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It's a Fourth of July Sidewalk Sale at Tanger Outlet Mall - today through Sunday (July 3-5, 2009). Let us know if you find something great! Click here for more July events.

The day we commemorate the adoption of our Declaration of Independence in 1776 is the day the Branson Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 913 have chosen as the perfect day to have a dedication ceremony for the Vietnam POW/MIA Memorial Wall of the United States in Branson. Everyone is invited to attend - just go to the Branson Mall in the Veteran's Walk of Fame at 10 am on July 4th. You can meet the wall's creator, Leo Voss, a Marine who served in Vietnam. Another project, to go along with the Wall, is a book that's being put together to honor the memory of all the names on the wall. You can help by supporting the project or providing information on anyone listed. Find out more at the ceremony on July 4th or call the VVA at 417-230-6446.

Special guests just announced (bring your camera):

• Leo Voss, the wall's creator
• Bill Groninger, VVA Chapter 913 president and Vietnam veteran
• Jack Goodman, Missouri State Senator
• Dennis Wood, Missouri State Representative
• Raeanne Presley, Branson Mayor
• A special message from Kit Bond, U.S. Senator

 

There's a Chuckwagon event coming this way in 2010 - mark your calendar for October 24-27, 2010. It happens every year (for the past 50!), and this will be the first time it's happened in Branson. The location rotates at different Chuckwagons each year, and now The Circle B gets to host. They're thrilled, needless to say. It' going to be four days filled with top national cowboy music, comedy acts and chuckwagon food! Many of Branson's own cowboy friends are scheduled to appear, like Dusty Rogers and Johnny Lonestar. Oh yes, it's called The Chuckwagons of the West Jamboree 2010 - and the shows are expected to sell-out - so call The Circle B early to reserve your spot.

In addition to Circle B in Branson, the other members of the Chuckwagons of the West are:  the Bar –J in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Bar –D in Durango, Colorado, the Circle B in Rapid City, South Dakota (operated by Circle B relatives, the Lawson Family), the Flying J in Ruidoso, New Mexico,  and of course, the Flying W in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  All are expected to appear at the 2010 Jamboree in Branson.

Then, by all means, check this list. One click here!

Shoot - we just received the official word that the 3rd Annual Fireburst Flotilla has been cancelled due to lack of participation. That would have been cool to see all those boats decorated in red, white and blue. Oh, well...there's always next year! (p.s. think about entering your boat next year!)

All the Fireburst fun and activities still begin at 2 pm at the Summer Fresh parking lot. The fireworks begin at 9:30 pm. Here are the details in our July Events section. 

Have a safe and fun day!

Through the end of August, tickets for kids age 4-12 at the Legends In Concert Show at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theatre are HALF PRICE. Hint: you can count the price on one hand! Click here for the official answer. You can also see the new and exciting changes they've made to the stage. There's new props, including a sandbox for Elvis (Dean Z) to sing songs from Blue Hawaii.

Branson restaurants will need to check their stock of peanut butter, chicken nuggets & pizza before July 13. That's when more kids than usual will be in Branson for the American Kids Inc. 2009 National Finals at the Baldknobbers Theatre. It'll be four days of competitions with over 250 acts competing for cash prizes and the title of Performer Of The Year. During the week, you can catch many of the young entertainers on indoor and outdoor stages throughout Branson - places like the Grand Village, Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop and pre-shows at The Hamner-Barber Theatre and The Baldknobbers Show. Click here for all the details - it's only $10 to attend any of the competitions or the AllStar Show Finale which showcases the Top 25 acts. Maybe you have a little entertainer in the family who would enjoy watching other young performers on stage? Who knows...any one of these contestants could grow up to do great things!

New theater...

New show dates...

New show times...

Same great family show full of original & traditional Bluegrass, Gospel & Old-Timey Music...

We told you about the RedHead Express Bluegrass & Comedy Show moving to The Dutton Family Theatre, and we told you we'd let you know their new schedule as soon as it was available...

Here it is!

They still have a New Year's Eve Show (here are all the 2009 New Year's Eve Shows in Branson), and they also added a show on New Year's Day.

No, we're not talking about The Chicago Bears, the Care Bears or even The Bad News Bears...it's Mishka the Russian Bears at Yakov's Moscow Circus! And that's the good news. Heads up: They'll only be in Branson through July 5th, though, so you'd better hurry on over to the Circus to get a peek. Click here for the Circus showtimes in July.

