Branson Courier

Month: August 2002

  • Incredible 44 Year Osmond Entertainment Experience Continues

    The incredible 44 year career of the Osmond Brothers continues. After nine years of performing in their own theatre in Branson, three of the Osmond Brothers, Jay, Wayne, and Merrill, will be performing a morning show at the Country Tonite Theatre starting on September 5, 2002.

    Jay Osmond said, “We have decided to try something new. The show will give a reminiscent feeling of music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.” (Editors Note: I think this means they will be doing music of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.)

    They will perform Monday thru Saturday at 9:30 AM except for Thanksgiving Day. For further information, tickets and reservations call 1-888-493-1222 or 417-334-2422.

  • A special experience fly fishing Branson’s Lake Taneycomo

    Size 18 Burgundy Midge was the fly of the day!

    People flying out west to trout fish probably fly over one of the best, trout fisheries in the country, Branson’s “Lake Taneycomo. A recent article entitled, “Are Branson’s Tri-Lakes the fresh water fishing capital of the world,” published on line in the Branson Courier, highlighted the excellent quality of fishing available for both “warm” water species such as Crappie and Bass on Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake and “cold water” species” such as Rainbow and Brown Trout in Lake Taneycomo.

    At about 8:30 a.m. on a crisp March 4 morning, Orvis endorsed fly fishing guide, and one of the owners of River Run Outfitters in Branson, Stan Parker met, with his “clients” for the for the day, both friends, Bob Walden from Iola, Kansas and me. Parker informed us that even though they were currently running four generators, about 12,000 cfs, he expected the day to warm up rapidly and the water to be shut down by midmorning.

    With that said, we went to breakfast at Sheri’s Café just south of the Table Rock Dam. By the time we returned to the shop the temperature was rising and the water generation had ceased. Things were good.

    By the time everyone had their gear regrouped and Parker had launched his Clacker Craft McKenzie style drift boat at the public boat ramp by the Shepherd of the Hill Hatchery it was about 11:00 a.m. Things were really getting good, the water was still dropping, the temperature was still raising and it was a beautiful bright sunny day, with just a tad too much wind. Strangely, probably because it was a weekday, there were not many people wade fishing and only one other boat in the area.

    Parker rowed about 200 yards upstream from where the boat had been launched and, so to speak, things really got good. For the next 4 plus hours we intensely fished from that point to an area about 200 yards either direction of the boat launching ramp, using a variety of fly fishing techniques. The result was over 70 Rainbow Trout to the boat and released, using barbless hooks, and easily another 50 missed strikes, break offs, etc.

    Parker and Walden, being the finely honed and skillful fly fishermen that they are, used a variety of techniques. These included the standard midge strike indicator set up, size 16 Dark Olive Soft Hackles, size 14 Burgundy Crackle Backs and size 8 Bug Eyed Buggers and Gold Variant Sculpins fished using intermediate sink tip line. Every technique used produced trout, but only one type of fly fishing developed into a discernable pattern.

    That was the standard midge strike indicator set up. One of the constant sources of food for Lake Taneycomo’s trout is the almost constant midge hatches taking place on the lake. Because the life cycle of the midge takes them from the very bottom of the lake to the surface, trout will hit the emerging midges anywhere in the water column.

    Proving once again that luck can be as important as skill, the least skilled fisherman in the boat, yours truly, based on Parker’s advice, started with the standard midge strike indicator set up. The size 18 “Lightning Bug” fished on 6x Orvis Mirage Fluorocarbon tippet about three feet below the smallest strike indicator that would that would support it immediately started producing fish.

    Adding the size 18 Burgundy Midge to the mix virtually guaranteed it would be hard for things to get much better. That combination, eventually used by all the fishermen in the boat, produced 90 percent of the fish caught, during the day.

    It seemed like one of us was constantly either getting a hit or bringing in a fish. “Oh sure” with the wind, three of us fishing out of the boat, and yours truly being one of them, we had our share of tangles etc., but that’s fishing. What we also had was a day of trout fishing that would be hard to beat anywhere.

    The numbers of trout caught testify as to the quality of the trout fishing experience that Lake Taneycomo offers Yet, the experience transcends mere numbers of fish and will be remembered more for the shared experience of being on the water with friends, fellowship, and the beauty of the day and upper Lake Taneycomo. It just doesn’t get a better than that.

  • Branson Landing hires local trio to spearhead opening year entertainment

    A local trio of successful Branson entertainment producers have been secured to spearhead opening year events and entertainment for the $420 million Branson Landing project. America’s newest retail entertainment destination is moving full speed toward the next opening on May 26 and is making plans for a grand opening year full of major events and memorable entertainment.



    Branson Landing has contracted with local producers to form a collaboration to create the opening year events and entertaining street atmosphere and characters. The team will be led by Bill Lennon with Joe Sullivan as a senior consultant and Gary Bartlett as co-producer.”I feel very comfortable with the skills and experiences that Joe and Gary bring to this team. We are going to have some fun,” Lennon said.



