Category: History/Local Flavor

A Branson tradition continues Sunday (Dec. 6) at 5 p.m. with its 61st lighted nighttime [Adoration] parade with its non-commercial “Keeping Christ In Christmas” theme. Thousands of spectators come from across the country to see the parade, and often comment on how important it is to remember “the reason for the season.”

“Originally, it started with the lighting of the large nativity scene up on the hill to let the world know that we’re a Christian community,” said Edd Akers, an insurance agent and longtime volunteer organizer.

The parade begins just after the lighting of that scene with some figures as tall as 28 feet. To kick off the event, the LeCroix Sisters will sing the National Anthem, and Rev. Bob Hubbard will present the invocation.

Sunday’s weather forecast promises a sunny afternoon and 40 degrees for members of the 15 bands and 40 floats and walking units who will wend their way through historic downtown Branson and Branson Landing on the Taneycomo lakefront.

There’s quite a variety of entrants. The Branson High School Pride Band features 96 members while the Wheaton Bulldogs Band from Barry County has 12 members. One of Wheaton’s planned numbers is “Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer.”

The Riverton High School Band from Kansas returns with 49 members. And two drill teams from Kansas City will be here: With 52 members, CJ Jaushlin’s The Infamous Marchin’ White Tigers, and with 16 members, Willie Arthur Smith’s Marching Cobras.

Among the floats, there will be several new entrants including the Hillbilly Youth Bowling League from Lampe. The Christian band “New Anointing” will ride the “Jesus Take The Wheel” float. And Morning Star Reindeer Productions from Donnellson, Ill., will bring a reindeer.

Awards in various categories will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at the Branson Landing fountains.

In addition to Commercial Street in downtown Branson, there are some great locations to watch the parade, said Kathleen Bullock, director of tourism development for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
In the Branson Landing area, the parade travels on the street between the shopping center and the lake. The area north of the Belk parking lot has recently been graded and would be a good viewing location. Other spots include the lawn at the northeast side of the shopping center, the sidewalk along Lake Taneycomo and the Landing fountain area.

The Publication of the information from this press release, on this site, is sponsored by Branson Tourism Center (BTC) one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800-785-1550 or through its website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

Branson Team Party

Saturday, November 21, 2009

11:00 AM Roadside demonstration on W Hwy 78 from Fall Creek Rd to Apple Tree Mall
12:00- 2:00 PM "Area 57" between Apple Tree Mall and Dick Clark Theater

Citizens of Branson, Missouri, popularly known as the Live Entertainment Capital of America, are singing out to the American People "Come, make a stand!"

This is a NON- PARTISAN event; please join us and make a stand if you believe in America the Free! Sing out: America First!

For over two centuries, America has held out the incredible promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to all her citizens. America shines as the land of opportunity and individual freedom, but our freedoms are being eroded by an elected Government that has lost its way. We say it’s time for the REAL America to stand up, stand tall, and stand firm.

Want to make your voice heard? On Saturday, November 21, 2009, The Branson Tea Party Coalition will host a peaceful Constitutional Rally that will ring out "America First You are encouraged to bring your signs with messages of your concerns regarding the questionable actions of our elected leaders. (Note: keep the messages civil, sincere, and appropriate for public viewing.)

The roadside demonstration will be followed by a Speakers Forum/Tea Party Rally from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Join us for this inspiring event at AREA 57 next to the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre, located at 1600 W. Hwy 76. Branson, MO.
We are echoing the fervent calls for liberty made by Paul Revere, John Adams and Patrick Henry over 230 years ago. It is time for all Americans to remind not only our government officials, but our citizens as well, that we must work together to restore America to its original constitutional foundation.

We must put aside our differences and join forces as our country is now in the crosshairs of a full-out assault on our constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms as citizens of the greatest country on earth!

It won’t be just another “stop” on the way to Washington, D.C. when the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stops in Branson, Missouri on its way to the U.S. Capital to be displayed with 10,000 handmade ornaments. Paul Miller, General Manager for Branson Tourism Center said that information received from the Branson Lakes/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce says that the 85-foot blue spruce from Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests near Alpine, Arizona will “stop” over in Branson and may be seen at 3 p.m. on Nov. 23 in front of the Sight & Sound Theatre located off of Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.

Miller went on to point out however, “The tree’s “stop” in Branson will not be just another ‘stop.’” He said the activities planned in association with the “stop” will provide locals and visitors alike with yet another exciting Branson Christmas activity in addition to all Branson’s shows, attractions, shopping, lighting displays, and other activities connected with Ozark Mountain Christmas.

According to the information, producer Bill Lennon says, “Mayor Raeanne Presley will greet the tree, and there will be entertainment by Yakov Smirnoff, the cast of the Circle B Supper Show, New South, Doug Gabriel, the Haygoods and the Highway 76 Trombones. Also, actors and animals from Sight & Sound’s ‘Miracle of Christmas’ will be on hand.”

Miller reminds potential Branson visitors that “Ozark Mountain Christmas” is the busiest season of the year in Branson and recommends early reservations for Branson shows and lodging. For additional information on the Capital Christmas Tree stop in Branson or Branson shows, attractions or lodging Miller suggests calling the Branson Tourism Center cat 1-800-785-1550 or visiting its website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

A recent piece published on line in www.News.Branson.com entitled, “Branson doesn’t forget- Veterans Homecoming Week” reports that Branson will be celebrating “Veterans Homecoming Week” starting on November 5 and running through November 11. It out that Branson’s Veterans Homecoming Week is one of the largest “Veterans Day” celebrations in the world, is filled with special events of all kinds, most of which are free to Veterans, and that the theme for this year’s event is “Branson Doesn’t Forget Our Military and their Families.”

It also pointed out that those attending Branson’s Veterans Homecoming Week will be able to participate in Ozark Mountain Christmas activities. Paul Miller, the General Manager for the Branson Tourism Center (BTC), one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services said, “In addition to the full slate of Veterans Homecoming Activities, those attending will also be able to share in the excitement of the first week of Branson’s ‘Ozark Mountain Christmas.’”

Article Excerpts:

The Veterans Village hosts the Veterans Registry, the free lunch that will be served to Veterans between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. from November 6 through November 10, has the latest information about the week’s events, Veteran discounts, displays and information from vendors and provides a convenient place to just relax and fellowship with old friends and new acquaintances.

…the 76th Annual Veterans Day Parade through historic downtown Branson on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the celebration of the “The Few, The Proud, The United States 234th Marine Corps Birthday Ball” at the Branson Convention Center on November 10 are examples of the many events to be held throughout the week.

The most complete list of events and their scheduled times will be found on the Veterans Homecoming page of the Branson Veterans Task Force website and should be consulted for the most current information.

Click here for complete article:

The Branson Veterans Task Force adds a new women veteran’s event this year. In addition to the annual Rose Petal Ceremony and Luncheon, a reunion is scheduled for Monday, November 9, from 6:00-7:30pm, at the Starlite Theater.
This reception and dinner is free to all women veterans and a guest. Additional guests are $10.00 each payable at the door. The Branson Veterans Task Force asks that you RSVP at 417.337.8387 with the number in your party.Sponsors for the event include Famous Dave’s, Moon River Grill, Dixie Stampede, Stone Hill Winery, Mt. Pleasant Winery, Veterans Holidays, Rankin Brothers Show, Starlite Theatre, Sam’s Club and the Branson Lakes Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Following the reception, the Rankin Brothers invite all veterans to attend their 8:00 show free. Non-veterans have a special price of $22.50. You must call the theatre at 417.337.9333 for show tickets.

The public is invited to the Rose Petal Ceremony at the Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks on November 10, at 10:30am. This moving ceremony represents women from all branches of the service and honors those who gave their lives in the service of their country.
Following the ceremony, the Rose Petal Luncheon features guest speaker SPC Jeanna Kilbane. The college will show their documentary of the trip to the 65th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Cost of the luncheon is $25.00 and requires reservations. Call Barb at 417.339.6823.

For more information on the complete list of activities during Veterans Week, call 417.337.8387 or visit www.bransonveterans.com.

Publication of this press release, on this site, sponsored by Branson Tourism Center (BTC) one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800-785-1550 or through its website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

The 11th Annual Hollister Grape and Fall Festival, presented by the Hollister Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Hollister, will be held on Saturday, September 26th from 10 am to 6 pm on Downing Street in Historic Downtown Hollister.

The Grape and Fall Festival features great food, crafts, children’s activities, live music and entertainment from some of Branson’s best performers, a wine tasting garden, and the signature event—the world famous Grape Stomp competition sponsored by Branson Ridge Winery, where teams compete for the honor of winning the Ugly Monkey Trophy. The annual event is one of the most popular in the region, and attendance has exceeded 5,000 people in previous years. This year promises to be the most exciting and well-attended Grape and Fall Festival ever.

The Grape Stomp competition is one of the most anticipated events of the year in Hollister. Stomping teams wear costumes and choreograph their two-minute routine, while toga-clad local elected officials, like Taney County Presiding Commissioner Chuck Pennell and Hollister Mayor David Tate judge their efforts. This year, five teams will be competing for the honor. Our local dignitaries are above reproach, but during the Grape Stomp competition, the teams are encouraged to win the judge’s favor with baked goods, pies, and other treats.

The Grape and Fall Festival is a celebration of Hollister’s 100 year history. In the early days, Hollister was an important stop on the railroad, and autumn was the time of year when people brought agricultural products and other goods to Hollister for transportation to larger markets. 2010 is Hollister’s Centennial, and there are plenty of events being planned to usher in this important milestone in Hollister’s History.

Schedule of Events

8:00 am Bike Ride
Registration for the bike ride begins at 7:30 am, and the riders will leave from Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Park in Downtown Hollister at 8:00. This 12 mile fun-ride will go through Hollister to Branson Creek and back.

10:00 am – 6:00 pm Festival
Food, crafts, and live music from some of the area’s best groups on Historic Downing Street in Downtown Hollister. Kids activities and fun for everyone.

2:00 pm Grape Stomp Competition
Teams compete for the Ugly Monkey Trophy by winning the judges’ favor in this hilarious and entertaining event. Contestants are up to their knees in grapes.

For more information on the Hollister Grape & Fall Festival call 417.334.3050 or contact the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800- 785-1550 or through its website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

The streets of Historic Downtown Branson will be filled with crafters, artists, and food vendors September 17-20 for the 36th Annual Autumn Daze Arts and Crafts Festival.

Applicants are screened by a committee to ensure that products are hand-made and exhibited by the person who made them and to guarantee a wide array of original arts and crafts. Unique crafts and gifts range from pottery, quilts, paintings, jewelry, wood carvings, ironwork, toys, and candles to organic lotions, bath products, and floral arrangements. In many cases, the crafters will be on hand to demonstrate their work and techniques.
Food vendors on site will offer carnival style snacks. There are also family-style restaurants and ethnic food choices in downtown serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Craft booths will be under tents at the Awbery Parking Lot on the corner of Commercial and Atlantic Street, as well as down Commercial Street. The show is open from 9 am to 6 pm Thursday through Saturday and 9 am to 4 pm Sunday. Admission is free. In addition, live entertainment is also planned from rock to country to gospel, and the Taney County Animal Shelter will offer adoptable pets September 19 from 9 am to 2 pm. The downtown merchants will be offering sidewalk sales.

For More Information: 417-334-1548.

Publication of this press release, on this site, sponsored by Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800- 785-1550or through its website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

Beginning in 1945, The Blue Star Memorial Marker Program of the National Garden Clubs, Inc; started honoring the men and women serving in the Armed Forces during World War II. The name was chosen for the star on the flags displayed in homes and businesses denoting a family member serving in the armed forces. From Alaska to Hawaii; Blue Star Memorials are extended across our nation.

You can be part of a historical event to take place in Branson on November 7th. The Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club will be honored to place a Blue Star Memorial at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. The over 40 members of the Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club will be creating a serene garden of reflection around the monument. More details about the event are forth coming.

Please make plans to join us in November as we dedicate this historical memorial. If you would like more information on how you can help or be a part of this event: Contact Pat Piland 417-239-0177.

Publication of this press release, on this site, sponsored by the Branson Tourism Center (BTC), one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800-875-1550 or by visiting their web site www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

Gravesite of Ruben S. Branson for whom Branson is named.

Although it’s difficult to put a handle on who founded Branson, it’s not hard to determine who the city of Branson is named after. That would be Ruben S. Branson.

In 1882, Ruben S. Branson started a general store near the mouth of Roark Creek and the White River. He started a post office in the store and named it “Branson.” The name of the post office was changed “Lucia” in 1902 and changed back to “Branson” again in 1904. It became the name of the city of Branson when it was incorporated on April 1, 1912.
Ruben S. Branson’s grave site may be conveniently viewed from the outside of the Branson Cemetery located at the northwest corner or Oklahoma and Commercial Streets in Historic Downtown Branson. As the picture indicates, it is hard to miss and entry into the cemetery is not required to view the site.

BTC Branson Bits is sponsored by the Branson Tourism Center (BTC), one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800-875-1550 or visiting their web site www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

Mens restroom in Shoji Tabuchi Theatre has an ornate pool table.

Branson, Missouri known worldwide for being the “Live music show capital of the world now has another feather to add to its cap. It has a “number 1” in what some have called a “number 2 business."

The Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, home of Branson’s Shoji Tabuchi Show, is also the home of the restrooms that won the 8th Annual “America’s Best Restroom Contest” sponsored by Cintas Corporation, a leading provider of services and products for restrooms. This year’s ten finalists were selected based on being open to the public, style and exceptional hygiene. They represent a cross section of various businesses including theaters, hotels, and restaurants.

Thousands of of votes were cast on the internet for the ten finalists. When the bowel cleared Branson’s Shoji Tabuchi Theatre had flushed the other nine semifinalists who were, in order of their final finish, The Tremont Plaza Hotel, Baltimore, MD; Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY: Zeffirino Ristorante, Las Vegas, NV; The Drake Hotel, Chicago, IL; Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco, CA; The Tampa Theatre in Tampa, FL; NOVA 535 in St. Petersburg, FL; The Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI; and the Canlis Restaurant in Seattle, WA.

The Tabuchi Theatre restrooms are unique and were featured on the Travel Channels “Extreme Bathrooms. They have been described as providing “a totally immersive experience of luxury and splendor.” Paul Miller, General Manager for the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging, said, “The Tabuchi Theatres restrooms are some of the most elaborate he has ever seen and have in themselves become an attraction for Branson tourists.”

The Ladies restroom has 1890’s period ceilings and wainscoting with onyx sinks and stained glass and crystal chandeliers. The Mens bathroom includes a mahogany billiard table and black lion-head sinks from Italy. “We believe these restrooms are the most elaborate and ornate anywhere,” said Theatre Manager Michael J. Frederick. “Each restroom represents 1,800 square feet of deliberate, one-of-a-kind elegance.”

