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Who was the first country female singer to make a color tv commercial?

Give up?

It was Jean Shepard...and you can see her in full-color...in-person, that is, at the God and Country Theatre in the Grand Ladies of Country Music Show! 

The Branson Brothers are at the Americana Theater this season. You may have seen them last year at the Bart Rockett Theatre. They've got some returning and some new cast members, but Jimmy Ponder is still with them...he's the founder and one of the original members of the group. The Americana Theater is right on Highway 76, across from the Presley's Theater.

Andy Williams has had to cancel his 7 pm show the evening before Thanksgiving (Wednesday, November 26) because he will be the Grand Marshall for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year and he'll be in New York for the preliminaries.

Good news: He'll be back in Branson to perform at 7 pm ON Thanksgiving Day!

...and she'll be in Branson this summer with Andy Williams for a string of sensational concerts. The Swedish-born American actress, dancer and singer Ann-Margret will be here in June and July. Better reserve early!

Another good deal discovery to pass along to you is that you can add either breakfast or lunch to your show ticket at The Buck Trent Morning Show at the Grand Country Music Hall...and the adult price for the meal is only an additional $4. Breakfast is before the show at 8 am, or lunch is after the show at the Grand Country Buffet. As Buck would say: Oh yeah!

If you're really planning ahead, we've just discovered that the Amazing Pets! Show, returning to the Grand Country Music Hall in 2008, will have two shows on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Yep, we said two! So, if you're in Branson for the holidays you can see the Amazing Pets! Show at 2 pm or 7 pm on either of those days (check here for their complete 2008 schedule). They actually have trained housecats in the show! Stick around, there will also be a 10 am New Year's Eve show on December 31st.

The Allen Edwards Show (Branson's most affordable show because you set the price with your donation) is at Branson's Golden Corral (the world's largest Golden Corral). You can see him in his 13th season at his own dining showroom. Before you go, click here and print out a 15% savings coupon for your meal and drink purchase at the Branson Golden Corral. So...Dinner at the Golden Corral + The Allen Edwards Show = a 15% Discount coupon for YOU. We like that math.

The Acrobats of China start their 2008 schedule this Sunday, March 16th with an 8 pm show. Over 40 performers get it all started with everything from plate spinning to elegant eastern dance, dazzling acrobatics, mysterious magic, mystical music and much more. Call for reservations!

For its 8th Branson season this year, the 70's Music Show packed up the bell-bottoms and moved it all over to the Shake It Up Showplace (formerly the Ain't Misbehavin' Theatre) on South Highway 165, about a 1/2-mile from the Stone Hill Winery. The move allows them to feed you some lunch while you groove to the sounds of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Come hungry and bring your song requests. And with a phone number like 417-33-PEACE, you know it's got to be cool, man.

It looks like the 50's are hot, hot, hot. The 50's At The Hop Show, at their new 50's At The Hop Theatre, had shows on Tuesday through Saturday last year in 2007...and this year they've added shows on Mondays too. They've got a busy 2008 schedule that includes the Jingle Bell Rock Christmas Show in November and December and the Rockin' New Year's Eve Show on December 31 at 9 pm. It's fun, fun, fun!

The 14 Karat Country Music Show, playing at the Clay Cooper Theatre, has expanded the age group that they consider a child. The 17-year-old in your household may not agree that they're a "child," but...hey...they can attend this show with you for FREE. Adult tickets are $25 (tax included) and the kids 17 and under get in for no charge. Heckuvadeal!

Kirby VanBurch met his wife, Bambi, in 2000 at an airport after auditioning for his show. They were married in September of 2002 and now live in Branson with all of the exotic animals they use in their show, The Kirby VanBurch Show (click here to see pictures of their animals). They have a full 2008 show schedule with two shows a day in June, July and August...plenty of opportunities to take the kids to see this spectacular magic show!

Our newest good deal discovery to pass on to you is that you can add lunch to the regular ticket price at the Branson Divas Show, this year at the Imaginary Theatre, for only $5 more than the price of the ticket. What a deal!

Check here for their 2008 schedule. Lunch is at 12:30 pm, followed by the show at 1:30 pm.

We just found a good deal for active military and veterans. The #1 Hits of the 60's Show at the Jim Stafford Theatre (starting their 6th Branson season) offers a real discount for the military. A regular ticket is $26 (plus tax), but for active duty or veterans the ticket is only $19.60 (plus tax). They also offer a great family pass for 2 adults and ALL the kids 18 & under for only $59 (plus tax). Plus, tickets for kids 5 and under are FREE at every show.

