Month: May 2003

What could the High Road have to do with gambling and drinking?Could it be that it was championed under the banner of “economic necessity or emergency?” That many of the benefits touted to get its approval will fail to materialize, and that its primary benefit will accrue to a “vested few,” while its “price” will be paid by the whole community?

At the outset the Ole Seagull must point out that he drinks and gambles on occasion.Too, during the campaign for the building of the High Road, in the mid 90’s, he was unalterably opposed to giving priority to the building of the “High Road,” a purely economic road, while people were bleeding and dying, on highways, like US 65, that needed safety improvements.

“Fast tracked” through as a solution for an alleged “economic emergency” in 1996, the $120 million dollar plus High Road will be opening very soon.Exactly what was the “economic emergency” that the building of the High Road was to solve?How will its opening help the majority of businesses and residents of Branson?Will one, or, possibly, a few, businesses, clearly benefit from its opening more than all others?

Won’t the whole community “pay” its price?Of course it will!Not just as taxpayers but, on a daily basis, as it sits in traffic jams at the Taneycomo Bridge and on Highway 65 south, from Branson to Highway 165 and beyond.One can only speculate as to the economic and “traveling safety” price our area has already paid, and will continue to pay, because of the priority given to the construction of “worlds longest driveway” instead of improving our areas main traffic artery to and from the south, Highway 65.

There are those who would expand drinking within our community into theatres and attractions and bring casino gambling into our community. Like the High Road before them, the justification is one of economics and allegedly meeting the needs of the new “demographics” that some tell us we need.One thing is as sure as there is a God in the heavens, as with the High Road, there is a better chance that their figures and logic will be wrong than right and, one way or the other, right or wrong, our whole community will pay the price.

Was it drinking in theatres and attractions and casino gambling that developed the crowds that drew the performers and developers that flocked to Branson in the early 90s? Will they be the salvation of Branson in its future?The answer is, “No!”

Branson, as a community, is a special place.Those of us, not having the privilege of being born and raised here chose to move here.Why?The reasons may vary but, unless the Ole Seagull misses his guess, in the majority, at least pre 1990, the reasons will center on the community, its people, spirit, natural beauty, and “uniqueness.”

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 is an awesome challenge because 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 and children for the rest of their tomorrows.There’s not much that is nobler or more important than that, not much at all.

Gary may be contacted via email at editor@bransoncourier.com

Could a recent article, about the Wonders of Wildlife Museum (WOW), appearing in the Sunday, April 27, 2003, edition of the Springfield News Leader, entitled, “Outlook dire for wildlife museum” contain a dire warning for the development of Branson Landing?If reality and learning from history have any place in the process, it would appear so.

“Dire” is defined as “urgent” or “desperate” in one context and as a “warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences” in another.But wait, how could anything “dire” happen to a world class attraction that is located within a stones throw from the Mother Of All Bass Pro Shops, one of Missouri’s best attended tourist attractions?Can things be “dire” even though WOW has the opportunity to tap into the millions of tourist coming to Branson?In a word, “Yes!”

The article reports that Mr. John Moore, WOWs Board Chairman, said, “We’ve got some significant challenges ahead.”WOWs Director of Finance, Peggy Smith, said, “In December, we will face challenges unless we can get greater attendance, reduce expenses, or identify other revenue streams.”

“OK Seagull, so WOW has some financial challenges.Don’t we all?”Sure we do but, in this case, it is the depth of the financial challenges and their cause that make the situation dire, for WOW and serves as a warning for the future of Branson Landing.

According to the article, WOW is expected to draw 242,000 visitors this year which is about a third less than the 350,000 visitors needed this year to make just the payment on WOW’s indebtedness.In what could be the understatement of the decade, the article goes on to point out that the 242,000 visitors is “far short of the 927,000 visitors officials once anticipated the museum would draw this year.”

As most attraction and theatre operators know, “visitors” or “patrons” translate into potential revenue or, in the alternative, its lack.The depth of the problems at WOW can better be appreciated when one considers that, according to the article, WOW “had an overall operating deficit for the first three months of 2003 of $1.97 million. It had budgeted to lose $289,523.”In Ole Seagull math that’s a loss that’s about six times greater than projected.

Does common sense indicate that the projections and estimates made for the Branson Landing project are going to be anymore accurate than those relied on for WOW?Were the people making the projections for WOW any less intelligent than those making similar projections for the Branson Landing Project?

What’s really scary is that Bass Pro Shops and an aquarium are two of the three touted main anchors of Branson Landing.If WOW is having these problems, located right next to the Mother Of All Bass Pro Shops, what impact is a smaller Bass Pro Shop, located about 50 miles away from it, going to have on Branson Landing?How many people will it draw to Branson Landing, especially when one considers that there are Bass Pro Shops in, or committed to, Okalahoma City, Dallas, St. Louis, N. Little Rock, etc.?

People have all sorts of ideas why WOW is having problems such as you can’t find its front door, poor marketing, no central theme that appeals to the public etc.To an Ole Seagull it appears that WOW’s house was built on a “foundation” of projections, estimates, and most important of all, anticipated “visitor” needs, wants, and desires for a “product” that were, quite simply, wrong.That foundation is now crumbling around a project it was never capable of supporting.

President Harry S. Truman said, “The only thing new in this world is the history you don’t know.”The American philosopher, George Santana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”WOW’s history is known.An Ole Seagull can not help but believe that we ignore its dire warning at our own peril.