Cintas Senior Marketing Manager Keith Hartman stated, “Cintas is proud to honor the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, and we congratulate all of our participants this year.” At a special presentation at 2:00 p.m. on August 20, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre received a plaque recognizing it as “America’s Best Restroom” for 2009. It will also be listed on the internet in the “America’s Best Restroom Hall of Fame” found at www.bestrestroom.com.

Branson, Missouri, the live music show capital of the world is “Gung-Ho” for America’s Veterans, active duty U.S. Armed Forces personnel and their families all year long, but during Veterans Home Coming Week it reaches a new level. Running from November 5 through November 11, Veterans Homecoming week is filled with special events and activities for veterans, active duty military and their families highlighted by Branson’s Annual Veterans Day Parade. For a complete list of the activities visit the Veteran’s Homecoming Website www.bransonveterans.com/veterans-homecoming.htm.

Although there will be many events and activities for veterans, active duty personnel and their families, there is one that will be extra special to “The Few, The Proud, The Marines” as they gather together to celebrate the 234th birthday of their beloved Corps on November 10. The traditional “Marine Corps Birthday Ball,” sponsored by Branson.Com and celebrating the 234th birthday of the Corps, will be held at the Branson Convention Center. The keynote speaker will be the highly decorated Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.)

The roots for the Marine Corps Ball started in 1921 when the 13th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General John A. Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47 (Series 1921) in which was summarized the tradition, history and mission of the Corps. The order specifically directed, that it be read at all commands “on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year.”

As U.S. Marine commands read the order and honored the Corps some decided to celebrate the birthday of the Corps as well. This quickly evolved into the first formal Marine Corps Birthday Ball which was held in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1925. The evening started with the unveiling of a plaque at “Tun Tavern,” the birthplace of the U.S. Marine Corps, by General Lejeune, which was then followed by an evening of celebration at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel.

From 1925 through 1951, the honoring of the Crops as well as the Birthday Ball continued. In 1951 the 20th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Lemuel C. Shephered Jr., formalized some of the traditions adding the reading of a Commandant’s message in addition to General Lejeune’s Marine Corps Order No. 47 and the cake cutting ceremony including the use of U. S. Marine Corps Officer’s Mameluke Sword.

On November 10, 2009, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. to Midnight, Branson.Com proudly invites all Marines, Armed Forces personnel, Veterans and the general public to celebrate the 234th birthday of the United State Marine Corps at the Branson Convention Center. The cost is $50.00 per person which includes Birthday Ceremony, dinner, cash bar, ball and dancing. Call 1-800-268-3643 for additional information or reservation or visit the website www.Branson.Com.

The White River Valley Historical Society (WRVHS), in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council, will explore aspects of America’s roots music as it hosts the local showing of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. New Harmonies will be on view Aug. 15 – Sept. 26 at the Historical Society’s new museum location, 297 Main Street, Forsyth. New Harmonies Exhibit hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Noon – 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 1-4 p.m. Evenings & Sundays for groups by appointment.

The WRVHS and the surrounding community were expressly chosen by the Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) to host New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music as part of the Museum on Main Street project – a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The exhibition will tour six communities in Missouri from March through December.

As Americans from a variety of heritages shared cultural influences, musicians found new ways to play unique sounds learned from new neighbors on traditional instruments. The inevitable intermingling of musical influences created exciting new sounds – new American music. Through a selection of photographs, recordings, instruments, lyrics and artist profiles, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music will explore the distinct cultural identities of American roots music forms. The exhibition will examine the progression of American roots music. Musical genres profiled in the exhibition include zydeco, tejano, bluegrass and klezmer.

“We are very pleased to be able to bring New Harmonies to our area,” said WRVHS President Ingrid Albers. “It allows us the opportunity to explore this fascinating aspect of our own region’s musical history and we hope that it will inspire many to become even more involved in the cultural life of our community.”

“Allowing all of our state’s residents to have access to the cultural resources of our nation’s premiere museum is a priority of the Missouri Humanities Council,” said Patricia Zahn, MHC associate director. “With this special tour, we are pleased to be working with the White River Valley Historical Society and the Forsyth community to help develop local exhibitions and public programs to compliment the Smithsonian exhibition.”

Free events, times, dates and locations includeNew Harmonies Exhibit Opening: Aug. 15-Sept. 26 (See schedule above.);Opening Night Concert with BIG SMITH and Blues by Pokey LaFarge. Sunday, Aug. 16, 4 p.m. Shadowrock Park:Gospel Gathering featuring some of the best Ozark’s gospel groups. Sunday, Aug. 23, 2 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Branson; Music at the Cabin: Celtic, British and American Ballads from Nancy Walker and Mike Micham. Judy Domeny and The Stringfield Band. Saturday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m., The Log Cabin at Shadowrock Park, Forsyth; Pickin’ Party: Old Time Jam Session & Potluck. Friday, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m., The Taney Center, Forsyth and the WRVHS Quarterly Meeting & Annual Ice Cream Social. Native American Music: Sunday, Sept. 13, 1 p.m., The Taney Center, Forsyth.

Weekly free “brown bag” lunchtime events at the Museum include:

“Get Downtown” free lunchtime concerts, Each Thursday, noon, WRVHS Museum.
Kids Konnection each Tuesday, noon, Museum.
Lunch & Learn music programming for adults, each Wednesday, noon, Museum.
Karaoke 4 Kids, each Saturday, 1-4 p.m., Museum.

New Harmonies events culminate in the only ticketed event of the series, the Second Annual Shadowrock Jubilee featuring a variety of bands – The Best of Roots Music. Tickets will cost $8 in advance at the museum and $10 at the gate. The Jubilee will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m., in Shadowrock Park, Forsyth.

Information about the “new Harmonies exhibit, activities and events can be obtained by calling the White River Valley Historical Society and Museum at 417-546-7272 or logging onto wrvhs@hotmail.com.

New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. More information about New Harmonies and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions can be found at www.museumonmainstreet.org.

Publication of this press release, on this site, sponsored by Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets and lodging. BTC can be reached by calling 800-785-1550 or by visiting their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

The Hollister Chamber News for July 19 points out that the 11th Annual Hollister Grape & Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 on Historic Downing Street in downtown Hollister. The event originated in the early 1900s to celebrate the annual grape harvest, as local growers shipped their produce to markets via the railroads. The modern version features live music and entertainment, great food, a wine-tasting garden, crafts, children’s activities, and the highlight of the festival, the Grape Stomping Contest.

The Hollister Area Chamber of Commerce is asking for help and offering businesses the opportunity to become a 2009 Grape & Fall Festival Sponsor. Some of the benefits of sponsoring the Festival are radio air time, public recognition on stage, and printed recognition in the Grape & Fall Festival Program. Last year’s festival attracted 5,000 people and that is a great way for a business to communicate their message to a large audience. For more information on the festival or about how you can join in the marketing campaign for the event, contact the Chamber office at 334-3050 or info@hollisterchamber.net.

Hollister Area Chamber of Commerce Members are also entitled to free booth space at the festival, on a space available basis. Show off your products, provide information, or even host a children’s game: It’s up to you. Contact the Chamber office to reserve your space now.

The Vietnam POW/MIAs Memorial Wall of the United States will be dedicated in a ceremony on July 4 at 10 a.m. at the Branson Mall in the Veterans Walk of Fame. The wall’s creator, Leo Voss, will be attending.

Sponsored by Branson’s Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 913, the Vietnam POW/MIAs Memorial Wall of the United States counts those who have never been found from the Vietnam War and the secret wars in Laos. From Minnesota, Voss built the wall in 2000. A Marine who served in Vietnam, his commitment and dedication to build the wall developed through his experiences as a leader of the Southwest Minnesota POW/MIA Color Guard and through giving speeches, talking about the thousands of Americans left behind at the end of the wars waged in Vietnam and Korea.

In speaking, the numbers “go right over peoples’ heads. When you see the names – that touches peoples’ hearts,” Voss said.

Etched with some 2,560 names, it is a stark reminder of those who have not returned. Some of the names are marked with white, green and/or red stars. White stars mark the POW/MIAs whose remains have been returned – only 17 percent of those listed. Green stars are beside 11 percent of the names – POW/MIAs who might have survived captivity. Red stars, almost 10 percent, denote the soldiers who fought in the secret wars in Laos.

“What better day could we choose to dedicate this wall than the very day we celebrate our Independence? Let us not forget those who may have lost theirs,” said President of VVA Chapter 913 Bill Groninger, who served in the Air Force. “There are significances in all of those names. Each name deserves an accounting. Our group is helping update the list of names on the wall to keep it current.

Groninger said the chapter has also planned a book in memory of those on the wall and will attempt to locate information on all listed. We plan to enlist the assistance of students from Hollister (Mo.) High School with the book project. As the Memorial Wall’s creator, Leo Voss has completed the research on those from his home state of Minnesota. We want to help him with the rest. Another way the public can be involved is by supporting this project. The Branson VVA may be contacted at 417-230-6446.

The Downtown Branson Main Street Association (DBMA) is working on the 2nd annual Piccadilly Gala to be held on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at the Branson Convention Center in Branson, MO. Our theme this year will be “Vanilla & Chocolate Affair.” Over 250 women will feel the hospitality of Downtown business owners while they enjoy an upscale catered dinner, live entertainment, silent auction and the favorite, Piccadilly Auction. Proceeds from this event will be used towards revitalization and marketing of our downtown corridor.

This event has become a highly anticipated evening by those attending and we are asking you to support this fundraiser and showcase your business by contributing one or more items. Your donated item(s) will be offered in the silent auction and/or the Piccadilly Auction.

Donations may be dropped off at the Downtown Branson Main Street office located at 119 W. Pacific anytime before Thursday, October 8th 2009. Meeting this deadline will ensure your business will be listed in the program. If you need more information or would like your item to be picked up, please call 334-1548. Deadlines are firm so please mark your calendar.

Businesses have the opportunity to be involved by placing an advertisement in the Piccadilly Gala program or by sponsoring a table. For $500.00 you will receive a table for ten guests or individual ticket price is $50.00. If you are interested, please call 334-1548 for more information.

Contribution will be tax deductible as the Downtown Branson Main Street is a non-profit organization. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Thank you for making a difference in the heart of your community.

For additional information contact the DBMA at 417-334-1548.

On July 4th, 2009 area residents, visiting families, and Branson area tourists will witness the oldest fireworks display in Taney County. The City of Hollister celebrates its 56th year of spectacular firework shows. This 4th of July Show has become an annual tradition, with many families and visitors to the City of Hollister and the Tri-Lakes Area.

Pyrotechnic Don Klein,of the Hollister Parks Department and Western Taney County Fire Protection District personnel have completed training in safety and show technique for executing a spectacular hand lit fireworks show.

A special aerial salute will pay tribute to Pyrotechnic Chad A Fuqua who was killed in August 2008. 3-D glasses to enhance the bright sky experience will be available, for a nominal contribution to the Fireworks Fund, at Town Hall or from a boot passer the night of July 4th.

Patriotic music will be played during the Fireworks Show on KRZK.

Bring your family, friends, portable radios, lawn chairs, blankets & non-alcoholic drinks and snacks and enjoy the show!

The City of Hollister fireworks are funded entirely by donations from residents and business in the Hollister, Branson, and Tri-Lakes Area. This year will be no exception, your continued support is critical.

Please make a contribution by mailing a check to:

Hollister Fireworks Fund
City of Hollister
PO Box 638
Hollister, MO 65673

50 years of live Branson music shows started in a building on this location.

With all the shows, attractions and other activities Branson has to offer sometimes a person might wish for an activity that’s a little more laid back and moves at a more selfcontrolled pace. In Branson those opportunities abound with one of them being the free “DownTown Branson Historic Walking Tour.”

The tour covers the historic downtown Branson area, is self guided and, without the Old Stone Church and Branson Hotel B&B, Stops 15 and 16, is flat and level. A tour brochure is available from the office of the Downtown Main Street Association (DMSA) located at 119 W. Pacific Street in historic downtown Branson.

Although listed as Stop 4 in the brochure, stop as soon as you get out the door of DMSA. You will be located on the north side of Pacific Street which runs east and west. If you look directly south, across Pacific Street, you will see something that relatively few people who come to Branson have really “seen.”Oh, most people see the parking lot and public restroom. But even as Branson celebrates 50 years of live music shows, most people don’t realize that they are looking at the very spot where “It all started.”

In 1959 the Mabe brothers Bob, Bill, Jim and Lyle, along with Delbert Howard and Chick Allen, decided to provide evening entertainment to tourists visiting the Branson area. They used a simple format of blending popular country music with original unique comedy routines. The name of the show was the “Baldknobbers” and today, 50 years later, the Mabe family is still entertaining Branson audiences using a blend of country and popular music and original comedy.

In 1959, the original Branson City Hall was located up near where the restrooms are located today. The Mabe brothers rented a 50 seat auditorium in the basement and started doing their show two nights a week. The show proved successful and they later moved town to the Lake Taneycomo lakefront before moving to their current location on West Highway 76.

Interestingly, while standing in the same location, if one looks to the southeastern edge of the parking lot, where the alley runs through, they will notice the back end of the Owen Theatre, Branson’s first theatre. It was a movie theatre built by Jim Owen in 1935 to provide entertainment for Branson tourists, a lot of whom were fishing clients of his guide service.

Although almost three decades separated the Owen Theatre from the Baldknobbers, one cannot help but notice the synergy. It is not only a synergy of location, but of purpose, the entertaining of Branson’s tourists. Today, 50 years later and with enough shows in Branson for it to be called the “Live Music Show Capital of the World,” that simple purpose has not changed.

Blueberry cobblers and music are part of the Blueberry Festival at Persimmon Hill Farm on Saturday, June 6 as the blueberry season launches at Persimmon Hill Farm in Lampe. The event includes an annual Cobbler Contest to benefit the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch, along with entertainment featuring the Farnum Family in an outdoor music fest.

The Cobbler Contest, held from noon to 4 p.m., will feature a variety of blueberry cobblers. Farm guests can feast and help the Boys Ranch, as all proceeds from the brunch will go to the ranch, located near the farm. Representatives from the LUC Boys Ranch will be on hand with displays, information and products made by the boys.

The music fest will feature the Farnum Family of Galena, performing bluegrass and gospel music from noon to 4 p.m.

