You can do your part for the environment – plus support the Ozark Mountain Girl Scouts, by joining in the fun at the Fourth Annual Phone Book Recycling Kickoff Event, Tuesday, April 21st, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Branson RecPlex, 1500 Branson Hills Parkway. Bring your old phone books to the recycling event, and the Girl Scouts will receive a nickel for each one collected. Plus, there will be free food, kid’s activities, valuable prizes, and pet adoptions from the Taney County Animal Shelter.

Sponsors of the event are the City of Branson, Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association, CenturyTel, and Hometown Radio, in partnership with the Ozark Mountain Girl Scouts, Branson Recycle Center, and Nestle’Purina PetCare.

Admission is free and open to all ages.

Source: Hollister Chamber Facts April 17

Hollister Project Graduation Events
Saturday, April 19 – Grilling For Grads and Bake Sale Harter House 11-6:30  Come get a grilled bratz for $2 and support Hollister Project Graduation.

Friday, April 24 – Fish Fry and Silent Auction  High School Commons 4:30 – 7:00

Saturday, April 25 – 5KWalk/Run State Park – Registration 7:30-8:00 a.m. Race Begins at 8:30  $15 registration before April 15; $20 after April 15th   Registration forms available on the Hollister High School Website or by calling call Donna at 230-1690.  All registered children up to age 12 will receive a participation    medal 1st and 2nd place prizes for 13-18; 19-39; 40-59; 60+; Overall male and female will also be awarded Free t-shirt for the first 50 registered participants.

Ongoing Raffle of a 21 speed  Cypress silver bicycle from Downhill Bikes & Accessories.- $1 per ticket; $5 = 6 tickets; $10 = 15 tickets. Drawing will be held at the Walk/Run. Need not be present to win. Contact Debbie Redford at 332-7246 if you would like to purchase tickets.

Please join us at noon on Friday, April 24th in Branson Landing’s Town Square, right in front of the Branson Landing fountains, as we celebrate Arbor Day.
It has been over 135 years since J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day, a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.  His simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever.

The Arbor Day Celebration begins at 12:00 noon with a host of special guests, award presentations, great entertainment, FREE trees and much more.  With Master of Ceremonies, Yakov Smirnoff and special performances by John and Ambrus Presley, as well as the amazing group – SIX, this special Arbor Day Celebration will be one not to miss!

With the objective of reforesting and maintaining trees throughout the Branson and Taney County Area, 200 Red Twig Dogwood Seedlings will be distributed as well as 500 Holly Bushes donated by Empire Electric.  Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate Arbor Day in a personal way by planting a tree yourself.

For more information on Arbor Day, visit www.arborday.org today!

Event details:

When:  April 25th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where:  Area 57 (Next to Dick Clark) has donated their area for the event.

What to Expect:  Entertainment by local celebrities onstage performing throughout the event.  Inflatable jump houses from Monkey Moes for the children to play.  Popular children characters in full dress for pictures with the children.  Events and crafts for children of all ages.

Through the process of a loved one being diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum we have learned that we can and should do more as communities to address this growing problem in our nation’s most valuable asset, our children.  The surface of autism has barely been scratched in the generation of tools and treatments that can help many children live more normal lives.  Since insurance does not cover autism, it is very important that events such as “A Day for Shay,” and organizations taking the lead such as Generation Rescue, have to move forward now to give these children they help they deserve.  We are teaming up with Generation Rescue which is Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey’s Foundation for Autism and holding A Day for Shat & Pals event.  We are also asking for your help.  Anything that you can do will be paid forward.

We want to have a very memorable event that families can come and have lots of fun, and raise money for our Taney County families who live with autism and need financial help.

Tuesday, April 21st is opening day for the 2009 season at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre. Bill Haley’s Original Comets perform at 2pm. Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley, featuring McKenna Medley, will be sharing the stage with Paul Revere and the Raiders at 7pm.

Area appreciation shows begin Tuesday, April 21st and run through April 30th. “Rock Around the Clock” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll” down a musical memory lane with the Comets, the group that started it all. Then have dinner at the Moon River Grill and come back for more great music with Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Bill Medley with songs like “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling, “Unchained Melody” and “I’ve Had the Time of my Life”. The crazy comedy of Paul Revere and the Raiders will keep you laughing. And their hits “Kicks” and “Indian Reservation” will keep you reminiscing.

