for the grand opening of the Sight and Sound Theatre. It promises new musicals every year, with each one based on stories from the Bible.

Branson has 45 theaters this year…double the number they had 15 years ago. That translates into 116 shows and 55,967 seats!

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Five brothers
Five wives
Twenty children; three more on the way
The biggest performing family in the world
Mom and Dad: Gary and Lena Hughes
It all started at church parties and state fairs in Utah
They booked a summer job at Silver Dollar City and never left Branson
They leased the former Roy Clark Celebrity Theater in 2000, and purchased it in 2004
Its new name is the Hughes Brothers Celebrity Theater
The morning show features all 30 family members
The evening show is just the 5 brothers
The theater is at 3425 W Highway 76
The shows are at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.


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Of the more interesting Branson conventions: Elvis tribute performers, the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, and professional clowns.

The name of Western Taney County Fire Protection District Fire Chief: Chris Berndt

About 10 shows in Branson use pyrotechnics…making Branson one of the largest users of pyrotechnics in Missouri.

Branson has the Best Female Yodeler in America…
The Western Music Association Convention was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in November, and Branson’s own Paula Press, of the John Wayne and America’s Yodeling Sweetheart Show, won the award for Best Female Yodeler. It’s even the second time she’s won such an award. You can see her and the show with the John-Wayne-look-alike Ermal Williamson at The Nova Theater, located at 1840 W Highway 76, Branson, Missouri.


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With so much new construction happening in Branson and Hollister right now, trucks hauling gravel, concrete and steel outnumber tour buses.

In 1950, Hugo, the step-father of Jack and Peter Herschend, acquired a long-term lease on Marvel Cave near Branson. Later, the Herschend brothers opened Silver Dollar City, a re-creation of an 1880’s Ozark mining town, as a place to entertain visitors to Marvel Cave while they waited to take the cave tour. However, in its first year, Silver Dollar City drew four times as many visitors as the cave! The rest is history.

For the first time since 1996, the number of Branson Chamber of Commerce memberships has exceeded the 1000 mark. Business is booming!