    The team will create ribbon cutting events scheduled for May 26, a June 16 grand summer celebration with the christening of the Bellagio-style fountain, and the dramatic opening of the Christmas season on the Landing in October.



    The audition and management of the street characters who will stroll the Landing will also be the responsibility of the team, according to Landing officials. “Branson Landing is designed to be a fun place to visit. I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute some ideas to help create that fun, family atmosphere and experience,” Sullivan said.



    “In a tourism market known for live entertainment like Branson, it is critical to create an atmosphere of celebration and good times day and night at Branson Landing,” President and CEO of HCW Development Richard Huffman said. “By hiring Bill, Joe and Gary we can be certain of the


    quality of the events and experiences created for Branson Landing,” Huffman added.



    The variety of late night experiences in Branson will be expanded with the opening of the Landing, which includes 10 restaurants, and the spectacular West Design custom water and fire show along the Lake Taneycomo waterfront in the new town square. “We feel that a stroll at the Landing, with the shops, lights, music and lake, will be a fine addition to the quality and variety of entertainment your can find in Branson everyday of the year,” Lennon said.



    Branson Landing will celebrate a Grand Opening Year in 2006, which began with the Belk opening April 5. Retail openings continue on May 26 and Bass Pro Shops June 8, followed by the sensational summer celebration June 16. Special events will be featured monthly Maythrough December, celebrating the unique seasonal tourism of Branson.

  • Abide these nine, but the greatest of these is “responsibility”

    The nine characteristics that are part of the FirstPLACE character education program taking place in Branson and Taney County are kind of like motherhood, waving the flag, and mom’s apple pie. How can anyone disagree with teaching our children, and in doing so perhaps remind ourselves, about the importance of things like respect, responsibility, citizenship, compassion/kindness, commitment, honesty, cooperation, perseverance, and self-discipline?



    Yet as one looks at that list and acknowledges their importance to us as individuals and as a community one is reminded of the verse of scripture saying, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” In terms of the FirstPLACE character education program, as well as the reality of life itself, an Ole Seagull would paraphrase by saying, “But now respect, responsibility, citizenship, compassion/kindness, commitment, honesty, cooperation, perseverance, and self-discipline, abide these nine, but the greatest of these is responsibility.”



    Granted, all nine are desirable traits and necessary if individuals are going to lead the kind of lives that will make them a blessing to others and themselves. Yet of the nine, an individual must consciously chose to be respectful, practice citizenship, be compassionate and kind, be committed, practice honesty, cooperate with others, persevere, or not, and be self disciplined. If the effort is not made the characteristic does not manifest itself.



    Responsibility, taking ownership of what you say and do, on the other hand, is not a matter of choice. The responsibility to either act or not act and for the results of that action or inaction is an ever present reality of life. Oh sure, there is a choice of whether or not to act or behave in a certain way and whether or not one publicly accepts responsibility for what they say or do, or don’t say or do, but there is absolutely no choice in who owns the responsibility for what a person does or doesn’t do.



    It was the initial failure of President Richard Nixon to accept responsibility for Watergate and Bill Clinton for his actions in the Monica Lewinski sex scandal that led to the resignation of one and the public disgrace of both. Why? Because whether or not they acknowledged it publicly, the responsibility for what they said or did or didn’t say or do was theirs. One can only wonder how different things would have been for them and our country if they had initially accepted the responsibility for their acts and had displayed the characteristics of honesty, self discipline, and respect instead of acting the way they did.



    Young or old, child or adult, at one time or another we have all done something that we knew we shouldn’t have done. No one else knew what had been done wrong yet we knew. Most of us can recall how we felt and it wasn’t a good feeling.



    Call it what you will, the fear of getting caught, punishment, embarrassment, etc., but an Ole Seagull calls it knowing that we are responsible for our actions. In the vast majority of cases, for one reason or another, almost to our relief, we eventually take “public” responsibility for our actions and life goes on. However, even in those cases where public responsibility is not taken the responsibility is still there exacting its price on our lives.



    Responsibility is a two edged sword. One edge encourages us to actively take ownership of the character traits of respect, responsibility, citizenship, compassion/kindness, commitment, honesty, cooperation, perseverance, and self-discipline and make them an integral part of the way we live our lives. This equips puts us to do and say things that will be a blessing to those we love, our community and, in doing so, even to ourselves.



    The other edge of responsibility reminds us of the fact that, good or bad, we will ultimately, either publicly or privately, intentionally or unintentionally take the ownership for everything we say or do. But now respect, responsibility, citizenship, compassion/kindness, commitment, honesty, cooperation, perseverance, and self-discipline, abide these nine, but the greatest of these is responsibility.

  • Branson has the Highroad, how can it have traffic congestion problems?

    Branson has the Highroad, how can it have traffic congestion problems?



    Just in time for summer vacations and the Fourth of July Weekend, Branson received millions of dollars worth of national publicity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of publicity that will enhance Branson’s image. In a “blast from the past” Branson ended up fourth on the American Highway Users Alliance/American Automobile Association’s new report of the top 25 most congested tourist spots in the nation.


    “Now hold on there Seagull, that can’t be right. Wasn’t $50 million plus spent to build the Highroad?”