Cobbler cooks are welcome to enter the Persimmon Hill Farm 21st Annual Ozark Mountain Cobbler Contest. Anyone wishing to enter can come to the farm prior to the contest for a free pound of blueberries. Entering cooks should bring their cobblers by noon on June 6. Cobblers will be judged by 1 p.m. and will then be part of the benefit dessert spread. The winner of the contest will receive a handmade pottery cobbler dish.

The all-day festival also includes free tours of the farm, free recipes and samples of blueberry products. Barbecue sandwiches featuring the farm’s award-winning sauces are available

Persimmon Hill Farm is located south of Lampe off of Mo. 86, at 367 Persimmon Hill Lane. The farm is 1 1/2 miles off of Mo. 86. For more information, call 417-779-5443. A map is posted on the farm web site, www.persimmonhill.com. For more information on the LUC Boys Ranch, contact Melissa at 417-779-5374 or www.lucboys.org.

As the White River resumes its flow through Table Rock Dam, a snap shot of how the Ozark Mountains were formed is revealed.

Although Branson has almost a hundred shows nothing is as impressive as the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains and its lakes yet, in a paraphrase of the age old question, “What came first, the chicken or the egg” one could ask “What came first in Branson, the sea, mountains or the lakes? Confused, some might ask, “What sea?”

As one looks at the beauty of the Ozark Mountains today it is hard to imagine just where a “sea” fits into Branson’s history. What should be understood however is that over a billion years before there was a Branson or Ozark Mountains, the “Ozarks Plateau,” began its formation. It is that formation from which the Ozark Mountains have been formed.

The result of that formation is a major elevation between the Rocky Mountains to the west and the Appalachian Mountains to the east. In non-geological terms a lot that elevation took place under a vast inland sea. Over a period of millions of years lava flows, a series of upliftings, and the deposit of layers of sediment etc. built the plateau. As the inland seas receded the plateau looked more like a “big block” than the Ozark Mountains of today.

The vast majority of the mountains that most people think of, such as the Rocky Mountains, were formed from the “bottom up” reaching their final height and appearance primarily through dramatic volcanic activity. The Ozark Mountains, on the other hand were, and are still in the process of being, formed from the “top down” by water, wind erosion time, and nature.

Picture a block of granite three feet square waiting to be carved into a beautiful “Bald Eagle.” How the final sculpture looks is up to the sculptor, but from its base level, it will never be higher than three feet. It could be a lot lower than three feet, but not higher. The Master Sculptor has been sculpting on the Ozark Plateau for millions of years with the result being the Ozarks Mountains and the inherent natural beauty that millions of visitors come to Branson and the Ozarks to enjoy every year.

Evidence of the way the Ozarks was and is being formed, from the “top down,” can be seen in layers revealed in the “cuts” left by construction of roads, dams, etc. and in the valleys and bluffs carved out by the rivers of the Ozarks. The picture of the cut at Table Rock Dam is an example. It illustrates how the White River has sculpted the area around it from the top down.

The White River serves as a primary source for Branson’s Tri-Lakes, Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals Lake, and Table Rock Lake, all of which are made lakes. Underneath those lakes and the rivers serving as their source the history of the formation of the Ozark Mountains is still being written.

The 36th Annual Plumb Nellie Days celebration will be held in historic downtown Branson on May 15-17. The details of the event, except for the entertainment schedule, are discussed in an article entitled, “Plumb Nellie Days enhances Branson tourism” published on line in the Branson Courier on May 6.

Although subject to change the following entertainment is scheduled to appear throughout the event as follows:

Friday, May 15, 2009

9 a.m. Pearl Neil (Contemporary music)
10 a.m. Audrea Shoemaker
10:30 a.m. Conway Twitty Tribute
11 a.m. Charley Pride Tribute
11:30 a.m. Missouri Boat Ride
12:30 p.m. 50’s at the Hop
12:45 p.m. Our Sinatra
1 p.m. Perser Melody
2 p.m. Steve Anthony
2:45 p.m. Chuck Johnson (Southern Gospel)
3 p.m. Anita Frenchkid
3:15 p.m. Flynn Ward
3:45 p.m. Kashina McGrath (Hannah Montana Tribute)
4 p.m. Rico J (Hot Hits Theatre)
4:30 p.m. Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love (Elvis Tribute)
4:45 p.m. Peggy Vander
5 p.m. Memories of Merle
5:30 p.m. Marty Robbins Tribute

Saturday, May 16, 2009

9 a.m. Outrageous Dog Show registration
10 a.m. Dog Show
12 p.m. Branson American Kids
1 p.m. Elvis Tribute by Reggie Randolph
1:15 p.m. Dog of Motown
1:30 p.m. Perser Melody
2 p.m. Gail Morrissey (Dulcimer music)
3 p.m. Red Head Express (Bluegrass and folk music)
4 p.m. Steppin’ Out Dancers
5 p.m. Neil Diamond Tribute
5:30 p.m. Twice Born

Sunday, May 17, 2009

9 a.m. Steve Anthony (Gospel)
9:30 a.m. Chuck Johnson (Southern Gospel)
10 a.m. United We Stand
11 a.m. Conway Twitty Tribute
11:30 a.m. Charley Pride Tribute
12 p.m. Hannah Montana Tribute
1 p.m. Perser Melody
2 p.m. Darrell Graef (Country music)
2:30 p.m. 50’s at the Hop
2:45 p.m. Joyce O’Sullivan (Jazz)
3 p.m. Kim Conrad

The Bob Walsh Memorial Fiddle Convention will be held May 14 through 17 at Branson’s Compton Ridge Campground, says campground owner Robert Speight, who bought the campground a year ago.

He said he’s excited about the chance to bring people to the tree-shaded campground to enjoy this annual tradition. Fiddler Bruce Hoffman says they expect more than 100 fiddlers from all over the country to come for the jam sessions that go on all day and into the evening.

The public is invited to stroll the grounds and enjoy the music. It’s free except for a fee for the fish fry on Friday and the pig roast on Saturday.

It’s called a convention because there’s no competition. Just a sharing of a longtime Ozark tradition, said fiddler Wayne Massengale, who plays at Grand Country Music Hall. The event is named for the late Bob Walsh, a renowned fiddler who began the gathering at his Cape Fair home, Massengale said. Walsh also was responsible for getting the fiddle named the Missouri state instrument, he said.

There will be one new event this year. Massengale and Hoffman plan to conduct a “fiddle camp,” Massengale said, “where fiddlers who are starting out can sit down with us, and we’ll show them how we learned to play our songs and back up people.”

Several other professional fiddlers from the music shows are expected to be there. Hoffman said they hope to interest a younger generation to carry on the traditional music and “to see what the Ozarks was made of.”

For more information on Compton Ridge Campground or to make a reservation, visit www.comptonridge.com or call 417-338-2911 or 800-233-8648. The facility has two camping areas, a 25-room lodge and amenities including a conference center, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, a game room and more.

For additional information about Branson, its live entertainment, theme parks, lakes, golf courses, family attractions, shopping and other features from the Branson Tourism Center on line click here or by phone please call 800-785-1550.

Although Branson tourism thrives on its live shows, from Silver Dollar City to historic downtown Branson and Branson Landing, unique festivals and special events enhance that tourism. The 36th Annual Plumb Nellie Days being held in historic downtown Branson May 15-17 is one of those events.

Plumb Nellie Days, organized by the Downtown Branson Main Street Association (DBMA) is a springtime tradition featuring arts and crafts, sidewalk sales, live music, entertainment, the Outrageous Dog Show, a book signing, and other family fun.

DBMA Events Coordinator Paula Gillispie says more than 100 booths have been reserved by crafters, artists, and food vendors. She pointed out that the event will be held in the one block area north of Main Street on Commercial Street and that Commercial Street will be closed to traffic between Main and Pacific Streets during the event.

All the events except the Outrageous Dog Show, which requires a $5.00 registration fee, are free. On Friday, May 15-16, the arts and crafts festival will be open during the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m and on Sunday, May 17 it will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In conjunction with Plumb Nellie Days some downtown merchants will also be holding sidewalk sales.

Judy Dees, who owns “Mr. B’s Ice Cream Parlor” at the corner of Veterans Boulevard and Main Street, with her husband, Randy, has recently published a book entitled, “Verses from Above.” Dees will be holding a book signing during the event.

The Outrageous Dog Show, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday and the show at 10 a.m., has become one of the most popular activities of Plumb Nellie Days. Although it costs $5.00 to enter, it is a fun event during which every dog wins a prize based on the judging of fun divisions such as the ugliest dog, cutest puppy, most spots, longest ears etc. In addition, the Taney County Animal Shelter, in conjunction with Plumb Nellie Days, will be offering the adoption of dogs and cats from the shelter.

Gillispie said, “Volunteers are very much a part of Plumb Nellie Days” and that anyone wanting to volunteer to help with the event should call her. For information about the event or to volunteer call 417-334-1548.

Keynote Speaker Gil A. Stricklin.

The 8th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, presented by the Branson Christian Business Men’s Committee, will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 6:45a.m. to 8:30a.m. at the Tri-Lakes Center, located at 2527 State Hwy. 248 in Branson, Missouri. The public is invited.

Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley will host this year’s event, held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, as an opportunity for guests to unite in fellowship as they pray, enjoy breakfast, and listen to an inspirational keynote address.

This year, the Branson Christian Business Men’s Committee presents keynote speaker Gil A. Stricklin, founder and CEO of Marketplace Chaplains USA and International. Stricklin’s Dallas-based company provides cross-denominational, multi-ethnic chaplain services to businesses nationwide as an employee care program. Marketplace Chaplains has 2,388 corporate chaplains caring for 524,814 employees and their family members in 767 cities in 44 states, as well as in Mexico, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and most recently, in the United Kingdom.

A highlight of the breakfast is the announcement of the 2009 Don Gabriel Kingdom Builder Award recipient. The award is given each year to someone in the community who exemplifies the love of Jesus Christ through their work in improving our community for the glory of God. Past recipients include Don Gabriel, Cliff Wagner, Larry VanGilder, John Baltes, Edd Akers, Barbara Brezavar and Brad Swafford.

Tickets for the 8th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast are $25.00 each or $175.00 for a table of 8, prior to the day of the event. Tickets may be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis at the door on the day of the event for $27.50 each. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (417) 334-6308 or visit www.bransoncbmc.com.

The Branson Christian Business Men’s Committee is the local chapter of the national Christian Business Men’s Committee, a movement of men dedicated to prayer and sharing the gospel and hope of Jesus Christ.

Eating lots of food is probably not a good idea all the time, but, in terms of fighting cancer, it can be an excellent idea if it is done at Chili’s Restaurant, 1150 Branson Hills Parkway on Tuesday May 5th between 4:00 p.m. and closing. Chili’s is teaming up with the Branson Tourism Center Relay for Life Teams to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Chili’s Restaurant will donate ten percent (10%) of the “dining checks” generated between 4:00 p.m. and closing on May 5th to the “Relay for Life of Taney and Stone Counties.” To be eligible for the donation the dining check must be accompanied by a copy of the “Let’s Get Together” flyer that is available in the Branson Tourism Center lobby at 220 Branson Hills Parkway, the checkout lanes of Branson 1st Stop convenience store and gas station at that same address, the Branson Daily Independent at 704 Veterans Blvd or on line at http://www.bransontourismcenter.com/Chilis_relay_for_life.pdf.

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every three Americans will be diagnosed with Cancer during their lifetime. “Relay For Life” is an American Cancer Society grassroots program designed to empower groups and individuals to participate in the fight against this formidable foe. The program “represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.”

To do that, each “Relay For Life” teams raises money that will be used for cancer research, patient services and early detection and prevention education. Branson Tourism Center has three Relay For Life teams that have been involved with various fund raising efforts throughout the year such as the Chili’s event, an Ester egg hunt, and various in-house fund raising efforts.

The signature activity of Relay For Life is an annual overnight event celebrating “the lives of those who have battled cancer, remembering loved ones lost, and fighting back against a disease that takes too much.” It involves more than 3.5 million people from 4,900 communities across the country. They camp out overnight at local school tracks or other areas as team members take turns walking or running around the track with at least one member of the team on the track at all times during the event. The annual Relay For Life overnight event for Taney and Stone counties will take place on Friday night, June 5 at the Cedar Ridge Track.

In terms of events, this will be a special weekend in Branson. The first “Branson’s Great American Pie Show” will be conducted at the Branson Convention Center featuring celebrity judge, Al Roker, the meteorologist on the NBC “Today show. In addition, there will be the “Missouri Wine Festival,” promoting the celebrations of Missouri wines and artesian cheeses and “Kewpiesta, honoring the “Kewpie” and its creator Rose O’Neill, but perhaps none will be more special to the heart beat of Branson than the “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients,” an event honoring the memory and sacrifice of those Americans who served in combat, were wounded and received the Purple Heart for that service.

Some very special guests have been invited to the “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients” event. The event’s sponsor, Branson.Com, has extended an open invitation to everyone who has received the Purple Heart in the service of their country to attend the event on April 24 and 25 and share in its activities, all of which are free.

The last activity of the event, the “Purple Mountain Majesty Twilight Ceremony,” will be held at the Branson Landing Fountains in the Public Square from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 25. The ceremony is a moving and inspiring ceremony which will be attended by the Purple Heart Recipients and provides the general public, local and visitor alike, the opportunity to participate in honoring and remembering those who have received the Purple Heart in the defense of our country.

The ceremony will be emceed by Lieutenant Colonel Jack Jackson. The special guest speaker will be Sergeant Major Tony Rose (ret) a 9-11 Pentagon Survivor. Other highlights include Barbara Fairchild and the group from one of Branson’s hottest shows, “SIX.”

Marlyce Stockinger, Director of Public Relations and Advertising, Branson.Com, encourages the general public to attend the ceremony and participate in honoring the Purple Heart Recipients who will be in attendance. Stockinger said that a complete list of the activities involved with the “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients” event, starting with registration at the Factory Merchants (Red Top) Mall between 8:00 a.m. and Noon on April 24, is on the Branson.Com website. She said she is available to answer questions and provide assistance by phone through 417-334-2360.

Military Order of the Purple Heart .

During Branson’s Ozark Mountain Spring Festival of over 40 events currently being held, one unique event will seek to do that which has perhaps never been done before. The event, sponsored by Branson.Com, is called “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients” and will be held on April 24 and 25. Its sole purpose is to specifically remember and honor the sacrifices of those who have been wounded in action in the defense of our country and have received the Purple Heart.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart is a unique congressionally chartered Veteran Service Organization whose members were wounded in combat and, for this sacrifice, were awarded the Purple Heart Medal. In an April 13 press release, the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) said it “is proud to announce its participation in the special salute to Purple Heart veterans by Branson.Com on April 24-25, 2009.”

