September 2009

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Lee Greenwood, Bellamy Brothers open limited engagement at Welk Resort

Lee Greenwood and The Bellamy Brothers team up to bring a spectacular show to the Welk Resort in September and October.

Greenwood will perform his #1 hits, including "Dixie Road," "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" and of course "God Bless the USA." Joining Greenwood is one of the most popular and widely recognized country music duos, the Bellamy Brothers. They bring to the Welk stage their hits, such as "Let Your Love Flow," "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body" and "Redneck Girl."

Shows begin Sept. 14 and run through Oct. 24. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (417) 337-7469 or visit www.WelkResortBranson.com

Branson Landing's Concert Series finale to feature Clay Cooper, Guest Stars, Fireworks

Live in Concert: Clay Cooper and The Clay Cooper Music Express Band with special guest stars Collin Raye, Barbara Fairchild and more! Following the Concert that evening, The American Pyrotechnics Association’s Fireworks Spectacular will light up the sky over Branson Landing’s Town Square.

Clay Cooper has been performing in Branson for years and in 2005, Clay decided to put together a show of his own – which can now be found at The Clay Cooper Theatre. Clay Cooper’s Country Music Express is an all-new, high energy show full of great singing, dancing, comedy and much more and he’ll be bringing parts of his show to Branson Landing.

Also, Branson Landing is excited to welcome Country Music Star Collin Raye for a special live performance! Collin Raye has 15 #1 hits and 24 Top Ten hits and is performing through October 18th with the sensational cast of Country Tonite at The Oak Ridge Boys Theatre. Some of his best-known hits include “Couldn’t Last a Minute,” “I Can Still Feel You,” "Little Rock," and "I Think About You.”

Also joining Clay Cooper on stage is none other than Branson’s Sweetheart – Barbara Fairchild! Barbara Fairchild has been entertaining since she was 5 years old, and was nominated for a Grammy when her song, "The Teddy Bear Song," reached #1 on the charts. She has had many hits including "Baby Doll" and "Kid Stuff."

For more information on Clay Cooper and his Theatre in Branson, visit www.claycooper.biz. For information on Collin Raye and Country Tonite, visit www.oakridgeboystheatre.com and for information on Barbara Fairchild, visit www.barbarafairchild.com. For updates on this event and the additional Guest Stars joining Clay Cooper & The Branson Star Showcase Concert, visit www.bransonlanding.com.

American Pyrotechnics Association's Fireworks Showcase Extravaganza!

Don’t miss the American Pyrotechnics Association’s Fireworks Showcase Extravaganza on Friday, Sept. 25th following the concert. This is your opportunity to experience an amazing Close Proximity Fireworks Showcase Extravaganza – one of the largest displays that Branson has ever seen! This show will impress all with its stunning effects and tons of WOW Power – all choreographed to music.

There will be an additional opportunity for the public to see one more of the American Pyrotechnic Associations’ spectacular displays in the skies over Table Rock Lake on Saturday night, Sept. 26. Look for more information and a list of the best viewing locations in the next E-Connection or visit ExploreBranson.com.

The APA represents elite importers, distributors and retailers in the consumer and display fireworks industry nationwide and will be holding its 2009 American Pyrotechnics Association Convention in Branson Sept. 22-26 at the Hilton Convention Center.

See The World In Branson - No Passport Needed!

See The World in Branson will be an annual springtime event, beginning in 2010, highlighting the vast amount of internationally inspired entertainment, attractions, and cuisine available to visitors in the Branson area.

See The World in Branson will allow visitors the opportunity to enjoy multiple cultural and international experiences in entertainment and tradition without actually having to travel abroad. It will be possible to experience most every continent and catch a glimpse of a variety of cultures within a single visit to Branson.

Local theaters, hotels, restaurants, and retail venues will be representing countries from all around the world during this month-long event. “We wanted to make this a fun event and allow everyone’s creativity to shine,” said Diane Fisher, one of the event organizers. “Whether you choose to visit Mexico, Israel, Greece or Scotland, we have venues that will be decorated accordingly, and highlighting the culture of that particular country.”

A long-running international festival is already happening in Branson. Silver Dollar City presents America’s largest international festival, World-Fest, featuring performers from around the world, including the Zhejiang Balancing Monks of China, a music and dance troupe from Mexico, pan flute musicians from Ecuador, a brass band from Russia and drummers from Trinidad. Hundreds of singers, dancers and musicians perform throughout the festival, April 8 through May 9, at the theme park near Branson.

And entertainment such as the Acrobats of China, Twelve Irish Tenors, Shoji Tabuchi, the Liverpool Legends, Yakov Smirnoff and others continue to offer internationally acclaimed entertainment in Branson. With See the World in Branson, many other area venues will be allowed the opportunity to highlight the origin of their own culture or a culture that they find interesting.

“There are some very exciting things planned during the festival. For example, we have a hotel that has chosen to represent France, and in tribute to the Louvre, will be showcasing an art walk throughout the property featuring both the owner’s private collection and the work of local artists. We have restaurants that will be doing specials from very popular international cuisine. All of this is in addition to the absolutely amazing things the theaters and local attractions are planning,” says event spokesperson Toyea Youngblood.

See The World in Branson is just one of more than 40 special events and festivals that are held annually during Ozark Mountain Spring in March, April and May.

See the World in Branson is being organized by the Branson Area Receptive Association (BARA).

Smithsonian Exhibition on American roots music opens at Forsyth museum

The White River Valley Historical Society, in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council, are hosting New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. New Harmonies opened Aug. 15 and continues through Sept. 26 at the Historical Society’s new museum location, 297 Main Street, Forsyth.

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.

Free events, times, dates and locations include:

New Harmonies Exhibit Open: Aug. 15-Sept. 26, White River Valley Historical Museum, 297 Main St., Forsyth.
Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday, Noon - 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 1-4 p.m. Evenings and Sundays for groups by appointment.
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.
WRVHS Quarterly Meeting & 3rd 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
Kids Konnection each Tuesday, noon
Lunch & Learn music programming for adults, each Wednesday, noon
Karaoke 4 Kids, each Saturday, 1-4 p.m.

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 online at www.museumonmainstreet.org.

Ride The Ducks Salutes Veterans In Branson

Ride The Ducks is saluting Veterans this fall in Branson! From Sept. 4, 2009 through Nov. 15, 2009, Veterans will be celebrated with a patriotic salute and a special ticket offer. All Veterans, Active Duty Military, National Guard and Reserves buy 3 tickets and get 1 free.

While Ride The Ducks is proud to honor Veterans every day of the year, this celebration brings out the red, white and blue with a star-spangled land and lake sightseeing adventure. Quack along to patriotic and military music, see historic military vehicles, ride an amphibious DUKW, visit our DUKW museum and experience a heart-felt salute to our service men and women.

Veterans will be saluted at both Ride The Ducks locations in Branson. The Table Rock Lake/Baird Mountain adventure departs the Ride The Ducks dock at 2320 West Highway 76, just west of Wal-Mart on the 76 strip. The Downtown/Lake Taneycomo excursion departs Branson Landing from the Ride The Ducks kiosk near Bass Pro.

The Ride The Ducks amphibious vehicle is based on the famous WWII DUKW design and all vehicles are United States Coast Guard certified. Ride The Ducks heritage stems from the brave men who boarded these amphibious vehicles in WWII to serve the United States of America and the women, like Rosie the Riveter, who built these amazing vehicles while the men were off to war.

Ride The Ducks operates seven days a week during daylight hours. Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-887-8225. Special discounts apply for groups of 15 or more. For more information about Ride The Ducks in Branson, visit www.bransonducks.com.