    “It sure was.”


    “Wasn’t the public justification to build the Highroad that it would solve the traffic congestion problems that were plaguing Branson at the time?”


    “It sure was.”


    “Well the Highroad was built so how can Branson be on the list as the fourth most congested tourist spot in the nation?”


    “Evidently, the Highroad included, because the writers of the report have the perception that Branson has a traffic congestion problem.”


    From its inception, common sense and logic cried out that the funds being spent on the Highroad, under the guise of eliminating Branson’s traffic congestion problem, would have been better spent elsewhere to help eliminate or mitigate the problem.


    Like the war in Iraq, the rationale and justification for building the Highroad will change to cover the “tails” of those who made the decision but the logic used to justify that decision is a matter of written record and history. Even as our nation continues to pay the price of the war in Iraq, Branson, as a community, will continue to pay the price of the Highroad.


    Fortunately, that price will not be as great as it could have been. Even as the city of Branson was “kissing the ring,” playing the political game, and endorsing the Highroad, it was working on the only practical way to solve Branson’s traffic congestion problems. Within the limits of the funding available, it was planning and coordinating with the State and Taney County and building the infrastructure, within Branson, necessary to provide for the safe and efficient transportation of its workers, citizens, and visitors.


    In terms of traffic congestion and safety, one can only wonder where Branson would be today, if all the political clout and millions spent on the Highroad had instead been spent on actually trying to solve the problem that it was allegedly being built to solve. Could projects have been developed and their implementation accelerated that would have helped to eliminate more of Branson’s traffic congestion problems?


    How many lives could have been saved on Highway 65 south of Branson if the improvement of Highway 65 to the Arkansas state line had been given the priority over the Highroad? What would that have done for the economic development of Hollister and the immediate area south of Branson? What alternative routes could have been developed, not only within Branson but outside of Branson, to make travel safer and more convenient for those who work, live, and visit the Branson area?


    Obviously, no one will ever know. One thing is very clear however, the Highroad has done about as much to solve Branson’s traffic congestion problems as the publicity received from the American Highway Users Alliance/American Automobile Association’s report will do to eliminate the perception that Branson has a traffic congestion problem.

  • Branson’s Silver Dollar City Kids’ Fest is Colorful Blast

    When summer arrives in Branson, Missouri, America’s largest kids’ festival ramps up the action with new shows, a fanciful parade, Frisbee-catching dogs, high-flying Xtreme stunts and one of the hottest thrill rides on the planet, as Silver Dollar City presents the National Kids’ Fest, June 10 – August 21.



    The centerpiece for the festival designed for family adventure is PowderKeg, the park’s new $10 million explosive launch coaster, launching riders from 0-53 mph in 2.8 seconds. Recently profiled as a top ten ride for thrill-seekers in the Wall Street Journal and named the Best Family Thrill Coaster on the Planet by ThrillRide.com, PowderKeg combines the breathtaking launch experience with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or “G” forces and “floater” hills, while designed to accommodate kids 42 inches tall, the height of an average 5 or 6 year old.



    New for Kids’ Fest this year, the live stage show “Newton’s Revenge” from Mad Science explores the zany side of science with interactive experiments and hilarious antics, involving the audience in activities causing a commotion about the science of motion.Also new, the “Purina Dog Team Challenge” features world-champion Frisbee-catching dogs performing unbelievable high-leaping stunts and racing through a canine challenge course.



    The animated Circus of Dreams Parade returns with fanciful floats in a spirited procession of whimsical circus fun. Led by a huge, animated elephant and a baby elephant on a spinning circus ball, the parade includes a monkey cage with playful escaping monkeys, a water-spouting clown fire truck, a circus animal band and dozens of


    colorful characters. Guests can join in the fun, as one child is selected as Grand Marshal, and families and kids participate in the Puppet Brigade of 7-foot circus puppets. The parade winds through the park twice each day.



    Also returning is the popular, high-energy Xtreme Air show with amazing flying stunts on inline skates and bikes, showcasing the breathtaking specialties of extreme stunts athletes as they jump, flip, glide and spin.



    Each evening, Echo Hollow Amphitheatre presents American Heartbeat, an energetic musical production featuring the music and celebrity icons of the 1950s and ’60s. Against the backdrop of teen hangouts from the beauty salon to the high school gym, a cast of talented singers and dancers perform songs such as “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Rock Around the Clock” and “All Shook Up,” in this celebration of America’s “happy days.” On Sunday evenings, Echo Hollow presents Jubilation, featuring the Cumberland Quartet, Tracy Heaston and the Faith Trio.



    Kid-focused entertainment and activities include champion kid cloggers from around the country, the interactive musical show Just Kiddin’ Around, a LEGO play area where kids can build LEGO structures, and Thomas Kinkade’s Kolorful Kids Art Barn where kids can create colorful works of art.



    National Kids’ Fest activities are in addition to rides including the multi-looping coaster WildFire, the thrilling Thunderation roller coaster, the WaterWorks Waterboggan ride and the Lost River raft ride. For smaller kids, smaller-scale rides are found in Tom Sawyer’s Landing, a multi-level play area, and interactive adventure is the feature at the World’s Largest Treehouse at Geyser Gulch and Splash Harbor.



