Production number with dancers during Clay Cooper's Country Express.

BRANSON, MO, April 3, 2013 — Branson shows were once thought of as being primarily country music shows because most of its early shows followed the format paradigm used by Branson’s first show, The Baldknobbers when they started Branson’s first show in historic downtown Branson in 1959. That paradigm included a mixture of country music, gospel and hillbilly comedy.

When the Presley family opened Presleys’ Country Jubilee, the first theatre on what is now the famed “Branson Strip” in 1967 they, as well as the majority of the shows that came after them until the mid 80’s, followed basically the same paradigm with variations in the comedy, styles and costuming. When the CBS prime time show “60 Minutes” did its piece on Branson in the early 90’s it strongly reinforced that paradigm and firmly established Branson’s country music reputation in the minds of many people, but a new paradigm has gradually emerged on the Branson show scene since then.

As entertainers such as the Osmonds, Lennon Sisters, Andy Williams, Yakov Smirnoff, Jim Stafford and others joined the Branson show scene, along with shows such as the Acrobats of China, Dixie Stampede, Shoji Tabuchi, the shows on the Showboat Branson Belle and others it quickly became obvious that Branson certainly wasn’t just country anymore. In the last two decades, with the explosion of non-country shows such as the Duttons, it, Haygoods, Joseph, George Dyer, SIX, Liverpool Legends, Amazing Pets, Buckets N Boards, the Hamner Barber Variety Show and a host more has actually expanded the depth of Branson’s major shows to the point where the number of major non-country shows outweighs the number of major country shows.

Although that’s the case, an examination of the the Branson Tourism Center Show Schedule lists a number of shows that are country music based. The two original shows that started the paradigm that made Branson famous, The Baldknobbers and Presleys’ Country Jubilee are not only still going strong, but are two of Branson’s most popular shows along with Pierce Arrow and the Grand Jubilee who use basically the same format.

Clay Cooper’s Country Music Express, as would be expected, is country music based, but with a unique twist, production numbers. Clay’s wife Tina, an accomplished dancer, has choreographed a number of dance numbers into the show that are performed by a cast of dancers which in combination with a live band, Clay’s singing and ability to relate to his audience and great costuming results in the most unique country music shows in Branson.

In addition, many country music legends perform limited engagement performances in Branson throughout the year. This includes but is not limited to artists such Charlie Pride, Ray Price, The Charlie Daniels Band, Clint Black, Neal McCoy, Randy Travis and many more. Limited engagement appearances are indicated in the Branson Shows List by a “Limited Engagement Clock Symbol” on the right hand side of the entry.

It’s really interesting the way that Branson’s shows still have the two original shows, and the very paradigm format that helped establish its live entertainment industry, going as strong and popular as ever along with other country music shows while right beside them, and entertaining Branson audiences in growing numbers, is a variety of non-country music shows. From its very beginning the paradigm of Branson’s live entertainment industry has been about more than “format.” It has involved providing its visitors with a great entertainment experience and, country or non-country, that paradigm will never change.

For additional information or tickets for any of the shows mentioned in this article or any of Branson’s other shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services by calling 800-785-1550.

BRANSON, MO, March 28, 2013 — With all there is to see and do in Branson, a question that often comes to mind is, “What is the best way to get information on all there is to see and do in Branson? “That depends on the person seeking the information and how much of their time they want to invest getting it,” said Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center. “But here is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to get all the Branson information you will need and make reservations and get tickets if desired; just make one toll free call to 1-800-785-1550.

That free call will put the caller in contact with a Branson Tourism Center (BTC) Vacation Planner who will assist you in getting the information you want. The Vacation Planner you will be speaking with is one of the nearly 100 dedicated BTC staff members who proudly live and work in the Branson area and the advice given is based on an intimate familiarity with Branson and all it has to offer because they, and their families, experience it on a daily basis.

Just as important is the reputation of the company they work for. The Branson Tourism Center is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited Businesses with an A+ rating; a member of the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce; is one of Branson’s largest employers; has sold over 3 million Branson show and attraction tickets and has helped hundreds of thousands of people plan and have a great Branson experience. BTC also owns and operates three websites providing the most extensive source of Branson information available on the web, two informational websites with telephonic transactional capability www.BransonTourismCenter.Com and Branson’s first destination website, www.Branson.Com and an internet transactional site www.BransonOnTheWeb,.

