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.