    Silver Dollar City, located near Branson, Missouri, is open daily during The


    National Kids’ Fest, June 10 – August 21. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For tickets and information, call 1-800-831-4FUN, or visit the web site, www.silverdollarcity.com.

  • Blueberry Brunch & Gospel Fest at Persimmon Hill Farm

    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.


  • Branson’s new shows – Circle B Chuckwagon Supper and Western Music Show

    The cowboys have arrived in Branson. Having made the long trek from their ranch in South Dakota where they’ve been wowing audiences for the past 9 years, the Horn family, a.k.a., “The Riders of the Circle B,” has transformed the former Diner Bell Restaurant into the Circle B Chuckwagon and is ready to entertain and feed Branson locals and visitors with their authentic style of cowboy music and comedy along with mouth-watering Chuckwagon fare.



    The show is a mix of old-time, heart warming cowboy favorites and side-splitting comedy that is sure to please all. “We’ve been so surprised by the warmth and generosity of the people here in Branson,” stated Michael Horn, Vice President and a member of the Riders of the Circle B.”We feel right at home already.



    “



    Show times are 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays with the doors opening 30 minutes before the show. In addition to the great entertainment guests are served a chuckwagon meal including barbequed, baked brisket that literally melts in your mouth, scrumptious barbequed beef sausage, cowboy baked beans, potato salad, apple sauce, warm biscuits and honey then cobbler for desert.



    The Circle B Chuckwagon is located at 200 Jess-Jo Parkway about a half block north of the Branson Strip. Turn south off of Highway 76 at the Branson Variety Theatre (Spirit of the Dance and Broadway).



    Click here for access to schedules and reservations or call 800-590-0155.

  • Table Rock Dam and Lake – Keys to Branson’s outdoor activities

    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.


    For further information contact the US Army Corps of Engineers
    Table Rock Lake Project Office by phone Toll Free: 1-877-691-0558, via email at
    ceswl-tr@swl02.usace.army.mil or visit their web site at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tablerock/recreation.htm.

  • Americas “nobleness” – Her Teachers


    Seagull Musings Column for April 18, 2004



    Special Note: Each year, toward the end of the school year, this piece is respectfully published and dedicated to our areas teachers as a reminder to us all of how valuable they are to our community and the future of our nation. This year we would include a special dedication to Mrs. Lea Trimble who is retiring from the Branson School system after a teaching career spanning over 44 years. Her years of dedicated service and commitment to our community’s children epitomize the very “nobleness” of which this piece speaks.



    In terms of a “profession” America’s future does not lie in the hands of Presidents, politicians, lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc. Her future lies in the hands of the profession that will be teaching those who will become the Presidents, politicians, lawyers, doctors, or accountants, America’s Teachers.



    A “teacher” is “one who teaches,” a professional who has accepted the awesome challenge and responsibility of helping to prepare our children and grandchildren to fully realize their individual potential, create the desire to fulfill it, and equip them with the skills necessary to achieve it. It can truly be said that America’s destiny and future depends upon the realization and fulfillment of that potential.



    Oh sure, there are those, professing to be teachers, who do the minimum and simply go through the motions. They could be characterized as those who perform the mechanical function of providing instruction from prepared lesson plans without a personal commitment to their students or accepting the responsibility and accountability for their results.They are teachers in title only.



    The true “Teacher” has a personal commitment to their students. A commitment to not only teaching the necessary information and skills that their students will need but to make learning an experience they will want to continue for the rest of their lives.They fully realize and appreciate that “how” they do what they do is as important as “what” they do and dedicate their professional lives to equipping, helping, and motivating their students to recognize and reach their full potential.



    To a large extent true “Teaching” is an art form. It requires the same type of dedication, commitment, and skill that a painter would use on a great canvas, a music composer would use on an opus, a lawyer on a jury, or an entertainer on an audience. What makes the successful musician, singer, comedian, painter, or author? Is it the mere application of “the mechanics” of what they are doing or their ability to communicate and relate what they are doing to their audience?



    Even as the success of an artist is directly linked to their ability to relate what they are doing to their audience so too is the success of a Teacher, only more so. Although the professional entertainer wants and desires to reach every member of their audience, they can still be very successful if they reach a substantial majority of their audience.



    A Teacher however, does not have that luxury. For them, success and failure is measured in the eyes, minds, and hearts of each individual student. The Master Teacher said it best. “If any man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” He was not willing to lose even one.



    The Teachers heart and spirit transcends mere “mechanics and basics” and goes to the concern and commitment of dedicating themselves to their students and their individual ability to effectively apply what is being taught. It is a task that, in a lot of cases, is made more difficult by influences outside of the Teachers direct control such as the physical or mental challenges of individual students, school funding issues, child abuse, and dysfunctional families to mention a few.Fortunately, for America and Her children, in spite of these additional challenges, there are those who feel a calling to become, in the truest sense of the word, “Teachers.”