The MOPH information stated that the salute will feature a wide variety of entertainment and events “designed specifically for combat wounded veterans, with free admission to all events.” It
went on to describe, in detail, the events that will make up the salute starting with Registration on Friday April 24 and ending with a “Purple Mountain Majesty Twilight Ceremony” at 6:00 p.m. on April 25.

“On Friday, April 24, beginning at 8:00 a.m. all veterans are encouraged to register at the Factory Merchants Mall, 1000 Pat Nash Drive. Registration is required to be eligible for the Saturday fishing tournament, admission to all planned events, and discounts at local merchants.

“At 2:00 p.m., the Opening Ceremony will take place at the Hamner Barber Theatre, Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. The ceremony will include a special program of music and comedy entertainment as well as a guest speaker, Colonel Hemant Thakur, M.D., an expert on PTSD. Military Order of the Purple Heart Vice Commander Clayton Jones and the Department of Missouri will take part in the opening ceremonies. The evening will be open to enjoy the many dining and entertainment experiences available in Branson.

“On Saturday, April 25, a fishing tournament will be held at Moonshine Beach (3778 South Hwy 165), from 8:00 am – Noon. Participant’s names will have been drawn from Purple Heart Recipients who registered at the Friday Opening Ceremony. At 9:00 a.m., The Purple Heart Parachutist, Dallas Wittgenfeld will free fall with the world’s largest American Flag parachute, at Chateau on the Lake, with the opportunity for photos, questions and answers. At 10:00 a.m., the Missouri Wine Festival opens at Chateau on the Lake, along side of Moonshine Beach. Purple Heart Recipients and one guest have been invited to attend the festival while waiting to welcome the return of the fisherman. Events include Wine tasting, artisan cheeses, chocolate, demos, and live entertainment.

“At 2:00 p.m., a special "Hand in Hand" Entertainment Show will take place at the Hamner Barber Theatre (Shepherd of the Hills Expressway). Many of Branson’s favorite entertainers and comedians will perform especially for the Purple Heart veterans. The show will include many surprises, and offer lots of fun for the participants and their families.

“At 5:30 pm, all Purple Heart recipients are requested to gather at the south end of Branson Landing for a special convoy to a candlelight ceremony. At 6:00 pm, this special weekend will conclude with a “Purple Mountain Majesty Twilight Ceremony” at Branson Landing (100 Branson Landing Blvd). The guest speaker for this event will be retired Sergeant Major Tony Rose, a survivor of the 9-11 Pentagon terrorism attack.”

The release specifically advised, “All interested participants are encouraged to visit the Bransom.Com web site [Hand in Hand Event Info] for any changes to the program. For discount shows and lodging please call 1-800-619-5708 or go to www.BransonTourismCenter.com.”

Marlyce Stockinger, Director of Advertising and Public Relations, Branson.Com, and the Branson.Com co-coordinator for the event, encourages the active participation of all Purple Heart Recipients, veterans and the public in the event. Stockinger encourages the public to turn out for the “Purple Mountain Majesty Twilight Ceremony” at Branson Landing on April 25 when they will have a chance to honor the Purple Heart Recipients and said she is available to answer questions or provide assistance by phone at 417-334-2360.

On Saturday, May 2, fun and history will permeate the day as the city of Hollister celebrates its Sixth Annual Founder’s Day. According to Rob Dixon, Executive Director of the Hollister Chamber of Commerce, “Beginning at 10:00 a.m. that day the Hollister Town Hall Square will be transformed into a historical street-scape, featuring vintage automobiles, a camp fire with a black kettle full of beans, silver dollar pancakes, beef on the grill, period music and lots of old time games for the kids.”

The Hollister Community Center (Train Depot) will be displaying interesting pieces of Hollister history; i.e. articles, photographs and artifacts. Some of the people strolling on the streets will be dressed in period wear. Some will be portraying historical characters involved with Hollister’s founding and anxious to tell those attending the celebration what part they played in that founding. Vintage cars, boats and other displays will provide a nostalgic look back at Hollister’s 99 year history as it prepares for its 100th birthday in the year 2010.

Vonnie Mathiesen, Hollister’s Assistant City Administrator, said that pancakes served by Anderson Electric & Plumbing, brauts and tri-tip grilled by Harter House and kettle cooked beans will be the food fare of the day. To satisfy the sweet tooth there will be an old fashioned ice cream social.

She also furnished the following schedule of Founder Day Events:

10:00 AM

Opening ceremonies Forsyth ROTC Color Guard – 1st Sgt. Pat Cannon
Star Spangled Banner – Church Army Choir
Concert – Church Army Choir

10:30 AM

Historical Display opens – Hollister Train Depot (Community Center)
Music by The Stringfield Band under the direction of Ms. Gail Morrisey
Art display / Hollister students -Ms.Canfield

11:00 AM – Fence White Wash Contest

12:00 PM – Pie Easting Contest – Sponsored by Silver Sneakers

1:00 PM – Bubble gum blowing contest – Pre-sign up for the Bubble gum blowing contest at the YMCA.

Mathiesen also pointed out that part of the fund raising effort for Hollister’s 100th year celebration will be to sell the clay tile from the existing Train Depot roof. There will be 100 clay tiles with certificates of authenticity for sale at $5.00 each.

Purple Heart Recipients Ray Wheeler, left, and Aaron Wintterle speaking at press conference.

Branson, Missouri has its entertainment stars that receive well deserved public acknowledgement and honor, virtually on a daily basis, for their talent and public performances in front of huge audiences at Branson’s shows and entertainment venues. Yet, on a daily basis, Branson has “Hero’s,” who silently and privately walk among us, receiving no public acknowledgement or honor for their sacrifice and the injuries they received in the service of their country.

These Heroes, for the most part, served out of the public’s eye in places like Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Pearl Harbor, and too many other places to possibly name, but they all have something in common. That service was performed in the defense of their country and in the performance of that service they were wounded in combat and awarded the “Purple Heart” for that sacrifice.

The neat thing about Branson and its entertainment community is that the honoring of America’s veterans and active duty military personnel and their families is part of its very heart beat. As a group however, Branson, and probably no other place in the country, has made an effort to honor the men and women who have been awarded the “Purple Heart.”

At a recent press conference Marlyce Stockinger, Director of Public Relations and Advertising, Branson.Com, announced the specific details of an event designed to do exactly that. The event, sponsored by Branson.Com, is entitled “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients” and will be held at various locations throughout the Branson Area on Apr. 24 and 25 and is part of Branson’s celebration of “Ozark Mountain Spring.”

Stockinger, emotionally reading from a prepared script, described two specific instances where a member of America’s Armed Forces received the Purple Heart for injuries received while in combat. She graphically described the combat service of U.S. Marine sniper Aaron Wintterle when he was shot in the face while serving in Bagdad, Iraq. In the same manner she described the U.S. Army service of Ray Wheeler during the Vietnam War and how he was shot nine times resulting in not only being awarded three Purple Hearts, but a Bronze Star and the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal.

In both instances she described the price of that service in terms the immediate medical procedures necessary to save and preserve their lives. Too, she went on to describe the continuing price that they pay on an almost daily basis as they continue to recover from both the physical and mental effects of their service.

When she finished, Stockinger introduced Aaron Wintterle of Mt. Vernon and Ray Wheeler of Reeds Spring who walked out on the stage to a standing ovation. Strangely, well perhaps not so strangely, these wounded warriors did not come to talk about themselves or their own experiences. They had shared their stories with Stockinger, permitted her to use them, and were present because they believed in the event could be of benefit to other Purple Heart Recipients and to encourage their attendance.

Larry Milton, co-owner of Branson.Com and Branson Tourism Center with his wife Lianne, thanked Wintterle and Wheeler, not only for their service to their country, but for being there to “remind us of what we should be so thankful for.” Stockinger suggested that the unique and inspirational “Purple Mountain Majesty Twilight Ceremony” at Branson Landing at April 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. would provide an excellent opportunity for the public to display that thankfulness and honor the Purple Heart Recipients by attending and participating.

She said the Purple Heart Recipients will gather at the parking lot at Bass Pro Shops at 5:30 p.m. on April 25 and walk the promenade lined with members of the public on both sides holding candles. After walking the promenade, the Purple Heart Recipients and the public will share in a moving ceremony at the Branson Landing Fountains. The featured speaker will be “9-11 Pentagon” survivor Sergeant Major Tony Rose (ret.).

Stockinger emphasized that all the activities connected with “Hand-in-Hand Branson Honors Purple Heart Recipients” are free to Purple Heart Recipients and that a full list of activities is available on line at either the Branson.Com or Branson Tourism Center websites. She encourages the active participation of all Purple Heart Recipients in the event and said she is available to answer questions and provide assistance by phone at 417-334-2360.

Most of the millions of visitors coming to the “live music show capital of the world,” Branson, Missouri, will never experience one of the unique historical features of the city of Branson, its “zig zag” streets. As compared to some of the more exciting things Branson has to offer, Branson’s zig zag streets might not be at the top of the list of things most visitors plan to experience while in Branson. However, they can certainly provide a pleasant five or ten minute side trip while on the way to or from Historic Downtown Branson or Branson Landing, between shows, or on a rainy day etc.

In addition, they provide an opportunity to discuss a little bit of the history of the city of Branson and is an excellent lead into the various historical things to see in Historic Downtown Branson. Things such as the site where the Mabe family started the Branson’s first show, the “Baldknobbers,” Ruben S. Branson’s grave, the place where the fire started that almost destroyed the newly chartered city of Branson, the oldest free standing building in Branson, and of course “Dick’s 5 & 10.”

As one drives east on Highway 76 and passes the Highway 76/65 interchange they will notice a McDonalds to the north (left). The local “street name” for this portion of State Highway 76 is “Main Street” and the McDonalds is at the intersection of Sixth and Main Streets.

Although the street signage is less than impressive, that intersection looks like most other intersections and one could turn either right (south) or left (north). However, if one turns right on Sixth and drives south two blocks, passing Pacific they come to the apparent end of Sixth Street at its intersection with College Street.

It is only when one “Zigs,” by turning left on College and then, about a quarter of a block down College, “Zags” back onto Sixth Street by turning right that the zig zag alignment of Sixth Street becomes apparent. If the Sixth street turn is missed basically the same thing can be done by turning onto Fourth or Third Streets.

Some might ask the question, “Why didn’t the people who planned Branson simply have the streets go straight through?” The answer is because the city of Branson, as it was originally incorporated on April 1, 1912, was actually a combination of two different plats with different roads, alignments, and block lengths.

In the early 1900s, as the rail road started into the “Branson area,” there were competing interests trying to get land and plat towns. The first town platted was “Lucia” on October 2, 1903 with the town of “Branson” platted soon after on October 26, 1903. According to most historical accounts, Charles Fulbright and his “Branson Town Company” acquired both town sites by the end of 1903. The official records of the U.S. Post Office indicate that the name of the “Branson” Post Office was changed from “Branson” to “Lucia” in 1902 and changed back to “Branson: again in 1904.

In general, College Street was the dividing line between the Lucia and Branson town plats, being the northern edge for Lucia and the southern edge for Branson. The alignment of the current Long Street is representative of Lucia’s southern edge and the current Atlantic Street Branson’s northern edge with Commercial Street being Lucia’s eastern edge and Sycamore Street Branson’s. Although relative because of differing block sizes, both were widest at their eastern edge with Lucia being about three and one half blocks wide and Branson six blocks. The western edge of each plat was slightly west of the current intersection of Main and Sixth Streets.

Even the current economic and budget problems will not keep Santa Claus from a pre-Christmas visit with the areas children at the Hollister Train Depot. Santa will be visiting the children on a train at the depot on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This will be the second year in a row where Santa needed a little assistance from his helpers in the area to make his pre-Christmas visit possible and continue what has become a Hollister Christmas tradition into its 16th year.

Last year the Santa Train carrying Santa Claus, operated by the MNA Rail Road, had to cancel Santa’s pre-Christmas Hollister visit because of the ice storm and other weather related conditions experienced throughout the state of Missouri that started the week before his scheduled visit. Some of Santa’s helpers, in the form of Hollister Mayor David G. Tate, the employees of the city of Hollister, the Hollister Chamber of Commerce and the Western Taney County Fire District made special arrangements with Santa to reschedule his visit via an alternate mode of transportation and Santa was delivered to the train depot by Fire Engine.

For a while, it seemed that Santa’s 16th pre-Christmas visit to Hollister might be derailed again when the MNA Rail Road announced it would not be running the “Santa Train” this year because of budget cuts. But again, Santa’s Hollister helpers stepped in and worked with Santa and his friends at Branson Scenic Railway.

As a result, Santa will arrive at the Hollister Train Depot, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday Dec. 14, via the “Hollister Christmas Express,” a train provided by Branson Scenic Railways. Children will be able to board the train to visit with Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas until the train leaves at 4:30 p.m.

In addition to visiting with Santa, there will be other activities and treats for the children. “Flower Pot” will be doing face painting and “Ronzo” the clown will create his balloon art. In addition, the Hollister Area Chamber of Commerce will provide popcorn, drinks and gift bags.

After visiting Santa families can take in Hollister’s Christmas lighting displays. From the animated lights on Historic Downing Street and others at Town Hall and the Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Park, to its lighting center piece, a 26 foot high Christmas Tree in the city hall area, the lighting displays help illuminate the wonders of Christmas.

Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41

In a memorial set up to honor those who have contributed significantly to what Branson has become, it seems fitting that the first honorees on the Branson Star Walk (Walk) were America’s Armed Forces. The first five commemorative squares on the Walk were dedicated in a special ceremony held prior to the start of Branson’s Annual Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.

Each of the squares honored one of the five military branches of service, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley said, “In a city where Veterans and their families are so central to our core values, it is fitting that we have this permanent memorial honoring America’s military services in the center of our historic downtown district.”

The Walk is a project sponsored by the Historic Downtown Branson Business Owners Association (HDBBO) and supported by the City of Branson under an agreement approved by Branson’s Board of Aldermen. The agreement provided that the first five squares had to honor each branch of the U.S. Military and be placed on the four corners of the intersection of Commercial and Main Streets in the heart of Branson’s historic downtown district. The squares for all other honorees will be placed south of the military squares on Commercial Street.

According to Terry Jones, who, along with his wife Jean, owns Branson Granite & Marble, each of the five military squares is 33 inches by 33 inches by four inches thick and is Black Galaxy Granite imported from India to match the color requirements established by HDBBO. Branson Granite & Marble imported the blank granite squares, engraved, painted each with a detailed colored insignia of one of the military branches and, in cooperation with the city of Branson, installed them. Jones pointed out that the long intricate process was completed in the rain the night of Nov. 10 just hours before the dedication.

