Shepherd of the Hills Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Friday, Aug. 6, is the 50th anniversary of the outdoor drama at The Shepherd of the Hills Homestead. The anniversary show is at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, but attendees are encouraged to be at the Homestead by 7:30 p.m. for the frog races. After the show, there’s cake and a fireworks display.

The outdoor drama is based on Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright. The book was first published in 1907 and quickly became one of the best-selling books ever written by an American author. The book is the basis of four movies, and served as the spark for Branson's tourism industry more than 100 years ago. Based on actual events, the story details the lives of mountain people and their daily struggles taming the rugged Ozark hills, battling baldknobber vigilantes and raising their pioneer families.

Of course there's lots to do at the Homestead in addition to the outdor drama. Arrive earlier in the day to visit Inspiration Tower, ride the Vigilante Extreme ZipRider that launches you from the top of Inspiration Tower and then go to the Sons Of The Pioneers Dinner Show.

For more information, visit www.theshepherdofthehills.com or call 800-653-6288.

1,500 to Compete in Branson's First Ironman Triathlon

K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 Branson is a triathlon that will be held on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Anticipated attendance is 1,500 athletes with accompany family and spectators. More than 1,300 athletes are currently registered to compete representing 39 states and 6 countries: The United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and Great Britain.

The weekend’s festivities kick-off on Friday night, Sept. 17, with a Block Party at the Branson Landing fountains starring Chain Reaction, a Journey tribute band. The Ironman Expo, open to athletes and the general public, will be open afternoons Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18 at Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa and Convention Center. Check out the latest in athletic wear and gear plus shop at the Ironman Store for official logo items. A Pasta Party on the Garden Terrace at the Chateau will take place on Saturday evening.

The triathlon will begin at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 19 with a 1.2 mile swim at Moonshine Beach on beautiful Table Rock Lake. Athletes will transition (T1) from swim to bike at Moonshine Beach. The 56 mile bike route will travel through the beautiful Ozark Mountains via the scenic High Road (Highway 465) and end at Branson Landing. Athletes will transition (T2) from bike to run in the parking lot located on the north end of Branson Landing. The spectator-friendly run course will travel south through Branson Landing, the City Campground and neighborhoods along Lake Taneycomo. The last athlete will cross the finish line at 3:30 p.m.

Athletes in training – there is still time to enter the race! Visit www.IronmanBranson.com or www.Active.com for more information. Interested in volunteering? Contact Kathleen Bullock at kbullock@bransoncvb.com or 417-334-4084.

Some of the World's Best Fiddlers To Rosin Up in Branson

The 22nd Downtown Branson Fiddle Festival is scheduled for Aug. 27 through Aug. 29. This free event encompasses all of the Downtown area which includes the Historic Downtown Branson Area and its modern neighbor, Branson Landing. The contest preliminaries on Saturday and finals on Sunday will be held at Branson Landing, on the banks of Lake Taneycomo.

Traditional music performers will be prominently featured throughout the weekend on the street corners of the Historic District, and we will also have sidewalk sales, and a special “Show Me Your Fiddle” promotion offering special discounts to fiddle players of all ages. There will be special appearances at both locations by some of the best of our Branson’s outstanding professional entertainers. Many of these musicians competed as youngsters in earlier Branson fiddle contests.

Branson Landing will sponsor a “Big Kick Off” on Friday night with a Big Smith concert at 8 pm. The festival continues on Saturday in Downtown Branson with vendors, entertainment, food, seminars, demonstrations and a children's area. Competition preliminaries are from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday, and the evening concludes with a square dance in the streets of Historic Downtown Branson from 7-10 p.m.

Fiddling seminars and other events will be held in the “Ozarks Music and Heritage Tent” located in the Historic District seminars will include guitar seconding, fiddle making, swing fiddling, cross tuning and square and round dancing to name a few.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, the festival will offer a Gospel Jamboree at the Branson Landing with long-time favorite pastor Bob Hubbard. The competition finals will be held from noon - p.m. on Sunday at the Branson Landing Fountains.