    Where then is the nobleness of Teaching? It is obvious that it is not based on factors such wealth, title, or power and yet, it is nobleness in the truest sense of the word.Nobleness based on the character, honor, generosity, dedication and commitment of those who are true Teachers and the quest they have chosen, preparing our children for the rest of their tomorrows.There’s not much that is nobler or more important than that, not much at all.



    Gary Groman, a.k.a. “The Ole Seagull,” is an independent columnist and the editor of the Branson Courier. He may be reached by clicking here or by calling 417-339-4000.



  • Branson Veterans Homecoming 2004 Schedule of Events


    The top portion of the list contains events that are Date Specific and the lower portion contains a list of Daily Events that are held every day. Please be advised that the schedule is subject to change. The Branson Veterans Task (BVTF) may be contacted via email iinfo@bransonveterans.com or via phone at 417- 337-8387 for additional information.



    Date Specific



    Friday, Nov. 5


    10:30 a.m. Opening ceremony for the Vietnam Traveling Wall, Welk Resort (D) NOTE NEW TIME


    11:30 a.m. Ribbon cutting by the Branson Chamber of Commerce to officially open Veterans Homecoming 2004 Outdoors Mansion America (E)


    Noon Opening Ceremonies Pre-show by American Kids Inc. Mansion America Theatre (E)


    12:30 p.m. Veterans Homecoming Opening Ceremony, Mansion America (E) (No admission charge, however a $10 donation is optional) NOTE NEW TIME


    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament, Thousand Hills Golf Club ( C)



    Saturday, Nov. 6


    5 p.m. BVTF VIP Reception Lodge of the Ozarks (by invitation only)


    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament, Thousand Hills Golf Club ( C)



    Sunday, Nov. 7


    8 a.m. POW-MIA Service, (D) Welk Theater, at the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall, conducted by the POW Network.



    10 a.m. Barbara Fairchild Sunday Worship Service, (D) Welk Theater, special service honoring veterans. No reservations needed. 417-334-6400



    1 p.m. 15th annual Motorcycle Toy Run, starting at Legends in Concert Theater Highway 76 in Branson and traveling to VFW Forsyth.For information call (417) 334-0775. Needed: Unwrapped toys and clean coats.All donations benefit Taney County families.Sponsored by the Freedom of Road Riders Local 15 Branson Tri-Lakes.



    8 p.m. Braschler Music Show Salute to Veterans, Victorian Theater, 417-334-4363, $19 a person valid for veteran and spouse


    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament, Thousand Hills Golf Club ( C)


    Monday, Nov. 8


    9 a.m. Free writers workshop presented by Robert Vaughan at BVTF Office (Q) Whether you write your memoirs, record them with the Veterans History Project, or share your story with friends and family, Robert’s workshop will provide valuable information. The author of “Brandywine‘s War,” Robert is the author of over 250 novels, winner of a SPUR Award and a member of the American Writers’ Hall of Fame. He is a retired army warrant officer, a helicopter pilot, who served in Germany, Korea and three tours in Vietnam. For his combat tours he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with the “V” Device, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.



    10 a.m. Honoring veterans blood drive conducted by Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and BVTF at Mansion America until 3 p.m.



    11 a.m.Military Women Veteran’s Social Event – The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB together with the Branson Veterans’ Task Force honor women veterans and active duty military women with an opportunity to meet other women from around the country who share similar backgrounds and experiences. Luncheon at the Radisson Hotel with guest speaker Brigadier General LaRita Aragon, Air National Guard, who, as a school teacher and single mom, enlisted in the Air National Guard and worked her way up the ranks. Following the luncheon, the women in attendance will Ride the Ducks, visit Stone Hill Winery and tour the American Presidential Museum. Dinner will be held at the Lodge of the Ozarks at 5:15 p.m. For more information contact Mary Slivka, Inside Sales Coordinator at the Branson Chamber of Commerce and a US Navy veteran at (417) 334-4084 ext. 317 or via email at mslivka@bransoncvb.com.



    1 p.m. – 2 p.m. America‘s Ambassador of Patriotism Mike Radford will be honored with a book signing of his latest book “A Salute to Service” at T. Charleston’s Books, Grand Village on Hwy. 76 across from the Grand Palace



    2 p.m.BVTF Lifetime Sponsors Event, American Star. Lifetime supporters are guests by invitation.


    Event open to the public for $? Per ticket. Need phone number


    Tuesday, Nov.9


    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament, Thousand Hills Golf Club ( C)



    9 a.m. Korean War Veterans Association Mini-Reunion, (L) until noon at the Settle Inn hosted by the State of Missouri K.W.V.A and the Harry S. Truman Chapter K.W.V.A. (417) 546-3150.



    4 p.m. 8th Annual Military Gala & Banquet at the Chateau, call 866-481-GALA (4252) for details.Photographs 4 p.m., Cocktail hour 5:30 p.m., Dinner 6:30 p.m.



    Wednesday, Nov. 10


    10 a.m. KWVA Benefit Show(I) The Dutton Family Theater is hosting a benefit show for the Harry S. Truman Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, for tickets call local (417) 332-2772, Toll free (888) 388-8661. Tickets $10.