In making the HDBBO presentation to the board of aldermen for support Bonnie Johnson, at the time manager of the Classey Flea in historic downtown Branson and a member of the HDBBO Beautification committee, described the Branson Star Walk as “A point of interest to explore that will pull visitors into the heart of the historic district.” She explained that the Walk would accomplish that by honoring those people and events that have contributed to the history, heritage, and entertainment that has made Branson what it is today and America’s military.

Except for the military squares, each square must honor a person connected with Branson’s shows, business or history. Future honorees will be selected by a seven person committee using the criteria set forth in the agreement.

The selection criteria for the Show Category requires that the person “must have lived or worked in the Greater Branson Area for no less than 5 consecutive years or 5 out of 10 years.” It is further required that the person has distinguished themselves in the entertainment profession and “by their presence in this area, contributed to the charm, worldwide prominence and name recognition of Branson, Missouri.”

The Historical category will include persons historically linked to the development of Branson. This includes early settlers and prominent “civic personalities with significant historical achievement who have distinguished themselves in service to the community.”

Members of Chapter 913 of the Vietnam Veterans of America rendering a salute as they place the memorial wreath in front of “The Wall.”

In but one of many special memorial ceremonies, services and programs conducted as part of Branson’s Veteran’s Homecoming Celebration, the 58,000 plus American heroes who gave their life in the Vietnam War were honored at the opening ceremony for “The Wall” at the Welk Resort at 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 5. “The Wall” is a traveling half scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It spans almost 240 feet in length and lists the names of the over 58,000 American’s who gave their lives in the Vietnam War.

The quiet dignified ceremony started with the presentation of the Colors by the Chapter 913 of the Vietnam Veterans of America followed by the Pledge of Allegiance lead by Mimi Lennon.
A special moment in the ceremony was the Lennon Sisters “a cappella” rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Even as they sang the familiar notes and lyrics that have been heard so often and have almost become common place, the simple beauty of their voices and their manner of presentation reminded all that were present that what was being remembered was anything but common place.

The most poignant and stirring moment of the event was the Wreath Laying Ceremony. The wreath was formally marched forward and placed in front of “The Wall” by two members of Chapter 913 of the Vietnam Veterans of America. As they raised their hands in a silent salute the lilting sounds of “Taps,” played by Bob Smither, and a rifle volley fired by Korean War Veterans floated over “The Wall” in memory the duty, honor and sacrifice of those whose names it commemorates.

“The Wall” runs the length of grass outdoor area immediately behind the Welk Resort Hotel and Theatre. It is open to public viewing through Nov. 11. Each panel is numbered and there is a special locator book, located under the “blue” canopy in front of the exhibit that can be used to find individdual names.

While on display volunteers will be continually reading the names on “The Wall” during the hours on 8:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Additional volunteers are need for this effort and are encouraged to call Jacque Cheary at 1-800-808-9355.

Starting with a sky dive by world-famous Dana Bowman, the Opening Show promises a great kick off to another exciting Veteran’s Week in Branson. Bowman, a former member of the Golden Knights who lost both legs in a mid-air collision in 1994, will amaze and inspire you.

“We’ve put together a great show. I’m excited that our Branson entertainers so willingly give their time to honor our veterans,” said event coordinator Steve Weyher. Performers include the Oak Ridge Boys, Yakov Smirnoff and Bob Anderson. Internationally-known artist and motivational speaker, Richard Hight, will create a work of art on stage.

Army Major General (R) Lee Baxter is the keynote speaker. Major General Douglas Carver, US Army Chief of Chaplains, and evangelist Keith Moore of Moore Life Ministries will give the invocation and benediction.
Dana Bowman’s skydive is scheduled for 1:00pm on the theater grounds; the show begins at 2:00pm. Admission is free and theater seating is open. Come early for good seats.

The Opening Show is sponsored by the Branson Veterans Task Force. The BVTF office is located at 138 Pointe Royale Drive in Branson. To contact the office call 417.337.8387 (417.337.VETS) or visit www.bransonveterans.com. A complete schedule of the week’s activities is posted on the website.

Fun, entertainment, and tradition will permeate historic Downing Street in downtown Hollister on Saturday, Sep. 27 as Hollister celebrates its 10th Annual Grape & Fall Festival. Rob Dixon, Director, Operations/Member Services, Hollister Chamber of Commerce said, "We are so excited about the festival this year. With all the growth that has taken place in Hollister recently, we welcome the opportunity to show our community off to such a large audience.”

The festival is free, will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will include a variety of events highlighted by the festival’s signature event, the world famous “Grape Stomp” at 2:00 p.m. Judged by local dignitaries, and hosted by Jim Barber of the Hamner Barber Variety Show, the Grape Stomp features different teams competing against each other to win the coveted “Ugly Monkey Trophy” and the annual bragging rights as the area’s top grape stompers.

In addition the festival features great food, crafts, children’s activities, live music, entertainment and a wine tasting garden. A special event for children will be the free children’s activity tent hosted by New Beginnings Fellowship and Community Church of Hollister.

Live music and entertainment will be provided throughout the day by local groups such as the Hollister Elementary School Choir and some of Branson’s best performers. Branson entertainers scheduled to perform include one of Branson’s newest singing sensations SIX, comedian Red Kneckers, the American Kids, Roy Rogers Jr. & The High Riders, Bob Nichols and Johnny Lonestar from Country Tonite, James Garret and the John Denver Tribute Show, Blues Brothers from the Legends in Concert, Leroy New and the New’s Country Show, Jon Peterson Family Blue Grass Band, The Platters, and Pearl Neil and Mike Christopher.

The festival has its roots in Hollister’s past. In the early days, Hollister was an important stop on the railroad. The Fall was the time of year when people brought agricultural products and other goods to Hollister for transportation to larger markets. The Grape and Fall Festival celebrates the past that Hollister values and illustrates the community spirit and cooperation that is enabling its growth and progress into its future.

In describing the planning, coordination, and work necessary for a festival the size of the Hollister’s Grape & Fall Festival Dixon said it has been such an enjoyable process because it showcases the way that the entire Hollister community works together to make the festival a success.

Dixon went on to say, “We have high expectations that it will be an enjoyable event for the entire community and our guests. It truly is a celebration of Hollister’s past and its future.”

Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41

Branson’s 35th Annual Autumn Daze Arts and Crafts Festival will be held Sep. 18- 21, Thursday through Sunday, in Historic Downtown Branson.

More than 150 artists and vendors are expected, said Paula Gillispie, events coordinator for the Downtown Branson Main Street Association (DBMA). Booths will be arranged under and near large tents on a parking lot just behind Dick’s Old-Time 5 & 10. A one-block section of Commercial Street will be closed to traffic during the festival.

The festival is free. Operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Jewelry, pottery, quilts and dozens of other handcrafted items will be available. Snack foods will also be available.

Live musical entertainment will be offered throughout each day. Local dance groups, a dog training demonstration and other activities will be featured.

“We’re especially excited about Saturday activities,” said Dawn Erickson, DBMA executive director. “The Farmers’ Market held each Saturday in downtown Branson will join Autumn Daze in a special location on Commercial Street just south of Main Street. The Farmers’ Market is sponsored by the Historic Downtown Branson Business Owners and will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.”

“We also will have pets from the Taney County Animal Shelter available for adoption from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday,” Erickson said. “We tried pet adoptions for the first time at Plumb Nellie Days in May, and every pup and kitten found a home.”

Additional details of Autumn Daze Arts and Crafts Festival can be obtained at 417-334-1548 or www.downtownbranson.org.

The Downtown Branson Farmer’s Market in historic downtown Branson provides visitors and locals alike with a unique opportunity not available in any other Farmer’s Market anywhere. That uniqueness is not its wares, all kinds of locally grown plants and produce with locally produced canned goods and crafts; it’s in its historic location.

Branson’s Farmer’s Market is located in the parking lot on the southeast corner of the intersection of Business Highway 65 and Pacific Streets. While participating in the Market, vendors, producers, and customers are surrounded by the historical seeds that provided the initial “plants” in what has grown into one of the biggest Family Entertainment Markets in the world, Branson, Missouri.

One of those seeds is the back of the historic Owen’s Theatre located on the east side of the parking lot. The Owens Theatre was built in 1935 as a movie theatre, by Jim Owen, a local fishing guide and float trip operator on the White River. Owen built the theatre to provide entertainment for locals and his guiding clients while they weren’t fishing. It is considered by most as Branson’s first “theatre,” movie or otherwise.

The second seed was planted over two decades later in 1959 when the Mabe brothers, Bob, Bill, Jim and Lyle along with Delbert Howard and Chick Allen, started a show in a rented room in the lower level of the old “city hall community building” located between the back of the Owen’s Theatre and what is now Business Highway 65 in the general locality of the current public rest rooms. The name of the show was the “Baldknobbers Jamboree,” which most acknowledge as “the first show in Branson,” and the rest is history.

The Downtown Branson Farmer’s Market (Market) is sponsored by the Historic Downtown Branson Business Owners Association (Association), made up of business owners and operators located in the historic downtown district. The Market is held every Saturday, until the end of October, from 7:30 a.m. until noon.

This is the first year that the Association has sponsored the Market. David King, the owner of Branson Bill’s Emporium in historic downtown Branson and one of the Association’s coordinators for the Market, is excited about the event because it is consistent with both the heritage of the Ozarks and the atmosphere that the Association wants to maintain and project for the historic downtown district. Saturday, May 31, was the third week of the Market’s operation.

According to Kim King, although the market is still in its developing stages both the participating producers and the customers seem very satisfied. She indicated that the sales have been good for most producers and that, although there is currently room for more producers, that is expected to change within the next few weeks as the produce is harvested in the local area.

King said that any producers interested in participating or anyone needing additional information on the Market should call them at 417-335-5281 or Cindy Brooks of Clocker’s Café at 417-335-2328.

Reprinted with permission of the Tri-Lakes Tribune, a free newspaper published and distributed three times weekly, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Please call 417-336-NEWS (6397) for classified and display advertising opportunities.

Arts and crafts, live music, the Outrageous Dog Show, sidewalk sales and other family fun are featured May 16-18 at the 35th Annual Plumb Nellie Days.

Organized by the Downtown Branson Main Street Association (DBMA), Plumb Nellie Days is a springtime tradition, said DBMA Events Coordinator Paula Gillispie. Gillispie has pulled together the details for the three-day event. More than 120 booths have been reserved by artists, crafters and food vendors. Many of the craft booths will be under a tent. The crafts tent and other booths will be arranged on the Awbery parking lot at Commercial and Pacific Streets in downtown Branson, just behind Dick’s Old-Fashioned 5 & 10.

The arts and crafts festival will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 16-17, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 18. The crafts show is free to the public. Live music is also planned, and the entertainment schedule will be announced next week.

Downtown merchants will also hold sidewalk sales during Plumb Nellie Days.

One of Plumb Nellie Days’ most popular features is the Outrageous Dog Show, sponsored by Reigning Cats & Dogs and Camp Little Paws. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the dog show begins at 10 a.m. Divisions include longest ears, cutest puppy, ugliest dog, most talented, shortest legs, most spots, longest tail, owner look-alike and other divisions. The entry fee is $3 per child with a dog, and $5 per adult with a dog. Every dog will win a prize, Gillispie said.

Some dogs may also win homes on Saturday. For the first time, Plumb Nellie Days will offer pet adoptions of dogs from the Taney County Animal Shelter. Adoption details will be announced next week with all the final counts and details of Plumb Nellie Days, said DBMA Executive Director Dawn Erickson.

“Plumb Nellie Days goes back to the mid-20th century in Branson,” Erickson said. “When I was growing up in Branson, we looked forward to this festival all year long. We dressed up in pioneer costumes, the men had beard-growing contests, and the kids competed in greased pig and other old-fashioned competitions, and everyone came to watch the parade. A carnival was set up near the railroad tracks, and cakewalks and other games were held on Commercial Street.

“I’ve always heard that the name is derived from an old-fashioned surveyor’s term “plumb” which means exactly, and ‘nellie’ is a colloquial expression for ‘nearly.” We think the word spring was also part of the original name. So Plumb Nellie probably means ‘exactly nearly spring.’ It makes no sense, but it’s such a fun name for a springtime festival.”

“Volunteers are very much a part of Plumb Nellie Days,” Gillispie said. “The volunteers who help out every week at the DBMA office are also part of Plumb Nellie Days, and we have some volunteers specifically for special events. We certainly appreciate the help, and we can never have too many volunteers. Anyone with some extra time Friday, Saturday or Sunday may call me and we can arrange a schedule.”

Information about Plumb Nellie Days and other DBMA activities is available by calling 417-334-1548 or emailing through the Request Information Form on the DBMA Web Site.

History and fun will highlight Hollister’s fifth celebration of founders day.Pancakes will be served by Anderson Electric & Plumbing. Brauts and tri-tip grilled by Harter House and beans cooked by Ye English Inn will be the food fare of the day. New this year will be an old fashioned ice cream social. Historical characters will roam Town Hall Square telling us why they were significant to our community. Vintage cars, boats and other displays will take us on a trip through our history as we countdown to our 100th birthday in the year 2010. The Hollister Community Center (Train Depot) will be covered wall to wall with interesting pieces of our history; i.e. articles, photographs and artifacts. History, games, food and music will set the scene for a day of fun with your family and friends. See you there!

HELP SAVE THE BUTTERFLY… that is on display at Hollister Town Hall. Christian Action Ministries has a unique building capital campaign in progress. Nearly sixty-five area artists painted three foot high acrylic butterflies in themes that were close to their hearts. The beautiful butterflies will be auctioned off in October. Mrs. Judy Gross, who resides in Reeds Spring, selected the theme of “Hollister Heritage”. Each half of the butterfly wings has a scene depicting the heritage of the city.

The butterfly will be on display during the Founders Day celebration on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Donations to save the butterfly will be accepted.

5th Annual Founder’s Day
Schedule of Events
May 10, 2008
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Town Hall Square

10:00 AM Opening ceremonies Forsyth ROTC Color Guard
1st Sgt. Pat Cannon

Hollister High School Band
Mr. Bill Wells, Director

10:15 AM Hollister HS Band Concert

10:30 AM Historical Display opens – Community Center

Art display / Hollister students – Ms.Canfield & Ms. Martin Instructors

11:00 AM Fence White Wash Contest

12:00 PM Pie Easting Contest – Sponsored by Silver Sneakers

12:30 PM Hollister 3rd Grade Choir – Mr. Bob Williams, Director

1:00 PM Bubble gum blowing contest

1:30 PM A Flock of Sadies (skit) – WRValley Historical Society

After a one year hiatus, a 19 year Ozarks tradition might continue. If the plan presented by Dawn Erickson, Executive Director, Downtown Main Street Association (DBMA) and Bill Lennon at the most recent meeting of the Branson Board of Aldermen is accepted by the board, the 19 year tradition of having a fiddle contest in downtown Branson will extend to 20 years and possibly beyond.