The day we commemorate the adoption of our Declaration of Independence in 1776 is the day the Branson Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 913 have chosen as the perfect day to have a dedication ceremony for the Vietnam POW/MIA Memorial Wall of the United States in Branson. Everyone is invited to attend - just go to the Branson Mall in the Veteran's Walk of Fame at 10 am on July 4th. You can meet the wall's creator, Leo Voss, a Marine who served in Vietnam. Another project, to go along with the Wall, is a book that's being put together to honor the memory of all the names on the wall. You can help by supporting the project or providing information on anyone listed. Find out more at the ceremony on July 4th or call the VVA at 417-230-6446.

From the streets of Branson to their very own theater show, BucketsNBoards (BNB), the fun and energetic tap & percussion duo of Matt Levingston and Gareth Sever, move the buckets, sticks & tap shoes inside - it's a 3-week run at the Clay Cooper Theatre. Have you seen them on the streets of the Branson Landing? Their new show will be much cooler, in more ways than one! The theater is air-conditioned, you'll have seats, and you can smile for a whole hour as you watch BNB play the buckets, toss the drumsticks, tap dance & sing, and just be generally goofy, fun and entertaining! Check their schedule here.

Ice cream for breakfast? Why not! Especially if it's FREE, right? The Branson Veterans Task Force is sponsoring a fun July event at the Branson Landing on July 4th...from 9 AM to 10:30 AM...which includes FREE ice cream and a FREE flag. All you have to do is get up out of bed, put on your best RED, WHITE & BLUE clothes and go to the Landing on July 4th morning for your FREE ice cream. Because it's a holiday, ice cream for breakfast is OK!

If only the Magic 8 Ball could give us more of a definite answer...

There are so-o-o-o many to choose from that we're having trouble deciding which one to go to. Each one will be spectacular, awesome and fun. We need several clones of ourselves to attend all the festivities.

Good news: a few celebrations start as early as June 28 & July 3-4, and we can go to these without a problem:

• Honor America at College of the Ozarks - June 28 (see our June events)
• 2nd Annual Liberty Light Up at The Branson Landing - July 3 (see our July events)
• Spirit of 76 at the Branson Landing - July 4th from 9 am-10:30 am (free ice cream and a flag in the morning!)

More good news: these are awesome, but you'll have to choose just one because everything lights up at dark on July 4th (see our July events):

• Rockaway Beach Annual Gala Fourth Of July Celebration
• 34th Annual Fire & Thunder Fireworks Display in Shell Knob, Missouri
• 56th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show in Hollister, Missouri
• Chateau On The Lake Fireworks Show
• FireBurst 2009 on Table Rock Lake

Our best advice: go EARLY and bring a lawn chair!

Extra fun: Why don't we all check back in here on July 5th and tell about our fun times? Let us know which event you attended and what you liked about it.  We'll be anxious to hear from you!

 

First Alaska, then Branson...first the Circle B Chuckwagon Theatre, now The Dutton Theatre - The RedHead Express Bluegrass & Comedy Show starts anew on July 6, 2009 at their new diggs with The Duttons and Island Fire. We know they're excited for three reasons: 1) a larger stage (this will be good - they are a family show with mom, dad & seven kids) 2) state-of-the-art sound and lighting, and 3) this new location is right on The Strip, easy to find. Their performance schedule for the rest of the year may change slightly from what we have posted. We'll let you know when the new times are announced. We do know that their first show at the new theater will be Monday, July 6, 2009 at 2 pm. 

Country music artist Ronnie McDowell is coming to the Clay Cooper Theatre for a 3-day limited engagement - July 7, 8 & 9, 2009 at 8 pm. What could be better than an evening of honky-tonk, love songs, gospel, a little pop and the voice that's strikingly similar to Elvis...minus the jumpsuit? Ronnie and his band The Rhythm Kings are on tour, and we can expect everything from 1977's "The King Is Gone" to 2008's "Hey, Mr. Oil Man." Call now for reservations!

Where can you get your fix of fried food on a stick? The same place you can get some great summer fun (at a really great price), The Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, Missouri from July 31 through August 9, 2009 and the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Missouri from August 13-23, 2009. See our Events section for July and August for more details. The Beach Boys, among others, are performing at The Ozark Empire Fair - and the concert line-up at the Missouri State Fair is pretty amazing. It even includes a FREE concert by the group KANSAS! You can get in to either fair for under $10, but bring more cash to sample all that once-a-year fair food on a stick.