    10 a.m. America‘s Ambassador of Patriotism Mike Radford will be honored with a book signing of his latest book “A Salute to Service” at Wal-Mart , Branson Mall on Hwy. 76



    6:30 p.m. Dinner with Mamie Eisenhower at the American Presidential Museum


    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament Play-Offs, Thousand Hills Golf Club ( C)



    7 p.m. Community Choir Sing at Skyline Baptist Church FREE Open to the public



    Thursday, Nov. 11


    11 a.m. 70th Annual Veterans Day Parade, Branson(11/11 at 11a.m.) The largest Veterans Day Parade to date will feature marching bands, local and national veteran units from across the United States.



    2 p.m. Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Salute to Veterans at Mansion America.Tony Orlando returns to honor veterans as he offers his annual Veterans Tribute Show.For reservations call 417-239-1333.



    Closing Ceremony time TBD. Join as we close the 2004 Veterans Homecoming Week festivities. Honored guests and dignitaries will be included. All are invited. No admission charge.



    Daily Events Every Day:



    Veterans Patch Wall, Grand Country Square – Grand Country Music Hall (FREE)


    Hundreds of patches collected from all services hold special meaning for each branch, division and unit represented. See this collection in progress. Patch donations welcome. Open all year.



    Veterans Registry


    Looking for friends from your unit, or hoping someone might be trying to find you?Get your name in the Branson Veterans Task Force Veterans Registry.There is no charge for registering or searches.At three different locations, the Grand Country Inn complex, 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily Nov. 5-10, Mansion America, 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily Nov. 5-10, and the BVTF Welcome Center in The Shoppes at Branson Meadows, 9 a.m. –8 p.m. daily Nov. 5-11..



    Mike Radford’s Hall of Heroes (FREE)


    A display honoring men and women of every era. Located inside the Radisson Hotel, lower level, next to the Veterans Cafe where coffee is always free to veterans. This stirring tribute includes donated military memorabilia, uniforms and thousands of photographs from families across America. An additional Hall of Heroes is located inside the (R) IMAX Entertainment Complex.



    Veterans History Project – VETERANS STORIES NEEDED – FREE


    The Branson Veterans Task Force, as a partner with the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, is videotaping for future generations the personal stories of veterans of all branches and all eras.During Veterans Homecoming, these will be taped between 9a.m. and 5 p.m. at three locations: Mansion America Theater, Veterans Memorial Museum/Branson ,and Radisson Hotel BransonThere is no cost to the veteran.



    BVTF Armed Forces Golf Tournament


    At Thousand Hills Golf Course, all golfers from any branch of the service are invited to tee- up and play. Tournament play is open to singles, doubles and foursomes. Open play times, scores will be recorded and kept daily at the course by branch of service. Tournament play is Wednesday through Sunday. Play-off date is Monday, Nov. 10. Finalists will be notified. $49 per person per round, $99 per person unlimited play all week. Part of the proceeds donated to the Branson Veterans Task Force. Call 417-334-5690 for details.



    Vietnam Traveling Wall


    The official, half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the most visited memorial in Washington, D.C., will be available for viewing daily at the Welk Resort (Friday Nov. 5 Noon – 10 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 6 through Thursday, Nov. 11 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.) As is customary, the list of names will be read aloud continuously throughout the seven-day period. Opening ceremony, Friday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m. Participating will be Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Pam Tillis and the Lennon Sisters.POW-MIA Service, 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7.



    Command Center


    The P.O.W. Network will be at the Veterans Homecoming Command Center at the White House West 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Veterans will be served lunch for free courtesy of Golden Corral. Non-veterans will be asked to donate $3 per person. Entertainment, booths, and more. For more information call 866-481-4252.



    Discounts:



    American Presidential Museum


    Free to Veterans all week


    American Highrise Mural Display


    Outside the Grand Palace


    “John Wayne Story” Starring John Wain


    Free to Veterans all week


    The Jim Stafford Show


    $2 discount to veterans all week


    50’s At The Hop


    $3 discount to veterans all week


    Yakov Smirnoff Show


    $2 discount to veterans all week


    Veterans Memorial Museum


    Veterans always receive a $ 2 discount


    Great Passion Play


    Veterans and Active Military always receive 1/2 off for Great Passion Play, New Holy Land Performance, and Beyond Dickens (Eureka Springs)


    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat


    $4 off for veterans and spouse ALL SEASON!!


    Celebrate America


    $4 off for veterans and spouse ALL SEASON!!


    Tony Orlando “Santa and Me”


    $4 off each ticket (Veteran and spouse) ALL SEASON!!

  • Table Rock Visitor Center & Corps Parks Opening Apr 1

    TABLE ROCK LAKE, Mo., March 27 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dewey Short Visitor Center is open for the 2003 season, and Corps parks at Table Rock Lake soon will be opening for the season.


    The visitor center is south of Table Rock Dam on State Highway 165. During March the center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Beginning April 1, the center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.