There once was a 200–year–old tree standing in Downtown Branson. It was called The Liberty Tree, an 80–foot–tall bur oak. After a 1996 lightning strike, the tree was determined to be in declining health and was pretty much kept on "tree life-support" until it was bulldozed and cut into pieces in 2005...to make way for the new Branson Landing.

The tree is actually still Downtown...it's just now in the form of tabletops and millwork around the bar in the Liberty Grille and Tavern inside the new Hilton Promendade Hotel at the Branson Landing. Interesting side note: The company that made the tabletop rounds began the first cuts of the Liberty Tree on the Fourth of July, an appropriate time to start the work. 

Another part of the Liberty Tree is in Springfield, Missouri at the Diamond Ridge Market, located at 3401 E Ridgeview St, near US 65 and Battlefield Road, next to PFI Western Store. It's the woodsy part of the wine bar where customers can try wine before they buy. Diamond Ridge carries more than 400 international and domestic wines and 120 varieties of cheeses. 

Island Fire, the only Branson show that lights the stage on fire nightly, is reopening for its 2008 season on Wednesday, February 13th at 8 pm. It's at the Dutton Family Theater for the rest of the season at either 10 am, 2 pm or 8 pm through December 9, 2008. Bonus: a FREE Luau Buffet is included with each full-priced adult ticket. You'll forget it's the middle of winter...the stage is set up like a Polynesian paradise with giant palm trees.

All rooms are now smoke-free at 3 Branson hotels: The Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills, Comfort Inn West and Best Western Music Capital Inn.

 The Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills is located within walking distance of the Grand Palace, Branson Variety and Andy Williams' Moon River Theaters.

The Comfort Inn West is located across the street from the RFD TV and the Ozarks Discovery IMAX.

The Best Western Music Capital Inn is located directly across from the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre.

Oakmont Hills Resort & Golf Course offers FREE unlimited golf to resort guests. It's the only Branson resort (that we know of) to offer free golf, including the greens fee and golf cart.

The date is set for the 23rd Annual Buddy Bass Tournament. So grab a buddy and a boat and mark your calendars for May 3, 2008. Entry fee is $100 (you and your buddy can split it) and there's a 6-fish limit (can you split that?). The great news, though, is that there are cash prizes with a guaranteed $15,000 cash purse. The other great news is that the proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks. So, you and your buddy can have some fun, catch some fish, win some money and help the Ronald McDonald House help kids in our area. What could be better? Call 417-875-3505 to register.

...then you're prepared for a visit to Branson on September 10, 2008. That's when the third stage of the Tour of Missouri 2008 will be happening in Branson. The Tour, a world-class professional bicycle race, begins September 8th in St. Joseph and ends in St. Louis on September 14th. You can watch it from the Missouri roadways (this is why you'll want your lawn chair), or you can watch it on tv or the internet (then you'll just need a comfy recliner). Either way, it's an exciting chance to see professional cyclists do their thing in our own back yard.

It's the big night for the BIG SHOW at the Jim Stafford Theatre. Grab your valentines and head over. It starts at 7 pm. (be sure to call the theater first, 417-335-8080. The area is getting hit with a winter ice storm and the show could be rescheduled)

Andy William's Moon River Grill re-opens today, February 8, 2008, and is ready for Valentine's Day reservations. They'll be offering a special Valentine's Day Menu. Hours: 4 pm to 10 pm Monday through Thursday; 4 pm to 1 am Friday and Saturday; closed Sundays. Featuring drink specials and live music nightly. Reservations: 417-337-9539.

The Keeter Center, located at the College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, MO, is only 2 miles south of Branson on highway 65. They've got a Valentine's Day Special for you:

• Loft suite for $269
• a dozen roses
• $50 voucher for Valentine's Day Dinner
• Special Welcome Amenity
• Enchanted Turndown Service
• Extended check-out until 1 pm
• call 417-239-1900 or visit here for their website 

Nightly at 8 pm, see Fool's Gold (PG-13) on the Branson IMAX Giant Screen. It's located just off highway 76 on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.

Wine and dine your sweetheart at the Chateau Grille at Chateau on the Lake which features "breathtaking views of Table Rock Lake." It's one of 417 Magazine's "Top Restaurants" and a Wine Spectator Award-winner. They've got brunch, too! Call for reservations.