You don’t want to miss all the fun this season at the Moon River Theatre

Moon River Theatre Presents
Righteous Brother Bill Medley
And Paul Revere and The Raiders

Area appreciation shows April 21-30 for those who work or live in counties of Stone, Taney, Greene, Christian, Barry, Ozark, Boone or Carroll. Tickets for Righteoous Brother Bill Medley and Paul Revere and the Raiders are $10 each (7 p.m. show)
Walk ups only the day of the show. No phone calls please

Andy Williams Moon River Theatre
Before or after the show, visit Moon River Grill for dinner, dessert and refreshments. For dinner reservations 417-337-9539

Righteous Brother Bill MedleyAnd Paul Revere and The Raiders

Andy Williams Moon River Theatre

Area appreciation shows April 21-30 for those who work or live in counties of Stone, Taney, Greene, Christian, Barry, Ozark, Boone or Carroll. Tickets for Righteous Brother Bill Medley and Paul Revere and the Raiders are $10 each (7 p.m. show).

Walk ups only the day of the show. No phone calls please.

Before or after the show, visit Moon River Grill for dinner, dessert and refreshments. For dinner reservations 417-337-9539

Wednesday Night Specials, a new free venue of The Grand Old Gospel Hour, opens April 22 at 6 p.m. at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater under the direction of Sam Stauffer and Colt Straub.

“The many different styles of gospel music will be the focus of GOGH Wednesday Night Specials. We will have special guests each week starting with Trey Wilson from Grand Country’s Grand Jubilee. The free gospel show with inspirational testimonies will last about 70 minutes allowing audience members to fit us in between shows. Weekly performances will run through December,” said Stauffer.

Part of the Wednesday Night Specials performances will involve the non-profit American Kids Inc. Known as the nation’s only little league of entertainers, the American Kids organization will be working with Stauffer and Straub, the music director and music minister, by providing young guest performers. They will also be tapping into the membership to find young technicians and instrumentalists who will be working as interns.

At 10 a.m. on Sundays, the Grand Old Gospel Hour is celebrating 14 years of a fast-paced, contemporary and gospel praise and worship experience in Branson. The free gospel performance features a live band, gospel vocalists and entertaining and inspirational messages. Grand Old Gospel Hour made the move from its former location at the Legends Family Theater to the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater along with the Legends in Concert show. For more information go to gospelhour.org or call 417-337-8888.

On April 19, this Sunday’s Grand Old Gospel Hour will feature Elvis’ gospel music and some of the contestants in the Third Annual Branson Elvis Festival and the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition. It is free and open to the public at 10 a.m. at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater.

“Even though Elvis had some 105 Top 40 hits many of which were number one, it was gospel music that earned him his Grammy awards. We at the Grand Old Gospel Hour are happy to be part of the three day Elvis Festival that Legends In Concert is hosting in our new theater home and give some of the outstanding Elvis impersonators a stage on which to perform some of the great gospel music that Elvis recorded,” said Sam Stauffer of the Grand Old Gospel Hour.

The Grand Old Gospel Hour is a long time Branson praise and worship venue free for tourists and locals alike. The non-profit organization is celebrating 14 years in Branson and features a fast-paced, contemporary and gospel praise and worship experience with a live band, gospel vocalists and entertaining and inspirational messages by Stauffer.

“Elvis is probably best known for ‘How Great Thou Art’ and ‘Crying in the Chapel.’ He has been quoted as saying that he knew practically every religious song that’s been written. He recorded songs by William J. Gaither, Andre Crouch and Albert E. Brumley. Traditional gospels songs that he recorded in addition to the Grammy Award-winning ‘How Great Thou Art’ included ‘In the Garden’ along with his own arrangements of ‘Joshua Fit the Battle,’ ‘Swing Down Sweet Chariot,’ ‘By and By,’ ‘Amazing Grace’ and more,” Stauffer said.

Elvis’ ‘How Great Thou Art’ album won the Grammy for Best Sacred Performance in 1967 and the live version won Best Inspirational Performance in 1974.

The Grand Old Gospel Hour Elvis gospel music service is just one of the events during the Third Annual Branson Elvis Festival and the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition being held April 17-19 at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater hosted by Legends in Concert.

The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest will take place on the Legends in Concert stage April 18 at 7 p.m. An Elvis Meet and Greet Dinner is Friday at 5 p.m. at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Grill with the contestants. At 8 p.m. all contestants will be attending the Legends in Concert Show on the Legends in Concert stage where, of course, Elvis is in the spring lineup. At 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, it’s Elvis Karaoke with the contestants in Club 57. Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the Elvis Vendor Village will be open in the lobby. At 10 a.m. the movie Speedway starring Elvis and Nancy Sinatra will be shown in the Legends in Concert Theatre. Admission is free to the public.

The Branson Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest is one of 14 tribute competitions currently scheduled and sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. around the world. The winner of this contest will compete in Memphis during the annual Elvis Week in August against a number of other Elvis tribute finalists for the coveted title of the Ultimate ElvisTribute Artist of the Year. Judges look for the “best representation of the Elvis legacy” in talent, appearance, performance, stage presence and overall tribute to Elvis in naming the “2009 Elvis Tribute Artist of the Year.”

Call 417-337-8888 for more information about the Grand Old Gospel Hour.