What can those calling BTC for information on Branson expect? The words of Peggy Barthel, who along with her husband Eddie, purchased the 3 millionth ticket sold by BTC answers that question pretty well. She said that prior to discovering BTC on the internet she “had spent most of that day spinning my wheels trying to decide where to go, what we were going to do and that kind of thing.” In summing up her Branson vacation planning experience with BTC she said, “One call that’s all, they just took care of everything. We’re just going to go up there and have fun.”

The phone call and advice are free and there is never a “Service Fee” for any of the shows, attractions or hotels BTC sells. In fact, because of the relationship BTC enjoys with its vendors, it is very likely that not only will you receive the best seats and accommodations available, but save money particularly if shows and attractions are bundled with lodging.

If you have any questions about Branson please do not hesitate to call the Branson Tourism Center at 1-800-785-1550. BTC is open seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM except for Christmas Day.

C. J. Newsom, star of "The Music of Patsy Cline Remembered."

BRANSON, MO, March 19, 2013 — It’s not often this writer writes about a show he has not seen. However, a chance encounter with C.J. Newsom, the star of one of the new show, The Music of Patsy Cline Remembered, inspired this piece. We were waiting in the lobby of the IMAX to be seated in McFarlain’s Restaurant when Newsom, dressed in a manner reminiscent of Patsy Cline performing, came up and introduced herself and her show. Just talking with her and feeling her enthusiasm for her show and Patsy Cline was so entertaining and interesting that it gave me pause to reflect.

In covering the Branson entertainment scene for over a quarter of a century, I have learned that entertainment is a relative thing and it is not at all dependent on big named “national stars.” If its entertainment a person wants they will find it in just about every Branson show whether or not its stars are “nationally known.” Go see a Branson show like SIX, Presleys’ Country Jubilee, Clay Cooper Country Music Express, Haygoods, Todd Oliver and Friends, The Duttons, George Dyer, Hamner and Barber Variety Show, it,  Grand Jubilee, Pierce Arrow, Acrobats of China and dozens of others. You will have an entertainment experience that rivals or exceeds that provided by some big named “national stars.”

What do I know about the Patsy Cline show? Not much, only that it stars C. J. Newsom and the “Re-Cliners Band” performing the music Patsy Cline made famous such as “Crazy,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Sweet Dream,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “She’s Got You” and many more. Newsom told us that her show is debuting during the 50th Anniversary year of the tragic death of Cline in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. She said the show is about Cline’s life including not only her music, but “her life beyond the music.” The “rack card” describes the show as a “Journey through not only Patsy’s experiences, but those who influenced her and were influenced by her like Judy Garland, Loretta Lynn, and Reba McEntire. The Music of Patsy Cline Remembered is an engaging and entertaining show that brings the audience up close and personal with the life of a musical” legend.

But what I do know is that Newsom’s enthusiasm about her show and for performing Cline’s music, knowledge about Cline, drive and personality made a positive impression on this writer, his wife and the two friends who were with us. If the show is just half as impressive, it should be a great entertainment experience, especially for Patsy Cline fans.

For additional information or tickets for The Music of Patsy Cline Remembered show, or any of Branson’s other shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center by calling their toll free number 1-800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

The information in this FAQ is based on the Branson Tourism Center’s local Branson experience in answering questions and dealing with the constantly evolving situation since the tornado hit during the early morning hours of February 29, 2012. It is current as of March 8, 2012 and any changes after that date, will be dated and added after the question to which the change pertains. Please feel free to call the Branson Tourism Center at 1-800-785-1550 for additional information.

1. If I came to Branson would I expect to see blocks of destroyed buildings like there were in the Joplin? No. Joplin was hit by a multiple vortex EF-5 tornado with winds between 200 and 322 mile per hour which killed 160, injured more than 990 and caused a wide swath of destruction while it stayed on the ground as it tracked through. The damage caused by the Branson Tornado is limited to the specific locations where it touched down as it stayed in the air for most of its track while going through Branson.