As presented, the plan calls for five organizations to work together to put the event on, DBMA, the Historic Downtown Branson Business Owners (HDBBO), the Branson Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), Branson Landing, and the city of Branson. The event, which will include the fiddle contest, will be called a Fiddle Festival and will be held on August 23. It will be an all encompassing downtown event with the actual contest being held in Branson Landing and different fiddle groups performing throughout the historic downtown district during the day. To add to the appeal of the event a pie contest is also being added.

As presented by Erickson, the operating budget for the Fiddle Festival will be about $13,000. It includes about $5,000 for prizes, $5,000 in other costs for judges, tents, etc. and $3,000 in value furnished by Branson Landing for sound equipment, production, and rental.

Erickson asked the board to consider allocating the amount of $11,600 from the Tourism Tax Contingency Fund to be used to market and promote the event. Of that amount $10,000 would be used to promote and market the event and $1,600 would be used to pay for the live entertainment.

After Erickson’s presentation, Bill Lennon, who produces events at Branson Landing, made a presentation. He said that one of the cornerstones of the Fiddle Festival will be the tie in of the historic downtown Branson district into the event by having four groups of fiddlers playing in the historic downtown area during the day of the festival. In addition, Lennon said, “The DBMA and members of the HDBBO have offered their manpower, experience and historical insight into the successes and challenges of the past contests and they have offered to solicit sponsorships to cover the costs that the Landing can’t cover.”

Lennon also outlined some of the key changes that will take place this year. One major change is that there will be no charge to attend the festival, people can come and go as they want. In addition the fiddle contest awards will be named to help in promoting the history and heritage the Ozarks, area businesses, and to help in the solicitation of funding. As an example, Lennon pointed out that the Branson Scenic Railway was planning on being an award sponsor and would blow the train’s whistle when its award was presented.

Lennon stressed that one of the major incentives for people participating in the festival is a top notch marketing campaign. He said, “The use of city funds to finance a thorough and imaginative effort by the professionals at the Branson Chamber [CVB] is another key to both the success of this event and to the ability to raise sponsorship funds from our local businesses.” Lennon also said that if the festival went well this year it could be expanded into a three day festival with possible national appeal next year.

After Lennon’s presentation there was some concern expressed about using city tourism tax funds for providing live entertainment. DBMA is going to revise the request to accommodate those concerns. Alderman Stan Barker’s comments seemed to pretty well sum up the boards feeling about participating in the Fiddle Contest. He said he was supportive of the event and likes the way it blends the new and the old of downtown together.

Mayor Raeanne Presley said, “We’ll pledge to work as hard as we can as fast as you can get any information to us.” The report was accepted and City Attorney Paul D. Link was directed to draft up an agreement, after receiving the revised information from DBMA, for presentation to the board.

Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent.

If the enthusiasm shown by the Branson aldermen in attendance at the board’s work session on March 18 is any indication, there may be a Farmers Market coming to historic downtown Branson in the very near future. The issue came up at the request of the Historic Downtown Branson Business Owners Association, an association of businesses in historic downtown Branson made up of business owners and operators.

The association was represented at the meeting by Cindy Brooks of Clocker’s Restaurant and David King of Branson Bill’s Emporium both located in historic downtown Branson. After considerable research the association believes that a Farmers Market in historic downtown area would be beneficial to the businesses in the downtown and be consistent with the atmosphere for downtown Branson that they want to project.

King said that they would like to run the market for 24 consecutive Saturdays starting the first or second week in May. He pointed out that their research has shown that the most successful Farmers Markets have a mix of vegetables and other farm grown products with about a 20 percent mix of crafts. King indicated that the crafters for the event would be very carefully selected and, for the most part, would be those performing or demonstrating their craft on site.

King went on to explain that they have chosen the parking lot at the corner of Pacific and Business Highway 65 as the location for the market because it is readily accessible, has restrooms, a good traffic pattern, and is highly visibile. Alderman Dick Gass pointed out that another advantage was its close proximity to the city’s parking garage.

King pointed out that they have had great response from growers just as the result of the association’s attendance at Framers Market training sessions and the contacts they have made doing the research for the project. The reason the association was coming to the board was because, under the current city ordinances governing special events, a permit can only be granted for 10 days. The association will need 24 days spread out over about a six month period.

King stressed that although informal, in actual conduct, there is an industry involved with conducting Farmer Markets, growers, craftsmen, etc. They need time to plan their participation by the hoped for early May starting date. City attorney Paul Link pointed out that there were other considerations besides the 10 day maximum verses the 24 days they want. He suggested that the application would have to go through the normal approval process by the various city departments necessary to cover items such as health, safety, taxes and other issues. Link also pointed out that if the application was only for ten days and not the 24 that no board approval would be required. Because of the time issue, it was mutually decided that the association would just seek approval for ten days right now and get it expanded to 24 if and when the initial application was approved.

Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41

Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel, circa 1886.

Ghosts have long been a phenomena of Eureka Springs and especially The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa. This phenomenon was broadcast to the world when The Sci-Fi Network presented an episode of its very popular series “Ghost Hunters” that featured the haunting legends of the hotel and nearby environs.

Two of the locals featured in that episode will be the featured presenters at this year’s “Third Annual Ghost Seminar” scheduled for Thursday, January 10 through Sunday, January 13 in The Crescent Hotel. Noted clairvoyants, Ken Fugate and Carroll Heath, will lead the seminars and investigations for all those registered.

“Our hotel is noted for unexplainable events of the ghostly kind,” said hotel general manager Jack Moyer. “This seminar is designed to explain some of those events.”

Thursday evening will feature a welcome reception in The Governor’s Suite where attendees will meet and greet each other as well as being introduced to Ken and Carroll. Following the reception, Ken and Carroll will be conducting a hotel ghost tour.
Friday’s activities include two seminars focused on meditation and development of medium powers. Later that evening attendees will be guided through an exclusive investigation of several of the hotel’s more “active” areas.

The seminar itself concludes on Saturday with two additional meditation and medium powers seminars readying attendees for that evening when they will embark on their own hotel investigation, totally unguided and unsupervised.

“This has proven to be a very popular offering here at The Crescent,” concluded Moyer. “We are so lucky to have Ken and Carroll with us to lead our guests through this journey into the unknown, the unexplainable.”
For package prices, complete details and reservations, one should contact The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa at 877-342-9766 or go online at www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com .

WRITER’S NOTE: An actual apparition (ghost) was caught on camera in the “morgue” (now basement area) of the Crescent Hotel. That apparition can be seen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=iALFD0o6ovk .

The American Presidents Museum will host the traveling panel exhibition commemorating Lewis and Clark and the role Missouri played in the history-making expedition. Lewis & Clark’s Missouri, created by the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis, will be on view as part of an extended loan program from May 11, 2007 through December 31, 2008. The exhibit as a celebration of the bicentennial has been retired, and will be offered through the museum for an extended, 18-month temporary exhibit. When Lewis and Clark set foot on what became Missouri soil, they entered a country full of unknown outcomes, of choices yet unmade. It was a land abundant in flora and fauna, but it also contained a complex and diverse gallery of people. The observations they made during their journey and the choices they made afterward had sweeping consequences for the future development of a state, and, indeed, a nation. In order to bring the excitement of the bicentennial to all Missourians, the Missouri Historical Society created the traveling panel exhibition that made stops in communities across the state of Missouri throughout 2005 and 2006. The 500-squarefoot exhibit, was developed by curators and researchers at Missouri Historical Society, and features beautiful, high-quality color photographs of artifacts, documents, and artwork. Insightful, interpretive text will accompany the photographic reproductions. Lewis & Clark’s Missouri features interpretive sections; these sections will educate and enlighten visitors regarding the Corps of Discovery and the state of Missouri. The American Presidents Museum in Branson is operated by the private nonprofit educational organization, the National Center for Presidential Studies. Located at 2849 Gretna Rd, the museum occupies nearly 8500 square feet on the third floor of the Majestic Steakhouse Bldg. – a multi-tenant, multi-use facility. Admission for the traveling exhibit is free with purchase of regular museum admission. For more information on the museum call 417-334-8683 or visit them on-line at w.americanpresdientialmuseum.com.

“Matthew” and Paul Teas sharing in a special moment at Camp Barnabas.

In conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, the Sixth Annual Branson Mayors Prayer Breakfast will be held on Thursday, May 3, in Convention Hall at Celebration City from 7:00 am to 8:30 am. This widely attended community event is sponsored by the Branson chapter of CBMC a national organization dedicated to changing the lives of men and women in business, one person at a time.

The mayor of Branson, Raeanne Presley, will attend and give a welcoming message. The keynote speaker
for the event, is Paul Teas, the Executive Director and co-founder of Camp Barnabas which was founded to offer a normal childhood camping experience to children who might not otherwise get to experience one because of disease or disability. Teas said that he is excited about coming and sharing with the community of Branson because Camp Barnabas actually “started” in Branson.

“The kids at Camp Barnabas are no different from any other kids,” Teas pointed out. “They may walk or talk in a very unique way, or have to deal with some very serious life issues, but otherwise they are just as loving, wild, and crazy as any other kid on the planet.” Camp Barnabas, for at least a week, gives these very special kids a chance to just be like normal kids because for that week,” their “normal” is everyone’s normal.”

Over 500 are expected to join with others in the community as it unites in this special event to pray, fellowship, break bread together, and be inspired. Tickets for the event are $25.00 each or $175.00 for a table of eight prior to the day of the event. Tickets may also be purchased, on an as available basis, at the door the morning of the event for $27.50 each. For event, ticket information, or reservations please call 417-334-1772.

Southtown Spirit owners Jerry and Sally Howell

Making “try before you buy” a taste bud-tingling experience, Southtown Spirits in Hollister offers wine or beer tasting on a daily basis. The owners, Jerry and Sally Howell, know that there are a lot of choices out there, and making a wine purchase can be confusing. They’ll be more than pleased to share their wine knowledge with you. Shop on your own, or ask for their expert help. Either way, they want happy customers.

The Howell’s work side by side in their shop, are always quick with a smile, and greet many of their customers by name.

Southtown Spirits carries a large selection of rare and hard to find wines and vintages. They also carry a huge selection of imported and domestic beers. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, Jerry is happy to special order it for you.

Prior to opening Southtown Spirits in November of 2004, the Howells’ owned and operated the Quik Mart on Mt. Branson. They had that business for about 11 years before selling it. They took a couple of years off and rested up for their “Southtown” venture.

The Howells’ goal for Southtown Sprits was to have a store which offers personalized, specialized service for their customers. They offer delivery service and will rent wine glasses for large parties.

The gourmet food items they carry from Viviano’s On The Hill in St. Louis will make your mouth water. They also stock premium foods such as gnocchi, olive oil, imported chocolate and other specialty foods to perfectly complement your beverage. Southtown Spirits has free recipe cards available _ fun to try. Look for them by the cash register

Southtown Spirits caries a large selection of cigars and recently added cigarettes to their line-up of tobacco products.

Whether you are a wine connoisseur or a complete novice, Southtown Spirits is your “go to” place. They are open seven days a week and are located in South Towne Shopping Center, across the parking lot from Lowe’s. For more information, they call 417-336-9000.

After the damming of the White River by the Power Site Dam in 1912, and the formation of Lake Taneycomo, it became feasible to operate a riverboat between Branson and the dam. For decades, prior to the construction of the Branson Landing, the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise was an attraction that took Branson visitors on a leisurely hour an a half cruise along that portion of the White River that lies beneath Lake Taneycomo. Leaving from its dock at the lake front the cruise included a narration of Branson’s history, the birds and wildlife seen on the cruise, and the set up for the visit to the gold mine and the pirate cannon attack near the end of the voyage.

Some say that the riverboat tradition of the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise dates back to 1917 and that it was the longest continually running riverboat operation in the Branson Region. Whatever it was, it is, in reality no more.

As the pictures taken by local resort owner and fishing guide, Phil Lilly, testify, the backhoe and progress have irrevocably and silently claimed yet another piece of Branson’s history and tradition. These pictures were taken on the evening of Mar. 19, 2007 off of Roark Creek.

another piece of Branson History disappears.

The dock and Lake Taneycomo lakefront that the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise operated was part of the Branson Landing Redevelopment Project that opened in the late spring of 2006. It has quickly become a favorite place for locals and visitors alike to shop, be entertained, and dine. The sounds of the fire balls coming out of the new fountain during the fire and light show have replaced the sound of the pirate galleons small cannon and the new Branson Landing development shares the Lake Taneycomo lakefront with hundreds of thousands more than ever before. Yet, it is sad that the price of such progress is the destruction of the icons, history, and tradition that helped make Branson what it is today.

Photos furnished by Phil Lilly of Lilly’s Landing Resort.

The backhoe goes for the stern and…

The Table Rock Lake Shoreline Cleanup will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2007. Everyone is invited to participate and volunteer teams are being coordinated. Community members can make a difference in protecting the environment and your contribution toward this effort is needed and is greatly appreciated. All participants will receive a free t-shirt and a coupon for a free night of camping at any Table Rock Lake Corps of Engineers campground.

This annual event is extremely important in keeping the local waterways clean and more enjoyable for everyone to use. The main goal is to remove as much trash as possible while involving all of the people that live in the Table Rock Lake watershed. In 2006, over 900 volunteers cleaned up 350 miles of shoreline and removed 28 tons of trash.

With the increasing number of volunteers assisting also comes the added expenses. Major costs involved in this event are providing dumpsters, gloves, snacks, water, and t-shirts for the volunteers. In order to make this event possible support from local businesses is needed.

The majority of the cleanup is done on the day of the 7th but the dumpsters will remain in place until Monday, April 9th. If you would like to organize a team, be assigned to an existing team, or find out more information call Table Rock Lake Water Quality at 417-739-4100.

Guest Writer: Bob Burton, UP Team Coordinator

[Editors note: The “Branson” that most visitors come to visit as well as “the city of Branson” itself is in both Stone and Taney Counties.]

On the National Day of Prayer in May, 2002, The Uninterrupted Prayer Team (UP Team) began its service to Stone and Taney Counties. The Silver Dollar City Foundation sponsored the UP Team, and the initial founders and steering committee were Pastor Howard Boyd, Ted Reed and John Baltes.

