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!

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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??