The Branson Arts Council has space available for youth to participate in the Children’s Theatre Wrokshop starting July 9, 2007. This is a week long experience of theatre classes, teaching you how to act, speak, produce a play and all the things “thespians” need to know. All classes will be held at the K-Life Taney Cunty building (old Branson Elementary school), 601 S. Fifth Street. You pick the week you want to attend, July 9-13th, 9 am to noon for ages 12 and up. July 9-13th or July 16-20th, 1 pm to 3:30 pm for ages 6-11. Call 336-4255 for registration forms. Requirements are that the child or family be a member of the Branson Arts Council. (Student 1-year membership is $10). Each child will receive a t-shirt. There will be a public performance of the play the children have learned on each Friday night at 7 pm of the week they attend. Admission to these performances is free and open to all family, friends and the public. Phone 336-4255 ASAP.

May 2007 (Branson, Missouri) Family entertainment and fun are an important part of the Branson tradition. The Baldknobbers Jamboree, now in their 48th year, started that tradition, in 1959 when the four Mabe brothers began entertaining visitors on the Branson lake front. Today, the family legacy spanning six decades and four generations continues. The highly successful Baldknobbers Jamboree, owned by The Mabe Family, is the longest continuous running show in Branson, Missouri.

Today’s Baldknobbers Show is a musical powerhouse featuring a talented cast of dynamic singers, musicians, comedians and entertainers as they perform your favorite country classics, hot new country hits, toe tappin’ gospel and lots side-spitting comedy.

Tim Mabe, comedian, the show’s producer and son of Jim and Katie Mabe, says, “Family comedy has been a central part of the show. We truly believe that healing through laughter is important and there is not much in life you can’t laugh at and with a family as big as ours, there is always lots to laugh about!”

Brent Mabe, son of Lyle and Betty Mabe, plays guitar and serves as the Band Director. “My earliest memories go way back. I grew up around the show and that was all I knew. When I was a baby my mom and dad would put me in a guitar case to sleep during the show,” said Brent, who started playing the guitar at the young age of 10 and joined the show in 1985. “This is a great job. I was able to work in the past with my dad, uncles and cousins. And today, we carry on the same principals of great family entertainment that our fathers created 48 years ago,” said Brent.

Other family members on stage are Patty Mabe, Tim’s wife and their son Brandon and his son Broden Mabe. Denton and Garrett Mabe, son of Renee and late Dennis Mabe and grandsons of the late Bill Mabe, plus Joy Bilyeu, granddaughter of the late Bill Mabe.

“There is nothing better than family harmony and combined with our fast paced show, there is something for people of all ages,” said, Patty Mabe.

“Almost every night someone comes through the autograph line at intermission and tells me, that they came with their parents as a kid and now they’re back with their children, I am very proud to be a part of my family’s tradition of great country music and comedy that has lasted for generations!” says, Brandon Mabe.

The family tradition at The Baldknobbers Jamboree is destined to continue for many years to come as the mantle is handed down from generation to generation. “I believe Grandma and Grandpa Mabe would be happy to see how they instilled a love of music and the strong family
ties we all share today,” said Brent Mabe. “If we could talk to our grandparents today, I think they would say good job, well done.”

The Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, “The Show That Started It All” is located on the famed 76 Country Music Boulevard in Branson, Missouri, with performances Monday through Saturday at 8 PM. For tickets call 800-998-8908 or www.Baldknobbers.com

###

Media Contact:
Hollye Gurley, General Manager
(417) 334-4528 ext. 221
[email protected]

Branson, MO — Presleys' Country Jubilee is turning 40! June 30, 2007 marks the anniversary of the show's opening in 1967 in the first theater on Branson's now famous Strip. A special Birthday Celebration Show will be held at 8p.m., Saturday, June 30th followed by an outdoor Birthday Party hosted by the cast at Presleys' Country Jubilee theater, 2920 76 Country Blvd. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit www.presleys.com or call (417) 334-4874.

Fans both old and new can experience a season-long show celebration packed with country favorites, today's country hits, southern gospel music and hilarious comedy. After four decades in the "Live Music Capital", Presleys' remains one of the top-rated shows in Branson and continues to receive numerous awards and accolades from fans and the media each year. In 2006, Springfield News-Leader readers named Presleys' the "Best Music Show in Branson".

The show stars four generations of Presleys including three of the show's original cast members: Lloyd Presley and his sons Gary and Steve, who are also co-producers of the show. Gary's sons Scott, Greg and Eric; and Steve's son John, and daughter Sarah make up the third generation of performing family members. Scott's daughter, 12-year-old Lauren, is the first of the 4th generation to join the cast on stage. Supporting cast members include up-and-coming talent sensations and top-notch entertainers from across the country, who round out the show's non-stop music and comedy.

This multi-talented cast has been the subject of countless television, newspaper, magazine and radio interviews. They've been profiled on "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "60 Minutes," and they even performed on the "Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee" television show. For their contributions to Branson's musical heritage, the Presleys were featured twice on Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story." The family's long history of community service has earned their recognition as Branson's First Family of Entertainment. In April of 2007 Steve's wife Raeanne Presley was elected Mayor of Branson and is the first woman to ever receive the honor.

Presleys' recipe for success helped make Branson famous by entertaining millions of visitors over the past 40 years. A new production each season makes Presleys' one of Branson's most popular and talked about shows year after year. The ever-popular "Herkimer," Gary Presley's smarter-than-he-looks hillbilly character is up to some new tricks in 2007. Son Eric Presley who plays "˜Cecil,' a mischievous comedian who loves to entertain audiences of all ages with his physical high jinks, joins his dad on stage for some outrageous side-splitting comedy that tickles the funny bone long after the show is over.

Each fun-filled nightly performance of Presleys' Country Jubilee features 3rd generation family members Scott, on guitar; Greg, on harmonica and percussion; John, on piano; and Sarah on fiddle and saxophone. These talented young performers bring to life the enduring music of their grandfather's generation and today's music with spark and sizzle. Lloyd Presley, who will turn 83 years old on August 30th, wows audiences every night and is a great inspiration to senior citizens everywhere with his high-energy performances of George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair."

Today's audiences see the Presleys' show in a state-of-the-art theater with full video production capabilities all from the comfort of new red leather premium seats. Historians and long-time fans remember the family's early 1960s shows in local Ozarks caves. Highway 76 was but a two-lane country road back in 1967 when Lloyd and his wife Bessie Mae, and Gary and his wife Pat built Branson's first music theater on what was to become the world-famous Branson Strip. Back then, audiences saw the Presley family in a much simpler production than they do today, but the music was great and the comedy was hilarious. Today's audiences come back year after year because the music's still great and the comedy better than ever and the warm welcome always makes them feel like family.

Today, the original folding canvas theater seats are long gone, but some things haven't changed at all. It's still a family business with nine family members on stage and eight others working hard behind the scenes to make sure the show goes off without a hitch, and to ensure that every guest's experience is a pleasant one.

Presleys' Country Jubilee may be turning 40 this year, but like other Baby Boomers, they aren't getting older, they're just getting better! For tickets and information, please visit www.presleys.com or call (417) 334-4874.