For more information, visit ExploreBranson.com

Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours Reveals Freefall Xpress

On the outer edge of Branson, Missouri, just north of the shows and theaters, sits Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours at Wolfe Creek Preserve. Branson’s newest attraction is the home of many unique eco-adventures including the Blue Streak Fast Line with the Freefall Xpress. This thrilling experience begins with a nearly quarter-mile zip that reaches heights of over 150 feet before landing onto a 100-foot tower.

“Then many of our guests are surprised to find that from there, it’s a freefall from the top of the tower to the ground,” says Emma Hamilton General Manager. “The landing feels like you’ve jumped only 8-inches in the air.”

At Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours the only experience that has the Freefall Xpress as a method of dismounting from the 100’ platform is the Blue Streak Fast Line. The other experiences are guided, low-impact canopy tours where guests traverse multiple ziplines, sky bridges, and platforms soaring through the trees and above the forest fauna. Some guests choose to combine a canopy tour with the Blue Streak Fast Line in order to experience the Freefall Xpress.

A unique rewind mechanism called a PowerFan allows a person to fall 70-feet before gently slowing over the next 30-feet to a complete stop. Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours has the first and only PowerFan used for a 100-foot freefall in North America!

All experiences at Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours are conducted by certified guides. Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours courses meet and exceed Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) standards.

Branson Zipline & Canopy Tours at Wolfe Creek Preserve is located 7 miles north of Branson on US Hwy 65. For more information visit BransonZipline.com and BransonZiplineBlog.com or call 417-561-2500. Reservations are recommended as tours are often sold out several days in advance.

Texas Tenors Returning to Branson

When Texans J.C. Fisher, Marcus Collins and John Hagen decided to combine their talents to audition for NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” the phenomenon known as the “Texas Tenors” was born. Millions of people saw them on NBC, liked what they saw and voted them to a fourth place finish and named them "2009's Vocal Group of the Year."

The Texas Tenors thrilled Branson audiences at the Starlite Theatre with four shows around Mother's Day, and now the trio are returning for another limited engagement at the Starlite running from Sept. 28 through Oct. 23.

Accompanied by the nine piece “Longhorn Orchestra,” the Texas Tenors present a wide variety of music that the threesome describes as "country roots with classical sound." Performing the most romantic songs of the last century, the Texas Tenors bring a unique blend of gospel, country, classical and Broadway to the stage with breathtaking vocals, humour and a hint of cowboy charm.

For more information about the Texas Tenors or the Starlite Theatre, visit www.starlitetheatre.com or call 417-337-9333.

Branson Airport and Airtran Airways Announce Additional Atlanta Service

Branson Airport (BKG) and AirTran Airways are pleased to announce additional non-stop service to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport beginning Sept. 16.

AirTran will add a third Atlanta arrival on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a third departure on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, which presents additional connections never before available from Branson. The new connections include Tunica, Mississippi (UTM), Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi (GPT), Cancun, Mexico (CUN), Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), and Nassau, Bahamas (NAS). Additional connection opportunities to Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (SRQ), Pensacola, Florida (PNS) and Miami, Florida (MIA) have also been created.

“The new departure and arrival times will not only open up some fantastic connections, but will offer more options for the frequent flyer,” stated Jeff Bourk, Branson Airport’s executive director. “Not only can visitors get to Branson easier, but now our local community can fly to exciting destinations like Cancun, Jamaica and the Bahamas with one-stop convenience at a low cost.”

The following nonstop flights between Atlanta and Branson are now available to book toll free at 1-888-FLY-BKG1 (1-888-359-2541) or online at AirTran.com.

Branson Airport currently offers nonstop service to Atlanta (ATL) and Orlando (MCO) on AirTran Airways, Denver (DEN) and Milwaukee (MKE) on Frontier Airlines and Austin (AUS), Chicago Midway (MDW), Des Moines (DSM), Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT), Houston (HOU), Indianapolis (IND), Nashville (BNA), and Shreveport (SHV) on Branson AirExpress. For more information or to make reservations visit FlyBranson.com.