    The center offers a bookstore, display area, nature trail, and a newly revised short film on the construction of Table Rock Dam. Picnic facilities are located on the visitor center grounds, and a courtesy boat dock is available for those arriving by water. For more information, you can contact the Corps at 417-334-4101 ext. 3011.


    The Corps will open nine of its recreation areas April 1 on Table Rock Lake for the recreation season. These parks include Baxter, Big M, Campbell Point, Cape Fair, Cricket Creek, Eagle Rock, Long Creek, Indian Point, and Viola. Aunts Creek, Old Highway 86, Viney Creek, and Mill Creek will open May 1.Joe Bald Park again will be open for group camping only during the summer. Group camping reservations can be made by calling 417-334-4101, ext. 0.


    Site-specific reservations for Table Rock Lake can be made through the National Recreation Reservation Service by calling toll free 1-877-444-6777 or logging on at www.reserveusa.com/ <http://www.reserveusa.com/>. Corps Annual Day Use Passes will be available for purchase at all open parks or can be purchased via telephone by calling 417-334-4101, ext. 0.

  • HCW named developer of Branson Landing project

    By Bruce W. Bowlin, Staff Writer, Branson Daily Indpependent



    The Branson Landing lakefront redevelopment project has a new developer of record, thanks to a 5-1 vote of the Branson Board of Aldermen late Tuesday night, Feb. 18.Neither the vote nor the comments on the proposed redevelopment contract with HCW Development Company — the subject of the special meeting — offered many surprises after the regular board meeting of the previous week.



    Support for the contract and opposition to it was nearly evenly divided throughout the four-and-a-half hour long meeting, with 10 speakers imploring the board not to approve the bill and eight urging its passage.



    The importance of approving the contract on its final reading was spelled out very clearly early in the meeting by David Queen, of Gilmore &Bell’s Kansas City office.”The way development occurs is that the developer cannot secure the commitments that underlie the [Tax Increment Financing, or TIF] revenues until he has contractual rights to offer that property and the right to build those improvements on the site,” he explained.”We don’t know if the developer can produce [the retail anchors mandated by the contract],” Queen pointed out, “but we do know the developer can’t go get them unless the developer has a contract.”



    That observation did little to convince some of those attending the meeting of the necessity of executing the contract, though.Taney County Presiding Commissioner Chuck Pennel, for instance, asked the board to “put a hold on [approving the contract] for six weeks” until the results of the municipal election in April could be learned, since it was possible, he believed, that new board members could be elected, but the contract would be as binding on them as on the current members.”If you all are put back in,” Pennel promised, “I’ll commit to not criticize you again about the Branson Landing project,” which drew some laughter from the audience.



    Not all of the exchanges were so friendly, though, throughout the long meeting. Between repeated requests by Dan Wichmer of the Springfield law firm of Lathrop & Gage to speak only to the ordinance under consideration and a few heated exchanges between visitors and city officials, the proceeding occasionally threatened to devolve into outright hostility. Ward II Alderman Bob Warlick apologized for one of his own sharp remarks made earlier in the evening, saying, “Folks who know me a lot of times say, ‘Don’t poke the bear. The bear is grumpy today’.”



    Peter Herschend, president of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, related, “The position of our company and my position personally — and I reflect a management position — is that we are strongly in support of the issue before you tonight, and we strongly recommend that you pass this issue.”His support for the contract “does not mean … that every question has been answered in this process,” but he offered an analogy for urging the board to approve the item.


    “I liken it to buying a house,” he said. “You must open the door and walk into the house in order to see if it’s going to meet your needs in general.” While “buying the house” wasn’t a decision that should be made hastily — “you ask questions, you continue to probe,” Herschend said — the first step in “buying” the proposed lakefront “house” was approving the contract and then seeing if HCW could deliver on the commitments required of it.



    Similarly, Ross Summers, executive vice president of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, reiterated his Board of Director’s unanimous support for the project “with two conditions, the first one being that the examination level study by [Los Angeles-based Economic Research Associates] came back as positive and also that our marketing dollars that were supplied to the Chamber of Commerce through the tourism tax not be affected.” With those two conditions still in force, Summers indicated the chamber was still in support of the project and he encouraged “a positive vote” on the contract.



    Donna Kennedy, director of the Hometown Merchant’s Association, offered a counterpoint, raising her organization’s concerns with the potential impact of the tax incentives on existing businesses. She reported she had shown the proposed contract both to her council and its legal adviser, both of whom “had a lot of concerns” with it.”There’s a lot of accountability here for the City of Branson,” she related. “I don’t see a lot of accountability for the developer.”



    Kennedy said she was currently serving on “a TIF reform committee working in [Jefferson City] along with Senator [Wayne] Goode and Senator [Doyle] Childers.” The goal of that committee, she said, is to rewrite the state TIF statutes and get that legislation “back to where it was supposed to be.”Part of that effort, she indicated, was to try to secure the passage by the legislature of Senate Bill 172, which was introduced in the state senate by Goode on Dec. 4, 2002, and was, she said, also supported by Childers.