2. Is Branson really open for Business? Yes, the vast majority of all Branson businesses, not just its tourism related businesses, were not damaged by the tornado.
https://www.bransontourismcenter.com/info/2012/02/29/tornado-has-minimal-impact-on-branson-entertainment/

3. What about the theatres that were damaged? Only three of the theatres on the Branson Strip were damaged severely enough to impact their operation, the Branson Variety Theatre, Americana Theatre and Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre and all three are expected to be back in operation within about 45 days. All other Branson Theatres are operating as scheduled and those scheduled to open their 2012 season later in the month or April are expected to open on schedule. For example, two of Branson’s pioneer shows, The Baldknobbers Jamboree, “Branson’s first show,” and Presleys’ Country Jubilee, “the first show on the Branson Strip,” will be joining the many Branson shows already performing as they open their 2012 season this weekend. Click here for a full schedule of Branson shows.

https://www.bransontourismcenter.com/shows

4. Was Silver Dollar City damaged by the tornado? No, the tornado did not damage Silver Dollar City at all. It is scheduled to start its 2012 season on March 15 with its “Family Spring Break Days.”

5. Did the storms impact on Table Rock Lake or its activities? Although there was some damage in the Kimberling City area, located the other side of the lake from Branson, there was no damage effecting any recreational or other use of Table Rock Lake in the Branson/Indian Point area and Table Rock Lake is ready to offer Branson guests its full spectrum of water recreational activities. In addition, the Showboat Branson Belle, State Park Marina, State Park Camp Ground, Moonshine Beach and the Dewey Visitors Center were not impacted by the tornado.

6. What was the tornado’s impact on lodging? We saw horrendous pictures of the Hilton and other lodging properties that were damaged. Although, the tornado did damage a few of Branson’s lodging facilities, it has not “substantially affected Branson’s lodging capacity, and the vast majority of lodging properties are open for business as usual.” On a daily basis, Branson has over 18,000 rooms of every type and price range and can accommodate in excess of 60,000 guests. The Hilton, which was featured in the media coverage of the tornado, took a direct hit when the storm was at its highest, and is expected to reopen within less than 100 days.

7. Was the Branson Convention Center damaged? Yes, among other things it received glass and roof damage. It is estimated that it will be operational within 30 to 60 days. In the interim, at the option of the event’s sponsors, and subject to availability, events that were scheduled in the Branson Convention Center are being relocated to Chateau on the Lake or other suitable locations, which sustained no damage.

8. How about the shopping? We heard that Branson Landing sustained major damage. All of Branson Landing, including all its shops, restaurants and famed Water and Fire Fountain is open. Even though its anchor stores, Belks and Bass Pro Shops were never closed, its promenade area was closed for a couple of days to clean up debris and glass from the minor damage it received and had blown in from elsewhere. The shops of historic downtown Branson, including its biggest attraction, the famed “Dicks 5 & 10,” as well as Tanger Mall, The Shoppes at Branson Meadows, IMAX Complex, Grand Village Shoppes and the vast majority of the specialty shops that Branson is noted for are all open and ready to provide that great shopping experience for which Branson is noted.

9. Are most of Branson’s restaurants open? Although the storm did damage a few restaurants, the vast majority of Branson’s restaurants were not damaged and visitors to Branson will have absolutely no problem finding  just about any food they want to eat.

10. If you were me, knowing what you know, would you bring your family to Branson for a vacation this summer? In a heartbeat. In 1975 I was you and in 1986 I moved to Branson. It is with all honesty that I can answer the question so empathically in the positive.

11. Describe the Tornado that hit Branson? It was an EF-1 and EF-2 tornado, originating just west of Kimberling City, Missouri at approximately 1:15 a.m. on February 29, 2012. It traveled east for approximately 22 miles before dropping out of the EF1 classification in the vicinity of Kissee Mills, Missouri, approximately 19 minutes later. It was estimated to be about 400 yards wide, traveled at speeds of between 60-70 miles per hour, had wind speeds of between 85 and 135 miles per hour and tracked through Branson from the west roughly paralleling State Route 76, the famed “Branson Strip before it entered downtown town Branson and exited to the east over the top of Mount Branson.

12. Why do you describe it as an EF-1 and EF-2 tornado? Isn’t it one or the other? It is described that way because the official track of the tornado, named, “The Kimberling City – Branson – Kissee Mills Tornado” by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Springfield, Missouri, shows that it fluctuated between an EF-1, with winds between 86 and 110 miles per hour and an EF-2, with winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour, at different spots as it hit Branson.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=event_2012feb29_tornadotracks

13. The media coverage gave the impression that Branson was destroyed. How extensive was the loss of life and damage? First and most important of all, there was no loss of life and relatively few injuries. As impossible as it might seem, based on the media reporting of the tornado, the vast majority of the property in Branson, located 600 within yards of the center of the path that the tornado traveled, was not seriously damaged, including the vast majority of Branson’s theatres, businesses, residences, attractions, shopping, lodging, infrastructure and its historic downtown district.