The Mission of the UP Team is that God’s perfect will be done in Stone and Taney Counties. The strategy is to have 24 hour a day, 7 day a week prayer for the area. Members commit to an hour a week of prayer; they prayer where and how they choose to. Each UP Team member gets a prayer manual with information about the Team, a list of prayer needs, a suggested and optional methodology for prayer, and a monthly Newsletter. Further, there are several optional opportunities a year for members and other folks to come together for a time of prayer.

Each day of the week is devoted to a "sector" of the community: Monday is Entertainment; Tuesday is Social Services (agencies, churches, families and individuals in need) and Civic Services (police, fire,etc.); Wednesday is Businesses; Thursday is Medical; Friday is Education; Saturday is Churches and Ministries; Sunday is Government (local, county, State, National, and the military). Some members pick a day of the week because they have a passion for a particular sector; others pick a day of the week because it is most convenient for their schedules.

On the National Day of Prayer this year, the UP Team will celebrate its 5th anniversary. Many people are unaware of just how much prayer is going on through the dedication of UP Team members (and there are also many other prayer groups and praying individuals in our area). As of this writing, 152 out of 168 weekly time slots are filled. But because people do not have to take an open slot when they join, many hourly slots have multiple members. The bottom line is 285 hours of prayer a week! So, whatever sector of our community you identify with, there are people praying for you.

Many, many people in SW Missouri believe that God wants to do something very special here that will impact our entire nation. We already have a strong foundation of Christian and family values and genuine patriotism; but we are not at the goal of "spiritual transformation," which will have as its result the permeation of all sectors and all people and groups the loving grace of God. In such an environment, Christians and people who are not Christians will live together in harmony; but from a Christian perspective, the Lordship of Jesus Christ would reign. Then the people coming here from all over our nation will experience the meaning of true spirituality as opposed to religion and will take that back to their own regions and communities. The key to any spiritual transformation and awakening has always been prayer. But the prayer of the UP Team members is also for the well-being and protection of all residents of the area.

The goal this year is "24/7 in 2007". The UP Team wants to fill all hourly slots — and eventually several people in each slot — and thereby have an umbrella of prayer over the area. An hour a week can have a tremendous impact, as the prayer of every person is very powerful. And together the members form an army of intercessors. Many UP Team folks have shared that the commitment to an hour a week has also been a personal immense spiritual blessing, as God cannot be outdone in generosity.

[Editors Note: The author of this article, Bob Burton, has the Coordinator of the UP Team since its inception. Bob is a 25+ year employee of Herschend Family Entertainment, and works both in Human Resources and for the UP Team. If you are interested in learning more information about the UP Team, setting up an UP Team in your area, becoming a member, or receiving the UP Team’s monthly news letter please contact Bob via cell phone, day and night, at 417.331.1028; his office number at 417.338.8036; or via email by clicking here.]

Originally Published In the Branson Courier on Feb. 14, 2007.

50 Flags marching down business 65.

Branson’s 13th Veterans Homecoming culminated with the 72nd Annual Veterans Day Parade. It was a perfect sunny day enjoyed by participants young and young at heart. It included every thing from marching bands, hot rods, to veterans representing many different facets of our armed forces. Enjoy the day for your self through our online photo album of the 72nd Annual Branson Veterans Day Parade.

Generations removed from our original Ozarkian immigrant ancestors, we didn’t necessarily grow up in a log cabin or attend school in a one-room school building (although some of our school districts weren’t much bigger). Most of our roads were paved, and some even had the curves taken out and, except during ice and other storms most of us don’t remember going without electricity. Water wasn’t gathered at the creek for drinking, but was drawn from wells found by "water witches."

Some of us only spent summer vacations and Christmas at the "old home place," the home of our grandparents and great-grandparents. That was when we learned about outhouses (if they didn’t yet have indoor plumbing), how to ride, both horses and tractors; put hay up, or help out at the "family business." It was during these times that we picked ‘maters; caught fireflies and put them in old Mason jars with holes punched in the lids; went swimming in the creeks; and learned what poison ivy and sumac (often pronounced "shewmake") looked like, and that calamine pink qualified as a new skin tone.

Each generation’s exodus to the big cities for economic reasons also marked those who stayed behind. The feelings for extended family members didn’t get lost, but did change and as aunts, uncles, and cousins had to miss annual trips "back home" for various reasons, their own feelings changed.

As I sit here, listening to classic 70s rock and looking south over land that my people and my husbands knew so well, I ponder these things and more. It is undoubtedly their voices guiding my pen–they’re yelling over the music today.

We, the descendants of those who defined hillbilly in the early 20th century, feel a common tug to the hills, hollers and curved roads. Like those before us, some of us attend church for social reasons–in the busyness of life, there are times church is the only time to see friends and family.

But most of us find the Creator in each curve of a road snaking up the bench of these ancient mountains. We find Him in each ridge sloping—or starkly dropping, as the case may be–down to the hollers. We rejoice in the different seasons, so that no two months affect our senses the same. We feel a sense of rightness in the creeks that flow, be they wet or dry weather creeks; their purpose is self-evident in the sycamores and other trees lining their banks, and the narrow valleys they’ve created.

Some would call this communing with nature, but it’s more than a hike or a ride to the back forty. It doesn’t matter who holds title to the land, as long as you’re looking and admiring from afar–it’s all ours, this scenery designed by Someone much smarter than those of us enjoying it. We sorrow every time the land is disrespected. In discussing it with another, we mention some landmark, some geological feature forever disfigured, some beloved building torn down; we feel the same sorrow and sense of loss for a few seconds.

By the same token, we go together down the back roads, and not a word is said in our joy that we have this privilege of sharing what these things of our heritage bring us. These emotions are so deep, we often turn from them, both in feeling and in conversation. A people can only feel so much before the strength of the feelings overcome even the strongest.

We are beginning to recognize that much is gone, to be replaced by a new way of looking at things, a new way of life. But some things never change. We believe our children should work for what they want. These days, children don’t necessarily work for their family’s survival–but maybe they should.

We believe that each hill, each valley, is important. Curves in roads are there for a reason–straight roads cannot give you the same satisfaction that comes with successfully reaching a small village via the only road in, which climbed mountain shoulders and ran alongside creeks, crossed creeks, and held the excitement of what was just around the next curve.

We believe that we don’t have to be a part of the rat race any more than we want to and that a person a person should do what is important to them, as long as it is responsible and non-interfering.

We don’t mess with another’s belongings, in the belief that what goes around, comes around.

We like neighborhoods over subdivisions.

We prefer bonfires on the creek banks, with a cooler of soda and/or beer and the car radio playing over the light shows, dancing and champagne found in "civilization".

We want to be buried in the small, quiet cemeteries with century-old pillars and real flowers whenever someone feels like visiting.

We attend family gatherings and potlucks instead of socials with diamonds and silk.

We don’t have to have our name emblazoned on every surface to know we exist.

We are computer-savvy, but our work clothes are usually made by Big Smith,
Wrangler, and Levi Strauss, not Donna Karan, Escada, or Calvin Klein.

We pick up arrowheads and fossils from creek banks, pick greens and boil sassafras from the hills, and we send emails to cousins in Japan or wherever their lives take them.

We adopt personas for the people who don’t "know" us, and can’t really define what it is we show the people who do.

Our ancestors sometimes believed "hillbilly" was a derogatory term. Most of us don’t feel that way. We know the truth behind the word, and it is only fools that think the stereotype truly exists. If a person looks down on a hillbilly, we know that person is only seeing what we want him or her to see– and to our glee, they’ll never know that we’re "gulling" them.

We are at the forefront of a new movement, a focus on who we are and how we came to be here. A belief is being born again, one that states that our past is important, and maybe it’s time we stood up and said, "No more!"

Some of us are slowly coming to realize that the value of our ancestral lands isn’t determined by the price the highest timeshare builder can bid for it–the value is in the land just being there, a treasure to behold every season of the year, with a minimum of "use" by "progress".

One tradition that we should no longer hold dear is our apparent passiveness and helplessness in the destruction of our past. That history is largely symbolic now, for the way of life our grandparents, even our parents, led, is gone–and it can’t be restructured or restored. We really don’t want to lead it again, for the most part, for like them, we go about our lives finding a bridge between what we hold dear and what the future holds in store.

But we are still here, tied to the land, and continuing to hold it in our hearts and our connections with each other.

The author, Vonda Wilson Sheets, is a 6th generation Taney County native. She has a background in geneology, history, theatre, and film and a deep appreciation for these Ozark Hills she calls home.

From Cirque to Elvis, a Shepherd to Broadway, music to drama, indoors to outdoors, Three Dog Night to Shoji Tabuchi, from country to pop, and just about every genre of music in between, Branson has a live show for just about every entertainment taste. Yet, in 1959, in historic downtown Branson, it all began with one small country music show held in a in a rented fifty seat room in the old city hall only on Friday and Saturday nights. That show was the “Baldknobbers.”

Called “the show that started it all” and the Baldknobbers was started by the Mabe brothers, Bob, Bill, Jim. and Lyle along with the help of Delbert Howard and Chick Allen, to provide night time fun and entertainment for tourists visiting the Branson area. The shows format was simple yet entertaining, popular country music blended with unique comedy routines.

The unique comedy came primarily from characters and material developed by two of the Mabe brothers, Lyle and Jim. Lyle created George Aggernite and Jim, Droopy Drawers and their blend of down home, corn spun, and Ozark humor rounded out the show. Coupled with a presentation by a talented and enthusiastic cast that had fun interacting with their audience it was a formula that has been bringing audiences back, not only to the Baldknobbers but to Branson, since 1959.

From an historical perspective, although the building that they started in is long gone and, as of this date, Jul. 12, 2005, there is no marker where it stood, its location is readily accessible. The building was located in what is now a parking lot located on the south east corner of Business 65 and Pacific Street. From a historical interest and entertainment synergy point of view it is interesting to note that it is located right behind what some consider Branson’s first theatre, the rustic “Owens Theater.”

The office the Downtown Branson Main Street Association, which has maps and other information about Branson, its early history, and a self guided walking tour of historic downtown Branson, is located on the north side of Pacific Street directly across from the location.

The rustic “Owens Theater,” located at Commercial Street in historic downtown Branson, was called the “Hillbilly Theater” when it was initially built in 1936 by Jim Owens. Owens, legendary for the float trip business he operated on the White River, is credited with starting the Branson’s first movie theater in 1934 and built the new theater to provide additional entertainment for the fishermen he took out for float trips on the White River and other tourists to the area.

If a recent branding study conducted by the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB is any indication, when most people think of Branson, Missouri and “artists” they are thinking of those performing in one of Branson theatre or show venues. However, for those who still associate the delicate combination, of canvas, paint, brush strokes, subtle blending of color, and the creative ability of a person to share their vision graphically with others, with the term “artist,” a trip to the studio of Branson’s T. Morgan Crain, in historic downtown Branson will remind them why they feel the way they do.

The studio is located at 214 South Commercial Street on the east side of the street right across from the old Owens Theatre. The reason the term “studio” is used rather than “gallery” or “shop” is because although Tom does sell paintings and prints etc. at that location, he also uses it as a studio and many is the day that he can be observed painting one of his pieces at his easel located in the front of the studio near the window. Indeed, on most days, visitors are greeted by Tom himself.

He has been “a full time artist for almost 25 years and enjoys painting no matter what the subject is wildlife, western, nostalgia, flora, pets or barnyard scenes.” And although his enjoyment and love of what he is doing is apparent in his work this author would be remiss if he didn’t emphasis that nowhere, is it more evident than in his wildlife and bird paintings.

The “eagles” of T. Morgan Crain are so lifelike that they appear as if they are about to fly off the canvass. Their coloring, detail, and character are impeccable and show the affection, love, and appreciation that this gentle, artistic and personable man has for the outdoors and nature. It seems that the artist cared enough to put a part of his spirit into the paintings and it shows.

Some of T. Morgan Crain’s career highlights include over 20 magazine covers for Cabela’s, work for the Franklin Mint, 22 plus limited edition prints, was the first two time winner of the Missouri Waterfowl Stamp Design, and the winning of the prestigious Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year. In talking with Tom however, it quickly becomes obvious that his next “highlight” is on the easel and the good news is that visitors to downtown Branson can come by the studio to see its creation and visit with one of Branson’s top artists, T. Morgan Crain.

Originally Published In the Branson Courier on May 2, 2005.

When Earnie and Martha Bohner planted their fields of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, plums and more, they wanted to provide top quality berries and fruit in the scenic lakeside country near Branson, Missouri. The concept worked and tourists began flocking to the pristine you-pick farm where the blueberries hang like clusters of grapes from seven-foot tall bushes and the blackberries are huge – but thornless and in neatly trimmed rows.

“Berry picking is a great family outdoor activity,” Earnie says. “You can bring the kids or the grandkids, participate in a family harvest experience together in our peaceful environment, and pick the ripest, most delicious berries you’ll ever put in your mouth, plus you can eat all you want while you’re picking.” The berries are not sprayed with anything and sampling them right off the bush is encouraged – one of the reasons many people enjoy picking their own berries.

Blueberries ripen first, usually around June 1, then gooseberries and blackberries. The farm is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The farm provides buckets and bags, everything visitors need to pick. Come early for breakfast before you pick, Earnie suggests. The farm bakes huge Blueberry Thunder Muffins, and guests can enjoy coffee and muffins hot from the oven on the shaded porch overlooking the blueberry field. Additional farm specialties available daily include fresh-baked cobblers, whole or in individual servings with ice cream, and frozen “Blueberry Sleet” drinks.

Already picked berries are offered as well. The Bohners suggest calling to check on availability before driving out.

Since beginning the farm in 1983, the Bohners found fresh berries to be a hit, but the challenge was to come up with something to take the business year-round.

Earnie and Martha started with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry jams so full of berries and rich berry flavor that the products gained an immediate following. When the couple added Shiitake mushrooms to the foods grown on the farm, they enlisted the aid oflocal Chef Bob Nicol to develop a signature product, their Shiitake Mushroom Sauce, a flavorful sauce for chicken, beef or pasta. Then came their Blueberry Barbecue Sauce, a tangy sauce which garnered first place in the American Royal International Barbecue Contest in Kansas City in 1994. A spicier Raspberry Summer Sauce followed, a rich apple butter, a sweet Blackberry Glaze for grilling, “Croutakie” mushroom toppings, and more awards for their products, including two more first place ribbons in the American Royal.

In 1999, the farm added Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, a Gooseberry Walnut Jam and a combination blueberry, gooseberry, black walnut jam the couple calls Nutty Blue Goose. A delicious Blueberry Syrup was added, and then Blueberry Amaretto Syrup.

