want to put together a model car or a model ship, or maybe just find the ones that you built as a kid, I think they have at least one of every model ever made. Do kids today still put together models? I doubt that very many have that kind of patience or attention span.

The front of Dick's is more like a museum than a store with its displays of model airplanes, trainsets, WWII memorabilia, and old farmhouse mementos Even if you never venture past these displays, it is worth going in just to see their fascinating collections. Another word of warning--be aware that if you take your husband in, you can easily spend several hours just looking at the trains and planes, etc.


 Although the store had quite a few customers wandering its narrow aisles, I think this will go on my list of things to do in Branson during the off-season, because I can only imagine how packed it must be in here when the streets are teeming with tourists. If you can't maneuver the sidewalks, it must be almost impossible to elbow your way around the store.

I hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine this week. I did. I know it is just January and too soon to start dreaming of spring, but we can always pretend that all of that snow is behind us. Unfortunately, since I first wrote this the weatherman has predicted the return of snow flurries here on Monday. At least we got a break for a few days. It makes life a lot more bearable.

Branson Museums Slideshow

Here are a few pictures of the museums I wrote about in my last blog. These were taken before all of the snow melted and while it was still pretty cold so some of the angles weren't the best because I took them "on the fly." For a few of them, I just stopped in the middle of the street and snapped which is something I could NOT have even thought about a couple of weeks ago before the cold weather and the off-season hit.

Getting this slide show on the blog is a MAJOR accomplishment for me. I can't even describe to you how long it has taken me to figure out how to do this. I know it is an easy process for most of you, but I have had to figure it out all by myself and it was not easy for this computer challenged blogger. One of the main reasons I started blogging was so I would force myself to learn new computer skills. I just hope I can do it again! I am not sure I will remember all of the steps it took to post this slideshow.

Think There's Nothing to Do in Branson in January or February? Well, Think Again.

It is official. It is now the “off-season” in Branson, Missouri, so many people think there is no reason to come here at this time of year. Well, those people would be wrong. There is still plenty to keep most people happily entertained plus they can do it without fighting the crowds.

My number one suggestion is to just rent a condo and relax. After all, the holidays are over and you deserve it. We did just that in January of the last two years when we came to help our son recoup after he had had surgery. We rented a condo at Tree House Resort on Indian Point Road (the same road that Silver Dollar City is on) overlooking Table Rock Lake. These are not the newest or the fanciest condos in Branson, but they are plenty nice enough, they are well maintained, and they are much cheaper than any other condo I contacted. I THINK we paid $75 a night for a 2 bedroom and we got a free night after 4 or 5 nights. Of course, you would have to check for this year’s off-season prices, because the rate we managed to get may not apply this year. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time watching movies, reading, sleeping in, watching the activity on the lake and taking care of our son.  The best part was that we got to spend some alone time with Daniel which was very hard to do since he had a girlfriend and since he lived with 3 other roommates. Both surgeries were relatively minor so he was actually able to visit with us when he wasn't sleeping off the anesthesia and the pain meds.

If you need more to do than that, then there are plenty of nice restaurants to visit and you can shop at the 2 outlet malls, Branson Landing, or some of the many specialty shops. There are also a number of museums you could visit:

•  Ripley’s Believe It or Not
•  The Hollywood Wax Museum which recently completed a $5 million dollar renovation
• The Veteran’s Memorial Museum
• The Branson Auto Museum
• The Harold Bell Right Toy Museum (purportedly the world's largest)
•  The Ralph Foster Museum and Edward’s Mill on the College of the Ozarks campus, or
• The Dinosaur Museum
• The Titanic Museum

 The only museum that we have visited is the Titanic so it is the only one that I can personally recommend. I have to say that it is a great museum! Before you even enter the parking lot you’re captivated by the building, which is a two-story replica of the Titanic. The museum is full of artifacts and has a number of areas that are interactive. When you first enter you are given a boarding pass with the identity of one of the actual passengers, and at the end of the tour you find out if you lived or if you died. You can also look throughout the museum to see if there is any mention of your person at any of the exhibits. FYI--I have been to the museum three times now and two of the times I died.

I know that some of you who are reading this blog have visited one or more of the other museums and I encourage you to write a comment telling the rest of us your opinions of what you have seen. I will try to visit a few of the other museums myself during the next 2 months and will fill you in when I do.

Another place you might find interesting this time of year is the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure. At any given time, you will walk among 1,000 living butterflies.Until January 15th, their exhibit is called White Flight and features real white butterflies, living angel statues, twinkling lights, and beautiful holiday music. If you are into photography, I understand that you can find some great photo ops here. If you like wine (and if you are a friend of mine then I know you do), you can visit the Stone Hill Winery for a free one hour tour that ends with a wine tasting. Palate in downtown Branson also holds a wine tasting on Thursdays. I could not tell from their website if they hold tastings in the off season, though. I almost forgot to mention trout fishing. I'm not crazy about fishing anytime of year, and I'm sure not getting out on that water in the cold, but I know there are many people who will fish in any kind of weather. I know this is true, because I see them out on Lake Taneycomo every day--rain or shine, blistering hot or freezing cold. In fact, I read that this actually a great time to fish for trout. There are several guides in the area who will take you out if you don't have a boat of your own. There is a guide that lives in our neighborhood that seems to stay busy all year if you are interested. He runs a service called Chartered Waters.

Surely by now you get the idea. There is plenty to do in Branson even in the winter. After a 2 week hiatus a few of the shows will even fire back up occasionally, so come on, don't let a little cold stop you from having fun.