14. How could that be if the tornado’s path was basically down the “Branson Strip” and through the downtown? The blessing was that, as the tornado traveled through Branson, it touched down with seeming surgical precision, in relatively few spots. Unfortunately, for the property located where it did touchdown, there was damage, some of it severe, but overall the vast majority of the property in Branson escaped unscathed.

With the exception of a few shows that may or may not be open by the time you visit Branson, everything that Branson is famous for from Silver Dollar City to Branson Landing, attractions, live shows and entertainment, shopping, natural beauty, lakes, and everything else that makes Branson such a special place is ready to provide you and your family the same wonderful vacation experience it has been providing for decades.

One of the miracles of the tornado was that, in addition to no loss of life, it damaged as little of Branson as it did thus providing it with the means to “heal itself” while providing millions with fun, relaxation, entertainment and excitement that will give them and their families a wonderful vacation and memories that will last a lifetime.

Interestingly, even as this is being written on the morning of March 7, an estimated 16,000 to 20,000 people are enjoying all that Branson has to offer in connection with attending the 21st NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championships being conducted at the College of the Ozarks through March 13.

Picture of Dixie Stampede, located not 150 feet from the Dick Clark ' American Bandstand Theatre, which, like the vast majority of Branson's tourist related businesses, was left virtually unscathed by the tornado.

Leap Year Day 2012 is not a day most in Branson will ever forget, as an EF-2 Tornado seemingly hop skipped along through Branson traveling west to east down the famed “Branson Strip,” Highway 76. Almost with surgical precision it hit certain properties and missed others, damaged some more than others and moved on without having caused any fatalities or damaging the vast majority of Branson’s entertainment infrastructure.

National media coverage to the contrary, the reality is that Branson, although hit just two short day ago by a tornado, is ready to provide its visitors with the same great vacation and entertainment experience for which it is known. That might be hard for some to believe based on the “disaster biased reporting” they have been bombarded with this week by national and regional news coverage of the event.

As they filled the airways with pictures showing damaged theatres and properties, they completely ignored another reality of what happened. Unlike in Joplin and other areas hit by tornadoes and the picture of complete devastation they were trying to “paint,” the tornado that hit Branson did not wipe out a wide swath of everything in its path, but rather, almost with surgical precision, hit one spot and jumped on to the next as it moved through Branson leaving everything in between unscathed. The result, although devastating to those properties it hit, is that the vast majority of Branson’s businesses, shows, attractions, shopping and other activities were not damaged by the tornado.

The day after Branson's Leap Day tornado, the Clay Cooper Theatre is still ready to open on schedule.

The “disaster mentality” biased reporting of the national and regional media chose to emphasize a relative small part of the reality of what happened and is happening. As they showered the nation with pictures of damaged theatres, such as “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre,” they failed to report on the reality that just across the street was “Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede,” which, like the vast majority of Branson’s theatres, attractions and entertainment infrastructure was not damaged. As they reported on a “Branson Strip” that was, at the moment,  closed to traffic and littered with windblown debris and utility poles, they failed to report that it was expected to be clear and open to traffic the next day.

As this is being written, the Branson Strip is open, as are the vast majority of Branson’s shows, attractions, shopping and other activities, to receive visitors and provide them with the same great entertainment experience it always has. Steve Presley of Presleys’ Country Jubilee, Branson’s first show on the Branson Strip said, “Opening our 46th season in the same location on Hwy 76 just became a little more special with this week’s tornado. While offering our prayers and sympathies to those impacted by the tornado, we are thankful that our theater received no damage and we will be opening right on schedule next Friday March 9th at 8 pm.”

Presley’s sentiment and what is happening at his theatre is exactly what is happening all around Branson. While praying and caring about those who were impacted by the tornado, Branson is preparing to do the one thing it does best; providing the same unique, fun filled and exciting vacation experience it always has as it and enabling its guests to “Experience memories that will last a life time.”

Note: For continuous updates and information relating to the status of Branson after the tornado, click here.