    Kennedy offered her organization’s help in determining any adverse impact the project might have on existing business, including addressing such issues as how many local businesses might be lost in the first three years after the development was completed and what financial support might be provided to those businesses “put at risk” by the tax incentives offered to the new firms the city hoped to attract to the waterfront.



    Local resident John Logan also questioned the fairness of the incentives designed to lure in new businesses that might then “cannibalize” existing ones in the area. “Would it be fair,” he asked, “for Knotsberry Farm to come down to our lakefront and for this city government to grant them funds to build … in competition with [Silver Dollar City], built with blood, sweat and tears?”



    Logan also wanted to know whether approving a contract naming HCW as the lakefront developer would constitute an act of “bigamy,” since the lawsuit filed by the Australian-based Branson Landing consortium — part of which demands the city reinstate the consortium as the lakefront developer — was still unresolved.


    Mayoral candidate Larry Milton also encouraged the aldermen to ratify the contract, pointing out, “[HCW’s Rick Huffman] does need the authority [to pursue binding commitments from the anchor retail tenants], or we’re setting him up to fail.”Mayoral candidate Ray Wilson and board candidate Helen Maxwell, meanwhile, still voiced their firm opposition to approval of the contract.



    Ryan Bedwell, meanwhile, owner of the Ozark Mountain Automotive Service on Sycamore Street, did not come to criticize the project itself, but instead the effort to obtain land west of the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks.”We’re paying these bigger businesses money to come in down here,” he said, but “the amount of money I have been offered [for my property] would force me to close my doors. I can’t relocate on it, [and] it would put me out [of business].””I guess I’ve got a real problem with paying these other people to come in and start new businesses when we have to put our own out of business,” he admitted.



    Chuck Pennel, speaking again near the end of the meeting, echoed Bedwell’s concerns, especially since it was his “understanding” that HCW was securing options and making offers on properties west of the tracks even though “they have not had an appraisal on that property other than railroad right-of-way.”)



    The meeting did offer residents a few assurances regarding a couple of the historical sites along the waterfront, though. Early in the meeting, Mayor Lou Schaefer asserted that both the bleachers of Mang Field, constructed as a WPA project in the 1930s, and the Liberty Tree “will remain.”



    Queen offered more reassurance regarding a “major misconception” that the TIF bonds the city intends to issue to pay for the public improvements constitutes a debt the city is responsible for paying.”The TIF bonds, under the [state] statute, are special, limited obligations payable solely from the TIF revenues that are pledged to secure them,” he said, “and that is the way this contract is drafted. This contract does not obligate the city to use its annual appropriation power to use its general fund to ‘backstop’ these obligations in any way.””That means,” he asserted, “that if the revenues don’t materialize, the investors would take the loss.”



    City Administrator Terry Dody, meanwhile, raised the hope that, with approval of the measure, residents might see some swift advances along the Lake Taneycomo shoreline.


    “If all the stars and planets lined up right — if,” he said, “we might see construction start somewhere in the fall, perhaps.”



    When the measure was finally called to a vote, only Ward III Alderman Larry Taylor, who again expressed his concern with authorizing a payment to HCW prior to the effective date that company was to deliver binding commitments from the anchor retail tenants, voted against the measure.



    With both the amended technical services contract and the redevelopment contract now approved, it will now fall to HCW to deliver those tenants prior to Jan. 1 of next year at the latest, although the company becomes eligible to receive the full $500,000 development services fee after March 1.

  • Jimmy Osmond Announces New Branson Variety Show For Fall Season

    Jimmy Osmond will produce and host a new variety show called “Jimmy Osmond’s AMERICAN JUKEBOX SHOW.” The venue will be the “new” American Juke Box Theatre, the “old” Legends In Concerts Theatre,” at 3600 West Highway 76 Boulevard in Branson, Missouri. It should be noted that this is an important distinction because the “new” Legends In Concert Theatre” is located in the “old” “Osmond Family Theatre.

    The show will be hosted by Jimmy Osmond who will also be singing in the show. “Like all our shows, it will be ever changing and feature specialty acts from all over the world,” said Jimmy Osmond. “It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock “n” roll and a whole lot of family fun.”

    The show is billed as celebrating “America’s greatest music from the 40’s to the present day.” Babette Young, a former “Branson All American Entertainment Awards Female Vocalist of the Year” winner and the Flashback Singers and Dancers will provide “a fast paced musical tour up and down memory lane” with “golden oldies and the sounds of today.”

    The popular husband-and-wife magicians, Dave and Denise Hamner, who starred in Branson City Lights/All Star Revue at the Remington Theatre in 1997-99 and the in “Magic of the Night” in 2000 will be featured in the show. The “Hamners” are known for their network television appearances, spectacular illusions such as “The New Metamorphosis” and “Vertigo” and their spectacular, one-of-a-kind, exotic bird magic act. “Dave and Denise Hamner will bring a fantastic element of magic and intrigue to our stage,” said Osmond.

    Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox Show is scheduled to run September 6-December 14, 2002, Monday through Saturday at 7:00 PM with additional 3:00 PM Matinees scheduled for November and December. For off line information or tickets or call 1-888-493-1222 or 417-336-6100.