Today, the farm’s food products, made in the commercial kitchen the couple built adjacent to the blueberry field, are shipped all over the United States. A huge picture window on the porch of the farm’s store lets customers watch as Earnie and his crew make the delicious jams and sauces, hand poured, with great attention to quality given to each jar. Summer visitors can also see the gigantic Blueberry Thunder Muffins and cobblers being made. The couple’s daughter Savannah, 14, helps in weighing berries, filling to-go boxes of muffins and cobblers, stocking the shelves and ferrying customers’ purchases to their cars.

“What we like most is providing our customers with the best products that can be produced,” Earnie Bohner said. “We’re a small farm operation using an old-fashioned system – farm-fresh, top quality ingredients, top quality taste and individual service.”

Persimmon Hill Farm offers mail order packages of jams, sauces, dried mushrooms and more in attractive wooden gift crates during the holidays (as well as year round). A Shiitake Mushroom log kit, inoculated with the flavorful Shiitake Mushrooms and ready to grow, is a unique and productive gift. Also available during the holiday mail-order season are a half-dozen Blueberry Thunder Muffins, fresh-baked and shipped in a muffin tin – a great change from fruitcake.

The farm’s fresh-baked specialties can be produced at home with The Persimmon Hill Farm Cookbook. The cookbook has recipes ranging from the farm’s signature Blueberry Thunder Muffins and Crunch-top Cobblers to Raspberry Ice Cream Pie, Jam-filled Scones and Berry Cheesecake Tarts.

Products and information are available on the farm’s web site, www.persimmonhill.com.For a mail order brochure, call or write Persimmon Hill Farm, 367 Persimmon Hill Lane, Lampe, Mo. 65681; (417) 779-5443.

What should a world class resort include? If your list includes the tranquility and peace of gentle rolling hills, pristine creeks, deer running through open fields, waterfalls cascading over multi tiered rustic roadways, wild flowers gently swaying in the breeze, and the wind blowing through the trees, Big Cedar Lodge, located 10 miles south of Branson, Missouri, off of Highway 86, on the shores of Table Rock Lake, just might be for you. In addition to its natural wonders, Big Cedar Lodge has all the services, activities, and amenities one would expect of a world class resort of its caliber and has a rich history that has become part of its present.

Every world class resort has a world class restaurant and Big Cedar Lodge is no different. What is different is that it is located about a stones throw from where, centuries ago, the Osage Indians found a spring they believed was so deep that it flowed down to the Devil himself. They named it Devils Pool, and that name that has stuck for centuries.

In the late 1920s, businessman Jude Simmons and railroad executive Harry Worman bought 300 acres of forest to build upscale resort homes at Devil’s Pool. Simmons constructed a log mansion, and Worman built a stone and stucco house. In 1947, Real estate executive Dan Norris purchased the property added a lodge, swimming pool and stable and called it Devil’s Pool Ranch.

Bass Pro Shops’ John Morris acquired the land in 1987 and, as part of building Big Cedar Lodge, restored the original Simmons and Worman buildings. As part of this restoration the former Simmons house was renovated and is now the houses the resorts world class restaurant.

A lot of the individuals and families that come to Branson never get to historic downtown Branson and that’s a shame. Interestingly, those that come on guided tours or by bus will almost always get to historic downtown Branson. Why? The professionals guiding those tours don’t want their clients to miss it’s old time atmosphere, collection of local restaurants, such as the Farm House, Clocker’s, Branson Café, and The Shack, unique shopping, and “Dick’s Ole 5 & 10 Store” because they provide an Ozarks experience not available anywhere else in Branson.

And of course, there is the reason it is referred to as “historic downtown Branson.” Everything that Branson is today, including its rich family entertainment tradition, has its roots in historic downtown Branson.

Although it’s kind of hard to put a handle on who the “founder” of Branson is; it’s not to difficult to determine who the city of Branson is “kind a named after.” That would be Ruben S. Branson.

Ruben S. Branson, a store keeper and school teacher in his late twenty’s, started a general store near the mouth of Roark Creek and the White River in 1882. The general store had a post office and, you guessed it, it was called the “Branson Post Office.” Ruben moved to Forsyth, a scant four years later in 1886, but the post office kept its name. Thus the “kind a named after,” because Branson is actually named after its’ first post office, which, for obvious reasons, was named after Ruben S. Branson.

Each day hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people, most unknowingly, drive past the grave of the man whose name the city bears as they travel to, from, and through historic downtown Branson via Okalahoma Street. The grave site may be conveniently viewed, without actually entering the cemetery, from the northwest corner of Oklahoma and Commercial. Just look for the large grey rectangular headstone with the name of “Branson.” It marks the graves of Ruben and his wife Mary.

Bakers Marvin Patterson and Linda Lewis begin each day before the sun is up. At 5 a.m. the aroma of fresh baked brownies, cupcakes, breaks, cookies, cakes and a large variety of goodies begins to permeate the air as they prepare the days offerings.

Located on Fall Creek Road, about mid way between Wildwood Drive and Highway 165, the Fall Creek Bakery was opened in July 2004 and is a labor of love for Patterson and Lewis. Patterson previously owned a bakery in Branson, but decided to start from scratch with a new business with his friend.

All of the food at Fall Creek Bakery is homemade and priced less than most commercial bakeries. Hot, fresh from the oven items can be obtained during a well-timed visit to the bakery. Besides the typical morning pastries and after dinner dessert, the bakery makes cakes for all occasions including weddings.

An outdoor and inside sitting area allows customers to partake of their pastries right at the bakery. What a pleasant way to take a different kind of break and regroup for the rest of the day.

Although it takes a little effort to find because it’s not right on the 76 Branson Strip, Fall Creek Road is a well used connector road that parallels it to the south and runs from Highway 76, at its east end ,to Highway 165 at its west end. The combination of quality and price is attracting both locals and visitors alike. Lewis said that once people find it they become repeat customer.

In today’s world of conveyer belt and truck delivered bakeries the Fall Creek Bakery offers a unique opportunity to experience the smells, taste, and character of the old time bakeries. It is an experience well worth tasting and sharing with others.

Originally Published In the Branson Courier on Feb. 2, 2005.

The Branson area is often referred to as the Tri Lakes Area because of its three lakes, Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals Lake, But long before these lakes there was the river whose impoundment created them, the mighty White River. Flowing from its headwaters in the Boston Mountains of northwestern Arkansas to the Mississippi River, over 760 serpentine miles away, the White River is the mother water for the lakes that provide the myriad of the outdoor water recreational activities in the Branson area.

In fact, it is the damming up, impoundment, of the White River, to form those and other lakes, that virtually changed what used to be the White River into the Upper White River, consisting of the White River headwaters and a series of lakes, including the Tri Lakes, that ends at the Bull Shoals Dam. Although maps still show the White River from Boston to Beaver Lake, for all practical purposes, when people are referring to the White River today they are referring to that portion of the White River starting at the tail waters of the Bull Shoals Dam.

The actual headwater of the White River is located about 92 road miles southwest of Branson and just west of Boston, Arkansas. It begins as a small mountain stream that, strangely, flows to the northwest generally following Highway 16. For about 37 miles, between the State Highway 16 Bridge in Pettigrew, Arkansas to the State Highway 74 bridge just south east of Fayetteville, the White provides excellent paddling opportunities for canoes and kayaks.

It is at this point that the White River encounters its first impoundment, the 395 acre Lake Sequoyah. Although in terms of flow, Lake Sequoyah is the first impoundment of the White River, in terms of time, it was the next to last. Completed in 1961, it is principal drinking-water reservoir for northwest Arkansas, and is presently owned and managed by the Department of Parks & Recreation of the City of Fayetteville, as a recreational fishing lake.

After leaving Lake Sequoyah the White flows in a more northerly direction and flows into the 28,000 acre Beaver Lake located near Eureka Springs, AR. Completed in 1966, Beaver Lake provides a full range of water recreational and fishing activities. Its tailwater, as do the tailwaters of Table Rock and Bull Shoals Lakes provide excellent Rainbow and Brown Trout fishing. For all practical purposes, as the White flows into Beaver Lake it disappears under a series of four lakes and loses its practical identity as a river until it flows out under the Bull Shoals Dam.

After its flow underneath Beaver Lake it begins a gradual flow to the north east as it forms the headwaters for the first of the Branson area’s “tri-lakes,” Table Rock Lake, a 51,000 acre plus impoundment with over 800 miles of shoreline. Completed in 1958, Table Rock Lake is the primary lake for the water recreational and fishing activities offered in the Branson area which includes just about every water recreational activity imaginable as well as some of the finest fresh water fishing available anywhere in the world. Especially neat is the fact that it is all within a “five minute drive” of all the other entertainment and activities that the Branson area has to offer.

As the White flows through Table Rock Dam, located at White River Mile Marker 529 it provides the headwater for Lake Taneycomo and flows through it for another 22 miles to the Power Site Dam located near Forsyth, Missouri at the White River Mile Marker 507. White River Mile Markers start at the junction of the White Rive with the Mississippi and work up toward its headwater.

Lake Taneycomo was created in 1913 when the White River was impounded by the completion of the “Power Site Dam” near Forsyth, Missouri. It was the first of what has become known as “the tri-lakes” and, unlike the Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes and dams, which are owned by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Power Site Dam is privately owned by Empire Electric Company. Empire holds a license to continue operating the dam and its hydroelectric plant until 2022. Because of its cold water, particularly at its upper end, Lake Taneycomo’s primary water activity is boating and trout fishing although, the water warms up down stream and provides some excellent bass fishing not only on the main lake but back up its coves and creeks.

Interestingly, it is as the White runs underneath Lake Taneycomo that it reaches it most northerly point of flow near Long Beach, Missouri. At this point it has flowed approximately 253 river miles and 100 road miles north of where it began in Boston, Arkansas and begins a gradual 507 river mile south easterly flow down to its eventual junction with the Mississippi River.

As the White flows through the Power Site Dam it forms the headwaters for the third of the Branson areas “tri lakes,” Bull Shoals Lake. Formed by the completion of the Bull Shoals Dam at White River Mile Marker 419 in 1951, the 45, 000 thousand acre impoundment, with over 1050 miles of shoreline offers the same type of boating and fishing as does Table Rock Lake. Although one of the “tri Lakes,” Bull Shoals Lakes, probably because of the proximity of Table Rock Lake, has not played a particularly important part in the recent development of the Branson area and most visitors to the Branson area never see it although it is but 20 minutes away.

Blueberry muffins, blueberry crunch and blueberry cobblers are part of the Blueberry Dessert Brunch to benefit the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch on Saturday, June 4, at Persimmon Hill Farm in Lampe. Entertainment will feature gospel music artists in an outdoor gospel fest at the farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The dessert brunch, held from 9:00 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature a variety of blueberry dishes, including farm specialties such as the huge Blueberry Thunder Muffins. Farm guests can feast and help the Boys Ranch, as all proceeds from the brunch will go the ranch, located near the farm. Representatives from the LUC Boys Ranch will be on hand with displays, information and products made by the boys.

The music fest will feature Charles Smith, Canaan Bound, Sisters Twice, Crafton Trio, The Halls, The Bryants, Cliff & John, Living Faith, Eric Campbell, well known song writer Gary Paxton, and Cowboy Poet Jake White. George Bryant from KWFC89.1 will be the master of ceremonies.

Also part of the benefit is the Persimmon Hill Farm 17th Annual Ozark Mountain Cobbler Contest. Anyone wishing to enter can come to the farm prior to the contest for a free pound of blueberries. Entering cooks should bring their cobblers by 9:00 a.m. June 4. Cobblers will be judged by 9:30 a.m. and will then be part of the benefit brunch spread. The winner of the contest will receive a handmade pottery cobbler dish.

The dessert brunch is part of the day-long Blueberry Festival at the farm. The festival also includes free tours of the farm, free recipes and samples of blueberry products. Barbecue sandwiches featuring the farm’s award-winning sauces are available.

Persimmon Hill Farm is located south of Lampe off of Mo. 86, at 367 Persimmon Hill Lane. The farm is 1 1/2 miles off of Mo. 86. For more information, call 417-779-5443. A map is posted on the farm web site, www.persimmonhill.com. For more information on the LUC Boys Ranch, contact Melissa at 417-779-5374 or www.lucboys.org.

Although it was a long time in coming, from an initial proposal in 1906 to its completion and dedication on June 19, 1959, Table Rock Dam and the lake it created, Table Rock Lake, arrived on the scene just in time to provide a needed impetus to Branson, Missouri’s budding tourism industry. Table Rock Dam is located approximately 6 miles south west of Branson, Missouri, has a maximum height above the river bed of 252 feet, is 6,423 feet in length, and has 10 Spillway Crest Gates.

Table Rock Lake has a surface area of approximately 43,100 surface acres, 745 miles of shoreline, and a lake elevation above mean sea level of 915 feet at the top of the Conservation Pool and 52,300 surface acres, 857 miles of shoreline, and a lake elevation above mean sea level of 931 feet at the top of the Flood Control Pool. On the average the lake will be at or below 915 because that is what is used as the guide level for the generation of hydroelectric power.

Although the primary purpose of Table Rock Dam and Table Rock Lake is flood control and the generation of hydroelectric power the lake offers a variety of recreational activities including hiking, sightseeing, hunting, skin diving, fishing, and water sports such as swimming, boating, water skiing etc. People accessing Table Rock Lake from the Branson area will be able to enjoy all that Table Rock Lake has to offer plus the attractions, activities, shopping, shows, etc. that Branson has to offer.

Visitors to Branson can conveniently gain access to Table Rock Lake off of State Highway 165 which can be accessed from its terminus at State Highway 165 commonly called “The Strip.” Just south of the entrance to the Chateau on the Lake is the turn off to Moonshine Beach, a public access area that has a public swimming beach and boat launching ramp. There is another public boat launching ramp located at the Table Rock State park just south of the dam and the Show Boat Branson Belle’s White River Landing. The State Park Marina is a full service marina and bait and tackle shop.

The Dewey Short Visitor Center, normally open seven days a week from April 1st to October 1 of each year is located on State Highway 165 at the south end of the dam between Moonshine Beach and the State Park. In addition to have information about all the public access areas and other information about Table Rock Lake the center has an exhibition area detailing the natural history of the Ozark Mountain region, its earliest inhabitants, and the construction of Table Rock Dam. A 20 minute film entitled, “Taming of the Riviera Blanche” explains the history and construction of the dam itself.

The visitor center is also one of the trail heads for the new 2.2 mile Table Rock Lakeshore Trail. The trail, completed in the fall of 2004 is level, paved, and is suitable for wheel chairs. See the article entitled, “New Table Rock Lakeshore Trail along Branson’s Table Rock Lake,” published in the Branson Courier for further information and pictures on this trail.