Here's a few updates on this post from 2 weeks ago:

1) Ending location is The Grand Village

2) Start time is 10:30 am

The 3rd Annual Holiday Promenade of Stars has a new location this year...drum roll...it'll be on The Strip (Highway 76) starting at White Water at 10:30 am and ending at The Grand Village. Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 7, 2009 (and see our November Events here). Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter...or just keep checking back here for more details as they are announced.

Here we go typing that GOGH again - it's the Grand Old Gospel Hour (so much for abbreviations, right?) Trey Wilson, lead singer of New South at the Grand Country Music Hall, is the special guest for the Father's Day Observance for this Sunday's show. As always, GOGH is FREE at 10 am on Sunday mornings at the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater.

If you're a songwriter...or just play one in real life...then get yourself over to The Chateau On The Lake on Monday, June 22, 2009 at noon. That's when Branson auditions will be held for a new pilot show called "America - Is It A Hit?" Rock, country, pop and hip-hop...bring along any song you've written to be considered for the taping of the show - which happens two days later (Wed. June 24, 2009) at the RFD-TV Studio. It's the new reality show for the SONG to be the star!

A big announcement is coming soon for the return of someone who hasn't appeared in Branson for a long time. On Friday, December 11, 2009, this person and his band will playing some of their biggest hits and some classic Christmas songs, too. Here's your hint: you won't have to go down to Georgia or battle with the devil to get tickets for this show! Okay, that's all we can say for now. Watch for an official announcement in the coming weeks! (remember you can sign up for our FREE newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or check our Recent Updates section on BransonWorld.com)

We're keeping a list of locations in Branson where you can use FREE wi-fi to connect to the internet, and we just discovered a place to add to the list! It's new, it's at the Chappy Mall in Downtown Branson...and we've heard they have some of the best carrot cake (and a few others) you'll ever want to try. It's called Dino's 24 Karrot Cafe, owned by Dino and Cheryl Kartsonakis. So stop in, try some cake & coffee, connect for FREE, and you'll likely run into Dino himself. They've also opened a gift shop across the corridor. It's full of unique gifts, antiques and collectibles. The cafe and gift shop are beautifully decorated with rich colors, artwork and crystal chandeliers. You'll be glad you stopped by. (Heads-up: You'll have to catch Dino at the cafe between shows in November and December when his annual Christmas Extravaganza is in full-swing.)

The Baldknobber's Show on Friday, June 19, 2009 is going to be a super-special show. To celebrate their 50th year of entertaining Branson residents and visitors alike, the 8 pm show is going to be a BIG REUNION of entertainers who have performed in the show over the years. Anyone remember Baldknobber's co-founder Lyle Mabe's character "George Aggernite?" He was well-known in the area for his hillbilly humor and his tv commercials for Empire Gas. Lyle is expected to attend the show along with some other former cast members (out of 45, there are 33 still living). It'll be a big night for one of Branson's long-standing family traditions, The Baldknobbers - the show that started it all!

Good news! Nita Tate from the #1 Hits of the 60's Show at The Caravelle Theatre is organizing Branson's participation in Operation Gratitude, a non-profit volunteer organization that sends care packages of items and letters addressed to individually named U.S. Service members deployed in hostile overseas regions. There are lots of ways you can help bring a smile to a service member's face, and here's how Branson residents, visitors and business owners can help:

• donations of dvd's of Branson shows
• donations of music cd's from Branson shows and performers
• donations of batteries
• donations of computer flash drives
• cash donations to assist with postage expenses to mail the packages overseas

If you are in Branson, the items can be picked up at your location. If you're not in Branson, please call Nita to find out where to mail your donations. Nita Tate can be reached at 417-339-1968. Give her a call to have items picked up or if you have any questions.

What a great way to entertain the troops! Let's show how much Branson cares.

Merle Haggard and Gene Watson drew huge crowds last week at The Tri Lakes Center - and when Gene Watson performed last November at The God & Country Theatre, the show was a sell-out! So here's your official notice that Gene Watson will perform again at The God & Country Theatre at 4 pm on Sunday, October 25, 2009. If you want to see him, we encourage you to get the phone in your hand right now!

Last week's incredible concert with Merle Haggard and Gene Watson will be followed up by a repeat performance in September with Merle Haggard and Grand Ole Opry Star Jack Greene. Mark your calendar for 7 pm on Monday, September 21, 2009. Two hours of pure country music! (T. Graham Brown was originally scheduled to be in the show too, but now he's unable to participate due to a scheduling/transportation conflict. We'll let you know when a new date is worked out for him to perform in Branson)